In collaboration with Puhdas+ use code EVA25 to get -25% off

ESSENTIAL OILS 101: Essential oils to balance your 7 chakras

If you’re into natural wellness, surely at this point you must have stumbled upon essential oils. The world of essential oils is vast and can feel somewhat overwhelming with so many different oils and usages. I decided to create a guide, that can help you navigate through the world of essential oils, using the chakras (energy centers of the subtle body) as your map.

Before me dive into these, let’s cover the basics first. An essential oil is a concentrated liquid made from parts of certain plants like leaves, herbs, barks, roots, seeds and rinds into a concentrated oil through extraction. The idea is to capture the flavors, scents, and overall beneficial properties from the plants into potent oils than can be used topically.

You can use essential oils, well, for a variety of things including; aromatherapy, treating skin conditions, soothing muscle inflammation, headaches and so much more. Another lovely way to use essential oils is using a diffuser. I use the Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser from Puhdas+ and absolutely love it, as it acts both as a diffuser and a humidifier, and is perfect drier climates (such as Finland).

The easiest form of usage, is to simply apply a few drops of the oil in your hands, rub your hands together and then inhale the scent. Even though I root for natural products, please note that even natural substances can be irritating or cause allergic reactions. Like anything else you put on your skin, my recommendation is to test a little bit on a small area and see how your skin responds.

Certain oils, such as rose, ylang ylang, lavender (my absolute favourite 😍) help you relax and are good to use before going to bed when you want to wind down. Peppermint oil is great for treating headaches and migraine attacks, whereas ginger oil can help ease discomforts of the stomach and bowel. Lemongrass oil serves as a natural repellent for mosquitos and insects. Essential oils can also be used to freshen up things like laundry. Like I mentioned in the beginning, there’s a myriad of ways you can use essential oils and to cover them all would probably take a book or two 😅, for that reason, I decided to approach the subject through the Chakra System. Below you will find my favourite oils and which chakra they relate to.

Root Chakra

This chakra governs stability, security, your primal needs and feeling grounded and connected to Mother Earth.

Color: Red
Location: base of the spine
Physical manifestation: kidneys, adrenals
Essential oils to activate/balance: cinnamon (my top pick), myrrh, patchouli, cedarwood

Sacral Chakra

This chakra is related to your emotions, sexuality, pleasure and sensuality.

Color: orange
Location: just below the belly button (by the reproductive organs)
Physical manifestation: reproductive organs
Essential oils to activate/balance: sweet orange, ginger, jasmine, ylang ylang, clary sage

Solar Plexus Chakra

This chakra is about our personal power, will and courage.

Color: yellow
Location: stomach
Physical manifestations: stomach (digestion), gallbladder, liver
Essential oils to activate/balance: lemon, peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass

Heart Chakra

This chakra is the expression of love, compassion and joy.

Color: green (or a rosy pink)
Location: chest
Physical manifestations: heart, arms, hands
Essential oils to activate/balance: rose, lavender, bergamot, thyme

Throat Chakra

This chakra is governs our expression, truth, speaking up but also our ability to listen to others.

Color: blue
Location: throat
Physical manifestations: lungs, respiratory system
Essential oils to activate/balance: eucalyptus, palmarosa, camomile ginger, lemon

Third Eye Chakra

This chakra is our wisdom center, connecting to the unseen, our psychic abilities and intuition.

Color: indigo
Location: between eyebrows
Physical manifestations: eyes, head, lower brain, pituitary gland
Essential oils to activate/balance: clary sage, bay, peppermint

Crown Chakra

This chakra is about our connection to the divine (source), unity, giving us access to higher states of consciousness.

Color: white
Location: crown of the head (above the head)
Physical manifestations: brain, pineal gland
Essential oils to activate/balance: lavender, sandalwood, frankincense

Make sure to take advantage of this generous discount code from Puhdas+ use code EVA25 to get -25% off your purchase!

That’s all for now,

Best,

Eva

Pictures by Jonna Monola

10 ways to whiten your teeth naturally and my review of Blackwood by Splat 🖤🌲

Ever since I was a little girl, I remember looking up to all the beautiful Hollywood stars with their gorgeous, perfect white smiles, thinking to myself; “geez, I want that too”. Having a radiant smile is contagious and I truly love these following quotes and find them to be true; “a smile is the prettiest thing you can wear” and “a smile is the most beautiful curve on a woman’s body”.

However, if you’re feeling insecure about your smile, smiling can even become a struggle, which is sad, since smiling actually boosts your immune system, because your whole body relaxes when you smile. Many feel hesitant to undergo laser treatments, which is understandable, but luckily there are ways to whiten and brighten your teeth naturally, without synthetic measures.

When I was asked to collaborate with Splat, I was very excited, since not only have I always aimed for a whiter smile, but I also love to choose natural, sustainable products and I try to be eco-conscious about my choices. This toothpaste happens to be made out of natural ingredients (up to 96% ), including activated charcoal from Karelian birch trees (which whitens effectively), natural menthol that refreshes your breath, and juniper extract (great for keeping your gums healthy). Oh, not to mention the product is completely cruelty-free and sustainable (happy dance 🕺).

Below, you will find my 10 top tips for whitening your teeth naturally, including my product review of the Blackwood toothpaste by Splat.

Blackwood by Splat 🌱🖤(including activated charcoal from Karelian birch trees): I’ve been using Blackwood by Splat for a couple weeks now, and in all honesty, even if I was excited to try it out, I was also a little suspicious in the beginning. The reason is that even if I do prefer natural products, not all of them work as well as conventional ones. Let’s take natural deodorants as an example 🙈 (side note, if you’ve found one that works, please holler at me).

Luckily, I was positively surprised with Blackwood. So, when I first started using the toothpaste, I was a little wary as the toothpaste is completely black. That being said, I was also intrigued and it felt very different from what I’m used and almost counter intuitive (who knew it would take the blackest toothpaste to make the whitest teeth). As soon as I started brushing my teeth, I was pleasantly surprised, as I immediately noticed the fresh scent and refreshing taste. I instantly liked the product and was happy and quite relieved actually (imagine to write a review for something you wouldn’t like 😅).

Probably the best thing about it was, that already after one single week, I started noticing a difference and felt that my smile was looking brighter. The more noticeable difference was after two weeks, when I felt that my teeth had actually turned brighter. In a nutshell: I absolutely recommend this product, because not only is it natural, sustainable and cruelty free- it actually does whiten your teeth when used consistently.

Practice oil pulling: Every morning for 20 minutes, swirl coconut oil in your mouth.

Brush with baking soda: Mix a tsp of baking soda with water and use it as toothpaste-let it sit on your teeth for 1-2 minutes.

Use hydrogen peroxide: Mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide & water and swish this mixture around your mouth for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Use apple cider vinegar: Mix a ½ spoonful of vinegar with one glass of water. Rub your teeth with the mixture.

Eat fruits and vegetables.

Flossing (no, not the dance 😂).

Cleansing your tongue with a tongue scraper 👅: This will remove bacteria from your mouth, and help you maintain better overall hygiene in your mouth.

Strawberries 🍓: Crush the strawberry to a pulp, then mix it with the baking soda. Spread the mixture onto your teeth and leave on for 5 minutes, then brush thoroughly.

Last but not least, the obvious way: reduce 🚫: coffee ☕, tea, red wine 🍷, liquorice, and other foods that easily stain the teeth.