I’ve lived my whole life with curls! Of course there have been times when I’ve hated them but as I got older I chose to embrace the curls! I realized they are part of me and I should be proud of how unique curls are! I know a lot of people (including my mom) who have always fought their natural curl with blowing it out or using chemical straitening methods. I think most people who have curls hate the frizz! I can honesly say, that after 30 years of trying different products, I have found a combo I currently love. I think trial and error, mixing different brands and using different styling techniques is key to finding what works best for you. Several years ago, I read the Curly Girl Method book and that was the real beginning of finding my style method. When I was a teen, there were not as many options as there are now. I mean we basically had gel and mousse and hair spray, nothing catering to curls. Let’s just say, taming that frizz in high school and college was near impossible.

I am so happy there are such great and natural products on the market now! No more slathering my curls with silicon based smoothers to coat and suffocate my hair. Its a shocker my hair survived those days in tact.

All the curl products you need to have beautiful hair

Beautiful curls begin with a good wash day. I usually wash with a clarifying shampoo and condition with a deep conditioner and while thats on, give my scalp a good scrub with my rubber scrubber. Once in awhile, I’ll sleep with oils in my hair to condition and moisturize my dry locks.

Now comes the fun part of styling! I wring my hair out in the shower but do not towel dry. While my hair is super wet, I put 1-2 quarter sized amounts of curl cream and comb it through and let it sit a couple minutes. I then put small dime size amounts of Curlsmith In Shower Gel on small sections of my hair, smoothing between my palms. I then take that same section and brush with my curl brush to form nice clumps. I go through my whole head with this method. I then apply mouse in my palms and lightly coat my hair all over. I then lightly scrunch and use my Dyson Hair Dryer with Diffuser and move in small sections cupping my ends with the diffuser and pushing up towards scalp. Sometimes I let my hair air dry halfway and then diffuse. Its up to you to see which method you prefer! Once it’s dry, I add a couple tiny pea size amounts of styling cream and a few pumps of oil to my ends and a light coat all over. It adds a nice shine, tames frizz and moisturizes. Sometimes I use specific hair oil and I often use my Young Living orange essential oil. Not only does it leave my hair smelling amazing, but leaves the perfect amount of shine!

Curly Hair Styling Products

I hope all my years of trying products helps you find ones you love too! All my links are below. Cheers to happy, healthy and frizz free curls!

Curly hair is not cheap. Good clean and quality styling products are key to happy curls. Here are all of the products I love and remember you can mix and match brands!

#1 WASH - shampoo buy here #2 MOISTURIZE - conditioner buy here #3 COMB - buy here #4 CURL CREAM - buy here #5 GEL - buy here

#6 CURL BRUSH - buy here #7 MOUSSE - buy here #8 STYLING CREAM buy here & HAIR OIL buy here or here or the healthiest oil is orange essential oil buy hereNew customers get 10% off by using SHAREYL code at checkout. Visit this post for more info on oils and having a healthier home!

Other healthy hair items I love!

CURLING CUSTARD here DEEP CONDITIONER here HAIR SPRAY here SCALP MASSAGER here SCALP OIL here HAIR DRYER + DIFFUSER here

I have struggled for years to get good sleep! I’ve tried so many different things over the years and listened to many podcasts on the topic. I have finally found what works for me. It’s not perfect, but I’m sleeping better than I have in years so I will take that as a win! I’ve tried getting morning light first thing in the morning, taking hot showers at night, doing hot yoga, working out everyday, caffeine and no caffeine, OTC sleeping meds & prescription meds, journaling, reading, supplements, a better nighttime routine, etc. It has been so frustrating doing the things recommended by all the professionals and ending up empty handed most of the time.

I know you’re wondering what has worked and I will tell you! There are some things such as lowering my stress by having daily routines and down time. I have a goal to move my body every single day, whether that’s a walk, resistance training or yoga. I also try and spend time in the sunshine by doing yardwork, walking or enjoying the outdoors. I’m drinking a lot of water, eliminating toxins in my environment and generally eating healthier.

At night, I usually wind down by getting in the hot tub or taking a shower. I take a few supplements at bedtime about 30 minutes before I want to sleep. I’ve tried a lot of different combinations and to be honest you have to try a few things until you find the best combination for you. I tried the Huberman sleep stack for awhile which is L-Theanine, Apigenin and Magnesium Theonate and this combo worked pretty well but I still woke easily and it took awhile to fall asleep but I didn’t have insomnia which was lovely. I track my sleep with my Apple Watch and was frustrated my deep sleep was still so low. It was often between 20-30 minutes a night which is about half what it should be.

So what has worked for me? Currently, about 30 minutes before bed, I take 3 Magnesium Theonate and I had my doctor prescribe 200 mg of Progesterone. This has helped me get a full hour of deep sleep and I haven’t felt this good in years. I fall asleep quicker and stay asleep the whole night, waking feeling more rested. I also read for 10 minutes every single night no matter what. It’s one of my non-negotiables and it helps ease my mind and relax. For me, I love fiction. My mind needs a break and its enjoyable and fun!

I also have a good morning routine with supplements and that has contributed to my overall health and feeling better. I’ve been taking AG1, MaryRuth multi-vitamin and hair, DHEA and fish oil. Our kiddos take the MaryRuth multi-vitamin gummy in the morning and at night we’ve been weaning off of melatonin. My Drue has a lot of anxiety and that makes it hard for her little mind to quiet and fall asleep. The MaryRuth kids magnesium calm gummies have helped her so much! I’ve learned a lot about our water and soils being completely depleted of nutrients and minerals our bodies need. I think adding magnesium has helped all of us feel so much better.

Here are links to all of our current supplements on Amazon!

MaryRuth’s Kids Multivitamin, MaryRuth’s Multivitamin + Hair, MaryRuth’s kids magnesium gummies, Omega Fish Oil, Magnesium L Threonate, DHEA

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I love a good smelling house. There’s something so inviting about walking into a home that smells lovely. I’m not talking overpowering in your face scent but subtle, happy notes that make people want to stay and linger. Candles were my go to until I started reading about the harmful chemicals they emit. One by one, I’ve done away with chemicals in our home and I think we are healthier for it. Those toxic chemicals in our laundry, the air we breathe, what we put on our skin end up having an adverse effect on our hormones and overall health.

There is something about our 40’s that we don’t feel as invincible as we once did. Maybe its watching your parents health decline, maybe its just reaching that halfway mark in life. I’m not sure exactly but hitting my 40’s sure made me more conscious of the everyday choices I was making for myself and my family.

The good news is there are great alternatives now for helping your home smell its best. And even better news is for the next day, new customers get 20% off their first order using code: SHAREYL and 10% in February. Click here to order or on Young Livings site, make sure and enter my member number 4445578 when you checkout. I use oils, especially at night! They have helped us calm down at the days end and promote better sleep. We have diffusers in our bedrooms, bathrooms and main living areas. My favorite oils for sleep are lavender, stress away, purification and peace & calming. I turn them on while my girls are doing their bathroom routines or about 20 minutes before trying to sleep. I have struggled with sleep for years and I’ve always heard that a good routine helps tell your body and mind its bedtime. Oils have helped so much with that!

I like to start the day with a citrus combo that’s energizing and wakes you up! Nesting with Grace has some amazing combos on her blog and Instagram. My personal favorites are her Anthro blend (4 drops grapefruit, 4 drops orange, 3 drops geranium, 2 drops northern lights or other evergreen, 2 lime), Squeaky Clean (4 drops Thieves, 3 drops citrus fresh, 1 drop cinnamon bark), Entry (4 Bergamot, 3 lime and 2 juniper). It gets pricey to do these combos but they smell so good! If you want something more simple, its perfectly fine to pick one oil! Luscious Lemon, Lemon Myrtle and Theives are great ones to do on their own. This kit is a great one to get all of the basic oils for a better price to experiment and see what you like the best!

For wellness and purifying I like to use Theives, Frankinscense, Purification and RC. There is also a kids one called Sniffleease that I use with Theives at night and a little lavender and it’s a great combo for bedtime when you have the stuffies. I like RC and Thieves for adult stuffy nose in combo with the Thieves ointment rub on your chest or under your nose. For general air purification I love Purification and Thieves. So far, we have had a very healthy year and I really am chalking it up to using oils in our home!

 Here are some great starter kit options with my favorite oils and products to start with.

https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/product/thieves-home-cleaning-kit

https://www.youngliving.com/us/en/product/make-a-shift-happy-healthy-home-kit

In January 2023, I decided I wanted to make some changes in our home. I had read all about the toxins in laundry products, cleaning products, skincare and burning candles! That last one was a real bummer to hear considering candles were my favorite thing! I’ve followed Brooke from Nesting with Grace for quite some time and loved what she was doing with Young Living essential oils and pretty much everything she does! When I first looked into purchasing oils, I had some sticker shock and was a little overwhelmed with spending hundreds of dollars. I decided to start small and try one new thing at a time.

Thieves for overall wellness was my first goal! Our immune systems were shot after Covid. We all kept getting dumb viruses again and again now that we weren’t masked up so I wanted to get us to a healthier spot! I purchased a Thieves bundle because bundling is the way to go to save $! It included Thieves oil, laundry detergent, dish soap and Thieves concentrate cleaner. I went in hopeful but also a little skeptical because I have always used antibacterial cleaner, hand sanitizer and bleach, basically all the harsh stuff because as my kids would tell you, I’m a bit of a germaphobe. So how could some natural oils do a better job at killing those yucky bugs? In my heart, I knew the chemicals we were using weren’t good for us.

The other big change in our house was laundry – I realized I was adding so many different products to our laundry – scented beads, soap, fabric softener, dryer sheets etc. and they were all filled with chemicals and different scents which over time mess with our hormones and general optimal function. Thieves detergent seemed pricey at first but when I added up all of the products I was purchasing and realized how concentrated Thieves is, I am actually saving money! I now add ½ capful of Thieves detergent, a scoop of laundry refresher I make and a scoop of Molly suds powder. In the dryer, for stain treatment, I dab a little Thieves dish soap on the stain and in the dryer I use wool dryer balls with a couple drops of my favorite oil. My laundry process feels super simple and clean!

During these cold winter months, we have also loved the Thieves rub. Think Vicks Vapor rub. When you’re stuffy, a little dab under your nose and on your chest makes you feel so much better and it’s natural! The scent is more heavenly than the thick Vicks scent.

TO PLACE AN ORDER – click here or enter my code (4445578) at checkout. First time orders enter SHAREYL for a 10% discount. I would definitely join the Young Living Loyalty program. If you have any one item on monthly auto ship, you get deeper discounts on everything! You can always try a few things and then just pick a couple of your favorites to have as loyalty items. If you keep on the auto ship for over 6 months, you get a discount and money back to spend on future purchases. Every month there are also different gifts with purchase depending on how much you spend!

Here's to a happy and healthier 2024 for all of us! 

If you have any questions – feel free to shoot me a message or email chelsa@urbanblush.com. I’ll continue to add tips and do giveaways via Instagram @urbanblushdesign.

www.nestingwithgrace.com is also a great resource for Young Living oils

I was completely proven wrong! We’ve been using the Thieves family of products for a year now and I’ve been blown away!

A bottle of Thieves cleaning concentrate lasts us a couple of months and it literally works on everything and it smells so good. It cleans glass, counters, sinks, showers, toilets, and floors. I sprayed it all over our outdoor grill and got it sparkling clean. We clean our car interiors with it. I spray it on a cloth and wipe the dust off my plants. I also used it on my outdoor plants to keep bugs away. My sister is due to have her first baby any day now and I cannot wait to gift it to her for non toxic cleaning. Thieves honestly gets any cleaning job done well without the harsh chemicals. You get a glass spray bottle and fill it with water and add a capful of Thieves. I keep a spray bottle in the kitchen and every bathroom for quick cleanup. I promise once you try it, you’ll be hooked! This is a great bundle to start with!

Yes, the temps are still in the 80’s here in Salt Lake City, but there were stormy clouds in the sky and it was enough for me to crave fall. I put on a sweater in our air conditioned house and started on a roast and homemade rolls for dinner! I turned on some John Mayer and put my new fall cider blend of oils in the diffuser. And although there was still lingering summer heat outside, it felt like fall to me.

I try and do a back to school dinner every year with a little thought for the year. With our two big kiddos out of the house and in different states, I wanted to focus on our girls. Lately, they’ve really been complaining a lot, whining and saying “It’s not Fair”. The word that came to mind was resilience. It’s a big word for a 8 and 10 year old but it was the best word to describe what we needed a little more of! I found a couple of quotes that encompassed that word in a simple way. The girls can hang them in their rooms and look at them as a quick reminder for the year ahead.

THE VERY BEST ROLLS

These are the absolute best rolls! I make them on all the big holidays - Easter & Thanksgiving for sure and apparently Labor Day too! Click here for the recipe from Oh Sweet Basil, enjoy!

POT ROAST - I’ve tried lots of different pot roast recipes over the years as well as different cooking methods but this one from A Bountiful Kitchen is hands down our favorite and its so easy!

We usually do a couple of little gifts like new markers or hair products, something useful for back to school. I’m a gifter at heart so any opportunity for a little gift, I’m in! Here are the cute little quotes to download. Enjoy! Cheers to fall.