The Many Uses of Oil - For Skin, Hair and Body!

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     Why are told that oil is bad when it comes to our hair and skin, and it needs to be removed to for us to be at our best. We use oil removing cleansers and lotions from head to toe. The products we use have so many chemicals and soaps, they actually strip our skin and hair of what they need along with the dirt. However, there are people on the natural-homemade-items front that are getting the word out that there are better ways! One of them is using oil.

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     I know it's hard to believe that oil can actually be used to cleanse, but it's true. Oil dissolves oil. It can help balance your skin and clean out the dirt and bacteria naturally and effectively. Oil is not bad, the natural oil our skin produces helps to protect it. Hormones, dirt and trapped bacteria are what causes skin problems. When we use products with too many harsh chemicals and cleansers, we are stripping our skin of that natural oil, causing it to overproduce oil and throw things out of balance. By using healthy oil to replace dirty oil, you bring a natural balance to your skin and make it more healthy. Through Simple Mom and http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/, I found a simple recipe for your skin using olive oil, which moisturizes, heals and nourishes skin, and castor oil, which draws our dirt and bacteria from pores.

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     The basic recipe is equal parts of castor oil and olive oil for normal skin. You can modify this to suit your skin's needs. For acne prone or oily skin you use 3 parts castor oil and 1 part olive oil. With drier skin you use 3 parts olive oil to 1 part castor oil. Like I said, you can mix it up however you want to give your skin what it needs! Pour it into some sort of bottle and keep it by your sink. To use it, don't wet your face first. Just pour a quarter sized amount into your hands and massage it into your face, working it in for about a minute. Then wet a washcloth as hot as your face can handle, and put it over your face until it gets room temperature, about a minute or so. This step opens your pores, removing dead skin cells and impurities. After that use the wash cloth to wipe off your face. Your skin will feel softer immediately! :0) Olive oil is the same pH as human skin so it's the perfect cleanser and moisturizer, it works great for removing makeup and you only need to use it once a day. It makes your skin healthier, softer and brighter.

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     I use olive oil for more than just face cleansing, because it has so many benefits! I stopped using shampoo and conditioner over 6 months ago and I love it. I experimented with making my own hair cleaner using fresh made herb tea mixed with other things and I also tried using baking soda. I didn't like either of them alone or together. What I did find worked was the oil cleaning method for my scalp. I mixed together equal parts olive oil and castor oil, as well as some apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil. Sound like an odd mix doesn't it? Tea tree oil helps heal the scalp and can help with dry scalp, which I can have. I mixed it in a bottle so when I take a shower I shake the bottle, spray it directly on my scalp all over it, and then massage in with my fingertips. Never use your finger nails on your scalp because it can rip out hair. I put it in at the beginning of my shower and leave it in until I'm just about to get out, then I rinse it out. It works great! My hair is clean, soft, healthy and chemical free. There are so many dangers with the cancer causing chemicals in shampoos and conditioners these days, it's been such a relief to have something I can use that's safe AND effective! Like with the skin cleansing method, you tweak it to suit your needs. You can add essential oils for fragrance if you like, and to help you scalp and hair.

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     Now this next one is funny to imagine, but again so effective! Toss out your chemical filled shaving cream ladies, cooking oil is a shaving dream come true! Olive oil can be expensive, so if you need a cheaper oil try canola or safflower and see what you like. Basically you just keep a bottle of it in the shower, let your skin get wet and your pores open a bit, then rub it on like lotion and shave away! It moisturizes, helps prevent razor burn and leaves you feeling super smooth. I will notice it gets the razor a bit goopy but simple rinsing it under the shower head removes the goop. It's some of the clean oil, dirty oil from your skin, dirt and dead skin cells coming off. As for razor burn, this is a wonderful way to prevent it! I notice little to none razor burn when using oil to shave. My next tip for oil - wash your body in it. Yep, you read right! After I've shaved with it, I rub oil all over my body from face to toes. I leave it on for at least a couple minutes, then wash off with my organic all natural soap. The soap doesn't remove all the oil, just the extra oil to leave you clean and still very soft and moisturized. It works so great, because I get out of the shower so smooth and soft! And again, it's a chemical free way to moisturize the skin. :0) If you try any of these out let me know how you like them!

100% Organic Cotton Reusable Tea Bags - Great Idea!

     Once again, on my quest for organic and reusable items I realized that individually wrapped tea bags are a waste...and I don't know what's in/on them! That's a little unnerving, especially for someone trying to watch what kind of chemicals and materials we are exposed to. So I went on a search (on eBay again) for reusable organic tea bags. Oh, reusable tea bags are out there, but not all organic ones. I was so glad when I found GraceNotes listing on eBay for 100% organic reusable tea bags! Even the string is organic!

     Basically this is what you get in the mail. I love the tea bags and the little info on the sticker, but my only suggestion would be to cut out the plastic bag ad put them in tissue paper or some other non-plastic packaging. I'm not a big fan of plastic since it is very hard to recycle. Other than that, the packaging is very cute and offers you step by step info on using your new tea bags!

     This is what your tea bag looks like out of the bag before use. It's really cute; simple but charming with the beads on the side. You take a teaspoon of your tea and just put it in the little tea bag, then cinch up the strings and it's ready to go! You can tie your strings in a single knot if you like, but I find mine stays closed fine by just pulling it tightly closed with the strings. You use it as you would with a disposable tea bag: just add water!

     When I first tried mine out I thought I didn't use enough tea because the water didn't seem as dark as when I used the disposable tea bags. So I added more tea and steeped it in my cup longer. Boy did that make some strong tea! I did not need to any extra tea to it, the flavor was fine and just as I normally like it with the recommended amount. Of course, you can add more or less to your liking. But don't let the lighter color fool you, if you happen to experience this as well, the tea flavor is still strong.

     You can slightly see the strings with the beads hanging down. I had a small issue with my strings dripping a little, but after moving the beads up higher on the strings and then snipping the extra thread, my drip problem was pretty much solved. What I was told was that they are now making them with shorter strings, but in case you experience any dripping string issues that's how you fix it. :0)

     This is what your tea bag will look like after you've used it. You can let it dry out and then remove the tea, or empty and rinse it while it's still damp. There are cleaning and care instructions not only on their website, but on the little package as well. The price for these is EXTREMELY reasonable! Especially for all organic materials. On the GraceNotes eBay listing you can purchase one tea bag for $2.25 with free shipping. On the GraceNotes website they are $1.75 each + shipping, or $4.00 for 3 tea bags + shipping. Shipping costs seem to be $2.00 for 4 items and it goes up to more with the more you add. Still a great price! :0) They are durable, reusable and chemical free - all worth the cost!

     So please either stop by their website or their eBay listing and pick a few up. You can use these in a cute tea gift basket with a few different kinds of loose tea and a nice cup. These tea bags make a great gift and you are helping to cut back on disposable tea bags, which are a total waste! I believe even a few small "green" steps can make a big impact so why not start with these?

Why Our Family Chooses Organic

     I get a lot of questions about why I try to buy mostly organic, if not natural products. It's something I've researched and I feel is very important, not only to my family, but for our planet. When you start talking about the planet people automatically assume you are a hippie, which I am not. But I do believe deeply in living in a sustainable fashion, in being kind to the Earth, and in trying to live as naturally as possible. 60-70 there wasn't as much unnatural stuff on the market. 150 years ago there was even less. With the influx of so many unnatural and chemically created things there has been a lot of damage done to our planet, as well as to us. I feel that the healthiest way to live is as naturally as possible. This does not mean we don't go to the doctor, because we do when it is necessary. I do try to take care of simple illnesses at home before rushing in for an antibiotic or medicine. My daughter does have her shots because I feel the pros heavily outweigh the unconfirmed cons. But with our day to day life I try to live, as much as I can, to how things were 150 years ago.

     What does this mean? Well first and foremost we eat only organic foods as much as possible. Most of the time it's pretty close to 100% of the time. I do allow the occasional deviation from that, but it's few and far between and I feel badly after I do. Not just conscience badly, but physically as well! My body dislikes it and makes that very clear. So we try to keep our "cheats" to a minimum. Instead we try to make our own treats that still stick with our healthy eating habits, like a picnic with food from home, or out to eat a restaurant that serves organic foods. Once you get into the routine of eating mostly organic you really don't want to eat the other stuff as much. I watched a great movie called Food Inc. and I recommend everyone watches it, as well as videos similar to it. It helps you get a look into the food that isn't organic, and it really grosses you out. For us it was just another nail in the coffin of non-organic and non-natural foods. For those of you who think this cannot be done with children - please think again. My 4 year old loves vegetables and fruits! We go to the grocery store and she helps me get the items we need, and we discover new foods together. She loves it! And we both eat the same things for meals, and it appeals to both of us.

     Another thing that bothered me was the artificial colorings in most foods these days. These coloring are linked to horrible diseases such as cancer, as well as lifelong illnesses such as asthma. So we cut out foods with them in it. But they aren't just in foods. They are in vitamins, pills, and personal care products! So if you are trying to avoid those things you have to keep an eye out for them. Look for organic vitamins, pills that do not have a color coating, make-ups and skin care products labelled as organics. Personal care products are highly problematic because of the massive amount of chemicals in them, again some are are linked to horrible diseases and illnesses. Avoid sodium laurel sulphate! Avoid parabens! So for us, we switch to homemade personal care products for most of what we use, and anything we have to buy is natural and organic. My hair never looks better! And I do not pay $20 for a fancy conditioner or shampoo. There is so much that we have in our kitchens that we can use to take care of the outsides of our bodies.

     Cleaning products are another issue because the chemicals are harsh and very dangerous. I make my cleaners at home now and they work just as well. Plus, I do not have to worry about my daughter dying from ingesting lemon juice and vinegar! I did worry she might ingest a chemical cleaner and die though. Toys - as we all can remember there are recalls on toys every year. Not only should we be avoiding lead, but PVC products as well. So we are replacing toys with organic toys. It's not always a fast process because there are cost considerations. But replacing items here and there when you can, owning less toys but higher quality toys, and selling the other toys, helps a lot with the costs. Do you really want to question what is on and in that toy your toddler currently has in their mouth? No!

     I am not longer buying clothing that isn't organic. I don't want to question what chemicals are against the skin or myself and my child. And it helps keep my clothes spending in check. Generally organic clothing can cost a little bit more, but it is very much worth it. However, it does keep you from impulsively spending because you have a bit of a higher cost to consider. To be completely honest we do not need most of the clothing we buy. How much of it do we actually wear? So I've picked out staple items I like and will wear that are organic. I plan to replace everything in my closet with organic materials, but again this is not an overnight process. It does not have to break your wallet either! Look for sales. Stores such as Wal-Mart and Target now carry many organic articles of clothing. Check eBay, Etsy, and other online retailers. Raid your local thrift stores for organic articles of clothing. If it's like a treasure hunt it will make it all that more exciting to find a great piece! And you can save money not buying new clothes every single time you go to the store. Organic blankets, stuffed animals, toys, undergarments, jewelry - these are all other things I plan to replace with organic or eco-friendly.

     Why organic? Because you are buying a piece of sustainability, you are buying naturalness. You are helping to support products that are better for us and for our planet. The planet does not have an infinite amount of resources available to us. We need to realize that and do what we can to use less of them so that there are more resources available in the future. I have a child, and I want her to have a planet with those resources. :) If you have any questions please feel free to ask!