Homemade All Natural Facial Wipes

Yes, I'm still here and kickin'! It's just been that I've either been too busy doing to take the time to write, or I just haven't had enough brain power to write a coherent post. There's been a whole lot of apple picking, applesauce making, batch cooking, crock-pot freezer meal making, sewing and lots of other projects going on.

The other day I was on Pinterest and one of the people that I follow had pinned homemade boogie wipes. Now, my kiddos are a bit too old for boogie wipes, but my nearly 3 year old niece was a perfect candidate for them, and I just so happened to have the ingredients* and other items needed. Her mother was very pleased with them, and so was her poor little nose! It got me to thinking about what other types of "wipes" I could make from flannel material. And then I had an AH HA moment!

Now, I wear make up nearly every day. And I have never been able to get into the habit of washing my face at night. By the time I've gotten the kiddos to bed and it's time for me to turn in, I'm toast and so is my body, especially my back. The thought of huddling over the bathroom sink to wash my face (and get my front side soaking wet in the process- it never fails!) is just not as appealing as heading right to my bed and my secret stash of York Peppermint Patty Pieces. And I know that there are commercially made wipes out in the store, but I have almost entirely eliminated chemicals from my personal grooming. AND I want to stick to our budget. BUT I don't want to keep scaring my hubby and children every morning by stumbling out of the bedroom with a bad case of bed head, white drool marks on my face and raccoon eyes. I can at least get rid of the raccoon eyes!

So here is my budget, health and planet friendly solution! Homemade facial wipes. Before I give the "recipe" I want to say that you may need to adjust to your own skin. I have very oily skin, wear liquid eyeliner, mascara, homemade blush, homemade foundation powder and a touch of concealer under my eyes. I have found that by holding the wipe on my closed eye lids for a few seconds helps to loosen the eye makeup so that I am not wiping too much on such a delicate area of the face. These do a remarkable job of removing nearly all traces of eye makeup and my skin feels clean, refreshed and moisturized.

~Homemade Natural Facial Wipes~

 

~Container to store your wipes

~Flannel material cut into squares, as many as will fit folded neatly

and to the size you prefer.

~About 1 C. of hot water (you could use distilled if you want, I just used tap)

~about 1/4 C. of witch hazel

~about 2 Tbsp. of glycerin

~about 2 tsp. of almond oil

 

Cut your flannel into squares of the size you feel most comfortable with. Mine are about 12 x 12. You could use an old flannel sheet or shirt. I happened to have a fabric remnant that I picked up at Walmart and thought the dark brown would be best because of my eye makeup.You can also hem these, or just run a stitch aroung the edge. I was lazy and just used my pinking shears to cut them. Fold your squares and place in a container with a lid, I used a plastic wipes container that was lurking in my bathroom cupboard. Then heat your water until hot, then add the other ingredients and stir well to break up the oil. Pour over the flannel squares and carefully "smoosh" them down. You could let them sit for a minute or 2, close the lid of your container and then flip it over to help distribute the fluid. If they seem too dry, add a bit more hot water until they are all moist, but not dripping wet. Use as needed to remove the daily dirt and makeup!

 

 

 

You could add essential oils if you prefer a scent or want the added benefits, but I like the plain smell of witch hazel. Glycerin is a gentle cleanser and a humectant, which means it draws moisture to your skin. The almond oil will also help in cleansing and moisturizing the skin, I don't feel the need to moisturize after using these, but if you have very dry skin, you can, or you could try upping the quantity of glycerin and almond oil. I just throw my used wipes into the laundry with our towels and wash them. Then I set them aside until I have them all and make another batch of the solution.

 

*For the homemade boogie wipes I mentioned above, I didn't have aloe vera gel as the recipe calls for, so I used glycerin instead. And I had grabbed the eucalyptus essential oil instead of the lavender, not realizing my mistake until after I had added a drop to the solution. I liked the results of using the eucalyptus instead of the lavender, though, it gave the boogie wipes a Vick-sy smell. Just be careful when using eucalyptus oil on the skin, I wouldn't use more than 1 drop when making these boogie wipes. I had more flannel squares than would fit in the box for my niece, so I stuck them in a baggie for my cold and cough kit in case some one does have a sore nose in the house this winter!

 

If you decide to try the facial wipes, I'd love to hear from you! Well, even if you don't want to try them, I'd still love to hear from you! You can comment at the end of the blog post, or you can "like" Homespun Inspirations over on face book.

 

Have a wonderful autumn day, Friends!

 

Many Blessings,

Kelly

 

 



 

 



Homemade Salves and Lip Balm

Hello, Friends! Did ya miss me? Sorry I've been out of the loop for a while, but I've had quite a bit going on and to deal with, so blogging had to take a back seat. (Actually, forget the back seat, blogging had to stay home!) I'll give some quick updates before I get into the salves and lip balm.

• So far my dear hubby has made 1/2 gallon of syrup, and 1 quart of it has already been consumed!
• DH has about 5 more quarts that are nearly finished to syrup, with more out on our "arch".
• I finally bought a magazine about the different chicken breeds and have made my final decision about what kind of chicks we are going to buy. (I'm keeping it secret for now, just in case I change my mind!)
• I've made some plans for the garden, deciding to put the annual herbs in containers and not in one of our raised beds. Then I'll transfer the perennial herbs into 1 bed by them selves, making more room for veggies.
• Also in gardening, I've decided to plant carrots this year, despite vowing that I never would again. Then I learned that carrots have been on the "Dirty Dozen" produce list in the past. Potatoes have been, too, so I'm giving them serious consideration as well.
• I'm getting all of my seed starting paraphernalia together so that I can get them planted SOON. At least the bell peppers!

And now for the moment you've been waiting for!!!!!!! Salves and lip balm! (By the way, I can't seem to locate the cord that connects the camera to the computer, so I don't have pics, but as soon as I do, I will!!!;o))

If you've been reading my blog for a little while now, you know that I have committed my self to getting rid of chemicals in my family's toiletries/personal hygiene. A few weeks ago I actually hoed out a closet in my bathroom and filled a garbage can of tubes and bottles that contained sulfates and parabens. (Most of the products were old or nearly gone.) Now I am trying to replace these things with all natural products from the store (be sure to read the ingredients, some products labeled "natural" can still contain chemicals) or even better, make my own.

So back a Sunday or two ago, I got home from church and shoo-ed everyone out of the house, because I was going to make the kiddo's body wash, some lip balm and salves. I grated like a maniac, and heated, poured, and stirred as well. The only thing I really had a recipe for was the lip balm.

Here is the link. for that. Now, I don't now what I did wrong, but the honey did not mix well with the other ingredients. I'm not sure if it's because I didn't allow the mixture to heat long enough together or not, but the honey was left on the bottom of my measuring cup. And this recipe make more than 1/2 an ounce as the recipe states. Make sure to have plenty of little lip balm jars! I used a drop of peppermint oil, but it wasn't necessary. I keep a jar of this on my night stand and (try!) to use it every night before bed. I gave the other jar to Princess, who is a lip gloss/balm collector. She was super-dee dooper psyched when I gave it to her.

For the kids' body wash, I grated a bar of Kirk's Natural castile soap and added it to about 2 cups of hot water, heating it on medium over the stove until the soap flakes were dissolved. I added more hot water and let it cool a bit before pouring it into a couple of mason jars. Unfortunately I didn't dilute it enough, so I had to reheat it and add more water a couple of days after because it had turned back to a solid. I have to work on the correct water/soap ratio for this, but it was a start.

For the salves, again I didn't measure, but I used a combination of olive, sweet almond and Castor oils. I used about 1 cup of oil in all, pouring it into a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup that sat in a medium sized bot of water over medium heat. I added my grated beeswax and stirred until the beeswax was completely liquefied. Then I removed the measuring cup and added lavender essential oil. I poured this all into 2 small mason jars and let the salve cool before putting the lids on. I (again, try!!) rub this on my hands every night before bed, slipping on some cotton gloves after. I've also used it before heading out when it's been quite cold and I'll be wearing gloves. This salve is a bit greasy, but it works well on keeping my hands soft and free of cracks and dry skin.

The next salve I want to make is a calendula salve that I have read is good for eczema. I've developed to patches of it on my face, on either side of my chin. I look like a little baby that is chapped from drooling! And, although I can't find the exact place that I read it, I'm going to give it a try. I even bought a package of seeds so I can grow my own calendula this year.

Well, Friends, I now this post seems rushed, but I still have lots more to get to up here on my hill, including taking a shower before I head to town. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to leave one below, email me at HomespunInspirations@gmail.com or "like" my face book page. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to visit me.

Blessings,
Kelly

All Natural Deodorant- This Journey's Been the Pits!

So, it's been a while since I've blogged about my personal hygiene. I figured you were all dying with curiosity about how my chemical free journey is going. No? Well, I'm going to tell you all about it anyway!

Well, the whole no'poo thing is going rather well. I was having problems with dryness at the ends of my hair and major static. Then we had a windfall of full fat plain Greek yogurt. It's the best beauty product I've ever eaten! (Seriously, if you wanna pamper yourself, go buy a tub of yogurt (it's gotta be full fat and plain!) and take a shower with it. No, it's not gonna wash your back for you, but it will make your hair, body and face soooooooo silky soft!) I applied some of this magic creaminess to my damp hair and let it sit while I did my other shower things. Then I rinsed it out with luke warmish water (it is February after all!) and used my no 'poo hair cleaner as usual and finished with my ACV rinse. You really need to make sure that you've rinsed the yogurt out well and work in the baking soda solution, or else your hair could be greasy. However, it will be super-dee-dooper soft.

The yogurt will also make your skin silky soft. I apply to my skin after I've washed up. I try to let it stay on for a little while before making sure that I rinse of completely. And, not to be ..er.....well, anyway, it would be a nice touch for date night! It's also a wonderful facial mask. After washing my face with honey, I smoothed on the yogurt and let it sit, then rinsed. I didn't use my acv toner because the yogurt is acidic. And there was no need for any sort of moisturizer because it just didn't need it. Awesome!

Now to the embarrassing admission part. If you read my blog post about going all natural in concern to my personal hygiene, then you know that I was trying to take baby steps with homemade deodorant. I had started using just baking soda under my arms for about a week and a half to two weeks. And my under arms itched. I didn't smell, but I itched. Then I had a day where I was in so much pain that it was all I could do was get the kids ready for school and on the bus before I crawled back in bed. There was no inclination for a shower. The next day was Saturday, and feeling (somewhat) better, I got up and did my baking. Then it was shower time. As I headed to the bathroom, I scratched an itch under my arm and encountered a scaly armpit. What in the world?!? I looked in the mirror and to my horror there was a big, brown scaly scab-like patch on my under arm. Under both actually. I freaked for a nano second before realizing that the baking soda I had applied on Thursday had mingled with my sweat for a good two days and make a nasty scab like thing. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Well, I double timed it to the shower and scrubbed under my arms like there was no tomorrow. I didn't use a darn thing on my poor, sensitive under arms. I actually went a whole weekend with naked pits until I could do my shopping and get some Tom's of Maine deodorant. By the way, I was so thankful that this all happened in the winter! I did not stink my family out.

Well, I got to Walmart that Monday morning and picked out the apricot scented solid stick from Tom's. I sort of stood in the aisle, mouth agape at the fact that I didn't have a coupon to buy this, but got over it when I looked at it's poisonous shelf mates. The thing is, it just isn't working. By dinner time, I'm a bit smelly. By bedtime, all bets are off and I smell. This is so not cool.

This morning I took out the canning jar that I had saved to make my homemade deodorant in before the whole nasty patch episode. I added 1 1/2 tablespoons of baking soda, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and 4-5 drops of lavender essential oil. I put the cap on and shook it well. After my shower I used a powder puff to apply. I don't stink and I don't itch. (Unless I start thinking about itching, and then I do.) In fact, there is absolutely NO odor in the pit area as I'm writing this at 7:30 in the evening. Woo-hoo! Victory! Homemade deodorant it is.

So,what do I do with a nearly $4 stick of deodorant? Anybody?

Blessings,
Kelly

New Year's Solution #1: A Natural Woman

Sorry, this is not a baking post. These are the ingredients for my no'poo hair cleaner!

Very handy to have if you are going no 'poo: a funnel and plastic bottles to hold your concoctions.

If you read my last post, you know that I had decided to try the no 'poo method of hair washing. This was just one of the steps to eliminating harmful chemicals from my life and that of my family's. There are lots of horrid chemicals in commercial shampoos, conditioners, soaps and facial cleansers (and many other products we use every day, but for now I overwhelm you.). And though there is debate as to how unsafe these chemicals are, I say why risk it? If I'm going to take a risk, I'd rather do it on something fun like bull riding or sky diving, or even eating a hot dog from one of those vendors in New York City. (O.k., really I don't want to do any of those things, but you get my drift right?) Or maybe going out looking for big foots (feet?) or wearing leg warmers. (Sorry, got off track a bit, huh? :^)

So, in addition to going no 'poo, I also started washing my face with honey. (I'll be giving a list of links for more information on all of these things.) It really works and my skin is super soft. The only draw back is that right now my skin is going through a transition period of break outs (And I nearly sprained my tongue trying to lick my face- just kidding!). But this is normal, so I'm sticking to it. I also swapped out my store brand Oil of Olay moisturizer for a drop or two of glycerin and an olive/vitamin e oil mix. I was really hesitant about this, as I have REALLY oily skin, but you really only need a drop or two and I haven't had any of that winter time flakiness. (Not on my face, anyways!)

The next step in my heave-ho the chemicals was to swap out my body was for an all natural castile soap. I opted for a bar of Kirk's Natural Coco Castile soap. There are other companies that offer castile soaps, but Kirk's is the most budget friendly. I was afraid it would dry out my skin, but it hasn't. In fact, my skin is super soft and smooth. I've even used it to shave my legs and underarms with. Of course, my legs still needed lotion, but they did even with the supposedly super moisturising body washes, too.

Speaking of under arms, I was running out of my Secret Coco Butter Kiss deodorant, and figured I might as well take the plunge into homemade deodorant. I've decided to take baby steps on this one, which I figured is o.k. to do since it's winter. (You can read more at Kitchen Stewardship about taking baby steps in this process, as well as some recipes for the deodorant.) This morning after my shower I used a cotton round to apply some baking soda to my under arms. So far, so good, I don't stink. (O.k., so it's only been about 4 hours and the most strenuous thing I have done so far is hefting a gallon of milk into the house. But it's start!)

So, here is the run down on my morning routine. I'm not always so good at explaining things in paragraph form, and I'm a take-it-a-step-at-a-time sort of girl, so here it is, step by step.

1. remove my eye make up with an olive/vitamin e oil mix and a cotton round if I didn't remove it last night (I'm not good at washing my face at night or removing makeup)
2. turn on the shower and get in. (did you know you actually have to be in the shower for it to work? Shocking, I know!)
3. wet my hair, using my finger tips to make sure my roots get wet.
4. apply my baking soda/water hair cleaner, working it into my scalp with my finger tips
5. let the BS solution sit while I wet my face and apply a quarter size dollop of honey to my face, avoiding the eye area for now (once or twice a week a dd a little sprinkle of baking soda to my honey to exfoliate)
6. rinse out the BS solution very, very well, then apply my apple cider vinegar/water solution to the ends of my hair.
7. let the acv/h2O sit while I later up with the Kirk's bar, then rinse off
8. take a tiny bit more of honey to clean my eye area and then gently use a wash cloth to rinse my face of all honey
9. rinse the acv out of my hair, turn off the water and dry off
10. get dressed, put on baking soda under arms
11. apply my acv/water toner to my face, let dry and apply glycerin/oil
12. apply make up, comb out hair and dry

Some helpful tips for making your baking soda cleaner and ACV "conditioner:

• I mix up 6 Tbsp. of baking soda with 6 cups of water in a half gallon mason jar. This makes my mornings go quicker than having to measure out every thing every morning. I just use a funnel to pour it into my "shampoo" bottle, and set the bottle in a quart size jar of hot water so that I don't freeze my self
• I use a condiment bottle for my baking soda "shampoo", you know the type with a narrow tip. This really helps in getting the solution all over your scalp. Before I used a regular travel type bottle, and it was taking me forever and I had to turn my head upside down and get the stuff in my eyes. This is a real winner of a tip, believe me!
• I keep my ACV in a pint jar, and pour just a little bit in the bottle (using my funnel, so no mess!) then add warm water.
• You can add essential oils to help with certain hair issues, or just so that your hair smells good. (the ACV smell really does go away once your hair is dry) I'm using tea rose right now because I like the scent. (Wish I could say that it drives my DH crazy, but so far I've only had a kindergartner tell me that my hair smelled "different" and not to put that stuff in my hair again. Thankfully I'm only a substitute!)

And here are the links. I'm not going to put a link for every blog post, but both Crunchy Betty and Heidi at Frantically Simple have multiple posts on the no 'poo method and washing your face with honey, just search their blogs!

Crunchy Betty, No 'Poo
Crunchy Betty: Washing Your Face with Honey
Frantically Simple: Honey Face Wash
Frantically Simple: Going No 'Poo

There, you probably learned more about my grooming habits than you ever thought possible (or cared to know!) I hope this has helped someone out there make a conscious effort to ditch the chemicals in their personal grooming. Of course, this is just the beginning. There's more to learn, make and do. (Bet you can't wait to read more about my personal routine, can ya? ;^)

Blessings,
Kelly