Making your own home remedies and personal care products are fun and rewarding. Homemade alternatives are frequently safer as well. They contain only the essentials and none of the junk. With these recipes you can stop buying and start saving - your pennies and the planet.
If making herbal remedies is new to you, this is a great starter salve. This vapor rub goes together quickly and easily, so you can be using it just a couple hours after starting. Even faster if you put the finished product in the refrigerator to harden it up faster. Is your nose stuffy? Feeling a little phlemgy? Do your… Read More
Many of us are really beginning to question the rational of reaching for a bottle for every ache, pain, or physical problem. That’s why recipes like Feverfew Tincture for migraines and Hyssop Tea for coughs and colds are becoming increasingly popular. Herbs are becoming very common remedies for common ailments. If internal herbalism is new to you, you might be wondering… Read More
These goat milk shampoo bars have a generous helping of castor oil to promote a great lathering experience, along with a full amount of goat’s milk for an added creamy and luxurious feel. Shea (or mango) butter helps to slightly harden the finished bars while providing moisturizing properties for scalp and hair. This recipe is one from Jan Berry’s new… Read More
Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) is a member of the daisy family and it makes a wonderful addition to your herbal garden. Not only is is a beautiful plant with tiny white petals and a great big yellow center, it’s great for migraine sufferers. Migraine and headache relief is it’s most common medicinal use, but if offers so much more. Medicinal Uses… Read More
Dry shampoo is all the rage right now. It not only helps you get out the door looking fab, but it’s good for you as well. Traditional shampoos are really harsh on hair. So what’s a girl (or guy) to do? Use dry shampoo to lengthen out the time between “regular” shampooing!
I really, really, really don’t like ants. I saw Legion of Fire: Killer Ants! when I was fourteen and I’ve been terrified of the swarmy little creatures ever since. This aversion has led me to become unusually militant when they attempt to take up residence in my kitchen every summer. I tend to get a little…rampage-y.
That being said, as a lover of bees and other beneficial insects, I am always incredibly reluctant to use pesticides. I would sooner take a flamethrower to my kitchen than coat my baseboards with Raid.
Gardeners and farmers have hard-working hands that need a little TLC at the end of a long day. This homemade hand cream helps moisturize and soothe rough, achy hands. The best part is that it only takes minutes to make a batch and it lasts a long time. After buying the initial supplies, this hand cream costs less than $1 to make.
You can make this recipe in the microwave, but I prefer to do it in a makeshift double boiler on the stove top.
If you’re like most people, you have days when you feel the extra water weight, or maybe you ate badly the week before and your body is suffering from it. If you’re feeling bloated and you’re looking for a way to detox your body, these healthy drinks may be the solution. These three hot drinks and teas have natural ingredients that replace unnecessary sugars and flush toxins from your body. Instead of reaching for the pot of coffee this week, try replacing it with one of these beverages.
Making a facial mask at home is really easy. You can quickly have a homemade spa experience and it will cost less than a dollar. Your face and your pocketbook will thank you. Since we all have different skin needs, I have a few recipes you can try. I bet you’ll find many of the ingredients right in your kitchen.
For best results, use the mask of your choice once a week.
A salve is basically just something applied topically to heal the skin. It can be a balm, ointment, or cream. They are made with oils and waxes to create a semi-solid material. To keep them shelf stable and nearly solid, there typically isn’t any water content, except when a small amount of tincture is added.
The ingredients in a salve serve many functions, which make the completed product very multi-purpose.
I was introduced to Fire Cider last year when my friend, the owner of Spice & Grain, offered me a sample after hearing me complain about terrible congestion from a cold I was fighting. Made with apple cider vinegar and other immune-boosting natural ingredients, it’s something I feel comfortable taking. It’s safe for kids and in fact makes a good gauge as to whether your kids are faking illness or not. If one of my little cherubs announces they are too sick to go to school, I bring out the Fire Cider.
Coconut Oil. It’s like heaven in a jar. I use coconut oil for everything, not only for it’s healing properties, moisturizing abilities and healthy fats, but you have got to love that smell. I thought it would be fun to make a list of all of the uses for coconut oil. Some you may have already known about, but some may just surprise you.
A study published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science showed that coconut oil is able to penetrate the hair shaft because of its fatty acid structure.
Elder trees (Sambucus niger) are one of my favorite medicinal plants to work with. They help to keep you healthy and they taste great too. Theleaves, flowers, and berries all contain medicinal properties. The bark and roots were commonly used in the past, but their use has become obsolete. The leaves are commonly used externally as a salve for bruises and wounds. The flowers are used as an infusion to treat coughs, colds, and allergies. The flowers are also used as a home remedy for ear aches. If all else fails, elder flowers make an excellent wine.
Mainers joke all the time that mosquitoes should be the state’s bird. Let me tell you this, if you put our state bird in a fighting ring against our average mosquito, the mosquito would most likely come out on top. I take my mosquito repellents very seriously. I have compiled a list of great repellents that work on a wide array of insects in a variety of situations.
You go through nine (actually ten) months of pregnancy thinking that delivery is the end of the abuse for your body. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s not. If you decide to breastfeed, you’ve got the discomfort of learning to nurse your baby. If you choose not to breastfeed, you’ve got to go through the painful process of suppressing lactation.