Earth Day 2015 + Natural Chocolate Lip Balm Recipe

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NaturalGoodness #CollectiveBias April 22 is Earth Day, and we celebrate each year by volunteering at our town's recycling center as a family.  We help anyone who comes in needing assistance unloading their cars, and we talk to our kids about what recycling is and how it helps the planet.   We celebrate Earth Day all year too.  We recycle, we grow our own garden, and I make many of our cleaners and bath products.  All of these help our earth by saving natural resources and energy.  We also get our three kids involved in taking care of the earth.  They clean and sort recycling at home; they help plant, weed, and harvest our garden; and my daughter loves to help me create new recipes, like the chocolate lip balm recipe below.  

Best Hair Products for Fine Hair

These are the best products for fine hair to add volume and give you fuller looking hair. I know what you're thinking: You have thick hair, you've told us!  What could you possibly know about fine hair?  And you are correct.  I do have thick hair.  But for as thick as mine is, my mom's is that fine.  For the last several years, I've been helping my mom find and test products for her hair.  Some work, and some haven't.  Here's a list of things that do work well for fine  or hair. Even if you don't have fine hair and just want some volume, you might want to try some of these products.  I have the inverted bob, and I need some help getting some lift in the back even with my thick hair.  

DIY Hair Mask for Dry Hair With Moringa Oil

This post and information is sponsored by  Green Virgin Products .  As always, all opinions are my own.  A few months ago, I posted about an amazing skin and hair care oil called Moringa Oil . Morgina Oil is often called a super food because it has over 90 types of nutrients, including proteins, fiber, minerals, vitamins, anti-inflammatory agents, and amino acids. The Moringa Oleifera plant is used for its flowers, seeds, fruits, roots, and leaves, with the leaves being the most nutritious part of the plant. Many people add Moringa powder to their foods because it is high in potassium, vitamin C, calcium, and protein. It is higher in protein than soybeans, and it has more protein per gram than any other plant! I made this Moringa infused hot oil treatment as a DIY hair mask for dry hair with the powder because its nutrients and protein are excellent for hair. You could also use this oil infusion in other recipes like sugar scrubs or use it in place of a carrier oi

Muscle Rub Recipe with Cayenne Pepper and Peppermint

Thank you to  InstaNatural  for providing the peppermint essential oil for today's post.  As always, all opinions are my own.  My husband has a bad back, so I made him this homemade muscle rub recipe to help him while he goes through treatment.  It warms slightly when you apply it to your skin, and it's just the right consistency for a gentle massage while you're applying it.  I carefully selected each ingredient, so read on to learn how they all work.

Green Tea Face Mask Recipe

Most of the face mask recipes that I post are for one use.  This one is a little different because you make the powder and then add the liquid when you're ready to use it.  You can use cooled brewed green tea, aloe vera juice, or water to make your scrub. The kaolin clay is very soothing, so it won't irritate your skin.  Milk powder nourishes your skin.  Green tea is full of antioxidants, and it helps when drank or applied topically.  Tea tree oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, so it can prevent or heal other blemishes. Green Tea Face Mask Recipe

List of Carrier Oils and Their Benefits

A list of carrier oils and their benefits for both your skin and your hair.  If you are making DIY bath and body or beauty products, this will help you choose the best carrier oil for your needs. I've been posting a lot of recipes lately, and I hope you've been enjoying them.  When a recipe has a carrier oil, I give the one I used and sometimes recommend a few more oils.  Sometimes I say that any carrier oil can be used. A few readers have asked what carrier oils are, so I decided to dedicate an entire post to them.  I just picked up several new oils, so you'll be seeing new oils in the near future.  This is a partial list of the most common types of carrier oils and their benefits for hair and skin. If you're interested in the types of body butters for hair and skin and their benefits , that's in a separate post.

Rosemary Lemon Kitchen Soap Recipe

Thank you to InstaNatural for providing the lemon essential oil for today's post.  As always, all opinions are my own.   This rosemary lemon kitchen soap recipe smells amazing sitting on a soap dish next to your sink, and it works hard to reduce cooking odors on your hands.  Use this after cutting onions or garlic to wash your hands, and you'll smell lemony fresh.  Lemon essential oil has natural purifying and astringent properties, so it also leaves your hands feeling great after using it too.   Lemon essential oil fragrance has a tendency to fade over time in soaps.  This recipe will make four 4-ounce bars, so you might want to cut it in half or give a few bars to friends as a gift.   Rosemary Lemon Kitchen Soap Recipe

RESCUE Yourself With a Bubbling Bath Salts Recipe

Let's talk about something that I know affects all of us: Stress.  Whether it's bad stress or good stress, it affects us mentally and physically.  I know that when I'm stressed, I get very tired and very grumpy.  I'm just not a good wife, mother, or friend when there's too much going on in my life.  I don't want to be cantankerous, and I need some help to get back to myself. I prefer natural remedies when possible, so when I knew I had to make changes in my lifestyle, I did some research.  Here's how I get through each day with natural stress relievers.

Rose Salve for Dry Skin Recipe with Rosehip Seed Oil

This rose salve for dry skin uses rose oil and rosehip oil to moisturize even severely dry skin.   Today, I'd like to introduce you to a new oil that you'll be seeing in future recipes.  Rosehip seed oil comes from rosehip fruit seeds.   The oil is very high in essential fatty acids, so it's great for topical use on your skin.  It has vitamins A and C, which area also great for your skin.   I made a salve with the oil because it has so many skin loving properties.  It's great for eczema, psoriasis, burns, scars, and stretch marks.   My eczema is giving me problems again, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make salve to heal my skin.  This salve is also great for dry, cracked heels and dry cuticles.   I made this rose salve recipe with the rose oil that I made last week.  I highly recommend making the rose infused oil because it has skin benefits of its own, but you could substitute it for olive oil or jojoba oil .   Keep reading below the reci

How to Make Rose Oil With Dried Rose Petals

How to make rose oil at home from dried rose petals.  Choose your favorite carrier oil to make this wonderful oil to use as a natural moisturizer and in DIY beauty recipes. When my husband and I started dating in early February several years ago, I told him not to get me roses for Valentine's Day.  In fact, I never expected to get flowers because they don't last. While I do think that giving flowers to someone is sometimes extravagant, I'm glad he didn't always listen.  He got me a dozen roses for Valentine's Day this year. They were so pretty, and I loved looking at them.  They made the whole room smell like roses, too. After they had died, I didn't want to just throw them away.  Instead, I hung them to dry and then learn how to make rose oil with dried rose petals. Rose oil is a wonderful oil for your skin.  You can use your favorite carrier oil, so you can really customize this for your needs. HOW TO MAKE ROSE OIL WITH DRIED ROSE PETALS