Nuts about Coconut Oil!

It seems that coconut oil has been growing in popularity, especially on the "crunchy" prairie.  However, some of you may not yet be privy to the many health benefits of this oil. 

Adam and I recently had friends in town from Oklahoma.  My friend's hands were so dry and brittle they felt like sandpaper (Love you Jamie).  I love sharing natural tips with my friends, and I suggested we butter her up with coconut oil.  It took a little while to soak in, but after it did, she agreed her hands felt softer. 



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Coconut oil is used extensively in tropical climates.  It is anti-fungal, anti-viral, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and an antioxidant.  It is in solid form until it reaches 76 degrees, then it melts to a liquid. This makes it easy to use for a variety of purposes.  Coconut oil really is one of those products that can be used for hundreds of different things. 

We (Carla and I) use coconut oil for the following:

Moisturizer- body and facial
Cooking/Baking in place of hydrogenated oils and butter
Deodorant
Diaper Rash Cream- one of the few that's cloth diaper friendly
Nipple Cream when breast feeding
Hair conditioner
Shaving Cream
Eczema
Pet Care
Cradle Cap
Acne
Dietary Supplement

I recently began using coconut oil as a facial moisturizer and have been pleased with the results.  I have also used it in the past as a deodorant and in baked goods (I used it in place of butter for my sweet potato casserole and it was AMAZING).  I have also used it in my dog's ear, to treat an infection, which healed within a couple of days. 

I will link to several sites where you can find other information.  I typically buy the Virgin, unrefined, and organic variety.

http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/28296-health-properties-coconut-oil/
You can purchase Coconut Oil at your local grocer (Kroger sells it in Owensboro), health food store, or online here Vitacost.

~Trina

Homestyle Haircuts

I have a memory from childhood of sitting in the backyard of our whitewashed farmhouse parsonage in rural Georgia having my long red hair cut by my mom.  I'm not even sure how often I got my hair cut at that age or how often my mom was the one doing it.  But that memory is so fond to me as an adult, that I have begged my mom a few times to cut my hair.  She hems and haws for a few days until I convince her that I honestly do not care if every hair is perfectly straight.  I've never been able to make my hair completely straight anyway.  Katie observed Mom cutting my hair on the front porch a month or so ago and has since occasionally talked about the experience.  She is learning to cut paper and is intrigued by this newly discovered use for scissors.  I've tried to make it VERY clear that cutting hair is only a job for mommies and daddies, NOT for 2.5 year olds!!  But I secretly do look forward to the day (hopefully not for at least another year though) when I sit with Katie out on the back patio and cut her hair for the first time.  I hope it means as much to her as it does to me.

When I first started dating Steve, he was long overdue for a haircut.  He has very thick hair and at that point of his life, he wore it quite a bit longer than he does now.  He sort of swept it over to the side in a dorky, but lovable sort of way.  I smile now thinking about it.  Thankfully after I came along, he had motivation to be more "groomed."

I've had the privilege of cutting Steve's hair for at least the past 7 years.  The last professional hair cut he had was for a friend's wedding 6 years ago.  I was still perfecting my skills at that point and he felt like he should have a "real" cut.  The set of clippers we have been using for the past 3 or 4 years is a basic Wahl set that Mom got us for Christmas.  Steve's preference is to have the back of his hair a level or two shorter than the top.  And I've learned that there needs to be some sort of fade between the top and bottom or he gets what I affectionately refer to as "wings" on the side of his head.

And as you've probably guessed by now, I'm going to brag about the MONEY we save by cutting his hair at home.  I typically cut Steve's hair once a month (more like every 3 weeks in the summer), but I'm sure he would only make time to get a professional hair cut every 6 weeks.  So let's say he were to shell out $15 (is that the going rate these days?) approximately 9 times a year.  That's $135 a year not counting the time and gas it would take to go to a barber.  The clippers only cost my mom around $20 and it only takes me about 20 minutes from setup to cleanup!

I've tried to convince Steve that he should cut my hair.  He gets irritated that I even mention the possibility because he thinks he would be ruining a "masterpiece."  So I guess I'll just deal with twisting mom's arm every once in a while when I can't make it to my wonderful hairdresser.  And I can't wait to do a future post about Katie's first cut.

Making hand soap with Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

I just finished making my second batch of hand soap using Dr. Bronner's Unscented Baby-Mild Pure Castile Soap. The first batch a few weeks ago seemed to be too diluted so tonight I tried an approximately 1:6 ratio of castile soap to water. Here's how I made the second batch:

1. Rinse out an empty foaming soap pump

2. Measure out about a cup of water and fill soap bottle (more or less as needed)

3. Measure out between 1/8 to 1/4 cup of castile soap and pour into bottle

4. Add essential oil for fragrance if desired - I added 4 drops of lavender. Even though I'm using the "unscented" version of Dr. Bronner's, I felt like my first batch without the oil left a putrid smell on my hands.

5. Replace pump handle and enjoy!

I had the hubby buy-off on which smell he preferred to add to the mixture. He is slowly coming on board with the natural beauty products, so I definitely want him to approve, and therefore use, what we buy or make. In addition to the natural ingredients of this soap mixture, the cost savings are HUGE! I hardly used 1 oz. of a 16 oz. bottle which costs less than $10 at most stores. That's approximately .63 per batch plus a neglible amount of essential oil. I could MAYBE get another brand on sale with coupon match-up for cheaper, but I doubt it would be as natural. Plus it's easy peezy and fun to do!

I'm going to be making more homemade cleaners with Dr. Bronner's soon so stay tuned!

~Carla