COCONUT OIL DEODORANT

Hi everyone,

How are you all today? I'm doing fine. We were supposed to have some rain yesterday, but all we got were some sprinkles. Maybe it will come later this week. We could really use the rain, even here on the coast with the ocean nearby :) :)

In my effort to lead a healthier lifestyle, I am also learning how to make more beauty/healthcare products at home.  Why?  It saves money. I know exactly what goes into the product. It is less toxic for my skin and body. Also, since I'm still "in between" jobs, this really helps to stretch my dollar a long way.

So one of the things I've made in the past is deodorant with coconut oil. There are quite a few websites with excellent recipes on how to make this for yourself. I followed the recipe that Amy blogged about over at Homestead Revival. Click here to visit the post. She's a really nice lady who is really doing a lot to be more self-sufficient at home. Plus, her blog is a delight to visit and you'll be glad that you did. Oh, and if you're on  Facebook, you can visit her here. Either way, let her know that I sent you over :) :) :)

You will need the following three ingredients to make this homemade deodorant:

YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING THREE INGREDIENTS: BAKING SODA, CORN STARCH AND COCONUT OIL.

What proportions of each of the three ingredients do you need to measure out:
Baking soda - 1/4 cup
Corn starch - 1/4 cup (you can also use arrowroot if you prefer)
Coconut oil - 5 to 6 Tablespoons ( or up to 8 Tablespoons. It depends on how thick you want to make this.  I also use unrefined virgin coconut oil. There's no reason for that, other than I really like it and it smells FABULOUS.)

First, I measured out 6 Tablespoons of coconut oil.  At room temperature it is a bit hard, so my measurements weren't totally exact, but for this project, it's okay.  I haven't noticed any issues with the quality of the deodorant when it's finished.  Now the last time I made this, it was really hard to mix the coconut oil and the other two ingredients together. So this time, I put the 6 Tablespoons of coconut oil in a glass measuring cup. Then I placed that measuring cup in a warm bowl of water. The gentle heat from the water will help to soften the coconut oil. That's okay, but when you're done it will solidify back to it's former state.

WHILE YOU ARE LETTING THE COCONUT OIL SOFTEN UP A BIT, I MIXED THE BAKING SODA AND CORN START TOGETHER.

While the coconut oil is getting softer (and easier to mix later), I mixed together 1/4 cup of baking soda and a 1/4 cup of corn starch together in a plastic container.  Now plastic is what I have on hand. However, when I find a good deal on a Mason jar or glass storage container at the thrift shop, then I'll buy that.  This is what it looks like when you mix the two powders together. Real exciting..not..but for being so simple, this work FABULOUS:

Now it's time to mix the coconut oil together with the corn starch and baking soda.  I use a fork to mix everything together really well.  Once it's all well-mixed together, it kind of has the consistency of vanilla frosting from a can. This is what mine looked like:

This makes up under a cup of homemade coconut oil deodorant. You can store it in a small glass Mason jar or other container of your choice. I did put the lid on mine and placed it in the refrigerator. That helps to firm it up again.  I took it out this morning and let it sit at room temperature. That's how I'll store it, too. It'll be easier to use that way.

This morning I took my shower. After I was finished, I applied some of the homemade coconut oil deodorant.  I take a very small amount and apply it with my hands. I let it sit against the skin for a few seconds to let it melt. It will start to melt with your body heat. Then I rub it around to cover my underarm area very well. That's it.. It works great. It smells fantastic and it's better than anything I've ever purchased in a store.

The baking soda cost me less than $1. The corn starch was just over $1. The coconut oil cost me about $9.99 at Whole Foods.  However, coconut oil has MANY uses, so it's worth the cost. You don't need much for this deodorant. It's also good as a moisturizer on the skin. It's also fantastic to use in cooking, as an alternative to butter.

If you make this, let me know how it turns out.  This stuff smells nice and does the job very well.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather

Hi everyone,
How is your Saturday going so far? I think June is a strange weather month here in Oregon. It rains a LOT here....from about October through June :) :)  Yesterday it was a high of  about 71 degrees Fahrenheit. It was also overcast and very muggy/humid. So the heat felt much "hotter" than it really was. This morning it started raining. It was beautiful. It has stopped raining for the moment. It's getting muggy/humid again.  That's okay. I have the fan going and it feels really nice in here :)

YESTERDAY WAS LAUNDRY DAY.

 My weekend is shaping up to be rather quieter than usual. I did laundry yesterday.  There's a laundry room at the apartment complex, which is wonderful. We do have to pay to use it. However, I love the convenience of not having to leave home to wash my clothes.    I keep my homemade laundry powder in a big plastic container. This glass latch/hook jar is what I use when I go to the laundry room.  I refill it when needed. Click here if you like to read my post on how to make your own homemade laundry powder. If you have any questions on that, let me know. I'll answer them as best I can :) :)  This laundry powder is saving me a boatload of money :) :)

 FLOWERS RIGHT OUTSIDE MY FRONT DOOR.

One of the joys of spring and summer is when things start to bloom. There is color everywhere. There's this little bush right outside my front door that has these lovely pink blooms. The blooms are about the size of my thumbnail...very tiny. However, this is a close-up so you can see the detail :) :)

MY NEIGHBOR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE HAS A BEAUTIFUL ROSE BUSH.

 The neighbor across the fence from me has a gorgeous rosebush. The roses are just starting to bloom. In a few weeks this bush will be so laden with roses, it'll start to bend towards the ground :) :)  This is what I photographed yesterday. Aren't they pretty?  I think so. These roses are so lush and just packed full of beautiful, pink petals :) :)

THS IS SHERBERT, THE HOMELESS CAT THAT ROAMS THE APARTMENT COMPLEX. HE'S ONE OF A FEW HOMELESS CATS THAT HAS ADOPTED THIS   APARTMENT COMPLEX AS HIS HOME.

Sherbert decided to check me out as I was leaving the house yesterday. I love these light purple flowers, too. aren't they just gorgeous in full bloom? Sherbert used to belong to one of the other neighbor's here in the apartment complex. The neighbor's moved out and just left him behind. That is actually a good thing, because they didn't treat him right. 

He tried to "adopt" my add and I. However, in an apartment complex, we have to pay a pet deposit in order to have a  cat (or a dog). It's more than either of us can afford. It makes me sad, but in an apartment complex there are rules that have to be followed :(.  We also don 't have money to feed him . So Sherbert ignores me now, because I don't feed him.    Although he still likes to nap by the tree right near my front door ;) :) My next door neighbor feeds him...so he's not totally without. Sherbert gets better love/care/food from my next-door neighbor, than his previous owners.   However, this day, he looked so cute near the purple flowers. This is actually a good photo of him.

As soon as I find my dad's store receipt from Costco, I'll tell you all about that. We went shopping there on Thursday. It was an experience. We didn't buy a lot because we have a small refridgerator/freezer. We did score some great deals on meat and vegetables.   That's for another post.

I also found a really interesting little curio cabinet. It's probably from the 60s/70s...and it's a "not pretty brown". That will be sanded/painted white or cream...to reflect my love of all things vintage, country, romantic, Shabby Chic...etc. You get the idea ;) :)  I'll post about that later, too :) :)

Oh, thanks so much for visiting me today. I've noticed the new followers, too :) :) You always make me smile...and thanks for liking my blog enough to come visit :) :) You are always welcome. God is good and I'm thankful for each and every one of you :) :)

I do need to organize my "subjects", so people can more easily find older posts. What would you suggest? I could use some advice, because I don't know what would work best. How do you feel about one of those "search" gadgets, that let people type in a word and it brings up all-related posts with that word in it? Let me know. This might be my "computer" project for the week :) :)

That's the news from Oregon today. Extra special love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

365 Day Photo Challenge for December 4th till December 24th

Hi everyone... Here are my photos for the 365 day photo challenge...because I'm about 3 weeks behind so far...I'll just be posting the photos without any commentaries or dates...just 21 photos taken during that three week time period. You'll be able to tell fairly quickly what most of my time was spent doing..outside of work of course.  If you have comments or questions...you are always welcome to ask or leave a comment here :) :) The last photo....I was really hungry!!! Sorry...crazy life...and then blogger wouldn't  upload any of  my photos in the order I wanted them today !!!
Ready, set...go!!!

The last few weeks have been super busy.  So I don't really have much to say today. Sorry y'all....just need some time to relax :) :) That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

Pink ZOTE Soap Makes Fabulous Homemade Laundry Powder

Hi everyone,
Okay, so one of the things that I've gotten sidetracked from is talking about how a single girl like myself budgets and makes things work or do without. Or to phrase it better how I have champagne taste and still manage to live on a soda pop can budget. Oh, no I don't drink..but you know  what I mean about having an eye for luxury, but still living on a budget :) :) :) 

This is a sweet little place that I spotted while out driving yesterday (Wednesday) with my father. It is actually an equestrian center. Isn't so beautiful and red with the typical Oregon skies? I would so love to have a place of my own just like this someday.

Do you remember me mentioning pink ZOTE soap? It's a soap that's made in Mexico. Apparently most  of my friends can buy it near them, except for me. So when I discovered the Lehman's in Kidron, Ohio sells it..well, I was very happy!!!  They are a fabulous business that caters to Amish and non-Amish. It's got all kinds of things for every need. I'd recommend browsing around their online website and even ordering a catalog or two. it's well worth the price :) :)

So I decided to purchase some of this soap. A really sweet blogger lady, Maryjane over at The Beehive Cottage has this fabulous recipe for pink homemade laundry powder.  In fact, I think it was because of her that I went in search of this wonderful product in the first place. So I'll give you the recipe here as well as the cost of materials. 

First you need ingredients, plus a few extras. You will need one full 4-pound box EACH of BORAX, Baking Soda and Washing Soda.  Borax and Baking Soda are very easy to find in just about EVERY store.  It's funny to think that one of my cleaning supply ingredients is actually found in the baking aisle, but hey, who am I to complain? Baking soda has many fabulous uses. Washing soda  is a bit harder for me to find. However, I can readily find it at my local Fred Meyer store in the laundry supplies section, right next to the BORAX. Here's a nicer bullet-point list of what you'll need to start:

- 1, 4-lb box of Borax
- 1, 4-lb box of Baking Soda
   (I use Arm & Hammer brand)
- 1, 4-lb box of Super Washing Soda
   (again, I use Arm & Hammer brand)
- 1 1/3 bars of pink ZOTE soap, 14.1oz/bar
   (or 3 full bars of Fels Naptha)
- 1 air-tight container large  enough to hold all this laundry powder.  I used a Rubbermaid container that holds 9.5 gallons...large!!!

I had read that these bars of soap are big. However, no one told me how HUGE each individual bar really is. Each bar is the size of a small brick. That is my hand holding a single bar of this pretty soap :)  :) :)

You will only need 1 1/3 bars of pink ZOTE soap for this recipe. Yes, it really is enough and  when you see for yourself how large  these bars really are, then you will understand why you only need that much. Each bar of pink ZOTE soap is 14.1 ounces.  You will need a knife to slice the soap into sections. I used a standard butter knife. The soap was extremely easy to slice since it has a minimum fatty acid content of 66%. You don't have to use pink ZOTE soap, any other soap of your choice would be fine...just make sure it's about 18 oz, give or take an ounce. You could also use three bars of Fels Naptha or another bar soap of your choice.

You will need something to grate the soap. I started out with a traditional grater. However, this soap is so soft, I switched to my rotating cheese grater from Pampered Chef. Note, I only use this grater for soap now and nothing else. You could probably use it for grating soap and cheese as long as you washed it really well in between. However, I prefer to designate my grater for soap ONLY!!! I did cut the pink ZOTE soap into sections to make it easier to use in this grater.

When you are all done grating the soap, this is what it looks like. It looks like finely grated cheese. I use a grate that is fine for parmesan cheese or something slightly softer. I don't think it really matters as long as it's finely grated. It'll also break up a little bit more when you mix it in with the other ingredients.

Then you mix in a full 4-lb box EACH of Borax, super washing soda and baking soda. Mix it all together well. I use a fork, but a spoon would work just as well.  Isn't this just about the "prettiest" homemade laundry powder you ever saw?  This makes nearly  16 pounds of soap all together. Actually more like 13-14 lbs. It only takes 2 Tablespoons per load of laundry. That's all you need.

I did read that if you have an HE front-loader washer, dissolve 1-2 Tablespoons in warm water to form a liquid. Then you can add it to the machine and it'll work fine. I've never tried that since I still use a tradition top-loading washer.  However, if you tend to wash your clothes with cold water, you could still do the same thing of dissolving the soap in just enough warm water until it becomes a liquid. Then add it to your cold water wash.

That's basically it. Now what did all of this cost me?  Not a lot at all...  Since I had to order the pink ZOTE soap from Lehman's , there was the matter of standard delivery shipping. Shipping was $7.95 from Lehman's. Remember, I did order something else..so I did some math and figured that the shipping for the soap alone would have worked out to about $2.07 cents for three bars of pink ZOTE soap. Okay, here's a breakdown list of what I used and what it cost me:

--- 1, 4 lb box of BORAX $4.49
--- 1, 4 lb box of Super Washing Soda $ 3.19
      (I used Arm & Hammer brand)
--- 1, 4 lb box of Baking Soda $2.99
      (again...I used Arm & Hammer brand)
--- 1 1/3 bars of pink ZOTE soap ca $1.76
      NOTE: 3 bars of pink ZOTE soap from Lehman's catalog cost $3.95. That's a GREAT deal. So 1 1/3 bars of this soap is about $1.76

This recipe is supposed to last for 150 loads of washing. That is a LOT of dirty laundry. So if I do NOT factor in the shipping I paid for soap, that would be:

$12.43 for EVERYTHING together
$0.08 cents/load

If I DO factor in the cost of shipping that would be:
$14.50 for EVERYTHING together (including shipping)
$0.10 cents/load

So I'll definitely be keeping track of this as the weeks go by...and when I've finally used up that last lovely tablespoon of pink laundry soap, there'll be a final tally to see what it really cost me.  Thanks for hanging in there with me. I  love talking about unit cost, especially when things are tight financially. This really helps me a lot.  I'm all about figuring out ways to get the job done for less and making my dollar stretch as far as it can!!! Oh, in case, I don't "see" some of you until the new year, I want to wish you all a very Happy CHRISTmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year !!! That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

My 23rd Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday & Tea Time Tuesday for December 21st

Hi everyone. How are you? I'm doing well. My tea offering is very humble today.  However, before I get to that...I sat in front of the tv last night making a nearly 16 pound batch of homemade laundry powder. My pink ZOTE soap finally arrived in the mail the other day...so I had to try it. I'll be posting about this late tonight.

Okay, here is my humble offering for the week. I actually found this plate at a yard sale about 2 months ago. However, due to surprise gifts from friends etc...I kept pushing this back until today :) :) Here is what I found. It's an orphan.

I must have paid $2 for this. Definitely not more than that. When I saw this plate it reminded me so much of some similar items that many of you ladies have already in your homes :) :) Isn't it  beautiful with lots of detail? I LOVE the color red..and pink..and ...:) :)

Here's a closer photo of the detail on the plate. If you look really carefully you can see a young woman wearing a hat. She's sitting near the little stream with ducks swimming nearby. I love this quaint little scene. In fact, this makes me want to hop on a plane right now and fly to Great Britain!!!

I did actually clean and wash this plate before I took the photos. There are still some dirty spots on the backstamp. However, isn't this just about the prettiest backstamp you've ever seen? I think the prettiest one so far is on my little teacup that looks like it could have been made in the 1920s...

Here is a close up of the lovely detail on the rim of the plate. Oh, this plate is packed full of wonderful detail.   All of it is in varying shades of red!!!  Now I think I'll need to test a nice baked goody on this plate and report back to you ladies  next week about this :) :) Have a lovely day. May God give you the grace to  get through your days. I know that you are a huge encouragement to me!!! That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

Homemade Soap - Part Two ~ "It's a LYE, I tell you...:) :) :) :)

Hey there...here's the conclusion to "Homemade Soap"..it's a true "soap" opera in two parts :) :) :) OH, "LYE" is the caustic soda used to saponify/harden the soap :) :) :)  Click here to view part one of the homemade soap process...

OH, before I forget...my sweet friend Gerry over at "Gerry's Soap N Stuff"...also has some great soap recipes. She's been making soap for decades now. Click here to view her blog or you can find a link/button to her blog on my sidebar. She has been so kind to me in giving me all sorts of good soap information!!!

Next, Julie used this handheld stick mixer to mix the oils and lye water together. She continued to do this until the mix reached "trace". Trace is when it you mix it and the ripples stay on the surface of the mixture...but it's still pourable...



"Houston...we have liftoff..."...Ooopss...we reached "trace"...this is what it looks like...although I think I may have let it go 5 seconds too long with the blender.  Doesn't it look like a nice bowl of vanilla pudding? Except don't eat this because it'll cleanse the tar from your insides.....


...pouring the mixture into a pre-greased mould.  Julie used coconut oil to grease the bottom and sides of the mould. It worked amazingly well!!!! Fantastic!!!


Here, Julie is smoothing it out a bit with a spatula. Remember how I said this looks like vanilla pudding? All it was missing was "nilla wafers" and banana slices...and we could have had dessert...not..but it sure looked like vanilla pudding dessert.


Next we wrapped the mould in a bath towel, so that it would not cool down too fast...

..one last peek before we let it sit for the next 15 hours or so to harden up...Everything up to this point was actually done on Saturday ~ July 10th, 2010 :) :) :) Everything after this photo was done today :) :) :)


Now for the big reveal...Hmm...it hardened up nicely...but it likes like a wrinkly "shar pei" puppy...I think Julie and I were both scratching our heads a little bit.  The sides of the mould were ever so slightly bowed in a little bit.  For all of you more experienced "soapstresses" out there...can you identify if this is right or not? We both agree that this is still a great success, especially when you ....


...look at the flip side once it was taken out of the mould. This looks perfect...exactly what it's supposed to look like :) :) :) It's still just soft enough for cutting and stamping...oh, I'm really excited about homemade soap!!!!


Next comes the task of cutting it into bars. Julie cut varying lengths.  It was a lot of fun to experiment with different sized bars...

Here are some of the finished soap bars waiting to be stamped...again these are Julie's skillful hands holding the lovely first batch of soap bars...this is awesome!!!! Now we went to work trying to stamp everything...some stamps were clear , others less so...but it's all about learning and having fun...and I find beauty in the imperfections, too...We got so caught up in stamping and having fun, that I forgot to take a photo of the complete finished product.....


So I took a photo of what Julie let me take home :) :) :) Thanks, Julie...you were beyond generous with all this beautiful looking soap ;) :) :) Now it's just a matter of letting it cure for SIX WEEKS...yep, it takes that long to harden up nicely...but it's so worth the wait...You have nice homemade soap from just 6 ingredients. That makes me feel really, really good...AND you could even shave that soap once it's done curing and make your own homemade powdered laundry soap.....


Julie made me a special bar of soap engraved with the letter "H" for Heather :) :) :) Okay...how many times can I say how much FUN this is...everyone should try making homemade soap...


Here I am holding up a bar of freshly made homemade soap :) :) :) Yeah...I'm not sure you can read the excitement on my face or not...hee hee hee hee :) :) :)  I think Julie and I both decided we can now officially say we are "pioneer cool" and "super farmgirl chick"...I love being self-sufficient...I love being able to make things for myself...and thank God for people who show us how to do this.  What a blessing..

It's never too late to learn something new!!!!  Thanks again to my friend Julie for letting me help.  This was all that and a bag of chips...meaning, I had the most fun ever making this soap!!! It makes living a "homemade" life more of a reality!!! Stay tuned August 22nd, 2010...the soap will have finished curing and I'll try the soap out and report back to you all!!!!

Here's a photo of a lovely rose. for all of you..courtesy of Julie's backyard rose bush!!!  It's a thank you for reading my blog :) :) :)

After we had cut the soaps and were sitting down for a rest, Julie was thumbing through my Mary Jane Butters books...click here if you are interested in taking a look at the books. You can purchase them if you like.  They're fantastic books and have really inspired me to live a more homemade, crafty simple life...while still leaving room for beautiful things.  There are so many great stories, ideas and photos. It's a real treat for the eyes.  I know I'm not the only one out there who likes all things Mary Jane's Farm :) :)

It's been a fun couple of days. I feel really good about what I've accomplished....OH, can I thank you again, Julie...yes, I can...She's a real sweetheart of a friend who loves Jesus, her family...and now making homemade soap :) :) I think being "self-sufficient" is a good thing, in the sense of having the ability to make as many of the things you need for yourself as possible.  I'm so thankful to God for giving me the skills to learn something new...and for the people who take the time to write all this stuff out, so people like me can read and follow :) :) That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

It's been a wonderful Sunday.  God is so good to me... :) :) That's the news from Oregon for today...extra love and hugs to all for reading my posting marathon, Heather :) :) :)