Foraging: Wild Rose Hips

A couple of weeks ago our family took a walk down the road to get some fresh air, and ran across a whole bunch of wild rose hips.

I immediately wanted to pick them all, but had nothing to put them in, so I resolved that we'd come back and get them in a few days, and went home to research how to preserve rosehips and what to use them for.

If you want to read a more in-depth description of what rosehips do for your health, go here.

Rose hips are really high in vitamin C and can be made into tea, jelly or oil to help bolster the immune system. I thought that since it's fall and the beginning of the blustery, rainy season that we're bound to get a cold here or there, so why not make some tea to help us stay healthy??

One cool gray afternoon, I gathered up the kids and Grandma (my mom) and we went rose hip picking.

We had fun! 

Some of the rose hips were low enough for the kids to pick, and we snacked on the blackberries remaining on the nearby blackberry bushes. Some of the bushes were still flowering!

Once we got about 4 or 5 cups of rose hips and there weren't really many more that we could reach, we came home and I spread them out on a cookie sheet to dry. The process takes a few weeks, so they're not dry quite yet. They look so pretty though, and I can't wait to try them in some tea!

The mornings here have been foggy and cool, and it's so beautiful!!
I love seeing these girls out the kitchen window when I'm stirring the sugar into my coffee:

I know- more cow pictures! I just can't get enough of them!!

Have you ever done any foraging?? What did you get, and what did you do with it? I'd love to hear! 

This post is shared at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.

Natural Body Care Series:A Discovery Of Face Wash From An Unlikely Source

A couple of nights ago I was taking a shower and reached for my face wash, then remembered that I'd used the last of it the day before and forgot to buy more.
(drat!)

Face cleanser is one of those things that I've wanted to make on my own but am kind of scared to/don't have the money to buy expensive essential oils and beeswax or shea butter or anything like that, so I haven't made it on my own yet.

I was kind of in a pinch, because I needed to wash my makeup off before bed so I just grabbed our Homemade Tooth Powder and used that.
Now, before you think I"m crazy, let me tell you what's in it.
It has baking soda, coconut oil, a tiny bit of salt and some peppermint extract.

Guess what gals? It worked great!

The peppermint made my skin all tingly and clean and refreshed, the baking soda and salt exfoliated my skin and the coconut oil moisturized it and took off my makeup, leaving my face fresh and clean and feeling soft.
I am SO happy I discovered this!!

I used it again last night and man, I loved it even more the second time since I knew what to expect.
If you've ever used Burt's Bees Deep Cleansing Cream with Soap Bark and Chamomile, that's what it reminded me of.  Except without the soap bark or chamomile. But you get that same feeling on your face as you do with the Burt's Bees cleanser.

Anyway, if you want some frugal face cleanser, try this out! Just follow the recipe I have on my
Homemade Tooth Powder post and add in about a teaspoon of coconut oil and you're in business.
I love that natural ingredients have so many different uses!!

Natural Body Care Series: Homemade Deodorant

Hi!

 It's been a while since I did a Natural Body Care post, mostly because we needed to use up the rest of our store-bought deodorant before I delved into the world of making my own AND because I kept forgetting to buy coconut oil.

I know you can get this way cheaper on Amazon, but I just wanted to try it
 with a little bit to begin with, so I didn't have a huge jug of coconut oil sitting around.

I know. Excuses, excuses.

If you're interested in any other Natural alternatives to store-bought hygiene products, check out the
Natural Home and Body Care tab at the top of my blog; all the other posts I've done on this subject are up there.

So.
Homemade deodorant.
I have to confess that I was kinda scared to try this one, mostly because when I was a kid, my mom and dad made a switch from regular deodorant with aluminum in it (which can cause cancer) to the natural "crystal" deodorant and it did NOT work for them.

At all.

I still remember the B.O. and it wasn't pleasant. (Sorry mom and dad. Love you! ) :)
They switched back to regular eventually and I was left with the distinct impression to NEVER use natural deodorant, unless I wanted to smell like I didn't use it at all.
Which, for a high school girl would pretty much be the worst thing ever.

Thankfully, I'm not in high school anymore -it's been 10 years...wow.
I've overcome that fear of natural deodorant and tried making my own and- it works!

So would you like to know how to make your own yummy-smelling, natural aluminum-free deodorant??

It's pretty simple.

I used about 1/2 cup baking soda
4 or 5 Tbsp virgin organic unrefined coconut oil
1 tsp or so of cornstarch


Take these ingredients and mix them around until you get the consistency you want, then put it into the container of your choice. It looked like frosting when I was done mixing it and smelled so good, I may have tasted it.
(It didn't taste like frosting.Unfortunately.)

I was using an old deodorant container that I'd rinsed, so I wanted the deodorant to be pretty thick so it'd stay in the container and not ooze out.

Take that, lady speed stick! I made my own, better version of you!!

The old deodorant was REALLY hard to wash out!

Keep in mind that coconut oil will liquefy when it gets warm, so keep your deodorant in the fridge if you don't want it to melt.
To use, just take out of the fridge and apply as usual. The coconut oil will soak into your skin so it doesn't stain your shirts or anything, and you'll smell amazing.
Every time I put it on, I want to eat an Almond Joy. Thankfully, I never have any around the house. ;)

This isn't an antiperspirant (which really you shouldn't use anyway since sweating is your body's way of getting rid of toxins and cooling itself- why trap toxins in your body on purpose?)
so you'll still sweat, but it shouldn't smell.
The baking soda neutralizes the odor and the coconut oil moisturizes your underarms and provides that amazing aroma of tropical paradise. :)

I love it, and its so easy to make!
Don't think I'll ever go back to using store-bought deodorant, that's for sure.

Have you made homemade deodorant before?
Did you use different ingredients? I'd love to get some more recipes and try them!

This post is shared at Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.

Natural Body Care Series: Avocado Lemon Hair Conditioner

Hi!

Ready for the second installment of my Natural Body Care Series?

Last time I showed you how to make Homemade Body Wash.

This time we'll be making:

 Avocado Lemon Hair Conditioner

I got the idea for it from this blog, but when I went to the website I didn't actually have any of the ingredients for a whole recipe of any of the conditioners. (There are like 10 recipes or something, if you need more conditioner ideas.)

So...
I just combined a few of them into my own recipe!

AND
It's
Wonderful.

Simply take:
Half an avocado  (Or double the recipe and use a whole one)
Juice from half a lemon  (make sure you don't skip this or your avocado will turn black and yucky.)
2 Tbsp olive oil or herb-infused oil  (I used olive oil infused with lavender)

(My avocado looks  a little weird because it's been frozen and thawed.)

Put them all in a blender, blend til smooth.

Try not to eat it.

( I might have tasted it. It might have been good.  You could add some garlic and salt and have guacamole! )

When using the conditioner, you can either use it like regular conditioner-work it into your hair while taking a shower and leave it in for a few minutes, then rinse as usual.
OR, if you want more of a deep conditioning, leave it in your hair for 20 minutes with a shower cap over your head before you take a shower, then rinse it out and shampoo your hair as usual. Either way is fine.

Side Note:
Because there is lemon juice in this recipe, if you have dark hair it may lighten it up just a tad. But there isn't
that much lemon juice, so you might be fine. Just be aware that it might. I don't know if it does or not, I haven't noticed any change.

ALSO: Keep this in the fridge in a covered container when you're not using it to keep it from going bad.
Make sure to label it so no one eats it, thinking it's guacamole! Although if they do, since it's all food-based, you don't have to worry about them getting sick or anything. ;)
It keeps for at least a week.

Update: I found it is better for me if I use the conditioner before I wash my hair with shampoo. 
If I shampoo first, then use the conditioner my hair comes out way too oily, but if I use a little bit of the conditioner first, then shampoo my hair is nice and wavy and not too frizzy afterwards.
Of course, depending on your hair texture it may work better another way for you.
My hair is impossibly thick, wavy and tends to be frizzy.

Other Uses:
You can also use this as a face mask!
I tried it and my face felt so clean and moisturized afterwards.
I also took pictures but you couldn't really tell I had anything on my face, so you don't get to see any pictures. ;)
They are just of me making funny faces.
Okay, here's one- now that you're curious.

See? You can't even tell I have this stuff on my face. I was kinda disappointed.

I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Have you ever made your own conditioner? I'd love to hear about it!




This post is shared at Natural Mother's Network  Seasonal Celebration and Frugally Sustainable's
Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways.  There are lots of cool natural tips and remedies at both places, so go check them out!

Natural Body Care Series: Homemade Body Wash

 Lately I've really been wanting to make the switch from store-bought body care products to natural, homemade ones. I've been putting it off for a while because it's intimidating. I also have made the excuse that it's expensive to make natural products, but if doing so creates a better state of health for my family, it actually will save me money in the long run!
The commercial products are just so full of chemicals, phalates, and who knows what else that I feel guilty putting them on my and my families bodies when I know there are healthier, natural alternatives that work just as well or even better.

So I'm on a mission to switch our family from store-bought to homemade body care!
My first foray is:

 (Mostly) Homemade Body Wash

What I mean when I say "mostly" is that I used a bar of Ivory Soap (leftover from making Homemade Laundry Detergent) for part of it.
In my next attempt, I'm going to use some Yardley of London Lavender bar soap- I can't wait to see how it turns out! I just had the Ivory soap already at home, so I tried it with that first.

I found the recipe for this on Pinterest, and modified it slightly.

Here is the original recipe.

Here is what I used:

1 bar Ivory Soap
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Eucalyptus Castile Soap

Yield: About 10 oz. (it reduces and thickens as you simmer it)

Melt your soap in the microwave (on a microwave safe dish of course) for about 60-90 seconds. It will puff up into amazing shapes that make you want to mush your hands around in it and play with it.
 (or is that just me??)
I didn't get a picture because I suck and forgot. Next time. It looks really cool.

Pour the water into a large pan or pot, add the soap and Castile soap and stir gently.
Heat over medium-low heat until the bar soap is dissolved, around 30 min. It will be really foamy at first, but gradually will get clearer and kind of gelatinous.
Make sure you stir the soap every few minutes to help everything dissolve nicely and so it doesn't scald on the bottom. I stirred it with a rubber spatula at first, then with a whisk at the end to get any lingering lumps of bar soap.

Once the body wash is thickened and most of your lumps are dissolved, remove from heat and pour into a glass or plastic container. The body wash will thicken as it cools, add more water if needed to make it more creamy.

I imagine you could add oats or rice pulverized into a powder for exfoliating, or any essential oils if eucalyptus isn't to your liking. Play around with it and see what you come up with!

I'm already looking forward to making my next batch and trying some lavender body wash. :)

Next up in the series: Homemade Avocado Hair Conditioner





This post is shared at Wild Crafting Wednesday at Mind, Body and Sole.

Herbal Remedy: Rosemary Tea for Headaches

I read somewhere recently that the common herb Rosemary is useful for relieving headaches of all kinds.
Being the type of person who would rather try an herbal remedy than take Excedrin or some other drug to relieve pain, I decided to give it a try.

I've never really used Rosemary for anything other than cooking chicken with, or maybe in a soup or two, so I had a nice big jar sitting in my spice cabinet, waiting to be used.


*Disclaimer*
Using herbs without knowing how to do so can result in harmful side effects, so make sure you know how much to use and what to use an herb for before you make up a tincture, tea, etc. I know that Rosemary is safe to drink as tea, which is why I made it. Consult a health food store or herbalist for advice on how to use each herb properly, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
A good resource for herbal remedies and to buy herbs from is Mountain Rose Herbs.



Rosemary Tea


I used the same method to brew the rosemary as described in my honey lemon thyme tea recipe.


I just put about 1 Tablespoon of dried rosemary into a cloth napkin, put that into a nice big mug,

 then poured boiling water in it from my nice bright red tea kettle.

I let it steep maybe 5 minutes, then squeezed the excess water out of the napkin and set it aside. Then I added about 1 teaspoon of local, raw honey, waited for it to cool a tiny bit and drank up.

I have to say, I think that it works!

As I sipped the tea, I could feel myself relaxing from the soothing warmth running into my body, and by the time the cup nearly was gone (when I remembered to take a picture of the tea itself..oops!), so was my headache.

I was pleasantly surprised by both the color and flavor of the tea; it was almost a lavender color (my favorite!) and the flavor was way different from when you cook it with chicken. The rosemary had a nice, herbal flavor (you know...kind of...grassy or leafy) but also had bright notes in it that would pair well with a bit of lemon. I really enjoyed drinking it, and will again in the future, probably even if I don't have a headache.
So, if you have a headache (and as a mommy I get one quite often from tension, lack of sleep or from stress) try drinking some rosemary tea before you pop that ibuprofen.
I'm not guaranteeing it will work for you, but our bodies are always more receptive to natural remedies than man-made ones.



Linking to Frugally Sustainable's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways and Wildcrafting Wednesday at Mind Body and Sole

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hello!

 I realized last night that I needed to make more laundry detergent and then thought, "Hey, I can share this on my blog!" Viola, here it is! This is a wonderful, easy way to save tons of money and avoid putting harsh chemicals on your clothes.
I actually started making my own laundry detergent for that very reason, because my hubby has very sensitive skin and gets spots all over his body if we use laundry detergent with any kind of fragrance or dye in it.  (Yikes! Not. fun.) We were using "All Free and Clear", but that stuff is kind of expensive and doesn't last very long.