Simple Solutions

I hate using products that have a lot of chemicals in them, and the more I grow veggies, and watch my compost at work, the closer to nature I move.  Recently, my favorite facial exfoliator is made from combining a few spoons of rice flour with just enough soy milk to make a paste.  Apply all over face and leave on until it starts to dry.  Then scrub around a little before rinsing off.  It wont make your skin oily or dry, but will definitely do a gentle exfoliation, leaving the skin clean and smooth.  I have definitely been using the conditioner and leftover coffee that I talked about last week, to “color” my hair between actual hair coloring.  Mixing about equal parts coffee and cheap hair conditioner, I apply it to my hair, starting at the roots, leave it in for about 15 minutes and rinse (not shampoo).  It leaves a tint from the coffee and a shine from the 15 minutes of conditioning.  Remember that blondes would mix the conditioner with chamomile tea and red heads, with beet juice.  This week, thanks to Google, I found an incredibly inexpensive, quick, to it yourself cure to the moldy smell that was coming thru my Mini Cooper’s air-conditioning vents.  I mixed 1/4 white vinegar with 2 cups warm water and mixed well, in a spray bottle.  With the car off, I sprayed the mixture into my a/c vents and after about 15 minutes, I turned on the air and wiped away any of the mixture that was dripping around the vents.  The vinegar neutralizes the smell and while I didn’t think it could possibly be that quick and easy, it worked like a charm.  If the smell returns, you simply repeat.  I highly recommend this incredibly simple solution if you should ever have the same problem.  From what I read, it is extremely common, especially if you run your a/c on high and/or live in a damp climate.  Additionally, you could use that solution to clean most everything around your house, though I still find myself buying cleaning products and need to work on that!  Last night for 7 pm “unwind” class, I mixed a small amount of lavender essential oil into a small spray bottle filled with warm water and sprayed it around the room to encourage relaxation.  Even better would be to use lavender flowers, instead of the oil.  Also works great as a linen and pillow spray helping you drift off to a more peaceful night’s sleep.  I have another spray bottle filled with water and fresh rosemary, which works as a quick pick-me-up, just the opposite of the lavender.

Those are just a few very simple solutions that have been trending around here.  For me, using products that come from nature, cost so little and work so well is a definite recipe for peace.  Please feel free to share some of your homemade simple solutions from Mother Nature.  Thanks.

Related articles

• Mrs. Money: Vinegar Uses to Save Money (savings.com)
• Easy Summer Beauty the Natural Way: Highlights (bellasugar.com)