Toothpaste!

Now presenting.... really good toothpaste!  For real!

The previous toothpaste recipe is okay, but I grew tired of cassia flavored toothpaste pretty quickly.  I have played with ideas to get some wintergreen oil to make a minty mix.  This has not happened because to do so involves mail ordering... I am not a big fan of this!

Instead here is what I did:

I ground down about 1 tablespoon dries spearmint and about 1.5 teaspoons of xylitol (with a mortar and pestle) until a fine powder was achieved.  In a ramekin with a lid I put a bit of water (try not to use more than 2 tablespoons), the mint powder and some diatomaceous earth.  Add the DE gradually as you stir the mixture.  I have no idea how much I used, this stuff really shrinks when it gets wet.  It may have been more than 1/2 of a cup.  When a nice paste consistency had been achieved  I added about 1 teaspoon of Rumple Minze (a 100 proof peppermint schnapps).  I did this mainly for two reasons.  1: The cassia toothpaste began to have a moldy taste after a few days.  This could be because DE smells like dirt and dirt smells like mold, or perhaps it started to turn.  2:  The schnapps gives the minty flavor a bit more punch!

The whole family taste tested the new batch and we are all quite pleased.  Be sure to rinse your mouth VERY well after, the mint powder turns into a lovely green display all over your teeth!

The best scrub ever!

This recipe comes from a dear friend.

Coffee and sugar scrub

4 parts used coffee grounds
1 part raw sugar (or white if that's all you have)
sunflower, safflower or almond oil: enough to make the paste into a paste!

Combine the ingredients in a dish and stir together.  A few minutes before you intend to take a shower bring the paste and a snack into the shower (do not turn the water on).  Scrub down your arms, legs, feet and anywhere else you'd like with your nice, brown, coffee paste.  Now you'll need to eat that snack in the shower while the scrub "dries" onto your body (Italian ice works well for this, or a cup of yogurt- you can smear half on your face for a nice pick me up and eat the rest).  When your snack is finished it is time to turn the shower on and to rinse (not wash) off the coffee scrub (and the yogurt if applicable).  Now it is time to rub your feet on things, you will not believe how soft they are!

In addition to making your skin silky smooth and nice smelling, this scrub is excellent for varicosities.  The caffeine form the coffee grounds helps to shrink varicose veins and reduce vein pain.

Note: this scrub will not keep, only make enough for one use at a time

Mmmmm, that hair sure is delicious!

Still looking to find some hair solutions that do not involve soap or shampoo.  The castile based shampoo is okay... but still not the right thing.  I want to get away from lather.  This morning I tried yogurt.  On my dry hair I worked in one cup of plain, Greek yogurt (I didn't purchase this for my hair... it was in the house and nobody seemed to be eating it).  Remarkably, the yogurt did not drip at all.  I puttered around doing other things for as long as I could stand it (probably about 30 minutes) and then I rinsed the yogurt out.  I followed this with an apple cider vinegar rinse (about 1 spoon to 1 cup of water), then I rinsed that out.  Now that my hair is dry, I can attest to having big, bouncy ringlets!  I don't know how long this will last, but I like it!

Next I plan to try hair washing with eggs....

New products/hair situations part II

Okay.  Diatomaceous earth is officially a terrible shampoo.  We will not be using this again for long hair.  It might be just fine for rather short hair (for boys!), my son has had no trouble so far with the DE.  This morning was absolutely tragic for both of my daughters, who have very long, straight hair.  I'm talking about tears and brushing that lasted beyond the bus leaving for school.  It was bad.

When the girls come home from school we will be washing all residue left by the DE away.  I have made a new shampoo:

In an old squeezy honey bottle:

1/2 full with water
1/2 full with liquid castile soap
a bit of grapeseed oil- I probably added about 1 tablespoon (we have dry hair)

shake and wash

This is not exactly a homemade shampoo because it is using pre-made castile (I used Dr.Bronner's Lavender).  I have sent my husband off in search of lye to make castile soap.  It seems easy, if it is I will post results.  If it is not I will post an advisory warning!

Also this morning I am trying a new frizz reducer/curl enhancer.  I have very big hair, with the right treatment I have nice curls.  The combination of the borax shampoo and vinegar conditioner is way too drying and as a result I have had rather big hair for the last week (no, I have not washed my hair again, it is still too dry).  I just tried using some aloe vera juice... So far I seemed to be pleased.  All I did was break a piece off of the plant and squeezed the juice into my hand, then rubbed it through my hair.  Be careful to not get any of the aloe pulp in your hair, this will leave boogery looking chunks behind.

Current Tangents... how to reduce packaging and grocery bills and pollution

Lately I have been going a little bit crazy.  My new crazes spawned from way too much time spent on Pinterest.  I find myself wondering why I am buying all of these products at the grocery store.  I mean things like dishwasher and laundry detergent as well as shampoo, toothpaste, conditioner.  Basically everything.  My thoughts  have even taken me to toilet paper (we use so much of this), although I haven't found a solution for this yet.

Firstly: Toothpaste

I have found many a recipe for toothpaste and tooth powder.  Most of the recipes I was finding contained mostly baking soda, some also quite a bit of salt.  I suppose that's all fine and good if you don't mind that sort of thing. Our whole family tried it out... but we were left wanting.  Other pastes were very complicated and were made of things I did not already have, as well as things that I would have a hard time buying locally.  After a bit of trial and error here is my very simple, very cheap toothpaste recipe:

1 small jar with a lid
about 1/2 cup food grade diatomaceous earth (or enough to nearly fill your jar) (not pool grade- this is toxic!!)
enough water to make a paste (perhaps a tablespoon?)
1 or 2 drops of cassia oil (cinnamon oil)

All you do is mix this stuff together and voila!  This is actually the best toothpaste I have ever used.  I tastes great, has no fluoride, no sodium lauryl sulfate, no sweeteners, no preservatives, no tube for the trash... I probably could go on and on about all of the things it doesn't have... but I don't need to because I know that all it has are three simple things!

Second: Dishwasher detergent

This is another product that even when you buy it naturally you kind of wonder just what you are pouring down the drain.  This recipe isn't quite so simple as the toothpaste.  Frankly, I don't know the sources of all of the ingredients, but I do believe them to be safe.  Credit for this recipe goes to www.diynatural.com.

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup (kosher or non iodized) salt

Mix every thing together in an empty yogurt tub

Fill rinse agent with white vinegar

I did not use the full amount of citric acid in this recipe, I used about 2 tablespoons.  The amount of this will vary based on your water (hard water=more).

I have been shocked by how well this stuff works!

Third: Shampoo & Conditioner

This topic is still in the experimental phase at our house. For shampoos we have tried baking soda, borax, and diatomaceous earth separately.   The baking soda and borax were both too drying for our household.  This morning my youngest tried out the shampoo paste I made out of the DE.  This sort of worked very well.  The tricky part is rinsing it thoroughly.  My daughter didn't.  Her hair felt like it was full of plaster dust.  After a second rinsing I think I like this one best, but I haven't tried it my self just yet.

For conditioner we have been using apple cider vinegar (the good kind) diluted in five parts water.  This seems to work very well.  We are also using it as a detangler, diluted a bit more in a spray bottle with a little rosemary oil added to cover the vinegar smell.  This works mostly well, the only hang up relates to whatever odd thing we have washed our hair with.  I think my next wash will be exclusively with the vinegar dilution and no DE, borax, baking soda, etc.

Gonzo Muffins

A bit of this and a bit of that is all your really need to succeed! I try to apply this wisdom to everything I do, especially in the kitchen. This recipe is really for blueberry muffins, but if you are a bit heavy handed on the milk, the tops peak over at the end of baking and they look a bit like the beak on the Muppet Gonzo.

I realize the inexact nature of this recipe may be rather uninviting to many bakers. Having acknowledged this I say you should get over it. At the risk of sounding cruel, I think the single biggest challenge anyone faces when preparing food is confidence, or a lack thereof. The thing about food is that it is not permanent.... no one will die (as long as proper food safety guidelines are followed) or forever shame you if you make something less than perfect. What ever you prepare, it will be all gone in a weeks time and probably forgotten. So once again, get over it and learn how to trust your own judgement in the kitchen. You are good at this, really!

Gonzo Muffins

beat:

4 eggs

1/2 heaping cup sugar

splash milk

splash oil

splash vanilla

mix in:

1 heaping cup flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

a couple big shakes of wheat germ

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

stir in:

blueberries, preferably wild, frozen

Pour into greased muffin cups to the top. Sprinkle tops with sugar. Place in a 450 oven for twenty minutes. Reduce heat to 425 (convect if you can) for 2-5 minutes until done. Enjoy warm or not!

Should make 12 muffins. If you find there is not enough batter to accommodate 12, you should add more blueberries next time. If muffins are dry add more oil.

The rain has stopped, so I picked some flowers

It has been raining here in southern New Hampshire FOREVER...at least it seems that way. This morning the rain stopped and I decided to go assess the damage. I did not find any, instead I found that the whole world was coming into it's own. Everything is lush and green, the lilacs, apples, cherries and mock orange are in bloom. The backyard is full of forget-me-nots.

After working on a wedding with Sasha last month I look a little differently at what is growing for free right outside my door. I became inspired and thought I might try my hand at a mid-May, all for free brides bouquet. Have I mentioned that flowers are Sasha's thing? Well they are and I hope that my novice floral eyes have done some justice the the beauty that surrounds us right now.

First I foraged in my own back yard, there I found lilac, apple, forget-me-nots, some purple weedy thing and some white weedy thing. Next I moved across the street to some "public" land and snipped some cherry, crab apple, more lilac and mock orange.

Having collected a stash of fragrant spring blooms to work with I am ready. I began with the lilacs all by themselves. Lilacs are nothing short of amazing. The flowers are so large and perfumed and their season is so short, they truly are a unique situation all alone. If you were putting together a late spring wedding in New England you could use nothing more than lilacs and manage a stunning, aromatic display. I was only able to reach the standard light purple lilac, though, there are many other varieties ranging from grey blue to deep burgundy to white, all of which are widely available in these parts.

Next I moved toward putting the rest of the blossoms together to create a meaningful and memorable display.

I think it came out lovely, whether for a simple brides bouquet or very fragrant centerpiece options. One thing I like about using blooms from trees and shrubs is their versatility. Urns filled with crab apple boughs and mock orange would be stunning at an alter. Snippets of small clusters of blooms can be used on and around the cake. Another thing to keep in mind is the span of the season. The lilacs are just coming out in my town, but they came out a week ago in the next town over. If I were to travel north a short way I would have access to things already going by here.