Home Remedies for Allergies

As we all know, Spring brings out some of the worst allergy symptoms. Instead of running to your local store, try some of these home remedies. CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE!

Photo credit: foshydog / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

For Puffy Eyes;

• Peel thin potato slices and sit them on your eyes  for 10-15 minutes.
• Refrigerate your used tea bags. When your eyes get puffy, take them from the fridge and lay them on your eyes for 10-15 minutes.
• If you’re out and don’t have anything to help cure your puffy eyes, rinse your face with cold water.
• Getting enough sleep will help prevent your puffy eyes. Try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night.
• Sleep with your head elevated.
• Reducing your salt intake will help prevent puffy eyes.
• Eating more bananas and raisins will help prevent puffy eyes. They alleviate fluid retention.
• By consuming cabbage and cranberry juice, your body will “evacuate” excess fluids.
• Keep a couple spoons in your fridge at all times. When your eyes get puffy, grab the spoons, lay down, and place curve side down onto your eyes.
• Peel thin cucumber slices and sit them on your eyes for 10-15 minutes.
• Drink a lot of water throughout the day.
• Mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with warm water. Dab cotton ball into the mixture and dab onto eyes for 10-15 minutes.

For Hives;

• Apply ice to your hives. This will cause them to shrink and reduce the itching.
• Avoid heat.
• Take an Oatmeal Bath.
• Dab Pepto Bismol onto your hives.
• Put a few drops of water into a small dish of baking soda. Mix until it becomes paste-like. Apply to hives. This will help relieve the irritation and itch.
• Put 1 teaspoon of (any kind) vinegar in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Apply onto hives. This will help relieve the itch.
• Mix 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon fresh ginger in 3/4 cup vinegar. Bring these ingredients to a boil and use this mixture (after cooled) and apply several times a day onto hives.
• Take fish oil capsules (1,000 milligrams) 3 times daily.

For Nasal Congestion;

• Pour a little bit of Sesame Oil into your palm and add some black pepper. Mix it with your fingertip and dab right under your nostrils. This will help clear your sinuses. 
• Take a hot shower.
• Take 1 teaspoon of salt and mix into 2 cups of warm water. Pour solution into your nostril by leaning your head back. Repeat in other nostril. (Or use a Neti Pot)
• Get washcloth wet with hot/warm water. Place over face and let it sit for 10-15 minutes.
• Eat a lot of spicy foods.
• Eat a few pieces of raw onions.
• Take a slice of raw onion and place under nose and take a few deep breath in through your nose.
• Boil some water and place in a bowl. Add a few drops of peppermint oil and allow face to come close and inhale the steam from the bowl.
• Drink hot tomato juice 2-3 times a day. (Make at home by boiling 1 can of tomato juice, 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of hot sauce, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, a pinch of celery salt.)
• Drink warm Mint Herbal Tea.
• Take a few drops of Eucalyptus Oil and place into cloth. Inhale the perfume regularly.

*THIS ARTICLE IS NOT INTENDED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS; CALL YOUR PHYSICIAN.

Do you have any home remedies for allergies?

If so, leave them in the comments below!

Update: Currently you can win a FREE Neti Pot by liking them on Facebook HERE and taking a short quiz over the information. You’ll get a confirmation email and your FREE Neti Pot will be delivered within 30 days!

Homemade Shampoo!

There are so many articles online that give you recipes for making your own shampoo and conditioner. I’ve tried a few different ways and thought I’d share the ones I like the most!

First, there is a thing called the “No-Poo Method” which is basically “No shamPOO.” Several people have tried this and swear by it. You still “wash” your hair, you just don’t use store bought shampoo.

The ingredients for the “No-Poo Method” shampoo are:

• Baking soda mixed with water as your shampoo.
• Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with water as your conditioner.

Many people say that actually shampooing your hair with store bought shampoo causes your hair to become oily– in turn, you wash it again, and the cycle continues.

When using the “No-Poo Method” you should “wash” your hair about every couple of days. It lacks the “foaming and lather” aspect of normal shampoo, but that is where a lot of chemicals in normal shampoo are.

Check out Ashley’s Green Life video about her experience with the “No-Poo Method”  below.

I noticed that a lot of the shampoo recipes online call for a Liquid Castille Soap. These are liquid soaps made organically. The can sometimes be pricey, but are very worth it! You don’t use very much in your shampoo recipes so it should last a long time. (Keep in mind, do not use more than directed in the recipes. I wanted a “lather” so I added in more of the soap and it caused my hair to be oily.)

The cool thing about Dr. Bronner’s brand of Liquid Castille Soap is that it comes in all kinds of scents. Almond, Lavender, Peppermint… there’s even a Baby Mild form of it. So when mixing your shampoo, there is no need to add in essential oils.

The best shampoo I’ve tried thus far is….

Natural Homemade Shampoo

I found this recipe on Wellness Mama.

• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/3 cup Liquid Castille Soap
• 1/2 of a teaspoon (or several capsules) of Vitamin E Oil  (optional)
• 20 drops of Essential Oils  of your choice.
• For dry hair: add 1/2 tsp olive or almond oil (optional)

How to mix:

1. Combine all ingredients in an old shampoo bottle or jar of some kind (pump soap dispensers and even foaming dispensers work well for this. If you use a foaming dispenser, add 1/4 cup of distilled water)
2. Shake well to mix.
3. Keep in shower for up to a month.
4. Shake before each use.
5. Use about a teaspoon every time you shampoo.
6. If you use a foaming dispenser, it also makes a great shaving cream- just dilute with 1/4 cup distilled water!

For more homemade shampoo recipes, check out INSTRUCTABLES article HERE.

If any of you have tried making homemade shampoo…

Share your favorite combinations in the comments below.

Also, what’s your favorite and least favorite part of making homemade shampoo?

Spring Clean Your Mattress!

I was looking online to find a way to clean my mattress and found a great article by Make It Do here.

Basically, all you need is baking soda, your favorite essential oil (her and I both used lavender for this), a sifter (optional), and a vacuum.

To  make things easier, toss the baking soda and some lavender oil into a container and shake it up before sifting it onto the bed.

Once you’ve sifted the baking soda mixture all over one side of the mattress, allow it to sit for about 30 minutes to an hour.

Now vacuum and repeat on opposite side and you’re all done!

So easy!

How-To Make Your Own Toothpaste!

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to eliminate some chemicals from my life that weren’t necessary. I researched “chemical-free alternatives to everyday essentials.”

The first thing I could think of that I used daily was my toothpaste.

So, how can you make your own toothpaste cheaply using household items?

• Rummage through your kitchen and grab the ingredients for this easy-to-do recipe.

You’ll need: baking soda, coconut oil, salt (optional), a small jar, and some essential peppermint oil, and a bowl for mixing.

• Step One:  Place about 4-5 big spoonfuls of the baking soda into a bowl. 

• Step Two: Set aside this bowl of baking soda and grab a microwave-safe cup (this part is optional, but makes mixing a LOT easier) and put about 3 big spoonfuls of your coconut oil into it. 

• Step Three: For easier mixing, place the cup of coconut oil into the microwave for 20 seconds, or until almost fully melted.
  

• Step Four: Take out your melted coconut oil and add it to the bowl of baking soda.

• Step Five: Mix these two ingredients thoroughly and then add about a 1/2 teaspoon or so of peppermint oil (for taste).
  

• Step Six: (Optional) Add a couple shakes of salt for a more abrasive paste.
  

• Step Seven: Pour liquid into a small jar. (I bought a pack of 4 from Walmart, but baby food jars work perfectly!)

• Step Eight: Label the jar so friends and family won’t mistake it for something else– although this smells exactly like toothpaste, so hopefully they won’t get confused!
  

There you have it. A cheap, chemical-free, alternative to toothpaste.

A couple tricks:

1. I should warn you, it does NOT taste good. I’ve been using this toothpaste for 3 weeks now and my trick is to avoid brushing my tongue (or getting it on my tongue) until the very end of brushing.
2. It seems very liquid-like when you pour the mixture into the jar, don’t worry– this will harden up quite a bit.
3. Something you should know about coconut oil– when it is above room temperature, it melts. So, when you’re ready to brush your teeth, soak your toothbrush in hot/warm water THEN dip it into the jar to help the toothpaste come out of the jar easier.

This toothpaste works great!

Not only does it clean your teeth, but I’ve noticed my teeth getting much whiter too!