Dandruff

If you, or someone you love has dandruff, try this. Combine 3 TBS. of your favorite conditioner + 1 TBS brown sugar. Apply to your scalp sectionally and massage. Then shampoo with a mild shampoo. Feels great!!! (especially if someone else does it for you)

If you have a dander problem, here's some advice: 1. Switch to a sulfate (laureth/lauryl) free shampoo - Organix and Burts Bees are two common ones. Switch even if you don't have dandruff!! Google the affects of that stuff and you will see why. Some of you may think this is gross, but I "shampoo" with Apple Cider Vinegar once a week for three weeks, then use my homemade shampoo the fourth week.

After I had Aly I lost just about all the hair around my temples. Two months later I went to the hairdresser and sat under a hooded dryer. This caused heat damage to that area of my scalp. Shortly thereafter I discovered I had a dandruff problem - but only in that area. I use the above recipe every other week, shampoo, then apply my leave-in conditioner. I've done this for a month and a half now and the problem is almost gone. For all of us "Nappies", jojoba and virgin coconut oil 50/50 make a great scalp oil recipe.

Tinyla

Save money - Make your own laundry soap!

I started using this recipe about a year and a half ago and I love it! The first time I used homemade laundry soap, it was a gift from a friend. It was liquid and included ingredients like Fels Naptha, baking soda, and Borax. It was ok; but I personally prefer powder and I am a fan of good smells. So I googled the subject and kept experimenting until I found one that I really liked. Here is my favorite recipe:

1 bar of pink ZOTE soap (found at my walmart by the starch)
4 cups of Borax (walmart)
2 cups of Super Washing Soda (***NOT Baking Soda) (my walmart stopped selling it, so I buy at Harris Teeter now)

1.) Cut the soap into four sections and grate with cheese grater.
2.) Dump grated soap into blender.
3.) Add Borax and washing soda to blender.
4.) Blend into powder - about 1 minute. (May have to blend half at a time)


Use 1 TBS in sm/med loads. 2 in lg. or extra soiled loads.
Cost: about $.02/load
1 Bar of soap = about 60 regular loads!
This will last me about 4 months.  Before then,  I usually only have to buy another bar of soap ($1.19) because my powder ingredients still have plenty left in them. Mix more up, and wash again for another four months or so.



You cannot substitute the Borax or Washing Soda; but if you can't find pink ZOTE, use Ivory or any 1 bar of soap -then use 1 cup of Borax and 1/2 cup of washing soda. May not keep your whites white, so add 1/4 c. white vinegar to rinse cycle (rinsing with hot water helps, but not essential with vinegar tip.)

Why I use what I use:

1. Trying to go as green as possible. - In most cases it saves you money!
2. I needed a soap that was gentle enough for my baby girl and dreft is too
expensive!
3. Pink ZOTE smells great, is cheap, great stain remover, and includes a whitener. Fels Naptha is all natural, but it doesn't smell as good so you may want to use a few drops of your favorite essential oil (ie. peppermint oil or orange oil). FN also doesn't keep your laundry as fresh as long as ZOTE does.
4. Borax is all natural and is a great deodorizer.
5. Washing Soda cuts grease and helps remove stains.

For stains (ie. ring around the collar) you may rub Zote or Naptha bar on stain, then wash or use my homemade Oxyclean recipe....coming soon!
Have Fun!!!

Ugh!!! I WANT MY BODY BACK...

I thougt as I popped in my walk-at-home video. I am gonna walk four miles today! Two seconds later...I sure wish I had some mint chocolate chip brownie ice cream from Food Lion. These were my thoughts as I picked up the book entitled "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding". My computer was being slow, so I thought I would read while I waited. (It's nap time!) Aly is now eight months old and I planned to stop nursing at nine months, so I needed a strategy. I thought one of the benefits of nursing was that you loose your baby weight faster. Wrong!!! Nursing does allow your uterus to get back into shape faster; but for over 80% of women, it causes their bodies to store fat. I decided I must be in the 80+% because I still have 27 lbs. to go eight months later. Add to that the fact that my baby girl LOVES to nurse. She loves to eat!!! (takes after her mother:) When I was pregnant with her, I swear, everytime I smelled food she started kicking. Anyway, after reading a few pages of the afore mentioned book, I realize that I hadn't stumbled upon that book at Goodwill by accident. When I consider all the benefits that nursing has for my little sweetheart, as well as myself, I decided that I could live with wearing a 16 instead of a 10 for a little while longer for the sake of my child. This is yet another area where I need to surrender and allow the Lord to reprogram my mind. My husband wanted a large family, and when I say large I mean large! (10 kids!)to which I replied, "You must be crazy!" Now he says six (The bill from one may have influenced his thinking); and I am thinking ten doesn't sound so bad. God is able!!! (The feminist movement has really influenced our society - and me- so much. Sometimes we don't even realize it.) Someday I'll have to write a book about it! (Did I mention that I popped the DVD in, I have yet to walk! - I'll get to it:)

So excited!!!

I am so excited to finally join the world of bloggers. My inspiration is my best friend Maria who has such a wonderful blog. I always enjoy reading her blog each day and have shared it with others. So what do I write about? My life - daily experiences in the life of a wife and mother of one child. The ministry - I currently serve in our church as an assistant pastor's wife and musician (those of you who have heard me play... don't laugh!). Hair - I love to talk hair. I am currently on chapter four of my little booklet about hair and my hair journey. It has been a lot of fun to write. Recipes - from carpet cleaner to shrimp appetizers. I love learning how to "make it myself"! So here we go!!!