Tinctures

Continuing my self education on plants, the next step for me was to have a go at making a tincture or two.  I did some research and decided to make dandelion and chamomile tinctures.  Dandelion is good for liver health and chamomile is good for a lot of things including tummy troubles, anxiety, and sleeplessness.  

I guess I won't really know if the dandelion tincture works or not, but the chamomile should be easy to detect it's effectiveness.  I will let you know how it goes.

Felted Wool Dryer Balls

Purchase a skein of 100% wool yarn.  Using about half of the skein, wrap into 3 small yarn balls.  Boil these in water for about 5 minutes.  (I added some lavender essential oil to my water so they would be scented). 

Drain and let cool.  Squish out as much water as you can, place all three wool balls into an old sock and tie the end shut.  This process will help keep the yarn from unraveling while going through the felting process. Throw into the dryer with a load of clothes.  

Using the other half of the skein, wrap the three wool balls with the rest of the yarn and repeat the process. Splitting this in two stages helps to felt the entire wool ball which will help it to last longer. (Most will last up to 5 years!)

Once the process is complete, you can just toss the wool balls in with your clothes.  The balls bounce around in the dryer helping to separate clothing, reducing drying time.  The wool will soak up moisture and then evenly distribute it as your clothes go through the drying process.  This reduces static and results in fewer wrinkles.  

You can add drops of essential oils to them as the scent fades.  The wool will shrink some as the balls become more felted, but other than that...you are free from any additional hassle and can become a dryer sheet free home.

Make a few of these and pair it with homemade laundry soap and you have yourself a great gift to give.  

I've tried quite a few recipes for laundry detergent.  This is the one I am currently using:  Makes 2.5 gallons

1/4 Fels Naptha soap bar - grated, 1/4 c washing soda, 1/8 c borax

Add 1 cup of water to a sauce pan with grated soap.  Stir continually on low heat  until melted.

Fill a large bucket with 1/2 gallon of hot tap water.  Add the melted soap, washing soda, and borax.  Stir. Fill the bucket with 2 more gallons of hot tap water.  Stir.  Add 15 drops of essential oil.

Fill old detergent containers or put into jars to give as gifts.  

Use the standard amount when washing clothes, about 1/2 cup.

 

The Medicine Cabinet

Through the years, I've gradually taken inventory of things we use and have tried to replace these items with ones that align with my personal views and convictions.  There are still things in our life that need replacing, but with me, I find we are more likely to stick with it, if I do things gradually, rather than a complete overhaul. Plus, it takes time to experiment to find what works best for you and your family.  There is no right or wrong,; no special formula.  It's simply what works best for you.

Currently, what works for us:

I keep all of our essential oils here.  I use these for a variety of things including topical skin treatment (tea tree oil), relaxation and relief of tension head aches (lavender), as well as in our cleaning products.

Deodorant - if you recall, I made this recipe back in March.  I believe this will last me through March 2014. I am currently the only person that uses it.  My son is too young and my husband doesn't think it's strong enough for his manliness.  It works fine for me though and I will continue to use it.

Tooth Powder - this is simply a mixture of baking soda and a few drops of peppermint essential oil. Sometimes I put peroxide on my brush first which helps to whiten teeth.  I don't use this everyday, but a few times a week.  It is quite bitter and I have to keep my tongue pressed to the roof of my mouth while brushing.  My son tried it, which was quite comical.  We made this when we were discussing bases and acids in science class. (There are recipes online that also use coconut oil - I may try that next).

The Kids' Kit is a homeopathic medicine kit.  It comes with a booklet of different ailments so you can determine what to give them.  The medicine comes in small tablets that melt so they are good for all ages. Some things seemed to help while others didn't.  After further research,  I think Naturopathic  may be more beneficial.

We use Dr Bronner's for showering,  Kiss-My-Face shaving cream, and our son uses Jason kid's shampoo.
It is strange that there are so many weird chemical concoctions to rub over our bodies.  We aren't perfect by any means, but I think this is a step in the right direction.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions on what products work for you.

The bounty of summer is coming to and end.  Our CSA box isn't going to be quite as full of so many different kinds of fruits and veggies.  I like the transition of the seasons though.  Spring brings us boxes of spring onions, lettuces, beets, and broccoli.  Summer boxes are full of every color a garden can hold.  Our Autumn box is heavy and dense with squash, pumpkins, and potatoes.

We still have a few weeks left of our CSA.  Thankfully we put a few things away in the freezer to enjoy during the winter months.

Soap Nuts

Soap nuts are the fruit of the Ritha tree found primarily in Nepal.

The shell contains "saponin" which is known for it's ability to clean and wash.

Place 5-6 soap nuts into cotton sack and soak in warm water for 10 minutes.

Place in washing machine with soiled clothes. You can use the same nuts up to 3 times.

Hang clean clothes on the line for 100% natural laundry 

Deodorant

Deodorant: 1/4 c arrowroot, 1/4 c baking soda, 6-8 tbsp solid coconut oil, and essential oils

 mix it all together.  I used a pastry mixer.  The mixture will be a bit crumbly looking, like bread crumbs

and you will probably be thinking "this isn't turning out right"...but don't worry, it's fine.

 Once the mixture is put into a jar, it feels more like conventional deodorant.  I just use my fingertips to apply.  You can also try  reuse a commercial deodorant dispenser.  The one I had wouldn't let me reverse the mechanism that pushes the deodorant up.  I don't mind though.  

I like the look of the glass jar much better.