Playing Favorites

Product Preference Confessions of a Beeyoutiful Lover

By Stephanie Kuvik Tallent

One of the “perks” of working at Beeyoutiful is that employees have the blessing of experiencing the benefits of each product in Beeyoutiful’s incomparable lin-up and, for almost 3 years now, I’ve used just about everything. To choose favorites among these prized health helpers feels a bit like choosing a favorite among my kids but I confess: there are some “chosen ones” for me. Although I have a Top 20 list, I’ve narrowed it to five to share with you (maybe more next time).

Aroma-Pro Essential Oil Diffuser

Using the Aroma-Pro Essential Oil Diffuser, I “play” with the fragrances and scents I fill my home with almost daily. I might mix a little Orange Oil with a bit of lemon and eucalyptus and maybe a dash of peppermint to permeate my home with a citrusy-fresh fragrance that is also secretly killing germs. While I don’t see it happening, I know my friend, Aroma-Pro, microbializes each oil into the air, allowing it to do its own cleansing job. The oils remain in the air and kill germs for up to five or six hours after diffusion. Another huge plus: it is far more effective and natural than any germ-killing aerosol spray in the market. Oust and Lysol do not use up money from my grocery list—Whoohoo!

As part of my diffuser playtime, I also read about each oil-its particular properties and what it blends well with-and now I’m not afraid to mix a little of this and a few drops of that. (Beeyoutiful offers a great resource to help in your own adventure with essential oils. If you don’t already have a copy, order The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood. The book explores far more than just diffusing essentials oils and it has been an invaluable reference for me on more than one occasion. You’ll find it on page 14 of this catalog.)

Aroma-Pro Essential Oil diffuser is a special blessing during the fall, winter and early spring months when colds, flu, and allergy irritants are rampant in the air. When we come home fro shopping, church, or the gym, I switch on the diffuser to kill germs or bacteria we may have brought home. As we go about our day-whether putting groceries away or taking a Sunday afternoon nap-we breathe in those marvelous, microbialized oils and rid ourselves of the yuck we brought home. When a cold or flu bug does grab hold despite our best efforts, I crank up the diffuser with oils that have anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and disinfecting properties to help beat the bug as quickly as we can. I blend a few oils that are good for easing congestion and opening airways. And when pollen in the air causes sneezing and teary eyes, essential oils in the diffuser is my answer again.

[The Aroma-Pro Essential Oil diffuser can be found on pg.31 of this catalog. It is available for purchase by phone or mail order only.]

Ow!-Ease

Most of the tears in our house come from one or both of our toddlers as they’ve learned to walk, run, jump, play, and -not so gracefully-fall down and bump something. But those tears dry up almost automatically when Mommy says, “Oh my, I bet that hurts. Do you need some cream on that?” We toddle off to the bathroom to smooth Ow!-Ease on the tear-inducing red mark. Just knowing Mommy is going to “fix it” with our amazing creams stops the tears and helps take the “ow” away.

I love Ow!-Ease, not just because it helps stop the tears but because it works. Arnica has been used since the 1500’s by both Europeans and Native Americans in salves, creams, liniments, ointments, and tinctures (as a base for poultices and compresses) to aid the healing of sprains and bruises, and to soothe aching muscles and relieve inflammation. Arnica, a perennial herb, is used mostly in topical treatments due to the toxicity of the plant and the serious side effects if taken interally.

Medicinal researchers have discovered that what makes arnica so effective is that it acts as a natural vasodilator to capillaries under the skin. Dilating the blood vessels relieves pressure on the injured area and speeds healing of bruises and sprains by allowing new blood cells to rush to the injured area. So when you apply an arnica salve directly to your skin, you cause blood vessels to open, help relieve inflammation, and aid in pain relief.

We use Ow!-Ease more than any other cream or salve. Its handy, gluestick-type container makes it simple to apply and you don’t get your fingers messy putting it on. My husband, Paul, treated a direct hit in the ankle by a softball within an hour of the injury, and the treated area never turned purple. Only the surrounding area, untreated skin changed color, and once he noticed the difference, he treated the discolored area as well. Ow!-Ease helped reduced the swelling, inflammation, redness, and bruising. What should have been a huge problem lingering for weeks healed within a matter of days!

I’ve used Ow!-Ease on glaring red stretch marks to help minimize their redness and visibility. With little people in the house, toys, are often in places they shouldn’t be (like in the middle of the floor), and I ‘ve tripped on my fair share. Like most moms, I often hurry through the house to discover the cause of the latest round of crying and all-too-frequently run into the corners of tables and counters on my way. I discover unsightly mega-bruises hours (sometimes days) later and wonder where they came from and why they hurt so much. Ow!-Ease rescues my sore spots, and it seems I use it on myself as often as I do the kids. [Ow!-Ease can be found on page 34 of this catalog.]

Soothe It! Aftershave Spray

I love Soothe It! Because the fragrance, though designed for men, is so gentle I’ m comfortable using it myself. Its lemongrass and sage essential oils appeal to both genders.

I relish Soothe It on my legs after a shower and enjoy the smoothing and soothing from both the aloe and the essential oils. Soothe It acts like one of those expensive in-the-shower shaving conditioners except you spray on Soothe It after you get out. It’s satisfying to know the good feelings are also good for my skin and not full of petroleum and chemicals.

Soothe It is a refreshing astringent on my face after washing. It gives it that tight feeling without being drying and the aloe discouraging acne and blemishes as well. Soothe It is a special treat in the summer months because I tend to not need a moisturizer at all and just spritz and go. As with Beeyoutiful’s HairShine, Soothe It can be used as an after sun spray because of the cooling, soothing aloe. It’s such a multi-purpose spray I keep one in the bathroom, one on the dressing table in the master bedroom, and another in my travel toiletry bag. [You’ll find Soothe It! Aftershave Spray on page 34 of this catalog.]

Beeyoutiful Balance

I often reach for Beeyoutiful Balance, the bio-identical progesterone cream. After much reading and study, I realized I had most of the symptoms of progesterone deficiency and decided to try Beeyoutiful Balance. We ran a great article on the use of progesterone cream a few catalogs back, so I won’t go into great detail about this amazing product, But I want to share my favorite use.

While every woman’s experience will be different because no two people have the exact same body chemistry, my use of Beeyoutiful Balance has resulted in lessening mood swings, a more consistent cycle, an almost instant feeling of calmness after I first apply it, and with all of those changes in me, a much happier hubby! My greatest benefit has been that, at the very start of my cycle when those annoying, painful cramps hit, I reach for Beeyoutiful Balance, apply it once and, within a half hour cramps are gone. I can go about my day and minister to my family as usual. Although I used to use typical pain relievers, they were hard on my stomach. So Beeyoutiful Balance delivers double relief. The first time I used Beeyoutiful Balance to relieve cramps, I was proud of myself for having figured out a natural way to feel better during what for years had been an uncomfortable time.

[You can find Beeyoutiful Balance on page 17 of this catalog and the article “Hormone Balance with Natural Progesterone Cream” at www.beeyoutiful.com/articles.]

Peppermint Essential Oil

It’s hard to pick a favorite essential oil when there are so many to choose from and all are so different in how they work and what ailment they help relieve. But I would have to say Beeyoutiful’s Peppermint Essential Oil is the one I reach for most frequently and as my universal, cure-all essential oil. Peppermint offers natural antiseptic properties and is a natural antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory, which makes it effective for many purposes.

Peppermint is typically known for relieving stomach indigestion and nausea so , instead of reaching for a piece of hard candy, we do things a bit differently at our house.

–          Hiccups. One drop of peppermint oil on the finger and into the roof of your mouth, quickly followed by a small glass of water helps relieve hiccups in about a minute (not recommended for small children as this can cause a burning sensation in the mouth.)

–          Fever. Especially for a small child or infant, mix a few drops of Peppermint Oil with Beeyoutiful’s Almond Oil and rub the mixture on the bottoms of the feet. (Almond helps the peppermint oil absorb more quickly than if used by itself and, as a carrier oil, it helps prevent burning of the skin.)

–          Bloating and gas. Particularly before bed when you just don’t feel right, a few drops of Peppermint Oil in the belly button should help with indigestion and aids in reducing bloating overnight.

–          Migraines. Peppermint Oil helps treat stress headaches and nausea. Rub a few drops of Peppermint Oil into your temples every few minutes while experiencing nausea or headache. You can also put a few drops into your belly button for nausea. Allow it to absorb, and then add a few more drops as needed. Apply it to your temples again when the oil does not appear glossy. That means it has absorbed into your skin and is working.

We also use Beeyoutiful’s Tummy Tuneup in conjunction with Peppermint Oil for nausea, heartburn, and indigestion. Both Peppermint Oil and Tummy Tuneup stay in the diaper bag so we have them for emergency situations when we are out. Head and tummy aches usually don’t get the better of us anymore.

Peppermint Oil is also an ingredient in my all-purpose household cleaning spray. Instead of other cleaners like Clorox Clean-up, I use it on the counters after cutting up chicken, on the kids’ high chairs after a meal, on the floor when a pet or child has made a mess, in the bathroom as my sink and toilet disinfecting spray, and so much more.

Ahh! I almost forgot to mention that I use Peppermint Oil in the Aroma-Pro Diffuser, too. I have to say, THAT is my favorite place to use it. I enjoy mixing it with just Eucalyptus Oil to help disinfect the air and kill germs, but a few drops of Peppermint Oil mixed in with a little of this and a little of that smells so good and…well, you get the idea. [Peppermint Oil can be found on page 29 of this catalog.]

I could keep going and share with you how I use more of Beeyoutiful’s many products, but the editorial police for this catalog limited me to just five. Come to think of it, that’s probably a good thing because I could share for hours (and pages!) how much I love all the many ways we use all-things-Beeyoutiful here in our home.

Stephanie Kuvik Tallent lives in Missouri with her husband Paul and their two children Amanda and Michael. Their whole family is excitedly looking forward to the addition of another child around June of next year. Stephanie is passionate about the health and care of her family and can often be found in her kitchen cooking, preparing nutritious food for them.