DIY Hand Soap

With Essential Oils

When looking for a clean soap at the store, it's difficult to find one without unpronounceable chemicals or estrogen disruptors (no thanks!), or dyes, etc.  When I first cleansed my home environment of all the harsh chemicals, perfumes, dyes, and anything I couldn't pronounce because it was causing me to have hives and a host of other health issues, I had to look for alternatives for my personal care.  I found that making hand soap is super easy, and most of us already have the ingredients in our home (go us!).

Ingredients

• An old hand foam dispenser bottle (the hand foam one helps mesh the oil and water better, leaving us with that lovely sudsy feel/look that we all love rather than than just a regular pump bottle.  If you only have a pump bottle, then it will work, you just have to shake it up before each use).

• 1 tsp C Baking Soda

• 1/4 C Oil (Almond, Jojoba, Coconut, Avocado or Olive Oil are my personal favs.  I'd avoid canola oil as it's most like rancid or heated too high and changed the nature of the oil).

• 1/2-1tsp Vitamin C (Citric Acid) - This is optional.  The Vitamin C helps to preserve the oils/soap.  I find that one foaming bottle can last for about 3-4 weeks.  

• 25-30 Drops Essential Oils - I just made a batch using Wild Orange (10 drops), Lavender (10 drops), and Geranium (5-10 drops).  It smells wonderful!  The Lavender and Geranium (besides being gang-busting antibacterial oils, they are also wonderful for the skin.  They can clear up rashes, help with burns, soothe the skin, and promote healthy skin.  It's a win win!).  The Wild Orange falls in the citrus family and is known to help disinfect, cleanse, and leave your skin and body with a fresh smell, as well as promoting a healthy immune system.  (Gotta love that!).  People ask me all the time which oils I use, and personally, I use the doTerra brand of oils.  I'm not a big fan of network marketing, but I've experimented with many brands, and have found that doTerra is the one that works with my body and skin.  I have a super sensitive body, and all the other oils I've tried have left me with massive headaches and/or hives.  I also love doTerra's co-Impact sourcing (helping the suppliers with fair pricing and the ability to help their culture and area really thrive), as well as their research, service to third world countries, and how they've taken the knowledge of essential oils to the world.  I have many massage therapy colleagues that love the Butterfly, Native American, or other brands and have great success with them as well.  Our chemistry is all unique, so find what works for you.  (I'd avoid the oils sold at the health food stores, as they often have a lot of fillers that are rancid, or made using harsh solvents/chemicals.  I'd also avoid purchasing oils off of Amazon as the bottles can be tampered with easily, leaving you with who knows what inside the bottle).      

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients together and then fill the rest of the bottle with filtered or distilled water.  Pump away!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, GAPS-Friendly, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, 

SCD-Friendly, Soy-Free, Sugar-Free 

One of my favorite meals growing up was my Mom's Hawaiian Haystacks, but it was made with cream of chicken (lots of dairy) and rice, so I wanted to make a more gut-friendly version.  I did make quinoa, so if you're strictly paleo, then you could use cauliflower rice or zoodles, or some other squash/veggie base.  The great thing about this meal is you can pull out all your leftovers in the fridge, or any produce that needs to be used up.  What makes this an amazing tasting meal is it's balance of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, and pure deliciousness.  Traditionally, my mom would add in tomatoes and colored peppers, but since they flare up my autoimmune issues, I didn't add them here.

Instructions

For the Gravy/Sauce:

1 medium Onion (diced)

* 1/2 package Mushrooms

1 TBS Grass-fed butter or Oil (coconut, olive,

           or avocado oil)

Saute onions and garlic in butter/oil for 5 min. and Add:

1 can full fat coconut oil (or almond or other nut/seed milk)

1 C Chicken or Bone Broth

1-2 TBS tapioca starch (can use 1 TBS guar gum, 2-4 tsp xanthum gum, arrowroot powder, or almond flour to help thicken)
Season with Salt and Pepper and other favorite herbs and spices (I added about 2 tsp Herbs De Provence as well)

To serve, add the gravy on top of gluten-free grains or paleo zoodles, cauliflower rice, or sweet potato and dice up and top with any of the following mix-ins (feel free to get creative):

Green Onions (chopped)

Olives

Carrots

Celery

Cilantro (or Parsley, Dill, or other fresh herb)

Chives 

Coconut flakes

Dried Fruit (raisins, figs, apricots, cranberries, 

                                                                                    blueberries, etc.) 

                                                                                    * Tomatoes

                                                                                    * Peppers 

                                                                                    Apples 

 * If you're struggling with an autoimmune issue or gout, you can leave out the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, and even leave out the mushrooms) to help alleviate symptoms.  

DIY Yoga Mat Spray

Whether your into Yoga, Pilates, Stretching, or some other exercise, I'm sure you've experienced grabbing the mat and having your nose overwhelmed by dried sweat and bacteria (sexy, don't you think?).  Just how you want to start your workout!

While I don't consider myself a huge germaphobe, I do like to know that things I use are relatively clean. This spray is something I use on my yoga mats, exercise equipment, (and I even use it on the mats at the gym).  The natural antibacterial properties of the oils leave the mats germ-free without destroying my natural healthy bacteria.  Plus, it leaves everything smelling so good while I hit the mat!

Ingredients

1 C Distilled Water (or Clean Filtered Water)
1/4 C Vinegar
15 Drops Melaleuca (Tea Tree) Essential Oil
10 Drops Lavendar and/or Lemon (or any Citrus) E.O.

Pour into a spray bottle and spray away the germs (and smell!)