I’ll admit it: I like my house to smell nice!  I love it when guests feel welcomed by the scent of dinner in the oven or a magnolia blossom from the tree around the corner.  We used to always light candles or turn on wax burners so the house would smell pleasant, but when I started to detox my home, synthetic smells were one of the first things to go.  It took a bit of adjustment, but now when people walk into our home, they often comment on how natural it smells.  One of the changes that made this possible was swapping over to a homemade natural air freshener.

Almost every air freshener on the market contains phthalates and other toxic chemicals.  Some of these have been linked to early puberty, birth defects, headaches, onset of asthma, and other generally undesirable health effects.  So, if you’re searching for a simple step to take in making your home more natural, changing air fresheners is a great place to start.

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Lip balm is one of those products that almost everyone uses, whether to actually heal cracked lips or because you love the different flavors.  I use lip balm year-round, so it ended up being one of the first things I started making instead of buying.  Making your own lip balm is fun and simple, and compared with the prices of most natural lip balms, it is cost effective too!  With a cute label, this vanilla coffee lip balm also makes the perfect gift.

A friend of mine recently suggested that I should devise a recipe for vanilla coffee lip balm.  I loved the idea, but since I don’t use fragrant oils, I wasn’t sure if I could make it naturally (which meant I wouldn’t make it at all).  But then, I formulated this recipe, and we love it.  It’s almost as popular as our vanilla peppermint lip balm (Stacy’s favorite)! [Read more…]

Around our house, we have come to love making our own skincare products.  There are many benefits to making things at home, and it’s a lot of fun too!  We are always looking for new things to make instead of buy, and this soothing balm is a favorite.

About a year ago, we started making this soothing balm with items I already had in the kitchen.  We use this balm on minor cuts and scrapes, bruises, burns, and bug bites.  I sometimes mix other essential oils into it for muscle pain.  My kids call it “that medicine you make”, and they are always asking that I put it on something!  With summer just around the corner, we’ll be using this balm more and more. [Read more…]