These are so pretty, and make a great present for Mom, Grandma, or your BFF. You can colour half the salt pink and the other half white, and do a layered effect, although this will work with pretty much any colour. You’ll need: • A bowl to mix everything in • 20 drops peppermint essential oil • 3 tablespoons coconut oil (or baby oil, or any oil you like) • A spoon to mix with • 1/2 cup Epsom salt • 1/2 cup salt • A glass jar – the small Melrose bottle with label removed works great • food colouring (optional)
Mix the oils together, then add the salt and Epsom salt. Add food colouring (if using) and mix well. Scoop your mixture into the jars you will be using. Put a pretty label and some ribbon on. Voila – your gift is done.
This is good for four baths – you use around a quarter of a cup per bath. If you want to make more, simply double or triple the recipe as required.
We all know tinctures, even though we are not aware of it. Remember the Lennon’s drops we were all doctored with as kids? That is a tincture!
Essentially, herbs are placed in (usually) alcohol, and the medicinal properties of the herb are infused into the alcohol over a period of time. The drops are then used diluted in water for medicinal purposes.
To make a tincture, you will need:
A clean glass jar with lid
Consumable alcohol like vodka or rum- at least 40% alcohol per volume (or apple cider vinegar or food grade vegetable glycerine)
Herbs of choice – please ensure that the herbs are clean, and most importantly, edible! If you are not sure that the “herb” you have is actually a herb, DON’T use it. Better safe than sorry.
How to Make a Tincture
Also called an extract, alcohol tinctures are the most common type and the easiest to make.
First, pick which herbs you plan to use.
Fill the jar halfway with loosely packed dried herbs.
Pour boiling water to just moisten the herbs. (This step is not absolutely necessary, but helps to draw out the beneficial properties of the herbs)
Fill the jar with your alcohol and put the lid on. Store in a cool, dry place, shaking two or three times a day, for a minimum of three weeks. Strain the herbs out through a clean tea towel or something similar.
Store the tincture in a coloured (not clear!) bottle. The dropper bottles work well, as you only use a few drops at a time.
NOTE: You can use apple cider vinegar or glycerine to do this, but it won’t be as strong, and the shelf life is much shorter – around three months if stored in the fridge. Also, you have to be very careful with the glycerine based tincture, as it can go bad very easily.
How to Use Herbal Tinctures
Adults can take ½ to one teaspoon up to three times a day, kids can be given a quarter to a third of the adult dose.
For those who don’t want to, (or can’t) consume alcohol such as children, or pregnant women, the tincture can be poured into a hot liquid like tea to evaporate the alcohol before taking.
Given that Christmas is just around the corner (or so I’m told!), I thought it would be fun to do a series of DIY posts that could potentially result in some cool, money saving gifts.
My daughter went gaga for kinetic sand, and nagged endlessly for more and more of it. She loves anything she can mould or shape (probably why she is so keen to help me with cake decorating!). The major downside of her obsession is the cost – the kinetic sand was R 100 per bucket at the time (not sure what the cost is now, we bought the sand some years ago).
Problem solved – here is a recipe for you to make your very own:)
What you will need:
2 ½ cups fine sand – play sand works well, as does the coloured crafter’s sand
1 ½ cups cornflour (Maziena)
Half a cup oil – any oil that you have on hand will work: sunflower, canola; coconut etc
Method:
Mix the sand and cornflour together thoroughly (if you want coloured sand, add a few drops of food colouring at this point)
Now mix the oil in really well. When it has been completely mixed in, your sand is ready for playtime!
Lets’ face it, everything is expensive these days – food, electricity and especially petrol. If you have small children or babies, you know you are going to be paying through the nose for some things – nappies, bum cream, wet wipes etc. for quite some time.
The problem with many products on the market today for nappy rash is the amount of chemicals in them – many people are becoming more conscious about what ingredients are in the products they buy. The other problem is that not all bum creams work on all babies or children, and given the cost, it is quite expensive to try all available products until you find one that works.
Personally, I struggled with my oldest daughter – nothing seemed to work, and she got terrible rashes. A lady at the clinic saved my sanity, by telling me to use cornflour (Maziena) on the rash, either as a powder, or a paste. Well, I didn’t have cornflour, but I went home and tried with flour. I was amazed! I saw a difference from one nappy change to the next, and within days, the rash I had been struggling with for weeks disappeared. Naturally, with my second daughter, I used cornflour, and got great results – she never had a nappy rash, ever!
So, for those of you struggling with nappy rash (and the cost thereof!), why not give this bum cream a try? It may work for you, and if it doesn’t, it won’t break the bank.
Ingredients:
¾ cup coconut oil
¾ cup cornflour (Maziena)
Method:
Whip the coconut oil with a mixer or food processor. Add the cornflour and mix slowly until there is no powder flying around. Then mix on higher speed until everything is well combined. Place in containers and use as needed.
Variations:
You can add a few drops lavender oil to the coconut oil before adding the cornflour. Lavender oil is soothing and helps skin heal (I would suggest around 5 – 10 drops)
You can add some zinc oxide to the mix, just reduce the amount of cornflour by the amount of zinc you are using. One or two tablespoons should do the job.
As promised, here is the recipe for activated charcoal mask. It is really simple, with only two ingredients required. Activated charcoal has many benefits, one of the prime cosmetic benefits being that it draws bacteria, dirt and other particles to the surface. So, for a clear, clean skin, look no further.
I bought my activated charcoal at Dischem, and it was under R 20. I have made a lot of masks from it, and still have plenty left, so it does go very far.
The general move these days seems to be to move away from the more chemically-laden commercial chemicals, and towards the more “natural” ways of cleaning. Reasons for this are two-fold – the price of the commercial cleaners play a factor, as many of these products are quite pricey, and the second, and for many, the most important factor, is the lack of all the chemicals and preservatives that most products contain today.
Many people are becoming more aware of what they are putting in and on their bodies, and the products they are using in their homes. In case you hadn’t noticed by now, I am one of those people. Yes, I am motivated by the cost factor, but the primary motivator is the awareness of there being better, just as effective ways to get the job done, without worrying that you are unwittingly poisoning yourself or your family.
I admit, I am a clean freak, and spring cleaning in my house is a major operation…while there are some things I would not budge on (yet!), like giving up the dish washing liquid and my laundry detergent, there are other things I have been willing to try, such as the vinegar cleaner. And surprise – it is pretty darn effective, especially with the addition of the orange peel! I am quite happy to use this to clean and polish my home with…I have been wondering where I could buy vinegar by the barrel! LOL!
This is really easy to make, and I have seen varied uses on the internet for the citrus vinegar. I personally use it diluted to clean my kitchen counters, bathroom, etc. I also tried using it as a substitute for fabric softener – it seemed to work pretty well. The vinegar smell faded, and then I could smell the oranges.
What you need:
A glass jar (I used an old beetroot salad jar)
Orange peels (from around two oranges)
White vinegar
Method:
Place your orange peels in the jar, pour vinegar over, and leave to infuse for around 4 weeks. When the orange smell is the primary smell, strain with a sieve and bottle. Dilute at a ratio of 1:1 when ready to use.
Tips:
*When filling your jar with orange peels, the orange peels should more or less fill the jar when packed loosely. The longer you leave the vinegar to infuse, the stronger your orange smell will be.
*You can use other citrus peels instead, but orange peels work best for busting grease and grime.
*You can add herbs as well – I have added cloves before, and I have a batch infusing that I added a cinnamon stick to.
As the days seem to be warming up somewhat, there seems to
be a hint of spring in the air…or is that just wishful thinking on my part? I
hate winter, always have – I am convinced I am one part bear! I would happily
hibernate all winter!
As it starts warming up though, I start feeling the urge to
throw windows open, let the fresh air in…and spring clean!
I know that it’s not everyone’s favourite words, but I actually
enjoy spring cleaning (okay, not the cleaning, but the result!) – it gives me
the sense that I am going into the new season of the year with (almost) a new
beginning, a fresh start. I love smelling the clean scents, after the
stuffiness of winter.
And let’s be honest – there is something very satisfying
about looking around your home and everything is clean and fresh and sparkling.
Getting to the finish line is the hard part though, and one
of the yuckiest jobs is cleaning the oven. I hate the commercial stuff – you need
a hazmat suit to clean your oven with the stuff. It is possible, however, to
clean your oven WITHOUT a hazmat suit and super toxic chemicals. I do – yes, it
does require a little more elbow grease, but it works! Here’s how:
INGREDIENTS
½ cup dishwashing liquid
1 cup bicarbonate of soda
½ cup hydrogen peroxide
2 tablespoon white vinegar plus extra for final rinse (or you could use the orange vinegar I will show you how to make)
10 drops of lemon essential oil
INSTRUCTIONS
Take everything out of the oven, racks included
Wipe the inside of the oven with hot, soapy water.
Mix together all the ingredients to form a paste.
Spread the paste all over the inside of the oven, but NOT on the heating
elements.
Let it stand for between a minimum of four hours to overnight.
Remove the paste with a rag, brush, or scrub sponge.
You can do a final rinse with a mixture of vinegar and water in a spray
bottle – one part vinegar to two parts water
That’s it, all done.
Notes:
*It is always a good idea to wear gloves while cleaning the oven.
* If the oven is very dirty, you may have to repeat the
steps.
Did you know that it is possible to make new soap out of
your soap slivers? Instead of throwing away the small left over bits of soap,
why not make a new bar of soap? Simply keep your slivers in a separate bowl in
the bathroom, and when you have enough, make a rebatch or hand-milled bar of
soap.
What you
will need:
341
grams of soap
255ml
of water (or milk – that is what I use)
Some
sort of mould – I used silicone muffin pans (and a car mould!).
Colourant
– I used gel food colour, but sparingly – you don’t want to end up looking like
a smurf
I added
a tablespoon of coconut oil to my soap
I added
dried lavender and oatmeal to two of the soap bars, please see the notes below
on this!
A
wooden spoon
Fragrance
of some sort – you could use vanilla essence, essential oils, spices, this is
entirely up to you.
Directions:
Grate
your soap as finely as possible, or simply remember to break it up into small
pieces when you put it in your collection jar or bowl.
Place
your soap and water or milk in a double boiler or slow cooker, or a small
saucepan.
Put
your slow cooker on high, but if you are using the double boiler method, use a MEDIUM
heat. If melting the soap directly in a pot, use a LOW heat. Allow the soap to
melt – this took around an hour in my slow cooker. Stir the mix occasionally,
but not too much, as it adds air to the soap which can result in air bubbles.
Every five minutes or so is sufficient. It can take between one and two hours
for the soap to melt
Once
your soap is melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. (to
around
Once
cooled sufficiently, add your fragrance, coconut oil if using and anything else
you want such as colourant.
Spoon
your soap into your mould. Allow to set for two to three days before turning
out of the mould. (if you are really impatient like me, pop it into the freezer
for around two hours and turn out of the mould)
Place
the soap on a drying rack or cooling rack and allow it to dry for about four
weeks before using. (My last batch was a week old when I started using it,
because we ran out of soap – the soap does tend to go quicker, as it is softer
than it would have been if I had waited. The soap bar lasted a week!)
Notes:
Moulds – You could use the bottom part of a milk bottle, or a juice carton, it
is really not necessary to rush out and buy moulds, unless you plan to do this
often. If you do use silicone moulds, please ONLY use for soap, not for
food. My silicone muffin pans are only used for soap, never for baking.
Grating the soap – Remember that the longer the soap stands,
the harder the soap will get, so maybe even grate it before you save it and get
a head start. I found that it helped considerably that I put the soap and milk
in the slow cooker before I went to work. When I got home, I turned on the heat
and started melting the soap. The soap was already slightly soft, and it cut
down on the melting time.
Melting the soap – I have a really old slow cooker that I
only use for soap and infusing oils. It is easier to do this in a slow cooker,
but you can still make soap even if you don’t have a slow cooker or a double
boiler. Take two pots, one larger than the other. Fill the bottom pot with
water so that it doesn’t touch the top pot when the top pot is placed inside
the larger pot – in effect a make shift double boiler. You could also use a
heat proof bowl on top of a pot of water. The idea is to provide heat to melt
the soap, but not enough to burn the soap. You can also melt it directly in a
pot, but use a pot that is a small as possible, to prevent the soap from
scorching.
Texture and consistency – Rebatch soap will never melt fully, and
the texture tends to be more grainy and thicker than melt and pour soap, (so
the experts say). I found that my mixture was runny enough to pour into the
mould, but perhaps that was because of the soap I used (my slivers were
primarily Protex brand soap).
Additions to your soap – I added the coconut oil, the colour and
some fragrance to the soap, and the consistency was fine. I then poured out
most of the soap into moulds and to the remaining soap I added dried lavender
and some oats. I found immediately that the soap congealed and didn’t want to
pour anymore – I had to spoon the remaining soap into the mould. I am not
certain how much of the lavender and the oats I added, so I am unsure as to
whether I added too much or if it was simply the addition that changed the
texture – I will check the next time and update the post to reflect my
findings.
Fragrance – try to keep your different slivers of soap
together so that you don’t end up with a weird smelling bar of soap – my
husband uses the Protex sport and I use the Protex oats or baby soap. I try to
keep my soap slivers separate from hubby’s soap – not sure the fragrances will
go together that well, and I am fairly certain he does NOT want rebatch soap
that smells like roses or any other “girly” scents! If adding extra fragrance
to your rebatch soap, use skin friendly products – vanilla essence, caramel essence
etc. or essential oils. Please do NOT
use candle fragrance oils or oils meant for diffusers etc – these fragrances
are not skin friendly!
Oils – You can add a few drops of oil such as vitamin e oil, grapeseed oil
etc, but only a few drops. If
you add too much, you could end up ruining your soap (ask me how I know!!)
I love, love this hair treatment. I have curly hair (sigh…) which is extremely dry and oh so temperamental. I have tried a whole bunch of things to get my hair to just behave, but to date, nothing has worked, except a keratin treatment at the hair dresser. Only time in memory that I LOVED my hair…
The good news is – I’m definitely not afraid to use myself as a lab rat, and have tried many things that just did not work, or didn’t work as well as I had hoped. As a result of my “experiments” I can bring you this little gem:)
Three ingredients, and you’re good to go – how easy is that?
Mix three tablespoons of mayonnaise with one tablespoon of shampoo, add one half teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, and you’re ready. Section your hair, apply the masque and comb through after application. Once all the sections of your hair have the masque on, cover your hair with a shower cap, swimming cap or highlights cap. Let the mixture sit on your hair for a minimum of an hour, then wash it off with the shampoo already on your head. Condition and rinse, and style as usual.
My hair comes out very soft, and pretty darn well-behaved. I have noticed that the results are incremental – the more frequently you use it, the better the results.
**You can omit the apple cider vinegar if you don’t have, or prefer not to use it.
Pore strips are all the rage these days, but can be pricey. What
if you could do it yourself at home, with ingredients you more than likely have
on hand? Sounds good, right?
Gelatin is great for skin and bones, and well, everything!
Everyone should be consuming gelatin daily to keep joints and skin healthy, but
you can also use it outside your body for great skin.
All you need for a pore cleaning mask (or strips) is some
gelatin and a dairy product – kefir works best, but yogurt and milk work too. I
have even used lemon or orange juice, but it can burn sensitive skin, so be
careful. As with anything, please do a skin sensitivity test before using any
product. Apply a small amount to your skin, and check for any adverse
reactions. If there have been no adverse reactions after 24 hours, it should be
safe to use.
Gelatin and dairy skin cleaning mask:
1 tablespoon good quality gelatin
1 ½ tablespoons kefir (or yogurt or milk)
Mix ingredients together. Warm in a small pot, the microwave
or in a bowl placed in a warm water bath. Once the gelatin is melted and the
mix is cool enough not to burn your skin, apply it with your fingertips, the
back of a spoon or anything that works for you. Leave for 10 – 15 minutes, and
peel the strips off. Rinse your face with warm water, apply your toner and
moisturiser, and you’re good to go!
Egg white pore cleanser:
Whip the white of one egg until it is frothy and light. Apply
the white to a section of your skin with a soft paint brush or blusher brusher,
place a layer of tissue paper on the section, and paint another layer of egg
white over the tissue paper. Continue in this fashion until all problem areas
have been covered. Allow the mixture to dry, then peel off the tissue. Rinse
your face with warm water, tone and moisturise and you’re done.
**To get best results from any mask, steam your face gently first, in order to open the pores.
