Simple and Natural Body Care Routine

Linking up with Hallie and her 5 Favorites today, make sure to pop on over and check out the other favorites. I will be discussing my favorite body products. 


Simple and Frugal Body Care Products

This little shelf in my 70's bathroom carries just about everything I need for day-to-day body care. I think I have finally found a routine with body care products that really work, are frugal and simple to make and/or use!

I used to buy the latest and greatest products, wasting so much money as they would end up collecting dust after awhile. I was also addicted to lotion for YEARS, I seriously couldn't live without it. After I made the switch to natural products, my skin and hair improved dramatically, it's also saved me a lot of money.

As I share these, I would also love to know what works for you? Have you tried a few a these items?


1. Hair Care

Now I wouldn't say I have luscious hair, or even cooperative hair, but lately I have been starting to actually like my hair. I've always had a problem with frizz, especially as my hair grew longer. My solution was to cut it short and keep it simple, and that worked, except now I am growing it out and I love how it's looking. These are the only two products that I use and I will tell you why I love them:

Shampoo Bar: I have used J.R Liggett's Shampoo bar and have also made a batch of my own. I also occasionally use apple cider vinegar to rinse my hair with and make it soft, but we don't need conditioner anymore. The whole family uses the bar and it will last more than a month. The cheapest place to get it is Vitacost, it typically runs $4 a bar.

Homemade Dry Shampoo: My sister introduced this to me a few months ago and I love it. On the days I don't wash my hair I use this to absorb the excess oil. My hair is not frizzy and WAY more cooperative when it's dirty, and with dry shampoo it doesn't have to look dirty! This is why I am excited to grow my hair out - dry shampoo has changed everything for me. It's also handy when you have to get out the door and don't have time for a shower. Wellness Mama has a great recipe that we use.


2. Face Wash

I have a problem with dry skin and occasionally acne. It seems like I have tried everything. I never liked how my face felt until I started the Oil Cleansing Method of washing my face. All you need is oil and water! It seems crazy but I dare you to try it, you will love it. It takes a little more time that simply washing your face, but I find it helps me relax before bed. And who doesn't have oil in their house? No need for expensive cleansers anymore. Here is the video tutorial:

3. Washing my Skin

Anna's Shop: Roots Soap Co

Besides the shampoo bar and apple cider vinegar, Anna's soap is the only other thing I have in the shower. I LOVE to keep things simple and this soap does the job. My husband loves it, it's gentle enough for the kids and it's great for shaving. It's also the most natural you can get. It lathers really well and doesn't dry out my skin. Not to mention, she's an awesome mama and I am very proud to support her business.

This is the only soap we use for washing hands as well, the bar last forever and always smells so good.


4. Oils/Lotions

As I mentioned, I was addicted to lotion. It took me forever to switch to using oil for my skin instead of lotion - and now? You won't find a single bottle of lotion in my house. You might ask, why would you not use lotion? Or why is it so addicting? Here's a good answer.

My skin feels SO much better and I don't use nearly the amount of oil as I did lotion. After the NOW's sweet almond oil. One bottle will last me a few months, at least. My skin does not itch from being dry anymore.
shower I apply almond oil or jojoba oil all over my body. I let it absorb for a few minutes so I don't get any oil on my skin and I usually only reapply the oil every 3-5 days. The cheapest option I have found is

Tallow Balm

For my face and hands I either use The Good Green Stuff or my homemade tallow lotion. This is the tutorial I used and I made it from the tallow that came with our quarter beef last year. THIS STUFF ROCKS!
Beef fat seems like a really gross thing to put on your skin - but it is the closest thing to the oil on our own skin, which causes it to absorb so well. I only have to use a  little bit and my hands/feet and face feel awesome. If there is anything you take away from this post, let it be to try tallow on your skin!! You can purchase some if you don't have tallow, but if you can get your hands on grassfed tallow - I say go for it. This lotion cost pennies for me compared to the lotion you buy in the store.


5. Deodorant

Passionate Homemaking

For a few years now I have been solely using homemade deodorant. I used to buy the extra strength
antiperspirant, and it still didn't do the trick! I now love my deodorant and it makes me pretty happy that I can make this on my own. It only requires a few ingredient and you aren't putting all those chemicals in your armpit. Of all homemade products this one is easy to make and you can test it right away, I highly recommend it!

Thanks for letting me share my natural body care routine with you, Currently, Im on the lookout for a good, tasty toothpaste recipe that my kids will use. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way!

Linking up with Party Wave Wednesday at Holistic Squid and  Pennywise Platter

"Life is beauty, admire it. Life is a dream, realize it. Life is a challenge, meet it. Life is a duty, complete it. Life is a game, play it. Life is a promise, fulfill it. Life is sorrow, overcome it. Life is a song, sing it. Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life is too precious, do not destroy it. Life is life, fight for it."

-Blessed Mother Teresa 

Making your own Salad Dressing

One of the first things we changed about our diet was making our own salad dressings. It takes minutes to prepare and homemade dressings are so delicious. My children will eat every bite of their veggies if they are covered in homemade dressing. 

Nutrition wise, homemade dressing is far superior to store-bought. The Olive Oil and vinegar will supply you with a dose of vitamin E, antioxidants and enzymes - compared to the rancid soy bean oils, MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, and a many other ingredients listed in commercial salad dressings. 

The best part - it's simple and anyone can do it! So ditch those bottles of dressing and nourish your body with a wonderful salad topped with homemade dressing!

If you click here and here you will find some great salad dressing recipes. At first I had to have a recipe until I got the hang of it. Now I throw in all the ingredients until it taste right. Being so busy these days with two toddlers, it's about all I can manage!

Our Simple Salad Dressing Routine:

 

Grab an old jar and throw in these ingredients:

2 parts Extra Virgin Olive oil

1 part vinegar. You can use ANY vinegar or combination you like. Here is what we use:
balsamic, raw apple cider vinegar, red wine or white wine.  

A squeeze of mustard. You can use whatever you have: dijon, spicy, regular. 

A dash or two of salt.

Honey or maple syrup to sweeten.


That's it! Make sure to taste it and add more oil, vinegar or whatever you want. Dressings can be made really fancy or really simple. We keep it simple. Occasionally I will follow a recipe for a nice salad, but this is what we do most of the time. 

Another great thing, you can't mess it up! If you accidentally add too much vinegar or salt, it's easy to add more oil to balance the flavor. It also works the other way around. Have fun and play with the flavors a bit. You will enjoy it!

"If you are discouraged it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own power. Your self-sufficiency, your selfishness and your intellectual pride will inhibit His coming to live in your heart because God cannot fill what is already full. It is as simple as that."
              – Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Forty Five Kids - a Frugal Birthday Party!

There were forty five kids at my daughters birthday party yesterday. Forty five! It was fun and wild at the same time! I threw a Teddy Bear's Picnic for my beary special 3 year old. I feel incredibly blessed to know so many families with children, and the fact that they will celebrate with us! Parties can be very expensive, especially if you try to provide healthy food and drinks.

I will share with you my attempt at throwing a fun, frugal and somewhat healthy birthday party. :)

{fun}

There is only so much you can do with forty five kids running around, so we tried our best! I wanted to keep it as simple and frugal as possible while still being fun for all of the kids.

The first thing I did was watch this in order to go on a bear hunt with all the kids:

It was a big hit, they loved it! I had them repeat the song phrases after me and they all participated!

 Then we read a few bear books, talked about our bear's names and what bears like to do for fun. Of course we had to read the well known, Teddy Bear's Picnic.

All I had to bring for this part was: a few picnic blankets, three books about bears and a few extra teddies in case someone forgot theirs. We got the books from the library so we didn't spend a dime on this part of the picnic!

{frugal}

My goal was to make this a frugal party - while still being fun. There are many ways to do this but let me show you how what we did.

I took a large cardboard box and cut the top to look like waves and spray painted it blue. I then made fishing poles out of sticks, string and clothespins. This was by far the kid's favorite. I enlisted help from my nephews to sit behind the box and help the children fish! As long as they threw their fish back in, they could fish as many times as the wanted!

{somewhat healthy}

Food can be the most expensive thing about a large birthday party. To keep it simple and frugal I had everyone bring an item to share for a "trail mix bar." That way, depending on a child's allergy restrictions or sugar limitations, everyone's needs were met! My sister in-law was so gracious and brought coconut water for everyone, what a treat! I also made and brought sweetened black tea.

The whole day before my daughter and I baked and baked cupcakes. It was really fun! We made a few batches of gluten free, honey sweetened chocolate cupcakes, and even more wheat flour cupcakes. A few mom's attending were either paleo, on the GAPS diet or had allergies. It was nice to have something for everyone. (well, almost everyone! I still can't figure out how to make cupcakes without eggs!)

I made cream cheese frosting and honey sweetened buttercream frosting, both of them to die for. At least that is how I feel about icing! (recipes to follow).

I did not ice the cupcakes beforehand, I brought it in bowls and let the children ice their own. It was really fun for the kids to get to do the icing on their own!

The party favors were the little fish  they caught. We cut the fish out of felt and I attached a honey stick to each one. I haven't met a kid who doesn't love honey sticks! After filling our bellies with chocolate we went down to the river front to have a swim. All in all, I would say it was great fun! Happy Birthday, my dear sweet Gianna!

"Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile."

- Blessed Mother Teresa


Linking up to Simple Lives Thursday, Fat Tuesday and Pennywise Platter

Our Favorite Cleaners

We try to keep things simple over here. We try. Often I fail, get overwhelmed and then figure out what I need to cut out of my life. 

I used to buy bleach, simple green, air freshener, 409, toilet bowl cleaner, carpet cleaner, and many more! I loved all the smells and different products. I would find them on sale and stock up. 

Not anymore. We keep it simple now.

For everyday cleaning we use two products: vinegar and baking soda.  

Our cleaning routine entails:

I keep the bottle next to the sink for easy access

Citrus Vinegar Cleaner

Fill a jar with citrus peels (lemon, orange, whatever you have!) and add white vinegar. Let it sit for two weeks. Put half vinegar solution, half water in an old spray container and label it. There you go! It will smell like lemons and disinfect better than bleach. (so I've heard!)

A gallon of vinegar is about $2 and I use this cleaner for everything. I don't worry about my son wanting to spray cleaners in his mouth (he does this!) or getting into any cleaning chemicals. I also feel better about asking my toddler to help spray the tub. It's fun and keeps life simple!

For further reading on the uses of vinegar: 30 Household Products Vinegar Can Replace

Baking soda is the other cleaner we use. It helps remove stains from tubs, sinks and counters. I also polish silverware and teapots with it. My daughter has a blast putting baking soda and water paste all over the tile in the tub.

For more reading on the uses of baking soda: 27 Ways to Clean with Baking Soda

A quick warning. It is an adjustment to switch to simple cleaners. It requires more "elbow grease" as my mother used to say. It's harder to remove stains and icky stuff, so just think of it as your daily toning!

What are your favorite, simple cleaning solutions? Do you find it hard to give up those favorite chemicals that work so well?