Super Simple DIY Facial Scrub: Awesomeness in a Jar

This is one of my favorite handmade facial goodies so I am happy and excited to share!

There again, like the moisturizer, I was using a more expensive face wash and really wanted to see if I could find something that worked just as well that I could make.

This is way too simple it's not even funny. And I can't believe I was spending $15 every 6 months when this costs me pennies to make. And it works even better. I was hoping for "the same" and I got better. I can't beat that.

Baking soda, honey, essential oils. That's it.
And like the other two recipes you could just do the base of baking soda and honey- the benefits of the oils are bonus.

Honey- we can look all the way back to Cleopatra to see that people used honey for their skin. She was known to take milk and honey baths. It has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antioxidant properties, which makes it a useful addition to skin care products. It's also a humectant, which helps it attract moisture to the skin making it useful for dry skin. Lastly, honey possesses anti-irritant properties, helping to soothe skin.

Baking Soda- there's about a million uses for baking soda (like coconut oil) so it's not surprising it helps skin too. It's great here as an exfoliator, getting rid of a top layer of dead skin.

I use my Rose Regenerative Facial Oil (scroll down on that page to see details about the oil) like the previous recipe but have also used Lavender, Frankincense and Geranium.

So when you combine all those ingredients you end up with anti-aging benefits.

Anti-Aging Facial Scrub Recipe:
1 tbl baking soda
1/2 tbl honey (preferably local)
3 drops of essential oil of choice (either 3 rose, or 1 each of the others)

Mix the baking soda and the honey to make a paste. Then add the oils. That's it.
Sometimes I double or triple the recipe.

I store mine in a mason jar in the shower. If it gets watery part way through, I add more baking soda. The reason mine gets watery is because I keep it in the shower but I've never been good about washing my face at night at the sink- this is easier. I guess I'm lazy. Either way, this stuff is legit.

This is anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, basically, awesomeness in a jar. But don't take my word, just go to your kitchen cabinets for the supplies and try it for yourself.

I totally replaced my face wash with this and I have fairly sensitive skin and using it daily hasn't been a problem for me. But you could just use as a scrub twice a week and keep your regular face wash if you think it's too much daily.

If you try it, let me know! I've love to know what you think of this little gem!! :)

Face as Smooth as a Baby's.....

The second DIY handmade goodie I'd like to share is my facial moisturizer.

I was using a product which I liked and worked but cost me $25 to buy and I couldn't pronounce half the ingredients. I had tried some organic and natural products in the past but one was drying, one made me break out, and one actually tinted my face orange!! I kept thinking, "There has to be something that's effective that I can make myself."

I started reading up on oils that moisturize and discovered jojoba oil. I bought a small bottle to try. After about 5 days I noticed some drying. So back to the books and read about vegetable glycerin. Since I was going to be mixing the two I had to figure out a good bottle to keep them in and had some roller ball bottles on hand (for making my own oil blends and diluting other oils). So after several tries this is the final and best recipe for my skin...

Facial Moisturizer 

*Jojoba oil

*Vegetable Glycerin 

*Rose Regenerative oil (or lavender, frankincense)

I fill the bottle 2/3 full with jojoba, add 5-7 drops of glycerin. Then add 4-5 drops of rose regenerative oil. 

The Rose Regenerative oil is a blend including Rose otto, Neroli, Carrot seed, Frankincense, Lemon, Helichrysum, Cistus, Lavender, Rose Hip Seed Oil so it is anti-aging, anti-wrinkling, regenerates new skin, diminishes age spots, and decreases large pores. I'm loving this oil by the way! Or you could use frankincense and lavender too. Frankincense is rejuvenating and healing and Lavender is soothing and great for the skin.
 

Frankly, you could just use the base oils, but using essential oils just gives added benefits. 

The beauty of this concoction is that it is so adjustable to each skin type! And its base of the two oils are good, natural basics. And those two bottles cost me like $10! And I've barely made a dent in them! The other brand cost me $25 and lasted 6 months and I've been using these bottles for 3 months so way more savings- duh!!

Oh, my other bits of advice with this are- play around with ratios, and because it feels light you may keep rolling it on but 10 minutes later you're face will be super moist so don't over do it! 

If you try it, I'd love to hear how you like it!! :-)

Stink...The Natural Way

I would love to share some homemade goodies I've been making for two reasons- 1. I want others to have access to these great things too!  And... 2. I want to be able to find all my final recipes in one spot instead of my random post it notes and paper scraps all over the house! ;)

First up, my DIY deodorant! I have been using this recipe for almost a year, so through all seasons, and have gone through tons of tweaks so this is the final recipe.

I left antiperspirant behind 8 years ago when my dad was diagnosed with cancer and through all my research (ya know, you're supposed to sweat- that was news to me!) I decided to make changes to what I was putting in and on my body. I tried many different brands and ended up using Tom's. But every time I plunked down 6 bucks for deodorant I'd cringe. So my main motivation for trying to make it was cost and a bonus is knowing exactly what's in it.

DIY Deodorant
*1/2 cup cornstarch
*1/2 cup baking soda
*15-20 drops tea tree essential oil
*15-20 drops EO of your choosing (I use the combo of tea tree & Good Samaritan [similar to Thieves or On Guard if you use those], or Peppermint & tea tree)
*4 T coconut oil, to texture

Mix the cornstarch and baking soda until all clumps are gone. Add the essential oils and then the coconut oil. I would start with 2 tablespoons and keep mixing, adding a tablespoon at a time until you get the consistency you like. Note: you may want to mix with your hand because the warmth will help melt the coconut oil and help mix into other ingredients to really see the texture. It will harden in the jar after coconut oil cools and you'll be able to rub or scrape the right amount to apply. I've learned to go for a bit "dryer" in the mixing rather than mushy because it lasts longer and doesn't melt on applying. You'll find the right texture through trial and error. And if worse comes to worse and you don't like it then scoop out and add what you want to fix it. I store mine in small 4 oz (1/2 cup) mason jars- this recipe fits in two jars. This supply will last roughly five to six months.

You will want to use tea tree oil for sure. Tea tree oil is antimicrobial and antifungal. Pretty great for odors... as far as others go, that's just personal choice. I like the Good Samaritan (Thieves) because it's a blend that's also known to kill bacteria, viruses, etc and why not double the chances!

Here's the thing- the base is the baking soda, cornstarch, and coconut oil. It's up to you to add oils if you want, and maybe you want to use what you've got on hand. Just play around with what you like and what you have! Half the recipe and use one jar if you want to just try and see if it works.

I have tried multiple times to put this in a traditional deodorant container. First, I put it in an old container but woke up to a mess because all the liquid had drained out of the tiny hole in the bottom. And then I went and bought some empty containers (with no holes) and it all stayed in! Buuut...it was crumbly trying to roll it on that I had more on my bathroom floor than my pits... so back to the jars. I *may try to develop a recipe with beeswax in order to use those deodorant containers I bought so there may be more adapting in the future...

I know there are tons of skeptics out there for DIY or natural anything but this really works! I had people even comment on the scent. And at roughly $.50 a jar what's it hurt to try it?!

 

Blog Under Construction...

I'm in the process of changing names, colors, yada yada yada...... I still want to blog but if you read my former post about quitting blogging you'll see I'm going through some changes. Just blogging by myself this go around, sharing what's on my heart, mind, school life...but this time- my key word is SIMPLIFY.
I'm going with just my name and I'm on a journey. What more do I need?

So if you're new to the page but got here through a link, possibly from Pinterest- this was itsahodgepodgelifeforus.blogspot.com. Thanks for stopping by!!

Beta Testing of Canning Macs...

by Jenny

 

Two things I have always wanted to do 1) Take the kids to pick apples and 2) Can something!

I have always had good intentions to take the kids to pick apples. It seems I'm always too late by the time I get around to picking a day or a place...it's a problem when you combine a procrastinator and a hermit.

Well, when a friend asked if we wanted to join them- I jumped at the chance because I thought it would be more fun together and she would hold me accountable to follow through and go!

 

It was quite the adventure picking apples (hot, bugs, poison ivy, did I mention hot??) but we got to take home a bushel of apples. We learned about several different varieties and picked Arkansas Blacks and McIntosh apples. Then I got home and thought, "Now I gotta figure out what to do with all these?!" My little baker daughter made the most delish apple muffins. And that barely made a dent in the bushel. So the idea of finally getting around to learning how to can and make applesauce came into play! (I had bought canning supplies about 3 years ago from a friend when she moved, hadn't even looked in the box yet...remember, I'm a procrastinator...) Luckily, between the booklet in the box and Pinterest we found a few recipes to reference. It wasn't as hard as I thought but a little time consuming waiting for the apples to cook down... We cored and quartered 8 pounds of apples, then cooked them down. We used an immersion blender then added cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a little demerara sugar (Arkansas Blacks are quite tart so we added sugar to balance). Then it was just filling the prepped jars and putting them in the boiling water. Voila! Beta testing, alpha testing, whatever you'd call it- I would say the experience of canning turned out great!

 

The kids read about the history and invention of canning while the apples were cooking down. Ahh...I love that I get to count these fun experiences as homeschool. Now, I have about 8 more pounds to figure out what to do with....