Scar Protocol

Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”

Maya Angelou

When I first started using essential oils over twenty years ago it was all about the smell for me. I loved the way that they blended together to make a custom perfume or to use in yoga classes. It wasn’t until many years later that I actually started to learn that the powerful molecules in plants are actually incredibly beneficial for our bodies. Let’s face it, prior to a Walgreens on every corner our ancestors used plants to heal many ailments–peppermint, chamomile, aloe, etc. In time I have filled my house and my work with essential oils for all purposes and I am so glad that I did. When I get a headache or a belly ache, I know that I can reach for something as simple as peppermint to soothe my body. Pure and potent without any side effects or long term risks that can come with over the counter medications.

One of the most common ways I use oils on a daily basis is on my skin. Growing up at a swimming pool and being a redhead lends its self to some sun damage. I couple of years ago I did a horrible treatment on my skin and chest to kill pre-cancerous cells. You basically put a very strong cream on and for two weeks and wherever you had cancer cells, the skin would turn black and die. My entire chest was covered in raw, red, black dying skin. It was horribly painful. My face surprisingly did not have much.

Once the process of that was over, I have been consistently applying essential oils to my chest to help the brand new skin stay rejuvenated and healthy. And of course, I wear sunscreen every day on my body and my face.

Despite the torture of the cream and a couple biopsies, Basal Cell has made its way into my life again. Thankfully I have an incredible dermatologist who is on it. Yesterday I had to have an area on my collarbone cut out and stitched back up. Once the stitches are out I will be addressing the scar and tissue with essential oils.

Since having to deal with the issue for the last two years, I have never leaned on my oils more to support my skin.

Here is the process of what oils I will use for scar revisioning and healthy skin.

Full face application: Immortelle followed by Yarrow|Pom, focuses on the scar. Applied morning and night.
Magnolia and Rose Touch, floral oils are

INCREDIBLE for skin health and regeneration.
Custom Blend: 15 drops Yarrow|Pom, 10 drops Helichrysum (promotes great blood flow), 10 drops Frankincense, 10 drops Sandalwood, 10 drops Myrrh. Topped with Fractionated coconut oil and I will apply it probably every 30 minutes or so…it is also soothing so will help with any discomfort.

Not only are these oils incredible for skin rejuvenation, but they also help with the huge swing of emotions that have come along with this process. Flowers are so soothing for the mind and really foster a sense of love so as I walk through this I am reminded of love for my body, the process and deep trust. The investment is big, I get that. However, these oils are versatile and can be used for may things beyond just the skin. If you only used them on your face and chest this investment will literally last you months if not years. Think of how many garbage products you have used on your skin that aren’t pure and are filled with extra junk and the money literally tossed down the drain.

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Sun Damage Face Serum

I grew up in the 70’s era where the only sunscreen around was the infamous zinc oxide slapped onto the nose long after the sun had already blistered it a few times. There might have been something call sea and ski that had a distinct smell but the memory of it is not super vivid. All I know is that this redheaded gal spent most summers with sunburns and blisters. As an adult I admit I was far from consistent when it came to sunscreen, until a few years ago.

Sadly, the damage of 50+ years in the very strong Colorado sun has taken its toll. I have had more basal cell cancers cut out than I can recall and a few squamous ones, too. A recent trip to the dermatologist resulted in yet another biopsy and the unexpected follow up call saying I need to have surgery to get the rest of it. Not fun. This particular spot is on my collarbone where the skin is super thin and fragile.

Most people who know me are surprised that I am a mom to a 32 year old and that I have a handful of grandkids because honestly, I do not look 52… at first glance anyway. Sometimes my son and I when out together get confused as siblings or worse, that we are a couple. (It helps that he is balding and looks much older than his 32 years and I can most days pass for 40-ish). Overall despite the decades of sun exposure my face has not taken too much of a beating and I have been taking really good care of it.

For the last 10 years I have been very diligent with what I put on my skin and besides sunscreen, the only thing I use on my skin is stuff that I make myself so I know the ingredients are pure. Our skin is after all our largest organ and it absorbs everything we put on it. I make my own foot salve, body butter, eye lash serum, cuticle and nail serum, and hand balm. Sure, it takes a little time but it is so worth it. I know exactly what I am putting on my skin and consider it to all be the cleanest and purest skin care. Plus, I cringe at the thought of paying upwards of $50 – $100 for a high quality facial serum.  The DIY facial serum that I use works the same or better, lasts longer, and costs significantly less.

I have been making a face serum to offset the damage of the sun for quite some time and I think it is amazing. I use pure essential oils and rosehip oil as my carrier. I have found rose hip to work best with my aging skin, but I also know that jojoba is a great option, too.

You only need 3 items to make this DIY Face Serum.   
These are my favorites— dropper bottle, carrier oils, and essential oils.  

  1. Dropper Bottle
  2. Carrier Oil
  3. Essential Oils

The carrier oil is generally inexpensive and can be used for other DIY projects.  All together, depending on the essential oils you use, this serum will likely cost under $10 per bottle. The essential oils you invest in can be used for a variety of other uses, or you can just use them for serums and they will make about twenty-five 2oz serums. Can you imagine spending department store prices twenty five times??? Another benefit to this investment is that I know exactly what I am putting on my skin. There are no unnecessary fillers, synthetic ingredients, or preservatives that are not good for me. 

A few words of caution when it comes to essential oils.

First, please be sure you are using a high quality essential oil, and do not use fragrance oil from the drugstore.  Even though these are labeled as pure oils, they have been tested and they are synthetic. These will damage your skin!  If your bottle of essential oil states fragrance oil anywhere on it, do not apply it to your face.

Second, be wary of ordering on Amazon because most of these have been tampered with.  If you’ve ordered from there and your oil has smelled or looked “off”, then you’ve experienced this.  These can damage your skin because you don’t know what’s in them. They are frequently diluted with low cost coconut oil which can sometimes clogs pores. Because of this, the essential oils I trust to use with my skin and my family are doTERRA essential oils because of their purity, testing standards, and commitment to sustainable practices.  

You can customize this serum to your skin’s specific needs. Since I am targeting aging and sun damaged skin, I carefully selected the essential oils listed below. At my age, I need all the anti-aging wrinkle fighting help I can get.  So I chose some specific oils to help with those needs, like Blue Tansy. You can use as few as 1 or 2 essential oils in this, or as many as you like.   Use what you have or grab a few new ones.

If you’re not sure where to start, Lavender and Frankincense would be good choices.  Of course grabbing these at wholesale makes the most sense and is easy to do! With wholesale pricing you get a 25% off retail cost and there is no requirement to make purchases.

  • Frankincense – I consider this one a must in this recipe.  They knew even thousands of years ago the amazing benefits of Frankincense.  It can help with fine lines and wrinkles, reduction of the appearance of scars, and give an overall radiant and youthful glow.
  • Lavender– The is one of the most popular essential oils of all time and with good reason.  It has incredible benefits for the skin.  It can help reduce redness, blotchy patches and reduce acne.  It has anti-inflammatory properties that help your skin heal from irritations, sun burn, insect bites, or bacteria.  It can also help detoxify the skin, heal, soothe, and prevent wrinkles.  It’s a superstar!
  • Helichrysum  – This is a beautiful healing oil that is great for inflammation, cell regeneration, and can help diminish scars.  It is called “The Everlasting Flower” because of its ant-aging rejuvenating benefits for the skin and ability to improve the complexion.
  • Yarrow | Pom – This is so wonderful for skin all on it’s own that many people will slather this all over their face to reap the benefits.  It has a beautiful blue tint to it that may turn the skin a bit blue at first, but will go away in a few minutes.  
  • Geranium – Geranium essential oil has fantastic benefits for the skin.  It can help with acne breakouts, wrinkles, skin irritations, and skin infections. I highly recommend adding this one.
  • Tea Tree – Tea Tree essential oil especially good for acne prone or oily skin.  It is naturally cleansing and purifying and will help fight acne causing bacteria. A must for any serum.
  • Copaiba –  Copaiba essential oil is widely used in cosmetic products including soaps, creams, lotions, and perfumes.  It is high in beta-caryophyllene which has been studied for its affects on skin. Perfect for any facial serum.
  • Cypress– Cypress oil supports restoring skin’s hydration and eases oil and dry skin issues. The decongestant quality of cypress oil reduces skin pigmentation and puffiness. Skin-soothing properties calm the irritated and inflamed skin and accelerate the healing process.
  • *Blue Tansy occasionally I add this special blue oil because it truly is amazing for the skin. While it is a pricier one, it has some amazing benefits and is a very popular essential oil in many skin care products you can buy anywhere. This one is the purest of the pure.

I apply the serum to a clean face at night and use the rose quartz roller to spread it all over my face and neck area. I smell amazing and while I sleep my face is getting restored by the essential oil benefits.

This gorgeous ebook has some great ideas and tips for how to use essential oils in your home. The investment goes way beyond this face serum!

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Please note that I may receive commissions when you click my links and make purchases. This doesn’t affect your price in any way and helps offset the cost of running this website.

Stacie believes that it is her life purpose to share the gift of Yoga with anyone who is willing to say yes. In addition to raising a family and being an advocate for those with disabilities, Stacie is founder of Embracing Spirit Yoga which specializes in bringing adaptive Yoga into community centers and rehabilitation clinics. Bringing her depth of compassion to the mat–or the chair–she offers students the opportunity to grow as an individual in all aspects of their life. Stacie is currently contracted across the country in a variety of residential programs for adults with traumatic brain injuries and other disabilities.

With over fifteen years experience, Stacie Wyatt is a E-RYT 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, a Certified Brain Injury Specialist, Life Wellness Coach, Senior YogaFit Instructor, Mind/Body Personal trainer, Stress Reduction and Meditation Instructor, Pilates Instructor, and Barre Instructor. Stacie is also certified in Integrative Movement Therapy™and is also a believer in the power and application of essential oils for health and wellness and proudly shares doTERRA essential oils.

Stacie brings her personal life experience of raising a daughter with a disability and over 12 years working in special education to her everyday Yoga classes. In addition to teaching classes in her studio and in the community, Stacie also continues to offer Yoga and Wellness coaching individually to those seeking private sessions.

DIY Lotion Bars

Seriously? Lotion in a bar form? YES! These glide over your skin making your body feel (and smell) amazing. Using all natural ingredients you eliminate toxic junk from going into your body. Remember our skin absorbs EVERYTHING you put on it so those store bought bottles lotion contain lots of stuff that can be harmful over time for our bodies.

Making these is quick, easy AND fun. Plus, they make awesome gifts!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup beeswax
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ½ cup cocoa butter
  • 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
  • 15 drops of doTERRA essential oil

Recommended essential oils: my favorites are Citrus Bliss, Peppermint, Lavender.

Directions:

  • Measure all ingredients, except for essential oils, in large glass jar.
  • Place jar in saucepan with one to one and a half inches of boiling water.
  • Stir ingredients until combined.
  • Once melted, remove from heat. Let rest three minutes.
  • Add essential oils and stir or swirl jar.
  • Pour mixture into silicone mold.
  • Massage lotion bar on skin for moisture.
  • Wrap in a fun paper and tie with twine for a cute gift.

These are so fun! You can find the molds in my Amazon shop listed below and if you check out this handy ebook you can learn more about essential oils and how you can get the most pure and potent in your home.

DIY Face Toning Pads

I have been making these little treasures for awhile and cannot believe how SIMPLE they are. My skin feels amazing and I know that I am saving tons of money on store bought (and often filled with junk) face toning products.

I use these in the morning right when I get up. I like to say that it is washing the sleep off. Doing this gives me a super fresh complexion, a nice wake-up aroma, and skin that feels super clean.

Sometimes I switch out the essential oils for other ones but I have found my skin loves turmeric (anti-inflammatory), lavender (soothing and calming) and tea tree (cleansing and purifying). I add water, castille soap, and witch hazel. I am not a big measuring type person, I usually just eyeball it.

Here is how you do it:

  • pack a pint size mason jar with cotton round pads
  • to a 2 cups measuring cup add a squirt of soap, a bigger squirt or two of Witch hazel, 20 drops (ish) of each essential oil, fill with water, optional stir
  • pour liquid over the cotton pads
  • seal the jar and use daily

You can find all of my favorite DIY ingredients and tools in my amazon shop. You can grab the essential oils by clicking on the button below. The best part is these three oils are SO versatile that you will have tools on hand for sleep, inflammation, skin support, cleaning your surfaces and MUCH more. Once you get the oils, I will personally connect with you for a free consult to show you how easy it is to swap out everyday items for natural ingredients. Also, check out this free ebook to see just how easy it is to use essential oils in your home!

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Homemade Cleansing Pads for Skin

One of the most important parts of a skin care regimen for oily skin is keeping it clean. Keeping oily skin clean helps to prevent the oil from building up and causing breakouts. I recently decided to try my hand at making my own cleansing pads and could not be more thrilled. Little things, right?

This recipe is so simple, so clean and so affordable. I love adding pure essential oils to my skin care because of the many benefits! Tea tree is known for its cleansing and antibacterial properties and lavender is soothing for the skin. If you’d like to learn more about the basics of essential oils and how versatile they can be, AND why choosing the most pure essential oils are important just download this free ebook.

You’ll need:

  • 2 cups distilled water
  • 1 Tbsp Castille soap (I used a version with tea tree in it)
  • 1 Tbsp witch hazel
  • 10 drops lavender essential oil
  • 10 drops tea tree essential oil
  • Cotton rounds
  • Container with a tight-fitting lid (I used a wide mouth pint mason jar)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Pack the cotton rounds into the mason jar and pour some of the cleansing solution over the rounds. Keep adding rounds and pressing down while adding more solution.

I use these before bed and first thing in the morning. So good!

Why I Have Been Laying Low

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I have been laying low the past month or so, and perhaps you have wondered why my teaching has been so much less these days. This month I had only two classes in my yoga studio and did not create any new virtual content. I have been working really hard at choosing radical self-care and balancing the demands of pretty challenging clients that I am blessed enough to see. My version of radical self-care is plenty of time to walk, working out everyday (in fact, I started an amazing strength training program five weeks ago that has rocked my world), and making the time for myself to feel my best in whatever that might be on a given day.

A couple months ago I mentioned to my doctor that I have been feeling pretty lousy, and the feeling was more than the usual chronic pain/fibromyalgia/lupus yuck that I experience most days. I explained to her that this new pain and not feeling great felt different, but I could not put a finger exactly on what I was experiencing. After listening to my symptoms she ran some additional blood tests to see if anything showed up. Indeed it did. She explained that my unexplained symptoms (extreme fatigue, soreness, loss of hair, weight loss, and overall malaise) might be contributed to very high iron levels. She ran some more tests and it was discovered that I have a single mutation of a genetic blood disorder called Hereditary Hemochromatosis. The way to remove the iron overload is a series of blood donations done fairly frequently. Many people donate blood and it is not a big deal. Well, since I am not like the average person (and if you ask my family, they will all say I am the difficult freak in the family when it comes to medical stuff), it is REALLY hard on me. It wipes me out like nothing I have ever experienced. I am exhausted, worn out, pale, puny and extremely weak for several days following my every two weeks blood letting.

At this same time, I committed to following my dermatologist insistence to begin a treatment to rid my over exposed skin to an intense skin cancer treatment. Essentially this topical treatment will eat away any pre-cancerous or cancerous cells. Because I have so much damage from the sun, he suggested I take three months to complete this protocol, rather than the usual two weeks regimen. Aye aye aye is all I can say. Imagine second degree burns and extreme itching for three months; blisters, scabs, abrasions, etc. all over my face, neck and chest. It is so uncomfortable and so painful, and really ugly.

Between the horrible blood treatments, the intense skin issues and my everyday pain and feeling miserable, I haven’t had the mojo to put on my pretty face and teach a ton of Yoga online or in my studio. These days I am lucky to make it to my assisted living sites and keep up with running a business to earn an income. The behind the scenes of any small business is bigger than one might imagine, and in normal months, it takes a TON of my energy. Over the last few months, it has been a real struggle.

So, if you see me walking in my neighborhood in a sun hat and a scarf, that is why. If you don’t see me producing tons of online content or hosting classes in my studio, that is why. If I don’t respond to your texts, emails or messages as fast as I used to, that is why. If I am grumpy and short with you, that is why.

As I teach so often, I am reminded that everything is temporary. That mindset does not mean that this is easy because it is not. But, I do try to hold on that this too will pass. My blood will be normal again. My skin will heal beautifully. I will manage my pain as I have for decades. In the meantime, I encourage each of you who is reading this to never underestimate the power of the human spirit, and also to remember that you may have no idea what kind of battle someone is fighting, so always err on the side of compassion.

Hopefully this will clear up some of the wondering some of you have had about my stepping back a bit.

Blessings to you and yours.

Whipped Body Butter

Our skin is our largest organ and it takes in everything that we put on it! I make my own soothing body butter and it is all I use on my skin! This super easy technique is quick and easy.

•one cup shea butter

•half cup hard coconut oil

• three tablespoon beeswax pellets

• 1/4 cup almond oil

• splash of vegetable glycerin (optional)

• 20-30 drops of your fave essential oils I actually love lavender, rosemary and spearmint these days.

• Put all of the ingredients except the essential oils into a mason jar. Place the jar in a pot of simmering water until it melts. Once it is all melted together, pour into a glass bowl to become hard again. I even put the bowl in fridge for a while. Once it is hard, add the essential oils and whip with a hand mixer until fluffy. Store in glass jars. ENJOY!

Yarrow Pom Body Renewal Serum

For about the last year, I’ve been adding the Yarrow/Pom blend to my Verage Face Serum with amazing results.

But every day I would wish that I could somehow that that nourishing, supple, moisturized feeling on my entire body without using up all my precious Yarrow Pom oil.

doTERRA most have heard me because the new Yarrow Pom Body Renewal Serum is HEAVEN SENT!!!

If you’ve ever used a body serum, you know that it is vastly different than a body lotion.

Body serums are more potent than conventional skin lotions and creams because they are aimed at penetrating deep into the skin to go right after the source of your skin health problems, instead of just masking them at the surface.

Because of this, body serums generally have high concentrations of extremely moisturizing compounds like essential oils and plant-based lipids, and have thicker, cream or gel-like consistencies. doTERRA Yarrow|Pom Body Renewal Serum is packed with bioactive compounds to help you maintain radiant and youthful-looking skin.

Yep! It’s literally like heaven in a bottle for your skin!

The key ingredients in this body serum that make it so incredible are…

  1. Yuzu, Yarrow, Roman Chamomile, Peppermint, and Ylang Ylang
  2. Jojoba oil, which comes from the seed of the Simmondsia chinensis plant, and is very similar to sebum, the oil secreted by human skin to regulate moisture levels.
  3. Esters from Pomegranate seeds which are great for promoting healthy, smooth, beautiful skin.
  4. Tocopherol, one of the eight chemical forms of Vitamin E, is a powerful antioxidant that helps or skin maintain that youthful look and feel.

I love to dry brush my skin before hopping into the shower each morning. Then, while my skin is still damp from the shower, I apply the Yarrow Pom Rejuvenating Body Serum.

To me it is the best and most luxurious form of self care EVER!

Learn more about essential oils here.