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Laundry Powder

6/20/2022

I have a quick and easy post for you today: DIY laundry powder. Making your own laundry powder is so simple. It takes 5 minutes!

WHY DO I WANT TO MAKE MY OWN LAUNDRY POWDER?

I’m so glad you asked! Here are my top 3 reasons!

It’s easy
It’s frugal
It’s non-toxic

We already mentioned easy so we’ll move on to the frugal part. You’ll save quite a bit of money making your own versus buying detergent at the store and you only need to use two tablespoons per load. It’s literally pennies on the dollar!

Conventional laundry products are full of chemical fragrances. They contain chemicals to get the dirt out of your clothes, and more chemicals to keep the dirt from sticking back onto your clothes in the rinse cycle. That’s just the tip of the iceberg and don’t even get me started on Dreft for babies. What a load of marketing that product is! Oy!

Here’s what you need:

Bowl
Cheese grater
Container with lid (I use an old, clean coconut oil tub for large batches)
Borax
Washing Soda
Natural bar soap (I use this brand)
Natural “Oxy Clean” (optional – I like this brand)
Essential Oils (optional – this brand is my current favorite)

Ingredients:

2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
2 cups "Oxy Clean" (optional)
2 bars natural soap

Instructions:

Grate soap.
Place all powders and soap into a large bowl or container and mix well.
Add essential oils if using.
To Use: Add 2 TBS of laundry powder per load of laundry.

Have fun and enjoy!

Do you make laundry powder? Is your recipe similar?

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Citrus-Rose Bath Salts

6/20/2022

Are you looking for a beautiful, functional, aromatic, easy-to-make gift for someone who is difficult to buy for? These citrus-rose bath salts are all those things and so much more! They are so simple to make yet a complete luxury experience! Sounds like a pretty good sales pitch!

Baths are very therapeutic and health-promoting. They help pull toxins out of your body and send nutrients like magnesium (which most people are deficient in), herbs or essential oils into your pores. This is great for boosting the immune system, calming frazzled nerves and healing through aromatherapy. Make sure you have a shower filter to take the chlorine out of your water or you’ll be sending *that* straight to your organs. You can find good filters and water softeners here: http://watersoftenerguide.com

If you’ve got 5 minutes you can make this.

All you need are these ingredients that can easily be sourced online at Mountain Rose Herbs, Amazon and some local stores. Click on each ingredient link for purchasing suggestions.

Course or fine sea salt
Epsom salts or magnesium flakes
Rose petals (dried)
Orange peel (dried)
Citrus essential oil (like orange, grapefruit or tangerine…I use this brand)
Rose essential oil (totally optional, it will smell awesome without it…I use this brand)

Ingredients:

3 cups course or fine sea salt
1 cup epsom salts or magnesium flakes
1/2-3/4 cup rose petals
1/4-1/2 orange peel
20 drops citrus essential oil
5-10 drops rose essential oil (optional)

Instructions:

Blend all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Spoon into decorative, airtight jars.

To Use

Place a scoop (approx. 1/4 cup) in your bath water.
Enjoy a nice, warm bath and take some you time!
Don't allow rose petals and orange peels to go down the drain.

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Blossoming Belly Butter (Guest Post at Mama Natural)

6/20/2022

Stretch marks are no fun!

For the belly butter I purchase all my essential oils here except for the neroli. That I get here.

Click Here and head on over to Mama Natural to get the recipe for Blossoming Belly Baby Butter for Pregnant and Postpartum Mamas!

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Vanilla Bean Whipped Body Butter (Vanilla Dream Cream)

6/20/2022

There’s nothing more luxurious than a whipped body butter made from all organic ingredients, scented with some of the most coveted oils on earth!

DIY personal care products can seem like a daunting undertaking, but they are fairly simple. It’s really just like cooking! What I do is take a base recipe and while using the same proportions, change butters, oils and scents to my custom preferences.

Since learning how to make my own body butters a few years ago, I’ve been experimenting with my favorite essential oil scents. So far, my favorites are chocolate-mint, orange, rose, and this heavenly vanilla scent with just a hint of mint.

What Equipment Do I Need?

Not much at all! I use a glass measuring bowl in a medium-sized pot as my double boiler, a bamboo skewer, measuring cups, and a KitchenAid or hand mixer.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mango butter
1/4 cup cocoa butter (or all mango, or shea butter)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup apricot kernel, almond or jojoba oil
2 TBS arrowroot powder
1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder (optional)
1/2 tsp vitamin E
1 - 1 1/2 tsp vanilla essential oil
15 - 30 drops peppermint essential oil

Instructions:

Melt butters in double boiler or double boiler substitute over medium-low heat.
Add coconut oil and melt completely.
Meanwhile mix arrowroot powder with whatever cold oil you are using.
Remove butters and coconut oil from heat and add the arrowroot/oil mixture.
Mix in vanilla bean powder if using.
Place bowl in refrigerator (if using KitchenAid, transfer to appropriate mixing bowl) until mixture hardens.
Remove from refrigerator and add essential oils and vitamin E.
Blend on medium to high speed until the consistency is that of whipped cream (may take 20 minutes) scraping the sides and checking that the scent is what you want periodically.
Transfer to jars, label and either give away or keep them all to yourself!

If you want to learn how to make more of your own DIY beauty products, Heather Dessinger from Mommypotamus has a fabulous book appropriately titled DIY Organic Beauty Recipes.This invaluable book covers everything from homemade shampoo to baby products, deodorant to lotion. The ingredients are easy to find and the recipes are easy to follow. I love it!

You’ll be making your own personal care products in no time!

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Hibiscus Herbal Tea Blend – Heart Healthy & Delicious

6/20/2022

Herbal tea is wonderful for medicinal purposes and for pleasure.

Hibiscus tea has long been used to help regulate blood pressure and paired with other synergistic herbs is a wonderful, refreshing beverage. There’s just something about drinking flowers that just lifts your spirits and makes you smile!

My favorite way to drink hibiscus herbal tea is iced. It’s perfect for a hot, summer day! I love adding it to my water kefir and kombucha second ferments for a lovely, tangy flavor. It’s yummy hot as well but really works best as an iced tea.

The Herbs & Their Benefits

The herbs used in this blend are chosen for a reason. They all contribute added benefits to the tea.

Hibiscus is rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants and vitamin C. It may help calm hot flashes, it’s anti-inflammatory, great for the skin, boosts immunity, helps balance fluids in the body, and boosts metabolism. It’s also good for cholesterol and as I mentioned, blood pressure.
Rose Hips are chock full of flavor, vitamin C and antioxidants. They are great for constipation and also for the kidneys.
Peppermint is a catalyst herb that enhances the healing properties of all the other herbs. It’s also wonderful for digestion and can even help alleviate allergies. It can help ease nausea and headache pain. It’s anti-viral and anti-bacterial. It helps clear the respiratory tract when sick.
Lemongrass has healthy flavonoids and vitamins and minerals including iron, magnesium and potassium.
Orange Peel obviously has vitamin C, antioxidants and flavonoids. They are great for digestion, indigestion and respiration.
Lemon Verbena smells so good growing in the garden! It’s wonderful for the nervous system and for emotional health. It’s uplifting and can help relieve stress. It’s also really great for digestion with is beneficial for overall health.
Wild Cherry Bark is one of my favorite herbs for respiratory and cardiovascular health. It helps reduces inflammation, and is antispasmodic.

Like many of my herbal tea recipes, I use parts as the measurement of choice. A part is whatever you want it to be: a teaspoon, a tablespoon, a cup, etc. Links to where to find the herbs to make this tea are clickable in the recipe itself and additional links are provided below.

Ingredients:

1 Part Hibiscus Flowers
1/2 Part Rose Hips
1/2 Part Peppermint
1/4 Part Lemongrass
1/4 Part Orange Peel
1/4 Part Lemon Verbena
1/4 Part Wild Cherry Bark

Instructions:

Blend all the herbs together in large bowl.
Transfer to an airtight container.

To Brew
Use 1-2 tsp of dried herbs per 1 cup of water.
Steep for 15 minutes or to desired strength.
Serve hot or cold, sweetened with raw honey or stevia.

Anyone wanting to add a little zip and zest to their day or who wants an overall healthy tea, hibiscus herbal tea is the one!

Be nourished. Be happy.

Enjoy!

All of these herbs are also available at Mountain Rose Herbs or the Bulk Herb Store.

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Laundry Powder

Ingredients:

Citrus-Rose Bath Salts

Ingredients:

Blossoming Belly Butter (Guest Post at Mama Natural)

Vanilla Bean Whipped Body Butter (Vanilla Dream Cream)

There’s nothing more luxurious than a whipped body butter made from all organic ingredients, scented with some of the most coveted oils on earth!

What Equipment Do I Need?

Ingredients:

Hibiscus Herbal Tea Blend – Heart Healthy & Delicious

Herbal tea is wonderful for medicinal purposes and for pleasure.

Ingredients:

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