Getting Clean ...and a Recipe!

A few weeks ago I came across the One Green Generation blog while they were going through a detox cleanse. I followed along until they finished and it seemed like such a great experience for them! I bought the book and have been working my way through it. It sounds like a cool deal to me so I told hubster about it and it's a go with him too. I want to finish the book and then we'll get started. The total cleanse is for 21 days + a week long elimination process that is done before the cleanse is actually started. I think I'll do the whole thing, but I told my husband he can at least try for the 7 day cleanse and if he feels up to it he can continue with me. I'm pretty excited about it and if anyone is interested I can do daily posts like they did on OGG. The book says keeping a journal is a good idea anyway.

Anyhoo, on to the recipe! This is another "bath and body" recipe in my quest to make myself and my environment cleaner and greener! This time it's for a powdered deodorant. I used to use just straight baking soda but found that it really made me itch so I went back to the stick deodorant/antiperspirant. I was reading recently that the soda by itself is too strong and that it should be cut with corn starch so I thought I'd give it another go. I tried this recipe and have been using it for over a week and really like it. I even got hubby on board! I'm pretty sure the recipe came from the OGG blog too, I just cut mine down so it would fit in my 4 oz. jars.

Powdered Deodorant

1/4 cup Baking Soda ( I use Bob's Red Mill "Aluminum Free" Baking Soda)
1/4 cup Cornstarch (I'm wondering if arrowroot would work too?)
2 drops Tea Tree essential oil (I use NOW brand)
1 Bay Leaf

Mix the soda and starch together. Add the 2 drops of tea tree oil and stir with a toothpick (or whatever you have on hand. I used a bobby pin since I was mixing this up in my bathroom!). Pour into a small jar or other container with a tight fitting lid. Stick one bay leaf in there and close up the jar. Shake to mix it all up. I let mine set overnight but I don't know if that's absolutely necessary. I'm sure you can just use it right away. To use, I take a cotton ball and use it like a powder puff to apply enough powder to cover my underarm area. It doesn't take much!

Now, this doesn't prevent wetness; although, the starch does absorb a little. I swear I have had no odor and my husband says he hasn't either! Cool! The real test will be this summer when even the store bought stuff doesn't help me out.

Next up is homemade laundry detergent! There are about a bazillion recipes on the web for laundry soaps. I'm trying a powdered one and I'll let you know how it works!

In sewing news, the time is coming when I'll finally be able to unveil what those crazy Pattens by Figgy's ladies have been up to with their book! I can't wait!

Recipe Thursday: Face and Body Sugar Scrub

Er...I guess I should say Recipe Friday. Oh well, better late than never! Although, I believe this is about 3 WEEKS late!! Maybe more, I quit counting.

Anyhoo, this is a wonderful scrub that you can even use on your face! It's really simple to make and leave the skin silky soft. You can make this using organic or regular sugar, whatever you have on hand. I'm using regular for this batch since I just didn't have the cash for the "good" stuff! :-D

Face and Body Sugar Scrub

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup White Sugar

Sweet Almond Oil (or any other light vegetable oil. Olive oil is particularly wonderful for moisturizing the skin and grapeseed is excellent.)

Essential Oil of your choice (I'm using orange and vanilla essential oils this time. Other good choices are lavender, lemon, lemongrass, ginger, rosemary, geranium, jasmine, rose, etc. Pretty much whatever you like and can use.)

Gather your ingredients.

Mix up the sugars in a large bowl and start adding the oil slowly, stirring every so often until the mixture becomes kind of think and paste-y.

It should end up looking like this.

Now, you begin adding your essential oils. Just a little at a time until you get the fragrance you want. I found that about 1/2 teaspoon each of the vanilla and orange was plenty.

It's always nice to have a test sniffer handy!

When everything is just right, you can start loading up your container. I'm recycling a container here but you can use canning jars or even baby food jars, whatever. That could make a really cute little gift! I'm thinking bridal and baby showers, gift baskets, etc. This makes a pretty good amount and my jar is not big enough to hold it all so you might be sure to have an extra container on hand just in case.

Ta Da! Now you have some lovely scrubby goodness.

To use: Scoop up a palm full and rub all over skin. Use a little more on dry areas like feet, hand elbows. If you use on face rub gently. Rinse well. Also, be careful in the shower, it can make the floor slick! You may notice the oil separates, just shake your container well before opening and using.

Enjoy!

My new favorite shampoo!

A little side project that has been ongoing for me is making my own bath and body products. In an effort to reduce the toxic chemicals in our household I've turned to using more natural products. One of my favorite things to make is shampoo and it's super easy to do. You might have to make a trip to your health food store to get some of these ingredients. I don't live in a large area and was able to find all of them locally. Amazon.com is a great source for the liquid castile soap!

I've been playing around with different formulas and I want to share a couple that we really like. The first is one that I use the most and the second is one I make up for the kids. Each recipe makes about 4.5 ounces.

One thing I would like to mention before we get started is, while I am an 'independent student' (since I'm learning on my own from books) of aromatherapy and the different uses of essentials oils, I am by no means an expert! Please use caution when handling these oils as they are very potent! If you're unsure if you can use any of them consult a handbook (or even your doctor). I have a couple of books by Valerie Ann Worwood which I really like!

Okie Dokie! Enough of that business, let's get cookin'!!

Lemon Rosemary Shampoo

1/4 cup Distilled Water

1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap (I use Dr. Bronner's unscented)

2 TBSP Dried Rosemary

2 tsp Sweet Almond Oil

1/4 tsp Lemon Essential Oil (I prefer using essential oils but you can use fragrance oil too)

5-10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

Some sort of container (I use a glass bottle that is for oil and vinegar. Got it for $1 at the Dollar Tree and the little spout is the perfect dispenser. I have also reused old shampoo bottles. Just be sure to rinse them well first.)

Boil the water and then sprinkle the Rosemary over top. Let steep for about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the Castile Soap in your bottle. Add the Sweet Almond Oil and your Essential Oils. I find using a funnel is most helpful for all this. Once your Rosemary tea is done you'll strain the leaves and discard. Pour the tea into the bottle and swish it all around to mix. In the shower, be sure to shake before each use since the ingredients will separate. Lather, Rinse, Repeat!

This fragrance is fresh and uplifting and makes my hair shiny and bouncy. It isn't thick like the stuff you get at the store so you will have to pour a little over your head. Otherwise, you just use it like you would normally. The castile soap make lots of fluffy lather and with the essential oils you get the benefit of aromatherapy! This type of shampoo is also gentle so you will probably need to rinse and repeat. The oil in the mix makes conditioner unnecessary! Yay!

The next one is very kid friendly (smell-wise) and the easiest to make. My daughter helped me make up the last batch which was fun. Anyhoo, once all the kids' store-bought shampoo ran out I wanted to make them something they would like. The Lemon Rosemary Shampoo is wonderful but a bit herbaly and more astringent smelling. Let's just say, my 5 year old son wasn't a big fan. This one smells really yummy and makes my hair look and feel really good. My daughter has super duper thick hair and it works great for her, too. It also has the stamp of approval from Mr. Picky.

Creamsicle Shampoo

1/4 cup Liquid Castile Soap

1/4 cup Distilled Water

2 tsp Jojoba Oil

10-15 drops Vanilla Essential Oil

10-15 drops Orange Essential Oil

5-10 drops Tea Tree Oil (optional)

Bottle

Pour all ingredients into your bottle and swish around to mix. Shake before each use. Lather, Rinse, Repeat! See, I told you it was easy!

This is the Creamsicle Shampoo. Oops, looks like I need to make some more!

I'd like to maybe make this a regular feature to my blog. What do you all think? If any of you out there make your own b&b stuff too let me know. I love to try out new recipes!