Let me be frank with you. I'm having a really fun time experimenting with homemade products. It's like a challenge (probably the same reasoning for why I enjoy coupons). Not only can you make it for cheaper, but its better for you! Granted- investing in some of the products up front is NOT cheaper. But in the long run, it definitely is because they all last a long time. Now here's where the honesty comes in- I'm not quite ready to part with my Redken products.. or my eye cream for that matter.. but here are a few recipes that look really simple and are in the works! (I've purchased or ordered the ingredients.. so I'm just waiting for everything to arrive)
Homemade Sugar Scrub (because who doesn't like a nice exfoliator?!)
2 parts brown or white sugar
1 part oil (coconut or almond)
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil
Mix together in a small jar- and that's all folks!
Laundry Detergent
Pure Bar Soap (like Dr. Bronners - I ordered off of Amazon)
Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer - also off of Amazon)
Borax (Mule Team Borax - ALSO off Amazon)
You can find the full recipe here. It includes a powdered version and a liquid version. I'm going to attempt the powered version first because it seems way easier.
Or if your interested in buying a store bought version, this one seems great. It may be my back up if the homemade batch goes south :) And as a side note, the pre-made version seems expensive, but its concentrated and is good for 100 loads!
All Purpose Cleaner (for bathrooms and countertops)
1 tsp borax
1/2 tsp washing soda
1 tsp liquid castille soap (I bought mine at Target- Dr. Bronners)
Essential Oils - 10 drops of Orange and 4 of Lemon
Add all ingredients and 2 cups of warm water to a spray bottle. Voila.
I'll keep you all posted on how they turn out :) For now, I need to get sewing on some curtains for a friend. Details and pictures of that to come later!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
The life of gypsies...
Do you ever feel like a pack of traveling gypsies? Sometimes I do. We travel quite a bit- usually with the dogs in tow- so it can begin to feel like a traveling parade very quickly! Don't get me wrong- our dogs are fantastic travelers. However, by the time we pack up all our stuff to head out of town, I feel like the car is packed to the gills. I know what your all thinking.. wait until there are kids involved one day, right?! Bring on the conversion van, I guess!
We've had a nice, but BUSY August. We traveled home to Hillsborough the first fews days in August for a weekend of joint birthday celebrations and Meredith's baby shower! We had a lot of fun and Meredith had a terrific shower. She got so many important things... as well as lots of books. I LOVE kids books. Especially the classics. Lucky for me, most of the kids I have nannied for have loved to read because I love to read also. Sometimes we spend all day just reading new books we've checked out from the library.. and its glorious :) (nerd alert)
The following weekend, we went down to Myrtle Beach to visit with my family. We have a beach house down there that we've had since I was young. Clara is at a very fun age right now so we had a great time burying Uncle Thomas in the sand and also catching fish and crabs in a bucket at the inlet. She's also in a stage where she repeats whatever anyone says. A lot of her fun phrases include "Whoopseedaisies!", "Aye Aye Captain!" and "too much on my docket today". Overall, we had a great time. We've been going to that beach for so long, it always brings back good memories for me.
Between those two weekends, we spent a total of about 24 hours in the car. Yeah. Remember that gypsy comment? It's totally relevant. Lucky for us, we're staying put for awhile. We dont have any major plans over the next few weekends and that's always a good feeling. Now if it would just stop RAINING, that would help with the whole staycation idea.....
Until next time!
We've had a nice, but BUSY August. We traveled home to Hillsborough the first fews days in August for a weekend of joint birthday celebrations and Meredith's baby shower! We had a lot of fun and Meredith had a terrific shower. She got so many important things... as well as lots of books. I LOVE kids books. Especially the classics. Lucky for me, most of the kids I have nannied for have loved to read because I love to read also. Sometimes we spend all day just reading new books we've checked out from the library.. and its glorious :) (nerd alert)
The following weekend, we went down to Myrtle Beach to visit with my family. We have a beach house down there that we've had since I was young. Clara is at a very fun age right now so we had a great time burying Uncle Thomas in the sand and also catching fish and crabs in a bucket at the inlet. She's also in a stage where she repeats whatever anyone says. A lot of her fun phrases include "Whoopseedaisies!", "Aye Aye Captain!" and "too much on my docket today". Overall, we had a great time. We've been going to that beach for so long, it always brings back good memories for me.
Between those two weekends, we spent a total of about 24 hours in the car. Yeah. Remember that gypsy comment? It's totally relevant. Lucky for us, we're staying put for awhile. We dont have any major plans over the next few weekends and that's always a good feeling. Now if it would just stop RAINING, that would help with the whole staycation idea.....
Until next time!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Entering a new realm of possibilities...
Typically when Thomas travels, I'm extremely productive. I think it's out of boredom. None the less, I'm able to get a lot of things done!
My mom was here visiting while he was gone (he was in Vegas for 9 days at a trade show, by the way) and having her here definitely increased that productivity. The lady does not SIT. I love her. But there's no relaxing with the Bonster. All joking aside, we had a really great week together and she was able to help me get a lot of things checked off the ol' "to do list".
My friend Bonnie posted a website on her facebook the other day, and it's gotten me really intrigued! I started eyeballing it a little while mom was still here, but after she left on Sunday, I really started diving into it. And then I proceeded to look up other similar blogs/websites. They are all based around making chemical free health products (sunscreen, deodorant, cleaners, detergents, etc.). Thomas thinks I've flown the chickens coop (I'm from the south people.. don't act like that phrase surprises you)- but I think it's a really interesting idea! We obviously all worry about what types of food we intake and whether it's good for us. It seems like it should be just as important to worry about what chemicals you slather on your body, right? And not only that- but it can be a much cheaper option.
Case in point- I made my first homemade product on Sunday. Deodorant. There is a lot of talk about certain chemicals in deodorant- Aluminum, to be exact- that are linked to Breast Cancer. So I figured trying to make that would be a good start (not to mention that my own Dove deodorant is almost gone). The ingredients are very simple- baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. My coconut oil already has a fragrance to it, but if you have one that does not, you can also add a little essential oil (lavender, geranium, etc.) or shea butter.
I'm going to list some links/blogs below but here is the recipe I used-
5 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup cornstarch (I added about a tablespoon more)
1/4 baking soda
Mix thoroughly and store in a jar. It's too runny to go in a standard deodorant container- don't even give that a try. You'll have a mess on your hands! I have mine in a little container by the sink and I just apply a small dab with a Q-tip.
I've only been using it for three days- and I was a little hesitant after reading a few woman's reviews (some woman have issues with the rough abrasion of the baking soda) but I haven't had any issues and I'm really pleased with it so far! Just to be sure, I started out by using a very small amount and not slathering it on. Along with that- something to consider is not using too much because the baking soda may leave residue on your clothes (temporarily until washed).
My next venture is sunscreen! I have very fair skin and not only do I easily burn, but I also easily get sun poisoning. It's really not a fun trait to have. But I've learned to make the best of it over the years!
After doing a little research, I've found out that there are certain essential oils that contain SPF- and not only that, but a lot of other elements that are great for your skin. Buying these oils is probably not going to be cheap but I'll keep you posted on that (and any other concoctions that I undertake)!
Check out these blogs if your interested!
http://almostexactlyblog.wordpress.com/
http://www.biteablebeauty.com/
http://wellnessmama.com/
My mom was here visiting while he was gone (he was in Vegas for 9 days at a trade show, by the way) and having her here definitely increased that productivity. The lady does not SIT. I love her. But there's no relaxing with the Bonster. All joking aside, we had a really great week together and she was able to help me get a lot of things checked off the ol' "to do list".
My friend Bonnie posted a website on her facebook the other day, and it's gotten me really intrigued! I started eyeballing it a little while mom was still here, but after she left on Sunday, I really started diving into it. And then I proceeded to look up other similar blogs/websites. They are all based around making chemical free health products (sunscreen, deodorant, cleaners, detergents, etc.). Thomas thinks I've flown the chickens coop (I'm from the south people.. don't act like that phrase surprises you)- but I think it's a really interesting idea! We obviously all worry about what types of food we intake and whether it's good for us. It seems like it should be just as important to worry about what chemicals you slather on your body, right? And not only that- but it can be a much cheaper option.
Case in point- I made my first homemade product on Sunday. Deodorant. There is a lot of talk about certain chemicals in deodorant- Aluminum, to be exact- that are linked to Breast Cancer. So I figured trying to make that would be a good start (not to mention that my own Dove deodorant is almost gone). The ingredients are very simple- baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. My coconut oil already has a fragrance to it, but if you have one that does not, you can also add a little essential oil (lavender, geranium, etc.) or shea butter.
I'm going to list some links/blogs below but here is the recipe I used-
5 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup cornstarch (I added about a tablespoon more)
1/4 baking soda
Mix thoroughly and store in a jar. It's too runny to go in a standard deodorant container- don't even give that a try. You'll have a mess on your hands! I have mine in a little container by the sink and I just apply a small dab with a Q-tip.
I've only been using it for three days- and I was a little hesitant after reading a few woman's reviews (some woman have issues with the rough abrasion of the baking soda) but I haven't had any issues and I'm really pleased with it so far! Just to be sure, I started out by using a very small amount and not slathering it on. Along with that- something to consider is not using too much because the baking soda may leave residue on your clothes (temporarily until washed).
My next venture is sunscreen! I have very fair skin and not only do I easily burn, but I also easily get sun poisoning. It's really not a fun trait to have. But I've learned to make the best of it over the years!
After doing a little research, I've found out that there are certain essential oils that contain SPF- and not only that, but a lot of other elements that are great for your skin. Buying these oils is probably not going to be cheap but I'll keep you posted on that (and any other concoctions that I undertake)!
Check out these blogs if your interested!
http://almostexactlyblog.wordpress.com/
http://www.biteablebeauty.com/
http://wellnessmama.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)