Body Powder

If you're anything like me, you grew up playing with your grandmother's beauty supplies. Spraying her perfume, trying on her lipstick, and having all kinds of mischievous fun with your grandma's stuff. I have fond memories of doing all of this. But one of my favorite things was her powder. I didn't know why she used it, but it always smelled soft and floral.

As an adult, I came across several deodorant powder and/or foot powder recipes. It wasn't until I started really taking a look at them that I realized what my grandmother's powder was for. Body powder is awesome. It helps to keep you feeling fresh even in the hot summer months in Florida. Think of it as a dry deodorant that you can use anywhere. Anywhere on or off your body, where funky smells tend to accumulate. You can use it on your thighs to keep them from chaffing during your workout routine, you can dust your feet before putting on your shoes to keep the foot odor to a minimum, you can lightly dust your entire body after a shower to help you feel fresh and smell great, you can even lightly dust your gym bag to help keep your workout clothes smelling fresh. There are so many uses for body powder. I also use my home made body powder as a base for some of my home made makeup. Just add a few colorants to your body powder and you have a loose blush, shadow, or foundation.

Most body powders you find commercially are made with talc. Talc has been linked to several instances of cancer. Using caution with talc is a good idea. Instead, I make my own body powders using arrowroot powder. However, you can use any of a variety of powders as your base.

The Base:

For your base you want to use an absorbent powder, particularly one that also has antibacterial properties and that is ultra fine and soft on your skin. Here are a few options that work pretty well. I prefer to use a combination of powders for my base. Some of my favorites include arrowroot, cornstarch (non-GMO), tapioca starch, rice flour, baking soda, kaolin clay, french green clay, betonite clay, or any of a variety of cosmetic clays.

Dried Herbs:

You can add ground herbs to your powders as well. These can help improve your skin, prevent acne, help heal wounds, and they smell lovely. Some of my favorite herbs to use include chamomile, lavender, calendula, rose, elder flower, peppermint, lemon balm, and jasmine flowers. Each one of these herbs has different properties, but all of them are known for helping improve the health of skin.

Essential Oils:

You can also add essential oils to your powder. They may cause clumping if not mixed well, but if you mix them well they can add more health benefits and a beautiful scent to your powder. Try lavender, jasmine, ylang ylang, frankincense, myrrh, and rose geranium. These oils are some of my favorites, but you can use any essential oil you'd like. Just keep in mind that some cause photosensitivity (making your skin sensitive to sunlight), and all essential oils are extremely strong and should always be diluted before use. An additional word of caution. Avoid using eucalyptus, rosemary, and camphor essential oils around people who have seizures, as well as young children and pets. I like to use around 10 drops of essential oils per 1 cup of powder for these recipes.

And here are some of my favorite recipes for body powder, starting with the super basic, unscented recipe, and going a bit more complicated. Enjoy!

Basic, Unscented Body Powder

1 cup Arrowroot Powder or Rice Flour

½ cup Cornstarch (non-GMO) or Tapioca Starch

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well.

Romantic Floral Powder

¾ cup Arrowroot Powder or Rice Flour

¼ cup Kaolin Clay

¼ cup Cornstarch (non-GMO) or Tapioca Starch

¼ cup French Green Clay

¼ cup each powdered Rose Petals and Calendula Petals

6 teaspoons powdered Lavender Buds

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. If you need to grind your flowers and/or petals, a coffee bean grinder works really well. Just remember that you don't want to use the same one you use for your coffee or you'll have floral coffee.

Cooling Summer Powder

1 cup Arrowroot Powder or Rice Flour

½ cup Cornstarch (non-GMO) or Tapioca Starch

¼ cup Betonite Clay

6 teaspoons each powdered Mint Leaves, Calendula Petals, and Lemon Balm Leaves

5-10 drops each of Frankincense and Cypress Essential Oils

Combine the ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. If clumps form when you add the essential oils, just break them up with the whisk and mix a little longer. If you need to grind your flowers and/or petals, a coffee bean grinder works really well. Just remember that you don't want to use the same one you use for your coffee or you'll have floral coffee.

I hope you enjoy these body powder recipes. For more essential oil blend ideas, check out my previous entries, Herbal Home Fresheners for Spring and Car-Omatherapy. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Car-Omatherapy

Car-omatherapy

     Living in America, there are a few things that we have to deal with. Traffic is one of them. Sometimes traffic is great, you get to sing along to your favorite songs, or listen to an excellent book on tape, and you don't encounter any problems at all. Then there are times when you're getting cut off left and right, where you feel like your car must have a huge target on it because all the idiots in the world are gunning for you, where you're caught at every red light, etc. Those days you might need a bit of help calming down, chilling out, and not having road rage.

     Aromatherapy helps deal with these negative emotions, and helps keep your car smelling wonderful. Just invest in a car diffuser, add your favorite essential oil blend, and drive carefree. As a bonus, keep a spray bottle in your car, use a great calming blend (include a little Rescue Remedy) and spritz it when you need a little extra help behind the wheel.

     Here are some of my favorite essential oil blends to use in the car, and a few recipes that might help you get through your drive easier. Remember to store anything made with essential oils in glass, as essential oils have a tendency to eat through plastics. When choosing a carrier oil, I tend to stick to oils such as Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Coconut Oil. Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Oil, Avocado Oil, and argan oil also make great carrier oils. Check out a great list of carrier oils and their uses here.

     A word of caution. Essential oils are very strong. Avoid using eucalyptus, rosemary, and camphor essential oils around people who have seizures, as well as young children and pets.

Mom's Helping Blend

10-15 drops Mandarin Essential Oil

5-10 drops Rosewood Essential Oil

5 drops Frankincense Essential Oil

Mandarin and rosewood are calming and soothing, but only mildly so you don't run the risk of falling asleep. They are particularly effective on any children that may be in the car. Frankincense also helps reduce stress. This is a great blend for families on the go.

Happy Go Lucky

15-20 drops Bergamont Essential Oil

10-15 drops Spearmint Essential Oil

5-10 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil

5 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Grapefruit is uplifting, soothing, clarifying, helps to reduce stress and depression, it's also a lesser-known hangover remedy. Bergamont helps to reduce stress and anxiety, reducing depression and helping to uplift the emotions. Ylang ylang helps to balance our emotions, helping to reduce stress and maintain an air of peace. Spearmint helps to cool our minds and emotions, helping to calm us in times of stress, and provides a protection for our brains, even helping to reduce migraines. All of these oils are stimulating, increasing circulation and uplifting the body as well as the spirit. This blend is a great way to start the day.

Motion Sickness

5-10 drops Ginger Essential Oil

5-10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

5-10 drops Lemon Essential Oil

Ginger and peppermint are well-known helpers when nausea is an issue. However the sharp and fresh smell of citrus can also help to calm a tumultuous tummy.

Rage Reducer

10-15 drops Lavender Essential Oil

10-15 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil

5-10 drops Geranium Essential Oil

5 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil

This blend is filled with oils that help calm you down, reduce stress, and let you know that everything is alright. Just take a deep breath and feel the calm working.

Rage Reducer for the Manly Man

10-15 drops Mandarin Essential Oil

5-10 drops Basil Essential Oil

5-10 drops Cypress Essential Oil

5 drops Lime Essential Oil

A calming blend with a more masculine scent. For those guys who don't want their car to smell too “girly” or those ladies who appreciate the more masculine scents in their lives.

Wake Me Up

10-15 drops Lemon Essential Oil

5-10 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

5-10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil

5-10 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil

Nothing can replace a good night's sleep, but this blend can help provide a quick pick-me-up during your drive. Just keep in mind that rosemary and eucalyptus are super strong and should not be used around small children, animals, and people prone to seizures. However, for the rest of us, these oils help energize our minds and help us to focus on our task.

You can use the above blends to create the following recipes:

Quick Spritz

2 oz Distilled Water

2 oz Witch Hazel (or just 2 more oz water)

1 oz Vodka (at least 60 proof)

20-30 drops Essential Oil Blend of your choice

*optional: 16 drops RescueRemedy (especially to help reduce road rage)

Combine all ingredients in a 6 oz glass container with a spray top. Shake well with each use. Spray in the car vents and/or on your person for maximum benefit.

Roller Ball Blends

1 oz Carrier Oil

10-15 drops Essential Oil Blend of your choice

Combine in a glass roller ball bottle. Apply to pulse points and/or temples for maximum effect.

I hope you enjoy these car-omatherapy recipes. For more essential oil blend ideas, check out my previous entry, Herbal Home Fresheners for Spring. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Happy Pits!

     One of the worst things about living is Florida is that it's hot. Not just in the summer, but all year round, it's hot. Since moving to Central Florida 11 years ago, I have used my winter coat maybe 10 times. Last year I didn't even have to put it on once. This consistently high temperature is great for growing plants, but not so good for for the whole BO (body odor) situation. While having a good diet and being in moderately good health can go a long way to eliminating the stink of BO, sometimes you need a little extra boost. Enter, deodorant.

     Deodorant is part of my morning (and sometimes afternoon) routine. I wake up, brush my teeth, do a little dry brushing, take a shower, and apply my deodorant before I really get my day started. But I cannot justify using typical deodorants. There are so many ingredients, even in some of the “natural” deodorants, that are linked to health problems. Aluminum has been linked to Alzheimer's and breast cancer. Parabens have also been linked to cancer, as well as several hormone conditions. And there are many more of these nasty ingredients in most store-bought deodorants. This is why I decided to make my own.

     Making the switch to a homemade deodorant seems like an easy thing to do, but I just want to warn you that there is a detox period. Your body detoxes itself by sweating. Conventional deodorant and antiperspirant clog your pores. When you sweat, your body pushes out those toxins, but if you are using a typical deodorant, you're just putting those toxins right back. This is why pit stains occur. After you make the switch to natural deodorant, your body will push out all those toxins that have been clogging your pores, and after a few days your pits will be detoxed and much happier.

     Now, there are hundreds of recipes for homemade deodorant online now a days. They range from a liquid spray, to a cream, to powder, and all in between. This recipe is for my favorite application, deodorant bars. I tend to work in hot environments, moving around quite a bit. I wanted a deodorant that I could take with me and use when I felt I needed a touch up. So I worked on a few recipes, combining ideas and finally developed my deodorant bar. This recipe mashed together the concept of deodorant and lotion bars. You can use an old deodorant container if you want, but I like to use silicone molds for mine. It stays solid enough that I can leave a small bar in my bag during most of the Florida year (as long as I remember to not leave it in the car).

A Word on Ingredients:

Coconut Oil is super antibiotic, and when you're dealing with your pits, you want as much antibiotic action as possible. You can choose a different oil, but coconut oil is semi-solid at room temperature so if you decide to substitute, make sure you increase your beeswax to match it.

Almond Oil is full of amino acids and vitamins that your skin needs to stay healthy. It also helps the more solid oils, such as coconut oil, to penetrate deeply. You can choose a different oil here if you'd like. One of my other favorites is olive oil.

Cocoa Butter will help your deodorant to stay more creamy and less oily. It's also super packed full of nutrients that help to keep your skin happy. You can substitute Shea butter if you'd like, but cocoa butter is more dense and will help your deodorant bar stay more solid in those hot months.

Arrowroot Powder is a must for deodorants. Not only does it act as a thickener to help your deodorant bar stay solid. It also helps to draw toxins out of your body.

Beeswax helps to solidify these deodorant bars, but it also helps to provide a protective layer on your skin, without clogging your pores.

Vitamin E can be found in most oils you might use, but it's essential for healthy skin. This is why I like to add extra vitamin E to all of my skin products.

Tea Tree Oil may not be 100% necessary for a deodorant recipe, but I like to add it in to all of mine. The #1 reason? Because it is one of the most powerfully antibiotic essential oils I know of. Your pits are breeding grounds for bacteria, and bacteria is the leading cause of body odor. It just makes since to pack extra antibiotic power into your deodorant. Plus, it doesn't irritate most people's skin! If you don't like the scent, don't worry. This recipe only calls for 5 drops, you can overpower it easily by adding more of your favorite essential oils. However, I think it blends very well with lavender essential oil, which is one of my favorites.

Essential Oils are all antibiotic to a certain extent. However, the main reason for these is to make you happy. Add whatever essential oils you want, in order to make your deodorant smell pleasant. I personally like to do 5 drops Lavender, 5 drops Cedarwood, and 5 drops Lemongrass. A word of caution however, make sure to test your essential oils on the inside of your wrist first. That way you don't put irritating oils on such a sensitive area.

Happy Pits Deodorant Bars

¼ cup Coconut Oil

½ cup Almond Oil

½ cup Beeswax (grated or pellets)

¼ cup Cocoa Butter

8 tsp Arrowroot Powder

Vitamin E (2 capsules or ½ tsp)

5 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

15-20 drops Essential Oils of your choice

Combine first four ingredients in a glass jar and place in a pot half filled with water. Bring water to a boil and stir ingredients until melted. Remove jar from pan and slowly add arrowroot powder, stirring constantly to prevent the formation of clumps. Allow to rest until you are able to safely handle the jar (don't wait too long or the mixture will be mostly solid and hard to work with). Add remaining ingredients and stir. Pour liquid into molds (or deodorant containers), cover, and allow to cool overnight. You can put them in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process if you want. Once completely cooled, remove from molds and wrap with wax paper. Store in a cool, dry place.

I hope you enjoy these deodorant bars. For more essential oil blend ideas, check out my previous entry, Herbal Home Fresheners for Spring. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Resources:

Homemade DIY Deodorant Recipe: Pronounce Skincare: https://pronounceskincare.com/effective-easy-homemade-deodorant/

How to Make Natural Deodorant: Wellness Mama: https://wellnessmama.com/1523/natural-deodorant/

Luxurious Lotion Bars: Fabulous Farmgirl : https://fabulousfarmgirl.com/diy/lotion-bars/

Natural Laundry Solutions

     I started, systematically, removing harsh chemicals from my home several years ago. One of my latest stops has been in the laundry room. I thought this step was going to be quite a bit more complicated than it ended up being. But by the time I arrived here, I had already stocked my home full of most of the essentials for cleaning naturally, which also help with laundry. Here are a few of my favorites so far, feel free to experiment a little and make some of these recipes your own.

Detergents:

     Most DIY laundry detergent recipes call for grating bar soap and adding borax. I haven't been too thrilled with this. I typically prefer using liquid detergents, but lately I have been using soap nuts. I know it sounds crazy, but they really do work. You can use them conventionally, just add a handful of the nuts, in a linen bag, to your laundry. Or you can grind them up and use the powder. I recommend spending a little extra and getting the higher quality nuts if you want to start using them. If you want to grind them, my favorite method is to use an old coffee grinder. Just don't overload it and grind to your heart's content. You can use just this powder as a really effective detergent. 2-3 teaspoons per load is sufficient. Or you can mix it with baking soda, Epsom salts, and/or essential oils to make an all-in-one detergent and fabric softener combination.

All-In-One Detergent

3 cups Epsom Salts

1 cup Baking Soda

¼ cup Soap Nut Powder

30-40 drops Essential Oils

Mix all ingredients and store in an air tight container. Use ¼ cup per load of laundry.

     However, if you prefer liquid detergents, here is one of my favorite recipes. You can pick up the washing soda at any grocery store, or you can make your own. Wellness Mama has a great tutorial here.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

½ cup Borax

½ cup Washing Soda

½ cup Dr. Bronner's Sal Suds

4 cups Hot Water

40-50 drops Essential Oils

Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a 1 gallon container. Add in the hot water to dissolve the other ingredients. Fill the container most of the way with water and add in your essential oils. Shake before using to help ensure that everything is mixed properly. It's that simple. Use ¼ cup per load.

Fabric Softeners:

     The most simple and easy fabric softener is baking soda. Simply add ¼ cup to your laundry while it's washing. Baking soda also doubles as a brightener, which is a plus. If you are using a liquid soap, add the baking soda in during the wash cycle. However, if you are using a powder, add it in during the rinse. Believe it or not, Epsom salts are another really easy way to soften your laundry. You can use them the same way you would use baking soda, or you could simply add them into your laundry detergent recipe. However, I prefer to combine these methods and add a little something special, essential oils. Adding essential oils help to make your laundry smell fresh, but essential oils don't stick around as long as the artificial scents you find with the chemical detergents and fabric softeners at the store. Some of my favorite blends for laundry include lavender, citrus, and juniper. My current favorite is 20 parts Lavender, 10 parts Pine, and 10 parts Grapefruit. Feel free to play around with your favorite essential oils, or make seasonal blends (peppermint is great for the holiday season).

Fabric Softening Wash Add-In

3 cups Epsom Salts

1 cup Baking Soda

40-50 drops Essential Oils

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air-tight container. Add ¼ cup to your laundry during the wash, or mix with your laundry detergent powder.

     Dryer balls are also a great help in the fight to soften your fabric. However, they are not my preferred method as the most natural, and best working, ones are wool, and at least one member of my family has a wool allergy. But if you don't have a wool allergy to worry about, I highly recommend them. They are easy to toss into your drying cycle, and if you want to boost the scent of your laundry, you can just add a few drops of essential oils to the balls before doing so.

Stain Removers:

• In general, to whiten and brighten, use lemon juice. Simply soak the laundry you want to brighten in a solution of 1 cup of lemon juice to 1 gallon of water. Soak the laundry over night before washing.
• Ink and paint stains can be treated with rubbing alcohol. Simply soak the stain in rubbing alcohol for 20-30 minutes before washing.
• For tomato based stains, rub white vinegar into the stain and wash immediately.
• For grass and food stains, treat with a 5/50 mix of hydrogen peroxide and water before soaking. Wash immediately.
• Grease and oil stains can be a little more complicated. Start by sprinkling the stain with dry baking soda. This will absorb and remove excess oil. Brush this off and soak in undiluted white vinegar for 15 minutes. Rinse, then scrub with liquid dish soap before washing.
• For protein stains (vomit, blood, urine, poop, egg, etc), the first rule is to NEVER wash in WARM water. This will set in the smell. First you should soak the stain in cool water. Then, wash with ½ cup hydrogen peroxide and ½ cup baking soda in addition to your normal detergent, in the washing machine.

Other Tips:

When treating stains, always work from the back to avoid rubbing the stain in more.

When you want to scent your laundry, the best time to do so is in the drying cycle. Just put a few drops of essential oils onto a cloth or dryer ball and throw it in with your laundry.

     I hope these solutions help you with your laundry endeavors. For more essential oil blend ideas, check out my previous entry, Herbal Home Fresheners for Spring. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Resources:

Homemade Natural Laundry Solutions: The Homemade Experiment: https://thehomemadeexperiment.com/homemade-natural-laundry-solutions-laundry-detergents-fabric-softeners-laundry-scenting/

Natural Laundry Solutions: Care2: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/natural-laundry-solutions.html

Natural Ways to Remove Laundry Stains: Wellness Mama: https://wellnessmama.com/3615/stain-treatment-reference/

Home Pest Control

     Welcome to Summer! The time of year where the sun is bright, the water is cool, and the bugs are at their worst. Whether you are outside enjoying nature's abundant beauty, or at home just trying to soak up some AC on those super hot days, you have to deal with the encroaching menace of bugs. While cleanliness is the first step to dealing with household pests, there are other things you can do for natural pest control in your home.

Ants:

     Ants just love to use our homes as parade grounds this time of year. They're also super hard to get rid of once they decide they like your home. However, there is something they really don't like that most homes have plenty of. Used coffee grounds. Yes, you heard me. Used coffee grounds. Sprinkle a few of these around your windows and doors. This will deter those pesky paraders.

     If, however, you missed a spot and get invaded, try borax. Mix equal portions of borax and sugar together. Pour this mixture into containers with holes poked in the lid. Place them strategically around your home (close to the afore mentioned invasion). The ants will be attracted to the mixture by the sugar and the borax will take care of the silent invasion for you.

Fruit Flies:

     Fruit flies may seem, at first, to be harmless. However, if left to their own devices, they will quickly develop into a massive swarm. This is because their entire life cycle takes place over the course of 8 days. So in just over a week, your fruit fly population can more than triple. Cleanliness and good sanitation practices are the best prevention, but quite often it's not enough.

     These flies tend to breed and develop in drains, so the first step to getting rid of these pests is to clean the drains. A mixture of equal amounts boiling water and white vinegar, should be poured down your drains daily while you are combating this menace. You can also use natural traps to help catch the adults. The one that works best for me is very simple. Take a jar pour apple cider vinegar into it, filling it up about 2 inches. Add in a piece of fruit. Cover it with plastic wrap and poke holes in it. The flies will be drawn to the trap by the sweet smell, and won't be able to get out.

Roaches:

     Roaches, the epitome of horrid bug problems. If you live in Florida, you deal with them every rainy season. The best way to prevent an infestation is to keep your home super clean, but sometimes you need a little extra help.

     For a little extra help with prevention, turn to catnip. Roaches hate catnip. Just use some catnip oil in the little nooks and crannies that roaches find cozy. You can also crush fresh catnip leaves and leave them in those same corners of your home that you would put the oil. You can also use cypress wood chips (or mulch) around the outside of your home. This will help deter them from even entering into your home.

     However, if the creepy crawlies do make it inside there is something that works pretty well. Make a paste of equal parts boric acid (or use borax), sugar, and water. Place the paste in around possible roach hangout spots, the adult roaches will take it back to their nests and your roach problem should be gone in 2 weeks. If not, just make some more and reapply. However, you should be careful if you have animals or children as it could be harmful if they ingest this paste.

All-Purpose Solutions:

     There is something super simple that you can use as an all-purpose pest spray. Simply mix 1 cup grain alcohol with 20-30 drops of essential oils and spray it around your home. Different essential oils work better on certain pests. About the only one that works for spiders is peppermint, but you can mix it with lemongrass, catnip, and lavender to make a good all-purpose blend.

I wish you all the best of luck with your pests! If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below!

Resources:

How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies: Every Day Roots: http://everydayroots.com/how-to-get-rid-of-fruit-flies

How to Get Rid of Cockroaches: Housewife How-To: http://housewifehowtos.com/clean/how-to-get-rid-of-cockroaches/

How to Make a Homemade Roach Killer: Do It Yourself: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/cockroachpestcontrol

Keep Your Home Bug Free With These DIY Pest Control Methods: Life Hacker: http://lifehacker.com/keep-your-home-bug-free-with-these-diy-pest-control-met-1631181023

Herbal Home Fresheners for Spring

     Spring is just a month away, but here in Florida it feels almost like Summer.  I don’t know about you, but I’ve been hit pretty hard with the “spring cleaning” bug, wanting to organize my storage, clear out things I don’t need, etc.  I figured that if I’d been feeling this burst of clean energy (sorry for the pun), you might be feeling it too.  So here are a few recipes I turn to when I want to freshen up my home. 

A Quick Word on Ingredients

Lavender is one of my favorite herbs to use around my home because it helps to repel bugs.  Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, just about anything.  Lavender is also very calming, stress reliving, promote healthy and restful sleep, and its antiseptic, so it literally cleans the air while deodorizing!  I am very cautious about it, however, because I have a cat.  Cats do not process lavender well and over time a harmful build-up can occur in their livers.  So I do my best to keep my cat out of direct contact with lavender as much as possible.   

Lemon Balm also helps repel bugs and helps to clean the air.  The scent uplifts the mood, and to harmonize the body and mind.  It has been known to help those who feel pressure easily and have a tendency to emotionally shut down. 

Hops is not the most pleasant of scents, but for people who have problems getting to sleep (and staying asleep), hops can be invaluable.  Hops is an amazing sedative that also works to duce anxiety, relieve pain, reduce respiratory distress, relieve headaches, soothe menstrual pains, and many other things.  This is a great herb to include in a sleep sachet to help with sleep apnea.  I do have one major caution when looking at this herb.  If you are prone to depression, please do not use hops.  Its sedative effects can also increase symptoms of depression. 

Rosemary is another herb that is amazing to include in just about everything.  It helps to uplift the mood and energize your mind, it improves memory, relieves stress, lowers anxiety, improves concentration, and is such a powerful antibiotic that it can help purify the air and prevent the spread of bacterial infections.  There is a major caution to think about with this herb, however.  If you or someone in your home is prone to seizures, rosemary essential oil (as well as eucalyptus and camphor) is so stimulating to the brain that it may bring about a seizure.  I have actually witnessed this first hand.  So please use caution if you know someone who is prone to seizures.  However the herb itself is typically safe to use as long as you do not use too much of it at once (it takes 70 lbs of rosemary leaves to make 5 oz of essential oil).

Pine is a great, fresh smelling scent.  It’s also very cleansing!  It has amazing antiseptic properties and helps to promote improved circulation as well as immune function.  Pine helps to boost mental energy and reduce the symptoms of stress.  It also removes anxiety and tension while refreshing the spirit which makes it an excellent mood enhancer.  It can also help to improve memory and concentration.

Citrus of all kinds are great at keeping your home smelling fresh.  Citrus is also an excellent mood booster and energizer.  It helps to improve focus and alertness while calming and relaxing.  Citrus, in general, helps to open up creativity, calm the occasional restlessness, and increase joy. 

Other Herbs to consider using for these recipes include basil, thyme, anise, cinnamon, clove, or really any culinary herb you can think of.  You can also consider using rose petals, jasmine flowers, chamomile flowers, lemongrass, and sprigs from aromatic trees (spruce, juniper, etc).

Baking Soda is a deodorizer, not a cleaning agent.  It will help remove ugly scents from your carpet and furniture, but it will not remove stains.

High Proof Alcohol of any kind can be used in the room sprays, but I prefer vodka as it is virtually scentless.  It also helps to preserve your spray and it evaporates quickly preventing residue from forming when it lands on surfaces.  You can also use a good quality vanilla extract in place of the vodka.  This will sweeten the scent and mellow out harsher/stronger smells.

Essential Oils not only make your home smell great, but they can also help balance your emotions and improve your mood.  I’ve included a few good mixes at the bottom but feel free to experiment and try your own!

Carpet and Furniture Freshener

Ingredients:

½ cup Baking Soda

1-2 tsp ground, Dried Herbs (I prefer to use Lavender, but there will be some good mixes below)

10-15 drops essential oils of your choice (I’ve listed some good blends below)

Instructions:

Combine ingredients and sprinkle the powder directly onto your carpet 5 minutes before vacuuming.  You can also sprinkle the powder after vacuuming as well, or even on your furniture.  It works particularly well to help get the musty smell out of your mattress.  Just sprinkle the powder directly onto your mattress and cover with a fresh, fitted sheet.  You’ll experience the fresh and wonderful scent every time you get into your bed.  Depending on the herbs you use, you can even use this powder for your pet bed.  Cats do not respond well to lavender, so for this use, I would recommend leaving lavender out.  Lemon Balm or Mint might be a good substitution.

Storage:

This powder is good as long as you can smell the herbs well.  As far as containers go, some people use recycled parmesan cheese containers, some people use salt and/or pepper shakers, some people use mason jars with holes punched in the top.  I almost always prefer glass storage containers, but for this I just use a stainless steel spice shaker that you can find just about anywhere, and it’s pretty darn cheap.

  Fresh Scented Room Spray

Ingredients:

¾ cup Water

2 tablespoons High Proof Alcohol or Vanilla Extract (for a sweeter scent)

20-30 drops essential oils of your choice (I’ve listed some good blends below)

Instructions:

Combine ingredients in an 8 oz spray bottle.  Shake well and spray away!

Storage:

These sprays should last for several years as long as the water is pure (distilled is the best, but if you have access to good quality tap water, feel free to use it) and the oils are good quality.  This is not an internal use product, so feel free to store/use in a plastic bottle.

Herbal Sachets

What you need:

Muslin or Cotton Bag (you can make your own, or buy them)

Dried Herbs of Your Choice (whole herbs, not ground)

10-15 drops essential oils of your choice (I’ve listed some good blends below)

Instructions:

Combine herbs and oils in a bowl.  Carefully pour them into a bag.  Secure the bag well (sewing works best, but you can buy a strip of iron-on tape if you are not interested in sewing).  Place your sachets in a sealed container in a warm, dry, dark place for a few weeks to cure.  You can put the sachet in your pillow case to help you sleep, in your linen drawer to help keep your linens smelling fresh, in the pocket of a winter coat during the long summer, you can even put them in your bath to help relax you after a particularly stressful day.  There are so many possibilities for these little bags.  You can also use the herb and essential oil mixture as decorative potpourri.  

Essential Oil Blends to Start With:

1.Invigorating Citrus                                             2.Simply Clean

    10 drops Mandarin Essential Oil                           5 drops Lavender Essential Oil

    5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil                          5 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil 

                                                                                         5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

   

3.Essentially Citrus                                              4.Lavender Citrus

    5 drops Mandarin Essential Oil                             10 drops Lavender Essential Oil

    5 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil                             5 drops Lime Essential Oil

    5 drops Lemon Essential Oil                                   5 drops Lemon Essential Oil

    5 drops Lime Essential Oil   

    

5.Spring Flowers                                                 6.Focus and Clarity

    10 drops Jasmine Essential Oil                             10 drops Lemongrass Essential Oil

    5 drops Geranium Essential Oil                             5 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

    5 drops Lavender Essential Oil                              5 drops Pine Essential Oil

       

7.Woodland Mist                                                8.Cheerful Chai

    10 drops White Fir Essential Oil                            5 drops Cardamom Essential Oil

    5 drops Juniper Essential Oil                                  3 drops Cinnamon Essential Oil

    5 drops Pine Essential Oil                                       3 drops Clove Essential Oil

    5 drops Frankincense Essential Oil                       2 drops Ginger Essential Oil

    

9.Stimulating Living                                         10.Romance

    10 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil                           10 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil

    5 drops Lavender Essential Oil                                5 drops Jasmine Essential Oil

    5 drops Basil Essential Oil                                       5 drops Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

    2 drops Peppermint Essential Oil                            2 drops Patchouli Essential Oil

    

    Dried Herb Mixes to Start With:

1.Simply Citrus                                                        2.Spring Flower Garden

    ½ oz Grapefruit Peel                                                 ½ oz Rose Petals

    ½ oz Lemon Balm                                                     ½ oz Jasmine Flowers

    ¼ oz Lemongrass                                                       ¼ oz Lavender

    ¼ oz Lime Peel                                                           ¼ oz Hops

    ¼ oz Orange Peel

3.Soothing Sleep                                                       4.Spice It Up

    ½ oz Lavender                                                           ½ oz Cardamom

    ½ oz Hops or Lemon Balm                                       ¼ oz Cinnamon

                                                                                           ¼ oz Clove

                                                                                           ¼ oz Ginger

5.Eastern Influences                                                 6.Lavender Citrus

    ½ oz Jasmine Flowers                                                 ½ oz Lavender

    ¼ oz Anise                                                                    ¼ oz Lime Peel

    ¼ oz Cardamom                                                           ¼ oz Grapefruit Peel

                                                                                             ¼ oz Lemon Balm

    

7.Bug Away                                                             8.Fresh Linen

    ½ oz Lavender                                                            ½ oz Juniper Berries

    ¼ oz Lemongrass                                                        ¼ oz Lemongrass

    ¼ oz Lemon Balm                                                      ¼ oz Lemon Balm

    ¼ oz Basil                                                                    ¼ oz Mint

    ¼ oz Thyme

   

9.Creative Inspirations                                             10.Simply Relaxation

    ½ oz Orange Peel                                                          ¼ oz Lavender

    ¼ oz Lime Peel                                                              ¼ oz Rose Petals

    ¼ oz Rosemary                                                              ¼ oz Cinnamon

    ¼ oz Pine                                                                        ¼ oz Lemon Balm

    ¼ oz Mint

         I hope you enjoy making your home smell fresh and inviting!  Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Resources:

Experience Essential Oils: Citrus Fresh Essential Oil: http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/citrus-fresh-essential-oil.html

Experience Essential Oils: Lemon Balm or Melissa Uses: http://www.experience-essential-oils.com/lemon-balm-uses.html

Mother Nature Network: 8 Health Benefits of Rosemary: http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/8-health-benefits-rosemary

Organic Facts: 7 Proven Benefits of Lavender: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/lavender.html

Organic Facts: Health Benefits of Hops Essential Oil: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/hops-essential-oil.html

Organic Facts: Health Benefits of Pine Essential Oil: https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/essential-oils/pine-essential-oil.html

   

   

   

    

Grapefruit Honey Hairspray

     I have difficult hair, to say the least.  Its crazy curly and throughout my early life I tried EVERYTHING to straighten it enough to be manageable.  Nothing ever worked.  I even practically destroyed my hair with a variety of chemical treatments.  Still not straight.  About 10 years ago, I finally gave up the fight and started down the road to loving my hair.  When I began learning about herbs and the natural way to do just about everything in life, I made it a point to learn about natural hair products.  I have now been making my own hair gel for about a year, but for some reason I never considered trying hairspray.  

     Early this month, when my husband and I were sick, we picked up a bag of organic oranges at the grocery store.  I took one with me to my day job and cut it open to find out that it was not an orange at all.  In fact, it was a grapefruit.  Gross!  I am not a big fan of grapefruit, in fact it’s pretty safe to say I detest the taste of them.  I do use the essential oil in a few oil blends, and I like grapefruit in some bitters that I use.  However, I was now the proud owner of an entire 5lb bag of grapefruit.  There’s only so much grapefruit bitters I can make, and I do not have the proper licensing to make my own essential oils.  So I started looking up alternative ways to use grapefruit and found a few recipes for hair products.  After looking at several recipes, some of which did not include grapefruit as an ingredient, I came up with a recipe to test out.  Let me tell you, this hairspray really works!  I washed my hair and left out my usual gel, instead I sprayed my hair with this homemade hairspray and let it dry.  No frizz, nice hold (without the usual crunch that gel leaves), and smells great!  So I’m sharing this wonderful recipe with all of you in hopes of spreading the joy of homemade, good for you, hair products!

A Quick Word on Ingredients

Grapefruit promotes hair growth, removes buildup, naturally lightens hair color (any citrus fruit does this, but it works best with just the juice, adding the grapefruit to your hair recipes do not lighten to the same degree), detangles, treats dandruff, and makes your hair shine.  It’s also great for those of you who have oily hair. 

Coconut Oil is an ingredient I added to the recipe because grapefruit can strip your hair of oils, and my hair is quite dry (like most curly hair is).  Small amounts of coconut oil can also help reduce, or even prevent, frizz.  But if coconut oil is not for you then you can substitute argan oil, avocado oil, or even olive oil.

Honey is great for your hair, it nourishes your hair to make it shine.  It also makes a great moisturizer because it attracts moisture.  So for my fellow Florida girls, honey is great because it uses the humidity to help your hair!

High Proof Alcohol is my preservative in this recipe.  However, small amounts of alcohol can also make your hairspray work better.  While larger amounts of alcohol can dry your hair and create frizz, small amounts of alcohol can help ensure an even spread of your hairspray for a better hold.  It can also decrease the time it takes for your hair to dry. 

Essential Oils not only make this hairspray smell great, but they can also help your hair needs.  Some good essential oils to look into include: lavender, geranium, vetiver, cedarwood, rosemary, sandalwood, chamomile, and clary sage.

Grapefruit Honey Hairspray

Ingredients:

4 cups Distilled Water

1 Grapefruit, quartered

4 tablespoons Raw Honey

2 tablespoons Coconut Oil

2 tablespoons High Proof Alcohol of your choice

10-15 drops essential oils of your choice (my favorite blend is 6-8 drops lavender, 3-5 drops vetiver, 3-5 drops rosemary)

Instructions:

Combine water and grapefruit into a pot and boil on medium-high heat until the liquid is reduced to half.  Reduce the heat to low.  Remove the grapefruit quarters, squeezing until all liquid is squeezed out.  Add in the honey and coconut oil.  Cook on low, and stir until coconut oil and honey are well incorporated.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let cool, but don’t let the solids form completely on top, if this happens, just heat up on the stove until melted.  Using a funnel, pour cooled liquid into container of your choice.  Add in the alcohol and essential oils.  Close up with a spray top.  Shake well, and shake before each use. 

 

    This recipe will last for several months, however if you think it is beginning to smell funky, throw it away and make some more!  I hope you enjoy making your own hairspray and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Resources:

Cosamo: Benefits of Using Grapefruit on Hair: http://cosamousa.com/Benefits-of-using-Grapefruit-on-your-Hair

DIY Natural: Homemade Hairspray: https://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-hairspray/

Hair Buddha: Top 5 Essential Oils for Hair and Scalp: http://www.hairbuddha.net/essential-oils-for-healthy-hair/

Honey Fanatic: Is Honey Good For Your Hair?: http://honeyfanatic.com/401/honey-good-hair/

How To Hair Girl:  Honey Silk and Shine: http://www.howtohairgirl.com/2013/07/honey-silk-and-shine/

Naturally Curly: Alcohols and your Hair: http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/all-about-alcohols/

No Poo Method: Essential Oils for Hair: http://thenopoomethod.com/essential-oils-hair/

WebMD: Wave Bye-Bye to Damaged Hair: http://www.webmd.com/beauty/natural-oils

Wellness Mama: Coconut Oil for Hair: https://wellnessmama.com/2162/coconut-oil-for-hair/

Wellenss Mama: Homemade Natural Hairspray: https://wellnessmama.com/11624/natural-hairspray-recipe/

Relaxing Bath Time

     So all the Holiday hustle and bustle is FINALLY over, your relatives are working their way home and you are quite beyond exhaustion.  This is the perfect time to sit back, relax and enjoy a nice bath (maybe with a nice glass of wine or your favorite martini even).  Most of the bubble bath and body wash, at least the stuff that you can find in the stores, are so packed full of chemicals that it can be a bit scary.  However, you can usually make your own at home that can be even more luxurious, even if the natural products don’t get as bubbly. 

A Quick Word on Ingredients

Honey helps your skin in a number of ways.  It helps retain moisture and elasticity, speed the healing of wounds, and helps to clear up blemishes.  Honey is great for aging, itchy, dry or damaged skin and actually makes body wash smooth and creamy instead of sticky.  Using raw, unfiltered honey is best, especially local honey.    

Liquid Castile Soap is all natural and helps your body wash and bubble bath to be full of suds.  It may not be as bubbly as a commercial body wash, but you can make up for it by adding more luxurious ingredients to your bath, like rose petals or tea.  I like to use the unscented castile soap because I add my own essential oils, but if you want to leave out the essential oils, feel free to use one of the scented castile soaps. 

Coconut Oil is not in these recipe, but I wanted to mention how wonderful it can be if your skin is not sensitive to it.  Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial and antifungal.  It also has a natural SPF of around 4.  This makes it great to use on a daily basis, especially in sunny places such as Florida.  Coconut oil has many antiaging benefits and does not go rancid.  It really is a great oil and I encourage people to use it, just keep in mind that if you use it too often, your skin may need a bit of a break!  If you do want to use it, replace the avocado oil in the following recipes with coconut oil and make sure to melt it before mixing to ensure that it mixes well.

Jojoba Oil is actually not an oil at all.  It’s a wax, which is what makes it stand out when talking about skin care.  It absorbs into your skin and helps to keep the moisture locked in for up to 24 hours, without leaving your skin overtly oily.  It’s also great to protect your skin from annoyances such as razor burn.  It fights fungal and bacterial infections and since it is a wax, it does not go rancid as fast as oils do. 

Avocado Oil (cold pressed is best) is great to get rid of (and prevent) acne, blackheads, and eczema issues on the skin.  This is another natural oil that is readily absorbed by the skin and does not leave it oily.  It’s is believed to penetrate further than most oils, down into the dermis layer of our skin.  This makes it a super amazing oil to help with deep seeded problems.

Vitamin E helps to reduce wrinkles and keep the skin looking healthy and youthful.  It is included in this recipe mainly as a natural preservative, however it has quite a well-earned reputation for being great for the skin.

Epsom Salt is one of the best ingredients to add to a relaxing bath soak.  They are easily dissolved in water and absorbed by your skin.  The magnesium in them helps to relieve stress and reduce the effects of adrenaline.  They also help to relieve muscle tension, pain, and inflammation.  In short, Epsom salts are GREAT for preventing and relieving leg cramps.  There are two other benefits that can be especially helpful after Christmas (or whichever Holiday you observe this time of year), Epsom salts help to lower your blood pressure and regulate your blood sugar. 

Vegetable Glycerin can increase the amount of suds your bubble bath will produce.  It’s also a great moisturizer.   

Dried Herbs are amazing additions to your bath adventures.  You can choose to use premade tea blends or add individual herbs.  There are many herbs that are great for your skin and great for relaxation.  Here is a good list of herbs to add to your bath.  I typically stick with rose, lavender, chamomile, mint (I prefer using dried mint instead of the essential oil because of how strong mint can be), or rosemary.  I like to use calendula as well, but not usually for a relaxing bath soak, I use this more for healing my skin after sunburn, abrasions, or physical trauma.

Essential Oils are great additions to just about everything.  Not only do they smell great, but they have lots of therapeutic uses.  Here is a good, basic chart for essential oils in skin care.  Feel free to use whichever oils you prefer, just keep in mind that some are super strong (peppermint), so only use half the recommended amount, some can trigger seizures in people who are epileptic (rosemary, eucalyptus, camphor, some lavenders), and some are phototoxic (mostly citrus) so don’t use these before going outside.  My personal favorites for relaxation are lavender, chamomile, and frankincense.  For a bit of energy after a long day I like peppermint (I usually use the dried herb here), lemongrass, and neroli.  I usually stick with 3 essential oils for my blends, however please feel free to experiment.  Here is a good resource for blending your own.

Soothing Honey Body Wash

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Liquid Castile Soap

¼ cup Raw Honey

2 teaspoons Jojoba Oil

1 teaspoon Avocado Oil

2 Vitamin E Capsules

40-50 drops Essential Oils

(my preference is 10 drops frankincense, 20 drops roman chamomile, 20 drops lavender)

  

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bottle (squirt tops work great for this one).  For the vitamin E, puncture the capsule and squeeze out the contents.  Shake gently before using each time, separation is natural. 

Lightly Bubbly Bath

Ingredients:

½ cup Liquid Castile Soap

¼ cup Vegetable Glycerin

2 Vitamin E Capsules

40-50 drops Essential Oils

(my preference is 10 drops frankincense, 20 drops roman chamomile, 20 drops lavender)

Instructions:

Combine all the ingredients in a bottle (pump tops work great for this one).  For the vitamin E, puncture the capsule and squeeze out the contents.  Shake well before using each time, separation is natural. 

Relaxing Bath Soak

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups Epsom Salts

¾ cup Soothing Honey Body Wash

¼ cup Jojoba Oil

¼ cup Avocado Oil

2 teaspoons Raw Honey

2-3 teaspoons Dried Herbs (ground or not, your choice)

(my preference is 1 teaspoon chamomile,1 teaspoon rose petals, ½ teaspoon lavender)

2 Vitamin E Capsules

Optional* ½ teaspoon Rose Water

Optional* 10-15 drops Essential Oils

  

Instructions:

Combine herbs and Epsom salts in a medium bowl.  Once well mixed, add in body wash and honey.  Mix well.  Once combined, slowly add in remaining ingredients.  Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.  Once done, store in an airtight jar.   

    These recipes will last for several months, however if you think it is beginning to smell funky, throw it away and make some more!  The vitamin E is a natural preservative so you shouldn’t have to worry about it for a while (if you add rose water to your bath soak, it may not last as long, but it’ll be well worth using on a regular basis).  I hope you enjoy your relaxing bath, let me know what you think in the comments below!

Resources:

DIY Natural- Homemade Bubble Bath: https://www.diynatural.com/homemade-bubble-bath/

DIY Natural- Homemade Body Wash: https://www.diynatural.com/homemade-body-wash/

Don’t Mess With Mamma- Homemade Bubble Bath: http://dontmesswithmama.com/homemade-bubble-bath/

Growing Up Herbal- Blending Essential Oils for Beginners: http://www.growingupherbal.com/blending-essential-oils-for-beginners/

Hello Glow- 12 Essential Oils for Gorgeous Skin: http://helloglow.co/12-best-essential-oils-gorgeous-skin/

Natural Living Ideas- 20 uses for Epsom Salt: http://www.naturallivingideas.com/20-epsom-salt-uses/

Prevention- Healing Herbs to Use in a Bath: http://www.prevention.com/health/diabetes/healing-herbs-use-bath

Savy Naturalista- Relaxing Bubbly Bath Soak: http://www.savynaturalista.com/2014/01/31/relaxing-bubbly-bath-soak/

Using Essential Oils Safely- Phototoxic Essential Oils: http://www.usingeossafely.com/phototoxic-essential-oils-which-ones-to-avoid-when-out-in-the-sun/