How to Make Your Own Oatmeal Bath

A Few Simple Ingredients Is All It Takes to Soothe Your Skin

how to make an oatmeal bath

Giving your child an oatmeal bath is a simple, effective, and inexpensive solution for a variety of pediatric skin conditions. It can be used for everything from soothing a sore bottom from diaper rash to hydrating dry skin and offering relief from eczema. Not only is this good for children, you can use it yourself for itchy or dry skin problems.

When your doctor recommends an oatmeal bath for a skin condition, you could buy a commercial product, but instead, you can make your own at home for around a dollar, using ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.

Continue reading “How to Make Your Own Oatmeal Bath”

New Event! Soap workshop: how to make your own laundry detergent! Weekends: 30.09-01.10 / 28-29.10 / 18-19.11

A soap is not just a piece of  soap, but so much more!

This time we are going to learn how to make laundry detergent!  This detergent is environmentally friendly and easy to degrade to its molecules, its non toxic, and cheap to make.

The course is going to be held in Undli at my place, in the kitchen. The same course will be going on both on Saturday and on Sunday but if you wanna stay for the night you’ll get the opportunity for many more tips and tricks than just the soap-workshop.

Sign up by mail at: post@on-earth.one

Price/day: 400.-

 

Straw-bales wonderful!

 

Have you heard of straw-bale gardening, well, there is also strawbale roofing! Check:

https://permaculturenews.org/2017/07/24/straw-bale-homes-passive-solar-design/?mc_cid=cb20c64ff5&mc_eid=578297666e

Homemade Dusting Spray and Wood Polish

 (Forwarded from: https://nourishingjoy.com/homemade-dusting-spray-and-wood-polish/)

Homemade Dusting Spray and Wood Polish | NourishingJoy.com

Despite what some may think when they walk into my house on any given afternoon, I actually really like to clean.

(It’s just the having to do lots of it every day that gets a little tiresome.)

One of the tasks I enjoy most is dusting. Perhaps it was because my mother taught me how to be a stickler and derive satisfaction from getting every piece of furniture completely clean. Or perhaps it’s just because the house simply looks and smells cleaner when I’m done. Whatever the reason, I enjoy it.

The problem is, however, that I haven’t always had the right tools to get the job done right. Either the dusting spray has left the furniture surface greasy or tacky, or has smelled noxious. And even when I did find a “natural” spray I liked, it cost a pretty penny.

So (as usual), I set about on a mission to figure out a homemade version. And (as usual) I started by flipping over my favorite products and looking at their ingredients.

I must say, this is one of the homemade products that I am MOST pleased with. I’ve been using it for a number of years now and even with various grubby toddler hands and lots of life happening in our house, the surfaces polish up beautifully without any residues.

Which reminds me – please check out these wood care notes. In doing the research for this recipe, I learned that there’s more to wood care than one might think!

Wood: Making It Shine – from Dr. Bronner’s

Mineral Oil vs. Olive Oil in Wood Care (see the comments of this post) – from Amy Bayliss

 Homemade Dusting Spray

You can make a simpler dusting spray with just olive oil and vinegar (and essential oils, if desired). See below for details.

¾ cup water
1 T olive oil
2 T vodka (or white vinegar)
2 T white vinegar
1 T liquid glycerin (optional) – see where to buy glycerin
30-40 drops essential oil (clove, orange, lemon, etc)
¼ teaspoon xanthan gum – see where to buy xanthan gum
½ teaspoon emulsifying wax, melted – see where to buy emulsifying wax

Place the water, olive oil, vodka, vinegar, glycerin, and essential oils in a blender and blend on high. While the motor is still running, add in the xanthan gum and emulsifying wax. Process for 10-15 seconds until slightly thickened.

Pour into a spritz bottle and use once a week. Lasts up to 3 months.

 Homemade Dusting Spray – Simplified Version

3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
30-40 drops essential oil, optional (clove, orange, lemon, etc)

Place in a large spray bottle and shake vigorously. Spray directly on furniture (being careful of overspray) and buff with a clean, dry cloth.

The Ingredients

Olive Oil – Olive oil shines the wood and protects it. Olive oil has been used for millenia in this capacity, but some would argue that mineral oil should be used instead so that there’s no chance of rancidity. As usual, my opinion falls in the camp of “whichever option is more naturally derived and requires less processing is the best one.” Olives can be pressed by hand – mineral oil requires multiple industrial cleaners to extract and clean it from the crude oil brought up out of the earth. Therefore, I choose the former. You may choose the latter – it’s up to you (and I won’t think less of you for it).

Vodka – Vodka is the secret weapon in many of my favorite cleaning recipes, and in this case, is present to cut through grease and grime on the wood surface, then evaporates quickly so there’s no residue and no streaks.

White vinegar – White vinegar also cuts through grease and grime residues. It also acts as a mild disinfectant.

Liquid glycerin – Glycerin is an optional ingredient, but one that I really like to include whenever possible because it leaves a nicer shine on varnished and painted wood and I find it buffs more easily.

Essential oil (clove, orange, lemon, etc) – These are present merely for scent. They will certainly also impart whatever beneficial properties are inherent to that specific essential oil, but the purpose here is to make your home smell lovely and clean… in a natural, non-toxic way!

Xanthan gum – Xanthan gum is a thickener so that the homemade dusting spray has the same lovely viscosity as store-bought dusting sprays.

Emulsifying wax – This is present for two reasons: one, it acts as a binder so that the ingredients stay homogenous once they’re all blended together, and two, to provide a very slight protective coating on the wood. Waxes have long been used to seal and protect and the small amount here just fills in surface scuffs and scratches to give a smoother, glossier, protected finish.

And why emulsifying wax rather than beeswax? Well, they both work, but beeswax doesn’t firm up as nicely and is thus just slightly tacky. Beeswax is sometimes easier to source though, so it is an acceptable option.

How To Make Dandelion Root Extract…


Overview

Sometime in modern history, the humble dandelion was labeled a weed. Seen as a demon of the suburban lawn, dandelion is often poisoned, plucked and otherwise removed from our daily lives. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the dandelion is used as a diuretic and as a liver or kidney tonic. Only a full, healthy root is good for making dandelion extract for medicine, so collect only mature flowers.

Step 1
Dig up the roots of several dandelions, until you have 4 oz. of root. Collect the roots in the spring, as fresh roots still have the plants’ stored food within.
Step 2
Rinse and chop up the dandelion root into 1/4-inch pieces and put them into a pan with 2 qt. water and bring to a boil. Allow the water to boil down to 1 qt.
Step 3
Strain the water through a cloth to drain the extra liquid, then put in the remaining quart of water. Save the fluid that was drained. Cover and boil again until the water is down to half a pint. Strain the water again, combining the strained liquids.
Step 4
Pour the liquid into the pan and bring to a boil with the pan covered. Allow the liquid to boil for several hours until it is reduced to 2 oz.; allow the liquid to cool.
Step 5
Add the vegetable glycerin to the cooled liquid and place the extract into a dark stopper bottle. The extract will remain fresh for a year.

Check what it cures:
https://sunwarrior.com/healthhub/11-health-benefits-of-dandelion-leaves-and-dandelion-root
http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/dandelion
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-dandelion-root/

Plantago the wonderweed!

This Little Weed is one of the Most Useful Medicines on the Planet

You’ve stepped on it, ignored it, and tried to eradicate it from your lawn. However, this innocuous little weed is one of the most useful medicines on the planet, just begging to be harvested.

Plaintain has often been the go-to remedy for hikers plagued by mosquitos. Because it draws toxins from the body with its astringent nature, plantain may be crushed (or chewed) and placed as a poultice directly over the site of bee stings, bug bites, acne, slivers, glass splinters, or rashes. Bandage the area and allow the plantain to work its magic for 4-12 hours. Plantain may also be used to create a balm for emergency kits, or an infusion used as a skin or general wash. It is also a notable, soothing remedy for hemorrhoids.There are two major types of plantain in BC, Canada: Lance and Broadleaf. Generally, all 200-plus varieties of plantain yield the same results. It grows especially well in poor, rocky soil (such as driveways) and is often seen alongside dandelion. More often than not, you will see plantain growing in gravel pits and construction sites as nature seeks to regenerate the soil. Introduced to North America in the 1600s, it was once called “White Man’s Foot” by the Native Americans who witnessed that where the Europeans tread and disrupted the soil, plantain sprung up.

Plantain is renowned for its healing effect on the digestive system. This is especially useful for anyone who has been damaged by antibiotics, anti-inflammatory or pain medications, food allergies, or Celiac disease. Both leaves and seeds specifically target the digestive system for healing. The leaves may be steeped as tea, added to soups, or dried with a sauce similar to kale chips. The seeds – a type of psyllium – can be ground or soaked for bulk mucilage or absorbable fibre, which, consumed before meals, may help with weight loss.

Because plantain is a gentle expectorant and high in silica, an infusion can be helpful for lung problems, coughs, and colds.

Plantain is almost a panacea for the human body, treating everything from all menstrual difficulties, all digestive issues, to nearly all skin complaints, and even arthritis. Add to salads, chew to ease thirst, or enjoy in stir fries. This versatile wild vegetable will keep you in good health for years to come!

Resources:
– Prescription for Herbal Healing: 2nd Edition – Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
– Hygieia: A Woman’s Herbal – Jeannine Parvati
– Healing Secrets of the Native Americans – Porter Shimer
– The New Age Herbalist – Richard Mabey

An article borrowed from :
http://www.offgridquest.com/green/theseedguy-com/plantain-weed

Earthworms are important!!

Earthworms are more important than pandas (if you want to save the planet)

SOURCE: http://theconversation.com/earthworms-are-more-important-than-pandas-if-you-want-to-save-the-planet-74010?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=facebookbutton