OT - Cleaning the Natural Way - You, Your Mask, Your Home

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:06 am

I have a persistent dry patch right between my eyes. I always put a drop of OCM oil there after getting out of the shower. I like to dot any acne patches with a drop, too. Small drop. Sometimes I rub between my hands, and then lightly go over my entire face.

As for hair - I've been using the conditioner like a shampoo - I scrub my scalp vigorously with it, then let it soak in while I wash everything else. I'm doing the cold rinse for hair and face, too. I really can't see me doing this in the winter, though. Even with the bathroom heater on! Now I know why people buy towel warmers!

Gasp, I like the Aubrey line too. I used to use them alot. Thanks for reminding me about them! After reading the post about Mountain Sage, now I'm thinking about making my own lip balm and maybe body lotion. Was it Rosemary who is making her own body lotion, or was that Christine or? I'm wondering WHY I need preservatives and where I might get non-paraben preservatives? Mountain Sage is selling a paraben-based preservative.

Cheers,
B.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 12:36 pm

A lot of people use grapefruit seed extract for their preservative. If you have cable, you might look for a show on the hgtv channel. I'll have to think long and hard about it. I'll come back later. There was an episode of this show where they made soap and lip balm--looked like FUN! I had it on the dvr for a long time and re-watched it several times.

try http://www.hgtv.com and search for soap making or lip balm, I'll bet it will come up along with a show schedule. The show is called creative something or other, not sure. Ugh. I hate it when my brain seized up like that!

Jen

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 1:55 pm

Just got my Curly Girl book! Jen, you need this!

http://www.amazon.com/Curly-Girl-Lorrai ... 0761123008

LOL,
B.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 4:58 pm

OK, it is actually on the diy channel and is a show called B Original.

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/shows_dbo ... 44,00.html

Check the airdate, it is coming on again at the end of the month. It was a very interesting episode on making soap and lip balm. Made it look easy-peasy!

Jen

Gotta check and see if library has curly girl book.

Jen

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:27 pm

Local library has book. Placed hold. Jen

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:31 pm

Coolie!

That Mountain Sage site had easy peasy directions for lip balm, plus the handy dandy filling tool.

I can't decide if I want to do it, now that I've found TJ's lip balm 3 for $2.99.

BTW, bought the cool new TJ's re-usable bag. The very colorful one. Mass cool. Carrying it to work. Am the envy of all.

Dang! No cool pic to show you!

LOL,
B.

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:29 pm

I didnt even wash my face last night. (if I really want to call smearing on oil "washing" lol)

I was so tired all I did was pull off my pants and go to bed.

Will add a bit more grapeseed and maybe a bit of EVOO to my mix. I think that the level of CO was good....until my skin started to even out, now it is a bit much. So I will dilute and see if it helps. I am washing all of my washcloths tonight. They needed it. I am sure my laundry will smell like my OCM mix. lol

I am really tired again today. But I have exciting news!

A friend of mine has a niece that works in my office. She has been telling her about my apnea since I found out about it and telling her how well I am doing on CPAP. The girl has had her CPAP sitting unused in her closet for about a year. She is still exhasted and has no energy. Seeing me doing so well and hearing my friend talk about it has inspired her to give it another try. She pulled out the machine last night...but it wasnt working. She called the DME and she is taking it in tommorow morning. So I might have just helped save her life. We dont really talk. But today she came and asked me about my machine and how I was doing. She was saying she couldnt do what I do at work because she is so tired. I almost cried. I told her that 3 months ago I was calling in 2 days a week and could barely lift myself out of my chair for my mid day soda run. So she has finally met someone who stuck with it, and seen the progress.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:11 pm

Awesome, jennmary! Isn't it funny how we become cpap advocates or evangelists or something! I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there--it can't be easy at your age. You go girl!

Jen

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:15 pm

Thanks Jen. I have been pretty open about my dx from the begining. Mostly because I would rather people know that I have SA than think I am just lazy.

So I am pretty happy that the girl is going to try CPAP again. She is only like 22....and I remember what that was like.

Now I am thinking about making lip balm. I am a lip balm addict. I actually always have really dry lips. They peel and crack and it is very ugly. So I use lip balm 24 hours a day to keep it looking and feeling normal. But I hate to think of what is in most balms. You are eating small amounts of it everytime you take a bit of something, and I use it at night with my mask. So maybe a lip balm making day is in order. We should all combine our websites and start selling all this stuff.

socknitster · Post by **socknitster** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:22 pm

I used to use lipbalm that way, then I realized that all the dry, cracking, peeling was because I was either sensitive or allergic to something in the lip balm. Now i have to be very careful what brand I use or it happens again. I have even had it happen with lip balms from health food store. Currently the only lip balm I will buy is chapstick "natural." It comes in an ivory colored tube and is available at all the major box stores.

Within a week or two of using a "good" lib balm the ick factor went away. I can trigger it again by using the wrong lipstick or balm so I stay product loyal. I tried for a while to figure out what ingredient it was that was bothering me, but then once I found one that worked for me and I got normal, smooth lips I stopped caring.

Jen

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:54 pm

Just read up on soap and lipbalm making. As well as the sugar scrub. I am really seriously thinking about selling some of this stuff. People have made money on some pretty stupid things....I dont see why someone couldnt make some cash on something like this. I am sure there are a lot of people out there looking for natural products.

RosemaryB · Post by **RosemaryB** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:16 pm

socknitster wrote:I used to use lipbalm that way, then I realized that all the dry, cracking, peeling was because I was either sensitive or allergic to something in the lip balm. Now i have to be very careful what brand I use or it happens again. I have even had it happen with lip balms from health food store. Currently the only lip balm I will buy is chapstick "natural." It comes in an ivory colored tube and is available at all the major box stores.

Within a week or two of using a "good" lib balm the ick factor went away. I can trigger it again by using the wrong lipstick or balm so I stay product loyal. I tried for a while to figure out what ingredient it was that was bothering me, but then once I found one that worked for me and I got normal, smooth lips I stopped caring.

Jen

Me, too. My lips are very sensitive to whatever they put in that stuff and if I wear lipstick, even ones like Clinique, I get this ick factor even worse. My shea butter mixed with coconut oil (food grade), plus glycerin, and some other oil like jojoba or avocado is my lip balm, and I don't react to it. I'm sorry, but I never measure, just start with mostly shea butter, then mix in the coconut oil (may need to heat it very slightly first to make it liquid, like run it under warm water (in the jar, of course). The I put in the food grade glycerin (which helps it absorb). Then I add the lighter oil, not very much (cause it's expensive stuff). If it's winter I heat the shea butter by running under warm water, too. It might be nicer if I heated it on the stove, but too much work.

It's pretty thick so I use it for lip balm, hand and body cream. That's my recipe for everything. The unrefined shea butter (purchased in bulk online for about $10 for one pound) really helps my dry skin. It's kind of heavy, but it's the only thing that seems to heal my skin in winter.

I've tried the OCM for 3 nights in a row. I have a little spot of rosacea, so I can't tell if it's going to get worse or not. I also put it on my legs which are flakey dry so see if they'd improve. They seem to have gotten worse, but maybe it's just better before worse. I may try my shea butter for a while and see how they do compared to the OCM. I don't normally wash my legs with anything but water.

I have a slight suspicion that I might be allergic to the castor oil. Is it really necessary for the ocm, or could you just use EVOO mixed with another oil? (I'm allergic to a lot of stuff and my skin got red and blotchy when I used it). I'm going to look online to read about allergies to castor oil and see what I think. It was cold pressed from the health food store.

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 9:29 pm

If your skin is already dry...I dont think you need the castor oil. Since my skin has started to even out and be less oily I am now going to have to cut out most of my castor oil....leaving my skin too dry.

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:30 pm

I think the castor oil is aimed at the acne/oily skin crowd. If it's not for you, drop it out of your mix, or dilute it heavily.

I was told the reason I was addicted to lip balm was the glycerine in the lip balm. That once you start using it, you have to keep using it, or your skin dries out and cracks. I took up with Mentholatum Lip Balm in the 1980's, and have used it ever since. I really love that menthol taste/smell... It's a smoker thing, I think... I don't smoke anymore, but I do love that menthol!

I've been using the TJ's and nothing else since Sunday, and my lips are nice and soft. I suppose vegetable glycerine is just as addictive as dead dino glycerine...

Read Curly Girl all the way through, ate dinner, and ran to the health food store. Bought all sorts of fun goo!!! Most of it not for hair stuff. Just fun stuff. Rosemary Oil. Aloe Vera Gel. Some cool Patchouli and Lime body lotion (Sundog, and affiliate of Dr. Bronner's)... Now that I've found out how fun that Super Supplements is a few blocks from my house, it's getting to be an expensive hobby...

BTW, has ANYONE heard from ChristineQuilts? I'm getting worried. I hate it when people just drop out of sight. Makes me think they died, when really, they just went on vacation or their computer crapped out or something stupid. CHRISTINE! COME BACK! I MISS YOU!!!!

Finally got my shipment of grated Fels Naptha. Made up a huge batch of laundry soap. It takes too long to get grated soap through the mail. I think I'll whimper to friends or family to let me try grating soap on their food processor. Jen, did you find all your ingredients yet? I got very lucky at the QFC the other day. I also bought the Soilove laundry stain stuff that's supposed to be so great.

Oh, and after the health food store, I went to the Rite Aid and stocked up on SPARKLY NAIL POLISH, to go with the Patchouli stink I'm slathering all over myself...

I feel like getting a tattoo, suddenly... Or having something inappropriate pierced...

LOL,
B.

jennmary · Post by **jennmary** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 11:15 pm

lol.....My best friend has recently started calling me a hippy. She finds it funny that I do my skin care shopping at TJs or Whole foods.

I am now watching lip balm tubes and other random stuff on ebay. I sense another small business failure on my horizon. I figure this time next month I will have 100 tubes of lip balm sitting in my house....and feel like a complete ass. lol

I am going shopping next friday for some more fun stuff. I am so glad you got to have a shopping spree babette. Someone on ebay is selling a gallon of jojoba oil...50 bucks.