Poison Ivy

I'm posting this while it is in my head to do it.  This fall my son's ball rolled into my parent's neighbor's poison ivy.  He got the ball and ran in to tell us the ball rolled into it, and it was one of those big huge balls.  I freaked out slightly and made him wash his hands immediately as I know you want to get those oils off you asap.  We have never dealt with it before, I have never had it, nor my kids.  Anyway, a couple days past and he mentioned his forearms being itchy, there were red and a little bumpy a little welty.  I should've taken a pic.  All I saw was a little rash on his arms, and I didn't think much of it.  Till bath time came it was all up his arms, underneath his upper arms, welts bumps, his neck back of legs and behind, belly and back.  The smart thing would've been to shower the kid and change his clothes and wash them in hot water.  Duh.  I am thinking, oh crap, we are in for a fight, the google results of poison ivy pics were HORRID, but I did come across only a few that looked like him so he seemed to have a mild case, even though he was itchy and it was widespread. 

Something he did on his own that night that I read actually does help, was, he took a really hot bath.  You would think it would irritate and inflame, but I read online that it helps the rash feel better.  Which is funny that naturally, he did this for himself.  Check out this out from modernsurvivalblog. 

Then in my flustered freakout frenzy,I gave him some Zyrtec ( which I only use if someone is getting a full body rash) and I had put some cortisone cream on his wrists, but didn't like the idea of putting it all over him as even topical steroids can weaken the immune system.  I then got out my food grade aloe vera gel, just a little, maybe 3 tablespoons or so, and added a few drops each of essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary and I put that everywhere the rash was.  If you can believe it, as I still can't, the next morning, his rash was nearly all gone, I could only see a little left on his wrists.  I put more on him that morning and that night and he was fine.  I thought I would need to keep him home from school but no need.  A strange fluke, I don't know, but I DO know it could only have been poison ivy, a mild case perhaps, but this is what worked for us, for what it is worth.

source for picture: www.modernsurvivalblog.com

Natural Help for Coughs and Ear Infections

Since it's that time of year I wanted to share a product that I didn't learn about till this year.  Our pediatrician told me about buckwheat honey, that it's proven to be just as effective as guaifenesin for coughs.  My son had been struggling with a cough for a few weeks and we had been using the mucinex for kids, I was desperate one night and pulled it out, he would cough to the point of puking.  Anyway he did end up on a round of antibiotics ( as much as I love to avoid them) but the dr also told me about Zarbees, it's flavor is more appealing than the molasses taste of buckwheat honey and the nighttime version has melatonin in it!  We've had some pesky coughs around here again and I have not had to be up in the night with anyone coughing, if I someone is not getting to sleep, we use the Zarbees, then it takes a little bit and sleep ensues.  SO nice to know I'm giving the kids something healthy and natural with no additives in it.  I also use a humidifier with a few drops of ecucalyptus oil. 

From SustainableBabySteps.com: "Eucalyptus oil uses have long been known to include anything regarding the respiratory system, including during asthma attacks, bronchitis infections, colds, and more. But there are dozens more little known uses for this essential oil." check out more here.

My other go to item is Wally's Ear Oil.  Refer to this post if you'd like to read how we kicked my son's ear infection without antibiotics last year.  We were able to avoid the dr. twice!

Natural Help for Crepey Dry Skin

Ah, getting older, isn't it grand?  Just when you face clears up, you look in the mirror in just the right lighting and think " what?????????"  This fall I noticed some crepey wrinkleness in the area of my cheeks below my eye, not right under the eye but below.  Needless to say my vanity kicked in and I wanted to kill those wrinkles... I wanted to accept them because it's part of aging but they didn't seem like they should be THERE of all places... smile lines maybe not there.  The skin seemed to pull and be thin and crepey, it only looked ok right AFTER I put on something moisturizing.  So I googled and I googled.  I came to the conclusion that I was over drying my skin and that skin needs humectants, which I'm not entirely sure oil provides.  Oil does nourish and protect, but humectants hold the water in the skin.  Humectants would be something like honey, glycerin or hyaluronic acid.
This would make sense that the Madre Magic worked better for my mom than the straight almond oil.  It contains honey.  Being in the freakout stage I was in, I bought two new products to add to my winter repertoire.  The Madre Magic and Andalou Naturals, Hyaluronic DMAE Lift & Firm Cream, Age Defying, 
ingredients :
Aloe barbadensis juice*, argania spinosa (argan) and simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) oils*, glyceryl stearate, butyrospermum parkii (shea) butter*†, fruit stem cell and bioactive 8 berry complex*, helianthus annuus (sunflower) oil*, DMAE, glyceryl monolaurate, hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, ubiquinone (CoQ10), bisabolol, tocopherol (vitamin E), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (vitamin C), panthenol (pro vitamin B5), allantoin, cyamopsis tetragonolobus (guar) gum*, borago officinalis (borage) and oenothera biennis (evening primrose) oils*, camellia sinensis (white tea) and hibiscus rosa-sinensis extracts*†, phenethyl alcohol, ethylhexylglycerin, agathosma capensis (buchu) oil, citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil*
* Organic
† Fair Trade.

I have been using the this twice a day, oh I love it, my skin is doing so much better and this stuff actually seems to firm and plump.  Sometimes I will use a little glycolic acid cream before I put this on.  This was very soothing.  And the final help is just on my extra crepey area, I use the Madre Magic and my skin has improved more than I thought it would.

One more note for dry skin.  I have traded salt scrubs like the sea salt and baking soda for sugar since salt can pull water out.  So far so good, it never occured to me that sugar could contain glycolic acid!!  So I've been using sugar mixed with my oil on my face.  If you want to amp it up with more exfoilating add some fresh squeezed lemon, a wedge would be enough for one application, I still like to add a drop of oil or two... just cause it's winter.

So there it is, I wanted to share in case anyone else is having similar issues!!

I've also recently bought some Now Foods Vegetable Glycerine, haven't it used it yet! But it will be used it whatever random moisturizer I make next, I'm still trying to perfect my foot oil...

Hair Products ands Tips

Ok as much as I like to save money making beauty products, sometimes, I'm tired of it, I'll admit it, some things really aren't that bad to make, others take longer... like when I was looking up how to make my own hairspray.... too long, no thanks.  I really like this product, as usual I get it off iherb.  They really should pay me for these plugs but my audience isn't that big so oh well....


Andalou Naturals, Hair Spray, Perfect Hold, Sunflower & Citrus,

 

I hadn't used hairspray for a really long time because of the chemicals and sometimes, my hair does need it.  I love this, it smells great, decent ingredients and has great hold if you ask me. Unless you're looking for Aqua Net...;)  I have been using Andalou Naturals, Styling Cream, Sweet Orange & Argan for a long time.  I may try the hair gel next.  All these smell really good, as does the shower gel that I just got not long ago, and the conditioner.  Though I don't think I can afford to keep getting the shampoo or conditioner.  I checked out these ingredients once upon a time and they were ok.

Another hair tip.  Soft water.  We got our old one going again and I hated my hair a whole lot less. ;)  It seems to get cleaner, softer and is easy to comb out.  I noticed a difference in the kids hair too.  If you don't have soft water and hate your hair.. I do believe they sell shower heads that soften your water.  And never under estimate the power of getting your ends trimmed.  I still can't tell you I have found the perfect shampoo, price, ingredients and performance as I struggle with scalp build up issues.  I just have to spend a lot of detailed scrubbing time when I wash.  At this point I use Nature's Gate which is what I consider a lesser evil but not perfect in ingredients, it was it has fragrance but it's phalate free fragrance.  I would rather it be all out NATURAL fragrance.  And speaking of making crap, I DID make some hair serum that I am pleased with actually.

Hair Serum Recipe:

2 tbsp. Aloe vera gel ( the kind you can eat)

1 tbsp. coconut oil

2 tbsp. almond oil

a few drops of peppermint oil and rosemary.

  Shake each time and use sparingly and not too far up towards the roots, you can use on wet or dry hair.  I mix it with my styling cream sometimes too.   AND  I have in the past few days started using some on my face since it's been such a dry winter... so far so good but I am not to the point where I would say forsure put it on your face!!  But it's something you wouldn't need to rinse off your hands and if you have some irritated itchy skin, it works pretty darn well.






Natural Face Products

Here are some products that I get off iherb that I wanted to throw out there.  First off is a moisturizer I got for my mom, who has had rosacea in the past, and was using almond oil for her skin, but it just wasn't cutting it for her this winter.  After one night of using this, her face felt much better and very soft. Ingredients: Olive (Olea europaea) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax (cera alba)*, New Zealand Manuka Honey, Bee Pollen Extract, Royal Jelly, Bee Propolis Extract, Glycerin (Plant-Derived), Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopherol (Non-GMO).



 Also if you're looking for a great alternative to Burts Bee's 2.99 lip balm. Sierra Bees, Organic Unflavored Beeswax Lip Balm   This brand is great for less than a buck.  They have many other scents that are naturally scented if you prefer.

Another all time fave of mine that I started using often at night, after toning and before using oil as a moisturizer, is Reviva Labs, 10% Glycolic Acid Cream.  I used it years ago and came back to it for quite a few nights a week, the ingredients are simple and glycolic acid exfoliates.  It can be irritating as you're getting used to it.  They have a 5% version too.

And here is one more. Abra Therapeutics, Alpha Enzyme Peel If you are looking for a glycolic peel to try, this was one is nice and all natural, 6% glycolic acid. It doesn't take much, just a thin layer.  I did try leaving it on all night, but my face got irritated and little itchy in places.  The jar says 15-30 mins I think. I use this about once a week,  leave it on for a couple hours, then rinse it off with a wet washcloth, skip toner and moisturize as usual.  ( it makes my skin feel very soft) I do NOT use my glycolic cream after this, I do my Mychelle Serum, or if I do this in the day, I do my daytime moisturizers, my almond oil mix ( essential oils added) then spf moisturizer which I have blogged about previously.  Check the labels if you're interested in that.


*and in case you were wondering, no, I don't get paid to endorse any product and I had to pay for the products.  I just spend way too much time researching and shopping around reading ingredient lists and reviews and pass along my opinions and faves to you.

Greener Cleaning

One of the last things to go for me was my blessed Comet Bathroom spray.  Nothing could compare to it's cleaning abilities, or so I thought.

This is going to be a hopefully a not too fancy, not pinterest worthy, no pic post.  Most of them are. ;)

What I have in every bathroom:

Spray bottle with half vinegar half water.  I like to keep them in the shower to spray a little afterwards too.  Vinegar is antifungal and combats mold and hard water and odors.  Don't like the vinegar smell??  Well you get used to it, really, and it fades away to nothing once it dries.  And let me tell you, you won't build up toxic fumes that weaken lungs and immune systems in your home.  You can even add some antibacterial and or antiviral essential oils, like clove, grapefruit, lemon, tea tree, the list in endless (and some essential oils are very affordable, to your spray bottle).  The bottle I have with essential oils I under the sink to protect it from light.

Washing soda and/or baking soda.  I recentely saved the lid of a shaker of parmasean cheese and put it on an old mason jar with a half and half mix of baking soda AND washing soda,  it works amazingly well at grime!!  AND natural!! No more pausing to hack up a lung and open a window while I clean.  And no lingering toxins.

Windows:

Half vinegar half water.  Old hand towel.  You will think at first, THIS isn't working!! But it does it really does, as good or better than windex.  Just don't get your cloth overly damp.

"Armorall" for vehicles:  A little water, a drop of dishsoap, and a little olive oil.

Cleaning and shining up your wood table( mine gets a water film and this brings it back to rich shiney life):  Half vinegar/half sunflower oil.  Olive oil is fine too.  Wipe with the wood grain.  Test a small area first just to be safe.

Hand soap:  this I have been doing for 5 years now, and it's so easy and doesn't dry out your hands and you are avoiding all that junk we talked about in the hand sanitizer post.  You will need a foaming hand wash dispenser and castile soap.  I do about a 1/4 to a 1/2 inch in the bottle with castile soap then fill up the rest with water, shake and voila!  As you can see, I avoid exact measurements at all costs if I can, it wastes my time. ;)  You could also add germ killing essential oils if you prefer. 

*A note on Tea Tree oil:  I have read not to let boys use it as it can disrupt their hormones.  So for something that the whole family is using often throughout the day, you can choose from many other essential oils.

Laundry:  I have gone back and forth with making my own with kirks unscented castile soap and using ALL free and clear.  The best homemade I ever made was with the borax, washing soda and Dr. Bronners bar of soap.  But that wasn't cost effective enough for me.  And darn it, it takes TIME when you make your own stuff.  I have practically eliminated fabric softener.  1/4 cup vinegar in the rinse.  I have also read that if you dry on a lower setting, it doesn't get so staticy.  Sometimes if I have a load that's real bad in the winter. I'll use a sheet of unscented.

Ok, that's all I can think of at the moment. 

A documentary if you have the time.

Laundering Your OCM Washclothes

Once again, story of my life blogging, I've been meaning to post this for a while and blah blah blah.  So if you do OCM cleansing you have probably discovered how the oil can build up in your washclothes and start repelling water like a duck's back.  I had searched online and hadn't found any good advice on this, so I had to trial and error it on my own. 

What I did that finally worked for me:

Whatever towel load you usually wash the clothes in, start with just the washclothes on your longest sturdy washing cycle, small load, HOT water.  I use All free and clear detergent ( yes I know, not homemade but I keep coming back to this...) use what you would for a full load especially if this is your first time getting the oil build up out, you may then be able to decrease the amount you use once you are getting them properly clean everytime and also depending on how soft your water is.

Use about a half cup of Washing Soda< not to be confused with Baking Soda, they are NOT the same, but it is natural.  I had been using oxyclean free, but I discovered that not only did this work better, it was cheaper too.  I didn't measure, I dumped some in and I''m guessing I did about that much. ;)  It's an excellent degreaser and it works wonders dry on a damp sponge to get that brown dirt, oil goo build up off your washer tub.  And the ring around your bathtub.

Put about 1/4 cup of white vinegar in the softener dispenser.

I then start the timer for 9 minutes and let the washer clean the crap out of washclothes.  When the timer beeps, I move the water setting to warm, and load size to a full size and then put in the rest of my towels and launder as normal.  The cycle on my washer still has another 10 minutes or so, so the towels didn't miss regular clean time. 

Aw yes, I get my washing soda at Walmart.