The Everything Guide to Shea Butter

Shea butter is an amazing all natural, non-toxic alternative to chemical lotions and lip balms. On its own, it nourishes and heals your skin. It’s affordable, easy to use, and smells amazing. There are so many reasons for everyone to utilize shea butter.

Shea Butter Facts

What Is Shea Butter?

Shea butter is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree.

Where Does Shea Butter Come From?

As you might have guessed, since shea is from the African Shea Tree, it does originate in Africa.

Shea Butter Nutritional Information

Vitamins A & E
Healthy Saturated Fats: Derived mainly from stearic acid and oleic acid.
Contains phenols-the same antioxidants found in green tea.

Health and Beauty Benefits of Shea Butter

Anti-inflammatory
Non-comedogenic
SPF 6-10
Moisturizing

Tips For Buying Shea Butter

Look for:
Raw and unrefined. Refined shea butter has many of the beneficial elements removed.
Ethically sourced. The harvesting and creation of shea butter is usually done by a community. Purchasing from a small, reputable source is usually best. Look for their story of how, where and by whom it’s made. This supports small farmers, families, and communities and also ensures that they get paid a fair wage. Plus, chances are, they use the shea butter too and will care about the quality and condition of their product!
A Product that ISN’T white. Raw and healthy shea butter will have a yellowish hue. Like cow’s milk butter, sometimes it’s a rich, bright yellow, sometimes it’s a pale pastel yellow. The shade will vary depending on the region and shea itself, but it should never be white unless it was processed.
A warm, earthy scent. Scentless shea is usually processed. For processed shea, scentless is usually the “best” processed shea, often, you’ll find it more likely has chemical undertones. Don’t look for scentless! This is a keyword for processed!

(This is what I use.)

Shea Butter Allergy Concerns

Shea butter is derived from the shea nut. If you have a nut allergy, use caution.
If you buy a refined version of shea butter, you run the risk of exposure to chemicals.

How To Store

Shea butter has a shelf life of about 24 months. It may last longer but may become less effective over time.

Keep in a cool, dark, dry place for storage. I keep mine in the original bag it came in, in my closet. I also portion some of it into a small glass jar for use and keep it in my nightstand.

Shea butter will smell nutty and smokey when fresh. If your shea butter goes bad, it will smell rancid. You will probably gag and have no doubt that it is bad. I’ve kept mine fresh for several years, but if you’re worried, you can always store yours in the fridge to help it last even longer. Use a glass jar to keep out unwanted fridge odors.
Note-I live is a cold climate where we have winter 7-9 months of the year. If you live in a warmer climate, you might want to store yours in the fridge.

Shea Butter Basic Uses | 21 Ways to Use Shea Butter Plain

Dry Hands
Dry Feet
Dry Lips
Facial Moisturizer
After Shave Cream
Baby Bums
Massage Rub
Cuticle Cream
Sun Screen Lotion
Hair Mask
Stretch Mark Cream
Pregnant Belly Rub
Cracked Skin Repair
Baby Lotion
Chapped Cheeks
Sore Nose From A Cold
Eczema Soother
Dry Elbows
Dry Knees
Scar Repair
Insect Bites

Shea Butter Recipes

Whipped Eczema Body Butter

References

http://www.vitaminstuff.com/supplements-shea-butter.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shea_butter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitellaria

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258826779_Nutritional_Composition_of_Shea_Products_and_Chemical_Properties_of_Shea_Butter_A_Review

hhttps://bettersheabutter.com/

September 26, 2018September 27, 2018

52 Project, Week 26: Watermelon

Summer and watermelon go together like pumpkins and autumn. Watermelon is one of my favorite summer treats. The kids usually flock around me when I start to chop one up.

This year, I grew watermelon for the first time. We got a bunch of cute little watermelons that tasted amazing. There really is nothing better than food grown at home.

Watermelon is harder to photograph than I thought it would be. I’ve always struggled to photograph the color red. I’ve attempted to tackle it with roses but even then, they’re not exactly to my liking.

That’s the kind of challenge that I don’t give up on. I actually did this photoshoot 3 times. The first two were not to my liking. My last, I can finally say that I have an image I’m proud of.

Previous Week: 52 Project, Week 25: Patterns
Next Week: Flip Flops/Sandals
Main Page for 52 Project

Join us for the photography challenge! We’d love to see your images!
You can post your image on our Facebook page here:

Or tag us on Instagram with #cisforcomfort52
Need inspiration for your watermelon project? Check out my inspiration board on Pinterest!

May 18, 2018March 27, 2019

Simple Gluten Free, Egg Free Brownie Cupcakes

I have been craving brownies for quite awhile. I haven’t had a brownie in…. at least five years? I honestly can’t remember, it might be longer.

I have looked up recipes for gluten-free brownies numerous times, but they usually contain eggs. Searching for an uncomplicated gluten free, corn free, egg free brownie recipe can be a little frustrating. Usually, my desire for brownies wears off as I dig through recipe after recipe with bizarre ingredients.

My goal for gluten free, egg free brownies was that they be simple, fast and contain ingredients I already had on hand (for more easy recipes click here). I personally prefer a more solid brownie. Cake like ones are good too, but I wanted something closer to a cookie, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Cat had also been wanting brownies, and even offered to make them. I seized the opportunity and dived into a google search. I looked for vegan recipes since they are more likely to have egg-free brownies. I found a recipe that seemed to work for us and made a few modifications. This time we stuck with regular sugar to see how the recipe turned out, but I think we’ll attempt using honey or maple syrup next time.

Although we are not vegan, this recipe can easily be converted to dairy free by using dairy-free substitutes for the butter. Maybe coconut oil or olive oil? Maybe I’ll give both a try to see what happens and get back to you!

The brownies turned out as good as I had hoped. We decided to top them with homemade cream cheese frosting and shredded chocolate flakes. This might be a new family favorite, we gobbled them all up in a few days!

Gluten Free Brownie Cupcake Recipe

Ingredients

- 1/2 cup softened butter

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 2 large flax eggs

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar

- 1/4 tsp sea salt

- 1/2 cup cocoa powder

- 3/4 cup gluten-free flour blend

Optional Add-Ins: 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Grease muffin pan with butter.

1. Prepare flax eggs in a small bowl and let rest for 5 minutes.

1. Place butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and blend until smooth. Stir in the flax egg, vanilla, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt and cocoa powder. Lastly, add the flour, then fold in any mix-ins – chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds.

1. Scoop batter evenly into muffin tins until 3/4 full and bake on the middle rack for 22-26 minutes, or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides and they spring back slightly to the touch. Be careful not to overcook or they will get crumbly. Remove from oven and let rest in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a plate or cooling rack.

Store in an airtight container to keep fresh for a couple days. Freeze for long-term storage.

Frosting

Ingredients

- 8 oz cream cheese

- 1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/3 cup maple syrup

Instructions

1. Attach a whisk to your mixer.

1. Add cream cheese to the mixing bowl.

1. Blend cream cheese till smooth.

1. Blend in maple syrup and cream.

1. Whip on high till mixture is smooth, thick, and begins to separate.
2. Pipe onto cupcakes.

Shave chocolate over the top.

May 12, 2018July 18, 2018

The Best Gluten-Free, Egg-Free Waffles Ever

If you have celiac disease or you’re gluten intolerant, you might be on the hunt for the perfect waffle recipe. I might be a bit biased, but these waffles are pretty awesome. They’re light, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

I love waffles! When we were driving from Minnesota to Florida a few years ago, we saw Waffle House restaurants in every town! We started counting as we went along and there were so many that we eventually lost count and gave up. It just goes to prove, however, that there are waffle lovers everywhere!

I have got to tell you, in the beginning, I failed miserably at recreating bread products. My loaves of bread were soggy and dense and would turn hard as a rock. Yuck. Thankfully I’ve since worked out my bread issues.

I did, however, make a wonderful waffle! Right from the beginning, this waffle recipe was easy and delicious. My waffles turned out fluffy and melt in your mouth good.

Before I took the time to figure out my errors in bread making, I simply made gluten-free, egg-free waffles. I would make a double or quadruple batch and freeze a bunch so I could grab them for snacks. I used them for sandwiches, I used them for dessert. I ate them with hummus. I had no idea waffles could be so versatile!

Please don’t be overwhelmed to actually try bread, but if you are in a pinch for time or need an easy and quick bread, this gluten-free, egg-free waffle just might be the recipe for you.

Do you love to use waffles for everything? What’s your favorite way to eat them? Let me know in the comments!

Recipe

Dry Ingredients

3 1/2 cups gluten-free flour blend
6 TBSP flax
2 TBSP chia seeds (ground or whole)
1/2 tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Wet Ingredients

1 cup olive oil
3 1/2 cups coconut milk

Preparation

Add dry ingredients to a large bowl. Blend thoroughly with a whisk. Add wet ingredients and whip until well blended. Preheat waffle iron. Grease with butter or coconut oil. Add 1 cup of the recipe to the waffle iron. Cook on medium-high for 7 minutes. Serve with favorite toppings!

Breakfast Topping Ideas

100% grass-fed butter or ghee
100% pure maple syrup
berries
jam
homemade whipped cream

Lunch Ideas

Grilled Cheese
Hummus
Portabella Burger
Grilled Veggies
Classic Sandwich
Avocado
With Soup

January 3, 2018

Making Your Own Dried Basil

Making dried basil is so incredibly easy, I think my children could do it! Plus, homemade is always so much cheaper than the store, after the initial purchase, it’s free!

I grew my own basil this year and it did really well! I’ve tried to grow basil one other time when my neighbor gave me a gift of basil in a pot. It died within a few months, sadly. If you know anything from reading my blog, it’s that I don’t give up easily.

When Nate saw a potted basil plant at Walmart earlier this year, he suggested we give it another try. I immediately jumped on the idea. We brought our new plant home and it did exceptionally well! In fact, it became enormously bushy. I have had to prune it back a few times.

I love having potted basil year round. Pinching off a few leaves for snacking on with tomatoes and cheese is one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh basil. I also love to cook with it after it’s been dried. It’s one of my main herbs that I use.

Here are the steps I use to make my own dehydrated basil.

When your basil gets especially bushy, trim back the stems until it has a nice compact shape.
Put the stems in a strainer and gently rinse them off.
Shake the excess water off of the basil.
Remove the leaves from the stems and place them in the dehydrator. Use a fine mesh or fruit leather attachment for smaller leaves.
Dehydrate until leaves are dry and crumbly.
Put basil on a plate and crumble into small pieces.
Put dried basil crumbles into a spice jar.
Lable jar.

You can check out how I have dried basil in my videos!

September 26, 2017June 26, 2018

We Locked Our Keys In The Van in the Middle of the Woods

We Locked Our Keys In The Van

Camping, Day 2

After a night of heavy rain drumming our tent, I woke to the sound of birds. Thankfully, we were nice and dry inside! I got out of bed before everyone else to capture some nature photography before breaking down the campsite. Cat joined me and we had fun capturing the world, damp and dew drop covered from the night before.

After Nate got up, we decided to see if our next campsite was available. We weren’t able to get all of the days at the same spot since everything was so booked. Usually, the whole north is mostly booked by the time spring rolls around. If we want to pick a good spot for an entire week next year, we might have to reserve our spot within the next few months.

Cat watched the little ones while we walked across the campgrounds to take a look. As we walked past, we noticed the people there were already packing up! Check out isn’t until 4, so we had time to pack up our stuff and get over there. However, we wanted to get settled in early so we could relax the rest of our day.

We packed up all of our stuff, putting all of the wet things in the back. I was going to walk over there with the kids since it was such a beautiful day, and the van was packed in almost every seat. Just as we were about to walk off, Nate shut the door, with the keys in the ignition and the van running. We locked our keys in the van.

Unfortunately, my purse was in the van. As were my keys. There was no way to get back in. Nate set off to find the campsite hosts to see if they could assist us. While we waited, I took the kids down to the lake to explore. I decided to take them over to our campsite to occupy them and give them a new place to explore. Then I walked all the way back to see how the van situation was going.

The campground hosts were there with Nate. They recommended calling the local police to come out and open it for free. Nate was worried we would run out of gas if we had to wait, so he called a local tow truck to do it instead. We ended up chatting while we waited. Our hosts were actually from a neighboring town to our hometown! I didn’t want to leave the kids unattended for too long, so I set off to our new site again. It turns out, it was $90.00 to unlock our door. Ouch. I think waiting for the police and buying a gas can might have been cheaper. Ah well, hindsight.

Once we got everything set up, we decided to check out the local town and also pick up some water. Ely wasn’t what I expected. I think I romantasized it, as I had the other towns on the drive up. It was a pretty typical small town. There was the main strip that went right through the center. The shops were all mostly Mom and Pop stores, but there were a few regulars near the outskirts, like Dairy Queen and Family Dollar. It was quite scenic from the top of the hill.

We didn’t stay too long, as we wanted to get back. The day had escaped us. We decided it would be good to start dinner early so we could get to bed at a decent time. The big girls and I played card games while Nate cooked chicken over the fire. Princess and I had gluten free grilled cheese. For dessert, we had the camping classic, smores. Our second day of camping was a lot of fun!

Have you had any mishaps while camping?

Check out our video of our day!

Continue on to day 3 of our camping trip!
https://cisforcomfort.com/checking-ely-minnesota/

Did you miss day 1? Read all about it here:

September 25, 2017October 10, 2019

Bear Head Lake State Park

Camping, Day 1

Around 1 pm on Sunday, we drove up to Bear Head Lake State Park in our RV. The van was packed to the brim, and we were set for a fun week of camping partly because we managed to get the best glamping tents for less. Never having been to this part of Minnesota, I looked forward to a fun new adventure of exploring. The RV was in its best shape since it had just come from the mechanics and was just installed with the new rearview camera we found on this buying guide.

The final week before camping, I was dreading camping. Going somewhere new is always scary for me. Adding in anxiety, severe food allergy prep, packing for a family of six for a week and prepping a home for our absence is a recipe for panic attacks. At one point, I said that I never wanted to go camping again. I visited www.campingconsole.com to make sure I had everything for enjoying a perfect outdoors.

Also, I was worried about my Grandpa. I didn’t want to leave him. My parents insisted I go. I so rarely get a break and camping is something our family looks forward to every year. Grandpa’s health has really improved and I’m hoping he might be well enough to take him off of hospice care!

Once on the road, a large weight was lifted. All of the hard work was done. This was our third time camping, so I had a bit of experience for what to expect in the setup department. At this point, I was only mildly apprehensive about exploring someplace new.

The forecast predicted a 40% chance of rain for part of the day on Wednesday. It started raining as we left our driveway and continued to do so on and off for most of the way up north. Thankfully, it stopped shortly after we passed Cloquet.

I had this image in my mind of what I expected the area to look like. Deep woods, occasional small towns filled with romantic charm, stretches of roads with nothing but thick trees. I was right about the woods and thick trees and long stretches of nothing but wilderness, but I did not expect the size of the towns or the amount of normalcy.

The city of Virginia was about as large as my town. Along the tops of their hills were many large wind mills for power. They had all of the same amenities that we have. If I had been dropped there and not been told where I was prior, I would have guessed I was in a town close to the cities.

As we neared Bear Head State Park, we encountered a large amount of road construction going on. I’m assuming they are in the process of making a single two-lane, one each way road into two roads with two lanes. We almost missed our turn because of this.

The stretch of road into the park was beautiful and peaceful. Tall pines bordered the road with glimpses of lakes along each side. The cabins and homes along the way had personal name signs and cute mailboxes. The sign for Bear Head Lake was impressive, with gold lettering and an image of a bear head.

Our campsite was in a grove of tall white pine tree. It had a nice big space for our tent. Getting unpacked and setup was quick and efficient. We were located right across from the bathrooms, which was nice for our little ones.

Nate and I took a short walk to the lake to check it out while Cat watched the kids. Once we got back, we made our dinner of hamburgers for the three big kids and Nate and gluten-free grilled cheese for Princess and me.

One of my favorite things is to sit around a campfire with my family. We enjoyed the silence of the woods and relaxing next to a toasty campfire in the cool night air. I let one of the kids have the camera so they could take a picture of me. After giving them a smile, they joked about making a silly angry face. I tried my best, but it looks like I’m blinking. 🙂

That night, it stormed and rained heavily. Thankfully we stayed dry and warm in our beds. It was a great first day of camping.

Have you been to Bear Head State Park? How well do you handle the stress of packing for camping?

Check out our video!

Continue on to day 2 of our camping trip!
https://cisforcomfort.com/locked-keys-van/

August 20, 2017November 23, 2019

I Turned My Brown Thumb Into a Green Thumb

I have always joked about having a brown thumb instead of a green one. I have good intentions with plants, but I usually kill most of them. My problem was that I watered them too much. For me, caring for a plant equaled watering it. I literally loved them to death.

I did manage to keep hardy plants alive, to my great joy. My brother got me a Philodendron as a gift when I was 13. It’s the only plant that has survived this long.

My parents were great gardeners. As a child, they had a huge garden in our yard. I can remember working with them to weed, pick off pests, gather ripe plants and care for my own little garden plot. And occasionally, they had me get to lawn care and landscaping near me to make the garden more aesthetic-appealing. My favorites were the raspberries bordering 2 sides of the garage and the strawberries.

When I was given my own little corner plot, I planted Shasta daisies, echinacea, and zinnia among a few other flowers. I loved flowers and the butterflies that they drew to our yard. My Mother had flower gardens in raised planters that my Father built all over our property.

After my own children were born, I gave plants a renewed interest. I tried a few easy house plants, a few palms, some morning glories outside during the warm months, hanging petunias or impatiens. I tried peppers many times but they rarely produced peppers and if they did, were never large enough to eat. I’ve overloved and killed many orchids over the years.

With the addition of extreme allergies to my life, I’ve had to learn to grow my own food. Organic food from health food stores is usually incredibly expensive and is not always guaranteed to be corn free. The safest option is home grown because I control all of the factors of what my food is exposed to.

When I first moved to this house, my Mom helped me plant a small outdoor garden. The weeds overtook it to my great frustration. Creeping Charlie choked out most of my plants. I did get some tomatoes and small ears of corn (ironic, right? This was pre-corn allergy.). After that, I gave up planting in the ground. Nate built me a planter around the mulberry tree in the backyard, which I grew flowers and hostas in, for an easy to maintain, decorative garden.

Inside, I grew potted plants. I tried basil by the sink but I ended up overwatering it. My next sink plant was rosemary, which, as it turns out, LOVES being overwatered. In fact, if I don’t water it often, it starts to die. I also grow potted plants on my porch and bring them inside over winter. My theory was, if they die, that’s ok because they would have died if I had left them outside to die by frost. If they live, I have another plant to enjoy.

This last year, my gardening skills have grown, as has the number of plants in and out. I have several plants that live inside year round, Outside, on my porch, my number of potted plants has grown. After installing a critter fence, it was clear that the plants where staying healthier and growing faster. Those pesky critters can really make a dent in most plants. Those interested in the specific fence used, I found it here. I renewed my attempt for ground grown plants. I planted several things around the porch outside and started a new side garden. I’ve also planted raspberries and blueberries along the fence.

I am not an expert gardener. I have, however, turned my brown thumb into a green one with persistence and determination. I’ve never given up. If my plants die, I try again. I do more research. The best way I’ve learned is by experience and trial and error.

I recommend everyone give gardening a try. It is so rewarding. When I eat food from my own garden, I have a great pride and satisfaction that I have never gotten from bought food.

If you are afraid of killing plants, don’t let that deter you! Keep trying! Start with potted plants. Try something easy to maintain, like impatiens, petunias, philodendrons, or palms like I did. Otherwise, try checking out the end of the year plant sales that most greenhouses have. You can usually get plants cheap or for free. Use the mindset that if it dies, at least you tried. Research what you can do differently next time.

Do you care for any plants? What do you grow? Have you also overcome a brown thumb or has gardening come naturally to you?

Check out my video for a tour of my garden!

January 28, 2017April 27, 2017

So You’re Allergic To Corn

So you’re allergic to corn, now what? A corn free lifestyle is life altering. It’s so much more difficult than any of my other allergies because it’s in 99.99% of everything in our modern world. If you’re anything like me, you might go through several stages of grief.

Stage 1: Innocence
It’s No Big Deal, There Are A Lot of Things To Eat!
Realizing you are allergic to corn. Meh, corn isn’t so bad. So I’ll just skip the corn booth at the state fair.

Stage 2: Shock and Denial
Corn is in What?!
This might happen a few days or weeks after when suddenly you realize-corn is in EVERYTHING. You will be shocked by how corn is in every processed food and even on fruits and vegetables from the grocery store. It’s in diapers and air fresheners and stuffed animals and clothes and in water and in the air and, and, and…. Your brain will go numb as you realize the possibilities and you might even deny it to yourself for awhile.

Stage 3:Anger
Corn is EVIL
You will get so upset and angry. Seriously, why is corn in everything. Corn is EVIL. I hate corn! It’s in this?! HOW can it be in this?!

Stage Number 4:Bargaining & Self Pity
Please, I’ve Got to Eat Something!
Why Me?! Maybe if I go corn free for awhile, I’ll grow out of it and I’ll go back to normal. Maybe if only eat a little bit it won’t hurt me. Maybe if I eat organic corn I’ll be ok. Maybe if I eat corn light I’ll be ok. Nope.

Stage 4:Depression, Reflection & Loneliness
I’m Never Going to Eat Again
You will realize how fully encompassing corn allergies are. The sheer magnitude of the corn world is overwhelming and you will feel defeated. You will feel isolated from your friends and family who have no understanding of the depth of corntamination and you might isolate yourself from everyone. You’ll reflect on your pre corn and post corn life with thoughts of hopelessness. You’ll hit rock bottom.

Stage 5:The Upward Turn
Ok, I’ve Got to Eat
After hitting your lowest point, you’ll have no choice but to pick yourself back up. Take a deep breath, friend.

Stage 6:Reconstructing and Working Through
Seriously Though, What Can I Eat
At this point, you’ll probably start researching like crazy. You’ll join a few corn support groups, you’ll scour the internet looking at different websites, you’ll even be brave and research and try recipes to make from scratch.

Stage 7:Acceptance and Hope
There is Life After Corn, After All
You’ll come to a point where you are not a victim of corn, you are a corn free warrior. You know that other people can and do live corn free successfully and so can you. You’ll start gathering safe foods and household supplies and begin to change your entire world for the better. You’ll learn how to bake and cook like they did way back when. You might grow a garden and make buddies at the farmer’s market. You have learned that life without corn isn’t so bad after all.

After we first figured out that we had corn allergies, it took awhile for us to not only process, but to figure out what was safe and not safe for us. We made a lot of mistakes. We were accidentally corning ourselves with things we had no idea were corny. It took at least a year to figure out the basics and then another year to adapt and grow. It’s been almost 4 years and we are still making changes to our allergy lifestyle.

I hope that you don’t feel discouraged if you find out that you or a loved one has corn allergies. I hope that you find hope, inspiration and comfort here. Maybe you can learn from our mistakes and adjust a bit faster than we did.

Are you allergic to corn? Have you gone through the stages of grief? If you are a pro, how long has it taken you to adjust to a corn free lifestyle?

June 28, 2016June 29, 2018

Homemade Bug Spray

With summer right around the corner, I decided to whip up a batch of homemade bug spray. With 4 little ones, I needed something that was 1.Safe to use on kids, 2.Safe for those of us with allergies 3.Non toxic, 4.Affordable and last but not least 5. It needs to actually work. If it could also not smell horrible, that would be a plus.

I set about my project as I do with most new tasks to tackle, research, research, research. I wanted to be sure that whatever I chose, it would meet all of my expectations above.

Safety

I have read a lot of differing information about the safety of using essential oils on children. Some say that essential oils are natural, therefore go nuts! As someone with allergies to a lot of “natural” things, I know that it is better to err on the side of caution. Since essential oils are highly concentrated forms of the original, it only makes sense to me that less is more. After reading about an alarming number of injuries and deaths from essential oils, I knew I wanted to proceed with utmost caution. I joined a few essential oil safety groups on Facebook to learn about what books, websites, and companies would aid me in my search.

I found this awesome site that lists oils that are and are not safe for children:
http://www.usingeossafely.com/essential-oils-and-children/

Allergies

As with any new product that comes into our house, oils and accessories need to be safe for our unique allergies. I wondered 1. How are they processed 2.What hidden ingredients are there 3. Has anyone else in my allergy group had any reported reactions?

Corn Allergy Statement
This recipe is unfortunately NOT corn free. Thayer’s witch hazel uses citric acid as a preservative. Princess and I do break out in mild hives if applied to the skin, so I try to spray mostly on our clothing, with a light application on exposed skin Since we live in a high mosquito area, a few small hives are preferable to having entire limbs swell up from mosquito bites. Thankfully using this has not created any breathing problems, but we will always stay on alert for safety since the severity of allergens can change at any time. I’m, hoping to learn how to make my own witch hazel in the future.

Non-Toxic

This is a no-brainer for me. If it has ingredients I can’t pronounce, it’s off the list. I believe part of why I am allergic to so many things and have been so sick in the past is due to the fact that I have been exposed to too many toxins. I want to decrease the bucket load of toxins for my family and me.

Affordable

We live in Minnesota so we get a lot of mosquitoes. I need something that I can afford to use a lot of.
Let me break down what making homemade bug spray costs for you. I’m using Young Living, and also NOW for the prices.
8oz Bottle $2.00
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil at 9 cents a drop $1.35YL or >2 cents a drop $0.23NOW
15 Drops Cedarwood Essential Oil at 5 cents a drop $0.75YL or >1 cent a drop $0.13NOW
10 Drops Geranium Essential Oil at 17 cents a drop $1.70YL or >3 cents a drop $0.28NOW
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil at 10 cents a drop $2.00
Young Living does not sell vanilla essential oil because vanilla is not an essential oil. I instead used the price for the vanilla oil I got from my local health food store.
4oz Witch Hazel $3.03
4oz Distilled or Boiled(and Cooled) Water Free!

This ends up being $10.83 for the first bottle and $8.83 for each refill with Young Living.
Or $7.67 for the first bottle and $5.67 for each refill with NOW.
For a price comparison
Burt’s Bees Outdoor all Natural herbal Insect Repellent 4oz bottle $13.50= $27.00 for 8oz
Honest Co Bug Spray 4oz $11.69= $23.38 for 8oz
BabyGanics Shoo Fly Deet Free Natural Insect Repellent 2 oz $4.99= $19.96 for 8oz

So there you have it! Homemade bug spray wins the price comparison again!

Effective

I sprayed the kids at the beginning of mosquito season as they went out to jump on the trampoline at dusk. They came in with one bite on one kid. Earlier this week we had a bonfire. Cupcake and I stayed out the longest. I sprayed myself an average amount of spray. I was wearing a skirt, so my legs were pretty exposed. I did get one bite on my foot and after that, I made sure to spray my feet too. I didn’t get another bite after that. I was lying in a lounge chair and I saw several mosquitoes fly around me and close to my skin before changing their mind and flying off. Incredible! I’d definitely say that it’s effective!

I read that adding vanilla oil increases the duration of the effectiveness of oils. In bug spray, the longer it works, the better!

Comforting

What is more comforting than not being eaten alive? Seriously, I have been bug bait my whole life, mosquitos love me. I’m so happy I’ve finally found something that works!

I was worried the smell would be gross after mixing everything in the bottle. It’s actually quite pleasant. It smells better than all of the chemical ones I’ve been using my whole life.

First Homemade Bug Spray Attempt

Ultimately, I decided to give one of the oil blends from this site a try:
http://blog.oneessentialcommunity.com/diy/diy-bug-spray-works-kid-safe-options/
After assembling all of the supplies, I waited anxiously for my daughter to arrive home from school. I promised her we would make the first batch together. I had everything set up and ready to go on the table and I pretty much sat at the table waiting for her to walk through the door so we could play. Ahhh, big kid toys are just as fun and exciting.

We started by dropping oils into our bottle, stopping to smell each one as we went. Cat helped me count in case I lost my place. I had already boiled and cooled the water before she came home, so we added that in and topped it off with witch hazel. After we shook it up we both excitedly took a whiff of our new concoction and grimaced. It didn’t exactly smell awesome. It wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t very pleasant either. Oh well, it is supposed to repel bugs after all.

Next time, we are going to try lavender scented witch hazel instead of aloe vera. I believe this might have contributed to the weirdness.

Homemade Bug Spray

8oz Bottle
15 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
15 Drops Cedarwood Essential Oil
10 Drops Geranium Essential Oil
20 Drops Vanilla Essential Oil or 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract*
4oz Witch Hazel
4oz Distilled or Boiled(and Cooled) Water

Add Oils to bottle first. Add in water next, then top off with witch hazel. Test a small area of skin on each person before using liberally. Spray on clothes and especially ankles and wrists for adults. With small children, avoid spraying hands or near faces to avoid accidental ingestion or rubbing eyes.

*Vanilla oil is not an essential oil

Thank you for reading! What do you use for bug spray? Have you tried ours? I would love to know how it works for you!

As always, this is not medical advice. Please consult your own medical practitioner for any health-related concerns. Everything shared in this blog is based on my own personal experiences and are what we do for our family but may not necessarily work for yours. Please do your own research to find out what works best for you. An informed and educated choice is always best! 🙂