Insect Away!

The other day I brewed up a batch of Wellness Mama's Bug-Off Lotion Bars, and last night we got the chance to try them out. We were both amazed! Not a single bug harrassed us during last nights Aquatennial Firworks display! We strolled and sat for a good 90 minutes in bug-less peace. The mosquitoes have been terrible this year, and the spiders on our balcony have been active, too, I got three successive spider bites on my arm a few weeks ago from what I believe (hope) was a jumping spider. The lotion bars are easy to apply, though they melt incredibly fast, so we applied it as fast as we could. We just stroked the bar over our skin and then rubbed it in. It's a wonderfully hydrating lotion that smells mostly like the chocolately scent of cocoa butter. Since I'm not a huge chocolate fan, I may invest in some Shea butter the next time I make these so that I may smell the delicious herbs over the oils, but catnip is such a strong scent that perhaps I'd be better off smelling like chocolate than have my cats licking me every time I wear this!

Two thumbs up for the Bug-Off Lotion Bars!

Solid Choices

I'm excited to say that I will be switching to solid shampoo! While trying to think of how to bring some toiletries on our upcoming trip to Norway, I thought I may investigate some bar options. Then we went to Norway Day, and I bought the most delectable bar soap called Viking Soap which contains some wonderful ingredients like Iceland moss, sea kelp, oils of coconut, olive and palm, juniper, and essential oils of juniper, rosemary, fir and oakmoss. I used it on my skin and hair, and it was fabulous on both! Because this soap contains so many oils, I'm going to try to use it without conditioner and see how it goes. My hair is extremely thick, and I need conditioner. That said, using coconut milk, avocado and/or olive oil as conditioner has worked better than any store bought stuff, so other than at the gym, I'm using natural conditioners now. If the bars work for both cleaning and conditioning, then I can even use them at the pool. Squeeee!

Update: well, the Viking Soap did not work as conditioner :( Maybe if my hair wasn't so impossibly thick, but alas, I think I need my mega-creamy hair treatments. It has got me thinking about a conditioner bar, though...I wonder if it could be done! Another experiment, yippee!

Brew Meister In Da House

My Hubby and I brew our own beer and mead (honey wine). We absolutely lurve this incredibly economical hobby! Right now, I've got an elderflower, yarrow and cranberry mead fermenting, and I can hardly wait until October to try it! Immature mead, of course, tastes nasty like sweet vomit when you sample it at racking time (racking = siphoning it into a wine jug, or secondary fermenter) because it requires a much longer aging time than beer, which is sometimes finished in a matter of weeks. But when mead is finished....mmmmmmmmm. My first batch of mead turned out so dry, so mildly sweet (in fact, you could even say it wasn't sweet at all), so amazingly smooth that I knew this simple brewing method would be my thang. I cannot wait to try this second batch infused with herbs and fruit! I've decided to wait to experiment with anything super-fruity because they are a little more...unpredictable. I want some serious success (i.e. plenty of available bottles) under my belt before I suffer through any mead explosions or disappointments. Some things I'd like to try are dandelion, elderberry, rose, chamomile, nettle, red clover, lemon balm, burdock, catnip, mallow, and a lavender, borage & violet flower blend to make a blue colored wine, an idea from Joyce Wardwell's 'The Herbal Home Remedy Book'.

Our latest beer experiment was a Surly Furious kit from our brewing supplier (from the AMAZING beer crafters at Surly Brewing), and oh man, that is some tasty, delicious hoppy goodness!! My Hubby loves his bitter, hoppy beers, and I enjoy them once in awhile, but I'm definitely a stout-drinkin' gal, I especially love oatmeal stouts. I love the smooth, low-bitter, dark and hearty beers like Left Hand Milk Stout, Summit Oatmeal Stout, and Guinness-which is the hoppiest of the three. It's like a meal in a glass! We're hoping to try our hand at oatmeal stouts come the cooler months, but the process is a bit more complicated, called partial-mash, and we've not tried it yet. My favorite ales are things with low-fizz like Boddington's, Newcastle, and the recently discovered wonder-beer from our local Harriet Brewing Company. I am a MEGA fan of The Libertine, which is a crafted beer of superior excellence from the conveniently located Fulton Brewery (just a few blocks away and quickly becoming a second home), and everything they make is delicious. I recently had The Worthy Adversary (and by their beer names, you can tell they are The Big Lebowski die-hards, like myself) and within a few sips of this powerpunch beer, you feel as if you truly are A Worthy Adversary! I LOVE ME SOME FULTON'S!

It's much easier to brew beer in the cooler months, but especially in the dead of winter because you can just plop the wort outside to bring the temperature down quickly. We're planning on trying a Juleøl beer for Yule time, which is a traditional Norwegian beer that is made for Yule/Christmas. We will probably just grab a pre-made beer kit from Northern Brewer, using a chocolatey stout and add our own spices and/or herbs. One thing we learned the hard way with the Furious experiment is this: ALWAYS use a muslin bag for infusing herbs. It's less mess, and if you've cleaned up beer wort before, you know just how nasty the clean-up can be!!

Happy Brew-Witching!

Washing-Up

I had researched recipes for laundry soap not long ago, but had decided on supporting a local artisan who crafts some of the most beautiful smelling washing soap I've ever smelled, Mugwort Maggie's. She hand-crafts each batch, and you can tell. She cures the grated soap in front of a wood stove, then hand grinds it so fine it dissolves immediately in cold water. It creates very little suds (which I believe is good for HE machines), and cleans very well. After using it, I thought I didn't want to bother with making my own, and why should I when Mugwort Maggie's has such an awesome product available?

Well, I do love experimenting with recipes of any kind. I love to be able to enjoy the economy of making my own products for pennies. I started looking into it again, and I think I may try it. We just purchased another Mugwort Maggie's bag, so we'll use that up before I start another. I'm excited to give it a whirl!

One recipe I found, the gal said it cost her about $14 to make a dry mix that lasted her a whole year! That's enough reason for me when it costs more than that to buy one store bought brand. We're on a pretty tight budget, and we've saved big on switching to homemade versions of household items. Some things I've switched to making exclusively at home with ENORMOUS savings in both money and waste are: mouth rinses, shower spray, shaving cream, bath and body products, and of course, my cloth pads!

An update on my switch to cloth menstrual pads: I can't believe how much more comfortable and absorbent they are, and cleaning them could not be easier! I toss the soiled ones into a bucket of cold water, let it soak the day, then rinse and toss into the laundry basket to be run through the regular loads. I don't see the fuss about switching to cloth at all! I've been making a bunch more pads, using some nicer backing fabrics because I really like to have a lot available (and I acquired a shiteload of fabric swatches from my Mum that I have no other plans for). I've also discovered which kinds work best for the level of flow I'm having, so I'd like more of certain types. I do have some definite non-faves, which is a little disappointing seeing as I'd hoped they'd all work for me. The only drawback to cloth, in my opinion, is the convenience factor when out and about. I carry my red RagBag separately because I really just don't want dirty pads in my purse, even in a plastic baggie, and there's no room in there anyway. I'm one of those Mom-purse types, even though I'm not a mom. I carry EVERYTHING you could possibly need in my purse, so to have soiled pads just isn't an option, and I'm not sure I'd be ok with that anyway since I'm a slight germaphobe. I grew up with a nurse for a mother, need I say more? So to schlepp around two purses is kind of a drag, but it's only for a few days a month so whatever.

Happy Witching!

Latest Experiments Are A Success!

I wanted to make my DeBunk The Funk deodorant spray into a solid, yet spreadable, wax form because it lasts much longer than the liquid. My coconut oil deodorants are wonderful, but in the summer are completely liquified and I was getting annoyed with constantly putting them in and taking them out of the fridge. My waxy Debunk The Funk is awesome!! I've been using it for the past week or two, and it's pleasant, earthy and effective. Win! Win! Win!

I also wanted to make an itch salve that would double as a healing salve. I came up with a lovely combo that really helps my, er, personal itching issues, as well as being great for bug bites or general skin flare-ups. I've been trying to use it on the eczema I have on my scalp, but like even my prescription cream for that, it is very difficult to apply a cream to the scalp when you've got two tons of hair. The meds just stay in my hair mostly, yuk! However, I really want to avoid using anything steroidal, and with the amount of warnings they gave me with my prescription, I'd just as soon use a wild plantain & calendula based salve. After all, if you wouldn't put something in your mouth, you shouldn't put it on your skin. It all ends up inside you whether through ingestion or absorption.

I need to place another Mountain Rose Herbs order and do more experimenting!! I love witchin' in my kitchen!

Living Simply, Happily

I've been making a strong effort to reduce, reuse and recycle household items. Whenever I can, I first try to ask myself, "Is this something I really need?" and also, "Is this available with less packaging, made in the US, and/or can this be sourced locally, or is this something I could make myself?" It's amazing how many changes we've made by simply asking these questions. We've started buying an awesome, locally sourced laundry soap called Mugwort Maggie's that smells incredible, comes in a small paper bag, and is ground so finely it dissolves straight away even in cold water (why waste hot water and set stains in laundry?) We've switched from dryer sheets to using a 1/2 cup of vinegar added to the rinse cycle for fabric softener (or if we miss the rinse cycle, I just dip a rag in vinegar and toss it into the dryer with the clothes), which makes clothes incredibly soft, I was surprised clothes could come out that soft!

I've been using homemade mouth rinse for quite some time now, saving on all those huge, horrible plastic jugs of mouth wash that are too strong anyway. Simply mix 1/2 tsp salt and 3 drops spearmint essential oil into 8 oz water for a gentle mouth rinse that doesn't upset the natural flora. I've been making a simple, luxurious shaving cream for my hubby of 4 Tbsp coconut oil, 1/4 c castille liquid soap, 1/4 c glycerin with rose water, and a little Sweet Orange essential oil which is whipped up fluffy that is so gentle and moisturizing on his face, meanwhile we don't have to buy those aerosol cans of store bought stuff. We've been picking up locally crafted soaps at the Farmer's Market and they are far superior to store bought soaps, and use less packaging, in fact, we buy the " irregulars" that our vendor offers that have no packaging at all. We plan on going back to refillable shampoo from the Co-op as soon as our current supply is used up. One of my goals is to make homemade shampoo using soapwwort or snow berries! This idea comes from, of course, ForestGroveBotanica. For hair conditioner, one only needs a little olive oil, coconut milk or avocado!

I've blogged elsewhere about my switch to cloth/reusable feminine hygiene products, which was mostly because I've developed a sensitivity to the store bought products, and it has the added benefit of being WAY better for the planet! When I learned that the production of pads and tampons creates dioxin that lives in the product itself, it made me happy about making the switch, and now the only thing against my naughty bits is plain, soft cotton that is good for me and doesn't end up in our waterways! Moreover, they have superior absorbency and comfort. My only wish is that I would have discovered all of this sooner! I was happy to learn that many women are using and switching happily back to cloth pads and menstrual cups or caps. I made my own pads using these awesome patterns from the very funny shewhorunsintheforest, but there are many awesome places to purchase these items online (Lunapads, GladRags, PartyInMyPants)and through Etsy. Here's a photo of my red "rag bag", my Diva Cup (from Lunapads), and my very rustic homemade pads!

I've been making my own homemade shower spray (1/2 c hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 c cup vinegar, 2 tsp dish soap, 1-1/2 c water, 5 drops tea tree essential oil), although I do still wonder wonder about using it and leaving it on the tiles because vinegar can erode the grout, but it also helps prevent mildew buildup, so I do like using it. It's difficult for me to clean the bathtubs because of my back, and this eliminates the need for washing the tile walls. It's so easy to make it seems laughable to have been buying it! We use a squeegee on the tiles after showering to get the moisture off the tiles, as well. For other cleaners, we've been replacing them with either homemade versions (vinegar, baking soda and lemons are virtually all you need to clean most anything) or switching to Seventh Generation. We've tried other dishsoaps, but the saponification seems so lacking, and we've been happy with SG. I may try Meyer's brand, or see if the Co-op offers refillable versions. We loved the Watkins Apothecary dish soap, but the bubbles fade away fairly quickly, so would be our second choice.

It's been so much fun exploring all the ways to reduce what we use, and to come up with recipes for our own products, as well!

Lip Balms

I love my lip balms. I use them constantly throughout the day. Constantly. My lips are always so dry, and I find balms that I buy way too waxy, so I started making my own, easing off of the wax a bit. Now that I've discovered the wonder of coconut oil, I always add some into my balms. It softens the balm, helping it melt at body temperature and helps your lips absorb moisture as well as protect from wind burn. I've made many different blends, but a few stick out as favorites that I'll likely make again and again. Peppermint on its own is so simply wonderful and invigorating. Sweet Orange & Clove is one of my favorite scent blends, and made for awesome gifties to myself, family and friends. I made an amazing Mint, Hyssop & Melissa blend that will most definitely be a staple around here with my tendency to cold sores. And my latest little lovely lip balm is Angelica, Hyssop & Clove that was born because I'm a big Laini Taylor fan, and in one of her awesome books, Faeries of Dreamdark: Blackbringer, there is a balm made with these ingredients to help a healer repair faerie wings! I knew it had to be a lip balm for me! It smells divine and is wonderfully soothing.

Savvy Salves

I came up with two salve recipes that I'm quite proud of. One is a Sweet Warming Salve that I created while I was taking a Circus Arts class and needed a safe salve to use on my hands. The class was great fun, but doing the silks is a hand-joint killer, and I could not safely leave BenGay on my hands because if you get it into your eyes accidentally, it can damage them. So I wanted just a gentle warming that would help ease the pain in my hands that I could leave on without worry. I developed this incredible smelling salve that works wonderfully. My mom, who also struggles with arthritis, is hooked on it. She says she uses it every night and loves how it soothes her hands and feet. It has the added benefit of warming up cold feet in the winter before bed!

I also came up with a hemorrhoid balm that is awesome! My mom is also a big fan of this one, and she says, "It's not only eased the pain of the hemorrhoids, it's actually shrunken them!" which she said no other store-bought product has been able to do for her. I use it also to relieve itching and just calm down an inflamed bum. I have IBS, and that area gets way too much activity, so I always need a calming, cooling kind of moisturizer to use down there. This salve is gentle, soft and creamy to apply, pain and itch-relieving, and also smalls absolutely wonderful!

Mild Mouth Rinse

I've decided to alter my recipe for my mouth rinse. After asking my Mum about an odd, moldy taste in my mouth lately, we had an interesting discussion about the proper chemistry of the mouth (she's an RN), she suggested that I use a milder mouth rinse. She said the ideal environment in the mouth (or anywhere, really) is one that encourages the growth of beneficial flora and inhibits the growth of harmful flora. She said that my recipe was too strong and because of the vodka, killing ALL flora, and used way too much baking soda.

The recipe I currently use is 2 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp vodka, 3-4 drops of essential oil to 8 oz of water. She advised eliminating the vodka, and reducing the baking soda to 1/4 tsp and adding 1/4 tsp of salt. She even suggested eliminating the baking soda and only using that recipe once per month. I like the baking soda because it helps whiten my teeth, but I also want to have a healthy mouth that doesn't taste like mold.

I make a couple of herbal mouth rinses that freshen the breath and kill icky bacteria through the properties of the herbs used, such as rosemary or parsley, combined with spearmint or peppermint and anise. They spoil quickly, however, as it is an infusion. Update: For daily use, I've been using just 1/4 tsp salt, 8 oz water and 3 drops spearmint essential oil. I usually mix up a new batch every couple of weeks, and my mouth feels great!