Heather Allard

Wellness | Business | Lifestyle

Heather Allard

19 Ways to Make Your Life Easier

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One of my favorite “truth bombs” from Danielle LaPorte is “Be generous. Seek freedom. Let it be easy.” Luckily, letting “it” be easy can be pretty easy to do. :)

19 Ways to Make Your Life Easier

1. Wear a uniform

All the cool kids are doing it. And you already wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time, so why not just make it official? If you buy quality items that will last, you’ll end up saving money, looking better, and giving our heaving landfills a break. Look for coupons on Dealigg.com or RetailMeNot.com, and you can save money and look good.

I wear a tee, yoga pants (I love Patagonia’s yoga pants because they come in two lengths – I wear the short ;) and sneakers when I take James for a walk in the morning, and then change into jeans and my favorite tunic tee from Calypso St. Barth later on. Uggs in the winter, FitFlops in the summer.

2. Eat the same breakfast

Like wearing a uniform, eating the same breakfast every day reduces the decisions you need to make and frees up brain space. My current favorites are a green smoothie and a tablespoon of almond butter right out of the jar, or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal with dried fruit (blueberries, cranberries, or cherries) and cinnamon.

If smoothies and oatmeal aren’t your thing, check out my Breakfast board for other ideas.

3. Keep your makeup routine routine

Again, why reinvent the wheel every day when applying your makeup? Between your newfound uniform, breakfast, and makeup routine, you won’t know what to do with all your free time. LOL.

My makeup routine is the same every day – rose face mist, sunscreen, foundation, powder, blush, lipgloss, eyeshadow, mascara, done! I leave fancier stuff for those rare occasions when my husband and I go out to dinner by (gasp!) ourselves. (After a recent eye infection, I’m currently cleaning up the makeup brands I use, so stay tuned for details about that. ;)

4. Make your lunch (and the kids’ lunches) the night before

Aha! Here’s what you can do with all that free time 1, 2, and 3 have given you! Make your lunch and your kids’ lunches the night before work or school. If you work at home, make your lunch anyway! Then you won’t be wondering what the heck to have tomorrow and end up eating a bag of potato chips for lunch. Not that I’ve ever done that. Ahem.

5. Blend up green smoothies for days

Green smoothies are one of the best ways to get awesome fruits and veggies into your bod. Twice a week, I make a big batch in my blender (spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango) and pour it into three 12-ounce Mason jars.

6. Program your coffee pot to brew for you

Don’t waste time waiting for your coffee to brew when you could be snoozing. Program your coffee maker to brew a fresh pot for you before you even wake up! We have this coffee pot and love it – it brews up to 14 cups which is perfect for the three coffee hounds in my family. (Tip: Whole Foods sells a gigantic container of ground coffee for about $10! I love the Buona Giornata Italian Roast.)

7. Turn your ringer off

I don’t know about you, but I feel like we’ve become hostages of our cell phones. We’re at the mercy of anyone and everyone who wants to call or text us, twenty-four hours a day.

So, unless my kids are out somewhere at night and might need to reach me, I turn the ringer off my cell phone. I always have the vibrate setting turned on, so I can hear it when I receive a call or text, but it’s not so jarring or distracting, and then I can choose whether or not to answer the call or text.

8. Start meal planning

9. Use Google Calendar

There are so many awesome things about Google Calendar! It’s so simple to create lots of different calendars, schedules, to-do’s and more, and so easy to share your calendars with family members, co-workers, teammates, etc. It’s truly a must for every family.

Here are just some of the things that you can do with Google Calendar:

  • Create different calendars for all sorts of things (see my calendars below)
  • Schedule meetings with people
  • Add notes, directions, locations, or attachments to events
  • Repeat events (I have to file an annual report for my business every year, so I schedule it on my biz calendar and set it to repeat annually. I even attach the already-filled-out form to the event to make it super easy. ;)
  • Receive a daily agenda
  • Get notifications for appointments, events, etc.
  • Share your calendars with other people
  • Browse cool calendars from other people and add them to your calendars if you like them

Here are the Google Calendars I currently use:

  • Personal calendar for school schedules, work schedules, appointments (doctor, dentist, hair cuts, etc), cleaning schedule, holidays, kids’ activities, etc.
  • Business calendar for me with classes, meetings, daily and weekly to-dos, events, calls, etc.
  • Income and expense calendar with my husband’s twice monthly paydays, my weekly and monthly commission dates, and any expenses that are automatically withdrawn from our bank account. I like to keep my eye on those expenses (Netflix, Dropbox, my life insurance, our dog’s insurance, GoDaddy Bookkeeping, donations to dog rescues, etc) and at the end of every month, I review them and decide if we should keep,  cancel, or reduce them. ;)
  • Dinner calendar (see #8)
  • Phases of the moon so I know why everyone’s acting crazy all of a sudden (seriously, though!)
  • Hormonal events so I know why my daughters and I are acting crazy, sad, snappy, depressed, etc. LOL.

Here are some articles that’ll really show you how to pimp your GC:

10. Automate all the things

Stop wasting time doing stuff that can be done automagically. :)

  • Paying bills
  • Direct depositing paychecks, tax refunds, commissions, etc.
  • Backing up data
  • Turning off your computer (I schedule my iMac to go off at 10pm.)
  • Filling out online forms (Use your browser’s autofill option instead of manually typing your info!)
  • Tracking income and expenses (I use GoDaddy Online Bookkeeping. Other options include YouNeedABudget.com, FreshBooks and Quickbooks.)
  • Vacuuming your house (Thank you, Roomba. :)
  • Brewing your coffee (see #6)
  • Replenishing products you use regularly (Amazon’s Subscribe + Save is just one example of auto-replenish options)
  • Thinking of meal ideas (You can get meal plans from places like EatThisMuch.com, Lighter.world, or SkinnyTaste.com. Get meal plans plus everything you need to make them from services like HelloFresh, Purple Carrot, or Blue Apron. Or, you can just Google “meal plans” and buy whatever plan you like. ;)

11. Don’t make dinners that everyone hates

I tend to make some dinners just because they’re easy (like chili), even though I know everyone in my family hates them. This ends up not being easy at all because then I have to listen to everyone gripe and/or provide alternatives. LOL.

Make making dinners everyone loves easy by asking each person in your family for 3-5 of their favorite meals. Boom!

12. Track your hormones

Don’t laugh! This is actually so helpful, even if you’re not planning a family.

By tracking your hormonal events (ovulation, PMS, period) on a calendar (see #9), you’ll know why you’re feeling tired, depressed, energized, cranky, or sad, and you can act accordingly. You can pencil self-care into your calendar during the times you need it, and pencil in to-dos during the times when you’re on an estrogen + testosterone high. Check out this awesome 2-minute video about the science and symptoms of a woman’s cycle.

13. Stop doing stuff you hate

There are so many things that people say they hate doing, but keep doing because they feel they should. News flash: you don’t have to do anything, especially if you hate it.

Stop cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, cutting the grass, shoveling snow, scooping dog poop, running errands, and grocery shopping (see #15). Check out Care.com to see all of the ways you can outsource home stuff. ;)

Stop using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapface (hat tip, Bill Belichick), or whatever other social media platform nauseates you or makes you mad/sad/depressed. A few years ago, I deleted my LinkedIn and Google+ accounts and never looked back.

Stop saying yes to things you know you don’t want to do. Practice saying no or at the very least, say “I’ll check my schedule and get back to you about that”. That’ll give you time to look at your other commitments and decide if you can or want to take on another one.

14. Go natural

Stock your home with natural products like apple cider vinegar, baking soda, saline, pure essential oils, white vinegar, coconut oil, Himalayan sea salt, and honey and you basically have everything you need right at your fingertips to take care of your health and clean your house. Talk about empowering yourself as a mom!

15. Deliver all the things

As a busy mom and at-home entrepreneur, time is my most precious commodity. And I want to spend my time with my loved ones, not grocery shopping, picking up takeout, or buying crates of toilet paper from wholesale warehouses. So, I get everything I can delivered.

Now, I know you’re probably thinking, “But Heather, having things delivered is expensive! All those delivery fees add up!”.

Actually, having things delivered can be cheaper than shopping for them yourself. By not going to stores, you avoid impulse purchases and the lure of sale items you don’t really need. Calling in an order or placing it online requires planning and thought vs. running to the market and then forgetting why you went. Plus, many places offer free shipping or reduced rates for regular delivery customers.

Here are my favorite places for delivery:

  • Amazon (I have an Amazon Prime account that offers free shipping, which is awesome for 30 pound bags of dog food and Dyson vacuums. LOL. You can get a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial with my affiliate link – click here for it.)
  • Whole Foods (Some WF have an in-house delivery department, while others outsource it. Mine had a delivery team and that took such good care of me! I emailed them my order, they shopped it, and delivered it to me. I did it for so long, that I used to just cut/paste/tweak my email to them after looking at their sale flyer. Now that Amazon acquired Whole Foods, many WF locations offer Amazon Prime Now delivery, which is what I do now and it’s awesome.)
  • Vitacost (I love Vitacost for almond butter, oatmeal, laundry detergent, and certain supplements we take. They always have tons of discounts and coupons.)
  • dōTERRA (Hi, my name is Heather and I’m an essential oilaholic. LOL. I place monthly orders from dōTERRA for all kinds of stuff – essential oils, probiotics, vitamins, shampoo, moisturizer, cleaning products, and more. They have a great rewards program, so I get lots of free stuff too! If you want to get some essential oils, use my contact page to get in touch.)

16. Break up with junk mail

Want to stop junk mail from being delivered to your home and ending up in our overflowing landfills? Here’s how:

17. Turn off notifications on your phone

Nothing keeps you on high alert like those little red “counts” next to every app on your phone. Seriously, who can relax knowing they have 764 emails, 92 Twitter notifications, 47 texts, and 23 Facebook messages waiting for them? There’s just NO need for that. Give your nervous system a break and turn off notifications on your phone!

Here’s how:

Also, see the last tip on this post for how to turn off notifications on your desktop/email.

18. Create spacious weekends

19. Switch to Gmail

Like Google Calendar, I have a serious love affair with Gmail. You wouldn’t think an email client could make your life easier, but Gmail does just that…and so much more!

In Google’s own words, “Gmail is email that’s intuitive, efficient, and useful. You get 15 GB of storage, less spam, and mobile access.” I’ve been a Gmail user for over a decade and can personally attest to that. I’d also add that your Gmail account won’t be hacked like some of those other *coughAOLcoughHotmailcoughYahoo* email clients.

Here are just some of Gmail’s awesome features:

  • Free
  • Offers lots of storage (15 GB)
  • Conversations are organized into single, “threaded” messages instead of 10,000 separate emails
  • Great spam filtering
  • Tight security and virus-checking
  • Star important messages
  • Filters, folders, labels, and archives (oh my!)
  • Import email from other accounts
  • Email signature
  • Vacation auto-responder
  • Add-ons from Gmail Labs (my fave is Canned Responses)
  • Contacts and Tasks

I use Gmail to:

  • Filter emails into different folders depending on who they’re from and how excited I am to read them
  • Mark emails from my husband with a yellow star so I see them right away, as they are often pertaining to our kids, our plans, or both
  • Automatically delete emails from pesky marketers who just keep adding me to their email lists no matter how many times I unsubscribe or mark them as spam ;)
  • Send Canned Responses to people who email me about things from my baby blanket business (which feels like eons ago now), like how to find overseas manufacturers, hire independent sales reps, or get into retail stores
  • Pause my inbox while I’m working so I’m not distracted
  • Stop spam like a boss
  • Receive and send email from my @heatherallard.com email addresses
  • File important emails that I want to keep into specific folders (which I created) like Personal, School, Business, Ideas, and Favorites
  • Get my daily agenda from Google Calendar (see #9)
  • Access my emails from my iPhone when I’m on the go

You can get your free Gmail account right here.

Meal Planning Simplified

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I’m going to be honest here. If I never had to make dinner again, it would be too soon. LOL.

After 25 years of marriage and 19 years of motherhood, I’m totally over cooking. Buuuut, it’s important to me to make healthy meals for my husband and kiddos.

That’s why I came up with a meal planning strategy that makes dinner making as simple as possible.

Now, I’ve shopped at Whole Foods for years, but it wasn’t until I came up with this system that cooking and eating healthy also became affordable.

meal planning made easy

I know what you’re thinking. Whole Foods and affordable in the same sentence? That doesn’t seem possible.

But it is. And now I’m going to share my strategy with you. :)

The Method to My Meal Planning Madness

A Monthly Dinner Menu

While setting up a monthly dinner menu takes some time up front, it will save you so much time and money in the long run.

1. Come up with 15-30 dinner ideas.

I had each of my three kids and my husband give me their 5 favorite meals, and I entered them on a Google doc. That definitely made things easier. ;)

dinner meal planning

Whenever I see recipes I want to try, I add them to my Pinterest “Dinner Inspiration” board. You can check it out right here. I will usually only make a recipe if it’s quick, easy, healthy and doesn’t have a million ingredients.

A Dinner Calendar

2. Once you have your 15-30 dinner ideas, create a Google calendar called “Dinner”.

(If you’re unfamiliar with Google Calendars, here are the steps for creating a new one.)

Enter your dinner ideas on the calendar and set them to repeat however often you’d like.

meal planning calendar

I typically have 8 dinners (Sunday-Wednesday because we usually get takeout on Thursdays + Fridays and go out to eat on Saturdays) on a 2-week rotation, so I set each dinner to repeat every two weeks. My husband and kids don’t mind eating the same dinners twice a month, but if your family does, you can increase the number of dinners and decrease the repeat frequency. :)

For Google Calendar repeat steps, check out this page.

Tip: When you’re entering each dinner and setting the repeat frequency, it’s helpful to enter the link to the recipe in the Description area so it’s handy. If you’re super ambitious, you could also cut and paste the ingredients list into the Description area too. LOL.

A Weekly Grocery List

3. Make your weekly grocery list based on that week’s dinners and the other things you need. I use a Google spreadsheet to make my grocery lists (see a sample right here)

I have Whole Foods deliver my groceries each week, and it has saved me SO much time and money. It used to take me at least two hours to grocery shop and would cost $350+.

meal planning list

Now, I look at their weekly sale flyer on Thursday, write my list that night, email it to them on Friday morning and they deliver it Friday afternoon.

By having them deliver, I save myself at least two hours each week. It’s really more than that because I don’t have to reinvent the wheel/grocery list each week. Now I can usually just cut/paste my grocery list from a prior week into a new email, tweak it a bit and send it.

*Update 2019: Since Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon, my local store no longer has an in-house delivery department. Instead, they offer Prime Now delivery for Amazon Prime members, and I use it each week. My experience using Prime Now has been awesome and I would definitely recommend it!  I continue to use my dinner menu and grocery lists, and can quickly add items from my “Past Purchases” on Prime Now too!

Since I’m not doing the shopping myself, I’m not tempted to make impulse purchases. My grocery bill is now $200 or LESS each week. That’s HUGE! Over a year, I’ve saved about $1,800!

If you’d like to see a sample of my grocery list and dinner menu, click here.

tomatoes-1338938_640

Tip: If your market doesn’t offer delivery, you can still use this meal planning strategy by making your list according to your weekly dinner menu and the store sales flyer. Print it out and take it with you so you can keep yourself honest by sticking to ONLY what’s on the list. You can also stock up on staples at online stores like Thrive Market and Vitacost.com. They have awesome prices and often offer free delivery.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

4. Look, schedule, make, eat, tweak, repeat :)

  • Look for recipes on Pinterest, in magazines, online, etc.
  • Schedule them into your Google dinner calendar
  • Make your list
  • Eat your dinners
  • Tweak your menu
  • Repeat :)

See how easy that was?

The Gift Binoculars Gave Me

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My husband bought me a pair of binoculars for Christmas so I could watch the birds out my window. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was going to keep them. I didn’t think I’d use them enough and didn’t want his gift to go to waste.

And then I tried them and saw robins, bluejays, cardinals, hawks, sparrows, chickadees, doves, and more. I watched them for hours. Perched on branches, nibbling bittersweet berries, eating freshly fallen snow, puffing up their feathers, basking in the sunlight.

I saw deep into the woods and discovered a real worldwide web. Trees and vines woven together by time, providing a haven handmade by nature where the birdies can rest. I saw a glistening stream that runs off the Ten Mile river, trickling gently along the forest floor. I saw a white-bellied squirrel with his fluffy tail folded over his back like a blanket, a scrawny, lone coyote in search of food, and a big black cat slinking over fallen trees.

I was hooked.

by Melody Lea Lamb

Seeing these critters just doing their thing, not griping about the cold or wishing winter away, made me realize that we can do the same.

We can embrace this season and the opportunity it presents: a time to rest, lie fallow, and ready ourselves for spring.

7 Ways to Make the Holidays Happy and Healthy

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The famous song says it’s “the most wonderful time of the year”, but for many, the holidays can be super stressful.

Money worries. Work woes. Family feuds. Winter blues. Too many cookies, and too many glasses of eggnog.

Well, I’m here to show you that a happy, healthy holiday season is possible. Here are seven tips to get you started.

7 Ways to Make the Holidays Happy and Healthy

1. Manage your stress level

Easier said than done, right? But the fact is, it can be done if you make the effort. A few things have helped me lately, and they’re super simple.

One is meditating, even for just minutes a day. I use an app called Headspace and love it. You can get a free 10 day trial to see if you like it.

The other is breathing. Literally just breathing. Which sounds ridiculous, but it works. You see, when we’re stressed, we tend to hold our breath. Then we get tired and more stressed. So, check out this cool gif that helps you breathe deeply easily.

Try those two things – meditating and breathing – for a week and see if it reduces your stress level. If it does, keep doing it through the holidays and beyond.

2. Load up on antioxidants

Antioxidants help protect your cells from free radicals, which damage cells. Fruits and vegetables have tons of antioxidants, which makes green smoothies a great way to get them into your body.

If you’re looking for green smoothie inspiration, here’s my favorite green smoothie recipe.

Try to drink a green smoothie for breakfast so you’re ahead of the game and a few holiday treats later in the day won’t be so bad. ;)

3. Take your vitamins

A daily multivitamin is an easy way to make sure that you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need to support your body and stay healthy, especially if you take it with a green smoothie. :)

I take these vitamins and supplements, and they give me so much energy!

This is such a simple way to boost your winter wellness.

4. Get moving

Getting regular exercise can help keep your immune system strong and healthy, even in winter. Now, I know the weather will be getting colder and it might be more challenging to get outside. But you can still get your exercise. Like meditating, you don’t have to exercise for a long time to reap the benefits. 10-20 minutes will still help you.

Take a walk midday when the sun is brightest and warmest. Hop on a treadmill if you have one. You could even jog in place or do laps around your kitchen table. I’m serious! My elderly neighbor (who passed away last year at 93 years old) did a mile of laps around his basement each day! An old school pedometer or the health app on your iPhone will help you keep track of steps and miles.

Just do it…and you’ll be jolly.

5. Wash your hands

Sounds simple enough, right? Just washing your hands vigorously for 20-30 seconds with regular soap (not antibacterial) will help you fight illness by cleaning the germs off your hands before they wreak havoc. This is the only hand soap I’ve used since 2012 – it’s amazing and does not dry your skin at all.

You don’t want to spend the holidays in bed with a bowl of chicken soup, so scrub those hands!

6. Catch some Zzz’s

Sleep is one of the most important ways to stay happy and healthy – it’s the time that our body restores and repairs itself – yet most of us don’t get enough of it. Adults need about 8 hours of sleep each night, and kids need 10 or more hours per night!

There are a few things you can do to get better sleep each night – set a bedtime each night (mine’s 9pm), and start to “unwind” an hour or so beforehand by turning off the computer, cell phone, and TV. Make sure your bedroom is dark enough (I use a battery powered travel alarm clock from Target instead of a digital clock that glows) and keep your electronics in another room (I turn my phone off and put it in the charger in my kitchen each night).

You can also try taking an Epsom salt bath (you can get them at CVS, Target or on Amazon) or a magnesium supplement like Natural Calm. Magnesium is super relaxing and will help you nestle all snug in your bed, while visions of sugar plums dance through your head.

7. Use essential oils

Essential oils are a huge part of my wellness. In fact, I use essential oils to support me in all six of the tips I mentioned above!

If you want to see how essential oils can help you be happier and healthier, contact me right here for more info.

Cheers to a happier, healthier holiday season!

3 Simple Ways to Relieve Tight Lower Back and Hips

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For the past year, I’ve had problems with my lower back and hips being really tight and painful. I knew that the best way to fix things was to stretch my muscles and strengthen my core, but I had thrown my back out twice before and was worried that it might be too much for my back to handle.

On April 24th, I was truly in agony and nothing seemed to be helping. Not anti-inflammatories, not ice packs, not heating pads. I decided that day that I wasn’t going to live that way anymore. I decided to strengthen my core slowly and gently.

Fast forward to today, May 4th, and I’m happy to say that just TEN days later, I feel like a new woman.

Three super simple things helped me relieve my tight lower back and hips, and I’d like to share them with you. :)

3 Simple Ways to Relieve Tight Lower Back and Hips

Sit less

I’m currently reading Younger by Dr. Sara Gottfried (a must-read for any woman over 40), and Chapter 7 made me realize that I’ve been sitting way too much and how it’s affecting my back and hips. She says,

“Yes, sitting is the new smoking because of how it increases your risk of diabetes and heart disease – but it can also make your belly look fat by tightening your poor hip flexors and increasing your waist circumference. Here’s how that works: When you slump in a chair, abdominal muscles go slack while lower back muscles tighten, leading to swayback. The sway in your low back pushes out the abdomen, and your hip flexors are too tight to pull the belly back into the core.”

In other words: me. LOL.

Between working from home (and sitting at my computer for most of it) and waiting in school pick up lines, I realized that I sit for about 5 hours each day. While my sitting time is lower than the average American who sits for 8 hours a day, it’s still a lot of sitting.

So, how do we sit less? Here are a few simple suggestions:

  • When waiting in school pick up line, get out of the car and get some fresh air
  • Reserve the last 10-15 minutes of every hour to get up from your desk, stretch, and walk around a bit – if you work from home, do some jumping jacks, jump rope, or jog in place
  • Try a standing desk or a treadmill desk (you can find them on Amazon)
  • Watch less TV – take a walk instead and listen to an audio book

Stretch more

We all know that stretching is the best thing for tight muscles, but mine were so tight, that even basic stretches were impossible.

I searched through my DVD collection to see if I had anything that might help, and found Yoga for Energy and Stress Relief by Rodney Yee. I scanned the back to see what it was about, and zeroed in on the second sequence which uses a chair for support, called Gentle Relaxation. It said, “Use your breath to relax the body and quiet the mind. This practice is designed to help you release tension in the hips, back, and side body.”

Bingo! That was the one for me.

On April 25th, I started doing that 20-minute sequence every day and by Friday, April 28th, I noticed a remarkable difference in my lower back and hips. For the first time in over a year, they didn’t hurt and I could actually sit in a cross-legged pose without wanting to cry. The “quieting the mind” part of the sequence also made me realize that I hold all of my stress in my lower back.

Now when I’m feeling anxious about something (like, oh I don’t know… my daughter getting her driver’s license ;), I know to (and this might sound weird) inhale deeply into my lower back and exhale all the tension out.

Strengthen your core

After a few days of doing the yoga DVD, I decided to add some gentle core strengthening exercises to the mix.

Doing standing exercises was still too much for my back and hips, so I chose these floor exercises to help strengthen my hips, butt, and abs. I started off with 10 reps of each exercise, and now do about 25 reps of each of these 6 exercises, for a total of 50 reps per body part. When I’m feeling stronger, I’ll add more. :)

Floor exercises for hips, butt, and abs:

Who knew it could be this simple?

These three simple things totally relieved my tight lower back and hips in under two weeks.

Today is May 4th and I have zero pain in my lower back and hips. I can bend and stretch easily, and I can even tie my shoes, sit in lotus pose, and clean the tub without wincing. :)

11 Must Try Diffuser Blends

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When my favorite candle company, Illuminations, went out of business in 2009, I was really bummed out.

Illuminations was the only store that sold candles that didn’t nauseate me, give me a migraine, or send black smoke pluming through the air. My very favorite candle was rosemary grapefruit, and the last one I owned is now a small slab with a pitiful buried wick.

Luckily, I don’t need scented candles anymore. Why? Because I have my essential oil diffuser and my list of trusty essential oil diffuser blends! Yay! :)

And, essential oil diffusers are even better than candles because they’re:

  • Great to diffuse for sleep without worrying about burning the house down.
  • Awesome at purifying and humidifying the air in your home instead of polluting it like candles do.
  • Convenient and can be used anywhere there’s an outlet and a flat surface.
  • Portable for diffusing at home, at work, or even in the car.
  • Natural mood boosters, to relax and calm, invigorate and uplift, or ground and balance.
  • For everyone – babies, kids, adults, elderly – in the home, workplace, gym, or car.

Awesome, right? Best of all, you can make your own essential oil diffuser blends. You can combine your favorite oils for truly custom scents.

So, let me share my 11 favorite essential oil diffuser blends with you to inspire you to get started.

essential oil diffuser blends

11 Must-Try Essential Oil Diffuser Blends

1. Illuminations Blend

Of course I recreated my favorite Illuminations candle in my diffuser. :) It’s so fresh and clean!

4 drops grapefruit + 2 drops rosemary

2. My Favorite Blend

This is my all-time favorite blend, to diffuse and to apply topically on the back of my neck. It’s so beautiful!

2 drops frankincense + 2 drops wild orange + 2 drops peppermint

3. Mr. Brightside Blend

This blend is so clear and bright, it almost sparkles.

2 drops cardamom + 2 drops bergamot

4. Winter Wellness Blend

Want to be well this winter? Try this immune and mood boosting blend!

2 drops On Guard + 2 drops frankincense + 2 drops lemon

5. Warm + Inviting Blend

The last time my plumber was here, I had this blend diffusing. He kept commenting on how good it smelled, and finally asked me what it was and where he could buy one. LOL.

2 drops cinnamon + 2 drops wild orange + 2 drops cardamom

6. Jump Around Blend

Need a mood boost? This blend’ll have you hopping!

2 drops Cheer + 2 drops peppermint

7. Chillax Blend

Grab your meditation pillow, get in lotus position, and prepare to chill.

2 drops lavender + 3 drops sandalwood

8. Enchanted Forest Blend

Want to know what it feels like to walk through magical woods? Then close your eyes and breathe in this enchanting blend.

2 drops Balance + 3 drops cedarwood

9. Christmas Tree Blend

This blend smells like a freshly cut Christmas tree. It’s perfect for the holidays!

3 drops Douglas fir + 2 drops juniper berry + 1 drop cedarwood

10. Heaven On Earth Blend

Uplifting and grounding at the same time, this blend is heaven on earth. :)

2 drops bergamot + 2 drops frankincense

11. C’mon Get Happy Blend

I’m singing that Partridge Family song just thinking about this blend! It’s pure happiness.

2 drops lemon + 2 drops wild orange + 2 drops bergamot + 2 drops grapefruit

As you can see, there are tons of essential oil diffuser blends! The combinations are truly endless, and so much better for you than yucky candles.