I’m going to be trying out recipes for hair care, body lotions, hand creams, and other personal care stuff here. Anyone who wishes to share one of their own recipes is invited to add comments and I’ll post them.
November, 2016–Tea Tree Oil and fungus infection
I recently got some kind of fungus infection in my toes from gardening with sandals on. My toes because very itchy just like when athlete’s foot strikes. I read online that tea tree oil is very effective against fungal problems, so tried it. It works!
I dabbed some tea tree oil on a piece of cotton ball and taped it in between my toes. Works like a charm. Heartily recommend it.
Side note: Tea tree oil shampoo works wonders for kids with hair lice picked up from school. No need for damaging insecticide soaps.
Lip Balm Experiment (Didn’t work)
Lip balm is so expensive for such a little pot of ordinary ingredients so I thought I’d make my own. I found a very easy recipe on an eHow site and followed the instructions, but without the henna, as I didn’t have any on hand. The results were not good. I ended up with lip balm so solid it could be a beeswax candle! I’ll keep trying, though. we will never surrender, as Winston Churchill once said.
Exfoliating facials that work!
1. Mix together 1/2 tsp of regular sugar, 1/2 tsp of honey, and a little lemon juice to moisten. Apply to skin gently with fingertips making circular motions until you’ve give your face a nice massage. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes and then rinse off.
Now for the good news: the sugar exfoliates the skin, the honey has antibiotic properties, and the lemon juice helps fade those slight discolorations that come with tanning, aging, and so on.
2. Combine 1 tablespoon of ground oatmeal with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, which boosts the face treatment’s exfoliating properties, and 1 teaspoon of water or olive oil to make it into a paste. Gently rub it onto you skin in circular motions, let sit for five to 10 minutes and rinse.
Note: Steaming the face once in a while is very good for the face and sinuses as well. Stick your head over a basin of very hot water and cover your head (and the bowl) with a towel. Five minutes should do it. (If you’ve got a cold, put some Vicks in the water)
Make Your Own Shampoo
This recipe was taken from David Suzuki’s Queen of Green web site. I was driven to find it after running out of shampoo one day and trying to remember what we’d used “back in the day” when actually buying shampoo was not an option. Here’s the very simple, but very effective and inexpensive recipe.
3/4 cup of distilled water (supermarket or drug store)
herbal tea of your choice
1/4 cup of liquid pure castille soap (available in any drug store, or even some Loblaw’s)
1/2 tsp salt (don’t ask!)
1 tbsp of witch hazel
a few drops of an essential oil of your choice
Make an herbal tea (chamomile, mint, lemon verbena, etc.) with the distilled water and herbal tea bag and let cool. Add to the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and store in a plastic squeeze bottle. If you decide to use a glass bottle, be VERY careful in the shower! This shampoo will last for a month or more, depending on how often you wash your hair, but after one week, it should be stored in the fridge: no preservatives!
NOTE: After a few months, I stopped putting the shampoo in the fridge after a week, and it stored just fine. I guess the salt preserves it.
letsbecheap 