I wanted to share something else I've made recently. I've been "no poo" (which means no shampoo) for over a year and a half now (maybe I'll talk about that another time), and have quit using the body washes that I loved for so many years (eliminating things with ALS and SLS in them). I was reading on my fave forum about
bathing babies "naturally" and there were some really neat ideas and "recipes". I decided I wanted to try them on me!
I also got my annual beginning-of-summer miserable cold about then, and made my own chest rub,
GOOT: Garlic Oil Ointment.
So here are my ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Dead Sea Salts, Eucalyptus Essential Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, and garlic. (not pictured: baking soda)
I won't post the recipe for GOOT here, since I have the link above. EDIT: equal parts coconut oil, olive oil, and minced garlic. I put it in a plastic cup and have it in the refrigerator door. I get a nice whiff of garlic every time I open the fridge! I rubbed it all over my chest a couple times a day, especially at bedtime, and also on the soles of my feet with socks over it so my sheets wouldn't get smelly. I also had the beginnings of a bad canker sore in the back of my mouth and put it on that; by the next morning it didn't hurt anymore! My glands were swollen and sore just under my jaw, so I made sure to apply it there as well, and they healed up quickly, too. It's two weeks later and I still have some drainage down my throat and will get coughing fits when I lay down, but I'm sure it's partly from stopping the GOOT as well as because I had pneumonia 13 years ago, and the chest crud takes the longest to go away.
The next thing I made was bath salts:
- 1 cup Dead Sea Salt
- 3 Tablespoons Baking Soda (a drawing agent)
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (you could also use almond oil)
- 10 drops Eucalyptus Essential Oil
I decided to crush the salt a bit first. I mixed the dry ingredients together before adding the oils and blended thoroughly. I put it in an empty marshmallow creme jar. I know--NOT healthy! But I got a box of 12 for only $1, and you can't get 12 pint jars with nice lids for anywhere close to $1! (I also use the jars for drinking glasses or storing leftovers.)
I got to take a long, wonderful bath in a friend's big garden tub, and my skin felt so soft! (No soap!) I also had my pumice stone with me, and scrubbed all the dead skin off my body while I was at it. Usually a bath with oil in it will leave the tub kind of gross, and this was no exception, BUT I had my container of baking soda with me, so as the water drained, I simply used a bit if that on a washrag and gave the tub a bath, too.
My last concoction was lotion:
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
- 1/8 cup Olive Oil (you could also use almond oil)
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil (anti-fungal and anti-bacterial)
I made this small amount so it would fit in the little squeeze bottle I bought for $0.50, and also so I didn't have too much of it if I didn't like it.
I melted the coconut oil before adding the other oils. At first I put it in the fridge, but then it was too hard to squeeze out when I wanted it. Now I keep it out, and it's liquid, but hasn't been a problem. (I might use less olive oil for another "summer" batch, so it would be a bit thicker.) It soaks quickly into the skin, and doesn't feel greasy at all. Makes a good massage oil, too, though I think I will try some other scents later for that purpose.
None of these were very expensive, though of course the initial outlay is more than you would spend on these items. But there's plenty left to make more! Here's a picture of the final products:
GOOT, Bath Salts, and Lotion
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Quite a handful!
My firstborn was named while his dad and I were still engaged. (edit: over 4 years before he was born!) We were driving around town (So. Cal.) reading all the signs aloud. When I read the names of two cross-streets, Bryan & Culver, we both said, "what a cool name!" And that's how he got that name. He also had a friend, Brian, but we preferred the more unusual spelling. Occasionally we call him Byron or Brain, which is appropriate because he is very brainy.
My next son is Josiah Jeffrey. Josiah was a name I'd had picked out since school, though I'd chosen Remington as a middle name (does that date me?) but never even suggested it in real life. The Jeffrey was for his other best friend, and we liked how they sounded together. Had to fight against my grandmother and his dad wanting to call him JJ, though! I call him my sunshine boy and would sing, "You are my sunshine" to him when I rocked him. At one time he had an extra long tie-dyed tshirt that he wore to bed. The pattern on the back looked like a sun, so I called him "sunshine b*tt". He didn't like that and started wearing the shirt backwards. I quit calling him that variation!
My third son was named by Bryan, who was almost 4 at the time (though obviously we approved the choice). He liked the names Mike and Chris (friends of ours), but when reading through baby name books, chose Aaron. So boy #3 is Aaron Michael. My nickname for him is Bug, because he was such a speed crawler, and he got into everything!
My first daughter was named during my first pregnancy; it just took a while to use it! I made up her name, Alyna, a combination of both our middle names, Alan and Lynn. I chose the spelling because I liked how it looked with one 'n' versus two, more symmetrical. It's pronounced uh-linn-uh. Her middle name is Joy, my grandmother's middle name. She is such a joyful young lady, too! I call her my Butterfly girl because she so gracefully flits around.
Daughter #2 has another name I chose as a youngster, Tabitha. I loved that name in Missionettes. We hadn't chosen a middle name for sure, but the hospital wanted her name before we went home. I'd wanted Catherine (or a variant spelling) so I'd have a Tabi Cat, but his step-mom's name was Kathy and he didn't want to use it. One nurse suggested Rose, and she was a beautiful rosy girl, but we went with Grace because as our only hospital baby we felt that God had been gracious to us how everything went. What's funny is when she was about 3 she started calling herself Rose or Tab-rose, and we'd never told her the story. I ended up calling her my Tabi-cat anyway, and she likes it.
Daughter #3 went a couple days without a name. I really wanted Josephine (Jo from Little Women), but he didn't like it. I started a poll amongst all the children to get their opinions. I didn't think we'd come to a definite decision until friends who called and came over told me her name was Christina Faith. Apparently her dad told his customers at the grocery store that was her name. I was slightly bummed, because it wasn't my first choice, but now I can't imagine her as anything else! I did discover shortly after that she was born on one of my fav aunt's birthdays--Josephine Virginia (who was called Jenny). If I'd known that, I would have been more insistent! When she was a baby, I started calling her Christinka when she had a smelly diaper. Then in her first play she was a skunk, so she has been referred to as Little Stinker, though really she is quite sweet!
Then I had another boy. I told his dad it was his job to name him, and he chose Adam Charles. I'm not sure the reasons behind the name Adam, but Charlie was his younger brother's name, who died while in high school. Adam hasn't acquired any nicknames yet. (edit: He says it's because he was our first son :) )
