Self Care Archives - Page 2 of 3

June 4, 2019June 26, 2019

Sunburn Gel

Hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Holiday Weekend.

Today, I had planned on writing about making your own bug spray this week, but after working in the garden this weekend, I thought I would write about sunburn gel instead.

Bet you can guess why.

I’m not one of those people who tan all nice and pretty brown. I can eventually get there after lots of time in the sun with oils and water to cool you off. But that was in my younger days, not so much now.

We were finally able to get into our garden this weekend and finish planting. I know it’s late, but we had about 30 inches of rain during the month of May. That’s an entire years’ worth of rain in a month. It was crazy and a muddy mess.

This is my Chinese Yard Long Bean trellis. I can’t wait.

It’s also been fairly cool so far this spring. Usually by this time we are getting temps in the mid to upper 90’s and it’s miserable. And while it was pretty warm this weekend, it wasn’t near what I would consider “hot and miserable”. It was simply a beautiful sunny weekend.

We had a nice breeze blowing through the garden and I was determined to get some stuff done. And it was great to just be able to get outside without drowning.

By the time we got done my husband told me I looked like a lobster. I was pretty red, but it really didn’t hurt. We did finally turn the AC on this weekend.

The Recipe for Sunburn Gel

A few years ago I made this mixture just cause I thought the ingredients would work well on a sunburn. It actually surprised me how well it worked. It’s perfectly natural and very easy to make and it will cool your skin like no other.

What’s left of my mix over the last few years. I love this stuff.

It’s made 50/50 coconut oil and aloe vera gel. Super simple. I just shake it before each use.

Coconut Oil

I know they say not to put oils on a burn as it may cause the burn to continue to worsen. I also know this can be true from first hand experience.

But I’ve been using it mixed with aloe vera gel for a few years now and have had nothing but relief.

I’ve even used this mix on a burn my husband got from work on his arm and it relieved that pain too.

So you may want to mix just a little and test it on yourself before you use it on anyone else. Everyone I’ve ever suggested it to has loved it, but everybody is different too. So test it out first in a small spot before rubbing it all over you or someone else’s back.

Aloe Vera Gel

Everyboby knows aloe vera is good for burns. You can just cut a leaf from the plant and use it on a burn. But I actually buy aloe vera gel in bulk and use it in several different lotions I make, but I have it around most of the time.

Our newly replanted aloe vera plant. My husband is so proud of this plant. We’ve had this plant since it was a baby, about 10 years ago. We’ve just replanted it again.

I buy my aloe vera gel at Mountain Rose Herb or at Bulk Apothocary. I’m sure there are plenty of places to buy it, but these are my favorites.

Aloe vera is an anti-inflammatory, it promotes circulation and inhibits the growth of bacteria, all of which are great for burns. BUT, it also just cools a burn, which is what we are all looking for after a sunburn.

My new little garden buddy. He loves grub worms.

Now, we have to use some common sense and not stay out till you blister. When my husband told me I looked like a lobster, I was pretty red, but it didn’t sting to just touch my shoulders. They weren’t comfortable in a shower though, by any means.

But after I used this mixture on my shoulders and arms, I instantly felt relief and by the next day I was in the garden again with no pain. I did remember to use sun screen before I went outside this time so I didn’t repeat the process.

The Sun and Your Skin

I used to lay out in the sun for the perfect tan when I was younger. I always did and I still do think that tanned skin looks healthier than untanned skin. But I know now there is a difference in how much tan is healthy and that too much is really too much.

Today, I’ve discovered all that hours and hours in the sun was probably not the best way to go. While exposure to the sun can help the skin manufacture vitamin D, too much exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun can be too harsh.

This is the beginning of my cantaloupe hill. Be sure to use your sun screen when you make these.

Excessive exposure to the sun can reduce elasticity and cause premature skin aging. It can also damage or even kill skin cells. I don’t think that’s the best way to go for my older skin. Worst of all it’s the chief cause of skin cancer too. No thanks.

So now I still enjoy the sun, but I try to remember to use sun screen and limit my time out in the hot afternoon. I still like the look of tanned skin and still feel it looks healthier than untanned skin, but I’ve also altered my opinion of how much tan that needs to be.

Do you have a remedy for sunburn, (other than not going out in it, of course)? Share it in the comments. I’m excited to see what you’ve come up with.

Thanks for coming by and Until Next Time –

Health, Wealth & Blessing ~ Tracey

May 21, 2019September 16, 2019

Creamy Homemade Lotion

I have to say up-front….You’re really going to love this creamy homemade lotion.

I found my favorite recipe for this creamy homemade lotion in a book written by Rosemary Gladstar. She’s an awesome herbalist with more knowledge than I could ever hope to obtain. If you haven’t heard of her, check out her website here.

She has several YouTube videos too. Search her name and you’ll come across a ton of videos. Check that out here.

She’s also got several books out, but I love this one. It has a ton of recipes in it, but this is my favorite.

This creamy homemade lotion feels magnificent on your hands and your body.

I make a couple of different versions of this lotion, one for my body and one for my face. I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

Basically it has 2 parts, oil and water. Then you combine them.

The Oil Part

Start with 1/3 cup of a more solid-type butter like coco butter, which, by the way, smells amazing, coconut butter or shea butter.

This is the liquid oil I made several months earlier by infusing coconut oil with dried calendula flowers. Calendula is awesome for the skin.

Then add 3/4 cups of a liquid oil. This can be liquid coconut oil, grape seed oil, or any other oil that you prefer, even olive oil, if you like. There are a ton to choose from. Check the ones I buy out here and here or many other sites. Do your own research for what you prefer.

Then add about a 1/4 teaspoon of lanolin and 1 oz of bees wax.

I suggest the little wax pellets. It’s so hard to cut up the bricks, I’ve found it’s worth buying the smaller pellets.

You’ll want to use a double boiler to melt all your oils and bees wax. I don’t have a double boiler so I use a make-shift one. It’s pretty cheesy, but it works. One day I’ll buy one.

This is my double boiler. It’s a sauce pan and a 4 cup glass measuring cup sitting on a canning ring, so it’s not sitting directly on the bottom of the sauce pan.

Boil enough water in the sauce pan to cover the bottom of the measuring cup to slowly melt the oils and wax.

Once all of your oils and wax have melted, let it sit and cool off to room temperature.

The Water Part

The water part starts with 2/3 cup of water. We don’t have city water, we use well water. This recipe actually calls for distilled water. I have to tell you, I’ve always just used our well water and had no problems.

I have made rose water and use that in the mix for my face lotion. There are so many options to try and figure out what you like best.

Add to that 1/3 cup of aloa vera gel. I’ve used vegetable glycerine too. Be sure to try it different ways to see what you like best.

To this you’ll add Vitamin A or E oil whichever you prefer.

I generally use about 1/8 teaspoon or just a touch more of Vitamin E oil. It’s great for your skin.

At this point the recipe actually calls that you add any essential oil that you want. But personally, I wait until after I’ve mixed the oil and water to add the essential oil.

Mixing Oil and Water

We all know that oil and water doesn’t mix, right? Well, there is a way.

Blending the oil for a few minutes before adding the water made this mixture work much better for me.

I start the oil part in this large measuring cup for a reason.

Using a stick blender I’ll blend the oil portion for a few minutes (about 3-5 minutes) before I start adding the water.

I want to see the mixture lighten up a bit before I start adding the water.

The secret in mixing oil and water is to add the water very slowly while you continue to mix the oil.

If you use a blender, you can pour the melted oil into the blender before it cools. Then all you would do is turn on the blender for a short while before you begin to add the water.

Continue to mix as you continue to add the water mixture very slowly. As you add water, it will become creamier and creamier.

Be sure to go slow. My handheld stick blender begins to get hot as I’m finishing up.

I watched a video of Rosemary making this lotion in a blender and you could hear the difference in the blender when it got close to getting done.

Look how creamy that is!! At about at this point, I add 30-35 drops of whatever essential oil I’m using.

One thing I’ll caution you about is that the coco butter I use will almost cover the smell of any essential oil I use. But that doesn’t always stop me from trying.

This recipe made four 4 oz jars of creamy lotion. I use this everyday after I get out of the shower.

I don’t waste any of this creamy homemade lotion.

When you get done, you’ll have this cream on your stick blender and in whatever bowl you’ve mixed it in. And since water and oil doesn’t mix, this doesn’t wash well.

So, the perfect fix, is to go lotion up, scraping it all out of all your bowls and whatever mixer you used. You certainly don’t want to waste this beautiful creamy lotion.

Whatever is left after that, which usually isn’t much, can easily be wiped out with paper towels. Now, it’s much easier to wash.

I’ve came up with a different versions of this recipe, just from experimenting, using rose water and rose infused almond oil, for what I use on my face.

So be sure you experiment. This is a base recipe that can be changed to suite your own needs. I hope you’ll give it a try.

If you have any questions, please let me know. If you have any suggestions, let me know those too. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

Until later – Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

May 14, 2019May 13, 2019

Why Do I DIY

I know people ask why should I DIY? It’s so much easier to just go to the store. There are more and more organic choices all the time and there’s so many more farms these days where you can buy fresh garden vegetables and even meats, milk and eggs.

So, why do I DIY?

In my opinion, there are a ton of reasons to DIY, but here are my top 10 reasons to DIY.

1. Taste!! Nothing taste better than homemade. You can use fresher ingredients and it’s not set on a truck for days or weeks on end going from factory to the store shelf.

2. Knowing what’s in my food, lotions and cleaners makes me feel better about eating or using them. Have you ever read some of those labels? You can’t even pronounce most of it. When I make these things myself, I know every ingredient that’s in it and I never have to wonder what those unpronounceables are.

3. I can adjust a DIY recipe to suit me and my family perfectly. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error, but I can adjust foods, body products and cleaners to suit my own tastes, smells and needs. I can personalize anything.

4. There’s no unnecessary chemicals, preservatives, or coloring in your DIY stuff. I hate all the extra stuff they put in the stuff you buy.

5. When I attempt a new DIY, I’m learning something new. I love learning new things, it just feels good.

6. Some DIY skills I’m learning are becoming lost or forgotten skills in our new modern world. I like the idea of keeping these skills alive to teach to my grandkids. You never know, someday some of these may come in handy again.

Dandelions from my yard for dandelion jelly.

7. You get to choose where your ingredients come from. While they don’t always have to be organic, you still want to know where they come from. You can research the companies you buy from or maybe you can source them locally, near where you live.

In any case, whatever you are making, you have the choice from where you would like to purchase the ingredients to make whatever it is you are making.

8. When I make a new food item like butter or sauerkraut or breads, I always have such a sense of accomplishment. I figured it out, I was able to do it and it tasted good. I like that feeling.

9. When I make something, whatever that might be, I tend to appreciate it a bit more. I know the work and thought that’s gone into it.

Likewise, if I know someone else has put that same kind of work and thought into a product that I buy locally, I will appreciate that product just a little more than something I would pick off the shelf at a grocery store.

10. Last but not least, every time I make something new, I build a bit more confidence in what I can do. Even if a project doesn’t work exactly as I wanted it to, I learned from it and will try again. The next time I’m one step closer to where I want to be.

It was Thomas Edison that said something like, “I didn’t fail, I just found 10,000 ways it didn’t work.” I don’t know if I have that kind of patience, but I agree with his sentiment. You got to try or you’ll not get anywhere.

My granddaughter’s beautiful corn dolly.

When I DIY, Making Mistakes Means Learning Lessons

I told my grand daughter when she was very young and just learning to color and draw pictures, that I didn’t like perfect. The imperfections of what we do is what makes them unique to us. That’s what makes them special. She remembers that, and to this day will remind me of that if a project we make doesn’t come out just right. Because her imperfections are perfect for some, especially me.

I know sometimes it’s easier to go to the store and just buy the things I like to make and post about here. And sometimes I do that, but when I have the chance and the supplies to make what I need, I will try every time to make it. But if I can’t then that’s okay too.

In my opinion, if you can do it yourself, know what’s in it or how it’s built and potentially make it to your particular liking, then why not?

Why do you DIY? I’d love to hear what makes you want to make it yourself instead of buying at the store. Let me know in the comments below, what you’re working on.

Thanks for dropping by.

Until next time – Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

March 5, 2019February 26, 2019

Homemade Shampoo

Shampoo….a necessity of life. But store bought can be expensive and have all kinds of unnecessary stuff in it. Not only is homemade shampoo really inexpensive and easy to make, now you’ll know what you’re putting on your hair.

You do need a few ingredients that you may not have in your cabinets as a regular basis, but once you buy the few ingredients you need, you can make so many batches the cost really is minimal.

What do you Need

Here’s a list of the things I use in my shampoo. You can find many different recipes with different ingredients. Be sure to look at several of them to find what works best for you.

My hair and scalp is naturally dry. So this shampoo leans toward dry skin.

Organic liquid soap. I use Dr. Bonner unscented. You may have something different you like better, and that’s fine.
Fractionated coconut oil
Aloa vera gel. You can also use vegetable glycerine if you’d like.
Essential oil. Whatever you like best will work.
An empty bottle. I used an empty 8 oz Witch Hazel bottle.

Putting It All Together

I’ll tell you up-front, I’m horrible with using actual measurements. It’s a rare occasion that I actually measure the ingredients when I make shampoo (or pretty much everything else), but I worked hard at using measurements for this post. Your welcome.

First, you need to know that the container I’m using is about an 8 oz container. So I first filled the container about a 1/4 of the way full with the liquid soap.
Next add about 3/4 to 1 tablespoon of both fractionated coconut oil and aloa vera gel (or vegetable glycerine).
Add about 1/4 teaspoon of vitamin E oil.
And finally add about 30 drops of essential oils. I used grapefruit just because I love the smell of it the first thing in the morning. (Interestingly enough, I can’t stand the taste of grapefruit though).
To finish up just add water to fill your container.
Shake your shampoo a couple shakes before each use.

Fill a quarter of your container with your liquid soap. I use the unscented soap so I can add my own scent.

About about 3/4 to 1 tablespoon of aloa vera gel and franctionated coconut oil.

Please know this recipe is a basic recipe. These measurements are approximates depending on what you want or need. You can adjust the ingredients to make it your own, to fit your hair and scalp type.

I find this mixture works for me, but you may want to try a different type of oil or you may not want to use the vitamin E oil or use a different type of essential oil. The beauty is you can make it your own.

So, as you can see, this is just a basic starting point. This recipe pretty much gives you a place to start or to work from and then customize for your hair and scalp type and your individual taste.

You can always make a bigger batch, but I’ve just not seen the need. It’s so easy to make, I just don’t feel the need to make large batches.

Now if I could only find a recipe I like for conditioner. Let me know if you have an idea. I’d lover to hear.

Let me know how you used this recipe and how you changed it. If you have a different recipe, feel free to share.

I hope you enjoyed your visit and this post. Please subscribe so you don’t miss an article. Every week is different and I try to cover a variety of topics.

Until next time – Health, Wealth & Blessings ~ Tracey

February 5, 2019August 8, 2020

DIY Myrrh and Cinnamon Tooth Powder

Have you ever read the label of a tube of toothpaste? I have and, no thanks. If you do, it might make you look at an alternative like tooth powder too.

Luckily I inherited my dad’s teeth. I rarely had too much problems beyond cavities when I was a kid. Which I will attribute to my lack of brushing well.

While, I’ve always been pretty good about brushing my teeth, as an adult I was terrible about going to the dentist. I’ve always been scared to death of them.

As a kid you don’t have much choice where you go, but as an adult I found out you just really need to pick your dentist carefully. There are good ones out there.

But I have to confess, I still don’t like going and they still scare me to death, although I admit my current dentist is a great guy. He told me once, “You’ll never feel any pain in my office.” He neglected to say, “the pain will come later after you’ve left my office”, but I knew that already.

Anyway, a year or so ago I discovered this recipe for tooth powder. Seemed weird at the time, but I’ve since discovered, my teeth are in better shape and my bi-annual cleanings are much easier and they don’t take as long.

I’ve talked to my hygienist and she said my teeth and gums are doing good , so I’ll stick with it.

This tooth powder only has 3 ingredients. You can add a 4th one if you really want to. But either way it’s super simple to put together.

The Ingredients

First lets look at the individual ingredients so you can understand why this is actually good for your teeth.

Myrrh

Myrrh is a sap like substance that comes from the commiphora species of trees. It’s been used in Asia as a traditional medicine for inflammatory diseases.

It’s been used as an antiseptic for the mouth and an analgesic for toothaches.

The myrrh I used was in its original gum form. So I had to grind it up. There’s several methods you can use for this, but I prefer a mortar pestle.

You’ll recognize myrrh as one of the gifts from the wise men to the baby Jesus when he was born as it was a highly valued item back in the day.

It’s been used as an analgesic for toothaches and can assist with inflammation.

Myrrh is also good known to be good for gums.

Cinnamon

We’ve talked about cinnamon before here where I talked about spicing your coffee.

Cinnamon adds benefits to this tooth powder in that it’s an astringent and an antimicrobial which provides support for oral health and can help prevent bad breath.

Cinnamon diluted essential oil is also great for relieving tooth pain.

And most important, cinnamon adds a nice taste to the powder.

Licorice Root

Licorice root is another one of those things that adds a nice flavor to this powder since it’s actually 50 times sweeter than sugar. Because of how sweet it is though, you only need a small amount.

It also soothes mucos membranes which can ease sore throats, and it’s good for healthy gums.

Cinnamon and Myrrh Tooth Powder Recipe

If your ingredients are not already ground, you’ll want to grind them to a fine powder. Then mix them

2 Tablespoons of cinnamon

1 Tablespoon of myrrh

2 teaspoons of licorice root

The first time I used this recipe I didn’t use the licorice root it was still good. I’m now on my second batch and I used the licorice root this time and it was even better.

Tooth Powder, a healthy alternative to tooth paste. — All of your powdered ingredients. Ready to mix your tooth powder.

If you decide to add the baking soda I recommend only about 1 teaspoon mixed with the entire batch. I probably didn’t use that much in my recipe, but that is entirely up to you.

You can purchase all these ingredients in powder form, saving you lots of time. Be sure you buy from a reputable company to ensure you are getting the best product for your money.

That much mixture will last me several to 6 months. I actually will put coconut oil on my toothbrush, then dip it in the powder.

And there you have it. A simple, effective tooth powder that I’ve been using for more than a year with no issues whatsoever. My dentist and hygienist are both happy with my teeth. My dental visits are easy and pain free, and that makes me happy.

Do you use something other than store bought toothpaste? If so, let me know what you use. Maybe you’d like to share your recipe. Please feel free to share in the comments below.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time – Health, Wealth and Blessings to you. ~ Tracey