Multi Purpose Cleaning Spray and Scrub

One of the harshest cleaners in our homes can be our multi purpose sprays.  Another is bathroom cleaners.  I use this mixture for just about everything in my home.  Not only does it get things clean it also helps get rid of smells.  I use it to clean kitchen and bathroom counters, to clean up after the dogs, to mop, to wipe down appliances, to clean the outside of toilets and almost anything else I want to get clean.  The only exceptions I can think of are windows and mirrors as it does streak.

To make the scrub all I do is moisten the surface I want to scrub with the spray, sprinkle on some baking soda, and then do another light spray.  Then it is a pretty easy scrub from there and I find it really makes things shine when I am done.  I use it to scrub sinks, the stove, showers, toilet bowls and anywhere else that needs some extra scrubbing power. 

The process for making this great spray is very simple.  If you already have some soap nut liquid made up it is even easier.  All you need to do is mix the following ingredients in the spray bottle of your choice.

1 part soap nut liquid

1 part white vinegar

essential oils

I use 15 drops each rosemary and lemon myrtle essential oils.

You may be thinking that you can not stand the smell of vinegar so there is no way you would use this. Well I do not find that the finished product smells like vinegar at all.  The essential oils do a nice job of hiding the vinegar scent.

You may also be thinking to yourself that you could never give up your antibacterial cleaner.  Well vinegar, rosemary oil and lemon myrtle oil have all been proven in their bacteria killing ability as well as molds and viruses.  There are other essential oils that could be used such as basil, tea tree and many more.  I would post links to research articles and other sources with the details but they are so abundant and easy to find I will let you search for yourself.

Happy cleaning and I would love to hear how this works for you.

Facing the face

About a month and a half ago I stopped using traditional products of any kind on my face.  This is an area I have always struggled in.  I have combination skin that even estheticians comment on and, while not as bad as in high school, prone to breakouts.  I figured that I had nothing to lose when I came up with the idea for my green tea, honey, and apple cider vinegar (acv) face wash.  I do not know exactly where the idea came from other than all my reading.  You can only see the same things recommended over and over until you start to think that maybe there is something to it.  So I started combining.

I knew honey was good for your skin.  Cleopatra anyone? I had also been reading up on the pros of acv on the skin.  My thinking was maybe I could mix them together to clean my skin.  I then had the thought that it might be too much straight vinegar and my raw local honey is very, very think so I needed something to thin them out with.  Why use just water when maybe there was something that would work and add something of its own, but what?  Maybe green tea would be good.  It is good for you if drink it.  What if you put it on your skin?  Let's see what the land of Google has to say about it.  It turns out I was on to something so on to the lab, I mean kitchen, I go.

I also started using an acv/water mix as my toner that I got from here and a baking soda scrub that I got from here.  I have not found a need to moisturize but I do put some avocado oil around my eyes. Chalk one up for vanity.

How did it work?  Pretty darn well if I do say so myself.  I have had very few breakouts, even hormonal shifty ones.  The few I have had have been different.  They do not hurt, are smaller and heal more quickly than previous ones.  Well as long as I do not pick.  My face seems to be less oily and not as dry all at the same time too.

The recipes

Face wash

1 part acv
2 parts honey
2 parts green tea

I just used the green tea I had in my cupboard, brewed a cup and mixed everything in a shaker bottle.  My tea was still warm when I put the honey in because I needed to help melt it.  It is ok if you need to do this but let the tea cool as much as you can and it still work.  If the tea is too hot is will kill off the good stuff in the honey.  If this happens you can still use it but you will lose some of the benefit from the honey.

Toner

1 part water
1 part acv

Scrub

1-2 tbsp baking soda
just enough water to moisten


The process

Morning

In the shower I pour wash into my hand and splash it on my face then use a washing motion with my hands.  It normally takes two splashes for me to feel like the job is done.  You could also pour some on a damp wash cloth and rub it around your face.  There is no right way so find what works for you.

This is the point I scrub if needed.  I intend to scrub twice a week but it never happens that often.  All I do is put the baking soda in a little dish, your hand would work too, and the drip in just enough water to  get it wet  Then I gently scrub it all over my face and neck. You should treat your neck the same way you do your face.

After the shower I put some toner on a cotton ball and wipe it all over my face and neck.  When I remember I also put one to two drops of avocado oil on my finger tips and rub it around my eyes, even the lids.  You can use any moisturizing oil such as sweet almond, grape seed, or olive, yep the stuff you buy at the grocery store.  There are many options.

Night

All I do here is wipe my face and neck off with a warm, wet wash cloth and then wipe down with a toner laced cotton ball.


Special

I will experiment with masks from time to time as well.  So far my favorite is a simple honey and yogurt mask.  All you need is a little honey and some real unflavored yogurt.  I do not measure this.  I just go with small amounts that looks right.  You may need to melt the honey just a bit to get it to mix.  If so try putting it in a heat proof bowl over a a small pan of boiling water, stirring until it melts just enough to mix with the yogurt.  Apply a thin layer to your face and leave on as long as you like.


I hope this gives you some ideas to try for yourself.  As always if you try something out let me know what you think, be it good, bad or ugly.

Not So 'Poo

I am happy to say that I have found a shampoo alternative that works for me.  The are many options out there such as the no 'poo method, which consist putting cornstarch and baking soda in your hair then brushing it out, or a gentle soap such as castile.  While people all over the internet swear by the no 'poo method I wanted something more of a liquid but not to the point of soap, even a safe and gentle one.  So what is a girl to do?

The answer I have found that works for me is soap nut/berry liquid and baking soda. Soap nuts are a berry that grows on a tree in the southwest Asia region.  The flesh of the berries have a natural soap like property.  I will dedicate a post to soap nuts in the future but there is tons of info out there if you want to look them up in the mean time.

My process is pretty simple.

Ingredients

15 soap nuts (they come pitted and dried)
4 cups water
1 cup baking soda

You can make smaller or larger batches but I would stick with the 4 parts liquid to 1 part baking soda ratio as it is the ratio that I, so far, have found works best.

Step 1

Bring the water to a boil in a pan with plenty of extra room.  Trust me, from experience you will be glad for the extra room when the suds start.

Step 2

Put the soap nuts in the water turn the heat down to a simmer and cover with a vented lid.  Let the soap nuts simmer for 30 minutes.

There will be a soap nut scent that at least fills the kitchen.  The like-ability of the scent tends to very much depend on the person.  I find it different but not good or bad.

Step 3

Uncover and remove the pan from the heat.  Let the liquid cool until it is room temperature. Strain out the soap nut pieces and store in whatever container you like.  I use mason jars and then put it my shampoo bottle as needed, but anything should work.

Step 4

Add in the baking soda.  This will not dissolve.  I just shake to mix before putting it on my hair.  I also find this creates a little bit of suds that keep the not so 'poo from running off my head as much.

Step 5

Wash your hair.  You should not need to wash your hair as much as normal with the not so 'poo.  I suggest just waiting until you hit a day when you think (when looking at your hair) maybe today was the next day I should have washed it.  Do this a couple of time and you will get a feel of how long you can go in-between washings.

Tips

This does not lather.  There is very little that suds or lathers in nature.  What you  get out of traditional products are chemicals that have been added to produce the effect we have been told to expect.

Put whatever not so 'poo you will not use in a week or two in the freezer.  From what I have read soap nut liquid will spoil.  I tend to trust this advise and do not chance it.  If you want to try it out for yourself   it apparently will smell like it has gone bad when it has and that is how you know.



Traditional shampoo of course has tons of scary stuff in it.  Even the "natural" brands are not so good.  There is another reason to stop using regular shampoo though.  It strips all the natural oils from your scalp and hair.  You might be thinking, well yeah that is why I shampoo, but those oils are created by our bodies for a reason and you hair needs them.  The more you over strip those oils away the more your body freaks out and over produces more.

With traditional shampoo I had to wash everyday as I have an oily scalp.  There was no getting around it.  With the not so 'poo I am only washing every other day.  This may still seem like a lot but think about it.  I cut my washing in half.  I can even push a third day with only looking a little oily and it not being to the point my hair is flat and weighed down by oil.

I do not condition but if you feel you need something try apple cider vinegar.  You can just poor it on and leave it or rinse it out.  The vinegar scent should go away as it dries if you decide to not rinse it out.

I purchased my soap nuts as the local natural food store and you should be able to find them at yours.  If not you can always find them online.  I do not recommend the powders and they normally have other things added to them.

If you try this please leave a comment and let me know how it goes.  No matter if it is good, bad or ugly.

Body Butter 1.0

I am pretty much just like everyone else.  My skin gets drier in drier climates and in the winter. There is a difference I have seemed to notice though (unless no one is talking about it).  My hands, especially, will get to the point that they crack open and bleed.  This leads to a lot of lotion use and a search for a good one all around.  This seems to be a hopeless search.  I figure that I can make something that at least works pretty well and does not have any dirty stuff in it.  LET THE RESEARCH BEGIN!!!

Did I ever research.  I came across many recipes, some simple, some not.  I settled on one that had ingredients I was familiar with and would be easy to get through the magic of the internet and not too costly.  It was this body butter recipe from domaphile that I settled on.  The ingredients can be altered based your preferences.  The original recipe states that the 3 parts solid to 1 part liquid ratio needs to be maintained however.  Coconut oil can be counted as either.  I will probably play around with it some on my next batch but I wanted to stick to the recipe on the first go.


Basic Body Butter

1 cup shea butter
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup sweet almond oil

*I try to find food grade ingredients when ever possible.  The way I see it is if I would not eat it why am I putting it on my skin.

**You may use some essential oils as well for fragrance if you like

Step 1

Melt the shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler.  I just put mine in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water. Stir until everything is melted.

Step 2

Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the almond oil.  Let the bowl and mixture cool to what you feel is a reasonable temperature to put in the freezer. (Mine was still pretty warm but cool enough for me to handle with bare hands).  Put the whole thing in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Step 3

When you take the bowl out of the freezer the contents will still be mostly liquid but there will be some that has solidified on the edges of the bowl.  Scrape the sides of the bowl so that the solid parts are in with the liquid. (I just used one of the beaters).  Whip the mixture until it becomes a nice solid butter consistency.

** After the freezer and before the whipping is where I would add the essential oils if you are using them.  Start out with 10 drops and see how you like it.  You can adjust on additional batches if need be.

Step 4

You are done!  Store the body butter in any container you like.  I would not store it in any place that gets very warm so it does not melt.  You do not need to refrigerate it though.

I gave out some samples around work and everyone seemed to like it.  I personally find it a bit too oily/ too low of a melting point.  It will start to melt as soon as it touches skin.  It does do a good job though and is not sticky at all if you do not use too much.  I find that for hands you only need a very small amount (about the size of a pea).  I have also put some into an old cocoa butter tube I had and find it works well if I keep the tube in the freezer.  If I let the tube sit out at room temperature it melts to quickly once it makes skin contact.

For your convenience his is where I purchased the ingredients I used.

shea butter

coconut oil

almond oil

If you try making this please let me know what you think.

Here I Go

Ok, I am finally doing this.  I have told a few of you that I would be so here it is.  Some of you may know that I have thought to one degree or another about what is in my household and body cleaning products for years now.  Most of the effort I have put into changing from the standard products has been to buy less objectionable products.  This all changed about a month and a half ago.  I am not sure why or exactly what triggered it but I just kind of snapped.

I decided that I am done with products that have long lists of items especially when I cannot pronounce most of then or even know what they are.  The way I see it people were cleaning themselves and their homes a hundred years ago and what was so wrong with the way they were doing it?  More importantly I know a lot what is wrong with the way most of us do it today.

I will not go into a big rant here but it pretty much boils down to this.  More and more people are thinking about what they eat and how harsh chemicals effect their bodies.  However, our digestive systems have filters in place to help us out when we make not so great choices.  Well here in the thing, the products that we put on our skin, directly or indirectly, get absorbed in and are quickly moved into our blood stream with no filters in-between.  This can cause a myriad of issues when it involves a lot of the standard commercial ingredients today.  A few of which are hormonal imbalances, Alzheimer's disease and ADHD.  

You are probably reading this because you agree to some extent but maybe you do not know where to start.  Maybe it is that you do not feel you have the time or energy to try out a new method.  Well this is where, hopefully, I can help.  I will be posting about the things I am trying and whether they work or not and whether I like them or not.  Keep in mind just because I may not like the end result does not mean it will not work for you.  If it sounds worth your time and effort give it a go and let me know what you think.