Taking Care of Me

Let me start this post by saying I AM NOT AN EXPERT.  I have not had any cosmetology classes.  Everything I'm sharing with you today has come from trial and error, my need to save money, look good, feel healthy/better about myself, and an intense desire to get away from the excess chemicals that we're so used to seeing in products that go ON OUR SKIN!  Our skin...the largest organ on our body & so easily damaged.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of makeup & moisturizers that leave my skin irritated and flaky.  I'm tired of being allergic to all of it...the redness, the bumps, the ITCHING.  Ugh!  I'm tired of the PRICE of products that promise to work and don't deliver.  I don't wear makeup every day.  I'm not beauty obsessed, but as is human nature, I do like to look good & on occasion make up does give me a little pick-me-up that I just can't get anywhere else.  Today, I'm going to share my recipes for cleaning my face, my new lotion love, and a serum that cosmetics companies can't even come close to!

TAKING IT OFF

My eye make up that is.  For ages I used Almay or Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover.  Over the last couple of years it's really begun to irritate my eyes & leave my vision blurry for a couple of hours after use.  Not good.  I don't wear waterproof mascara any more (makes my eyes hate me).  There are some recipes out there that use mineral oil, olive oil, or coconut oil...CAN'T DO THAT...if oils get into your eyes, the ONLY way to remove it is surgically.  What do I use, then?  3 items in a 4 oz bottle....

1 tsp tear-free head to toe baby wash

1Tbsp pure coconut water (NOT coconut oil)

6-8 drops grapeseed oil (yeah, yeah I just said "no oil" but this one is different & I'll explain in a sec)

3.5 oz distilled water

It works, doesn't leave my eyes burning or blurry, and I'm happy.  NOW...the grapeseed oil...it's not a lot of oil and grapeseed is considered a "light" oil which means that it won't clog your pores or suffocate the skin of your face like coconut or olive oil and especially mineral oil.  It has antioxidants to help fight signs of aging, vitamins that your skin actually CRAVES, and doesn't leave behind any sort of residue.  I also take a warm washcloth immediately after using & lightly blot my skin off.

CLEANING

The simplest...EVER.  Dr. Bronner's baby mild (unscented) liquid castile soap. Four drops in my hand, a little warm water, rub gently in circular motion over face, avoiding eye area, and rinse off.  Works beautifully.  If you're acne prone, this is good for you, too.  We even use it for a body wash, my faves are the rose & almond scented...

ONCE WEEKLY EXFOLIATION

In the shower I keep a small tub of baking soda that has been pre-moistened with distilled water into a paste.  I scoop out a dime sized amount into my palm, add 4 drops of Dr Bronner's & VERY GENTLY scrub, then rinse.  The reason I emphasize gently...baking soda is a natural abrasive...rub too hard & it's like taking 80grit sandpaper to your face...not cool.  But a light circular motion scrub (believe me, you'll feel it) will do the trick.

TONER

Another 4oz travel bottle, but this one contains

2 crushed aspirin

2oz apple cider vinegar

2oz distilled water

Vinegar is an acid, but it levels the pH in your skin...put it on a cotton ball & dab lightly around your entire face, paying extra attention to breakout-prone areas, avoiding the eyes.  Did you know that if you drink a 2oz shot of apple cider vinegar every morning, you're helping your skin, hair, & digestion?  We'll have to do a vinegar post soon so you can understand why I love it so much.

FACIAL MOISTURIZING

Grapeseed oil.  Pure and simple.  Put some on a cotton pad & gently pat around my face.  It's usually soaked in by the time I'm finished brushing my teeth.  

MIRACLE EYE SERUM

2oz brown or cobalt glass bottle (available at your local health food store)

dropper lid (some bottles come with them, so check)

1 oz grapeseed oil

1/2 oz jojoba oil

5 drops rose essential oil

5 drops roman chamomile essential oil

5 drops bergamot essential oil

3 drops lavender essential oil

Nightly after washing.  Using my weakest finger (left hand ring finger), I place a small drop & pat it over my eyebrows, upper eye (NOT the lids), and under my eyes.  I also put it on the bridge of my nose.  Heck, there have been a few times that I put it on my whole face.  It feels that good!  This close-up of my gray peepers is how my makeup looks the morning after doing a serum treatment the night before.  Not bad, if I do say so myself!

No flakes, the skin is smoother, and purple/puffy....I don't know what you're talking about! *LOL*

And finally, my new neck-to-toe miracle moisturizer.  I'll give you the original recipe that I've been sitting on for nearly a year, tell you why it's good, but not great, THEN I'll share my tweaks to it & let you choose.

ORIGINAL RECIPE
16oz bottle baby lotion
8oz Vaseline
8oz vitamin E cream
Pour ingredients into a bowl & mix until it resembles pudding.  Spoon into containers.

Smells great, feels fantastic....at first.  Then after about an hour, you start to have this sticky/slick feel that takes about TEN HOURS to go away.  Why?  Short answer - WAY too much Vaseline.  Now, I live in Utah, and with our desert air, my skin has been dry for YEARS...flaky, ashy, and my feet...oh, my poor feet.  I'm a barefoot girl, but I really hated my feet.  White around the edges, cracked, peeling, and over time, they really hurt.

Someone out there is going to yell "Get your blood sugar tested, Ditzy Girl. You're diabetic!"  I can assure you, I'm NOT.  I get a little low every now and then, but that's because I burn up everything I take in and has nothing to do with this.  This is me hating shoes, running around on carpet, concrete, and my feet paying the price.  No amount of soaking, scraping callouses, and paraffin moisture wraps made it go away.  I was beginning to think nothing would help.  Till this.  Here's what I ended up with:

MAMA'S MIRACLE MOISTURIZER
yields 56 oz
16 oz bottle baby lotion (your choice, but remember the fewer ingredients, the better)
8oz Equate petroleum jelly with aloe & E (WalMart)
(2) 16 oz tubs of Clear Basics Vitamin E cream with jojoba & aloe (Family Dollar)
1 Tbsp grapeseed oil (yeah, I can admit it - I'm addicted to the stuff!)
Save the vitamin e tubs for refilling.  Pour ingredients into large bowl & mix until it looks like pale pink pudding.  Scoop back into containers & use when needed.  It feels AMAZING!  Absorbs quick, but you don't dry out or itch 3-4 hours later.  And my tootsies?  They love me again!  When I first used this, I put it on before going to bed, thinking that if they were white/dry again by morning, I'd be so upset.  This picture was taken the next day.

You should be able to right click & open in a new tab to see that there are no dry areas on my foot.  I'm very pleased with the results.  And 56oz of lotion for under $8?  You can't beat it!  It's become such a hit in our house that Middle Child and Biker Boy both took off with their own containers when they saw how much of it I had...and they use it every day!

July 2012 EDIT:  Over the last few months, I have changed my miracle moisturizer recipe.  While it worked great, I was beginning to have a hard time with the petroleum in there...the jar AND what was in the baby lotion...didn't like thinking about all the dinosaurs that died just to keep my skin soft. (tee hee)  Here's what I've changed to & not only do I feel better about what's going on our skin, it works just as well when it comes to moisturizing:

 MAMA'S MIRACLE MOISTURIZER (REVISED)
(3) 16oz tubs of Clear Basics vitamin E cream with jojoba & aloe (Family Dollar)
1/2 cup organic coconut oil
4 Tbsp of grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp sweet almond oil
1 Tbsp jojoba oil
1 oz rosewater (optional)
15 drops of rose essential oil (optional)
Again, everything dumped into a large bowl & mix until blended to pudding consistency. Repacked into the emptied tubs for storage.  It's still very inexpensive, because I had everything on hand, with the exception of the vitamin E cream...those are only about $1.75/tub.  There's still some petroleum in there, thanks to the vitamin E cream, but it's minimal compared to what it was before.

And the fragrance?  Reminds me of Rose Milk lotion...remember those little pink bottles?  I never could wear it, because of my allergy to lanolin, but I really LOVED the smell!  Now, before I mixed in the rosewater & rose oil, I did scoop some "unscented" off into a tub for my guys because they weren't too keen on "smelling like a flower shop." *LOL*  You're welcome to leave out the rosewater and change out the essential oil to keep it unscented, OR add any essential oils that you prefer...I wouldn't mix more than 2 scents together, though...they get to competing on your skin & what smells nice in the tub, can smell funky ON you!  Try chamomile & lavender, sage & orange, sweet birch & clove, lilac, peppermint...the options are endless!

Thanks for stopping by & letting me share my thrifty skin care tricks.  I hope that you might be able to use one or all of them for you and your family.  Have a great rest of your day!!

DIY Mascara

Okay, so I mentioned last week that I tried making my own mascara. It was a semi-success and I thought I'd share how I did it. First, I figured out what ingredients would be "good" for my eyelashes, so I grabbed some vitamin E oil, organic aloe gel, and for the "coloring" I thought that activated charcoal would be a good choice.

A small pot from the natural food store and a couple of toothpicks to stir my chemistry experiment...
There are no exact measurements, I just kinda went with my instincts on this...a small squeeze of aloe, 4-5 drops of vitamin e oil, and 2 capsules opened, then stirred... {sorry it's a tad blurry}
A $3 pack of mascara wands from Sally Beauty Supply...
And the result.....
Not bad, but I think it could be thicker for more volume. I'm pondering adding a smidge of emulsifying wax, but I need to talk to some "experts" before giving it a try...I'll let ya know how it turns out.

I also thought y'all would like to see the progression of my hair growth since I donated 10 inches to Locks of Love back in late March. This is about 2 weeks after the cut & as you can see it's a good bit above my shoulders...
In July, with longer bangs and it's brushing my shoulders....
And as of last week....my bangs had hit my chin, so I grabbed my scissors & chopped 'em off, and curled it. When it's straight, it's 2 inches BELOW my shoulders. Love that my hair grows so fast!
I have a crafty/creative share for y'all tomorrow, so I hope to see ya again real soon. Thanks for stopping by and have a great rest of your day!

Homemade Cologne Spray

I found this recipe in my bookmarks & had to try it. It's AH-mazing!

(this can work for men, too!)

4oz pump spray bottle

1/2 tsp witch hazel

essential oils of your choice (no more than 2-3)*

water

Remove the pump from the bottle. Pour in the witch hazel. Add 3-6 drops of each oil that you've chosen. Fill bottle with water & put pump back in. Lightly shake to mix oils, then spray & enjoy your CHEMICAL FREE cologne.

Keep at room temp or cooler - if you want to make a nice summer spritz to keep in the fridge for hot days, try wintergreen oil or some fresh crushed spearmint leaves in your bottle.

* For the batch I just made I used 3 drops of rose oil, 4 drops of lilac oil, & 3 drops of sandalwood oil - smells light, flowery & almost honey-like...LOVE IT! It almost reminds me of a perfume I used to wear called Ombre Rose.

I have more natural, inexpensive recipes to share with you, but I want to put them to the test before I put my stamp of approval on them. What do you think of me starting a Frugal Friday series for y'all?

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!

DIY gardening...Redneck Style

Last month, I had a tire patched on my car. Exactly four DAYS later, Biker Boy drove it to work & took a screw into the sidewall that they couldn't patch, so I had to have a whole new set of tires (they couldn't replace just one, because the tires on the car were snow instead of all-seasons & it would ride weird -- great up-selling guys, thanks!). Anyway, when they were done I noticed that they had bagged & put the 3 remaining tires in my trunk & back seat. Not sure what to do with them at first, I just set them next to the shed.

For the last three weeks every time I mentioned them, Biker Boy has said someone is coming to get them. Well, no one has ever shown up to claim them, so on Sunday I gave him the "If they're not gone by Monday, Mister Man, I'm going to do something utterly REDNECK with 'em just to drive you up the wall!!" speech. He rolled his eyes and ignored me. {I love it when he doesn't think I'm serious about this stuff.}

So Monday night I looked at him & said, "I think I'm gonna drill holes in those tires & mount 'em to the shed to make a flower display. Ya know, something nice to look at. Some color. The tires will hold the heat from the day, which is good for plants, & the holes will allow for drainage so they don't drown. It'll be cute!"

He GLARED at me & said, "You're NOT drilling into my new shed!"

"Well, then, how about I mount them to the red shed?"

He chuckled. "That old thing? I don't think the walls would stay up if you did that."

"Fine! How about the back fence then? That way we don't have to look at the UGLY fence OR the TRAILER HOUSE nestled only 3 short feet away from it!"

Poor guy...had to watch him for a second or two...I thought he was going to knock his head off the kitchen counter the way he doubled over laughing. When he could breathe again, he said, "Yeah. You do that & watch how fast THAT piece of crap comes down! You know the park owners won't be in any hurry to replace it & we'll have rugrats & their dogs running all over our backyard thinking the trailer park has been extended for their enjoyment."

*heavy sigh* "Well, YOUR friends haven't come to pick them up like you said they would and I'm tired of them just sitting over there doing nothing. They need a job!" Then it hit me. I've been wanting some raised flower beds out behind Biker Boy's new shed since last summer...there's plenty of garden space there, but we can't afford the wood right now to build any. With the tires, I could bury them a bit, fill them with dirt, and at least put in a couple of tomato plants and maybe a pepper or two. Something. ANYthing!

So, Tuesday morning, while feeling delusional industrious, I unwrapped one of my new "helpers" & plotted out where I wanted them to lie. Using the last of some white spray primer, I pretended to be a crime scene investigator & made outlines of our victims bodies.

Then recruiting Oldest Child & a friend, I bribed them with sodas, ice cream & all things summery for some good old-fashioned back breaking labor. Folks, when I say "back breaking" I'm NOT kidding around here. This soil is clay & now that it's dried out from the winter snow melt it's as hard a a rock! (I wouldn't want to be the one doing the digging...oh, wait...I'm NOT! *LOL*)

LOVE how Middle Child did the "supervising"...he's going to make a GREAT Government employee someday....

Now they're dug out & in the ground, they look a little strange just lying there...guess it's time for a trip to IFA for some soil, compost, and plants!

I hope this inspires you to look at things a little differently...maybe you can find something today lying around your house that's still in decent shape but needs a new job.

I'm off to rest my tired, freshly dolled-up tootsies! I got the instructions for my fancy pedi from HERE, if you'd like to try it for yourself.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great rest of your day!!