DIY: Massage Oil

Hello there guys,

After a long day (or heck after a short day), who doesn't love a good back rub? Last year, I got my first official massage, and it just about changed my life. Massage therapy is truly a wonderful and magical thing. However, I think that a rub can go wrong without the proper oil. If you don't use massage oil, I strongly recommend getting some because it drastically alters the experience. Recently, we ran out of our massage oil, and we had some leftover essential oils after I made some beard oil for the mister, so I went about making my own. It is wonderful to make your own because it is cheaper, AND you can modify it to more closely match your wants.

Originally, I was reluctant to share this recipe only because I feel like there is some weird taboo about massage oil. But the thing is that is ridiculous! There is nothing wrong with individuals using massage oil, and there should not be silly inferred sexual connotations associated with it. Yes, sometimes sex propels from a massage, but it is silly to think that massage=sexual encounter. Maybe it is just me that assumes their association because of my middle school boy humor. Who knows?

Everything that I used for this recipe can be found at health food stores, I got mine at New Seasons, but I've seen these items at many other places.

The goods:

• Grapeseed oil-because it has skin care properties
• Almond oil-moisturizing properties
• Tea Tree Oil-delicious smell with a cleansing ability
• Lavender oil-delicious smell with a calming ability
• 4 oz Container to carry it in

What io do:

Unfortunately, there isn't really any science to this as preference of smell is all personal, but I will attempt to explain this as much as possible.

1.) Open your storage container, fill it almost to the top with a mixture of almond oil and grapeseed oil in almost 50/50 portions. The proportions on these two do not matter as they are neutral oils with no aromatic properties. Leave some room on the top to add the aromatic oils.

2.) Add 18 drops of tea tree oil and 10 drops of lavender. This is the scent preference for this household, but it might be different for you, so I would suggest starting with a low portion of each and experiment to find what you like. If you don't want any aroma to your oil, the grapeseed oil and almond oil mixture will still work wonderfully.

3.) Use whenever you feel the need.

Happy massaging,
Autumn

DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hello there all,

There is something that I love about this whole homesteading movement that is sweeping around. We are almost regressing and going back to the way things our grandparents did things. I love that because we are recognizing the purpose of why past generations did what they did: it worked. We are losing some of the craftsmanship and quality by our recent streamlined processes. Additionally, we are being horrible to our bodies, our wallet, and the environment.

One way that I have been embracing this homesteadiness culture is that I have been making my own homemade laundry detergent for the last couple of years. Yes, I know how granola I sound right now, but it legitimately works! Also, it is waaaaay cheaper than laundry soap which can get expensive.

You only need three ingredients and a couple of kitchen utensils. These ingredients can be found at any grocery store, and you can use the Borax and Washing Soda in a million different recipes for homemade cleaning products.

                                      

Ingredients:

• Borax
• washing soda
• 1 bar of soap (I usually use bars of soap that I find in the health and beauty section which smell delicious to give my laundry a nice smell, but I have read multiple people suggest Fels-Naptha which can be found in the cleaning aisle with laundry soap).

Supplies:

• Food processor or grater (I recommend a food processor if you can because the grater kills my hands)
• measuring cups
• Airtight Container for storage
• Bowl (optional)

The steps:

1.) Break your bar of soap up to put into the food processor and pulse it until the soap chunks become broken down into finer pieces. If you are using a grater, grate away your bar into a bowl.

2.) Measure out one cup of Borax and one cup of washing soda.

3.) (Optional) Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

4.) Put all ingredients into your airtight storage container. I pour all ingredients into my airtight container and shake it around to mix it. Who wants to mess up more dishes? Plus, this gives me a reason to Salsa Dance with my growler.

5.) Store the container wherever you prefer. When it is laundry time, measure 1-2 TBSP of the detergent for each load. 

What homemade cleaning products do you make? If not, what has been stopping you?

-Autumn

Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hello there all,

It is autumn. The most wonderful time of the year and the time of the year with some of the most delicious foods. One of my favorite things to nom during this time of the year is pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Heck it is even on my fall to do list here.

It celebrates the deliciousness of fall alongside with the sweetness that my sweet tooth constantly craves.

The ingredient list:

• 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree
• 1 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1.5 tsp of pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tsp of milk
• 1 TBSP of vanilla
• 1 11.5 oz bag of milk chocolate chips

 The steps:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

2.) In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, and olive oil until it is creamy.

3.) Mix together baking soda, vanilla, and milk until the baking soda dissolves. Add this into the pumpkin, sugar, etc. mixture.

4.) In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin pie spice, flour, salt, and baking powder.

5.) Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture until well mixed then add the bag of milk chocolate chips.

6.) Spray a pan with olive oil. Scoop the cookie dough by the spoonful onto the pan. Bake the cookies at 350 degrees for about 11 minutes. This recipe makes about 30 cookies.

 7.) Enjoy!

Even Alfredo got his hands onto a couple of cookies. He eats and he eats, but he is all bones!


Enjoy the noms and cross that off of your autumn to-do list.

-Autumn

Homesteading: Coconut Coffee Exfoliator

Hello there,

I hate throwing things away. This expands to anything. I love finding new uses for items, and the idea of throwing away useful items makes me cringe. It seems especially awful when it is food waste. After all, how ungrateful does it seem to throw away food that so many would love to have? Therefore, I try to find ways to eliminate food waste by composting, using peels in cleaning products, etc.

One of these victims of my agonizing scrutiny is coffee grounds. We've been using coffee grounds in our compost bin for awhile, but our compost bin can only break down so much at a time. After reading this article, I found a new use for our coffee ground, and I made a coconut coffee exfoliator.

It seemed like a nice use for the coffee grounds because I have obscenely dry hands that need constant attention. I work in the healthcare field, so my hands are being washed obsessively. It can be brutal to my hands, so I thought that it was worth a shot.

The recipe is just two ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of dry coffee grounds (use them first to make some coffee and then let them dry up for a couple of days)
• 1 cup of softened coconut oil

What to do?

• Mix together.
• Rub a little bit on your hands, wash away the gunk from your hands.
• Enjoy the new softness of your hands.

This feels absolutely delicious on my hands and for a short while it makes me feel like my hands are back to how they were before working in the healthcare field. I've also used this for a lip exfoliator, and it also left my lips feeling nommy. You could use this as a full body scrub, and it will leave all your bits feeling just as delicious. If you are going to use this in a shower, those coffee grounds could get awfully cray in the drain. You've been warned!

However, a little note that you need to keep your mixture in a relatively cool place otherwise your exfoliator will separate and you will have two different layers (like shown below). This doesn't mean to store it in your refrigerator because it will become too hard, and you won't be able to use it. Just find a nice comfortable temperature (try to steer clear of 85+ degrees).

Enjoy your new delicious skin :).

-Autumn