Rid Your Pet’s Fleas With Household Items!

It’s that time of year and as much as I hoped it wouldn’t happen, it did– my dogs got fleas. They are indoor dogs, however they go outside to use the bathroom. It was inevitable. Sure, I could use those harsh chemicals to try and treat my dogs, which don’t always work, but I wanted to find a cheaper, better alternative.

After doing a lot of research online, I came across a couple ideas. These ideas included things you probably already have lying around your house. And guess what….

IT WORKS!

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Photo credit: Bill Selak / Foter.com / CC BY-ND
  • Bathe your animals in DISH SOAP. Yep, you heard right. Dish soap kills the fleas on contact! 

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Haha, ok so not all my animals enjoyed the bath. But, boy aren’t they happy they had one!

NO MORE FLEAS.

You heard me– we checked and didn’t see ONE flea!

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However, we did find this nasty creature that must’ve jumped off just in time to die.

Poor thing.

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(I changed the contrast and brightness so you could see the nasty flea better.)

  • After you bathe your pets, grab an empty spray bottle (a clean one) and mix 1/2 part Apple Cider Vinegar and 1/2 part warm water.

 

Once your pets dry, take them outside and spray some of this mixture onto them (avoid their face). It’s supposed to prevent fleas for up to a WEEK.

Definitely worth trying out! The smell may not be pleasant, but can’t be any worse then those nasty bugs, right!?

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Do you have any home remedies for fleas? If so leave it below! I’d love to hear more ideas!

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.

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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.

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?

Camping Weather Is Upon Us!

The Spring weather is slowly, but surely, making it’s way around our neck of the woods. We all know that that means; CAMPING TIME! 

The internet is the PERFECT place to find free samples!

I’ll let you in on a little “trick” of mine…

I am a huge fan of free samples, especially when I choose to save them for the nicer weather when people are starting to travel more and of course… camp. I check my “freebie” sites once a day. Even if I don’t need/want the free sample, I’ll fill out the form anyways. (You never know when you might need that one strand of floss or Airborne pill.) Besides, you can always give that  free diaper, for example, away to a friend or family member– or even to a local charity.

One of the most popular free samples is a package of shampoo and/or conditioner. I save these up, along with my other freebies, and toss them into my overnight bag and take them camping with me.

Unopened. No spill. No mess.

You can toss the packaging in the trash to eliminate the amount of stuff you’ll be hauling back home with you. Make room for those cool rocks you found while hiking, right!?

I mean, just take a look at some of these free samples I can easily toss into a bag for camping!

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I have enough shampoo and conditioner to last probably a couple weeks camping and won’t have to haul it home.

There are sanitizers, wipes, feminine products, toothpaste…. any personal product item you may need you can MORE than likely get it as a free sample throughout the year!

Here is a list of some of my favorite FREEBIE websites:

Shop 4 Freebies

Free Samples. Org

Free Mania

That Freebie Site

Check them out and start stocking up for your own camping trips!

For some Vegetarian Freebies- –CLICK HERE.

The Multiple Uses of Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is the edible oil extracted from the “meat” of the coconut. It has been used for generations upon generations in food, beauty, and health.

Today I’m going to list you 50 uses for virgin coconut oil even though there are SO many more!

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  1. Moisturizer for your face, body, and neck.
  2. Helps with diaper rash (with no chemicals).
  3. As an eye cream. Placing under your eyes will reduce puffiness, wrinkles, bags, and dark circles.
  4. As a pre-shave. It will help prep your skin for shaving.
  5. As an aftershave. Helps heal the skin without clogging your pores.
  6. Makeup remover– even for mascara!
  7. Deodorant– alone or with baking soda.
  8. Chapstick. Has an SPF of 4. (I’ve been using this as chapstick for a while and my lips stay so soft!)
  9. Mix with sugar (or salt) for a natural body scrub. You can even add in some yummy smelling essential oils!
  10. As a body cream for stretch marks to reduce their appearance.
  11. Nipple Cream. For nursing mothers, this will help with the dry, cracked nipples between feedings.
  12. As a sexual lubricant. All natural, but can damage latex condoms so do NOT use with latex.
  13. As a daily conditioner. Uses on the bottom half of your hair and rinse like normal.
  14. For a deep conditioner. Apply all over and leave on for 20 minutes, or even place a shower cap over it and leave it overnight for an even deeper conditioning.
  15. Insect repellent. Mix with a little peppermint oil (or catnip or rosemary) and apply on skin.
  16. For cat and dog health. At a teaspoon to their water bowl daily. (I’d check with a vet before doing so)
  17. Goo Gone. Mix with baking soda to create a paste and allow to sit on sticky area then remove.
  18. Gets gum out of hair! Put all over the stuck gum, leave in for 30 minutes, then roll gum between fingers. Should come out without having to cut!
  19. Polishes bronze.
  20. Toothpaste. (I’ve showed you how to make the toothpaste with coconut oil HERE.)
  21. As oil in cooking. Has a 350 degree smoke point. Great for baking, stir-fry, etc.
  22. As a coffee creamer.
  23. Taken as a supplement for daily energy.
  24. To lighten age spots. Just apply directly to the spots.
  25. To prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
  26. Supports healthy thyroid functioning.
  27. In homemade lotion recipes.
  28. Topically to kill yeast or yeast infections.
  29. As a massage oil.
  30. Dab a little into your hands then into your hair to cure frizzy hairs.
  31. Intensive nighttime facial moisturizer.
  32. On feet to fight athlete’s foot or toe fungus.
  33. Helps sooth eczema and psoriasis.
  34. If ingested, could help prevent or reverse Alzheimers.
  35. With apple cider vinegar for a natural lice treatment.
  36. Rub a little inside your nose to help with allergies.
  37. Can help improve insulin levels.
  38. Blend a tablespoon into some hot tea for a speedy cold/flu recovery.
  39. As replacement for vegetable oil in ANY recipe.
  40. Helps reduce appearance of varicose veins.
  41. Helps speed up the healing of a sunburn.
  42. If applied daily, can help reduce cellulite.
  43. Reduces the itchiness of bug bites, chicken pox, and poison ivy.
  44. Can help reduce the appearance of acne if used regularly.
  45. Rubbed into scalp to help hair grow faster.
  46. Helps relieve pain of hemorrhoids if taken topically.
  47. On cuticles to help nails grow.
  48. Clears up cold sores.
  49. In children’s ears to help with a speedy ear-infection recovery.
  50. As an anti-aging moisturizer.

You can find coconut oil in almost any grocery store!

GO BUY SOME TODAY AND ENJOY ALL THE BENEFITS COCONUT OIL HAS TO OFFER! 

Cure Hair With Household Items!

Remedies For Your Hair 

  • Budweiser Beer CONDITIONS hair!

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Make sure it’s room temperature. Wash hair like normal, skipping the conditioner (if you use it regularly). Poor a little bit of beer at a time onto your scalp, making sure to rub it in until                  you use the whole can/bottle. Let sit for about a minute, the rinse like normal.

POOF, soft hair.

I don’t know about you, but I would have a hard time wasting beer on my hair. Soft or not, I’ll be wanting to drink it instead. Maybe I’ll use half on head and chug the rest while in the     shower. Two birds. One beer.

  • Cool Whip conditions hair in FIFTEEN minutes! 

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I’m not a huge Cool Whip fan. The only time I ever buy it is if I want a healthier alternative to ice cream. Yeah, you heard me right. Throw that tub in the freezer and when you’re craving some ice cream, pull it out and get ya a spoon full. You’ll thank me later.

Anyways, onto the conditioner. I’ve seen people try it both ways. On wet hair after you get out of the shower. Plop that cool whip into your hair and leave it in for 15 minutes, then go rinse. I’ve also seen some people to put it on dry hair and leave it for 15 minutes. Your choice. Find what works best for you.

  • Mayonnaise will KILL lice and will also condition hair! 

6a00d83451fa5069e20168e64265d1970c-800wiChemical Lice Treatments can be pretty pricey. To save money– try Mayonnaise first.

Believe me, I know what you’re thinking. You don’t want to “try” anything, you want those nasty creepy crawlers GONE and NOW. I don’t blame you. But, what could it hurt? Condition your hair while killing lice in the meantime? I’d give it a shot. If it doesn’t work (which tons of researchers say it does) then just jump in your car and run to the store to get the real chemicals.

But if you’re like me, I want to have the LEAST amount of chemicals in my body or on my body so next time (which I hope is NEVER) I will be trying this.

If you want the details of the process, eHow has the answers. Here is the link:  How to Get Rid of Lice with Mayonnaise.

  • Raw eggs to condition hair! 

eggIf you have normal hair, use the entire egg– yolk and all (egg whites only for oily hair) and apply to clean, damp hair.

Use about a 1/2 a cup, of the egg mixture of your choice, and apply it to your hair. Wait 20 minutes then rinse thoroughly.

IMPORTANT: Make sure to rinse with cold or cool water or the eggs will “cook” in your hair and it’ll be VERY difficult to rinse out.

Shampoo immediately after.

According to Women’s Day, “Whole egg and yolks-only treatments can be applied once a month; whites-only treatment can be applied every two weeks.”

Who knew all those egg fights you had as a child was benefiting your hair! We should have more egg fights. FOR THE SAKE OF OUR HAIR, of course.

Women’s Day has a lot more easy hair remedies that you can do at home:

FOR DULL HAIR:
Styling products (as well as air pollution) can leave a film that both saps moisture and dulls shine — but dairy products like sour cream and plain yogurt can help reverse this damage. “Lactic acid gently strips away dirt while the milk fat moisturizes,” says Lisa Belkin, author of “The Cosmetics Cookbook”.
TO USE: Massage 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt into damp hair and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water, followed by cool water, then shampoo hair as you normally would. Treatment can be applied every other week.
FOR ITCHY SCALP:
To fight flakes — brought on by poor diet, stress and climate, among other factors — try a lemon juice and olive oil mixture in your hair. “The acidity in lemon juice helps rid your scalp of any loose, dry flakes of skin, while the olive oil moisturizes the [newly exposed] skin on your head,” says Cox.
TO USE: Mix 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons water, and massage into damp scalp. Let mixture sit for 20 minutes, then rinse and shampoo hair. Treatment can be applied every other week.
FOR LIMP OR FINE HAIR:
To add body to hair, reach for an unlikely beauty beverage: beer! The fermented drink contains generous supplies of yeast, which works to plump tired tresses, explains Cox.
TO USE: Mix 1/2 cup flat beer (pour beer into a container and let it sit out for a couple of hours to deplete carbonation) with 1 teaspoon light oil (sunflower or canola) and a raw egg. Apply to clean, damp hair, let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Or add flat beer only to a spray bottle and spritz onto dry hair. “When the liquid evaporates, the remaining protein residue (from the wheat, malt or hops) continues to strengthen and structure hair,” says Belkin. Treatments can be applied every other week.
FOR DRY OR SUN-DAMAGED HAIR:
Whatever your hair-dehydrating demon — hard water, sun overexposure, your trusty flat iron — nature’s sweetener can help. “Honey is a natural humectant, which means it attracts and locks in moisture,” says Cox.
TO USE: Massage approximately 1/2 cup honey into clean, damp hair, let sit for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. You can also add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil to loosen the honey for easier application. For extremely sun-damaged hair, trying mixing honey with 1 to 2 tablespoons of a protein-rich ingredient, like avocado or egg yolk, which will help replenish the keratin protein bonds that UV rays attack. Treatment can be applied once a month.
FOR OILY OR GREASY HAIR:
“Used properly, [cornmeal or cornstarch] is an inexpensive way to remove oil and grease,” says Belkin.
TO USE: Pour 1 tablespoon cornmeal or cornstarch into an empty salt or pepper shaker and sprinkle onto dry hair and scalp until you’ve used it all. After 10 minutes, use a paddle hairbrush to completely brush it out. Treatment can be applied every other day.
FOR FRIZZY HAIR:
Home beauty experts swear by avocado — and not just to repair damaged hair. Its oils (which are light and moist like our own natural skin secretions) and proteins boast the best combination of nutrients for smoothing and weighing down unruly hair, explains Cox.
TO USE: Mash up half an avocado and massage into clean, damp hair. Let sit for 15 minutes before rinsing with water. Amp up moisturizing power by combining mashed avocado with 1 to 2 tablespoons of a hydrating ingredient, like sour cream, egg yolks or mayonnaise. Treatment can be applied every two weeks.
FOR RESIDUE-RIDDEN HAIR:
“Nothing eats through product buildup like baking soda,” Cox says. Sodium bicarbonate essentially breaks down anything acidic.
TO USE: Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons baking soda with small amounts of water until a thick paste forms. Massage into damp hair and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with water, then shampoo hair. Treatment can be applied every two weeks.
**The Women’s Day article was written by Brynn Mannino and can be seen  here.