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Exfoliating Scrub

Super easy and yummy exfoliator!

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
10 drops Young Living Essential Oil



Mix 1/2 cup white sugar with 1/2 cup coconut oil and 10 drops of your favorite Young Living essential oil. Rub onto hands and feet, then rinse and pat dry.

Yup, it's that simple! Enjoy! 

Lip Balm - smells so delicious you'll want to eat it

If you can't ingest it, you shouldn't put it on your skin. "Chapstick" brand lip balm contains 11 chemicals that have not been assessed for safety in cosmetic formulas. "Blistex" lip balm scores a 9 out of 12 in toxic parameters and contains two carcinogens with linkage to cancer.

Now I know if we were to avoid everything that "may lead to cancer" we would be living in a organic recycled bubble with no contact to the outside world, so let's not go on a crazy rampage here.

BUT! If you had the choice between

A. lip balm made in a factory with ingredients that you aren't really sure of, through a process that you don't really know by people (or machines) that you have never met...

OR

B. lip balm made in your own kitchen with ingredients that you not only know but also are safe to eat, through a process that you can not only see but are completing with your own two trusted hands!

You're right... I would choose B also. Did you know that most chapstick companies put alcohol in their products? Alcohol draws the moisture out of your skin and brings it to the surface where the chapstick holds it in place until it evaporates. Then your lips end up dryer than they were before. Have you ever noticed that the more you use chapstick the more you need to use chapstick? Coincidence? I think not.

Here is my recipe for a fabulous smelling lip balm that is easy to make and not only feels great but heals chapped lips by adding moisture to the skin.

Home Made Lip Balm
2 teaspoons beeswax
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1/4 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
2 drops peppermint essential oil

Place the beeswax, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, and almond oil in a small pot over medium heat. Stir until melted, then remove from heat. Slowly stir in the essential oil.* Slowly pour into a sealable, sterile glass container. Let it cool and solidify before using.

*I used peppermint essential oil because of the cooling effect on the skin and it's pain relieving qualities. You may substitute your own choice of essential oil for different a scent or healing properties. I also recommend Lavender essential oil for it's great scent but also fast and effective healing properties. 

*Make sure you use a therapeutic grade essential oil that is safe to use topically but also safe to ingest. A lot of essential oil companies warn you to not ingest their product, this oil is not therapeutic grade and therefor not safe to use for anything other than aromatherapy. I use Young Living essential oils because they have 100% therapeutic grade oils confirmed with their "seed to seal" promise.

I hope you love this lip balm, I use it every day! It feels so good and smells so tasty! Let me know if you try it, and if you add or alter any of the ingredients please share your experience in the comments below!! And, as always, please feel free to contact me about Young Living essential oils and how to order them with wholesale prices. 

Recipe inspired by The Home Apothecary

Have a wonderful day! 

Oil Pulling: Day One

What is oil pulling?

One of the oldest folk remedies around is oil pulling. The purpose? To take the toxins, bacteria, germs, and other bad stuff from the mouth and into the oil. 

Put a tablespoon of your choice of organic unrefined oil in your mouth and swish it around for 20 minutes. I used raw coconut oil is because it has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and enzymatic properties. This provides the added benefit of killing any unwanted bacteria that may be residing in the mouth.  Do not gargle and do not swallow the oil or you will put all those toxins right back in your body. When the 20 minutes are up, spit the mouthful into the trash, NOT the sink. Coconut oil hardens as it cools and will clog your pipes. After spitting out the mouthful of oil, brush and floss as usual. 

What are the benefits?

Oil pulling literally "pulls" out bacteria, toxins and parasites that live in your mouth or lymph system and cleanses the blood. It can also pull mucus from your throat and sinuses, which is great news considering we are diving nose first into allergy season. Oil putting is not only a great detox, but it will whiten your teeth and strengthen your gums as it removes plaque. 

When should you oil pull?

Oil pulling can be done at any time of the day, but for a more thorough detox, its best to do this in the morning, before eating or drinking. You will probably start to notice small differences right away but it might take a week before you see any big changes.

My experience - Day One

I had read some testimonials about people getting headaches while oil pulling, gagging, or even throwing up! So you can imagine why I braced myself for the worst as I put my first tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth. It definitely took me a few seconds to adjust to the consistency as the oil melted from a solid to a liquid, but after a minute or two it really wasn't that bad. 15 minutes into the swishing the mouthful started to feel hot and taste bad (most likely the toxins) but there was no gagging of any kind. After I spit it out into the trash, I rinsed with water and then brushed my teeth as normal. 

I don't feel any less congested, but my throat doesn't hurt anymore from post nasal drip. And my mouth? Has never felt cleaner! I will definitely be doing this again.

Please let me know if you have tried oil pulling and what your experience was!

Sunburn relief!!!

When a day of this...

...turns into this...

You need this:

Here is my very own sunburn relief concoction! 

2 tbs Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (or any other carrier oil you may prefer)

2 tbs Aloe Vera Gel

10 drops Lavender Essential Oil

5 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Sunburned skin need to stay moisturized!! Coconut Oil and Aloe Vera Gel will keep your skin hydrated and hold in the moisture for hours on end! (especially if you lather it on like I do!)

Lavender essential oil is highly regarded for healing and soothing skin irritations, cuts, bruises, minor burns, etc.

Peppermint essential oil eases pain and discomfort when applied to the skin while offering a cooling effect (works great for fevers and hot flashes as well)

When using essential oils directly on your skin you need to make sure your oils are pure, therapeutic grade, essential oils, such as Young Living. If you have any questions about Young Living oils or would like information on how to order them, please feel free to contact me!

Smoothie Sunday : Orange Almond Swirl

What a beautiful day for smoothie sunday! 75 degrees in the middle of April? I'll take it! Here is today's recipe, trust me, it is amazing.

Orange Almond Swirl Smoothie

1 cup almond milk (I use vanilla)

2 peaches cut into chunks

1/2 cups kale (don't judge, just try it)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp pure almond extract

6 ice cubes (or cut the peaches the day before and toss them in the freezer overnight to eliminate the need for ice)

Combine all ingredients in a blender and BLEND baby BLEND. Of course if you are afraid of adding greens to your smoothie, you can always eliminate the kale. Please try it! Let me know what you think!

Detox Water

Drink one or two glasses of this water a day for a great detox

Detox Water Recipe
1 lemon sliced
1/2 cucumber sliced
10 fresh mint leaves
About 12 cups water

Allow the lemon, cucumber and mint to sit in the water for 24 hours.

Lemon water makes for a powerful detox drink; lemon juice helps to cleanse and alkalize the body. Add one thinly sliced lemon to a large pitcher, or squeeze fresh lemon juice into your glass. Lemon also aides in digestion and boosts your immune system.

Mint adds a touch of sweetness without the sugar, and it also helps settle your stomach and aids in digestion.

Adding a few slices of cucumber to your water makes for excellent re-hydration, and cucumber contains anti-inflammatory properties.

All Natural Face Primer

By Casey's request, here is an all natural recipe that wont clog pores.

Face Primer Recipe
1 Tablespoon aloe vera gel
1/4 teaspoon kaolin clay
1/4 teaspoon arrowroot powder

Mix the clay and the arrowroot powder together in a small bowl. Next, add the aloe vera and mix thoroughly. Apply a thin layer to your face and allow it to set for a few minutes before applying makeup. You could add a tiny bit of mineral makeup if you want your primer to have a tint.

Keep mixture in a jar in the refrigerator to extend the shelf life of the aloe vera. (Can be used up to 2-3 weeks) If you do not want to have to refrigerate it, then you can use lotion instead of aloe vera gel.

Kaolin clay is used in this recipe for its healing mineral content and its anti inflammatory properties. Both the clay and the arrowroot powder absorb excess oil and therefor produce a matte finish.

Please try it out and let me know what you think!

Household Cleaners

As requested by my friend Tori, here are some recipes for chemical free household cleaners.

*Notice the use of essential oils in each recipe, that is because essential oils not only smell great while they disinfect, they also heal while they disinfect! I am a Young Living Essential Oils distributor, so if you are interested in getting your hands on some, please feel free to email me or leave your email address in a comment!

Disinfectant:
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon Borax
10 drops Eucalyptus, Lemon, or Lavender essential oil
Combine in spray bottle and fill with hot, distilled water. Shake vigorously until borax is dissolved completely

Floor Cleaner:
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 bucket of hot, distilled water
5-10 drops of Lemon, Melaleuca (aka tea tree), or Purification essential oil
Combine in bucket and mop away!

Air Freshener:
12 drops Lavender, Lemon, or Eucalyptus (or a combination)
1 quart distilled water
Put in spray bottle and shake well before using.

Window Cleaner
1 cup white vinegar
3 cups distilled water
10-15 drops Lemon essential oil
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle and clean!

And just in time for spring! Happy cleaning!!!

Fictionista

Hello all! The time has come for the 24 hour Read-a-Thon! This wonderful event will take place on April 26th. My mother and I will join hundreds of other people all around the world to set aside EVERYTHING, pick a stack of books and a pile of snacks, wear comfy clothes, find a good spot on the couch and hunker down for a 24 hour stretch of reading! Sounds like fun doesn't it? Please check out my book blog, Fictionista, and my mom's book blog, Wall to Wall Books, to show some support and cheer us on as we read! If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, click the picture below to sign up! You can be a reader or a cheerleader, but don't forget to stop by my book blog to show some love!

Cucumber Eye Cream

Didn't get enough sleep last night? Eyes all puffy with dark bags underneath? Tired of using store bought creams that promise fresh looking eyes, yet never deliver results? (I'm not even going to get into the fact that the last one is probably due to chemicals instead of using the beautiful earth God gave us!! Okay, I will step down from my soap box now)

Have I got the recipe for you!!! It works and it feels great, especially first thing in the morning when your eyes are all crusty and hot from sleep!

Cucumber Eye Cream
1 Tablespoon Aloe Vera Gel
1 teaspoon Cucumber juice (best when fresh, if you have a juicer)
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 Tablespoon witch hazel

Directions: 

1. In a double boiler (I do not have a double boiler so I just used a pan on very super low heat... no "very super low" is not a heat setting on my stove, but you get the idea) combine the aloe gel, cucumber juice, and cornstarch and warm carefully. Do not overheat or bring to a boil. 

2. When ingredients are mixed together (it should be a light pastel greenish color) remove from stove, transfer to a bowl and mix in the witch hazel (the recipe in the book called for 1 tablespoon but I found that to be to watery so I cut it back to 1/2 tablespoon). 

3. Allow to cool completely before transferring the mixture to a sterile container, and store in the fridge. This gel will last about a week. 

To Use:

Apply under the eye in an upward, dotting motion, be careful not to pull on the skin.

The Home Apothecary 1

I think this is my favorite recipe so far. It smells great, was fairly simple to make, and the coolness of the refrigerated gel feels great under the eyes!

Don't be intimidated by the use of a stove, this really is easy. Please give it a try and let me know what you think!

Aloe Face Toner

If you tried my recipe for the Aloe Face Cream and found that it was too oily... I have a solution for you:

Aloe Face Toner Recipe
1/2 cup distilled water
1/4 cup witch hazel
1 teaspoon aloe vera gel*
10 drops tea tree essential oil
10 drops frankincense essential oil

 or 

* I have an Aloe Vera plant so sometimes I will choose to use fresh leaves (click here for a how to), however I don't want to kill my plant by taking too much from it at once, so I bought 99% pure Aloe Vera Gel from the a whole food store.

Directions are simple:

1. Mix all the ingredients together. 

2. Pour the mixture into a sterile container.

To Use: 

After cleansing your face, moisten a cotton facial pad with toner. Wipe face gently, avoiding eyes. Follow with moisturizer.

I got this recipe from The Home Apothecary 1 but added my own variations. 

First: The recipe called for 3/4 teaspoon aloe vera gel. I used 1 teaspoon simply because I have a problem with acne and wanted more healing agents in my toner.

Second: the recipe called for 5 drops black willow essential oil and 5 drops thyme essential oil, I used 10 drops Frankincense essential oil because I have had great experience using frankincense as a healing agent, specifically for acne.

Smoothie Sunday: Chocolate Chimp

Smoothie Sunday is here, and today's featured drink is a mixture of fruit, veggie, and a little bit of guilt. The recipe was taken from the Big Book of Juices & Green Smoothies 3 but I altered it a little.

Chocolate Chimp Recipe

1 frozen banana

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 cup loosely packed baby spinach

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

If you are not used to green smoothies you are probably thinking, "spinach? Ewwww" but I promise you, you can't even taste the spinach once you blend it all together. At least try it once and if you don't like it, just exclude the spinach next time, but the vitamins and health benefits are well worth it! 

First alteration: the recipe called for 1 Tablespoon peanut butter, but my husband and I are peanut butter junkies so we think it tastes much better with two. 

Second: the recipe also called for 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder and 1/2 cup Almond milk (I used vanilla) but you could also use Dark Chocolate Almond milk and exclude the cocoa powder. 

Thirdly: the recipe calls for stevia in almost all of the smoothies, (in this case it was 1-2 drops) but I just used sweetened almond milk and I found the taste was plenty sweet without the stevia. 

Lastly: the recipe called for 6 ice cubes, but I used a frozen banana instead. If you peel and slice the banana into chunks, you can store it in the freezer until you are ready to make your smoothie. Doing this eliminates the need for ice.

Give it a try and let me know what you think! And don't forget to sign up to win a copy of this book:

Click Here for details!

Acne Spot Treatment

Are you an adult still struggling with acne? I thought this problem would go away when I entered adulthood?!? Well, it didn't... and for a long time I was struggling with awful breakouts and nothing seemed to work. Until, I took matters into my own hands and started to make my own products. Here is a simple and great smelling recipe for acne breakouts:

Acne Spot Treatment

1 tablespoon (20g) organic honey

1 teaspoon neem oil

5 drops tea tree essential oil

5 drops *frankincense essential oil

Blend all the ingredients together well and store in a sterile container, preferably in the refrigerator. To use, dab a small amount on the affected area.

I got this recipe from The Home Apothecary 1

* They called for goldenseal leaf essential oil. I substituted with Frankinsense essential oil which also works well for acne.

If you have any questions about essential oils, because I have not yet posted about the importance in choosing the right oils, please feel free to contact me. I am also a distributor of Young Living Oils, which are the oils I will be using in all my recipes. I would be happy to order oils for anyone who is interested. Just sent me an email with your questions or requests, or post a comment with your questions and your email address.

SMOOTHIE SUNDAY: Oats & Honey

Also known as the best recipe I have ever created, this smoothie is not only delicious but it's also easy to make!

Oat and Honey Smoothie Recipe: 

1/4 cup oats
2 Tablespoons raw organic honey (best if locally made)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 frozen banana
1 cup vanilla almond milk

OR 

You can use dark chocolate almond milk (which my husband prefers)

Seriously, it tastes so great! If you drank too much last night, and are suffering the next day from an alcohol induced headache/stomach ache, this smoothie will actually help calm down a hangover.

My #1 tip for making smoothies: freeze your bananas so you don't have to use ice and therefore water down the flavor.

Please let me know how you like this recipe! Have a great Sunday.

Give Away!!!

If you are new to my blog, welcome and thanks for stopping by! I wanted to create this blog, not only to share my experiments with making my own natural products and dabbling with homeopathic remedies, but also to meet other people with the same interests.

I would love to hear your story! How long have you been living this lifestyle and what was it that turned you on to it? Or maybe you are just starting to develop an interest, what made you want to give it a try? I would love to hear alternative ideas and suggestions, recipes you love or hate, and topics you would like to see me post about in the future! (Any comments on this post answering those questions will also get you an entry in the contest mentioned below!!!)

Some post topics to look forward to: 
essential oils
reusing items around the house that you would normally throw away
food recipes
herbal remedies
juicing recipes
and of course home made, all natural beauty and hygienic products

If you aren't already aware, Wall-to-Wall Books (aka my mom) is doing a give away on her blog to win this book:

To Enter to Win:

- Comment on two different posts from my blog

- Sign up to be a follower

- Sign up for email alerts

Doing one of the above will get you one entry!

Doing two will get you two entries

Doing all three will get you three entries!

When you have made your entry, make sure you go to 

Wall-to-Wall Books 

and fill out the form in order to make your entry valid! 

Thanks for coming and I'm looking forward to meeting/getting to know you all!

Cilantro Window Garden

Remember the green onions I posted about a few weeks ago?

This is what they look like now, and we have been cutting and regrowing them every couple of days! I knew this would happen and I am still amazed at the rate of regrowth!

Anyway... you can apply the same method to cilantro! 

Put the Cilantro roots in a jar of water. Place the jar in a sunny spot and change the water every couple of days. 

The Cilantro does grow at a slower rate than the onion, but look how much it has grown in just a few weeks. Once the plant gets big enough you will be able to prune the leaves regularly to use for cooking without causing harm to the growth process of the plant. 

Aloe Face Cream

You've probably heard of Aloe Vera gel, most likely while looking for a sunburn remedy, but did you know Aloe Vera can also be used as an acne fighting moisturizer? The gel inside the leaves of the Aloe plant has natural healing properties and regenerates damaged tissues without harming sensitive skin.

Aloe Face Cream Recipe:

3 - 4 medium sized Aloe leaves

1 Tablespoon Base Oil* 

1 Tablespoon of distilled water

1/2 Tablespoon of Witch Hazel

2-4 drops Vitamin E oil

2-4 drops Tea Tree oil

*see list below of which oil to use for your skin type

 

Step 1

Remove the gel from the leaf. If you don't know how to do that, click here for a great (and slightly adorable) tutorial. Of course our leaves are much, much smaller than his, but same technique is applied.

Step 2

Rinse the sticky, yellow, gooey stuff (also known as aloin) from your gel. This goop is not harmful but has a gross smell and can be irritating to the skin. (It actually can be used as a laxative.)

Step 3

Put the Aloe gel in a blender (I used a bullet), add the rest of your ingredients and blend! Pour mixture in a jar and VOILA: face cream. Store jar in refrigerator. In theory this mixture should stay good for 6 - 8 months but you will most likely use it up before that point.

*Base Oils for your skin type
Acne Prone : Hazelnut or Sunflower oil

Oily Skin: Sunflower, Grapeseed, or Almond Oil
Normal Skin: Jojoba, Grapeseed or Apricot Kernel Oil
Dry Skin:  Apricot Kernel or Avocado Oil

If you are planing on using an oil based face cream for the first time, you might find that you have an oily film on your skin. I added the witch hazel for this reason, but you can also let the cream soak into your skin for a few minutes and then wipe off any excess oils with a clean towel. If you find the excess oil is causing you to break out (the very thing we are trying to remedy) then just play around with using different oils, different combinations, and different amounts. If the oils are truly bothering your skin but you still want the healing effects of Aloe Vera, just blend the gel into a paste and use that as an acne fighting agent without adding any moisturizing ingredients.

Conditioner Treatment

Hello everybody, here is my homemade Conditioner recipe. It is very rich in oils so I wouldn't use it as a regular conditioner but rather as a bi-weekly or monthly treatment.

Coconut Conditioner Recipe:

1 cup organic coconut milk

1 Tablespoon Jojoba Oil

10 Drops Pure Vitamin E Oil

2 Drops Essential Oil of your choice

Warm the coconut milk on the stove (don't boil).

Once the coconut milk is warm, add the Jojoba Oil and Vitamin E Oil, mix well. 

Pour the mixture into a bottle.

Yup, it's that easy. Here's how to use it:

Apply conditioner to damp hair. Massage thoroughly into the ends of the hair and scalp. (If you have extra oily hair you can skip the scalp and just use the conditioner for the ends of your hair). Let the conditioner sit in your hair for several minutes. Rinse thoroughly with warm water, shampoo lightly and rinse again with cool water.

Shampoo Recipe

You know those commercials that show a before shot of a dry poofy frizzed out head of hair, and then an after shot of silky smooth hair that probably took hours of styling and loads of professional and damaging products to achieve that "all natural healthy look"... well here is a recipe that will actually achieve that look with out the products and professionals and chemical dependency.

Shampoo Recipe
1 cup distilled water
1/4 cup Liquid Castle Soap
1 Tablespoon Lemongrass (dried)
1 Tablespoon Henna (because I have red hair and would like to keep it red)
2 drops Essential Oil (fragrance of your choice, I used peppermint)

 Put your herbs in a 10 -12 oz glass jar. Bring the water to a boil, pour it into the jar with the herbs, seal the jar and wait 10 - 20 minutes. (Be careful, the jar gets HOT)

Strain the herbs out and pour the water into a bowl. Add the Liquid Castle Soap, you can use the unscented kind, here I used almond. Stir well. Add your drops of essential oil for added fragrance. Stir well.

Pour mixture into a bottle of your choice. I recycled an empty shampoo bottle. This Shampoo will be very watery and thin and will not lather like store bought shampoo but will clean more effectively. Since your hair has been dependent on chemical shampoos for so long, it has been stripped of it's natural oils on a daily basis and therefore has been trained to produce more oils to stay hydrated. Because of this, your hair will probably be extra oily and maybe even greasy for about a month after switching to homemade Shampoo. I added a little witch hazel to my mix, but you can also rinse with Apple Cider Vinegar to reduce the oily film.

Different herbs will produce different results. I used Lemongrass because it has natural cleaning properties and henna because I have dyed red hair and henna will give your hair a red tint. Below are a list of some herbs that you might want to consider for your own hair type. You don't have to use any or you can use a few, the combination is up to you and the measurements can be played with. This is your own recipe, so experiment and have fun!

For Dry Hair: Comfrey Root, Avocado or Grape Seed Oil

For Normal Hair: Dandelion, Clover, Horse Tail

For Oily Hair: Watercress, Strawberry Leaf, Lemon Grass

For Shine: Egg, Raspberry , Nettle, Vinegar

For Manageability: Yogurt, Beer

For Dandruff: Comfrey, Nettle, Peppermint, Vinegar

The following herbs will help you maintain a certain color, again everyone's hair is different so you'll need to experiment with combinations and measurements to find what works for you.

For Blonde: Chamomile, Lemon Peel, Honey, Lemon Juice, Calendula

For Brunette: Sage, Lavender, Cinnamon, Cloves, Rosemary

For Red: Henna, Calendula, Red hibiscus, Cinnamon, Beets

For Black: Indigo, Lavender, Sage


If you try this recipe please comment with your experience and an alterations you may have made! : )

Re-Grow Your Own Green Onions

My first experiment proved to be quite simple and only required a one time purchase of green onions. (make sure the roots are still attached)

After you chop the greens off, put the roots in a glass of water. Change the water every couple of days and you will begin to see new growth.

They will grow just fine in their glass and don't require sunlight, although I have mine sitting on the kitchen windowsill. However, if you feel the need to pot them (as I did with a few below) feel free to do so.

I have three small jars with two or three green onions in each, and 5 plants in one pot. They regenerate so quickly that I don't anticipate ever being in want of green onions again. You may chop and regrow, chop and regrow to your heart's content.

Happy Growing!