Thrifty Co-Worker

One of my co-workers and I have bonded over our love of a good sale. She gives me a heads up for online sales I can't miss and is happy to show off her most recent finds. Needless to say, I was thrilled when we were recently able to go to the Goodwill Outlet together.

I was able to find the cutest little antique looking Christmas tree decorations (originally $20 at Anthropologie,) a Vera Bradley notebook (which I can't wait to put my organic recipes in,) a liquid/dry measuring cup (with the metric system,) Ann Taylor Loft jeans, and gray leggings (with the tag still on them!)

But how much did it all cost you ask? Only $2.51! What a steal!

Natural Hair and Body Care

In this week's natural living class we covered hair and body care! To make your own shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, and bath salts you will need:

1. Coconut Oil
2. Castile Soap
3. Olive Oil
4. Essential Oils
5. Water
6. Guar Gum
7. Epsom Salts
8. Baking Soda
9. Raw Sugar

Here are the recipes we used:

Shampoo
2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
5 Tbsp. Castile Soap
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Olive Oil (for dry hair)
10 drops Essential Oil

• Lavender for oily hair
• Cedar Wood for oily hair and to strengthen and thicken hair
• Peppermint for dry hair
• Lemon for oily hair and to strengthen hair
• Mel A (Tea Tree) for oily hair and dandrif

I did not add olive oil, and I used 10 drops of Mel A.

This shampoo is very gentle, you should use about 1/2 tsp. at a time.
Shampoo should be refrigerated if you won't use it up in a week. Otherwise the coconut milk may go bad.

Conditioner
1/4 - 1/3 Cup of Water (use less water for dryer hair/thicker conditioner)
1/3 tsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Guar Gum
5-10 drops Essential Oil (same as shampoo)

I used Mel A again. I love it's smell!

Conditioner will expire when the oil expires, or the first expiration date of the ingredients.

Body Scrub
3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil - melt
3 Tbsp. Sugar (raw cane or brown sugar)
10 drops Essential Oil

• Lemon to brighten, cleanse, and detox skin
• Frankincense to detox skin
• Lavender for eczema, sensitive, and dry skin
• Orange and Mel A to tighten, firm, anti-aging, and fight cellulite
• Mel A and Purification to fight acne

I chose Orange and Mel A and use it every other day in place of body wash.

Bath Salts

1/2 Cup Epsom Salts

1/4 Cup Baking Soda

10 drops Essential Oils (choose depending on your need)

• Sick: Thieves and RC
• Pain: Peppermint
• Relax: Lavender & Frankincense
• Detox: Lemon & Ginger
• Anxiety: Lavender, Blue Spruce/Balsam Fur
• Sore Muscles: Peppermint & Copaiba
• Energy: Peppermint/Citrus
• Sleep: Lavender & Cedar Wood

I used 5 drops of Lavender and 3 drops of Frankincense for relaxing. This will make enough for two bathes.

I really liked the bath salts and would definitely make that recipe again (even for gifts for friends!) I also liked the body scrub which left my skin feeling SO moist and rejuvenated. The shampoo left my hair feeling very clean and the conditioner was a great texture. However, my hair quickly felt and looked oily, so jury's still out on those.

Natural Body Care Products

In this week's natural living class we made chap stick, a lotion bar, and deodorant. So exciting! To make these body care products you will need:

1. Coconut oil
2. Shea butter
3. Mango butter
4. Beeswax (best to use pre-shredded)
5. Vitamin E
6. Arrow root starch
7. Baking Soda
8. Essential Oils

Here are the recipes we used:

Chapstick

1/2 tsp. beeswax

1 tsp. shea butter

1 tsp. mango butter

10 drops essential oils of your choice

Lotion Bar

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 Tbsp. shea butter

1 Tbsp. beeswax

1 capsule Vitamin E (400 IU)

20 drops essential oils of your choice

Deodorant

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 Tbsp. shea butter

1 Tbsp. mango butter

2 Tbsp. beeswax

1 capsule Vitamin E (400 IU)

2 Tbsp. arrow root starch

2 Tbsp. baking soda

30 drops essential oils of your choice

We started by melting the beeswax, shea butter, and mango butter for the chap stick in a double boiler on the stove. Once the ingredients were melted we added our essential oils and poured the chap stick into containers. I wear contacts and have TONS of extra contact cases so I re-purposed some into chap stick holders. For this recipe I used 5 drops of lavender and 5 drops of orange, both are great for your skin.

Please note that it is important to not let your essential oils get too hot or they may start to loose some of their healing properties. You should add the oil once you have taken the jar out of the double boiler.

Next we made lotion bars melting the coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax in the double boiler. Once those ingredients were melted we added Vitamin E and essential oils. I used 10 drops of pan away and 10 drops of peppermint to make a "pain relief bar."

The deodorant was very similar. We melted the coconut oil, shea butter, mango butter, and beeswax in the double boiler. Then we added the Vitamin E, arrow root starch, baking soda, and essential oils. I used 10 drops of Mel A (tea tree oil), 10 drops of lemon, and 10 drops of peppermint. This combination will be antiseptic, bactericide, anti-fungal, and refreshing.

We poured both the lotion bars and deodorant into muffin wrappers but a recycled deodorant stick would also work very well.

If you are planning to use the same melting jar for each recipe it is important to save the deodorant for last. You don't want any left over baking soda (a salt) drying up your lips or skin!

I have really liked all of these products and would definitely make them again. The deodorant is AMAZING and I think I will quickly be making a permanent home for it in my bathroom cabinet.

For last week's natural living class on makeup click here.

Goodwill Outlet... Again!

What's a gal to do while her husband spends hours and hours in the library archives? Check out the local Goodwill Outlet of course!

As I leisurely learned the lay of land I was able to snag a few deals. For only $2.15 I got a vintage fur (NO RIPS OR TEARS,) a mint condition Nine West purse, and a wooden hanger.

I was SO blown away by the great price for my finds that I think I'll be back.