Yes, indeedy! Homemade hairspray is a staple in most women's morning hair routine. I was one of those women who emptied a can of hairspray in two weeks, and it was the highest powered stuff I could find! So you can imagine how skeptical I was when I first heard about homemade hairspray. I never thought it would work. My lungs, however, were really hoping for a break from the daily ritual of chemical build-up.
I first tried this several weeks ago, and it was the perfect compliment to my >Organic Hair Gel,< which I absolutely LOVE, by the way. This hairspray REALLY works, ladies & gents! It holds all day, but it also leaves your hair feeling soft, not crunchy. It's so simple you can make it at home RIGHT NOW, because I'm sure that you all have the ingredients handy.
An added bonus to this is that the sugar actually makes your hair shinier! We could all handle a little more shine in our tresses!
In case you're wondering about bugs, I haven't tried this in the summer yet, but I have done a little researching. Some people say it attracts bugs, some say they've never had problems with it. HOWEVER, if you add some peppermint essential oil, it will actually repel bugs! They are not fond of the peppermint scent, apparently.
Try it tonight! And be sure to follow the fool-proof rules that go with it!
1 C. Water
4 tsp. Sugar
4 Tbsp. Rubbing Alcohol (optional, but acts as a preservative)
Vitamin E Oil (natural preservative)
Essential Oil for scents (peppermint repels bugs)
Can I just say that I LOVE making my own hair products? I can coordinate the gel and hairspray with the same scent, so my hair smells just fantastic!
Heat the water just until it starts to boil, then turn it off. Stir the sugar in until it melts. Let it cool a little before you put the rubbing alcohol or vitamin E and essential oils in. Bottle and use!
A note on the preservatives. Rubbing alcohol is the most popular in recipes I've seen, but I actually prefer the vitamin E. Vitamin E is natural and it is a moisturizer, which is great for your hair! The rubbing alcohol kind of stinks, and it can dry your hair out.
However, even with the alcohol, it's a lot better for your hair than
store-bought hairspray. You might try both ways and see what you like
best. I keep mine (with vitamin E) in the refrigerator, and it lasted me about two weeks. Just keep smelling it; you'll notice when it goes rancid!
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Fool-Proof Rules:
Depending on your hair type, you might need more or less sugar. More sugar will have a firmer hold. But remember, I used a TON of extra hold hairspray, and I only needed two sprays of this to cover my head & hold all day! This concentration of sugar water is perfect for me.
Find a spray bottle with a super fine mist. I actually use a little plastic bottle from the travel-size toiletries at Walmart.
Wait 20-30 seconds for the spray to dry. I didn't do this the first time, which is why I used too much! I only need about 2 to 3 sprays and it's perfect.
Stick with these rules and you should have some great hairspray!
I have another recipe that does not use sugar. I have not bought the ingredients for that yet, but I will let you know when I try it out! So far, I love this sugar recipe, so I'll be sticking with it for a while!
Let me know how it goes for you!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
The Best Things Take Time... like Turkey!
The holidays are so busy, as we all know, and it seems there is never time to get together with everyone you want to. So after all the actual holiday days were over, some of us were able to get together and just spend an evening together.
We had decided we wanted the traditional Christmas dinner, but all made in a healthy fashion since new years resolutions had already been made and started. I love a culinary challenge! I set out to create the menu and it went something like this:
*Sweet & Sassy Slow-Cooked Turkey & Gravy
(what this post is all about)
*Apple Walnut Stuffing
(the best stuffing ever)
*Orange-Glazed Sliced Carrots
(not bad, but not amazing)
*Herb Roasted Potatoes
(taters are always delish)
I must admit, I didn't eat all of my sides because I got full off of all the amazing turkey! If you have never cooked a turkey in a crock-pot, you have GOT to try this recipe! I couldn't decide between the traditional herbed turkey recipe, the spicy turkey recipe, and the sweet apple spiced turkey recipe, so I kind of combined all three and came up with this. I think this will be the all-time favorite turkey recipe from now on. Definitely!
If you try this, do not be concerned with how it smells the entire time it's cooking. The smell is very deceiving. I was afraid we were going to end up eating potatoes and carrots for dinner, but as soon as I tried it, I was blown away with surprise!
As an added bonus, the leftovers are PERFECT for the >>Leftover Turkey Rice Soup Recipe<<.
The Recipe
It is generally best to brine the turkey overnight, but I completely forgot until that morning, so mine only brined for about 3-4 hours. When poultry is brined, the impurities and blood are pulled out of the meat; it also helps keep moisture in. To brine, you just mix equal parts of salt and sugar with enough warm water to cover the meat. Make sure the salt and sugar dissolve in the warm water first. Keep the bowl and turkey refrigerated overnight as it brines.Then just discard the brine when you are ready to cook; I gave my turkey a quick rinse just to remove any lingering impurities.
You can go ahead and place your rinsed turkey in the crock pot as you make the marinade. Do not turn the crock pot on yet! By the way, my crock pot was the medium sized kind- I honestly don't know how many quarts it held. It worked best for the small turkey breast. You want the meat completely covered in liquid as it cooks.
To make the cooking marinade, bring all the ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cook and stir until the salt and honey are dissolved. Like I said before, don't be afraid at the smell; it was very unappetizing to me, but it is definitely worth it! I don't know how it happens, but that little crock pot works some magic! Make sure you keep it covered as much as possible!
Simply pour the cooking marinade over the turkey in the crock pot. There needs to be enough liquid that the turkey is completely covered, so if you are a little short, just cook up a bit more marinade and add it in.
Cook on HIGH for about 2-3 hours, then on low for an hour. I turned it down to low when the glass lid started jostling around due to steam from the boiling marinade. Or, you can cook for about 6 hours on low, depending on how much time you have.
The turkey will be "done" much sooner, but you want it to be so soft it falls apart when you pick it up with a fork. And trust me, if you can wait that long, you will never cook turkey the same way again!
GRAVY TIME! Once the turkey is done, spoon out about 1 C. of the cooking marinade and bring it to a boil in a small saucepan. Mix about 1tsp corn starch with 1Tbsp of water in a cup, then pour it into the boiling marinade. Continue adding corn starch and water until the gravy gets to the consistency you want. Allow it to simmer together a few minutes before you add any more.
The gravy will turn out fairly spicy, due to the red pepper flakes, so go easy if you're not a fan of spicy stuff.
Enjoy & God bless!!!
Let me know how it goes if you try it!
We had decided we wanted the traditional Christmas dinner, but all made in a healthy fashion since new years resolutions had already been made and started. I love a culinary challenge! I set out to create the menu and it went something like this:
*Sweet & Sassy Slow-Cooked Turkey & Gravy
(what this post is all about)
*Apple Walnut Stuffing
(the best stuffing ever)
*Orange-Glazed Sliced Carrots
(not bad, but not amazing)
*Herb Roasted Potatoes
(taters are always delish)
I must admit, I didn't eat all of my sides because I got full off of all the amazing turkey! If you have never cooked a turkey in a crock-pot, you have GOT to try this recipe! I couldn't decide between the traditional herbed turkey recipe, the spicy turkey recipe, and the sweet apple spiced turkey recipe, so I kind of combined all three and came up with this. I think this will be the all-time favorite turkey recipe from now on. Definitely!
If you try this, do not be concerned with how it smells the entire time it's cooking. The smell is very deceiving. I was afraid we were going to end up eating potatoes and carrots for dinner, but as soon as I tried it, I was blown away with surprise!
As an added bonus, the leftovers are PERFECT for the >>Leftover Turkey Rice Soup Recipe<<.
The Recipe
- 4 C. Apple Juice
- 1/4 C. Kosher Salt
- 1/3 C. Raw Honey
- 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Ground Mustard
- 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 3-5 lb Turkey Breast, unflavored
It is generally best to brine the turkey overnight, but I completely forgot until that morning, so mine only brined for about 3-4 hours. When poultry is brined, the impurities and blood are pulled out of the meat; it also helps keep moisture in. To brine, you just mix equal parts of salt and sugar with enough warm water to cover the meat. Make sure the salt and sugar dissolve in the warm water first. Keep the bowl and turkey refrigerated overnight as it brines.Then just discard the brine when you are ready to cook; I gave my turkey a quick rinse just to remove any lingering impurities.
You can go ahead and place your rinsed turkey in the crock pot as you make the marinade. Do not turn the crock pot on yet! By the way, my crock pot was the medium sized kind- I honestly don't know how many quarts it held. It worked best for the small turkey breast. You want the meat completely covered in liquid as it cooks.
To make the cooking marinade, bring all the ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cook and stir until the salt and honey are dissolved. Like I said before, don't be afraid at the smell; it was very unappetizing to me, but it is definitely worth it! I don't know how it happens, but that little crock pot works some magic! Make sure you keep it covered as much as possible!
I gathered the garlic together on top of the turkey breast for the first hour or so.
Simply pour the cooking marinade over the turkey in the crock pot. There needs to be enough liquid that the turkey is completely covered, so if you are a little short, just cook up a bit more marinade and add it in.
Cook on HIGH for about 2-3 hours, then on low for an hour. I turned it down to low when the glass lid started jostling around due to steam from the boiling marinade. Or, you can cook for about 6 hours on low, depending on how much time you have.
The turkey will be "done" much sooner, but you want it to be so soft it falls apart when you pick it up with a fork. And trust me, if you can wait that long, you will never cook turkey the same way again!
Here is the whole meal. Yum!!
GRAVY TIME! Once the turkey is done, spoon out about 1 C. of the cooking marinade and bring it to a boil in a small saucepan. Mix about 1tsp corn starch with 1Tbsp of water in a cup, then pour it into the boiling marinade. Continue adding corn starch and water until the gravy gets to the consistency you want. Allow it to simmer together a few minutes before you add any more.
The gravy will turn out fairly spicy, due to the red pepper flakes, so go easy if you're not a fan of spicy stuff.
Enjoy & God bless!!!
Let me know how it goes if you try it!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Minty Minerals Toothpaste: Updated Recipe
"I love your toothpaste! You really came up with a great product! I WAS AMAZED at how it cleaned my teeth! I have never had that good of a feeling out of a toothpaste. And the ingredients are natural... that is the best!"
-A lady I work with who I asked to sample my toothpaste
-A lady I work with who I asked to sample my toothpaste
First, I will say that I did not come up with the basic thought of this recipe, but found it on a website for holistic dental hygiene. However, I DID change almost all the amounts of ingredients and got rid of some. So this is my modified version.
Have you ever heard of re-mineralization? There is a lot of information about tooth re-mineralization coming out lately. You might have seen some of those commercials with "dentists" telling you that once enamel is gone, it is never coming back. However, it does! >>THIS WEBSITE<< has a lot of information about it. This toothpaste not only makes your teeth clean and white, it will also speed up the re-mineralization process.
I have only used this toothpaste for two days now and already my teeth are slightly whiter. My mom even commented on it. My teeth feel so clean and my gums feel great, too! Personally, I have always hated the texture of normal toothpaste. Strange, I know, but texture is kind of a big deal with me when it comes to foods and obviously toothpaste. So the thought of a grainier toothpaste over the strangely-thick-sticky-mess-in-a-tube-GAG toothpaste was actually exciting to me. This new paste is definitely a different taste also, and doesn't really foam like store-bought pastes. The graininess is due to several of the ingredients, but it is still very easy on the teeth. Plus, all the benefits gained are worth a little graininess twice a day.
I have listed the ingredients below and their benefits to dental hygiene. I will also list the recipe at the bottom of the page. You might also want to read some of the information I posted on a previous recipe for toothpaste. There is a quick overview of how horrible fluoride and glycerin are for your teeth. When you read about that you can truly appreciate the benefits of the following ingredients in this homemade toothpaste.
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Coconut Oil
-Coconut oil provides super moisture for your gums. Scientists have also found that it can help fight the main bug behind tooth decay. They tested coconut oil against Streptococcus mutants - a sugar-loving bacterium that clings to teeth and produces acid, causing them to rot. Coconut oil is a great active ingredient for toothpaste.
Baking Soda
-A natural ingredient to clean and whiten teeth fast. It neutralizes substances that cause stains and odors. Baking soda penetrates into the crevices of the teeth, and is gently abrasive on your enamel.
Calcium Magnesium & Zinc Powder
-Without the presence of fluoride and glycerin, the teeth can heal themselves and re-grow enamel. Calcium magnesium and zinc are essential minerals for strong teeth and bones. This powder will heal re-mineralize your teeth and they will operate like they were supposed to.
Xylitol
-A natural sweetener and a sugar alcohol, in that it is similar to fructose but only absorbs 40% into your body. You get the sweet taste with less than half the calories. Xylitol also cuts through bio-film, which coats teeth and cavities and acts as a hiding place for bacteria. It also cuts through odor and prevents cavities.
Redmond Sea Salt
-A natural sea salt mined from ancient sea beds and contains 50+ trace minerals including iodine. It is antibacterial and aids in the re-mineralization process.
Ppeppermint Essential Oil
-Fights bad breath and soothes sore gums and toothaches. I am also thinking of adding Tea Tree Essential Oil to my next batch, as it is antimicrobial and antibacterial as well. It is most often used in homemade deodorants and the like. *** I did try the Tea Tree the second time around; just make sure you do more peppermint than tea tree when you mix them in. Tea Tree is a minty taste as well, but it kind of leaves a strange aftertaste, unless you have a lot of peppermint.
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Now for the recipe! I have listed where you can buy the ingredients, if you are local.
* 3 Tbsp Coconut Oil (Walmart - But I prefer to use the extra virgin kind from Puritans Pride)
* 2 Tbsp Baking Soda
* 2 Tbsp Calcium Magnesium & Zinc Powder (buy them in tablet form and grind- walmart)
* 3 Tbsp Xylitol (Back to Nature)
* 2 tsp Redmond Sea Salt (Back to Nature)
* 20 drops Peppermint Essential Oil (GNC)
You will need to grind up the calcium tablets with a mortar and pestle or food processor. Then simply mash everything together in a bowl. You can add more or less of the coconut oil to get the desired consistency. I liked it with 3 Tbsp as oppose to 2 Tbsp.
***UPDATE: About 10 tablets will make 1 tablespoon of powder. I noticed that grinding 5 calcium/mag tablets at a time worked best for me. ALSO, the tablets have a very thin casing that does not grind up. I used a sifter to separate the powder from the casings. If you leave them in, it shouldn't harm you, but it will be more grainy and have a funky texture. I prefer to sift! After sifting once, I grind it a second time; there were some ball-like pieces of the tablets leftover. A second grinding will powder them easily, then just sift the casings out and toss them.
I encourage you to try this for yourself! Several people have asked me to make this for them, so if you are local, I am willing to make and sell you some as well!
Enjoy & God bless!
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