To burn or not to burn…Oil burners and diffusers | Ok, I’m going to cut to the chase on this one. If you want the full therapeutic benefit from your oils, don’t use them in an oil burner. These typically operate by placing the oil in a ceramic dish (or even metal tray), with or without water and using a candle or some other heat source underneath to vaporize the oils into the surrounding room. Yes I know. They look great. I even had one myself many years ago. However, the heat from the candle will actually damage your oils. If you’re only interested in the ‘nice smell’ from an oil in a room, then Ok, use an oil burner. The same goes with incense sticks. Diffusers There are a number of different diffusers. Cold-Air Diffusers or Nebulizers These operate on the principle of “atomization”, whereby the oils is forced through a pinhole by a stream of air at high pressure. Because the oil is forced through at high velocity, it is also energised, with the levels of oxygen carried by the molecules actually increased. Ultrasonic Diffusers Cheers
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Its Frugal Friday! This recipe is so stinking frugal, so easy its crazy, and you have to try it! It takes about 2 minutes, costs about $0.65 to make, and should last about 100 loads. That’s not even a penny a load! Talk about saving money! Homemade Dishwasher Detergent 2 cups Borax 2 cups washing soda 4 packets of sugar free lemonade Kool-aid (or you can use citric acid) Mix all ingredients together and keep in some kind of container. or just an empty detergent box you have.To use: Place 1 Tbs in the pre-wash (open cup) and 1 Tbs in the main wash (closed cup). The original recipe says to use white vinegar for the rinse aid, but when I did this it made all my dishes smell like vinegar which isn’t too pleasant. Since the holidays are coming up around the corner I will share my frugal Christmas ideas on Fridays. I party here…
Home Remedies for Headaches and Wildcrafting Wednesday Instead of reaching for over the counter medication, you may want to give these home remedies for headaches a try the next time you have an aching head. What causes headaches? Mayo Clinic explains that headaches are classified as primary and secondary: A primary headache is caused by dysfunction or overactivity of pain-sensitive features in your head. Secondary headaches are a symptom of a disease that causes pain in the head. They note that there are several lifestyle factors that may trigger headaches, including: Alcohol, particularly red wine Certain foods, such as processed meats that contain nitrates Changes in sleep or lack of sleep Poor posture Skipped meals Stress Dehydration The following headache remedies are based on the book Home Remedies: What Works and Earth Clinic – Headache Remedies. Headache Remedy #1 – Drink a Glass of Water Sometime headaches (and muscle aches) are caused by simple dehydration. Headache Remedy #2 – Apply Ice or Heat Headache Remedy #3 – Take a nap
Practical Household Uses For SaltOne Good Thing by Jillee A couple of weeks ago I found this great pair of black Calvin Klein jeans at Costco that I have absolutely fallen in love with! They are, most importantly, COMFORTABLE, they fit great, are the right length (ie. long enough!), and they are a nice dark black color! I know that sounds strange, but not all black-colored fabric is created equal. For that reason I have been hesitant to wash them because the other day when I went to wipe some dog hair off my pants with a damp washcloth there was black dye on the washcloth! I just KNOW that once I wash them they aren’t going to be that nice, dark black color anymore. Since I was so impressed with many of these, I figured you would be too, so I decided to compile a list of my favorites to share with you. Starting with……..How To SET The Color In New Clothes and Towels. Salt is used commonly in the textile industry, but works at home too. In the Kitchen Crispier fried potatoes – Soak potatoes in salt water for several hours before you use them.
Homemade Laundry Soap!! Sick of buying laundry soap?? Me too. This stuff is awesome because it is way stronger then the store bought laundry soap. Here is what you need: 1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle 1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle 1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle 3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, Zote can be found at Home Depot) 2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle. (this is optional, I added it into mine because I have pretty messy kids and the cleaner the better) You should be able to find all of these items at your grocery store. **Use 1-2 Tablespoons per load. This detergent is fairly mild smelling, it is not over powering. Start out by grating your Fels-Naptha soap just like cheese. about 2 gallons worth of detergent . Linked to:
Ginger and Coconut Oil Sugar Body Scrub How to take a few things from around the kitchen and turn them into a ginger-infused coconut oil sugar scrub for body and face. 72K+ Today’s post is not about food that you eat. It is, however, about things you normally find in your kitchen like oils and ginger and sugar and kosher salt. While you could technically eat what we are going to make today, I’m suggesting that you feed it to your skin instead.My mom is a lotion fanatic. It made sense for me to seek out all-natural ingredients when thinking about skincare, especially considering my history with products, and so, I’ve been mixing up a few things and looking for ways to go all natural in what I put on my skin, as well as with what I put in my body. Making Your Own Sugar Scrub: Use this to exfoliate every other week or so in the winter on your face as a way to rejuvenate the skin and shed dead skin cells. Copyright © Food for My Family. Like it, love it, share it:
20 Unusual Uses for Coffee for Home, Beauty and Cleaning More ways to justify your addiction to caffeine. Can you imagine life without coffee? We’d all stumble around like drones for hours every morning, lost without our precious fix. We love coffee for its flavor, its aroma and of course its pick-me-up, but there are at least 20 more compelling reasons to stay stocked up. These tips will give you surprising and unusual uses for fresh coffee beans or grounds that have gone stale, the pounds of used grounds you toss out every week and the dregs at the bottom of your cup.Kill fridge odor Wouldn’t you rather smell coffee than two-week-old leftovers, half-rotten produce and spoiled milk? Reduce cellulite Pricey cellulite creams almost always have one major ingredient in common: caffeine, which supposedly enhances fat metabolism, reducing the appearance of these fatty pockets under the skin. Erase smells on your hands Make rich compost There’s a reason so many gardeners swear by adding used coffee grounds to compost. Get shiny hair Natural dye
Ten Alternatives to Shampoo | Lulastic and the hippyshake Updated post: I have now been using 100% natural shampoo alternatives for over four years. My hair is stronger, shinier and healthier than it has ever been! I hope you enjoy this post featuring (still) my favourite No Poo shampoo substitutes. I am pretty surprised that the ingredients I fell in love with at the very beginning of my shampoo free journey have remained my favourites. For the last couple of years I have been working as a columnist for Cosmopolitan, writing up beauty experiments, and I also published a bestselling book all about how to give up shampoo which you can grab here. At a mere $5.20 or £3.40 (purchase in your own currency) it is a SNIP – less than a bottle of swanky shampoo. At the start of this year I began an experiment with my hair. Enter the No Poo way of life! In a typically extreme move I totally gave up shampoo and have in the last 10 months put everything from a homemade nettle brew to mustard powder on my hair! One- Water! Three- Egg. Four- Soapnuts.
Virgin Coconut Oil for Skin Health Virgin Coconut Oil is becoming a favorite in spa treatments for skin health by Brian and Marianita Shilhavy In addition to ingesting the coconut oil, I just have to tell you about another exciting way that coconut oil has helped me! Filipinos are well-known for their youthful appearance and soft, wrinkle-free skin, even though they live in a climate that exposes them to the sun’s rays year round. Coconut oil’s ability to nourish and heal the skin has been known in the tropics for hundreds of years. I wanted to share my experience with virgin coconut oil. Coconut Oil Offers Hope for Fungal Skin Problems Virgin Coconut Oil has been reported to help many skin problems as well. Here are some of the testimonials we have received regarding coconut oil helping with fungal skin problems: I started on coconut oil 3 weeks ago. You’re right Liz, I deal with this same stubborn yeast/fungal thing, especially in the summertime. I am marveling over and over about how this coconut oil is working!!!
Magnesium Oil: A necessary mineral to prevent many major diseases Magnesium supplements can take five years to work...Magnesium Oil takes about four weeks! "Ultra Pure" Magnesium Oil For Less "Deficiency of magnesium is associated with virtually every known major disease: Heart Attacks Diabetes Depression Obesity Cancer And more... Oral magnesium supplements are not easy to assimilate and many take five years or longer to give results." --Dr. What is Magnesium Oil? Magnesium chloride is one of the best kept secrets, not only in naturopathic medicine but in the world of allopathic medicine where it is used in emergency rooms to save lives. Magnesium chloride treatments: address systemic nutritional deficiencies act to improve the function of our cells and immune system help protect cells from oxidative damage It’s a systemic medicine as well as a local one bringing new life and energy to the cells wherever it is applied topically. Can't I just get the magnesium I need by using epsom salts? How was Magnesium Oil discovered? Where does Magnesium Oil come from?
6 Ways to Naturally Prevent and Get Rid of Fleas on Dogs I share my life with many four-legged friends, owning 2 dogs and fostering at least 2 others at any given time. My canine companions make up a huge part of my life so, naturally, I want to care for them…naturally. Like human medications popular dog medications, such as flea and tick preventatives, are full of strange chemicals that could have potentially harmful side effects. If you have little ones running around the house, you don’t want them getting into the medication or touching the dog after it’s applied. Why the ingredients: The essential oils/ingredients used here are all natural insecticide/pesticides, shown to either kill or deter the pests due to their various compounds/naturally occurring chemicals. 1. A flea collar is a great way to ward off fleas without always having to reapply something topically, and it keeps the flea control constant and steady. You will need… Directions Dilute 2-3 drops of your chosen oil in 1-3 tablespoons of water. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Cat owner?
Wintergreen Essential Oil is Mother Natures Aspirin Wintergreen Essential Oil contains 85-99% of methyl salicylate the same active ingredient as birch and is beneficial in massage for soothing head tension and muscles after exercising. This is a key oil in the Raindrop Technique. Did you know that Wintergreen Essential Oil contains 85-99% of methyl salicylate? Birch and wintergreen are the only plants in the world that naturally contain methyl salicylate. Today, true Wintergreen Essential Oil is not commonly used because the British School of Aromatherapy advises that is should not be used due to safety concerns. However, I have to tell you, that I NEVER have had ANY problems using it. And it is hard NOT to, because it has so many incredible benefits! As a matter of fact, it is one of the oils used during Raindrop Technique here it is applied NEAT (undiluted) to the spine. I know I am sounding like a broken record at this point, if you have been reading through my website. It is that simple. Buy Wintergreen Essential Oil Here!
Six natural alternatives to ibuprofen - Phoenix Alternative Medicine The saying used to be, “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning,” but many people turn to ibuprofen to relieve inflammation, pain, and fever. This nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), available both over the counter and by prescription, is commonly used to treat arthritis, menstrual symptoms, headache, general aches and pains, and various inflammatory conditions. Side effects of ibuprofen Although many people think of ibuprofen as being rather benign, it is associated with an increased risk of heart and circulation problems, including stroke and heart attack, as well as gastrointestinal problems, such as bleeding or perforation of the stomach or intestinal tract. Curcumin Natural alternatives to ibuprofen Many studies have been done on various natural pain killers and anti-inflammatories that can be used as alternatives to ibuprofen. Boswellia: This anti-inflammatory remedy comes from the Boswellia serrata tree that grows in India.