Lucious Lip Balm

So I figured out a recipe that I love for amazing lip balm.  Part coconut oil, part beeswax, and a bit of essential oils for tastiness, and it's perfect!  Then I found the cutest metal sliding tins, and decided I needed to open shop.  So if you are in need of some great lip balm, check it out.  Maybe someday I'll share my secret recipe. :)

So far I have created Lavender Orange, Peppermint, and Lemon Lime.  All super tasty.  And free shipping!

http://getfoxlips.etsy.com

Luxurious Coconut Oil For Extra Dry Skin

Image courtesy of wiangya / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Essential oils often need to be diluted, and one of the most popular choices is coconut oil.  I happened to see some in a jar at the grocery store (next to the other cooking oils) and grabbed it.  (I also saw a giant tub today at Costco.  Maybe next time...)  What is funny is that the coconut oil that I bought is a solid at room temperature, but melts at 75ish degrees (that is super scientific of me).  So pretty much you grab a tiny chunk out and it turns to oil in your hands.  For some reason I think this is funny.  Anyway.  I have been using it for diluting oils to use on my guinea pig children, and as a result have a glob of it in a bowl sitting on my bathroom counter.  I decided that my poor, dry, cracked, awful winter heels could really use some.  Ready for a recipe?

Luxurious Coconut Oil
1 tsp coconut oil
1 drop lavender

This amount will last you for a long time, as I have been using mine for about a week and still have a ton.  (And I have been using it on my kids feet as a nightly foot massage which they have been loving.)  This stuff is made of miracles.  My poor painful hideous feet are getting softer and healing!  I put it on at night, then throw on some socks, and surely enough that magical coconut oil (and lavender which makes it smell nice) is curing them.  I think if I would be more diligent and put it on in the morning too I would get even better results.  So, if you have dry anything, I highly recommend this.

P.S. This doubles as a calming solution which is safe to use on kids.  As I mentioned, I massage this on their feet at night.  Also the lavender is good for putting on cuts to help with healing.  I have been putting it on a wound on my daughter's chin, but I have no idea if it is helping.  (It's not like I'm going to put it on half the cut but not the other half...) But she likes it.

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.