Wholesome Wednesdays: Baking Soda

Good old baking soda. I’ve always had a box open in the fridge, but never really given much thought or consideration to the versatile dust until a few years ago when i jettisoned most of the chemical base cleaners in my house.  Since investing more time on learning alternatives to chemicals and modern goops to clean my home and treat my fire ant stings, i’ve discovered some great uses for baking soda.  Here are some of the ways i’ve been using my baking soda in the last year:

• Insect sting relief: When i get a fire ant or hornet bite, i score the bite with a sterilized razor blade and apply a poultice of baking soda on top. Sometimes i also add essential oils or mashed borage leaves when i have them. The baking soda helps suck the poison out and prevents the massive swelling i tend to get from those nasty bites.
• Drain cleaner: Pour boiling water into your drain. Once drained, sprinkle some baking soda into a clogged drain and follow with some vinegar and cover it up. A little explosion will happen in the drain and force the nasties down. Follow with some more boiling hot water to help further dislodge things and repeat as neccessary. (It helps to scrape out the nasty hair first, if applicable)
• Cleaning the garbage disposal: Same steps as above. Freshens the gunky smell and gets the grime off.
• All purpose cleaner: The grittyness of baking soda works well to clean just about anything. Combine with Borax and you have a super hero team of scrubbing power.
• Biscuits. Yum.
• Add a scoop of baking soda or borax to a load of laundry for cleaner, softer clothes.
• Sprinkle some baking soda or borax in the compost pail or trash basket in the kitchen to keep those funky smells less funky.

I love to use baking soda in my carpet powder concoctions. I use an old parmesan cheese canister to sprinkle my mixture of essential oils, baking soda and diatonaceous earth to freshen the carpet and kill any nasty critters crawling about the house via puppy feet.

As you probably know, i also make my own tooth powder that heavily features baking soda, along with salt, clay and essential oils.

Arm and Hammer has a neat little website feature that discloses all sorts of ‘secret uses’ for baking soda. Check it out. Some of their tips include:

• Clean walls or furniture with a paste of baking soda – acts like that magic eraser
• Adding baking soda to the rinse cycle specifically helps freshen up those sheets even more
• All purpose deodorizer – that’s what that open box in the fridge is for (even though i still bake with that one, gross) and sprinkling it about in the form of a carpet freshener is great all over the place including on pet bedding or anywhere else.
• Pamper that bod: add to shampoo to get your locks cleaner and shinier, soak your feet, scrub your body, relieve an acid stomach, add to a bath to neutralize the ph and get you cleaner/fresher, use as deoderant….
• Clean off car batteries
• Clean up oily spills
• Bring it camping and use it for everything: washing hands, clothes, dishes, teeth, hair, fire extinguishing, EVERYTHING
• You can safely clean just about ANYTHING with baking soda, right down to vegetables, the dog herself or baby’s favorite chew toy

Wow. That was intense. I never knew the true power of baking soda. I can’t wait to whip up my carpet freshener and use it EVERYWHERE on EVERYTHING, not just carpets. So put away those nasty chemicals and stock up on some baking soda. It’ll cure what ails ya, or your dirty floor, or toilet, or teeth, or hair, or dog, or…………

How do you use baking soda?

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Homemade Beauty Serum

Ever since I heard that “Oil of Olay” may use animal testing, i decided to stop using store bought facial cream. Luckily, at about the same time i discovered Rosemary Gladstar’s recipe for natural lotion. I then adapted that recipe to  create the lotion my customers know and love:  Everywhere Cream. I love Everywhere Cream, but i also like to use a beauty serum just before bed that is concentrated of pure oil and essential oil, without the water and beeswax that makes E.C. so great for daily wear. You can make the same serum easily, and can substitute your favorite essential oils, depending on your skin’s needs.

Simple Beauty Serum

• 1 part jojoba or sweet almond oil
• 3 parts hempseed oil
• several drops essential oil of your choice (peppermint, lavender, patchouli, helichrysum)
• several drops calendula oil (oil infused with calendula petals)

Jojoba closely matches our skin’s natural oils, which makes it the perfect choice for a facial moisturizer. It also has a very long shelf life, which makes it a great choice for a “a little goes a long way” type beauty product. You’ll have this serum on your shelf for a long time, and you don’t want it to spoil. Unfortunately, jojoba is becoming endangered/ near extinct, so i try to limit my use of this precious oil. Sweet Almond oil is also very gentle and non-irritating to facial skin. It is much less “oily” than thicker oils like olive and shouldn’t cause breakouts. Hempseed oil is my favorite oil for mature or sensitive skin. It helps to smoothe out wrinkles and scars, and is great for all skin types.  I choose peppermint and lemongrass essential oils: peppermint is good for puffy skin and lemongrass is great for reducing pores. Don’t use too much of either  though, as both are a bit volatile and can sting.

I also like to add a few drops of calendula oil that i purchase from Herb Pharm. You could also infuse your own, but i like to purchase theirs and not risk getting my oil moldy from petals that may not be dry enough. Combine all ingredients in a small vial and massage a few drops into your face before bed every night, focusing on your ‘trouble spots.’ I think you’ll notice happier (and less wrinkley) looking skin within several weeks!

Do you moisturize your face before bed? What do you use?

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It’s a Cherry, It’s a Plum…. What is it?

Foraging doesn’t have to be in the woods or even in a wild place… one can find GREAT foraging in your own driveway or along a neighbor’s fence. (Be sure it’s a friendly neighbor, or that the produce you’re foraging is, in fact, not being harvested by them).

Earlier this Spring my husband came in all excited that he had discovered a cherry tree tucked along a fence between our apartment complex and a neighbor’s house. I watched the fruit as it developed through the Summer and picked the first one the other day. They’re dark red fruits, the size of a very LARGE cherry and are not tart but not too sweet either. They taste more like: plums! But is that what they are? Here are some photos of the fruit and foliage. I’d love to pick a whole mess of these guys and make some honey sweetened jam or compote…. but it might be nice to know what fruit i’m actually dealing with!

What’s your vote: Cherry? Plum? Something else?

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“Natural” Can Be Deadly

Today’s post is a very important message to all the skin-parents out there. A friend of mine recently sent me an email warning me about using essential oils on my dog, Pocket. As i posted recently, i have blended an essential oil mixture to use on Pocket to prevent fleas, ticks and mosquitos without relying on those nasty chemical treatments. I’ve been using it with good success, as an occasional neck drip but mostly as a “rub it around on her belly and tail feathers” barrier when we go hiking. She’s had no problems, but i was also careful to dilute the essential oils i used with a lot of jojoba oil. It’s very important to remember that essential oils must ALWAYS be diluted before use, for humans and pets alike. There are a few exceptions that can be used undiluted on occasion, but as a general rule you should water down your essential oils in oil, vodka or witch hazel.

In my friend’s case, she was using a brand name treatment that is available in stores and across the internet. Please read her warning below and weigh your options carefully when choosing a flea treatment for your pet:

Be very, very careful when using essential oils on Pocket. I honestly wouldn’t recommended it at all.

I used Sentry brand “Natural Defense Flea & Tick” squeeze-on treatment, as well as the same name carpet powder. The ingredients are peppermint oil, cinnamon oil, lemon grass oil, clove oil and thyme oil.

Within one day of treating Tres, he was having severe difficulty breathing. I wondered if it was the flea treatment, but thought that it would be strange if any of those ingredients caused him harm, as I thought they were safe (which is why I used it, as opposed to a chemical treatment). Well, three vets and four days later, we finally found a vet who had seen this before and read studies on it and, yes, essential oils can be toxic to dogs and cats. Their bodies metabolize them differently than ours. Tres’ rapid breathing was caused by his body being so acidic that it was toxic from the oils. His body was trying to get lots of oxygen to help his liver and kidneys eliminate the toxins. It has been nine days and his breathing is still not quite normal. But it is better. He wouldn’t eat, he could barely walk and he sounded like he was hyperventilating. It was HORRIBLE. I would just lay in his kennel with him and sob. The vet said we are lucky that he is still alive.

The only thing we could do to treat him was wash him with dish washing detergent (4x) make sure he had plenty of clean water, high quality protein (he would barely eat though) and lots of rest. And 12 mg of Benadryl twice daily. We go to the vet next week to do blood work to see if there has been any permanent organ damage. We’re hoping and praying that there isn’t any.

I’ve called the company and they refuse to acknowledge that their product could have done this. I find that interesting, considering that I found 200 complaints about their products killing/harming dogs and cats at the Consumer Affairs website and there is a Facebook page of people with similar experiences who are gathering up in order to file a class action lawsuit against the company.

It is going to cost $400 to get our area rugs cleaned (I used the powder on them) and we’ve incurred a few hundred dollars in vet bills so far. Sentry says that they will do an investigation and “possibly” refund us for costs incurred.

PLEASE pass the word on to all of your friends and family with beloved cats and dogs. Products with essential oils are even more harmful to cats, as they clean themselves and ingest them. The best flea treatment to use is Frontline Plus.

Josh made up a new slogan for Sentry: “Works so well it kills your pet, too!”

Scary stuff! Please be careful when using any medication on yourself or your pets, natural or chemical. Also avoid clove oil like the plague: it is intensely volatile and dangerous even to humans if undiluted. Use it on your gums, carefully, but keep it away from the pups! Prevention is always the best policy: plant flea and mosquito preventing plants in your landscaping like pennyroyal and catmint, brush and pick over your pet often to see if fleas are even a problem and always be careful when using a new product on your pets as they may respond differently than you’d expect. I like to mix a carpet powder for home use that should be safe for everyone involved: a blend of 60% baking soda and 40% diatomaceous earth plus a few drops of essential oils for the scent. The b.s. freshens the house and the d.e. helps kill unwanted pests. I’ve also heard from a reader that you can shake salt all over your house and let it sit for a day before vacuuming…. that sounds a little messy but very safe.

Be careful out there, everybody! -Miranda & Pocket

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A Rainbow of Natural Dyes

My husband and I found ourselves at the Black Sheep Gathering last weekend, where i filled my brain with too much information and my shopping cart with too much roving. Both of these opulences make me very happy. Some of the information that is now housed in my brain has to do with natural dying, specifically dying yarn with a type of mushroom, log wood and cochineal (a type of scale insect.) We took a class on Saturday, taught by a woman who has been dying with mushrooms and other natural things for over 10 years. We learned a lot and got to take home some lovely yarn.

Pink: cochineal, Yellow: Dyer’s Polypore (mushroom), Blue: Logwood

I was hoping to learn a little more about different kinds of plants, different kinds of mushrooms, and how to know what plants/bugs/mushrooms are good for dying, but i’m still happy we took this class. Maryka covered all the details of pre and post-mordanting the fiber, and walked us through the entire process from white to dyed yarn. I definitely feel confident that i can follow her directions and dye my own yarns using foraged plants, but will have to do a bit more research on what mushrooms and plants to pick for dying. More information absorption is in my future! I’m really fascinated by dying with natural/foraged materials, and love the subdued colors that result. I can’t wait to cloth myself not only in handspun, hand knit garments, but to have those garments also hand dyed using plants found growing just miles from my house. Cool, right?

Do you dye your own yarn or roving? Do you prefer artificial or natural dyes?

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The Key to Healthy Hair, Skin and Nails…

… all starts with diet. That’s right, folks. When people come up to me and tell me how gorgeous and healthy looking my long hair is, or how my husband’s hair looks much thicker than in the past, i tell them about my herbal hair rinse, and about my diet. As clarification, i mean “diet” as in “the things i eat” not “the things i eat to lose weight.”

I consider myself a bit of a “homesteader.” I think in today’s lexicon a homesteader is someone that makes things from scratch, tries to grow quite a bit of their food, and things of their home as their own cottage industry hub, rather than just a place to do board games or watch tv in. Although currently trapped in an apartment, i still enjoy making things from scratch, and there are a few stock ingredients in my cupboard that will NEVER come from a store: soap, tooth powder and broth.

Making broth is very easy, and it uses up parts of the animal that would otherwise be wasted. You can boil bones raw, or you can boil bones after roasting for more flavor. Most folks will have most frequent access to chicken and turkey bones, but you can throw any sort of bones in that you’d like, but maybe keep your batches grouped by ‘like’ animal. I’ve been throwing goat bones in with my chicken bones lately, because i had some on hand. Cartilage heavy bones, like pig knuckles and chicken feet, hold the most gelatin and should never be discarded. Not all stock is the same, and making your own is the best way to ensure your stock isn’t full of salt, preservatives, excess water or a large portion vegetable stock. Veggie stock is great and all: but you want gelatin! Gelatin is the key to fast growing hair and nails, happy skin, and strong muscles.

Making your stock is easy: just cover bones with water and cook all day. I like to bring the stock to a boil then simmer all day while i’m at work (i’m daring) but it may be best to save this chore for a day when you’re home and can monitor the water level. It’ll smell great. You can add onions or other veggies, some salt and a bay leaf – or leave it a ‘blank slate’ to be flavored later when you cook with it. After simmering for at least 4 hours, turn off the heat and allow to cool. I put mine in the fridge or in a cold garage over night. In the morning you can skim the fat off the top, strain out the bones, and put the stock back on the stove to further reduce.

By concentrating your stock, you’ll take up less storage space and have really rich gelatin. You know your stock is good and reduced when it has a gelled consistency when cold. At this point: freeze or can (using a pressure canner) and enjoy as a base for all your soups, sauces, healthy sautees and curries.

For more about canning and using stock, visit Pocket Pause where we’ll be discussing the topic in the months ahead OR visit An Austin Homestead for the archives.

This post is part of the Simple Lives Thursday blog hop.

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Herb and Vinegar Hair Rinse

Rosemary and sage are my favorite herbs for hair care, hands down. Great for shine, softness and tangles, these herbs are especially great when paired with nature’s best cleaning ingredient: vinegar. For those of you washing your hair the ‘no poo’ way, you may be frustrated with sticky hair. For folks like me with chronically itchy scalps, you might give this recipe a shot to see if it helps you as much as it helps me. Since switching away from bottled shampoo, i’ve looked for recipes i can make myself to give my hair some TLC, and this stands out as my favorite (and easiest) recipe since i first concocted it several years ago. I think you’ll love this recipe, so give it a shot! Worried about smelling like salad? Infused vinegars are great in any cleaner recipe that calls for vinegar, and they smell great. I like to infuse white vinegar with lavender and rosemary, which pairs wonderfully with a tea of rosemary and sage.

Herbal Hair Rinse

• Fistful each fresh rosemary and fresh or dried sage, preferably in bloom
• water
• vinegar – white, apple cider, or white infused with herbs for several weeks to a month

This recipe is a cinch: Cover herbs with water, bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 15-45 minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool on the stove. Feel free to leave the tea to steep over night. Strain off liquid into a large mason jar and discard the herbs. Add an equal or greater amount of vinegar to this tea and store in the fridge. The vinegar should keep the tea from spoiling, but i like to refrigerate mine just in case. Fill an old shampoo (well cleaned) or other bottle with hair rinse and keep in the shower. After washing your hair (with baking soda, commercial shampoo, or one of my shampoo bars), simple drizzle some of this tonic directly  onto your scalp and tresses. No need to rinse!

Enjoy shiny, softened hair and a calm scalp after several showers using this herbal tonic. Do you use vinegar to clean around your house? Try infusing it with different herbs, citrus peel, or flowers. I’d love to hear how you like this hair rinse, so please send us your comments if you give it a try!

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The Fleas are Coming!

A fellow blogger posted a link yesterday for natural flea prevention. For some reason, (i’m pretty sure that reason is my intense hatred and fear of fleas, stemming from a house and my-body infestation while living in a shared house back in college) i only supplement our dog Pocket’s flea prevention with natural measures. I drop chemicals on her back every month. Here i taut healthy living, and i slather toxic chemicals all over my fur-baby’s back every month. This seems dumb.

Pocket has some health issues. Because of this, we stopped feeding her processed food (kibble) and switched her to a natural diet (raw meaty bones). Improved diet is the first step to preventing fleas as well as a huge factor on all over health . Her health has improved a LOT from her no longer weepy eyes to her no longer itchy ears, but she still itches. It may be her paw fur, in constant need of trimming, or it may be something more. Either way, i’d like to re-think my monthly application of pesticides to my baby’s spine. I already have a closet full of essential oils and have been doing a lot of research on moth repelling essential oils, so let’s address what essential oils are great for preventing fleas, and how we can use them.

First, why switch from those highly effective chemicals you get at Petco or your vet’s office?

The commonly used chemical based products used in over the counter and veterinary prescribed flea and tick collars or spray and even topical drops deterrents have been found to cause breathing problems, tremors, vomiting, skin irritations, permanent nerve damage and in some cases, even death. Some animals will experience hair loss and sores around the neck from flea collars or where the topical drops have been applied, plus the chemical fumes given off by these products can negatively affect you and your family as well.
Did you know that your dog’s liver and kidneys are adversely affected by the use of commercial flea products such as frontline and advantage, chemical de-wormers and even heartworm drugs? The toxic chemicals in these products, often result in renal failure (kidney failure)and/or liver damage to the point of the liver no longer being able to filter the blood and then, complete liver failure. Contaminated blood circulating throughout the body day after day will most definitely contribute to other more complicated health issues, such as diabetes and arthritis to name two of the most common long term side effects of using these toxic chemicals.These toxic drugs can also cause severe skin rashes, loss of hair, epileptic seizures, brain damage. The list of adverse side effects amazingly goes on and on. Still people continue to use these drugs because they don’t know there is a better, simpler, less expensive, safer way.

- http://www.thewholedog.org/EOFleas.html  great article! read the whole thing!

Eep! How can someone like me, who is SO careful about what i feed my dog (no garlic or onions for her!), yet i slather her with nasty goop every month? Fear of fleas. I’m terrified of them. So, perhaps it’s time to not only wash her in some natural flea repelling shampoo (which i will have available at Nude Soap as soon as the pennyroyal blooms!), but to mix up a blend of essential oils, invest in some Diatomaceous Earth to mix up my flea repelling carpet powder and treat Pocket and her house naturally. It’s about time!

There are tons of essential oils out there, and many are good for repelling insects. After my hours of research across many websites and books, i’ve decided these are the best choices to invest in:

• Cedar: (there are several types of “cedar” essential oil. Read the latin: you want atlas cedar or cedrus, NOT juniperus
• Lavender: who doesn’t love the floral scent of lavender? Insects. Again, there are a few varieties of lavender essential oil. You want the more camphor smelling types, not the super floral types. Search for the latin: Lavandula angustifolia.
• Eucalyptus: If you’re in California or Australia, you’ve got this plant all over the place! The essential oils is relatively affordable and smells super fresh.
• Cloves: found in most health stores and great or your gums, this is a must have essential oil and great for mixing into the flea repellant blend and is also great for repelling moths.
• Citronella: duh!
• Peppermint: minty fresh and full of vigor when it comes to repelling nasties.
• Lemongrass: this one is a real value, though the color will stain your white dog. Lemongrass makes you happy and is one of the most effective herbs for repelling fleas and ticks. If you live in a warm enough climate, plant this delicious and fragrant herb as an ornamental grass that will double as a subtle pest control.
  

The article referenced above has some great recommendations on how to use these essential oils. You can diffuse them into a mist to spray on your dog, or rub them directly onto your dog. Use caution when handling essential oils and consider diluting them with coconut or jojoba oil. Essential oils can do some crazy things when absorbed through your skin, so wash your hands well after handling. My plan for Pocket is to blend a mixture of these essential oils with some coconut oil in its liquid state. Coconut oil has a fairly long shelf life, so my ‘insect balm’ will keep for quite some time. By rubbing into my hands and working into her fur focusing on the areas i’d normally drop the toxic stuff at the back of the neck, as well as down at her white belly (where i can always find a flea or 9 after visits to Eugene), she should be safely protected from fleas, mosquitoes and ticks for 2 weeks or so. I’m a ‘better safe than covered in ticks” kind of person, so i will treat her every two weeks and wait for baths/swims until after the mixture has dried for at least a full day. Dr. Bronner’s makes a great peppermint flea shampoo to tide you over until my dog shampoo is ready, which will include chamomile and oats for sensitive skin, peppermint, cedar, lemongrass and eucalyptus essential oils, and oils infused with blooming pennyroyal for added flea prevention. Head over to my other blog, Pocket Pause for a recipe and more great ideas on natural pest repellants!

To be honest, i may still treat Pocket with nasty chemicals during the height of flea/tick season, depending on how the population is booming or not where we currently live. Austin treated us bad, but maybe Philomath is infested at more naturally controllable levels.

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Clay Facial

Facials are great for all skin types, and for every face: man or woman. Think facials are too ‘girly’ for you, buddy? Think again: there’s nothing sexier than clean pores. Seriously.

Making your own, all natural clay facial is also SO EASY. All you need is a few tablespoons of pure kaolin clay and some water. That’s it! You can choose to add other goodies to make your facial more soothing, nourishing, cleansing, etc. You can also use other clays if you can’t find kaolin. This link has some great recipes and other information on different clay types. Some additives include:

• Chamomile tea
• Green tea
• Chamomile extract
• Essential oil: lemongrass, lavender, peppermint (use only a TINY drop)

We added some lemongrass essential oil to our facials….. too much. It burned. A lot. So if you use essential oils: be careful! Adding a facial to your beauty routine is great for cleaning up and shrinking your pores. As it dries, the clay sucks out all that nasty grime and dirt, leaving your pores clean and ready to close back up. Consider adding a weekly or bi-weekly facial to your routine, depending on your skin type. Folks with dry skin should limit their facials to once or twice a month. Always follow your facial with a light application of toner (just some lavender infused vinegar will do the trick!) and a light moisturizer (a very light application of Everywhere Cream is great).

Add enough water to about 2 tablespoons of clay to make a smooth paste: not too thick, but not runny. Apply to face in an upward, against the grain motion with a spatula or brush. Wait for the clay to dry: try not to make many facial expressions that would crack the seal! Once dry, brush the clay into your sink, then wash your face well with a soothing soap and hot water. I like to use the Herbal Chamomile/Lavender soap. Follow with toner and moisturizer and enjoy how soft and supple your face feels for the rest of the day! You should notice much cleaner and reduced pores immediately.

What does your beauty routine include?

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Deeply Condition Your Hair

Blow dryers. Curling irons. Towels. Pools. Cold wind. Dry desert air. Hot daily showers. Hair ties…….

Our hair suffers a lot of abuse. Show it some love. Don’t worry about buying some special “hot oil treatment,” though: caring for your hair naturally is as easy as the purchase of one oil: coconut. Depending on where you live or what season it is, coconut oil comes solid or liquid (it’s melting point is 76 degrees) and is generally easy to get into a form easy for slathering on your head. If it’s too firm, warm it up a bit in the microwave or as a chunk in your hand. You don’t need to use much, just enough to lightly coat all your hair. Simply wrap your oil head in an old towel and let it sit for as long as you can stand. Want a little more bang for your time? Add some rosemary essential oil to the mix for extra hair/scalp health. This deep conditioning CAN be difficult to wash out – so plan ahead and maybe wait until a day you don’t need to dress up for a fancy, oil free head occasion.

A tea or rosemary and sage flowers and leaves makes a great hair rinse when mixed with apple cider vinegar.

You may also be interested in my hair polish recipe: a simple blend of rosemary essential oil and jojoba, halved. Straight rosemary oil smells amazing and adds great shine to my hair while the jojoba conditions. I keep this in a tiny vial in my bathroom and drip just a few drops on my palm in the morning and rub it first on my hair’s ends, and work it up focusing on the frizzy areas.

There are a few products that i can back whole heartedly. Holistic Body Therapy has a great product called “Scalp Stress,” a blend of jojoba oil with rosemary extract and lavender, tea tree and sandalwood essential oils. I like to massage this into my itchy scalp before bed and wash it out in the morning. I also use a teeeeny bit as a hair polish for my dry ends during the day. Their recipe should be fairly easy to recreate if you have the essential oils on hand.

Check out these great websites/blogs for even more hair care information:

• An Austin Homestead on Hair Health (my old blog – and a fun post with tons of info!)
• Long Locks.com
• Natural Hair Treatment.net
• Nature Moms (about the no-poo method)

A word about jojoba. I use jojoba in my bar shampoo, but i’ll have to change my tune soon. The world is suffering a shortage of this precious oil that so closely matches our skin’s natural oils. Jojoba oil has become increasingly difficult to find, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to overcome the knowledge that i’m using up some precious resource just to slather on my skin to reduce wrinkles. So, please be aware of the products you purchase, and consider changing your habits to non-jojoba based products. I’ll be sure and post my new favorite oil for direct hair and skin application, as soon as i can figure that out! (Hint, i bet it will be hempseed oil)

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