Homemade Mascara!?

A friend of mine said, "I haven't ever even THOUGHT of making mascara myself." Well, I had - for the last two years - in which I kept wanting to but never getting around to it. I just wanted to try it - why not? And the bonus? This mascara has two of my most favorite ingredients in the world in it: cocoa powder and Lavender Oil!

I first got all of my ingredients together:
Cocoa Powder
Aloe Vera Gel
Vegetable Glycerin
Bentonite Clay Powder
Lavender Oil

It took a little trial and error, but I came up with these amounts:
1/4 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp bentonite clay powder
8 drops glycerin
1/2-2/3 tsp aloe vera gel (The mixture seemed a little thick, so this is where I added extra to get the consistency I like.)
3 drops Youngliving lavender essential oil

After mixing everything together, the hardest part was getting it into my cleaned out mascara tube. I took a popsicle stick, swiped some in, and then tapped it on the counter until that portion went down into the tube. Kind of repetitive. This took longer than anything.

(My two girls loved helping me make this.)

Results:
All in all, I really like this mascara. Every morning I get a kick out of the fact that I'm putting cocoa powder on my eyelashes and I think the lavender smells dreamy.

It's really not as dark as I would like. Next time I will replace some of the cocoa with activated charcoal.

It did have a front end investment - I mean, seriously, how long is that tube of aloe vera gel going to last at 1/2 tsp per batch? I'll be making my own mascara well into my 80s!

I think it stays on just as well as any store bought mascara! Yah!

Wouldn't YOU like to wear cocoa powder on YOUR eyelashes?

Simplifying. Ish.

My journey to a simpler life.

Here are some of the things I've tried and/or am doing to simplify my life. Only, they don't really make life more 'simple' (I think to myself as I walk out to investigate why the chickens are squawking up a storm at 5:30 am). But, I do think that doing many of these things give me a lot of satisfaction. They seem to slow down life a little bit... I think about Life when I hang my clothes to dry and get to enjoy the sun on my face whilst doing it. I contemplate Chemistry, Herbalism, and Making Something Myself as I mix the lye, fat, herbs and water (to make soap). I know what's in the foods I give my kiddos when I make them myself (and don't have to wonder if I missed some ingredient that they are allergic to.) All in all, I'm realizing more and more that I like my life...even if some people think it's crazy.

Homemade Bread
Gluten Free baking/cooking
Solar Drying Clothes (do you have a solar dryer?!)
Solar Tea
Natural Childbirth
Cloth Diapers
Breastfeeding
Homemade Baby Food
Homemade Bar Soap
Collect and use Rain Water and Grey Water in the garden
Gardening & Edible Landscaping
More Organic Foods
Community Supported Agriculture
Vermicomposting
Composting
Canning & Drying Foods
Making Water Kefir
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Herbal Treatments for colds, ear infections, sinus infection, etc.
Chickens for Eggs
Homeschooling
Meal Swapping
Sprouting
Homemade Yogurt

Minty Tooth Powder

So I've been using a fluoride-free toothpaste for a while now. But I didn't really know why. I did find some some interesting reasons here (about flouride) and here (about sodium lauryl sulfate). I got to thinking, if the paste I've been buying doesn't have any crud in it, what DOES it have in it? Turns out, not much. Therefore, I decided to make some tooth powder myself. Why pay some company to package baking soda and flavoring in a non-recyclable tube?

Actually, it doesn't taste bad at all. And somehow I like the salt in it. Now, if I can get the rest of the family to use it...

Tooth Powder Recipe

2 Tbsp baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
5 drops peppermint oil (I used more like 8 drops)

Here's what I like about this new quotidian ritual: The little spoon I use to pour a bit of powder on my toothbrush each morning. It's sweet.

I'm thinking about flavoring the next batch with a little fennel oil, too. Yum!

CLUB SODA!

Did you know that Club Soda is a great glass cleaner? And if you put it into a little kid sized squirt bottle and say, "Hey Bubby, do you want to clean?" you might get some help with the sliding glass door?! And it's completely safe!