Homemade Deodorant

This has to be one of the easiest, do-it-yourself natural recipes you can make!

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder (cornstarch will work too)
1/4 coconut oil
10 drops of tea tree or lavender essential oil (other oils work too, but do the research on them first)
An empty store-bought deodorant container


Mix baking soda, arrowroot powder, and coconut oil together in a bowl. It will have a paste-like consistency. Then add your essential oil and work it in. It should be kind of creamy. Use a spatula and scoop it into the deodorant stick. Pack it in there nice and tight. Put it in the fridge until it's solid. If there's any left over you can put it into a jar and just scoop some out with a spoon to apply it.


That's it! The coconut oil is the most expensive ingredient. This is a natural and very healthy, inexpensive deodorant!

Food Inc...

Have you ever seen the documentary "Food Inc." ? Our family sat down to watch it recently and I have to say...it was perhaps the most thought provoking documentary that I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it...borrow it from a library and make sure you do!

****Warning**** Some parts of the documentary were kind of graphic (slaughterhouses etc.) It brought me to tears...and almost made me ill. We had our children avert their eyes a few times, but felt it was important for them to see the reality of our foods.

The Lord had already been impressing upon me that we needed to make some major changes regarding the foods we'd been eating. I've been praying about it and asking the Lord for direction.

Well...I got it....and boy was it a rude awakening...a bit of a slap in the face that my head is still spinning from.



Here are some of the changes that we are proposing to make:



-Buy all meats locally (we are blessed to have a local farm/slaughterhouse that sells grass fed/grain free meat)

-Eat more meat-less meals. (I'll try to post some of the menu's and recipes I'm planning on using.)

-Continue buying frozen vegetables instead of canned (the canned foods have concentrated amounts of bisphenol A...the toxin that can be leached from baby bottles :( )

-Grow a ginormous garden so we can freeze or can our own produce for next winter...the things we don't have room to grow, we'll buy in bulk from local produce farmers.

- Completely eradicate all processed foods from our home...we are mostly there, but there are the occasional "bad" foods that make their way in. We will not be consuming any more high fructose corn syrup etc. (Heinz ketchup....lol)

-Completely eradicate all fast foods from our diets....especially the occasional burgers. The burger "filler" is rinsed with ammonia!!!! It may be all beef...but they don't claim it's all ground meat...

-Continue buying organics whenever possible.

-Trust in the Lord to provide us with the healthy foods He's directing us to eat! :)


This is all part of the journey towards eating healthier, and being more deliberate about the choices we make each day. I'll try to keep you all posted along the way :)

Proverbs 31...Seeking Foods From Afar

I felt like the Proverbs 31 woman today..."She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar... "

We live in a remote, little town and unfortunately, it doesn't offer all that we need...or the prices I'm willing to pay:P

So I did some traveling today...I was on a mission...for clothes, food, milk and more!

Usually 2x's a year, I pull everyones clothes out and go through them. I assess the needs, remove the clothes that no longer fit (usually to be donated or passed down) and make a list of who needs what. I keep my list with me and any yard sales or thrift shops I go to, I keep an eye out for the items on my list...I refuse to pay full price anymore and I really prefer to re-use and recycle whenever possible.

So the first stop I made, was to a Goodwill thrift shop.

I was able to find (all brand names):

Adam-1 pair of pants, 2 sweaters, 1 dress shirt, 1 t-shirt and 2 long sleeve shirts.
Karina-1 long sleeve blouse, 1 dress, and a pair of shoes.
Cassidy-A fun polka dotted 2 piece dress.
Arianna-1 long sleeved day dress, 2 short sleeve dresses (1 very formal, 1 for church or other nice occasions)
Myself-1 dress, 1 skirt, 1 blouse, 1 sweater

All of this came to 34$! What a wonderful blessing to find these clothes ;)

Then I went to a co-op that we are members of. This co-op is more like a health foods store and I was one of the founding members....it's not quite what I had hoped it would be, but it's a neat place to get a nice variety of healthy products. I bought some rye floor, black beans, french lentils and seventh generation dish soap.

Then it was off to the feed store. I purchased a ginormous bag of all natural scoop-able kitty litter, some healthy kitten food and a litter box. We are hoping to adopt 1 or 2 kittens soon and wanted to be prepared.

Then to the discount grocery store....I really wish we had one of these in our area! It's called Price Rite and the food prices were phenomenal. I stocked up on ground beef, butter, canned goods, and even bought a ham. I also bought a really big watermelon, carrots, apples etc.

Then it was over to my wonderful friend and coop co-coordinator (this is a real co-op..the one I buy all the large bags of dried goods through) My friend was willing to take a little rooster that I had and had picked up 2 point of lay pullets for me. She also gave me some nice loaf pans, some delicious pumpkin bread and a miniature grocery carriage for our children to play with. This woman is truly a woman of God and you can just feel the love of Christ emanating from her!!!

Our last stop was to a large farm that sells raw milk. The family that owns and runs it is so kind and let us go and visit with the new calves while they filled our milk jars. We're able to get our milk for $3 a gallon here...it's so worth the hour drive to get it!

All this driving around took about 7 hours. A long day, but so fruitful and worth it.

I'm home now...and sooo ready for a quiet family night ;) We are going to have pizza (not homemade this time...just too pooped) and watch Little House on the Prairie!

No-poo Update

It's been over a month since my children and I have gone "no-poo" and I figured it was time for an update.

My two younger children had absolutely no problem going no-poo. My little girl loves how silky her hair is with the baking soda/apple cider vinegar. She also loves the no-tangles after tubby time! Adam has very short hair and it always smells nice and clean...so no problems here either.

Cassidy is my wonderful 10 year old. Her hair is very similar in texture and thickness to mine. The only difference between our hair is length and curl. Cassi has a short bob for the summer and her hair is wavy but not curly (yet...just wait 'til those baby hormones get you sweetie... :) and very thick. The first two weeks of this experiment went great for Cassi...she thought it was going to be smooth sailing:P About two weeks after Cassi started using the baking soda/cider vinegar, her hair felt sticky, as if there was glue in it. The stickiness was caused by all the shampoo build-up in her hair! She worked through it in week 3 and by the beginning of week 4 it was super silky and shiny. She's loving it now!

Arianna is my sweet 11 almost 12 year old. Arianna also opted for a shorter hair cut this summer and it's about at her shoulders. Miss Ari has oily hair and skin and used to have to wash her hair daily.. I think the transition was hardest on her :( The first two weeks were the roughest..she really wanted to keep washing her hair daily (even with the bs/acv combo) but she persevered and now has the silky hair she's been wanting! She washes her hair about 3 times a week and it's working out really well.

Now my hair...I have long, thick, curly hair. My hair tends to dryness more than oiliness, so I only use the bs/acv combo about 2x's a week. The other times when I take a shower, I scrub my scalp with my fingers and rinse my hair well. My hair had the same transition that Cassidy's had...I had the sticky hair for a few days but it passed and now I'm at the silky and much more manageable stage. I could actually feel my scalps natural sebum restore itself and work it's way down my hair follicles...it would have been a neat science experiment to see under a telescope!

Our hair just smells like...well, hair! The apple cider vinegar is rinsed out thoroughly in the shower and whatever small amount of scent is left dissipates when the hair dries.

I would highly recommend going no-poo to anyone who has an interest in healthier living, frugality, and self sufficiency!

Make Your Own...

One of the first steps to self-sufficiency, is learning to make due with what you have or be able to do without.

But here's the thing...many times, making your own products is cheaper, better for the environment...and healthier! So why not give it a try?

There are so many things that you can make for your family but here are a couple of basic cleaners, everyday needs that you can throw together quickly:

Laundry Soap
There are tons of laundry soap recipes on the web...try googling it!
Here's the one I use (and yes, this even gets my childrens dirty, nasty, play clothes clean and bright!)

1 quart of hot water
1 bar of soap grated
(any soap will work, but try for something more natural...this stuff goes on your clothes...which goes on your body!)
1 cup of washing soda
(this is not baking soda folks...it's sodium carbonate where baking soda is sodium bi-carbonate...different chemical compounds. )
1 cup of borax
1 5 gallon bucket
(or kitty litter bucket...or any other large, water-proof container)


Start off by grating your bar of soap. Pour your 1 quart of water into a saucepan and add the grated soap. You want your stove on medium heat and you'll need to stir it gently until all of the soap pieces have dissolved. Stir in the washing soda and the borax.

Add 2 gallons of hot tap water to your bucket and then pour in the soap/washing soda/borax mixture. Take a large mixing spoon and mix everything together for a minute or so. It's totally optional, but you can add essential oils here also...just to give it a fresh scent. I love orange essential oil for laundry.

And that's it! Let it the mixture set up over night and it's ready to use the next day. The consistency is different than store-bought liquid soap....but then it doesn't have the petroleum products to emulsify it! I use 1/2 cup for each load of laundry and it works really well. (These are x-large loads of laundry)



All Purpose Cleaner

Spray bottle
1/4 cup of vinegar
1T borax
warm water
essential oil (optional for scent and added efficacy)

This one is super easy. Add 1/4 cup vinegar to your spray bottle. Fill with warm water until close to the top. Add the borax and the screw the top on. Gently shake it to blend and it's ready to use! I like to add 8-10 drops of essential oil for the smell...and it gives it a little more of a boost. I usually use orange or tea tree oils...Use this cleaner on counters, walls, doors, sinks....just about anywhere!


"Comet" Like Cleaner

This one is reeeaaallly easy. Baking Soda! I sprinkle baking soda, spray with water and let it sit. It works as well, if not better than the comet (which has major chemicals!) Use this on stove tops, tubs, sinks...anywhere you might use the comet or scrub free kind of cleaner.


Floor Cleaner

1 cup of vinegar
1 gallon hot water
1 squirt of dish soap

Mix them together and that's it!





Those are just a few of the things you can make yourself...there are tons more out there, and each thing you make is helping to save money, save the environment...and your families health ;)

Taking the Plunge....Going "No-Poo"

Sorry, I know that sounds kinda nasty to anyone unfamiliar with the term....lol....it's not actually as gross as it sounds, it just means not using shampoo or other harsh chemicals on your hair.

I've been trying to cut as many chemicals from our home as possible. I've been making several of our cleaners, laundry detergents, soaps etc. (How-to's to come ;)

We've been using natural shampoos/conditioners/deodorants etc. (Wow are they pricey!!) But when I heard of the idea of "no-poo" I was intrigued!

Here are some great links with more info on the topic:

http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/go/index.php/389/why-you-should-go-no-poo/

and

http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html



Basically, your health is the best reason to go "no-poo".

"The number of chemicals in shampoo and other bath and body products is frightening. Your skin is the largest organ on your body. Whatever gets put on your skin gets absorbed into your body, into your bloodstream and into your organs, as has been proven by many studies. Essentially, whatever is toxic to put in your mouth is toxic on your skin as well."

Think about all of the medicinal patches that are out there today! (Birth control, nicotine etc.) They deliver the meds through your skin...the only reasons why more medicines aren't delivered this way is the skin irritations that they cause.

"Shampoo is a detergent, just like laundry detergent, dishwashing powder and the stuff you use to clean your bathroom. It cleans out the dirt in your hair, but is very harsh and also takes the natural oils that make your hair shiny, soft and strong........The oils in your hair come naturally out of your scalp to nourish it. Stripping them away causes damage, and breakage over time. In a way you do need conditioner, if you use shampoo - because it covers up the damage that's been done. But you don't need shampoo in the first place, all you're spending your money on is a big bottle of perfumed detergent."

The scary thing....read your shampoo bottles label. Here are some of the common ingrediants:

"• Alcohol, isopropyl (SD-40) is a very drying and irritating solvent and dehydrator that strips your skin’s moisture and natural immune barrier, making you more vulnerable to bacteria, molds and viruses. It is made from propylene, a petroleum derivative, and is found in many skin and hair products, fragrances, antibacterial hand washes as well as shellac and antifreeze. It can act as a “carrier,” accelerating the penetration of other harmful chemicals into your skin.
It may promote brown spots and premature aging of skin. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients says isopropyl alcohol may cause headaches, flushing, dizziness, mental depression, nausea, vomiting, narcosis, anesthesia and coma. A fatal ingested dose is one ounce or less.
• FD&C color pigments are synthetic colors made from coal tar, containing heavy metal salts that deposit toxins onto the skin, causing skin sensitivity and irritation. Absorption of certain colors can cause depletion of oxygen in the body and death. Animal studies have shown almost all of them to be carcinogenic.
• Mineral oil is a petroleum by-product that coats the skin like plastic, clogging the pores. It interferes with skin’s ability to eliminate toxins, promoting acne and other disorders.

Mineral oil is also a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil, mineral oil is what's left over. It's so abundant that it costs more to dispose of it then it does to package and sell it, so it ends up everywhere. It's added to shampoos and conditioners to give hair an artificial shine caused by coating it with a thick oil. Mineral oil cannot absorb into your skin like other oils do, so it sits on top and forms a barrier preventing oils and toxins from being released as a normal part of your skin's lifecycle. This is one of the reasons you'll find that the more shampoo you use, the more often you need to use it. In the long run, coating your hair with mineral oil makes it weaker, and more prone to damage.
• Propylene glycol (PG) and butylene glycol are petroleum plastics which act as surfactants (wetting agents and solvents). They easily penetrate the skin and can weaken protein and cellular structure. Commonly used to make extracts from herbs, PG is strong enough to remove barnacles from boats!
• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) are detergents and surfactants that may pose serious health threats. They are used in car washes, garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers — and in 90 percent of personal care products that foam. Animals exposed to SLS experienced eye damage, depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death."

These are just some of the more common ingrediants...there are many more out there that are even more harmful! We use these on our children! Our babies!!!!

So...what's the alternative? You can go to the health food stores, spend a ton of money and buy the "all natural" soaps, shampoos etc (check the ingrediants though...some of the "all natural" products still have harmful chemicals) or, you can take this little adventure with me :P

"Going "poo-free" may not initially sound like your cup of tea, but don't be fooled into thinking shampoo is a necessary or healthy part of your body care routine. On top of being excessively harsh, your shampoo may contain ingredients you're not comfortable having on your body or your hair. To really reap the benefits of healthy hair you'll want to return it to it's natural state, and going poo-free is the best way to do it. Try it for a month, and be faithful... see how much you love your new hair . You'll surprise yourself at how soft, vibrant and clean it will feel."


Now if you know me, you know that I can't make any big changes without researching them :P I've been reading and researching about going without shampoo for months now. Not only is your hair supposed to be more soft, shiny etc. but going "no-poo" is also supposed to help with many of the difficulties people have with their hair...more volume, less frizz (which would be awesome for someone like me with thick/long/curly hair) less oily, less dry, stops dandruff, helps eczema and the list goes on! Google "no-poo" and you'll find sooooo much there!

So, here's the next question....What are you supposed to use in place of the shampoo...I mean you want clean hair right?

There are several different methods suggested on-line. The one I'm going with is baking soda and apple cider vinegar 2-3 times a week (or less if eventually possible) and I rinse my hair well with plain, old water whenever I take a shower. (This is not a "no-shower" kind of thing! lol)

Take one tablespoon and let it dissolve in 1 cup of warm water. (I'm using a recycled agave syrup squirt bottle....it holds about 1 1/2 cups of the water/baking soda mixture) Work it through your scalp really well and then rinse with cool water. For a rinse, you can mix 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water. (The acv will help maintain the natural ph of your hair, helps with any residue build up and makes it nice and silky...I promise, the smell goes away! :P If you're really concerned about the scent, you can add 1 drop of lavendar or rosemary essential oil to the acv mixture.... )

Okay, so the last time I used traditional shampoo, was Saturday morning. (Kind of ironic that it was Independance Day!) One of the things that scared me away from trying this was the dreaded transitional period...the time your body needs to regulate the oil production and kind of detox. Well so far, there hasn't been any problems! My hair feels...well, normal. I usually have to put products in my hair to tame the curls, and haven't had to....but it's been pulled back most of the time because of the heat. I'm going to try and update weekly here just to chart my progress...I hope you'll try it too and keep me posted :)








PS
The next frontier for me is going to be homemade deodorant and toothpaste....more on that later :P