I Shave My Legs With What....?

image from drugstore.com

So summer is here, and for me that means shaving my legs a lot more.  I have been blessed with a lot of hair.  I have beautiful thick shiny hair on my head, and A LOT of it.  Now that wonderful advantage of having a full hair of thick hair means I have a lot of hair EVERYWHERE else.  My eyebrows are huge, I have hair growing EVERYWHERE...lol.  It is not a pretty picture. 

So not only do I have a lot of hair all over my body it is dark, black hair.  So that means on my legs it is more noticeable.  I often in the summer shave my legs every day.  Two years ago I was developing a rash on my legs from the shaving cream.  So I did some research, and it turns out that shaving cream is just whipped soap...ummm duh I'm allergic to soap...lol.  Like gees why didn't I figure that out for myself.  It was then that I heard about people using hair conditioner to shave their legs.  Umm conditioner?  Ohhh okay.  I had to let my rash heal for about a week, and then tried shaving with the conditioner.  All I can say is WOW what an amazing product to shave your legs with.  First off no more rashes!  I get zero razor burn, and not only a super close shave, but my legs are soooo soft after.  Another great advantage of using conditioner is that price doesn't matter.  I usually buy dollar store conditioner to shave with, and it works better than any expensive shaving lotion!

So anyone else shave with conditioner?  Do you have a favorite brand?  Do you use something else to shave with other than shaving lotion or cream?

Natural Cleaning Ingredients ~ Featuring Tea Tree Oil

image from wikipedia

I love Eco Friendly cleaning products for many reasons.  I suffer from skin allergies so I love that they are better for me, and better for Chris with his eczema.  Also, because they are gentle I don't worry about Jeremy using them or breathing in the fumes.  I believe my cleaner cleans better than anything I could buy at the store.  Then there is the money factor I don't shell out big money for cleaners, not even for the 'Green Cleaners.'  I just make my own.  I have a few favorite ingredients that I use baking soda which sprinkled in the tub by itself is a GREAT cleaner, and white vinegar I LOVE both, and use them a lot around the house. 

 

I'm now going to mention one of my other favorite green ingredients.  I love Tea Tree Oil also known as melaleuca oil.  Now as far as my general cleaning concoction goes I add tea tree oil to it.  Here is my simple recipe, and I use this all over my kitchen:

 

~ empty spray bottle ~ fill 1/2 way with water, 1/2 with white vinegar, 3 small squirts of dish washing liquid & 10 - 15 drops of tea tree oil.  Spray on surface and wipe.

 

The reason I add the tea tree oil is that it has antiseptic and antibacterial properties.  I don't believe in buying antibacterial soaps, and cleaning products.  I believe those products have added to the problems we now face with all these Super Bugs.  So I believe if I can make an antiseptic type cleaner by adding more natural ingredients like white vinegar, and tea tree oil then it is my responsibility to do so.

 

I also use tea tree oil for other uses.  I use tea tree oil on cuts for its antiseptic properties.  I've put it directly on acne, and found that it took the redness right out, and size of breakouts reduced.  A great use for tea tree oil is to put it on misquote bites, and it takes the itch away.  Up here in Alberta where a misquote is the size of a small bird we use tea tree oil on misquote bits all the time at my place.  That's the great thing about using more natural products in your home when was the last time you sprayed your kitchen cleaner on a pimple....lol...wait, unless you are the Dad from 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' then maybe you have...lol.

 

So what are some of your favorite natural ingredients or products?  How do you use them? Do you like them?  Do you find them effective?



The Longest Journey Begins....

The longest journey begins with a single step Attributed to Lao-tzu (c 604- c 531 bc)

I'm going to share one of the things I do to try to lower my impact on the environment.  We all know that using less paper products, and using reusable products like cloth napkins instead of paper, and cloth cleaning rags instead of paper towels is better for the environment.  I also think we are all on a journey to become more environmentally aware, and depending where you are on your environmental journey you might be taking bigger steps than those mentioned. 

I not only do the things listed above, but I also (among other things) use reusable feminine hygiene products.  hmmmm do I hear crickets out there in the blogosphere world?  Possibly.  Do I hear a bunch of my readers gasping omg how can she do that?  Mmmmm pretty possible.  I'm sure a lot of people are wondering why would you use reusable feminine hygiene product?.  Maybe reading this with that interest one does when they see a car accident, and they slow down to stare. I don't know...lol  I'm going to do my best to address what I think would be questions or curiosity about this practice.

I will try my best to explain why I use reusable feminine hygiene products.  First and foremost the environmental impact.  That would also be the same reasons I used reusable diapers as I didn't want to be throwing those things into landfills.  There are those that argue oh but you are using more water, and electricity.  Yes to wash them I'm using water, and power they then get hung to dry.  No matter how much water I use to wash my pads that amount of water doesn't come close to the water, and power used to manufacture these products.  Then there is the cost factor.  Reusable products cost less.  I figure my stash cost me $60, and I've heard that pads can last 4 years so if you work it out that's $1.24 a month.  If they last longer than that then that per month cost would be even lower.  Now to keep me in disposable products I'd be looking at about between $10 - $15 a month.  That money is better in my pocket trust me ...lol. ;)   Then there is what I believe to be health benefits.  I think using less chemicals, (and yes to get the disposable products white they do use chemicals) is a more healthy way to live.  Some will even say their cycles are lighter, and fewer cramps though I haven't noticed any of those benefits personally.  Now another reason I like use reusable is I like knowing that when I buy these products I'm supporting often a female small business owner that is able to run her business out of her home.  I soooo LOVE this idea!  I love the idea of being able to support someone running a home based business, and getting a great quality product out of it for sure a a win, win situation.  Then there is the fact that I NEVER run out.  I never have to run out and grab more disposable products.

Now I'm sure some of you are sitting there shaking your heads thinking 'oh poor her doesn't she realize it is 2011 there is no NEED to take steps back & use RAGS.  Disposable products came about to liberate women.'  Well I use reusable products, because it is 2011, and I have the choice, and very proud to have that choice as to what goes into, and against my body.  I feel very empowered that all women can make that choice as to what is better for them.  Every person makes their own choice, and I don't judge if someone uses disposable products they are just at a different point on their Environmental Journey than I am.

I love my resuable products, and wouldn't live without them.  So in saying that here is my stash:



These are two years old, and were the first pads I ever bought 8" in length.

These were my second batch bought from Moms Crafts 4 U of pads, they are about a year old they are 10" in length, they don't have a plu layer.

These I are about 6 months old bought from Moms Crafts 4 U, and also 10" in length, and they have the plu layer.  I love the butterfly pad.

I thought I show the bottom of the pads.  Both of those shown have a plu layer which is leak proof.  I wanted to show the bottoms so that you can see the different ways they can fasten either snaps or velcro. 

This is to give an idea of how thick they are.  They really aren't that thick actually.  They are way thinner than a disposable maxi pad, and slightly thicker than a thin panty liner.

Here is part of an old post where I wrote my own FAQ.  Keep in mind a lot of these suggestions are just what I do.  There’s many ways of cleaning & handling cloth pads.

Why cloth pads?~ Well first off cost they are cheaper than buying disposable items.  I believe they are environmentally friendly.  Then there are all the chemicals & dioxins that go into producing disposable items that I don’t need to put in or near my body.  Plus disposable pads would rub & give me almost friction type burns OUCH…lol.

But wait cloth pads aren’t sterile.~ No they are not.  But I have news for you, neither are the disposable ones…lol.  The commercial ones are white only because of the amount of chemicals used to produce them.

But you are using more water to wash them.
~ Not more than used to produce disposable ones, actually much less.

How do they feel when you are wearing them?~ They feel great!!!  They are VERY comfortable!!!   I find they feel much better than disposable pads.  There’s no rubbing & I don’t get any skin reactions from the cloth ones.

Are they hard to clean?~ Nope!  I rinse mine in cold water & then will wash by hand while I’m in the shower & hang to dry.  I’ll keep doing that during my cycle & then at the end of my cycle I’ll wash all the ‘clean’ pads when I do my regular laundry.

What about stains?~ The ones from Moms Crafts 4 U are soooooo easy to keep stain free.  I think that’s because she uses cotton fabric.  I find my pads with cotton fleece take a little more effort to keep stain free, but some oxyclean takes care of that.

Do you just use cloth pads?~ No I also use the Instead Cup, but I need to upgrade, and buy a Diva Cup.  I need both a cup & the pads it’s just the type of cycle I have ~shrug.~

I’m sure there are other questions/concerns I’m missing so if anyone has any please ask & I’ll answer as best I can. 

Natural Cleaners ~ Fabric For Dish Cloths

Ever since I was a little girl I've been sensitive to harsh cleaners.  I remember being at my Grandma's after she had shampooed her carpets & not being able to go into the living room as I wouldn't be able to stop coughing.  At home it was different due to cost my Mom made most of her cleaners so she used more natural ingredients.  As an adult when I started working cleaning Hotel rooms I developed very bad allergic reaction to cleaners on my hands, this was very bad eczema that would weep, ooze & cause me a lot of pain.  It was in dealing with this very bad eczema I cut out as many commercial cleaners as I could.  I'm lucky in that my eczema on my hands has cleared totally right up, but I'm not going back.  I love my natural cleaners.  Yeah sure they cost less, but that's not the reason I use them, though it is a benefit.  I use them, because natural cleaners means fewer chemicals in my house.  I feel better using my natural cleaners due to Chris' asthma & allergies.  I have no problem asking Jeremy to spray down the kitchen counter, because what he's going to use isn't toxic or harmful.  Not to mention I believe they work just as well if not better than any commercial cleaner out there.  I also get a certain 'stick it to the man feeling' knowing that's something I don't HAVE to buy...lol.  I keep my cleaners very simple & easy to mix up, because who am I kidding for me it has to be simple or I won't do it...lol.  Here are my very simple yet effective cleaners:

~ kitchen/general purpose cleaner ~ mixture of 50/50 water & white vinegar, two squirts of dish soap & about 10 drops of tea tree oil then put into spray bottle.

~ bath tub ~ just baking soda sprinkled onto a cloth & scrub works GREAT!

~ floors ~ very hot water, cup of vinegar & a squirt of dish soap

~ I also have norwex microfiber cloths that I love & work great on mirrors, but so does 50/50 water & vinegar

Let's Swap Your Scraps For Knitted Dish Cloths

I posted this yesterday Fabric for Dish Cloths please check it out. 

I Haven't Made My Bed In Three Days...

Guess what it's a good idea that you take a day off, two, three, or even more of making your bed too.  There are actual health benefits of NOT making your bed.  So after you get out of bed in the morning & then make it right away you are providing the perfect atmosphere for dust mites to thrive.  They love the warm environment.  However not making your bed & letting in lots of natural light will drastically reduce dust mites in your bed.   Give your bed & sheets a chance to breathe.  Let some air circulate not only will the sheets feel fresher almost as fresh as when you put on clean sheets, but you will also sleep better.  Not making the bed also helps those that suffer with allergies & asthma.  Both allergies & asthma are things that are close to me as both Chris, as well as my best friend Lisa suffer from both allergies & asthma.  Even though like me you were probably taught to make your bed, don't let the guilt get to you, you will actually be improving your health & your sleep at the same time.  Now don't get me wrong my bed is still neat.  What I've been doing is first pulling up the sheet & blanket then folding that back neatly to the very foot of the bed.  Jeremy will love this lol.  I'll just have him the do the same thing, neatly fold it back.

Well a small miracle happened yesterday.  Jeremy's Dad actually called to see him.  Jeremy was so excited.  I packed him up took him over to his Dad's.  I even checked with Mr. Special if he was going to have him a few nights.  He said it looked that way.  Okay so we talked about school, what jeremy should be doing for homework etc.  I then got a call a few mins ago that Mr. Special has to go up North for 'work.'  It breaks my heart.  Jeremy just wants to see his Dad more than once a month.  Mr. Special sees Jeremy like once a month at the most.  Then instead of phoning to talk to Jeremy he phones me & has me tell him.    I'm always the heavy.  I'm mad at Mr. Special & sad for Jeremy.  Well Mr. Special will have to deal with it himself this time.  I'm going to have Jeremy phone him so that he can tell Jeremy himself.  It's not fair to put everything on me.  Okay vent over....lol