Homemade Bug Spray Recipe

The ONLY bad thing about spending so much time outdoors, hiking, swimming and enjoying some beers at dusk is the damn bugs. Mosquitos, flies, spiders-name it, and I got bit by it this past vacation week. Hug, swollen bumps and scratching myself all day long is not a good look. I REFUSE to douse myself in the toxic chemicals that reside in run-of-the-mill insect repellents though, so similar to most situations, I had to take it upon myself to make a safer alternative. This spray is a cinch to make and smells surprisingly great

1/2 cup distilled water

1/2 cup witch hazel

1 tsp vegetable glycerin

25 drops rosemary essential oil

25 drops lavender essential oil

• Mix all ingredients together-store in a mason jar or spray bottle

Avocado Moisturizing Mask

We haven’t done any new homemade body care products in awhile, so when Jim asked me if I wanted to whip together this face mask, I was definitively up for it! It’s really easy to make and it almost instantly gives your skin a great after glow. We’d been out in the sun the whole day, and both of our complexions were a little dry and burned and this face soothed it right away. I generally don;t have problems with my skin, but this made a HUGE difference that I was pleasantly surprised to see. And it was hysterical to wear together, because your face color looks like it’s changing as the avocado hardens and we were laughing our heads off while we let it ease our skin 🙂

1 avocado, mashed

1 tbsp jojoba oil

1 tbsp witch hazel

• Mix all ingredients together, smooth over face and let dry for 30 minutes.
• Remove with warm water

Honey Lavender Facewash

Going along with the idea of homemade, natural shampoo and conditioner, I’ve also been looking for a great facewash that doesn’t consist of 2675265436 chemicals and additives.  So what did we do?  Make it ourselves of course!  The honey and lavender makes it’s soothing and anti-bacterial, but the baking soda makes it cleansing and exfoliating.  You’ll literally be glowing after using this cleanser!

3 tbsp baking soda

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp warm water

5 drops lavender OR tea tree oil

• Whisk or stir all ingredients together until everything is completely dissolved (it has a more consistent, richer texture after sitting overnight)
• Store in an air tight container

A Different Breed of Recipe: Homemade Shampoo!

So 10 months into my vegetarian lifestyle and I’ve come to believe a few sterotypes that go along with sustaining this healthy diet.

1.  Vegetarians do yoga.  People I’ve met in person and through this community GENERALLY take great physical care of themselves and that translates into excersice of some kind.  For most meat-free people I know this means yoga.

2. Vegetarians are GENERALLY more intellectual and spirtitually inclined.  Maybe it’s because the don’t have all that shit food weighing them down and they see things more clearly, but I tend to believe that they’re more open-minded, intelligent and overall have better brains than meat eaters.

3.  GENERALLY, vegetarians are more eco-friendly, earth conscious and “green”.  They have a better understanding of the effects we have on the world around us through our food, energy and lifestyle choices.  Sustainability is usually a priority for vegs, and hence, the whole point of this post.

I recycyle relentlessly.  I tried to reuse and donate as much of our stuff as much possible.  We try to grow our own food as best we can, make compost with our food trash and buy as much organically made clothes and products as possible.  We’ve got a shitload of those onbonxious reusable bags laying around, and I get SO pissed when I forget them and are subjected to using paper bags from Whole Foods.

That being said, we’ve now branched out into making our own at home products.  We’ve used vinegar and baking soda as our sole apartment cleaners for quite some time now, and we’ve got our sights set on homemade shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste and deodorant.  Abstaining from buying these sometimes pricey products that are usually still full of chemicals even if they’re “natural” or “organic” not only helps the earth, but helps us find new (and cheap) ways to use up common household products.  I actually REALLY love this shampoo recipe and it was so easy to make.

1 cup castille soap

1 bag chamomille tea

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp nettle leaves (optional for dry, brittle hair)

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 1/2 cups water

• Boil water, then add tea bag, nettle and rosemary into a large coffee mug or bowl and steep for 30 minutes
• After 30 minutes mix in honey and castille soap, then let sit in the fridge for an hour before transferring to a shampoo bottle-enjoy!