Beauty Secrets from my Best Friends - Part One

One thing you may not know about me is that, while I myself am extremely fashion-handicapped, low maintenance, and let's be honest a little homey, I am surrounded by a fleet of near super-models that I happen to call my best friends. How a v-neck-wearing, eyeliner hack ever scored companions of this calibre is beyond me (it must be because we go to the same church). It's actually a visual phenomenon when you look at things like my wedding photos where I'm standing in all my bridal gown, hair-extensions glory, and the five girls next to me are like "Canada's Next Top Model".

You've already heard from a few members of my family, and some of my friends (Ashley, Alexis...) but now you're about to meet some more of my friends, as they each share a beauty tip with you.

The first one is Jill Butler. I first heard of her on the day we moved in to our new house in North London. My roommate Jordan said he'd met a nice girl and I thought: she must be pretty nice if she's inciting this type of notification. (It was the first time in like 7 or 8 years of friendship that he'd told me of a "nice girl".) One thing led to another and they got married last month. Jill has formal education in the beauty arts and if you saw her make up on her wedding day you'd be floored. Here are her tips!


My favorite part about integrating natural products into my beauty routine is that they’re inexpensive, easily accessible (most stuff is probably in your pantry!), and free of harsh chemicals and preservatives. Here are a few natural products I use and some great tips to compliment! 

Honey

I recently discovered honey in a whole new way. I’ve learned it has amazing antioxidant benefits, antibacterial qualities (it actually draws impurities out of the skin!), and has the ability to replenish moisture in the skin leaving it soft and hydrated.

I tend to break out, especially when my hormones are out of whack. I discovered this brightening and blemish fighting mask to help my skin along. Begin by mixing 1 tablespoon of baking soda and 1 ¼ tablespoons of honey. Layer onto the skin and gently massage in circular motions for a few minutes, rinse with lukewarm water. If you have time to relax, you can let it sit on the skin for up to 30 minutes. The end results give you a bright, dewy and clarified complexion! 

Coconut Oil  

It might seem odd to use cooking oil for the body, but coconut oil does wonders for the skin! There are hundreds of ways to use it (seriously, try Googling it). These are just a few ways I use it:

Moisturizer - Works similar to dry body oil, leaving no oily residue behind. 
Lip care- This makes a yummy lip balm.
Lashes- Combing through lashes at night strengthens and fortifies them.
Blemishes- Can help diminish blemish and prevents scarring.
Razor burn- Relieves itchiness, calms redness, and speeds up healing!

Olive Oil

When you use long wearing foundation, eye shadows and face powders, the brushes you use tend to build up with product as well as natural skin oils. Before cleaning my brushes, I dip them in olive oil and work it into the bristles. Oil tends to break down oils, so when you do this it makes it that much easier to get a deep clean on those grimy brushes. It’s important to rinse thoroughly and do a second “shampooing” to remove any access oil. I just use a gentle clarifying or baby shampoo. Burt’s Bee’s Baby Bee Shampoo works great!

Olive oil also makes a great eye makeup remover for similar reasons. It breaks down the most stubborn of mascaras and waterproof liners with ease. No rubbing or tugging, and leaves lashes nourished. It’s a good idea to cleanse the face after with a mild cleanser to remove any residue.

There are no limits to what you can concoct out of your cupboards. Do some research and have fun planning your next relaxation day!

All-Natural Kids Cold Medication AND Another 18w18d Update

Oliver has had a cold for a few days now. The typical runny nose and seeming 'off' turned into a hacking-man-cough and trouble sleeping. Couple this with the fact that we still practice co-sleeping, and I caught the same nasty cold around Saturday night = we have a problem. Our family typically wakes up at 7am or 8am every morning (we get ready for the day super-fast) but this morning I woke up bright and early at 6:30am because I was just fully rested - we hadn't woken up once the whole night. Why? An amazing all-natural kids cold medication.

Homeocan's Kids 0-9 is a line of children's medication that is homeopathic so it doesn't need any chemicals or traditional medicines in it, but it's still extremely effective. It also does not contain any sugar or dyes, two things that really have no place in kids medications but always seem to make their way in for the sake of appeal. The line, as the name suggests, is suitable for children 9 and under, and is even safe for babies. Oliver has used the Teething and Fever since he was tiny, and he now plays with the empty bottle because he has such fond memories of it.

So last night he took the Kids 0-9 Cough and Cold right before bed and we truly saw a whole new boy. We're just so relieved that there's something out there that works and that we are comfortable giving to him (because Tylenol we are not).

Also, an update on my challenge to use only Dr. Bronner's for 18 purposes - this stuff is great for classic armpit 'sweat smell'. I've been washing with the tea tree soap and I think it has to do with the antimicrobial function of it, because so often armpit odour is a problem with bacteria (hence crystal salt rock deodorant working). The tea tree deals with the problem from the root, not masking it but getting rid of it. I think if I washed with the tea tree soap every day I could give up deodorant forever. 

6 Questions for Every Blogger

Taking a break from 18 Ways for 18 Days updates today to bring you this fun blogger survey, that I snagged from Harvesting Kale - a fun blog from a fantastic mom.

1. What do you value most in life? Ultimately my values stem from my Maker: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I value family and respecting the planet and choosing happiness.

2. What do you think is the greatest invention in your lifetime and why? I need to go old school and say the blade. Imagine doing anything without the invention of the blade. Yeah, it's not high tech but I'd give up my cell phone for a shot at buttered toast any day.

3. What do you think is the secret to a good life? Choosing good friends.

4. What would you most like to be remembered for when you're gone? I hope people have noticed my Peter Pan syndrome - I never want to grow up. I may be married and a mother (with a house, car, job, the whole lot) but I still build forts, and if I see some good snow I am going to throw it at someone who doesn't expect it. Even if I have work in the morning I will grab a coffee and see a midnight movie. I'm super bored by money and career success and yada yada.. I hope people remember that I like fun.

5. What accomplishment are you most proud of? Sticking to my guns when it's hard, like when I really want pain relief (child birth, dry socket from wisdom tooth removal, etc.) and I say no; or if it would be really easy to lie and get out of something but I choose the truth instead. So basically being mostly all-natural and all-truthful in a world where that's tricky. And I'm really proud of my organic garden.

6. If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you? Marykate Olsen.

18 ways for 18 days Update #2

As I was doing the laundry yesterday I noticed how imprecise I am with measuring laundry soap amounts. With many conventional laundry detergents you receive a measuring scoop in the packaging which simplifies things. With Dr. Bronner's I aim to use 1/8th of a cup (this is on the lower end of what they recommend) but I can't say I know if I'm really using that amount or not.

So that makes it a little bit hard to calculate the cost per load, doesn't it?

Laundry soap is funny because people are more intrigued by the number of loads it'll do than the price. It gets confusing like $10 for a 2 L bottle, but wait this one is $25 and it's 2x concentrated and HE and 99 loads. Okay, that's a lot of math in the Shoppers Drug Mart cleaning aisle...

So here's my math. I don't use Tide, etc, because I'm positive it's a bad choice for my family. So I'll compare Dr. Bronner's to some more "kind"/eco-friendly detergent: Seventh Generation.

Seventh Generation is often sold in a 150oz bottle for 25 bucks. It ends up being a quarter per load.

When used the way I do, if you buy in 1L bottles of Dr. Bronner's it's about 40 cents a load.


So when you compare apples to apples, yeah, it's a little pricer. But take this into account: when you buy Dr. Bronner's soap you're getting a product that can be used in limitless ways. If you realize your daughter has lice and you need to get rid of them quick: don't waste your money running out to get special shampoo - the Tea Tree castile soap is perfect. If your dog comes inside after being sprayed by a skunk - the lavender will be perfect. If you realize the condo that you're staying at in Florida doesn't have dish soap provided - not to worry there's a bottle of peppermint castile soap in your suitcase.

It's a huge money saver when you look at the big picture. I promise you, as a very frugal woman myself.

While we're on the subject of money, I do like to be upfront with my readers so I'll tell you this: although I always have a bottle or two (or nine) of Dr. Bronner's soap in my house, for this particular challenge the kind people who work there did send me some free bottles to help with the challenge. Thanks!

18 ways for 18 days - Update #1

Day 1 of the challenge to only use Dr. Bronner's soaps for 18 every day purposes went well. But already I've learned something.

Lesson #1: Peppermint is not the best choice for removing eye make up!

That minty chill you get from a fresh piece of gum is not as refreshing when it's in your eyeball a few minutes before bed.

So I've made up this helpful list of which scents I like best for which uses:

Peppermint - Brushing teeth or anything mouth related (mouth wash). Massaging into your scalp to promote hair growth.

Almond - Dishes (mmmm). Washing the floor mats in your car.

Baby mild (unscented) - Eye make up remover. Cleaning a baby of course.

Citrus - Kitchen cleaning! Squirt a little on your shower floor before turning it on for an instant aromatherapy steam bath.

Lavender - Body scrubbing in the bath tub - so soothing. Rinsing a rash or bug bite.

Tea tree - Lice treatment. Foot wash if you have fungus or even bad smelling feet.

(I've never used Rose or Eucalyptus.)

Cheers!

Announcing 18 WAYS FOR 18 DAYS Challenge

It's happening.

From October 14 until October 31st (so for 18 full days) I will use nothing but Dr. Bronner's castile soap for 18 common uses! They are:

1. Body wash
2. Shampoo/conditioner
3. Make up remover
4. Laundry
5. Dish washing
6. Shaving
7. Tooth brushing
8. Kitchen cleaning - the counter, the inside of the fridge
9. Bathroom cleaning - the shower, the toilet
10. Car cleaning
11. Mouthwash
12. Oliver's baths
13. Face wash
14. Cleaning fruits and vegetables
15. First-aid for wound disinfection
16. Stain removal
17. Mopping floors
18. Hand soap (when I'm at home)

So you folks must keep me accountable.

I will be using citrus orange, hemp, almond, tea tree, peppermint and lavender scents.

What do you need to know about Dr. Bronner's soaps?

• 100% Pure and All Natural - The only added thing you'll find are essential oils to add intoxicatingly-wonderful fragrance 
• Fair Trade
• Certified Organic
• Family Owned Company
• No Synthetic Agents/Preservatives
• Canadian-sourced hemp oil
• Old-world quality, time honoured simplicity - in business since 1948!
• Vegan
• Biodegradable 
• 100% Recycled Bottles AND Labels

Thanksgiving 2012

I had every intention of writing a hilarious (hilarious!) post about things I'm thankful for.

And then this morning happened.

The three of us woke up early. Calvin and Oliver went to the grocery store while I got dressed and did my make up. They came back with two overflowing bags of vegetables.

My little plaid shirted one year old fell asleep in the wrap on my chest.

Calvin requested the new Mumford and Sons album on Grooveshark.com and lit a clove-orange candle.

And we made Calvin's Secret Spicy Squash Soup like we have every year for 8 years. He does all the culinary-heavy work while I meticulously cube squash and bell peppers for final garnish. He smashes garlic cloves while I follow behind discarding the bulb paper and washing the sharp knives in between jobs.

Something about the comfort of cooking with my best friend and jamming to the folky banjo while our boy snoozed away was, and is, just so good.

It made me feel silly to write a joking post when I really am thankful for my family.

But I'm still not sharing the recipe!