Natural Moisturizing Hand-Sanitizer

Who is the naive person that thought that hand-sanitizer was simply alcohol and aloe vera just by looking at it?  (This woman, right here).  Remember the days when you were singing the praises of the hand-sanitizer makers?  Wahoo -- not only can we cleanse our hands anywhere without water, but we can also opt out of chemical-filled detergent hand soaps in the public bathrooms and choose sanitizer instead.  Um, yeah, that was hopeful thinking.

The full ingredients from my conventional hand sanitizer reads as follows:  Ethyl alcohol (active), water, glyceryl caprylate/caprate, glyerin, isopropyl myristate, tocopheryl acetate, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, fragrance, benzophenone-4.  Whoa!  Then you have to moisturize your hands after the stripping of moisture from that sanitizer.  This means after the numerous chemicals you just put upon your hands (which are one of the easiest ways to get things in through the skin, by the way), you have to add the chemicals from the lotion/moisturizer.  Talk about overload.

Well, here is a very simple recipe that gets your hands clean, water-free, and moisturizes them with as little as two ingredients.  I use 3 ingredients in mine, but it is not needed.

The 2 main things you will need:

Coconut oil
Sanitizing essential oil(s) -- i.e. sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, oregano, lavender, or a synergy blend such as Thieves, etc.

I opt for the cheaper citrus oils, because I am also always thinking of cost-efficiency.  In mine, I used sweet orange, which is extremely high in limonene, an ingredient often used in household cleaners.  Did I also mention cheap?  My organic sweet orange from Mountain Rose, with a lot/batch number on it, costs but dollars.  I also used oregano essential oil, which alone is anti-everything harmful.  Caution -- oregano oil is a hot oil, so be careful in handling.  Per couple of tablespoons, I only used 3 drops of oregano vs. the 7 drops of sweet orange essential oil.  I did also did test (taste) the hotness with this dilution -- nothing to note, as it is highly diluted in the coconut oil.  The coconut oil also helps remove dirt and grime (even car grease), via oil-cleansing method.  Stir it up really well in a small glass jar (like a baby food jar), and take it everywhere.

DIY Toothpaste

Some years ago I switched my family a natural toothpaste.  At first it was to save money -- since toddlers aren't supposed to have flouride toothpaste (in case they swallow it), it was cheaper for all of us to switch to a flouride-free, natural, alternative, than to purchase 2 separate pastes.

That lasted a good few years until I was sick of the cost.  It was just logical to me, that if I see almost all brands of toothpaste advertise that they use baking soda and peroxide as their magic formula, I might as well just use those 2 ingredients and save over the years.  Mind you, a tube of natural toothpaste cost me anywhere from $3 - $5, lasting a month or so.  Baking soda comes at a price between .$50 - $1 a regular box, and lasts almost 2 months in my house, being used for more than just toothpaste.  Hey, the dollars add up.  If we do things ourselves in all areas of our lives, the dollars will really add up!

I started using just straight up baking soda for our teeth-cleanser, and peroxide for my mouthwash.  Then I realized I could cut out the nasty, foaming peroxide-of-a-wash if I adapted my oil-cleansing method, once used for my whole body for over a year (yes, I went soapless over a year!), on my teeth.  This fell in line with seeing other people using coconut oil for their oil-pulling method as a mouthwash.  I could never swish around oil in my mouth, so just as a part of the actual teeth brushing it remained.  I will say, though, that with adding coconut oil to my baking soda on my toothbrush, I have been able to get out of using mouthwash altogether.

The base I use is only 2 ingredients:  baking soda and coconut oil.  Baking soda is generally known to be a cleanser and deodorizes.  It's grittiness also aids to be a little abrasion to fight plaque.  Among many other benefits, coconut oil is antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and antibacterial.

My mixture is a 70/30 -- the majority being baking soda, while the latter is the coconut oil.  I use this mixture to ensure that the baking soda's grit is not diminished fully by the oil.  I mix mine in a bowl with a spoon until well-blended.  The result looks like it is on the verge of being crumbly.

Then you can add essential oils to your homemade toothpaste, but it is not required.  For years, just baking soda worked for my family and me, and thereafter until just recently (with the addition of essential oils), coconut oil added to it was sufficient.  Essential oils are great for countering bad breath, as well as general tooth and gum health.  The most common flavors I see in toothpastes are peppermint and spearmint.   I choose to use lemon and eucalyptus.  I use lemon because is high in limonene, a component within the rind used as a cleanser; and it is a whitening agent.  I use eucalyptus, rather than peppermint, because I have read that it fights plaque and periodontal diseases, while being a great deodorizer.  For my 4 ounce jar of toothpaste, I added 15 drops of lemon and 10 drops of eucalytus.  The ratio is higher in lemon for me simply because eucalyptus' aroma would overpower the lemon, if in equal measures.

Put the toothpaste in your jar and store in a cool place.

DIY Perfume and Cologne

I remember back when I was in the single digits, or maybe even 10 years old, my neighbor friend and I decided to gather rose petals, soak them in a glass jar, and see how long it would take to make perfume.  Though we may have made a low-grade rose water (using tap water at that!), the smell never did get strong enough for even a child to consider it perfume.

It wasn't until a few weeks ago when my husband was trying to get me back into running that I decided maybe I could make my own perfume.  After years outside of the running game, my ears started aching during a run.  I googled that it was vessel constricition by combination of the raise in blood pressure and the cold air.  My husband, rummaging through my essential oils, decided to put ylang ylang on and below my ears to see if it would help, since it says it helps high blood pressure.  Surely, that next run ended without an ear ache, and I finally made use of the ylang ylang I bought for his restless legs this past August.

While I was wearing it, it gave me a sense of nostalgia until Google brought me to realize it was the signature smell of Chanel No 5.  My mother was a Chanel gal, selling it at one point of time.  "Oh yes, that is the smell."  I came to find more uses for it, like putting it on my scalp to help with my postpartum hair loss (which is the best thing I've found to work, by the way), with a bit of argan (good hair oil too).  I was getting whiffs of ylang ylang all day long and felt so satisfied knowing that I smelled good, without it costing me double or triple digits.

So from my good friend Google I have learned that store-bought perfumes and cologne contain anywhere from 80 - 95% alcohol, and the essential oils that take up the remainder are perfume-grade, which means that they are not therapeutic.  Excuse me if I don't fall for it.  Why not buy therapeutic grade oils, significantly cheaper than your designer perfumes and colognes, and make multiple bottles of perfume and cologne, while at the same time actually improving your health and/or bodily functions?  I don't know, it just makes sense to me.

It's actual quite simple, you will need just a few items, plus your desired essential oils:

• Jojoba oil
• Rubbing alcohol
• Amber (or other dark) glass bottle
• Essential oils

Before I give you our formula, I'm just going to say that since I am a budgeting mom, I use what I have, which means I need to be flexible with exact measurements.  I repurpose my carrier and essential oils' bottles.  For this reason, I'm just going to give you measurements in percentage to the full bottle, rather than exact.  This way, you can use what you have.  (Note, essential oils are potent and should not be stored in plastic, even in a perfume).

For my perfume, I will use about 80% carrier oil, then add my essential oils, and then top of with alcohol.  I would suggest small batches just in case you don't like your formula.  I already said I like ylang ylang.  I have a history with bergamot as well, and also love the uplifting properties of sweet orange.  I used equal parts of each of these.  I have seen formulas that are excessive in essential oil.  Each one seems to be operating on preference and opinion in their formulas, so I'll share with you my own preference and opinion in mine.  First, I'm a budgeter.  Second, therapeutic grade essential oils are very strong.  Third, I see that a half a cup of water in a diffuser only needs a few drops of oil for a whole room.  For this reason, my preference is to stretch my essential oils, and my opinion is you don't need that much essential oil to the carrier.  In a 10 mL bottle, I filled 80% jojoba, 10 drops each of ylang ylang, bergamot, and sweet orange, and the rest with rubbing alcohol.  The longer it sits (days) the more blended and potent.  Shake often as you let it sit.

For my husband's cologne, I used a slightly higher alcohol content (about 5% more) since men's cologne is generally strong and powerful and lady's perfume is slighter (or should be, in my own opinion).  Instead, I started with 75% jojoba, then essential oil blend, then topped off with alcohol.  I only used frankincense and cedarwood.  Essential oils from herbs are a better for colognes, to not leave confusion on what constitutes a manly smell.

Note -- Herbs and citrus oils are very fragrant.  You may want to start with only a few drops of these at a time -- being the last essential oil you add -- as you smell its compatability to blend with (without overcoming) the other oils.  Start light (in number of different oils used).  You can always add an aroma as you prefer and use your newly-blended fragrance.  You can also use water, rather than carrier oil.  If so, it goes without saying that it would not last as long.

Mainly, it is your fragrance.  Make it what you want! 

Cutting the Cost and Chemicals in Face Care

My now teenage daughter (13) came up to me and said, "Did you know that if you put tape over a pimple it will go away?"  I replied, "You could also wash your face."  Amira:  "Nah, that's too much work."

Amira is experiencing teenage acne.  It was something I was spared as a teenager, though I cannot say the same for my brother.  Yet, even then drug use played probably the biggest part of hormonal imbalances within him to create massive blemishes.  My acne didn't come to me until after my 2nd child, while in my mid-twenties.  The dermatologist, upon trying to recommend Accutane to me (which I never took), advised me it was indeed hormonal and probably would last until I was thirty.  It took a lot of money to make me feel better that I was at least attempting to do something about it.  Finally, I said, "You know what -- if it's going to last until I'm thirty I might as well try to save some money and get my face used to simpler ingredients."

Have you noticed how many ingredients are sitting in your facial cleansers, toners, and moisturizers? Not to mention the serums you would add for age spots, wrinkles, or blemishes.  Then you throw on your makeup over the [probably] over 100 ingredients that already is sitting on your face from the cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and serum.  I mean, if it's not imbalanced hormonal, maybe it's immune-system overload and the poor immunities are too busy working through chemicals to target the bacteria under and above your skin.  Just a thought.  I'm not a doctor, just using my head.  

My skin did get clearer, and it was before I turned thirty.  A lot prayer saw me to that day, as well as some -duh- changes, like to simpler ingredients, and I also officially let go of any sort of cover-up (for over a year now).  I don't even use concealer.  Oh the freedom to be able to touch your face or lay down your head on your white pillowcase without makeup removal.  Here are the changes I made, which is the fewest ingredients I've been able to find so far.

Cleanser

I've seen expensive cleansers like Sheseido and Mary Kay, chemicalized though hypo-allergenic.  Personally, I use bar soap, the same I use as my hand soap.  Of course I'm referring to strictly plant-based soaps.  I switched to a simple, natural bar soap seeing as the hands are so porous, very easily we let invaders in through them.  I use Trader Joe's soaps for the cost ($1.69 for oatmeal or $1.99 for tea tree for a pack of 2 bars).  Yet, Kirk's Castille is at comparable price (approximately $1/bar or a wee more), with only 5 natural, plant-based ingredients.

Exfoliant

I've heard of, and used, coconut oil mixed with sea salt.  In fact, I've been in some restaurants that have that mixture as their hand 'soap.'  It is a great idea, though I keep the cost down even more with just a box of baking soda at less than $1 a regular sized box.  This works as a microdermabrasion as well.  I will mix a tad bit into my soap-lathered hands.

Toner

My mother long ago told me to switch to witch hazel, since it says right on the bottle it is a facial astringent and so much cheaper.   It does the job for as low as $2 a bottle.  You can get a really good witch hazel at a health food store, but admit that I cheat with this one and buy the one that has a bit of alcohol in the regular band-aid section of the store.  What of those using toners to balance their face tone and pores?  For this reason, I do also alternate essential oils with my witch hazel, that way my face doesn't get used to just one oil.  I alternate with tea tree, lemon, and frankincense.  All you need is one drop per cotton ball of witch hazel.

Moisturizer

Now I've heard people say they may use cheaper cleansers and toners, but the one thing you should not compromise on is the moisturizer you use.  Even to my mother, moisturizer is the most important thing you put on your face.  At Mary Kay we were taught it protects your face so it should be a great product.  Oh I agree.  Yet, I found a way to not compromise with using only one great ingredient.  That's right, just one.  Jojoba oil.  I have friends that use other single-ingredient oils as a mosturizer, like coconut oil, almond, or even argan.  I use jojoba because its composition is the closest to your own face's natural oils than any other oil or cream out there.  That familiarity is what, from other reads and testimonies, calms your face from wreaking havoc with excessive oil production.  If you choose jojoba oil, you should ask many questions of the manufacturer, like if the oil is filled with another.  I have read how companies can advertise 100% jojoba oil, but that does not mean what you think it does.  Since jojoba oil is actually a wax, it will harden in cooler temperatures.  Your purchase would prove itself pure if the jojoba oil has hardened when left in the fridge overnight.

With every article I read in my mid-twenties while I was battling my own blemishes, I came to acknowledge diet and exercise are your biggest contributors to healthy skin.  The biggest change I noticed with my skin is when it got hydrated -- through humid environments and water intake.  Water truly is your best friend.

So if you were counting, from the soap, to exfoliant, to toner and esential oil, to moisturizer, that is as little as 9 ingredients amongst all.  Does just your traditional cleanser have that little ingredients alone?  Love your face -- it is the first thing people see when they meet you and the last thing they forget when about you.   

Help! My Hair is Falling Out!

The third child in and I am no longer afraid that I am going to go bald postpartum.  I can't say the same for my postpartum with the older two.  We hear that hormones play a part in obtaining thick and long hair during pregnancy, but that it will all fall out come postpartum.  Hair (and nails) are considered fast-generating cells, but hair is not exactly fast-growing/fast-generating in pregnancy if you consider that its growth and generation is through cycles.  If you want to read of these cycles, you can do so by clicking here.  The hair is thicker because it is not being shed.  So, in fact, its growth cycle is not generating fast because parts of the cycle are missing.  This is not to confuse each individual's rate of strand growth -- some people have hair that grows faster than others, which is controlled by certain hormones not exclusive to maintaining pregnancy.  The hormones that are needed in pregnancy also have a job in the fast-generating cycle of hair.  Hair doesn't normally grow through a follicle that is already taken up.  If hair doesn't leave the follicle (like in pregnancy) it won't cycle new hair growth.  The fast-turning for fast-growing cycle is missing parts for other temporary, and more important, reasons controlled by hormones.  In pregnancy, the body naturally and charitably trades the balance of hormones needed for self's fast-generating cells into a balance to fast-grow a baby.  When that process is complete, as true to the laws of weights and balance tuning with homeostasis, the body requires all that was borrowed to be repayed.  Hence, the postpartum shedding of your hair is the extremity of the fast-growing cycle of these cells, as the body's hormones teeter to the other end and finally balance.  What you see is hair that goes through the cycle faster than normal, to make up for the lack of cycle it had in pregnancy.  Of course this means fast shedding, as shedding is part of the cycle.

With the first two, I tried many things to slow the cycle down a bit.  This time around I've kept it simple.  I take solace in the fact that for every strand that falls out of the follicle, there should be a new hair in its place.  You are not going to go bald.  It's just that more hair strands than normal are going through the cycle faster than normal because scarcely any strands went through the cycle in the months prior.  A couple of things to remember:

Don't get a perm.  I thought it would make my hair look thicker.  However, common sense tells anyone that chemicals only aid in killing.  

No need for Nioxin.  I tried this with the first two.  It does aim to manipulate the growth a bit, but it is still filled with chemicals.  You can use other topicals that are cheaper.  

Do keep the follicles clean.  This means actually cleaning your hair.  I know, I know -- handling it in water makes you nervous because of all the strands that fall out.  Raw apple cider vinegar scalp rubs also will do the trick to clean clogged follicles.  

Do brush your hair.  This alone needs a balance.  You don't want to tug unnecessarily, which will agitate hair loss.  At the same time, you don't want dreadlocks.  I brush once a day with a bristle brush.  The bristles will help transfer the natural oil that sits on the scalp down to the strands for protection against the elements.  These brushses will also help remove points of breakage and split ends.  

Do promote scalp circulation.  One method of Nioxin's formula is to promote circulation, which promotes fast growth.  Without the cost and chemicals, you can achieve this effect through some essential oils.  Good ones are peppermint and rosemary.  Lavendar is great for relaxation -- it has had reports of being a good hair oil, possibly urging the fast cycle's shedding to relax a bit.  I also use coconut oil once a week for general hair health.

Don't strip the hair.  I did this with getting highlights soon after Amira -- bleach will strip, as we know.  This is more often accomplished in our daily shampooing, and also with the type of shampoo we use. Though you want to keep the follicles clean of build-up, you do need the oils for protection of the strands.  Again, there must be a balance.  I let water touch my hair every other day, sometimes a day extra.  I also don't use a sulfate shampoo, unless it is a coconut sulfate.  Simply put, sulfate is a degreaser.  It's that stuff that makes Dawn dishsoap a miracle worker on your pots and pans; but Dawn also makes your hands need lotion.  Sulfates strip...a little too well.

As with all things we aim to fix, the best fights are internal.  The B-vitamins in your prenatals are almost all of the help your body is going to allow.  This is because this isn't a fight.  Postpartum isn't chemo.  It is simply just the body's way of balance and cycles.  

All-Purpose Coconut Oil

Elisha's dairy and soy allergies make me very mindful of what I put into and on my body, and I'm too thrifty to replace soy-based body and meal oils with multiple products.  I scoped out the price of Earth Balance's coconut (soy and dairy free) oil buttery spread and figured I'd better get used to just plain coconut oil as my butter alternative.  This only adds to other ways I've replaced many other items of my care for coconut oil.  My tested uses are as follows:

1.  Make up remover.  I cannot justify spending money on makeup remover itself, and so I have just been using soap and water.  This makes my oil-based eye primer look more like it has smeared rather than came off of my face.  Gone are the raccoon eyes when you use oil to remove makeup.

2.  Teeth-brushing.  Since I dont' have the patience for a 20 minute oil-pull swish, I wanted to test if a simple coconut-oil brushing before my baking soda brushing would do.  I have a pit in between 2 of my molars, one molar of which has a root canal.  Sometimes when food gets stuck in here, with no help from floss, the inflamation can lasts days.  Coconut oil brushing has not only helped pull the food, but has eased the inflammation, and protected from possible gum infection.

3.  Deep conditioner.  I only let water touch my hair every 2-3 days, and that is while using the baking soda and ACV cleansing method.  The only time I actually use shampoo (and a sulfate-free one at that) is to wash out the coconut oil from my hair after it's been sitting in it all day for a conditioning.  The difference between having the appearance of bald spots after the births of my older two and the healthy hair I still have after Elisha has been prayer over my coconut-oil anointed head!

4.  Moisturizer.  Washington is rainy, but despite this seeming moisture, it gets quite dry here in the Winter.  Cracked skin and cracked lips, meet coconut oil.

5.  Blister prevention, including salve for nursing mothers.  I came across this by pure logical thinking.  First, in my pregnancy my husband gave me daily massages.  I wore a pair of shoes in the summer that gave so much friction on the soles of my feet that it felt like they were blistering.  That night he massaged my feet, I felt the blister-feeling depart.  I have since used it when I feel a blister coming.  With that in mind, when Elisha came I knew lanolin would be needed to prevent nursing blisters or cracking -- or would it?  I tried the coconut oil and it worked like a charm.

6.  Deodorant.  When out of the shower, as I am already moisturizing with coconut-oil, I will rub a small amount of coconut oil into my hands with just enough baking soda to absorb it, and swipe it all on the armpits.  I have a very efficient system, having to put on deodorant (I don't use anti-perspirant) at least every hour, at $5-6 a bottle, and now my coconut-oil concoction is a twice a day application.

7.  Diaper rash and yeast rash cream.  Coconut oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-microbial.  Enough said.

8.  Body cleanser.  I do not do this anymore, but did it for over a year.  I used to be soap-free, and used the oil-cleansing method on not just my face, but my whole body.  To do this properly you must completely cover yourself in coconut oil before any water touches you and then wipe it off in the shower with a washrag.  I can more than attest to it working.  I did this method for a full year during a time when I was a marathon runner in constant training.  No skin patches of fungus for me.

9.  Leather cleaner and protector.  This was another experiment when I didn't have shoe cleaner nor protector and was going to wear new leather boots in a down pour.  If coconut oil can moisturize my dry skin, why not a dead animal's dry skin?  I found coconut oil did the job way longer than the products I used to by for shoe care and protection.

10.  Butter alternative.  It is a different flavor, but I tell you what it makes my challah taste like Hawaiian rolls -- two of the best bread in one!

11.  Coffee flavoring.  This is especially great for those who take a morning dose of coconut oil medicinally.  It makes for a nice mock hazelnut flavor.

12.  Skin infection cream.  As said above, the oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-microbial.  Whether it is ring worm or an infected scrape, I give coconut oil a try in my mixtures.

13.  Raw food setter.  What I like about raw food recipes is the amount of nutrients you can consume.  Heat will kill a good deal of nutrition out of meal.  We're talking the difference between a chocolate cake being healthy or not.  I like to try raw desserts, it makes me feel okay about having dessert.  I have seen the trick to keeping the proper consistency in desserts, from cake to icing, brownie to fudge, is coconut oil.  Can you imagine throwing some raw cocoa, cold-pressed coconut oil, and agave syrup into your blender (maybe also some raw nuts or beerries) and then spreading it out on wax paper in the refridgerator and having your very own natural and raw choocolate bar?  Do you know how much you would save?  I just looked at a natural chocolate bar yesterday for almost $5...

14.  Carrier oil.  Coconut oil works well to carry and spread your essential oils (which are dry).  The good news as well is that most of the ailments for which you would use essential oil coconut oil can also be used.  Talk about double whammy on those aillments.

The list goes on.  It seems like every time I am stumped on how to fix, remove, or enhance something, and I try coconut oil for it, it doesn't disappoint.  This is especially true medicinally  -- I've heard of people using it to help balance hormones and neurotransmission in mental disorders, assist in cancer-fighting, tremors.  You know how some people use NyQuil or Robitussin for their cure all?  Mine is coconut oil.  If you have any other uses, please do share.