Coconut Oil Cream

So, I know I've been a little MIA these passed few months, but I have been doing things and taking pictures so I can do some new posts. :)  Things with my daughter doing chemo are going well but busy and I had my baby (#5) in October.  So, it takes a lot of juggling and acrobatics to get everything done each day! 

But here is a quick and easy thing that I have fallen in love with !  Coconut oil.  I use it all the time.  I have started using it instead of lotion, face wash, mouth wash. . . wait, are we in the kitchen or the bathroom?  Ha ha!  I will give more details on how I use it as face wash and mouth wash, but here is a nice, simple way to make it more usable as a lotion or moisturizer.  

Take some coconut oil and a hand mixer and whip it.  That's all.  Coconut oil has a melting point of 76 degrees.  So, below that, it is solid.  I've been using straight out of the jar for a few months and it gets a little hard to dig it out sometimes.  Once I whipped it up, it stays nice and fluffy and is easy to scoop a little out to use on my hands, my little boy's eczema, my daughter's dry elbows, etc.  I love it.  I hope you will, too. 

Something new. . . No Shampoo!

I came across a very interesting post a few months ago and decided to give it a go.  Giving up shampoo.  Your first thought might be, "Ewwww!" but you should still read on. :)

If you would like to read the post that I did, click here.  I'm all for making things myself rather than buying them.  Even though I can get many things for practically free with coupons, I would rather make something (cheaply) and know that everything in it I am putting on or in my body is free from many harmful chemicals.

The way that shampoo works is that it strips your hair of it’s natural oils. So your body reacts from it’s oil shortage by making more. Then you wash it the next day and strip the oils again, which means that once again your body produces more oil, you see how the cycle works. But by not using shampoo you let the hair oil factory regulate it’s oil production levels to create a healthy balance.
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So, I decided to try out using baking soda instead of shampoo.  It was a pretty risky venture since I tried in out on a Saturday night before Sunday church. :)  I don't know what I was thinking!  BUT, I was pleasantly surprised with the fabulous hair day that I had!  My hair felt totally light and soft and bouncy and it straightened and/or curled just the way I wanted it to!

Do you want to try it out now?  Here's the recipe I used--

1 cup water

1 Tblsp. baking soda

Mix and put in some kind of bottle with a squirty top. 

And that's it!  I had a larger bottle that fit about 4 cups of water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda so it is still sitting in my shower and I use it every 2 to 3 days.  An old shampoo bottle would work great.   I squirt some on top, around and underneath to cover all my hair and scrub it around like shampoo.  Now, it doesn't make  a lovely lather of scented bubbles, so if that is what you love, you might not like this, but I think the end result is worth it.  I do still use conditioner on my hair after I use the baking soda mixture.  I haven't explored the options when it comes to conditioner yet, so we'll see.   

So, just another wonderful use of this amazing stuff!  

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Christmas Gifts

I downloaded a WONDERFUL eBook from a favorite website of mine,  http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/.  The book is called Gifts in a Jar and has a ton of great ideas.  Here is the link, it is a free download.  

So, today I made up the recipe for Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub.  It took literally 2 minutes to make.  Here's the recipe:

1/2 c sugar (side note...what a great thing to do with refined white sugar without eating it!)

1/4 c olive oil

10 drops peppermint oil

1 drop eucalyptus oil

Mix well and put in a jar.  

I gave one of these to my daughter's teacher and am giving them out to some friends and I am searching for more jars because it was just so fun to make!  

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I made deodorant!

So, here's another thing I've thought for awhile about trying, and finally got around to it.  Homemade deodorant.  I think the fact that I am almost out pushed me to do this. :)  It is so easy.  I literally took less than five minutes.  I watched a video on You Tube before making it and it was as easy as it looked.  The lady on the video said that she and her husband have been using it for 2 years and have been totally happy with it.  So why not try it out?  

Here's the link if you would like to watch it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar0BF6hMuGE&noredirect=1

This is all I used :  1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup corn starch (or she uses arrowroot powder)

6 Tblsp. coconut oil

Put them in a bowl and start mixing!  

 This is what it looked like when I was done:

And then I put it in this little 1/2 cup jar.  It is better to keep in a glass jar, rather than plastic.

And there you go!  You can apply it with your fingers, or if you don't want to do that, put it in an empty deodorant container and use it like normal.  

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