Flip-Flop Foot Scrub

I've been out of town for a couple of weeks but thought I would catch up today with one of my newer favorites.  This scrub is simple to make and works great.  I've been using it for about 3 weeks at least 3-4 times a week, and I'm proud to say my heels are no longer cracked and dry and look great in my sandals and flip-flops.  This scrub is unique because it contains a cleaning agent (castile soap) in addition to the oil and salt of the scrub that not only keeps your feet soft and pretty but also cleans off the yucky, black, dirty, filmy sludge that gets all over your feet after a day of sandal wearing.  I'm giving my recipe below.  If you are not inclined to purchase all the ingredients to make this yourself, this is one of the items I sell in my Etsy store here https://www.etsy.com/listing/196345492/exfoliating-flip-flop-foot-scrub

Flip-Flop Foot Scrub (recipe amount is for 8 oz or 1 cup):
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup Epsom salt (Sugar can be used, but Epsom salt is courser and exfoliates better.)
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
8 drops lemon essential oil
4 drops peppermint essential oil
Pumice stone

Combine coconut oil and Epsom salt together.  Add castile soap and essential oils to coconut mixture, and stir until all ingredients are blended well.  Store in a glass or PET1 plastic container.  Use 3-4 times per week to daily to keep feet clean and soft particularly during summertime and sandal season.  This will work best if used along with a pumice stone.  Occasionally the coconut oil and castile soap will separate a little.  Simply give it a good stir with your finger, and you are good to go. 

DIY Insect Repellent

Essential oils are a great tool for repelling those nasty ticks and mosquitoes that drive you nuts during the summer.  You can easily mix up your own batch of insect repellent with ingredients you may already have in your house.  This spray works great and is safe enough to use on babies and animals; although, you want to keep the spray away from the animal's face.  Cats and dogs have much more sensitive noses than we do.  I am listing the recipe I use below.  If you don't have all of the ingredients, don't fret.  There are a host of insect repelling essential oils that you can use in pretty much any combination.  Essential oils known to repel insects are: cinnamon, citronella, clove, lemongrass, rosemary, tea tree, cajeput, eucalyptus, thieves, cedar, catnip, lavender, orange, grapefruit, peppermint, and rose geranium.  You can use any combination of these oils you have in your possession, but you'll want to have for sure a lemon/citrus smell, lavender, and some type of mint as those 3 repel mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas.  Other than that, you can mix and add to your heart's content.  Be aware that citrus essential oils can cause you to be more sensitive to the sun, so use sunscreen if you're going to be outdoors quite a bit with repellent on.  Also note that if you use a spray with cinnamon, thieves, and/or clove, you cannot use this on babies or animals.  These 3 oils are extremely strong and can irritate sensitive skin. 

All-Natural Insect Repellent:
8 oz spray bottle (this needs to be glass or PET1 recyclable)
20 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops peppermint essential oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops lemongrass essential oil
5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
1 teaspoon sweet almond oil or vegetable glycerin
witch hazel

Simply add essential oils to spray bottle along with oil/glycerin and top with witch hazel.  Give it a shake and spray wherever needed.  If you don't have sweet almond oil or vegetable glycerin on hand, you can use the spray without that ingredient.  The purpose of the oil is primarily to help the mixture stay on your skin longer; although, sweet almond oil has insect repelling properties itself.  The recipe above can be used on dogs and cats, but again, be sure to keep it away from their eyes and only use a little.  You can also use a drop of lavender or rose geranium on a dog's collar once a month to repel ticks.

Just as an aside, you will read all kinds of terrible things about DEET if you research bug repelling sprays.  I never go hiking or outside in a heavily wooded area without using a DEET spray first.  DEET is absolutely safe to use.  I simply prefer to use a more natural spray when I'm not in a heavily wooded or overgrown area.  Here's a link with more information about the safety of DEET: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/chemicals/deet.htm. 

Rosewater - One of My Very Favorite Things

I have completely and totally fallen head over heels in love with rosewater this summer.  Rosewater is made from distilled water and roses.  The roses are steamed in the distilled water and the condensation captured.  This condensated water is rosewater.  Rosewater is not cheap, but it is not nearly as expensive as rose oil.  A decent bottle of rosewater will run you anywhere from $15-$25 for 16 ounces, but it will last several months.  Rose oil, however, is another bird altogether.  It takes roughly 60,000 roses to make 1 ounce of rose oil.  The average cost of rose oil is roughly $500-$700 per ounce.  Yes, you did read that correctly.  This is why I don't own any rose oil and instead use rosewater.  The only real drawback to rosewater is that because it is water based the scent does not last as long as I would like.  Other than the totally awesome scent, rosewater has a number of benefits particularly to the skin. 

Rosewater is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.  It is also a fabulous moisturizer and has been used for thousands of years for this purpose.  It contains natural oils that help trap moisture in the skin without clogging pores and causing those ugly blackheads.  Rosewater also can help repair sun damage and reduce puffiness under the eyes.  It can be blended with coconut oil and used as a makeup remover.  It can also be used alone or blended with essential oils to be lightly sprayed onto the skin after applying makeup as a setting spray.  Rosewater is also often used as a toner and can be applied before or after moisturizing before bed.  Lastly, it just plain smells fantastic.  I pretty much have rosewater on my person at all times.  Multiple times a day I spray my face and/or hair just to refresh especially in the summer.  It also tends to lighten my mood and just make me feel better.  I am listing my favorite mix of rosewater and essential oils below.  You can try any variety of oils and rosewater you wish, but this one is my personal favorite.  This was adapted from the fabulous Camp Wander website at http://campwander.com/2014/07/rosewater-body-sprays/.

Lavender-Frankincense Rosewater Spray:
2 oz *PET1 or glass spray bottle (*you can find these in the travel aisle)
10 drops frankincense essential oil
20 drops lavender essential oil

Place essential oils into spray bottle and top off with rosewater.  Shake lightly to blend.  To use, simply spray anywhere that suits your fancy.  I use this often on my face, hair, body, and even spray my pillow at night before sleeping.  Nothing says sweet dreams like falling asleep to the scent of lavender and roses!

*PET1 is simply a specific type of recycling designation.  Anytime essential oils are going to be placed into a plastic container, it MUST contain the PET1 designation on the bottle.  Regular plastic bottles will interact chemically with the essential oils and can be dangerous.  Most travel, shampoo, food, and cosmetic containers are PET1.  I often sterilize spice containers, lotion bottles, and cosmetic bottles to re-use to save money.  Glass is always safe for essential oils; however, I am a klutz so glass is a no-no for me.


 

Beginnings...

For those of you who know me, I've been talking about doing this forever.  For those who do not, here is a little background...

I am a 4-year breast cancer survivor who developed extremely sensitive skin after completing chemotherapy.  I found that many of my store-bought bath and beauty products as well as laundry detergents and cleaning products were irritating my skin and causing breakouts and even hives.  As a result of this, I began to start making many of my own products.  I started with some simple laundry and cleaning products.  From this, I have grown to making bath and beauty products as well as some homeopathic and all-natural health products.  This blog is born of a desire to share what I have learned with my friends and family.  I truly believe that much of the rise in illness, autism, and many other such diseases that seem so prevalent today are a result of all of the chemicals we take into our bodies everyday with processed foods and convenience products.  Although it is virtually impossible to eliminate all such products from our lives, we can certainly simplify what we rub on our skin, clean our homes and clothing with, and at least to some degree what we consume.  My goal with this blog is to share what I've learned and provide resources and recipes for various products I use.  I do have an Etsy store where I will sale some of my products for those who wish to use all natural products but do not have the time, inclination, or resources to make their own.

I decided to start this journey with the first product I began making - Laundry Detergent.  If you've ever researched homemade laundry detergent, you will see there are literally hundreds of recipes out there.  I have tried at least 10 different variations myself and for the past year or so have settled on the recipe below.  It is easy to make, very inexpensive, and does a great job cleaning.  I have adapted my recipe from One Good Thing by Jilleee's Super Concentrated No-Grate Liquid Laundry Detergent found at http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2013/03/super-concentrated-no-grate-liquid-laundry-detergent.html. 

You will need:
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (found on the laundry aisle with the Borax)
1/2 cup dishwashing liquid
1/4 cup OxiClean
Essential Oils for fragrance per preference

This recipe is for use in an 89 ounce orange juice container.  These containers are great for laundry detergent; however, if you do not have any such containers, the recipe can easily be modified for a 1 gallon container and is as follows: 3/4 cup Borax, 3/4 cup washing soda, 3/4 cup dishwashing liquid, 1/3 cup OxiClean.

Place dry ingredients in your container and add warm water until 1/3 to 1/2 full.  Shake vigorously until mixed well.  Continue to fill with warm water until about 3 inches from the top.  Add dishwashing liquid and essential oils and gently shake to stir.  Most recipes call for Dawn dishwashing liquid because of its grease-fighting abilities.  My skin is so sensitive that the Dawn actually caused hives.  I use Seventh Generation Free and Clear Dish Detergent and have had great results.  Just be sure your dish detergent does say it fights grease.  The essential oils are used mostly for fragrance purposes but can also help with cleansing and germ fighting.  I use lavender but will generally add a little tea tree for its anti-bacterial properties.  Other good possibilities are lemon, peppermint, or geranium.  This is safe for HE and regular washing machines.  You'll use about 1/4 cup on a medium/large load but can use a little more for an extra large load or for extremely soiled clothing.

I hope this first post has provided you with something you didn't know.  Most of my posts will not be this long, so please don't be afraid to come back.  I'm happy to be sharing something that I've developed such a passion for with you!