Using sound judgment to be more self-reliant.
TICKS – Everything you will read about avoiding or repelling ticks will have the word DEET in it. From the CDC to the EPA, they all recommend using DEET to protect yourself and those you love from blood-sucking ticks. Instead, I'd like to discuss Natural Tick Repellents, tick control, and tips to avoid getting bit. We also include recipes for tick repellent for humans and dogs made with essential oils, and how to remove a tick safely. [Read more…]
I've put together a list of 12 home remedies for earaches, which are commonly paired with congestion, coughs and sore throats. Use these earache remedies to help provide earache relief for children and adults. We also have tips at the end of the post for avoiding ear infections in the future. [Read more…]
This is a guest post by Amber Bradshaw of The Coastal Homestead discussing two of the hottest trends in alternative medicine – herbs and essential oils.
The use of herbs and herbal oils have both been documented for thousands of years, from hieroglyphics to teachings in the bible. (Editor's Note: Ancient texts more commonly reference infused herbal oils or pressed oils rather than distilled or essential oils.) Herbs and essential oils have been used in medicine, food preparation, preservation, healing, and rituals. [Read more…]
This installment of cold and flu fighters will show you how to knock out cold and flu germs with essential oils. We'll also talk about essential oil safety, since anything strong enough to kill microbes should always be used with care and respect.
Essential oils are concentrated extracts that have been distilled from aromatic trees, herbs, and grasses. They are located in leaves, stems, fruits, roots, flowers, and bark of different plants. The essential oils are responsible for the plant's unique aroma. [Read more…]
This is a guest post by Christy Fechser.
Is the cleaner you’re using to spray your counters, your fridge, your stove, or even your baby's high chair safe to use?
Several years ago I was cleaning my kitchen and happened to glance at the label of a cleaner that I used for everything. It said “Do not use on kitchen surfaces.”
I was horrified! I can’t use it on my kitchen surfaces?? I had used that particular cleaner to clean EVERYTHING, as did my Mom when I was growing up. It dawned on me in that moment that just because they kill germs it does not make them safe (which I probably should have realized sooner).
You cook on those surfaces and your kids drop food on those surfaces and then eat that food. Topical exposure isn’t the only worry though. When you spray a surface you are dispersing those chemicals into the air for everyone to inhale. They can do a lot of damage to our lungs and other organs.
Often times we think that we are using household cleaners to “clean” but take no mind of what they are leaving behind. I’m not sure which is more dangerous, the germs on the counter or the chemicals that killed the germs. Of course, we want the surfaces in our home to be clean but we want them to be clean of chemicals as well. So what do we do?
We can make our own cleaners that are very effective at killing germs while not causing harm to our family members.
I have an easy to make and easy to use list of DIY natural cleaners that smell good and work great!
