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!

Starting Out

Howdy!
I'm a Minneapolitan who loves to witch around in the kitchen! I make Lip Shit/Lip Shine, Bathing Salts, Sugar Scrubs, Exfoliating Body Bags, Mouth Rinses, Body Oil Slicks, Savvy Salves, Sticky Potpourri, Woo-Woo Oils and other miscellaneous potions. I do lots of other "crafty beavering" like door charms, beaded jewelry and netted bags, poppets, amulets and talismans, witch bottles, desk and tree ornament terrariums, photo greeting cards, woodburned items, stuffy monsters, and little purses.

In the blog here, I'll take photos of my products and tell you about them.
Happy Kitchen Witching!