Sugar scrub

This is so ridiculously simple that I hesitated to even post it. It is easy and quick to make your own scrubs. You just need something rough like sugar, salt or coffee grounds, and an oil like almond, jojoba or olive.  Mix them together and you have a scrub.

For this one,   I used a larger grain sugar, olive oil, and peppermint and coffee essential oils to make it like a peppermint mocha. It smells amazing, & I may have eaten a spoonful.  I had some serious dragon scale hands going on, and after using it they are silky smooth. 

Mommy Your Toothpaste Looks Like Poo-Poo

Alternate post title would be how to make homemade clay toothpaste. I have had to buy alternative toothpaste for years now because fluoride breaks my face out in a rash. I finally got tired of spending $7 a tube and decided to figure out how to make myself.   I knew I did not want to use a recipe with baking soda because I was afraid it would be too harsh for daily use. My teeth tend to get sensitive very easily.

This recipe is based on bentonite clay, and I am very happy with how it turned out.  Several recipes online use a mixture of peppermint and tea tree oils, but I wanted to make more of a holiday flavor. 

Here is the recipe, it is very easy. Mix 2 tablespoons bentonite clay with about 2 tablespoons distilled or purified water and a pinch of real sea salt. You want to do this without using any metal bowls or instruments because the clay can pull metal out. Then mix in  liquid stevia to taste, I did 7 drops, and your essential oils. I did one drop of cinnamon, one drop of clothes, and 7 drops of orange.  Store in a glass container, I used an empty baby food jar.

What's that smell?

Hopefully it's not me thanks to this homemade antiperspirant/deodorant.

Homemade Antiperspirant-Deodorant

2 TBS shea butter

3 TBS coconut oil 

3 TBS baking soda

2 TBS arrowroot powder

essential oils of your choosing (I used Young Living's Purification and added extra citronella, about 20 drops or just until it smells like you want it)

empty deodorant containers (you can reuse old ones, buy them off amazon, or simply store in another type of container)

 Melt the shea butter and coconut oil in a pan on the stove, or in a double boiler.  When just melted, remove from heat and stir in the other ingredients.  Pour into desired containers and chill to set.  That's it, you're done! Oh wait, go clean out that bowl.

Some scent combos I want to try - lavender patchouli, ginger lemongrass, spearmint lime (because who doesn't want a mojito scented armpit?)

Winter Spice Shake

This is an AIP compliant (autoimmune paleo) treat, reminiscent of an eggnog milkshake.   It's also super quick and easy to whip up if you have frozen bananas on hand.   Our Kroger sells overripe bananas on clearance and I like to stock up.  I peel, cut into fourths, and freeze. Then just throw them in smoothies or shakes.    Grass fed gelatin is great for you, here's a link from Grass Fed Girl that goes through some of it's benefits.   This recipe has some things in it you may not keep on hand, like the collagen hydrosylate and Mace, but if you're following the AIP protocol, they are worth ordering. The collagen can be stirred into broths, soups, smoothies, etc.  The mace is a good substitute for nutmeg (seed based spices are out on the strict elimination phase of AIP and nutmeg is a seed. Mace and nutmeg are actually from the same tree.)  It is a bit spicier than nutmeg, almost like a cinnamon-nutmeg mix.

Winter Spice Shake

2 frozen bananas (very slightly softened, just let sit at room temperature for a few minutes)

1 cup full fat canned coconut milk (I like this one as the can is BPA free and the only ingredient is coconut)

1/2 cup coconut water (we use this one)

2 TBS collagen hydrosylate  (this one from Great Lakes Gelatin is what we like, make sure you get the green can as the red can is used for setting liquids, and you don't want that in this shake)

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground Mace

small pinch sea salt

Throw it all in the blender and serve.  

*adapted from a recipe from Healing Family Eats