Lip balm and a family recipe

I made a couple of things this week that I'm proud of. One thing I made was lip balm. I used beeswax, olive oil, and lime essential oil. I melted the wax and the olive oil in a double boiler, then added six drops of the lime oil, and then poured it into this little container. That's it! The thing that makes me really happy is that there used to be this all-natural lip balm that I absolutely loved. It was the best lip balm that I had ever tried, and I was happy that I wasn't spreading petroleum products on my mouth. However, I had to stop buying it because it was too expensive. This lip balm that I made? It's exactly the same thing! And the supplies cost pennies. So I think I am making my own lip balm forever.

The other thing that I made was a family recipe from my husband's family. My family doesn't really have recipes that are passed down, although some people have a dish that they're famous for. Anyways, I wanted to make one of the family recipes, called Derr's delight. Jason's aunt invented this recipe when she was in college. You brown some ground beef and add a chopped up onion and a green pepper. Then you add two cups of stock (my father-in-law insists that it must be consomme from the soup aisle. He will be annoyed that I used stock. I don't use consomme from the soup aisle because I can make my own stock from the stuff you usually throw away, and it doesn't cost me anything.) You also add a cup of rice. You simmer this for half an hour, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Because I didn't use canned consomme, I added some seasoned salt. If you use the canned stuff you won't need the salt, unless you love salt. Anyway it comes out gooey and good. It's great student food. I was happy to try out a family recipe. My husband has made it once before too, so it's not like I think I have to keep up all the cookin' traditions, as the woman and all. I just wanted to share in the heritage because his family is my family too now.

I'm back and Beauty Routine

I haven't been using this blog for a while, but I wanted to share some of my efforts in radical homemaking and self-sufficiency and decided that this was the right venue. So I'm resurrecting it.

I wanted to share some ways I am being more self-sufficient in my beauty routine. I'm not huge into beauty, although I like makeup and nice hair. Anyways, there are a few things one must do for personal care and I want to know how I can do more stuff for myself. In hair care, I am following the no-poo (no shampoo) method. I thought it sounded gross at first but actually it is working better for me than shampoo did. Basically, I take a tablespoon of baking soda in a cup of water in a squeeze bottle and squeeze it over my hair in the shower, taking care to massage my scalp. Then I rinse it out. Next, I take another squeeze bottle and use a mixture of a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar and a cup of water, and finger-comb that through my hair. That's my conditioner. How does acid condition? I don't know but it works so well! I no longer need to use a leave-in conditioner in order to comb my hair after my shower. It works great! I usually use the baking soda once or twice a week and the vinegar every time I shower. I've also made my own hair gel using a quarter teaspoon of agar in a cup of hot water, and then cooling it as it gels. I usually add a drop or two of a floral essential oil so that my hair smells nice. It doesn't work so great but it's okay and I don't look like a hippy, so it will do until that day when I can afford silly things like hair mousse.

In facial care, my stepmom gave me a really nice skin care "regime" but I only use that once a day. In the morning, my routine is usually to wash my face with soap in the shower or with Spectro gel at the sink. Then I use my stepmom's lotion. At night, I use her cleanser and toner, but my own lotion, which is a little jar of olive oil scented with rose and ylang ylang essential oils so I don't smell like salad. It works fantastically on my skin and my skin hasn't been this clear in a long time. I don't use the oil in the morning because it makes my face look pretty oily for a while, which isn't a problem if I'm going to bed but is if I'm going out in public. Also, I sometimes use my own toner, which is just rose water that I get from the mediterranean store. It's the best toner I've ever used.

Next, we had a problem earlier this year when my husband ran out of deodorant. He still had to go to work and the weather was warm so it was a real dilemma. Anyways, we found out that you can make your own deodorant from two tablespoons cornstarch, two tablespoons baking soda, and two tablespoons olive oil and a couple drops each of tea tree oil and lavender oil. Just mix it up and scoop in onto your pits with your fingertips. My husband said it was the best deodorant he'd ever used.

Finally, I've become the hairdresser in our home. I shave my husband's head, and I found a way to cut my own hair into layers by making a very high ponytail while it's wet and straightened as much as possible. Then I pull the ponytail up and cut off the very top evenly. Not the most artistic haircut I've ever had, but it's certainly flattering and looks good (this only works on curly hair). Additionally, I've figured out how to do my own threading for tidy eyebrows. So that's the self-sufficient beauty routine at our place!