Am I Smelling SOUR MILK?? Not anymore :)

15 smelly hockey jerseys…..ridiculously smelly.  Seemed like a combination of good old hockey sweat and sour milk.  Like, sippy cup accidentally left in a hot car for a week sour milk.

 

So….on a whim, I decided to use my fabric softener dispenser (which never gets used) for a new purpose.  I filled the little dispenser with apple cider vinegar and 8 drops of tea tree oil.

The combination of my homemade laundry soap and the apple cider/tea tree rinse was pretty impressive!

The jerseys came out smelling a lot like tea tree.  Uh oh, some of these hockey players are going to hate me!! 

I hung them to dry overnight.  The next morning, I couldn’t smell overpowering tea tree anymore.  And guess what else?  Not an ounce of “hockey” smell left either!  Now THAT is a “sniff, sniff hooray” moment.  I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t given them a few more sniffs before putting them away!

 

Terrific Table Cleaner!

I wanted to try something different to clean the kitchen table this weekend.  I have changed most of the products I use for cleaning, but store bought spray cleaner for the kitchen table is one that is still kicking around.  

The kids do spill (just occasionally of course - haha) and will then pick the food up off of the table and eat it.  So....does it make sense to be spraying the table with a chemical cleaner when there are other options available?  Probably not!  

Here's what I tried....
-6 cups warm water
-almost a full squirt of Mrs Dunphy's Wash Day Simple Soap (a castille soap product I recently purchased from Rae Dunphy Aromatics in Calgary, AB, and love BTW)
-5 drops lemon essential oil
-4 drops eucalyptus essential oil

**You don't need to use this many drops of EO's if you don't want to, I just prefer a little extra!

**Together, these EO's add antibacterial and antimicrobial properties to your solution!

The result was a clean table with lots of shine!

I then used the same products on my kitchen floor (porcelain tile), which worked nicely as well!

**Be sure to do a test patch when trying new solutions to be sure it is a good match for your finishes!

Happy Cleaning!

Apple Cider Kitchen Sink Scrub

Inspired by a recipe in this awesome book I purchased recently....

I made a little adjustment and created a sweet sink cleaning paste!

1 cup baking soda
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
4 drops lemon or orange essential oil (I used lemon but would have used orange if I had some)
1 drop clove essential oil 

Place ingredients in an air-tight container and shake until blended.  

Shake into sink and scrub with damp sponge.  

While it was still damp:

The end result:

It worked SO well and the house smells AMAZING!!  Just like I have a pot of apple cider on the stove.  

**You may choose to wear gloves while using this blend, as clove is known as a potential skin irritant**

**The discolouration above the plug area is the result of the finish of my sink being accidentally removed by a product my husband was using a year or so ago.  GRRRRR......**

“Cocoa Vanilla with a Hint of Mint” Lotion Bars and Lip Balm

Hi there!  Long time no blog!  Winter has been busy, but it is time to get back at it!  

I went to start this project today and went, “Wait a minute!!  I need to document this and post it!”  

I have been terrible lately for testing and trying new things…and neglecting to share.  So…here’s what I did today!

I call this “Cocoa Vanilla with a Hint of Mint” Lotion Bars and Lip Balm

Step 1:

Measure out ½ cup beeswax pellets

Step 2:

Add ½ cup cocoa butter

Step 3:

Add ½ cup grapeseed oil

Step 4:

Mix together gently

Step 5:

Melt on low heat, ideally using a double boiler

Step 6:

Remove from heat and add ½ tsp natural vanilla

Step 7:

Add 10 drops spearmint essential oil and 5 drops peppermint essential oil and blend

Step 8:

Pour into deodorant/lotion bar tubes and let cool

This recipe made enough product for 3 lotion bars and 3 lip balms as well.  If you don’t want the lip balms, use one more deodorant tube, knowing that it won’t be quite full.

Ta da!  The finished product!  It smells SO YUMMY!!

Tips:

This product cools and hardens quickly once removed from the heat.  Not to worry though!  If you need to re-liquefy it, simply reheat it!

I topped up all of my filled tubes at the end to use up the last of the liquid.  This resulted in a less than smooth finish on top.  This is no big deal for home use, but if you want to make these for a gift, I would suggest one pour, and no top up to ensure a smooth, even finished product. 

You don’t need a double boiler.  I don’t have one.  I just boiled one larger pot of water and held my small pot over top of the heat. 

Wash your pot, spoons etc. quickly after use.  I find wiping the bulk of the product off with a piece of paper towel before washing works well. 

This recipe does not have to be made with the above oil and butter.  It could be shea butter and olive oil for example, whatever you prefer.  Just equal parts of beeswax, “butter” and oil.

You can use whatever EO you want as well, it doesn't have to be mints!  And the vanilla was just for scent, so can easily be omitted.  

Squeaky Clean Teeth

So....I've been reading lots about brushing teeth with essential oils and decided to give it a go yesterday!  

Some people make their own paste (I may try that some day) but for now, I am just adding EO's to my store-bought toothpaste.
Yesterday morning I tried 2 drops of spearmint.  

Yes....it is now as clear to me as it is to you that I need a new toothbrush!!  

I couldn't believe how insanely clean my entire mouth felt afterward!  Cheeks, tongue, squeaky clean teeth!  In love with this!!

So later in the day I decided that rather than 2 drops of spearmint, I'd try one drop spearmint and one drop cloves.

I have read many good things lately about clove oil and oral health.  It's antimicrobial, antiseptic, antiviral, the list goes on and on!  It is also said to soothe a toothache.  

Well....let me tell you, cloves in most certainly as potent as it smells!  Although it was not painful, it did have some bite, made my eyes water a little, and tingled the gums, cheeks and tongue!!

So.....last attempt of the day, and tied for first place with my love of spearmint.  A simple blend of cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary.  I blended this in a 2ml amber vial, and only used 2 drops of the blend in my toothpaste.  The strong clove is blended nicely with the other 4 oils and was quite refreshing.  

Give it a try!  Don't use too much.  

**I don't recommend this be used in toothpaste for children, due to the fact that they have a tendency to swallow at least some, and the EO's would then be ingested.  

Happy Brushing!!

Natural Head Lice Prevention

Well….we are into our fifth year of elementary school, had preschool before that (and still do), and daycare before that (and still do), and never have we been unfortunate enough to have to treat head lice (knock, knock)

Why?  Maybe we’re lucky, or maybe because when that unnerving letter comes home that says, “we have confirmed cases of head lice at your elementary school...or preschool...or daycare” I have always begun applying an essential oil lice deterrent to my kids’ hair, sometimes as simple as just tea tree oil.  Just a couple drops is all it takes. 

If a louse has to choose between a kid with essential oils or not, it’ll choose the kid without.  Insects don’t tend to like the smell, or other properties of essential oils.  Perfect!!

The next time you are faced with that dreaded letter, try this!

In a 2ml amber vial combine:

25 drops tea tree

10 drops eucalyptus

10 drops lemon

10 drops lavender

5 drops rosemary

**to make this in a larger size, simply multiply to increase- 10ml vial = drops above X5 

Shake/roll the vial lightly to blend the synergy.

Shake 2-3 drops of the blend into the palm of your hand, rub hands together, and then run hands through hair.  That’s it!  Easy!!  Remember to wash your hands afterward!!

If you want, you can add to shampoo or conditioner too. 

This can be used once or twice per day while the “threat” is present. 

This is a preventative measure only.  If you already have lice, please contact me and I will be happy to provide you with suggestions to kill off the little buggers naturally with some home treatments.

Photo discovered at: herewegrowagain.blogspot.com   

Essential Oil Notes- Top, Middle, Base

After making the comment that lemon was a “top note”, I thought perhaps I should share a little more on what these “notes” mean!!

Top notes are the most volatile.  Their scent lasts the least amount of time.  They are uplifting and stimulating.  Some examples are: bergamot, eucalyptus, lemon, mandarin.

Middle notes help bring the body into balance.  The scent of these oils tend to be a bit more powerful than top notes, and their scent lasts longer.  Some examples are: geranium, lavender, marjoram, peppermint, ylang ylang.

Base notes are very grounding.  Their scents are more dominant, and will be present the longest in a blend.  I find it is better to use only a few drops of base notes in a blend, or the entire mixture will be overpowered by this oil.  Examples are: benzoin, cinnamon, frankincense, patchouli, pine, sandalwood.

Photo discovered at: safealternativemedicine.co.uk