A few how to make your own.... recipes

Here are a few of my favorite How to make your own!

-Herb for Relaxation

1 cup rosemary

1 cup lavender

1 cup rose petals

1 cup mint

Mix these ingredients together and store in a container. When you want to use them, measure out ½ cup of them and bring to a boil in 1 to 2 cups water. Turn off heat and allow to sit and steep for about 15 minutes. Strain and add to your bath water.

-Salt Scrub To clean your hands nicely after working in the garden try this simple salt scrub:

½ cup sea salt

½ cup olive oil Essential oil or Fragrance oil to scent Mix altogether and store in a canning jar by the sink. Use a spoon to scoop out a small amount and scrub your nails and other areas of your hands that are in need. Rinse with warm water. It will leave your hands smooth and clean!

-Liquid Hand Soap by Crystal Miller

1 bar Castile soap (traditionally a soap made with olive oil only, today it is often considered a soap made with vegetable fats only. You should be able to find castile soap in a health food store) 8 cups of water

3 T glycerin (found in drug store) Fragrance or essential oils of your choice, as much as desired Begin by grating your bar of castile soap. You can do this by hand with a cheese grater or if you have a food processor that will grate you can use this and it will go much quicker. Put your grated soap into a sauce pan and cover with water. Simmer until the soap has melted. Add glycerin and scent oils. Let this mixture sit overnight (or all day). Then pour into desired containers. ** Tea tree essential oil is considered to have good antibacterial properties

-Lip Balm Crystal Miller

4 oz beeswax

5 oz coconut oil

3 oz cocoa butter

8 oz olive oil Flavor or essential oil if desired Measure out oils. Heat lip balm oils until they melt. You can do this in a glass measuring cup in the microwave or in a small sauce pan on the stove. Remove from heat and add flavor or essential oils as desired. Fill containers. Lip balm tubes or lip balm pots can usually be found on eBay or in a craft store.

-Coconut Honey Body Scrub by Carolyn Root

½ cup honey

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons virgin coconut oil Mix all of the above ingredients right before you’re ready to shower. Apply in circular motions after washing body. Rinse. I found coconut oil in the baking section of my store around the other oils (I've even heard you can find it in the pharmacy section). I had to really look though, and I’ve never seen coconut oil before I needed it! If 2 tablespoons seems like too much, you can leave it at one, but this oil is creamier than traditional oil, so it feels less "oily". This left my skin feeling really smooth and soft. The coconut oil was very moisturizing!

-Soft and Relaxing Bath Tea Mix

½ cup dried mint ½ cup dried chamomile

½ cup dried lavender

½ cup dried rosemary

½ cup dried rose petals

½ cup ground oatmeal (you can easily grind this up in your blender)

½ cup powdered milk This recipe also easily doubles or triples. Combine the above ingredients and store in a container. When you want to use them, simply put

½ to 1 cup in a pan and bring to a boil with

1 to 2 cups of water.

Turn off heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes to steep. Strain and add to your bath water

-FAMILY COUGH RECIPE

1oz. of wild cherry bark

1oz. of mullein (leaf)

1oz. of slippery elm (powder)

1/2 oz. of coltsfoot (leaf)

1/2 oz. of lobelia (leaf)

1/2 oz. pleurisy (root)

1/2 oz. elecampane (root)

1/2 oz. Licorice (root) Here are some directions on how to make a syrup:

STEP 1/ --Combine the herbs and add to 1 quart water. Simmer liquid over a low heat, condensing the liquid down to a very thick concentrated tea (about 1 pint).

STEP 2/ --Strain herbs. Place liquid back into the pot. Compost the herbs.

STEP 3/ --To the liquid herb concentrate add either 1 cup of honey, (for children over 2 years of age) or 1 cup of white grape juice concentrate and warm the liquid/tea mixture together, stirring well for about 20 minutes over low heat.

STEP 4/ --Cool to lukewarm. Add Brandy (or vodka or whiskey) to flavour and preserve. Brandy relaxes and sooth the throat muscles and calms spastic coughing. If you are uncomfortable about having your family ingest alchohol, add the chough medicine to hot tea, and the heat of the tea will burn off most of the alcohol.

STEP 5/ --Completely cool and then pour cough mixture recipe into clean bottles. Syrups stored in the refrigerator should last for 4-6 months. If refrigeration isn't available, increase sweetener content to 2 cups. This next recipe works well for the tight chest complaints that sometimes are part of a bronchial infection: SOOTHING COUGH SYRUP 1 Tbs. each licorice root, mullein leaves, thyme leaves, rose hips, slippery elm bark, lemongrass leaves, and 2 Tbs. of Wild Cherry bark. 1 quart water 1/4 to 1/2 cup rice syrup or fruit syrup (or honey, for children who are at least 2 years of age) Bring herbs and water to a boil in a large uncovered saucepan. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain out herbs. Return to heat and simmer, then turn off heat. While still warm, stir in syrup or honey. Let cool. Give a suffering child 1 Tbs., as needed. Store in refrigerator.

-Here are some homemade baby wipes recipes:

2 TBSP Baby Wash (choose a natural wash!)

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 Cups water Mix well in a spray bottle or your wipes box. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box.

2 TBSP Baby Wash

2 TBSP Olive Oil or 1 TBSP Calendula Oil

2 Drops Tea Tree Oil 2 Cups Water Mix well in a spray bottle or your wipes box. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box. Tea Tree Oil has lovely disinfectant properties along with its wonderful, clean smell. Aloe Vera Recipe 1/4 Cup

Aloe Vera Gel 2 Drops Tea Tree Oil 2 Cups Hot Water Stir or shake until this recipe is well mixed. Don't use until the mixture cools. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box.

Vitamin E and Essential Oils Recipe 2 Drops Tea Tree Oil 2 Drops Lavender Oil (Please be sure to use only pure essential oils - don't use synthetic oils.) 2 Drops Chamomile Oil 2 Cups Water 1 Vitamin E Cap Cut open vitamin E caplet and squeeze into the water, and add essential oil drops. Mix well in a spray bottle or your wipes box. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box.

( I also have a past blog on how to make your own laundry wash. I didn't add it in here but wanted to let you all know you can locate it in a past post)