I thought I’d show you some of the differences in our personal care routine now that we’re trying to make it more natural. 

Natural Toothpaste

I don’t know how true it is that conventional toothpaste actually helps to destroy your teeth with all the nasty chemicals etc.

What I do appreciate about natural toothpaste is that I know what everything is in this toothpaste, it’s cheaper, and my teeth are whiter. I don’t appreciate the saltiness but what can you do :)

The recipe is super simple

50% baking soda to 50% coconut oil

50 drops peppermint essential oil

10 drops clove bud essential oil

I also added some “real salt”. Apparently it has 60+ trace minerals etc that are good for your teeth. And salt is supposed to be good for sloughing off the gunk too.

More info here:

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2012/04/rethinking-oral-health-care-a-homemade-toothpaste-recipe-for-tooth-remineralization.html

Natural Deodorant

Also super simple to make. Some recipes add arrowroot powder. I never have had any on hand so instead I used corn starch which was suggested for a substitute. This recent batch though I cut out the cornstarch and basically made the toothpaste, 50/50 baking soda to coconut oil and added essential oils to kill the bacteria and provide a nice scent.

The essential oils I used were

Sweet Orange – because it’s cheery

Lavender – for skin soothing and antibacterial

Tea Tree – more antibacterial

Clary Sage – great for the skin and an awesome green scent

Chamomile – also good for your skin and I love the smell

Black Pepper – to ground the scent more than anything

For more information:

http://www.theeverythingsoapblog.com/2012/03/recipe-best-natural-deodorant.html?m=1

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/09/gentle-all-natural-deodorant-stick-recipe.html

Natural Moisturizer

I also really enjoy coconut oil as a moisturizer, so I made up a batch of straight coconut oil with the same essential oils as the deodorant {minus the tea tree}. Slather it on while you’re still wet from the shower and then dry off as you normally do.

And then of course the natural hair care – baking soda cleanser {clear liquid} and herbal rinse {brown liquid} for a conditioner. I also added some honey to the rinse for added conditioning.

From my previous post:

For my hair, all I need is a bottle of

1 tbsp of baking soda {otherwise it’s too drying}

to

2 cups water

I add a couple drops of Peppermint,

Lavender

and Rosemary essential oils.

I pour that onto my scalp and really massage it in.

Let it sit a couple minutes, then rinse.

After that I have, premixed in a bottle,

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

to

2 cups water

with the same essential oils

I pour that through the entirety of my hair and then wash it out immediately, or, I find it weighs my hair down too much.

 I’ve also started using herbal rinses more often then the baking soda.

My hair was super dry before at the ends but now they are manageable, and not frizzy, and I still have that awesome volume at the roots.

My every day I need it Nourishing Rinse

Add herbs to a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them.

Let sit over night.

So how do you use it?

It really depends on how much benefit you want.

1. You can just pour it through your hair in the shower and let it sit while you soap up, shave and do whatever you need to do. Then rinse out at the end. This doesn’t really let it sit in your hair though so it won’t provide the most benefit.

2. Or you can bring a bowl with you, sit it in the bath tub, pour your concoction in and then sit your whole head in it until you get dizzy :) Ok, not dizzy but for 5 or 10 minutes. This lets it really sink into your hair.

I poured about a cup into the bowl and filled the rest with warm water. Then let my hair soak in it for several minutes. I knotted it on top of my head and had my shower, then rinsed it out at the very end and let it air dry. My hair felt amazing afterwards. No dry frizzy ends like before.

I’m still fighting frizz with the hair. Hopefully the honey will help tame it. My scalp still feels amazing though. I also got a Denman boar bristle brush to help properly brush my hair. Maybe that will help.

I’m loving the whiter teeth with the toothpaste so I’ll put up with the saltiness.

As for the deodorant, so far it has worked. I have no idea how I’ll fair come summer though. We shall see.

“Make Do and Mend”
Screen printed limited edition by Clare Owen

“Mending Dress” 1904
at Old Picture of the Day

“Mending”
at Dove Grey Reader

“Girl Mending” by Edmund Tarbell circa 1910
courtesy of The Athenaeum

“Mending” by Daniel Garber
courtesy of The American Gallery

“Woman Mending Clothing While Sitting in a Chair”
courtesy of Clip Art Etc

“Love is the Thread”
courtesy of NotOnTheHighStreet.com

]]> http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/05/10/mending-by-the-artist-to-inspire/feed/ 0 dyefeltsool "Make Do and Mend" Mending Dress Mending "Girl Mending" "Mending" Woman Mending Clothing While Sitting in a Chair "Love is the Thread" http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/05/06/more-mending/ http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/05/06/more-mending/#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 10:30:39 +0000 dyefeltsool http://dyefeltsool.com/?p=1276 ]]> A follow up to my previous mending post,

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French Mending from Mrs Easton

Make Do and Mend from Coletterie

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Mending Holes

Simple Fixes and Mending Techniques from Threads Magazine

]]> http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/05/06/more-mending/feed/ 0 dyefeltsool mending8 mending9 French Mending Make Do and Mend mending6 Mending holes Simple Fixes and Mending Techniques http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/04/26/mending-a-forgotten-art/ http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/04/26/mending-a-forgotten-art/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:30:10 +0000 dyefeltsool http://dyefeltsool.com/?p=1259 ]]> Found some lovely instances of mending – an absolute necessity for the slow wardrobe.

Enjoy :)

by Corinne on exhibition in Mending My Ways

Wolplamuur by Heleen Klopper

Kapital by The Bandanna Almanac

Worth fighting for. Mending is for things worth fighting for, don’t give up without a struggle.

How to Mend Knits at Martha Stewart

Kleidersachen on Tumblr

Daniel Jasiak on Tumblr

mending, again. by Shibori Girl

The fabric is a gauzy cotton and so, with boro in mind, I ripped it up to mend it. Here are some pieces.

Stitching to mend the holes

Stitched pieces

Mending on the inside of the jacket sleeve

Pattern for Kimono style jacket made out of cotton with boro mending

stitching up close

]]> http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/04/19/a-little-bit-of-my-own-boro/feed/ 0 dyefeltsool Stitching with scraps of silk from a cheongsam redo Boro mending on cotton Boro mending on cotton kimono jacket piece Square placed to be hand sewn onto sleeve for boro kimono jacket Boro Kimono Jacket pattern and sleeve with stitching odds and ends 004 http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/04/15/slow-wardrobe-inspiration-boro/ http://dyefeltsool.com/2013/04/15/slow-wardrobe-inspiration-boro/#comments Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:30:36 +0000 dyefeltsool http://dyefeltsool.com/?p=1216 ]]> A little slow wardrobe inspiration.

Silk and cotton han juban with some hemp thread stitching from Sri Threads, New York

 When most people see a rip or hole in their clothing they immediately discard it, viewing the item as no longer fit to wear.

Hand Stitched Sashiko Farmer’s Boro Jacket, handspun and hand-loomed cotton fabrics, early 1900s
From Kimonoboy.com

For the peasants in Japan a couple hundred years ago this was not an option. Clothing was simply too valuable to discard because of a hole.

Rag sellers would travel through rural Japan selling bits and scraps of cotton. The women of farming and fishing families would purchase these scraps and use them to mend their homespun items.

Patch over patch, stitch over stitch, generation passing on to generation.

A sleeping kimono intended for warmth – often lined and stuffed with okuso, the leftovers from the hemp yarn making process. Used like a duvet.
From Sri Threads, New York

Boro comes from the “mottainai” sensibility, or the idea that the object is too good to waste.

Boro Shimacho - Strips of cloth stitched into an old ledger for boro inspiration.
From Sri Threads

How long will your clothing last?

Antique kimono, boro mending with sashiko stitch

For more information and examples of Boro

http://threads.srithreads.com/?s=history+of+boro

http://www.kimonoboy.com/short_history.html

Work room full of items without completion.

Sitting here staring at them doesn’t make them move along.

So many grey days in a row.

Someone said it’s spring.

I have a 12 foot snow pile in my front yard and my garden’s under 4 feet.

I don’t believe them.

Must stop looking and start working. 

Sorry, these pictures were taken at night so they are not the greatest. 

And for any of you that were interested in the Shampoo Free post – I’m still at it.

It’s been about a month now and my scalp feels fantastic. I had to fiddle with it to make it work for my hair. Some suggestions really didn’t work at all. I also had to do some more research because I found my ends really dry and I would get weird buildup at my neckline.

For my hair, all I need is a bottle of

1 tbsp of baking soda {otherwise it’s too drying}

to

2 cups water

I add a couple drops of Peppermint,

Lavender

and Rosemary essential oils.

I pour that onto my scalp and really massage it in.

Let it sit a couple minutes, then rinse.

After that I have, premixed in a bottle,

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

to

2 cups water

with the same essential oils

I pour that through the entirety of my hair and then wash it out immediately, or, I find it weighs my hair down too much.

I was using the baking soda once or twice a week but I got a weird build up at the base of my head around my neckline. My hair felt kind of sticky or waxy. I think this is because the baking soda, for whatever reason, was just staying there once I poured it through at my scalp, even though I really rinsed my hair.

Too much baking soda = not cool!

So I’ve started using herbal rinses more often then the baking soda.

My hair was super dry before at the ends but now they are manageable, and not frizzy, and I still have that awesome volume at the roots.

My every day I need it Nourishing Rinse

What?	Why?
1 small aloe leaf peeled	Makes your scalp feel amazing and can help with itchiness and flaking Makes your hair beautifully shiny, strong and just plain awesome Helps new hair grow Balances hair’s ph levels Great conditioner
1 tsp basil	Stimulates follicles Promotes growth Nourishes and adds luster
1 tsp ground flax seeds	Great conditioner because of the mucilage May help prevent hair loss
1 tsp ginger	Increases scalp circulation Great for thinning hair
1 tsp parsley	Super rich in vitamins Makes your hair look and feel awesome
1 tsp rosemary	Great for your scalp and thinning hair
1 tsp thyme	Ditto above

Add herbs to a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them.

Let sit over night.

So how do you use it?

It really depends on how much benefit you want.

1. You can just pour it through your hair in the shower and let it sit while you soap up, shave and do whatever you need to do. Then rinse out at the end. This doesn’t really let it sit in your hair though so it won’t provide the most benefit.

2. Or you can bring a bowl with you, sit it in the bath tub, pour your concoction in and then sit your whole head in it until you get dizzy :) Ok, not dizzy but for 5 or 10 minutes. This lets it really sink into your hair.

I poured about a cup into the bowl and filled the rest with warm water. Then let my hair soak in it for several minutes. I knotted it on top of my head and had my shower, then rinsed it out at the very end and let it air dry. My hair felt amazing afterwards. No dry frizzy ends like before.

So now I’m thinking I’ll baking soda wash every so often but anytime I need a shower I’ll use the rinse instead. Hopefully then no build up or over-dying of my hair. I also found this site, Minimalist Beauty, where she suggests using green or black tea for a cleansing rinse. Haven’t tried it yet but it looks interesting. 

Have you tried anything like this with your hair? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you and what hasn’t?

Echoed Motif by Mobilelectro

Mind-numbingly difficult, but so very beautiful.

Or this frescoe could be lovely repeated…