Tasty Water

Image courtesy of Somchai Som / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The main reason I love essential oils is they smell wonderful, and of the few of them I have tried, they taste great too.  I already love water, and drink a ton, but this is a great and easy way to give water some variety.

Tasty Water
24 oz cold water
1 drop of oil
And ice so you feel like you are fancy.
(If you feel like it is too strong you can obviously add a bit more water.)

Suuuuper easy.  So far I have tried and loved: grapefruit, peppermint, and orange.  I have also tried it lemon and although I liked it I didn't love it.

It is also important for me to point out that you should only be ingesting oils that are labeled for consumption.  Several companies make oils that are pure (not diluted with other oils, chemicals, etc.) so make sure that you only are using something that you are as certain as possible is ok for you!

I suppose there are probably some health benefits to drinking water like this, but mostly I just like it for the taste.  Here are a few:

Potential benefits:
Grapefruit: appetite suppressant, mental stress, withdrawals
Peppermint: alertness/energy, cools body, really good for all sorts of digestive problems
Orange: anxiety/fear, elevates mood, digestive problems
Lemon: elevates mood, good for colds & sore throats

P.S. I am not a doctor, so just pretend this is your friend telling you about something they've learned.  Use good judgement!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Image courtesy of Keerati/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

After reading 20 almost identical recipes on the internet, I just picked the one that seemed most common.

Homemade Laundry Detergent 
1 bar grated laundry soap (I used Fels-Naptha but I am pretty sure you could use anything)
1 cup Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
20ish drops of essential oil of your choice (this time I used grapefruit)

I started by grating my bar of laundry soap on the smallest holes on my regular grater.  Next I added the other dry ingredients into a big jar with a lid.  I let my 4-year-old shake it for a while until it seemed pretty well mixed up.  Next I added the essential oil until I thought the smell was strong enough.  This will vary by which scent you are using and how much you want it to smell, hence 20ish.  Then it was back to shaking.  You could also add a few drops to the detergent right before it went in instead, but I can't be messing with bottles and carefully dropping drops in at laundry time, as I am normally juggling a baby in my arms at the same time.  When you are ready to do the laundry you just measure out a tablespoon (or a bit more if your clothes are really dirty) and you are good to go.  I bought a cheap coffee scoop at the grocery store which is 2 Tbs and works really well to have something to leave with the soap.  Also you will either need to use warm water in your wash to dissolve the soap or dissolve it before hand in a little bit of water and add it.  And apparently you should add all laundry soap to the bottom of the top-loading washer (hello, how long have I been an adult and not known this?) before putting your clothes in so it can dissolve better/have more time in the water.

I love this recipe.  I am a cheapskate and so I am always buying cheap laundry detergent, which often leaves me with super stinky stuff.  This way is even cheaper and smells amazing!!  It is also safe for HE/front loading washers.  Enjoy!

P.S. I bought the ingredients (except the oil) at the regular grocery store (Winco) by the other laundry soaps for much cheaper than the above links on Amazon.  I just included them here so you can see what they look like.  Or if you can't find them.