What exactly are essential oils? Probably the best way to explain them is, they are compounds that are extracted from various types of plants. Essential oils are processed in such a way that they are able to maintain the plant's scent, taste and health benefits. Personally, I am a huge fan of them. I like how potent they are. I like how helpful they are. And, I like how long the scent of them linger. Yeah, essential oils are dope.
When I first started using them, it was strictly as a perfume/cologne alternative. These days, I use them for homeopathic reasons too. Lavender is great for sleep. Rosemary is great for hair growth. You can check out my article, "8 Natural Aphrodisiac Scents, Where They Go & How To Make Them Last" to see how they can help you out, in a major way, in the bedroom department (wink). But if you'd like to learn about how to apply essential oils in a therapeutic health-related kind of way, not only do I have six different oils that I think you should get into, but six places on your body where you should put them. Are you ready to start feeling much better? Let's do this.
(Special note: Make sure to always mix essential oils with some type of carrier oil. Most of them are quite potent and can irritate your skin if you don't.)
1. Hairline
Aside from the fact that applying a little lavender oil (along with a carrier oil like jojoba or coconut) can help to stop a receding hairline, because lavender is the kind of oil that contains properties that help to treat anxiety, insomnia and even depression-related symptoms, it would make sense why massaging a little of it along your hairline or temples would be a great way to reduce stress. In fact, if you have a headache or even a migraine, applying the oil to this area of your head can help to relieve some of the pain and tension that you feel.
Application Tip: While it's super effective to massage lavender oil directly along your hairline or onto your temples, an alternative approach is to put a few drops on a piece of tissue and inhale the oil directly. While this method won't do anything to get your hair to grow back, it can help to knock your headache discomfort within a matter of moments.
2. Rim of Ears
Just like a lot of research points to the fact that a lot of health issues can be diagnosed (and relieved) through reflexology, there are also studies that reveal providing special attention to our ears can help to heal our systems too; it's called auriculotherapy. When people participate in auricular acupuncture, it can do everything from lower blood pressure and relieve stress to suppress appetites and improve their quality of sleep.
If you'd prefer to "ease into" auriculotherapy, something that you might want to try is rubbing some rose oil on the rim of your ears. The properties in rose oil are perfect for increasing feelings of calm, fighting migraines and even creating a mental atmosphere in order to make sounder decisions.
Application Tip: Add 2-3 drops of rose oil to a half teaspoon of sweet almond oil. Apply some of the oil to your fingertips and then rub the oil blend along the rim of both ears. Rub it in as much as possible and allow the oil to penetrate for the rest of the day.
3. Wrists
A lot of times, when we think of applying something to our wrists, it's strictly for scent purposes. However, this is a great place to put essential oils for health reasons too. Because your radial artery runs along the inside of your wrists, applying oils there is one of the fastest ways for the oils to hit your bloodstream. A good oil to try is oregano oil. It's a potent oil that fights bacteria, reduces free radicals and reduces bodily inflammation. So, if you're feeling under the weather, some oregano oil on your wrists might be all that you need to get to feeling like your old self again.
Application Tip: Again, since your wrist is a pulse point, it's a good idea to check out this essential oil dilution chart, just so you can determine how much carrier oil to mix in with the kind of oregano oil that you plan to use.
4. Stomach
If you've got digestive issues of any kind, you might want to rub some peppermint oil onto your tummy. Aside from it being the kind of oil that can clear up congestion, relieve PMS-related symptoms and help to speed up the healing process of the common cold, peppermint oil is also able to reduce nausea, treat irritable bowel syndrome and make menstrual cramps more bearable too.
Application Tip: Peppermint oil is pretty potent, so you'll probably only need 3-5 drops per one-third cup of your favorite carrier oil (due to olive oil's antioxidants, it's a good pick for this). Warm up the oil in your microwave for 15 seconds and then massage the oil directly into your abdomen. The menthol will provide a cooling sensation as the warm oil soothes you at the same time. Also, if you'd prefer to drink the oil, you can put a couple of drops into your water or smoothie, so long as the peppermint oil is 100 percent pure.
5. Legs
Whether you've got restless leg syndrome, varicose veins or muscle soreness, chamomile oil is a wonderful natural remedy. It's an oil that reduces inflammation and muscle spasms. Chamomile oil also heals wounds and skin conditions like eczema and rashes, plus it can promote a good night's sleep.
Application Tip: Either add 10-15 drops of chamomile oil into your bathwater or massage your legs with 3-5 drops per a cup of your favorite carrier oil. Massage your legs right after showering or bathing for instant relief from any discomfort that your legs may be feeling.
6. Bottom of Feet
One of the reasons why you should be extra cautious about where you choose to walk around barefoot is because some of the largest pores on your body are located at the bottom of your feet. This means that, similar to your wrists, this is another way for essential oils to hit your bloodstream quicker.
For this reason, bergamot is a wonderful oil to apply to this part of your body. Its antibacterial and antibiotic properties fight infection, alleviate pain, lower blood pressure, relieve stress and, if you rub the oil on your entire foot, bergamot will keep it extra smooth too.
Application Tip: A cool way to massage the bottom of your feet while applying bergamot oil to it is to use a roll-on. You can purchase empty bottles for essential oil via sites like Etsy and Got Oil Supplies. Now what are you waiting on? Get some essential oil and get to feeling better!
Want more stories like this? Sign up for our newsletter here and check out the related reads below:
7 Essential Oils All Naturalistas Need For Their Hair
The DIY Way To Prep Your Feet For Spring
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Different puzzle pieces are creating bigger pictures these days. 2024 will mark a milestone on a few different levels, including the release of my third book next October (yay!).
I am also a Professional Certified Coach. My main mission for attaining that particular goal is to use my formal credentials to help people navigate through the sometimes tumultuous waters, both on and offline, when it comes to information about marriage, sex and relationships that is oftentimes misinformation (because "coach" is a word that gets thrown around a lot, oftentimes quite poorly).
I am also still super devoted to helping to bring life into this world as a doula, marriage life coaching will always be my first love (next to writing, of course), a platform that advocates for good Black men is currently in the works and my keystrokes continue to be devoted to HEALTHY over HAPPY in the areas of holistic intimacy, spiritual evolution, purpose manifestation and self-love...because maturity teaches that it's impossible to be happy all of the time when it comes to reaching goals yet healthy is a choice that can be made on a daily basis (amen?).
If you have any PERSONAL QUESTIONS (please do not contact me with any story pitches; that is an *editorial* need), feel free to reach out at missnosipho@gmail.com. A sistah will certainly do what she can. ;)
Exclusive: Dreka Gates Talks Farm Life, Self-Mastery, And Her Wellness Brand
Dreka Gates is making a name in wellness through authenticity and innovativeness. Although we were introduced to her as a music manager for her husband, Kevin Gates, she has now carved out her own lane outside of music as a wellness entrepreneur. But according to Dreka, this is nothing new.
In an xoNecole exclusive, the mom of two opened up about many things, including starting her wellness journey at 13 years old. However, a near-death experience during a procedure at 20 made her start taking her health more seriously.
“There's so many different levels, and now, I'm in a space of just integrating all of this good stuff that I've learned just about just being human, you know?” Dreka tells us. “So it's also fun because it's like a journey of self-discovery and self-mastery. That's what I call it. So it's never-ending.”
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If you follow Dreka, then you’re familiar with her holistic lifestyle, as she’s no stranger to promoting wellness, self-care, and holistic living. She even lives part-time on a Mississippi farm, not far from her grandmother and great-grandmother’s farm, where she spent some summers as a child.
While her grandmother and great-grandmother have passed on, Dreka reflects on that time in her life and how having a farm as an adult is her getting back to her roots. “So the farm was purchased back in 2017, and it was like, ah, that'll just be a place where we go when we're not touring or whatever,” she said.
“But COVID hit, and I was there, and I was on the land, and I just started remembering back to going to my grandmother's during the summertime and freaking picking peas and going and eating mulberries off the freaking tree in the bushes.
“And she literally had cotton plants. I know some people feel weird about picking cotton and stuff. She had cotton plants and I would go and pick cotton out of her garden. And she had chickens, and I literally just broke down in tears one day when I was on the farm just doing all the things, and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh. I'm literally getting back to my roots.”
"I literally just broke down in tears one day when I was on the farm just doing all the things, and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh. I'm literally getting back to my roots."
You can catch glimpses of Dreka’s farm life on Instagram, which shows her picking fruit and vegetables and loving on her animals like her camel Eessa. Her passion for growing and cultivating led her to try and grow all of her ingredients for her wellness brand, Dreka Wellness. However, she quickly realized that she might be biting off more than she could chew. But that didn’t stop her from fulfilling her vision.
Watch below as Dreka talks more about her business, her wellness tips, breaking toxic cycles, becoming a doula, and more.
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Job seekers have a lot of challenges to face that go beyond simply being out of work. The job market has been tough since the beginning of this year, mostly beaten down in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Between the job scams, long interview cycles that can last for months, and job ghosting, trying to land a decent gig can be more than frustrating. And it’s not just hearsay or social media chatter. There are very real indicators that the job market is in shambles, explaining why many seeking gainful employment are hitting wall after wall. Research supports that the difficulties you’re facing aren’t just a figment of your imagination and may have nothing to do with what you’re doing “right” or “wrong.”
Talent solutions provider Aerotek has found that close to 70% of people said their current job search was more challenging than their last one and that they feel like they have to try harder to find a new job in this economy. ZipRecruiter reports that 43% of job seekers said they were actively searching for work in the second quarter of this year, an increase from 37% at the end of last year. And 63% said they felt financial pressure to take the first job offer, up from 58% early this year.
Here's are a few reasons, according to the expert, behind what is causing issues with the job market.
1. Companies are taking longer to follow up after job interviews.
And when you do get a call or follow up for an interview, it might take longer to even know whether you got the job or not. Research by human capital advisory firm Josh Bersin Co. and workforce solutions firm AMS found that the “duration for global hiring” is at an “all-time high,” and that the recruitment process now averages about 43 days.
When you have to wait more than a month for confirmation after a job interview, that can put a dent in the proactivity of applying for other jobs, as well as a major dent in your pocket. Unemployment insurance only lasts but so long and sometimes barely covers the full basic expenses of living. It's definitely annoying and nerve-wracking to wait so long for a follow-up from a recruiter or hiring manager, and it's even more so when you thought you aced the interview.
Not to mention you could be waiting just to get rejected, having wasted time on multiple rounds of tedious interviews.
2. Job recovery hasn't quite caught up due to the impact of the pandemic.
Experts say job growth is “downshifting” from the aftermath of the pandemic, and the pace has “caught up to where it would have been if the health crisis hadn’t happened.” Companies and professionals alike are still dealing with the fallout of COVID-19, and it's apparently taken more than three years to see substantial movement forward when it comes to job openings and creation.
3. Many of the open positions may not be in your industry.
According to labor statistics, 272,000 jobs were added in May, with the growth driven mainly by three sectors: healthcare (+68,000), government (+43,000), and leisure and hospitality (+42,000). Jobs created in these industries reportedly accounted for more than half of the U.S. employment gains.
This indicates that it might be a bit more challenging for those in other sectors to land interviews and get hired. This certainly doesn't mean changing industries or fretting because what you do doesn't fall into any of the aforementioned. It simply points to something that could contribute to the frustrations of job seekers who aren't getting callbacks for jobs in other industries.
4. If you're a college graduate, the jobs that are available might not align with your educational background.
Demand for jobs that require a college degree is reportedly lower than those that don’t, and recent grads are also “fixated on certain positions with too many applicants rather than high-demand roles," experts say.
However, another report from Harvard Business School and the Burning Glass Institute found that not all employers who indicate support of skills-based hiring and remove degree requirements from job ads are actually hiring candidates without degrees. “[F]or all its fanfare, the increased opportunity promised by skills-based hiring has borne out in not even 1 in 700 hires last year,” the authors wrote.
Either way, there's a clear issue here in terms of some companies making up their minds about whether not having a college degree will block candidates' eligibility for certain jobs, posing a clear challenge for job seekers whether they've pursued higher education or not.
5. Company leaders, constantly fearing a recession, have been cautious about hiring new workers.
Experts say that company leaders are still holding on to fears that a recession is coming, and are going light on hiring because of this. “Business leaders are still concerned that a recession is possible, even if it’s not 100% certain,” Glassdoor lead economist Daniel Zhao told CNBC earlier this year. “They don’t want to overhire into a recession and then have to lay people off.”
Dan Kaplan, a Korn Ferry senior client partner, added, “No one can figure out what’s ahead, which means you have to make more decisions blindly. Normally, economists will predict a tough market for two of three quarters, and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, but this time it’s been almost 24 months of predictions of doom and gloom.”
There's Still Hope For Job Seekers
While there are major challenges right now for job seekers, it's always a good idea to look at things with a solutions-focused mindset and approach with optimism. (I mean, do we all really have a choice?) If you're hitting walls in your job search, it's time to think of a better strategy, consider other passions you have, start a side hustle, or try these methods for upgrading your job search methods.
The journey might be more difficult for some and if you feel passionate about doing a certain specific job, hold your ground if you're financially and mentally able to. Keep applying to your dream gig, track what you're doing and how you're spending your time, volunteer to serve in some way in order to continue doing something you love while you're looking, prioritize free self-care activities, and hold on to faith. Something will indeed come through.
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