A Few of My Favorite Things
The clean, simple products I actually keep on hand
Living with celiac, I’m picky about what comes into my home — clean ingredients, simple labels, no junk. Over the years I’ve settled on a small handful of things I genuinely love and reach for again and again. Two companies have earned a permanent spot on my shelf: doTERRA for essential oils, and Zinzino for supplements I can actually test. Here’s what I keep on hand, and why I trust each one.
A quick, honest note before we start: I’m a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and an independent Zinzino partner, so I may earn a commission from purchases made through my links — at no extra cost to you. I only ever share what I personally use and believe in, and I’ll always tell you when something isn’t a fit for a gluten-free home.
doTERRA: Comfort, Connection & the AromaTouch Technique
In our house, the AromaTouch Technique has become a love language. When our pet passed away, my girls each came to me and asked for “the AromaTouch” — and one by one they climbed onto the massage table for a few quiet, comforting minutes. There’s something about the combination of a parent’s hands and these calming aromas that helps everyone feel cared for.
When I have time, I do the full technique with all the proper hand movements. More often, life is busy, so I simply apply the eight oils one at a time along the spine and across the back and rub them in — and my husband does the same for me when I need a quick, grounding moment. It’s become our family’s way of slowing down and showing up for each other.
Traditionally the technique is applied along the back, though I’ll also apply the oils to the bottoms of the feet or the stomach and then cup my hands and breathe in the aroma. What makes it special is how it pairs the soothing power of touch with the calming experience of aromatherapy — relaxing on a physical level and an emotional one at the same time.
doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil
My tip: pair your oils with Fractionated Coconut Oil. A little of this carrier oil helps spread them smoothly across a larger area, is gentle on sensitive skin, and makes a few precious drops go further. It also slows how quickly the oils evaporate, so the lovely scent lingers longer.
The eight oils, in the order they’re used
Here are the eight oils in the same order they’re used in the AromaTouch Technique — the way I reach for them, one at a time.
Balance & Lavender. The technique opens with these two. Balance is doTERRA’s grounding blend — warm, woodsy, and settling — and Lavender is soft, classic, and calming. I love them on their own too, on the bottoms of my feet when I want to feel peaceful.
Tea Tree & On Guard. Tea Tree (Melaleuca) and On Guard (a spicy orange-clove blend) come next. Beyond the technique, these are my low-tox home workhorses — On Guard in the cleaner concentrate and foaming hand wash and my favorite blend to diffuse, and Tea Tree on the bottoms of my feet.
AromaTouch & Deep Blue. These two are the heart of the massage. AromaTouch is doTERRA’s massage blend and Deep Blue is their soothing blend — together they make the most relaxing, comforting part of the whole ritual.
Wild Orange & Peppermint. The technique finishes bright. Wild Orange (sweet and sunny) and Peppermint (cool and crisp) are an instant pick-me-up — diffused together they make the whole room feel fresh. Lemon and Grapefruit are easy favorites in our house too.
Frankincense — my everyday favorite & finishing touch
Frankincense is one I never want to be without — warm, resinous, and grounding. Day to day, I love applying it to the bottoms of my feet, then cupping my hands and breathing in the scent. It’s also the oil I add to finish the AromaTouch: when Dr. Hill taught me the technique, he mentioned that the one oil he likes to add for his own family is Frankincense — so I do the same, smoothing a little along the top of the head and down the spine at the very end. A warm, grounding way to close the ritual.
Immortelle (doTERRA’s anti-aging blend) is the finishing touch on my mornings. I smooth a little onto my skin as I’m getting ready — the rich, beautiful scent makes it feel like a small daily luxury.
What’s gluten-free in my cabinet: As a celiac, I check everything. Pure essential oils are naturally gluten-free, which is part of why I love them. One honest note — I personally skip Terrazyme because it isn’t gluten-free, and I get my fiber and omega support elsewhere. I’d rather tell you the truth than recommend everything.
Want to learn the technique for your own family? Shop the AromaTouch Kit + training, learn more at aromatouchtechnique.com, or visit my store at
https://mydoterra.com/celiacshack. I’m always happy to help you pick a starting point.
Zinzino: Test, Don’t Guess
I came to Zinzino through a prayer — a real one, in a season when I truly needed an answer. I was longing for two things at once: better health for the people I love, and a way to help women everywhere grow stronger — educated, capable, confident, building something of their own. Women lifting other women. Not long after, a friend reached out, and before she’d even finished telling me why she’d called, I was in tears without knowing why. Something in me recognized it.
I wasn’t immediately sold. But the more I looked into what this company actually does, the more it kept answering the very things I’d been praying about — and what won me over in the end wasn’t a promise. It was the testing.
Test, don’t guess
Most supplements ask you to take them on faith. Zinzino does something different: independent, third-party testing. When you order the omegas with a test, a kit comes with it — a few drops of dried blood you collect at home and mail to an independent lab. A few months later you retest, and you can see what actually changed in your own numbers. (Zinzino reports more than 1.7 million of these tests performed to date.)
For me, that’s everything. I’ve spent years trying to improve my omega balance — and as someone living gluten-free and dairy-free, I kept discovering hidden omega-6 oils tucked into “healthy” products, especially salad dressings. I’d switch to a better source, then wonder: is it actually working? With Zinzino, I don’t have to wonder. I can measure it.
A little background, if you like the science: the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is written omega-6 first. Many researchers point to a balance somewhere around 1:1 to 4:1 as favorable, while typical modern diets run much higher. It’s an area of active research — which is exactly why I’d rather test than guess.
The three I build on - Balance Oil+, Xtend, and ZinoBiotic
BalanceOil+ — a polyphenol omega-3 supplement made from wild-caught small fish (anchovy, sardine, mackerel) and cold-pressed Spanish extra virgin olive oil, with vitamin D3. The olive polyphenols act as a natural antioxidant that helps keep the fragile omega-3s stable. It’s designed to raise your omega-3 level and bring your omega-6:3 ratio toward balance over about 120 days — and because it pairs with the BalanceTest, you can see your own before-and-after numbers.*
Xtend+ — a vegan multivitamin: 22 vitamins and minerals plus beta glucans from baker’s yeast and a blend of plant polyphenols. I love the sourcing — vitamin C from acerola berries, B-vitamins from buckwheat, magnesium from seawater — and it’s built to complement BalanceOil+ and ZinoBiotic+. It supports normal immune function and energy metabolism.*
ZinoBiotic+ — a blend of eight natural dietary fibers that feed the good bacteria in your colon, supporting healthy bowel function and a balanced gut microbiome.* The oat beta glucans also help maintain cholesterol and blood-sugar levels already within the normal range.* A celiac note I appreciate: the oats are specially sourced to be gluten-free.
I also keep SpiruMax+ and Viva+ in my routine. SpiruMax+ is a whole-food spirulina tablet — a plant-based source of protein, iron, and vitamins that supports normal energy metabolism and helps reduce occasional fatigue.* Viva+ is an all-natural saffron supplement (using a standardized Spanish saffron extract called affron®) with magnesium, iodine, and vitamin C, which support a normal nervous system and help reduce occasional tiredness.*
The tests they offer
Beyond the omega BalanceTest, Zinzino offers other at-home tests — each done from a few drops of dried blood you collect and mail in:
BalanceTest — measures 11 fatty acids in your blood (about 98% of the total) to show your omega-6:3 balance over roughly your last 120 days. Analyzed by an independent, GMP-certified lab and reported anonymously.
Gut Health Test — instead of a stool sample, it measures three tryptophan-related compounds in your blood (IPA, tryptophan, and kynurenine) to show how your gut bacteria are functioning, summarized as a Gut Health Index.
Vitamin D Test — measures your vitamin D status (25-hydroxyvitamin D), with a recommended retest about every 120 days as your levels shift with the seasons.
HbA1c Test — measures your average blood sugar over the past 2–3 months, paired with a lifestyle questionnaire for context.
A couple of honest notes: these tests show you where you stand and help you track changes over time — they aren’t diagnostic tools and aren’t meant to diagnose any condition. And a heads-up for readers in New York: the BalanceTest and Vitamin D Test aren’t available there.
These are the simple, clean things I keep on hand for my own family — chosen carefully, used daily, and shared with love. If any of them can help you or someone you love, that makes my heart happy.
Love,
Steffanie
Disclosures: I’m a doTERRA Wellness Advocate and an independent Zinzino partner, and I may earn a commission from purchases made through my links, at no extra cost to you.
Income disclaimer (Zinzino): Earnings are not necessarily representative of the income that a Zinzino Partner can or will earn. Any figures should not be considered guarantees or projections of actual earnings or profits, and any representation or guarantee of earnings would be misleading. Success with Zinzino results only from successful sales efforts, which require hard work, diligence, and leadership. Your success will depend upon how effectively you put these qualities to work.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This post is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice; please consult a qualified healthcare provider before beginning any new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition.
Comments