If you are new to the world of essential oils, then let me tell you that it’s not just about diffusers and cleaning supply DIYs (although we looove those around here too). There’s so many ways you can incorporate the amazing effects of oils and I bet you didn’t know that jewelry is one of them! Lava stones are porous stones that can be made into beads, which trap essential oils inside the bead so you can wear your scent and take it with you wherever you go! 
Supplies:–lava stone beads
-leather/suede type flat cord
–fold-over cord ends (x4)
-wooden beads (this is a great variety box)
–needle nose pilars
–bead wire
–jump rings and jewelry clasp
–essential oil
-carrier oil of choice (like coconut oil or one of these)
Lay out your lava and wooden beads to create a pattern that you like.
Take a large jump ring and tie it to a piece of 12″ long bead wire about 3″ from the end so you have some tail on the other side of the ring.
Thread your beads onto the wire and thread it through the 3″ long tail as well so that the tail becomes hidden in the beads.
Once your beads are threaded, tie a jump ring onto the other side and knot the wire (give yourself a little slack so the beads won’t be smushed when the necklace is in a “U” shape when worn). Trim the excess wire to be 2-3″ and then push that wire tail back into the beads so that tail is hidden as well.
Once you are done with that you should have a beaded section with jump rings on either side with both wire ends hidden back inside the beads.
Determine how long of a necklace you want and based on how long your beaded section is, cut a piece of flat cord to be the proper finished length. Since you are putting oils on the stones, I would make this a short necklace that sits on your skin instead of a longer one because some oils can stain clothing (but if any does gets on your skin, you’re basically just moisturizing yourself a little with the carrier oil, so that’s fine with me!). Take your flat cord and use needle-nose pliers to attach a fold-over cord end to both ends of your cord. 
Attach the cord ends to your beaded section by opening up your jump rings with your pliers and then slipping the cord end on before closing it again with the pliers. Since your necklace is probably too small to fit over your head, cut your flat cord in half and attach two more cord ends, small jump rings, and a jewelry clasp so you can take your necklace on and off.
To add your oil to your necklace, mix 2-3 drops of your oil (or oils) of choice into 1 teaspoon of a carrier oil (making your favorite blend in this type of dropper would be easiest so you don’t have to mix it up every time). Place your necklace on a flat surface (either on a surface that doesn’t stain or on a cloth or paper towel) and drop one drop of oil on a few of the stones. Allow the oil 15 minutes or so to properly sink in and then wipe any excess oil off the stones before wearing. Experiment with how many drops you want on your necklace based on how strong you want the scent to be and reapply as needed.
*NOTE: You’ll see a lot of other directions concerning lava stone jewelry directing you to drop undiluted oils into your hands to rub on the stones or just directly on the stones themselves with your fingers. We want to think about safety first with essential oils and since undiluted oils can be very irritating to skin because they are so strong, it’s safer to dilute oils first with a carrier oil first. 
So it looks cute, and smells amazing?? Sign me up! I would probably use lavender oil as my go to for its calming effect and amazing scent—I can always use a little more chill in my day, if you know what I mean! Since you’ll probably be outside at some point with this necklace, skip using oils that are photosensitive (like lemon, lime, and grapefruit, to name a few). You can see the full list of oils and read more about it here. Those oils can cause a skin discoloration or skin irritation when exposed to sunlight on the skin, so save those for another project that won’t be worn in the sun. And as with any essential oil use, discontinue if you experience any negative reactions or sensitivity. To change the scent on your necklace, just wait a few days until the last scent has worn off and start a new one! This can also double as your perfume as well so you can skip that step in the morning if you want to. There’s a million ways to use essential oils, hope this becomes a favorite of yours as well! xo. Laura
