Old-fashioned pine tar salve has been traditionally used to treat everything from splinters, bug bites and boils, to patches of eczema or psoriasis. This recipe combines herbal infused oil with the pine tar, for an added boost of effectiveness. It’s super easy to make too! Ingredients Notes & Tips Before making, infuse the oil with…
Shampoo bars are similar to regular bars of soap in many ways, only they usually contain a lot more castor oil, for a great lathering experience, along with herbs and oils that are especially nice for your hair. Below, I’m sharing a recipe for Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bars, but you could use another essential oil…
Today, I want to address another of the most frequently asked questions I get: “I found this great looking soap recipe on the internet, but it includes palm oil. How can I make it palm free?” (A related question I get is: “What’s wrong with using palm oil?” That’s something of a hot button topic…
I’ve tried a lot of homemade bug spray recipes. Some were just terrible. I remember taking one concoction camping and I’m pretty sure that I was attracting every mosquito in the county with that particular formula! On a weekly basis, readers write in to ask about homemade insect repellents, but until now, I hadn’t developed…
This balm is part of a basic first aid trio I put together for my kids to use while traveling. They spent the summer adventuring and camping across the country and I wanted them to be prepared for any first aid needs they might run into. So far, I’ve shared the recipes for: Today, we’re…
This natural bug-away salve is part of a first aid set I put together for my kids a few years ago, when they spent a good part of their summer camping and meandering across the country. In anticipation of the inevitable boo-boo’s, bumps, and bug problems they would surely encounter, I put together a trio…
This balm is part of a simple first aid set I put together for my kids a few years ago. They spent much of the summer adventuring and camping their way across the country with relatives and I wanted them to be prepared for any first aid needs they might run into. Boo Boo Balm…
Lately, I’ve been working on a new ebook about some of my favorite edible flowers and fun ways to use them. It’s a pretty time consuming project, so I’m still a ways from having it done, but this colored sugar idea has been so fun and so well received by family and friends – I…
I generally try to avoid sensationalist posts with the words “amazing!” and “miracle treatment!” in them; however, this post is going to talk about a (for real) amazing miracle treatment that helped save my diabetic dad’s foot! I’m excited to share it with you today, in the hopes that perhaps it will reach others out…
Today, I’m sharing a recipe from my Handmade Natural Soaps Ebook Collection. It’s a lovely, old-fashioned bar that’s simply scented with lavender essential oil and naturally colored with purple Brazilian clay. If you’d like a whiter soap, instead of the pale purple tint shown, just leave out the purple clay called for in the recipe….
These easy DIY bug bite sticks relieve the itchiness of pesky bug bites and are perfect for outdoor enthusiasts on the go! There are several herb or flower choices you could use in these, including: Ingredients needed: Directions to make bug bite sticks: Depending on the weather and how you measured your beeswax, you may…
This week, I’ve been sharing some recipes using aloe vera and fresh roses. First, we made a skin soothing gel, then we turned that gel into a fabulous anti-aging skin cream, and today – we’re making soap! To make this, you’ll need a pint jar full of freshly picked rose petals. (If you don’t have…
This all natural skin cream recipe features rose-infused aloe, rosehip seed oil, beeswax, and shea butter. Yesterday, I shared how to make an aloe and rose skin soothing gel that’s great for treating sunburn, rashes, bug bites, and more. Today, we’re going to use some of that gel to make this deeply moisturizing face cream,…
Aloe vera & fresh rose petals make up this soothing aloe rose gel that’s useful for sunburn, bug bites, rashes, dry skin, and more! This week, I’ll be sharing a few project ideas using fresh roses and aloe. Today’s recipe is for a skin soothing gel, tomorrow we’ll use some of that gel in an…
Forsythia are those ornamental flowering bushes that you see blooming everywhere this time of year (at least around these parts.) What some don’t know though, is that forsythia is also considered an edible flower, which is the main qualification I look for when creating new soaps and such. I figure if it’s safe to eat, it’s usually…
These all natural, lavender dusting cloths are so simple to make and use. I love that I can hand them off to my kids at chore time and not worry about exposing them to potentially toxic chemicals. Lavender is well known for its soothing, calming properties. I like my home to feel like a safe,…
Many, though not all, of the plant-based herbal remedies that we use for humans can also be safely used to treat dogs and cats. The tricky part is getting them to take them! To encourage compliance, I make my pets an herbal tea of sorts, using broth instead of water. Before I detail how and…
This Ginger Lemon Honey Tonic is one of the easiest, tastiest cold and flu remedies around! Raw honey helps fight infection and soothes inflamed tissue; fresh lemons are full of healthful vitamin C and antioxidants (plus, they taste great!); and fresh ginger root helps fight the sore throat, cough, lung congestion, chills and stomach-ache that…
Lemon balm grows like crazy around my house (which is a good thing!), so, of course, I had to turn some of it into a soap! For further inspiration on ways to use this prolific plant, be sure to check out my article on 12+ Things to Do With Lemon Balm. This is a Cold…
I use fresh mint from my garden to make this soap, but you can also use dried. Any type of mint that you have on hand will work in this recipe: peppermint, spearmint, pineapple mint, apple mint, orange mint and so forth. This is a Cold Process Soap recipe. You can find an overview and directions…
