Homemade Bug Bite Soother

Even though summer is almost over, we are still going to have mosquitoes around for a while in the Midwest. We are on the brink of prime bonfire weather, and I always find I get the most bits while sitting around a fire with my friends.

Roll-On Bug Bite Soother

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops thyme essential oil

10 drops tea tree essential oil

10 drops eucalyptus essential oil

10 drops peppermint essential oil

10 drops chamomile essential oil

10 drops basil essential oil

1 1/2 tsp fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier)

First add your essential oils to a 10 ml roller ball bottle. It should be about 1/4 full. Top off your bottle with the fractionated coconut oil. This will be about 1 1/2 tsp. Shake well to mix and keep on hand for immediate relief!

This is a fairly strong dilution, and those of you familiar with essential oils will be aware that normally recommended dilutions range from 0.25%-3%. However, it is typically considered acceptable to use neat oils in a few instances, bug bites & stings being some of those. I've also personally found that I rarely need to reapply this soother at the 25% dilution (accepting for washing, etc). If you are wanting a more diluted blend, here are some general guidelines:

**Please note, this table shows the total amount of essential oils to use per 10 ml roller ball bottle.**

DIY Dry Shampoo

I've been playing with color in my hair, and I'm talking stuff like blue/green/purple. I get the irony of using this kind of hair dye vs my other decisions to go more natural, but there you have it. In an effort to preserve the color I have been on a hunt to find the best solution. (You can read my previous post here where I discuss it.) Anyway, I've found straight up corn starch to be very good, but there was some room for improvement as I have very thick, oily hair (even after getting myself down to washing my hair 2x per week, it was starting to feel a little gross by day 3).

So this recipe is based off my personal experience and catered to my hair. Naturally, I have a rather light brown hair color, so that was my goal. This dry shampoo does still start a bit light, but I find it fades in very quickly and does not leave that greying hair look like straight up cornstarch. This also fades in very well with my current blue & purple hair.

DIY Dry Shampoo (Light Brown Hair)

2/3 c cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
1/3 c nutmeg, finely ground

20-45 drops essential oils (optional)

Feel free to substitute the nutmeg as you see fit, based on your hair color. Cinnamon  and cocoa are good for darker hair colors, and red clay is good for redheads. You can also play with the ratio of cornstarch to color as well, for example blondes may benefit from all cornstarch.

Mix all your ingredients together. If using essential oils, you will want to mix everything in a large bowl with a whisk, making sure the oils get distributed and don't clump up (as they are going to want to do, since the cornstarch's purpose is to absorb). I usually add 15 drops each lemongrass, rosemary and lavender. Most recipes suggest about 5 drops essential oil per 1/4 cup, which is about half of what I do. I really enjoy the scent though and added more to make that stronger. I also personally feel the extra oils add some benefit, as after doubling them I notice my hair felt so much cleaner! Store in an airtight container.

To use, either sprinkle (using an old salt shaker or similar), or dust (using an old makeup brush), the powder onto your hair. Focus on your roots, although if you notice the length of your hair is starting to feel oily, feel free to apply there as well. You will benefit from a light hand, as I found when starting on dry shampoo that my hair would feel dirty later on in the day due to excess build-up of product (plus too much, and you can't brush it all out so it starts to look like you have dandruff). I usually work the dry shampoo into my scalp a little bit and let it sit a few minutes before brushing it through my hair. This also works really well if you apply before bed--you will wake up with fresh & clean feeling hair. Afterwards style as usual.

A little bit about the essential oils that I chose:

Lemongrass is an effective cleaner and deodorizer. Rosemary is said to be good for people with oily hair as it helps control sebum production. Lavender is good for people with mixed skin types and moisturizes dry skin. All 3 are known to sooth irritated/itchy scalps which will reduce dandruff. They are also said to have properties that will promote hair health & growth.

DIY Disinfectant Wipes

As part of my move to green living, I am trying to get away from disposable items. For example, we have a basket of rags and washcloths that we use instead of napkins and paper towels. However, sometimes you just need something with a little more cleaning power. Instead of picking up those Clorox or Lysol wipes, I decided to take a stab at making my own. These work great, and once you use up the container, wash the rags and make a new solution!

DIY Disinfectant Wipes

6 flour sack towels, cut down into quarters
4 c distilled water
1 c vinegar
1 c alcohol
20 drops essential oils (optional)

If you do not have distilled water on hand, just boil 4 cups and allow it to cool. The essential oils are not required, but they will improve the disinfecting power of your solution. My default is 5 drops each of lemon, peppermint, tea tree, and rosemary. All 4 of these have antibacterial properties, but you could use any oils of your choice that have disinfecting properties, or that you enjoy the scent of.

Stuff your 24 cloth pieces into an air tight jar. Combine all your liquid ingredients, and pour over the towels. Allow the solution to soak into the towels. Keep your container well-sealed to keep the cloths damp in between uses.

For a neat dispensing feature similar to the commercial wipes or tissues, lay out your cloths in a line with the ends slightly overlapping. Make sure you overlap the same way with each piece (for example, always set the next piece to the left and on top). You will now have a makeshift strip that you should fold in half lengthwise. Stuff this strip into your container, starting with the sole cloth that was not tucked into another (for example, the right most piece). Now when you pull out your cloths, the next one will be tucked inside and pop up for easy grabbing next time.

Grab a towel as needed to wipe down counter tops and more. Do note, you need to leave the surface wet for at least 10 minutes in order for the solution to truly disinfect. After 10 minutes you can air dry or wipe up (for a streak-free finish).

I keep my wipes on the counter next to my sink, along with my basket of dry rags/napkins and homemade dishwasher detergent. What I love about all of this, is that I can just toss everything into a hamper and wash it all once full. I keep a hamper under my counter for used wipes, rags/napkins, and towels. It's convenient for everyone, saves some money, and is generally more eco-friendly (minus the laundry, but I can get by with washing all of this every 2-4 weeks, depending on how active we've been--we are only 3 adults though, so if you have little ones, you can probably expect to do the wash more frequently).