Tooth-powder

It has been awhile ... like weeks ... woah. (Edited by Momma on 3/2/16. Lyssa was waiting for me to grab some photos and I kept misplacing the cord to my camera to load pictures onto the computer, so better late than never, and on a Wellness Wednesday no less.)
Life has definitely been busy lately. Mom got back to work and is trying to build up a business for massage, maybe we can get some posts about stress relief in. I've been fight training, and doing that required thing called school. Yippee.

I figured it's been all too long since our last post, and while mom is super busy doing work I can post some short blurbs with recipes. Such as today's which is a homemade tooth-powder. ONWARD!

A couple of months ago I began to notice that I was getting little tiny breakouts in the corners of my mouth. Attractive, I know. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. I was eating well, drinking water, using natural products on my face. Then one day I got an extremely unsightly blemish on my forehead. (Again, attractive, I know.) So I decided to do the well known put some toothpaste on it over night trick.

I woke up the next morning, and to my teenage hormonal horror I had three blemishes where the old on once stood. It was like the ghost of zits past had attacked me ... lovely. Then as I accepted the reality that I would be going outside with the Triforce on my face I came to a realization. Maybe ... just maybe ... something in the toothpaste was reacting with my skin.

I decided to hunt the Internet for an alternative until my mother bought a new tube of toothpaste. I came across the concept of tooth powder. It's literally powder for your teeth. One of the most popular DIY tooth-powders was baking soda with some sort of essential oil in it. I tried it for the next few days, and almost immediately the breakouts on my mouth cleared up.

I loved it so much that I didn't even try the new toothpaste my mom got, and continued use of the powder.

One day while browsing the inter webs I came across a blog post talking about how charcoal could be used to whiten teeth. Not the charcoal that you find in a fire pit though ... please don't whiten your teeth with the charcoal in the fire ... It was activated charcoal which specialized in pulling impurities from what it comes in contact with.

I danced with joy at the prospect of a tooth whitening substance that wasn't abrasive to tooth enamel, unlike peroxide, lemon, mouth wash, and laser whitening.

The only drawback is it's effects aren't immediate. It takes a few weeks, but it's worth it.

So after a long introduction here's the recipe:

1 tablespoon baking soda

3-4 capsules of Activated Charcoal (found as a health supplement in stores)
Essential oil (I usually use Peppermint)

Mix those all together in a resealable container. Keep in a dry place.

To use it, you literally use it as you would regular toothpaste. It is dry to begin with, but eventually it'll turn to a black liquid in your mouth. Brush for a few minutes then admire your demonic teeth in the mirror.

Try to brush and spit as much of the mixture as possible ... because it tastes gross.

Now wasn't that just a post full of absolutely lovely imagery. You're welcome.

Homemade Deodorant

Have you ever picked up a container of commercial deodorant and read the ingredients? I can guarantee there will be at least one ingredient in there would put any tongue twister to shame. I've always had sensitive skin, and words like "fragrance" are a sure fire way to irritate my skin. Let me just say, my armpits are the last place I want itchy, painful, irritation. 

Once I hit puberty I began to use deodorant. I remember my first stick was some off-brand commercial kind advertised specifically for teenage girls, the scent was something along the lines of waterfall mist ... or something. The biggest thing I remember about it was the red bumps my armpit broke out in; effectively halting my use of that brand.

Tree here, I had already been thinking about ditching my commercial deodorant for different reasons. I had stopped using antiperspirant and switched exclusively to deodorant. Take a moment to think about why you sweat. The skin is the body's largest organ and its purpose is to protect the body. It protects the body by keeping foreign bodies out and by sweating toxins out. So if you prevent your body from sweating out toxins through your armpits what happens to those toxins. It was also around this time that we learned that aluminum (the primary pore clogging sweat blocker) may have a connection to breast cancer. 

Me and my mother hunted the grocery stores for a less irritating option, and we discovered natural brands. I tried many, some worked better than others, but none of them had the effect I desired. 

When it comes to "natural" deodorants the consumer bears the burden of doing their own research and bringing a dictionary with them. Many "natural" deodorants are no better than the commercial ones. I tried a number of them, some irritated my skin and others just didn't feel like they worked. I needed to reapply several times throughout the day (even when all I was doing was going to work).

Finally I decided to make my own. I read many internet resources, some praising the effects of it, some cursing it to the grave.

By the time Lulu had found her deodorant recipe I had decided on just powdered deodorant. I had scoured the internet myself and found the same things she did. People either loved it or hated it. I decided to skip the extras (needing to melt down a solid oil) and just use baking soda cut with a small amount of corn starch and peppermint essential oil. Now keep in mind peppermint eo is considered a hot oil and many people may find applying it directly to the skin irritating, especially to the sensitive armpits. I also learned that in many recipes baking soda can be an irritant, so if you try a recipe and it irritates you try melting it down again and adding more solid oil to cut the baking soda. 

I was using the powder with relative success (sucked for actual workouts) and it could be messy, then .....

I've decided I like it, and here I will share two recipes I've tried. I love both of them.

Recipe number one I made a while back.

You will need equal parts:

Shea Butter

Coconut oil

Baking soda

Beeswax

Arrowroot powder

If you so choose you can add a few essential oils.

Directions:

1. Melt down the oils in a double boiler.

2. Take oils off heat, and combine dry ingredients with the oils.

3. Stir and allow to cool a little.

4. Add essential oils of your choice.

Lulu as an athlete was loving the recipe above so I decided to accept her offer to make me my own. I LOVED this recipe. It worked great. I did find on my 12 hour days of class followed by clinic I needed to reapply, but it was easy to bring with me and easy to apply.  Then my container dwindled and so it was time to make more. However we did not have and Shae Butter. I had read a recipe that was just coconut oil and essential oils. This is my kind of simple.

The second one is my moms favorite.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 teaspoon arrowroot

1 tablespoon baking soda

Essential oil of your choice

Directions:

1. Melt down coconut oil.

2. Add dry ingredients to oil

3. Allow to cool a bit and add oil.

As Lu pointed out this is my favorite recipe so far. This recipe could be poured into an old deodorant container and used just like real deodorant (or you can purchase new deodorant containers online). This recipe goes the distance. I wore it to an interview with no issues. At the end of my day I am still clean and fresh. I am still thinking of trying a recipe that is just coconut oil and eos, because I am all about simplicity, but right now this is the clear winner for me. 

Some really great essential oil combinations are ...

Melaluca and Clove

Melaluce and Lavender

Rosemary and Lavender 

Orange and Rosemary

Peppermint and Orange

Shampoo Freedom

I have to confess that I do not wash my hair daily. I don't even wash it every other day. I wash it 1-2 times a week AND I don't use shampoo. I use a Baking Soda Wash and a Vinegar Rinse. This is super easy but still takes a little bit of time. Before I get into the specifics of the wash and rinse, let me back up. 

More than 5 years ago I started to shy away from traditional (aka commercial) shampoo. I searched the internet for shampoo free options. What I found scared me. The reviews for baking soda wash were mixed. Some people loved them, but other people were having serious problems with the baking soda wash. Some people noticed thinning patches or scalp issues. This was enough to keep me away from baking soda washing for a while. 

Instead I found a "natural" shampoo, one that did not contain SLS.  Without the SLS there would be little sudsing and I was prepared for that. I trudged ahead. The first wash my hair felt dirtier than before I washed it. It felt and looked like it was coated with a layer of grime. I repeated the wash with twice as much shampoo. I was able to make "natural" shampoo work, but I had to shampoo my hair twice using 3 times the normal amount of shampoo each time. But I wanted to be good to myself and the environment so I trudged on. I had read about a detoxification period so I incorrectly chalked this up to that. 

In the meantime I tried tea rinses (no good for me), a honey wash (no good for me) and even a beer wash (no good for me). Then I cut my hair super short (donated it to a charity event).  I was at a local craft show where there was a soap artisan who had bar shampoo. The bar shampoo worked like a dream. Even better I could get the bar shampoo at Abundance Co-op. What worked so well about the bar shampoo was that I was able to apply the lather to the underside, tops side and in the middle of my VERY thick hair. 

I loved the bar shampoo but at some point I just got lazy. I was tired of buying one shampoo for the hubs (traditional), natural shampoo for the girls and the shampoo bar for me. Then a miraculous thing happened....

I returned to the internet and found an article that explained why many people had experienced problems with their baking soda wash. The author explained why I had a layer of grime and why I have to wash my hair twice with "natural" shampoo. 

The culprit was hard water. Hard water + sebum = a layer of grease or grime.

So I ordered a water test strip through the internet. I honestly don't remember what company from, but I know it was a company that sold water softeners. You can get a free test strip here.  Given the results I had in the shower I was not the least bit surprised when the test showed moderately hard water. We do get some water spots on our glassware. We don't have cloudy glassware, but we also don't have a dishwasher. 

Moderately hard water meant that I could not use the typical baking soda method.  The typical baking soda method is to mix Baking Soda with water and just pour the solution over your head. You can google for more information on this or read this blog post about two women's experiences with going shampoo free for 31 days. 

Instead of the typical method I used the hard water method. I started with the full 2 Tbsp of Baking Soda, but eventually worked it back to less than 1 Tbsp.  However, I was supremely LAZY. Since you have to boil the water you also have to let the solution cool before you wash you hair. This means planning ahead, which I am not always good at. AND I did not regularly use the vinegar rinse. I don't mind the smell of vinegar, but it was one more thing to mix up when I showered and take with me to the bathroom. 

Eventually I returned to "natural" shampoo and when I lost my job I returned to commercial shampoo (because Suave is super cheap). Then Lu picked up the Baking Soda Wash method and even did her homework because she boiled her solution. She tried tea rinses and a few other methods that I hope she will chime in about. 

So in the New Year I was determined to return to the Baking Soda Wash and Vinegar Rinse Method. 

Some things to keep in mind. If you have a bottle of commercial or "natural" shampoo feel free to use it up. I know most people tell you to ditch the commercial and get away from the nasty ingredients.  If you are up for a rough 6 week transition then go for it. From what I read people who had the hardest transition periods were daily shampooers. When I first went shampoo free I was washing every other or third day. If you read reviews MANY people recommend getting to that point first.

I do not use the Baking Soda wash daily, I use it 1-2 times a week. Lu uses it more because of her MMA Fight Training and the need to get rid of the sweat and salt in her hairline.  I do use the Vinegar Rinse after every Baking Soda Wash. To my Vinegar I add 1 drop of Rosemary (supposedly really good for the hair) and 1 drop of Melaluca. I add the Melaluca for my dandruff. Even with commercial dandruff shampoo I still suffered from dandruff. My dandruff is actually very light. 

A few tips:

1. Comb or brush your hair before you wash it
2. Do NOT skip the vinegar (you need the acid to balance the scalp pH)
3. Try not to comb or brush wet hair (let it get to a damp or even dry state first)
4. Try not to touch your hair during the day, this increases the oil transfer from your hands to your hair. 

My routine:
I make my Baking Soda Wash the night before and let it cool overnight. Sometimes I reheat it on the floor vent in the morning before I shower. I pour the Wash over my dry hair making sure to saturate and then massage the scalp. I leave the wash on for a few minutes and then I rinse under running water.  After the rinse I use the Vinegar Rinse which I simply dump over my head and allow it to saturate all my hair. I do not rinse out the vinegar.

When I get out of the shower I towel dry my hair as best as I can and I put it up (in the summer when it is warmer out then I tend to just leave it down).

Before I Baking Soda Wash

Back Before I Baking Soda Wash

The Wash and the Rinse. I put the wash in a glass bottle because it is hot, I use a plastic bottle for the rinse because it is cold.

After - Nice and Clean (24 Hours Later)

After - Nice and Clean

48 Hours After

72 Hours Later - Still in Good Shape

A Close Up 

96 Hours Later - Time to Wash or put my hair up
No Flash

96 Hours Later - Wish Flash

I have a few recipes to try and help with the dandruff, but dandruff is essentially dry skin and it is a sign that something is missing from my diet.

Hello! This is Lu. Just chiming in with what I discovered on my no-poo journey.

I started no-poo because I was going through a period of complete detox (more to come in later posts.) Everything from my diet to my lotion was researched, switched, and eventually home-made. Everything except ... my shampoo.

I read so many articles about no-poo and the trials and tribulations those who tried it faced. I was so afraid of that dreaded transition period that I began to avoid the subject completely. All the while my poor, limp, dried out, hair called for an alternative.

First I tried shampoo bars ..and hated them. Something about using a soap bar and rubbing it on my head really bothered me, and I always managed to miss a spot. So yeah ... greasy patches ... yum.

Then I tried a series of rinses, everything from tea rinses to egg white and beer rinses. The rinses, while they work great as a hair conditioning treatment, did not clean my hair the way I wanted. 

Then I read something on a crunchy blog (right here) about a coconut milk and castile soap shampoo that suds-ed and worked like real shampoo. It probably worked for a lot of people, but it just left me with a greasy residue all over my hair. Damn you hard water!

So disappointed and with a greasy head I turned back to store bought shampoo. This was an organic all-natural shampoo, but I found myself facing the same issues my mother did with natural shampoo. 

Eventually a long break came along and I decided .... screw it. How bad can this really be? I did my research and found the hard water method and went to trying. I can't say I went through a really intense adjustment period, but I did need to do some experimenting. I had to mess with the frequency I washed my hair and how much baking soda and vinegar to use. 

If my hair was super dry, I decreased my baking soda and increased my vinegar. If it was oily I did the reverse. 

So what I do now is every two to three days I use a table spoon of baking soda dissolved in about two cups of water.
Then I take regular water and add about 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to about two cups of regular (unboiled) water. I use this as a rinse after my baking soda. 

You can choose to leave the apple cider vinegar rinse in for awhile if you so choose, but the smell is STRONG. It's a great conditioner.

Are you looking to do No-Poo? If so leave any questions or experiences with it in the comments!

A Simpler Way to Organize

As 2014 drew to a close I began to see pins, blog posts and facebook feeds about decluttering and organizing in 2015. Much of the organization was designed around the idea of tackling a small (something under 1 hour) task each and every day. This is a GREAT idea, but as we all know by now I have a hard time staying on track and missing a day or 10 would make me feel overwhelmed and even a bit like a failure.  Then this caught my eye.

Victoria's idea seems so much more doable. To list out 52 things that can be accomplished simply by devoting a small amount of time to it each week.  So I have decided to give her little challenge a try, but in my own way. I am not going to list out 52 projects (because it is already the middle of January) instead I have gone room to room to list the projects I want to accomplish to declutter. I will be done when I can walk through my home and NOT feel the need to declutter. 

A home that is often messy is a sign of 1 of 2 problems. Problem 1: Too much stuff. If one has too much stuff then it tends to pile up. Problem 2: Too Little Space. If you have limited space then you have to decide is owning this item and giving up the precious real estate it is going to take up worth the item? 

OK so there is one more possibility, that you have problem 1 and problem 2. In my 2000 square foot (living space not counting that same amount of non-living space) I do not have enough storage solutions and space AND I have too much stuff. I am an organize out, while Lu is an organize in.

Organize out means I like (need) to be able to see what I have, but I do want it to be organized. Organize in means that Lu doesn't want to see anything, but she wants where it is stored out of sight to be neat and easily accessible. 

I also really, really like Victoria's rules, but I have to be Tree (Thank you Gretchen Rubin author of The Happiness Project) so I have set up my OWN rules:

One Week at a Time To A Simplified/Organized Home 

•  I can move ahead in my weekly list and the order the tasks are listed in is not the order I am moving through them. I will list what works for me. 
• I will only save those items for resale if they will likely sell in my neighborhood garage sale the first weekend of June (rain date to apply). Victoria set a value for the items to be sold, but since I simply want the items to go to a good home I am pricing my items low $1 for most items. I do want to find a local thrift store that is NOT a VOA, Goodwill or Salvation Army Affiliate. (If anyone in my area knows of an independent thrift store that would accept good quality used items please let me know.) After my garage sale everything that does not sell is going straight to charity. I also know from experience that a garage sale with too many little items feels cluttered and overwhelming so I am going to make an effort to get rid of the little things as I go and not hold onto them. There will be no nickel boxes at my garage sale. 
• I am setting up an area in the basement (as part of my office) for garage sale items. I do like this part of Victoria's rules: "I plan to date items with a sticky note when I place them in these boxes. I will go through them at the end of each month and any item that have been in them for longer than 4 weeks must be sold that very day, or it is off to the thrift store they go. No exceptions no matter what the value of the item." However, I plan to list items regularly on a Facebook page that I am part of. Those items will be up for sale on the FB page for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks they will get tagged for my community garage sale. At the end of my community garage sale EVERYTHING that didn't sell will go to charity. 
• Victoria's approach to look at the items as if she was moving is one that I can completely embrace, but I am going to ask myself when the last time I used the item, when I can use the item and is there something else I can substitute?
• Like Victoria I need to respect the stage of life I am in. To this end I want to set a deadline on the items that I plan to use or craft with. Ideally I am setting a one month time frame. If within one month's time I have not found the time to craft with the item I am going to immediately donate it. I am not allowing myself to keep those items for garage sale purposes because I feel that I would not truly be decluttering and organizing. 

I also like that Victoria is keeping herself accountable by posting weekly about her attempts and successes, so I plan to join her in that regard. I will be posting about my weekly attempt to declutter and organize on Tuesdays. I will also link to her weekly post so if you are interested you can see how she is doing as well. Here is my current weekly list, room by room:

Living Room:

1. Television Cabinet and Wii Game Basket

Kitchen:

2. Fridge/Freezer
3. Oven
4. White Rolling Cabinet
5. Built in Cabinets/Drawers
6. Baker's Rack

Breakfast Nook
7. Wire Rack #1
8. Wooden Rack
9. Wire Rack #2

Down Bathroom
10. Broken Chairs
11. Boxes

Dinning Room
12. Hutch
13. Display Case
14. Mantel and Bookcases
15. Table

Bedroom
16. My nightstand and corner   Completed 1/26/2014 
17. Top of dresser
18. Hub's nightstand and corner
Closet
19. Shelves
20. Laundry Basket
21. Milk crate
22. Rubbermade Tote
23. Briar Berry Bear's Basket

Up Office
24. Craft Table
25. Craft Bookcase
26. Boxes in front of Window #1
27. Dad's Bookcase
28. Boxes in front of Dad's Bookcase
29. Boxes in front of Window #2
30. Top of Desk
31. Under/in front of Desk
32. Shelf above hanging rod
33. Hanging Rod
34. Under Hanging Rod

35. Linen Closet

36. Stairwell Closet

37. Entry Closet

Front Porch
38. Exterior Wall Side
39. Interior Wall Side
40. Far Wall Side

Basement
41. E. Corner
42. W. Corner
43. N. Corner
44. S. Corner
45. Laundry Area
46. Chest Freezer

Basement Office
47. Desk Side
48. Sink Side

Attic
49. Attic Eve Storage
50. Attic Open Storage

This list can be edited as needed, adding items as I find them. While I will be posting new posts on my progress every Tuesday, I will be keeping tabs on this page with dates things are complete. Additionally, while I was looking for things to clean/organize/declutter in each room I could have also listed off items to be improved/repaired and I think I will start that list in pink in a new column and see how many tasks I come up with for that. The repair/improvement projects however are completely dependent on the financial situation at the time of the improvements. 

So what do you think? Do you want to join us?

What The New Year Holds For Me!

Another day draws to a close, and I have accomplished nothing.  I have decided that it is important for me to get up and get dressed. I am also going to give myself a to do list with 5 items on it. I plan to accomplish those 5 things before I sit down to the computer or to the television.

What I have accomplished is keeping up with the dishes. Since before Christmas I have managed to keep up with the dishes and not head to bed until the dishes are washed. This is where I began. 

Tomorrow I am going to clean the stove top.

I also stumbled upon the blog Refashionista and I am inspired. While I cannot sew a stitch, I am inspired to turn the clothes I no longer fit or wear into something new. In the past year I have lost nearly 20 pounds and have quite a few items that no longer fit or flatter. I could head to the thrift store and find some new pieces, but money is tight and I would prefer not to spend what I don't have to spend. 

I am also going to begin the year of the purge. I am getting rid of everything that doesn't serve a purpose. My plan is to go room by room and simply ask myself: keep, sell, toss, recycle, upcycle or gift.

Anything I am keeping will have to be put in its permanent home. 

Those items I want to sell will be cleaned and prepped for selling and a tag added. They will be listed on the facebook page I am part of. Items will be listed for two weeks only and then either donated to the thrift store or stored for my summer neighborhood garage sale. 

Items to be tossed will be taken directly out to the trash bin, and those items that can be recycled will be placed in the recycle bin.

Upcycled items will be placed on a shelf in my office with a tag for what I plan to up-cycle it. If at the end of the month I haven't upcycled the item then it will go the way of trash, recycle or donation. 

Gift items will be stored on a separate shelf in my office.

Any item I am iffy about will find a home in a box in my office. It can sit in that box until the end of the month and then it will find a new home. 

These are my guidelines, and I will break them if need be. For example if I want to upcycle an item and it requires materials I do not have the funds for I will consider setting that project aside until I have the funds to complete the project. 

This is almost a one touch rule. 

Happy Christmas Eve! Whipped Body Lotion for ALL!

Happy Christmas Eve! Weather you spend it at home or with friends and family I wish you a joyous day!

As promised here is another homemade gift-able. Unfortunately unless you are as quirky as I, and have a teenage daughter who has been experimenting with making home beauty products for more than three years you might not have all the ingredients..... I even had to go out and buy more Apricot Oil last week (and to my dismay the coop only had one small bottle. I'll have to ask at the service desk about ordering a big bottle of apricot and a big bottle of almond - once I am back to work of course).

So here it is, and it is super simple. You keep a simple ratio of 3 solid to 1 liquid. Yep that's really all you need to know. 

This is what I used for this batch (and my recipe changes batch to batch, we keep tweaking it when we are 100% satisfied I'll update and let everyone know my final recipe).

520 grams of Raw Shae Butter (mine is the yellow kind, but I also get and use the white. When I purchase white Shae butter I make sure it is sun bleached and not chemically bleached. I get my Shae Butter for a rocking price from the African Store on S. Clinton Ave. It comes in chunks in plastic bags and is favorably priced. A shout out to the fabulous people at Aaron's Alley for sending me that way a few years ago when I was looking. RIP Aaron we all miss you)
99 grams of Cocoa Butter (I get Essential Living Foods from Abundance Co-op, this wasn't a complete package as Lu uses it for lots of her beauty products).
112 grams of Coconut Oil (I used up the last of a jar I had from Aldi's, yes you can get organic cold pressed coconut oil from Aldi's. In case you didn't know Aldi's is the outlet for Trader Joes....)

To that I added the following liquids
114 grams of Apricot Oil (Lu loves this for her skin.... and I picked up a few months ago after reading about it)
32 grams of Fractionated Coconut Oil (this was a left over bit I had from my EO days)

Once your solid oils are melted add in your liquid oils. You can use just one solid oil. I have made recipes with JUST coconut oil and fractionated coconut oil, but I personally LOVE Shae Butter and what it does for my skin. You could use just Shae butter, or just cocoa butter. Keep in mind Cocoa butter is a "hard" solid oil and so the resulting lotion may be stiff. It will still work you'll just have to "dig" it out and melt it in the palm of your hand. As for your liquids you can use just one vegetable oil (but not corn oil please) or any combo you like. Olive Oil is a favorite from the Mediterranean. There is also Sweet Almond Oil, Avocado (supposed to be great for mature skin), Apricot, Jojoba, etc....... The cost of the oils ranges....

Once the oils have cooled to a solid state, I reheat them. Double heating gives me the best results. Let them cool a second time, but not to a solid state.  Once they are cool but not solid add them to a mixer (you can whip by hand, but it takes more than 30 minutes) and add any essential oils you wish. I ALWAYS add Frankincense and Helichrysium, since both are great for the skin. To give you an idea a recipe like this I use up to 8 drops of Frankie and 2 drops of Heli.  This made 6 half pint containers and 6  four oz containers.

My original intent was to personalize each of the lotions with different EOs like orange, geranium, ylang ylang.... but when I finished whipping this batch

   It just smelled so heavenly I couldn't bring myself to add any other EOs to personalize them.  If you are not making a giant batch of one scent you would scoop out your individual amounts and add EOs. Again I recommend keeping it to no more than 3 EOs (unless you are copy catting someone else's tried and true recipe. I also don't count Franki and Heli when I use them in a recipe. 

The end result varies from batch to batch. This one was very butter-creme frosting like. If when the product completely cools you find it to hard or stiff you can remelt it and add some more liquid oil (not EOs) to it. Or sometimes just put it back in the mixer and whip it again. Now you will notice that I used a batter mixer on my Kitchen Aid, that is because this is my Mums old kitchen aid and she lost the whisk. My kitchen aid died after 3 years of use (I was disappointed to say the least. After all that old white kitchen aid which is older than I am is the reason I bought a kitchen aid. My mums lent us this one until we replaced ours. She has a new kitchen aid which is just fine 6 years later, but after the heartbreak of my first big married purchase breaking I'll just keep using her back up until it breaks down, which probably means I should seek out a whisk at a thrift store or garage sale.....)

Enjoy your whipped body lotion. Again you can fancy up the packaging  with ribbon or fabric and tie on a label (always label your gifts with the ingredients) and some twine.  I can only estimate this recipe cost:

Cocoa Butter - $12.95
Shae Butter - $5
Coconut Oil - $4.99 (but I used 1/3 of that jar so @ $2)
Apricot Oil - $7.99
Fractionated Coconut Oil - $9.99 (but we used less than 1/4 of that bottle so @ $2)
Divide by 12 = $2 per container

Add
$.25 for Essential Oil
$1.80 for the 1/2 pint jar
or 
$.90 for the 4 oz jar

Making a 1/2 pint (8 oz) container $4 and a 4 oz container $3

Again not a bad homemade gift. 

Homemade Giftables! Bath Salts

So if you are a last minute Lucy, like myself, you might be scrambling to find gifts for all those who remain on your list. This is a recipe for ingredients you might already have on hand....

 1lb of Sea Salt (fine or coarse crystals)

4lbs of Epsom Salt

1/2 c Pink Himalayan Salt

Add Ins

Lavender buds

Chamomile buds

Essential Oils

Kerr 1/2 Pint Jars with Lids (19.00 1.60/jar)

Sharpie

Fabric or Ribbon

This recipe makes roughly 10 1/2 pint mason jars of bath salts. I used plain Epsom salts (I found them in with the medical supplies not with bath supplies), fine sea salt (I would recommend coarse sea salt but I had the fine on hand for making salt scrubs), 1/2 c of Pink Himalayan Salt (I found it in bulk at Abundance Co-op). This is your basic recipe. Mostly Epsom salts, then add some sea salt and pink salt if you have it. You could use just Empsom Salts. 

From here you begin to customize. I scooped out (using the 1/5 pint jars) into a small bowl enough of the salt mix for 2 gifts. To this I added Lavender buds and Chamomile buds (this was actually a yummy tea mix from Tracy's Teas) and 3 drops of Roman Chamomile and 2 drops of Lavender essential Oils. Mix well and package. This made my Relax Bath Soak for my MIL and Mums.

It is especially important with Essential Oils and bath salts to let them sit together for 24 hours before you decide if they smell is strong enough.

Then I took out two more containers worth and added orange peel, wild orange (3 drops), grapefruit (2 drops), and Ylang Ylang (1 drop) essential Oils.  This makes Shiny (as in sunshiny) Bath Soak.  

I already had ALL of these supplies on hand, I had purchased bits and pieces through out the year with the idea of doing a bath salts workshop. So technically these 4 gifts cost me nothing (and I have two coconut oil glass jars with salt mix to make more custom blends), but let's do a real cost analysis.  

I used a sharpie to write "relax" and "shiny" on my bath salts. Right on the metal lid. Use a little citrus eo to remove any residue or previous sharpie work. You could also cut a square of fabric to cover the metal lid and make it look super pretty, or use ribbon. 

The cost breakdown:
1 lb of Sea Salt (fine or coarse crystals) - purchased from Trader Joes for $.99
4 lbs of Epsom Salt - purchased from Wegmans for $3.99
1/2 c Pink Himalayan Salt - $1.25 at Abundance Coop Bulk Section
Lavender buds - Free the Tea was given to me as a gift and I enjoyed it very much this was just the very end of it. You could buy this tea from Tracy or go to Abundance Co-op and get Lavender and Chamomile in their bulk section. Better yet plant these in your garden this spring and dry them for next year.
Chamomile buds - same as the Lavender
Orange Peel - FREE
Essential Oils - about $0.05 per drop
Kerr 1/2 Pint Jars with Lids - purchased from Amazon through Cooks.com for 19 with shipping making each container cost $1.60
Sharpie - Free
Fabric or Ribbon - Free
So then each gift costs approximately - $2.50

If you do gift Bath Salts encourage the recipients to return the fancy jars for future gifting. You could also save other containers throughout the year or search garage sales this summer. I don't recommend plastic. 

I selected Kerr jars because they are made in the USA and I try very hard to support this local economy of ours.  I ordered mine from Amazon then saw them for the same price (sans shipping and handling at Target). As much as I don't like the big box stores, I can justify this kind of purchase there. 

Let me know if you have a favorite bath salt recipe....

Electronic Exhaustion

     I have become sick and tired of my cell phone. I have never been a fan of cell phones, but I'm mostly tired of the expectations that others have surrounding cell phones. I have a cell phone so that my family members can reach me, if they need me. I have found that many people have an expectation that because I have a cell phone: I am obligated to answer my cell phone when they call, respond instantly to any text, or just be at their beck and call.
     There have been people who have called my phone and not left a voice mail message, called again within minutes, and when I failed to answer the calls they send multiple text messages. I have a flip phone without a keyboard. I understand that texting may be convenient for some, and I don't mind receiving text messages, but it is the expectation that I will respond immediately. Those are my issues. 
     I have been contemplating going dark for a while. At least for the remainder of the month of November. There are those who tell me that I cannot run my future business without a cell phone. I am currently in school training to become a massage therapist. There is a societal expectation that LMTs will have a cell phone. Can I run a successful business without a cell phone? Can I be a successful LMT without a cell phone?
     What did people do before cell phones? How did businesses operate? I have my own theory. I think that people take advantage of the cell phone. I think people have become increasingly selfish. I think people believe their own time is valuable, but have difficulty in valuing anyone else's time. I believe having the ability to call by cell phone an hour or even 20 minutes before a scheduled appointment takes the caller off the hook for cancelling on someone else's time. 
     I believe that I can run a successful business without a cell phone. I have told myself I have my cell phone so that my girls can reach me if they need me. What did parents do before the cell phone? How were emergencies handled? 
     I desperately want to live in a community, not just in a society where we are becoming ever more anti-social, but pretending the be social.  I believe that for me turning off my cell phone is the first step. Perhaps at the end of the month I will decide that I do in fact need a cell phone. Perhaps at the end of the month I will decide that I never really needed a cell phone. 
      We have contemplated turning off our land line and using a cell phone for that purpose, but really who call our house phone? Survey peoples, political campaigns, and of course bill collectors. I rarely speak to family or friends by way of telephone, actually I rarely speak to family and friends. I want to change that. I want to live more deliberately and with more connection to the people who make my life better. I want to be a better friend. I can do all of that without being tied to my cell phone. Even if I do decide to use my cell phone in place of my house phone, I do not want to have it tied to my hip feeling obligated to answer it. 
     I know the feeling of obligation is my own, and I am choosing to not be part of that. I am also contemplating shutting down my facebook account. I know social media has its place in the current advertising world, and I have met some wonderful people (in person even) because of social media, but I believe social media is really anti-social. That however is a rant for another post.