I Propose A SWAP!

I have so many wonderful readers with so many great ideas on frugal and sustainable living and I would like to reach out to you: Thus, I'd like to propose a swap!

Wanted to get into soap making but not quite ready to brave the lye?
Looking to get your bathroom filled with more natural toiletries?

In my quest to make the transition from store bought to homemade, chemical to natural, brand name to cheap: I've done some experimenting and lots of research. There are tons of great blogs out there loaded with heaps of information, written by wonderful authors who walk their talk. I'm happy that some of my readers include me in that list, but i probably learn even more from you! Did you like any of my recipes from the past two weeks? Tooth powder? Hair rinse? Perhaps you'd like to try a bar of my all natural soap? I would like to try some of the natural cleaning products i've read about, or slather myself with some luxurious hand lotion (which i'll be making of my own soooooon).

I hereby declare the swap open! I will choose 2 readers (if there is ANY interest at all) to swap ideas and products with. Here are the rules:

1. Swap contestants must reside in the USA (sorry, friends abroad - shipping is an issue)
2. Swap contestants are -encouraged- to become a follower or 'like' AAH on Facebook
3. Swap contents must fit inside a Small or Medium Flat Rate Box
4. Swap contents must follow regulations of the USPS (any liquids must be WELL wrapped and double wraped)
5. The value of the swap must not exceed $10
6. Swap item must be homemade or concocted, mostly natural, and be something you enjoy using yourself on a regular basis. Can be a house cleaning aid, a body product, pertain to dogs or chickens, help out in the garden, a special canned good (with recipe, please!) etc.  Please no baby items, as i have no bambinos!
7. Items should be prepared and shipped within 2 weeks of swap closure.

That's it. Please submit a comment below with your name, contact info (don't comment anonymously please), and what you'd like to try of mine.  I've posted several ideas and recipes recently and since the beginning of this blog. Feel free to search older posts, or choose from the list below. I will choose 2 winners next Friday and start working on your swap item! Please enter, this should be quite fun.

• A bar of Nude Soap (100% natural)
• Tooth powder
• Deodorant (without neem)
• Aftershave
• Facial oil
• Carpet Powder (Also works to rid doggies of pests or odor)
• Bath salts
• Seasoning salt
• Green tomato relish

I look forward to trying out something new!
This post can also be seen at Simple Lives Thursdays.

Natural Deodorant

I probably won't switch entirely to all natural deoderant: i sweat a lot.
***Totally switched completely to this deodorant! I've never used anything better! Hot Dog!****
But i also don't go out in public all that often, so i'll be going half natural/ half Secret Platinum. At least i'll be healthy some of the time. There are 'natural' deoderants on the market, but if you read the ingredient list, there are still an awful lot of additives in there. I found this recipe at Healthy Homesteading, which is a pretty nifty blog if you've never read it before. I think i need to spend some time poking around there. I had most of the ingredients on hand from soap making, but had to buy the arrowroot powder. I used maybe 30 cents worth, so it was worth the trip to the store. The only deviation to her recipe that i used was adding some neem oil and mixing the oils in their liquid state: i simply couldn't get them out of their containers in their solid states without destroying the jug.

Homemade Deodorant

• 7 Tablespoons Coconut oil
• 1 Tablespoon Neem oil 
• 1/4 Cup baking soda
• 1/4 Cup arrowroot powder (can sub cornstarch if you just can't find arrowroot)
• 15 drops tea tree, 5 drops lavender

1. Blend equal parts baking soda and arrowroot powder. 
2. Add the oils and blend until creamy. Add more dry bits if it seems too creamy to you.

That's it! You can fill an old deodorant canister with it, or just keep it in a jar to be applied by finger.

Neem oil smells pretty repulsive, but it has some seriously miraculous health properties. I've done my Wholesome Wednesday post this week on Neem, so check back for more elaboration. In short, neem oil and neem leaf (wish i could get my hands on some neem leaves!) are used for animals, people and plants to address fungal issues, insect infestation, and a wealth of skin problems. Neem aids the skin in addressing itching, redness, fungal infections, dry skin, wrinkles, scars, age spots, etc. I'm using neem in our deodorant for its antibacterial properties. I use it in my shampoo bar and my husband's shaving oil to relieve our dry, itchy, inflamed, chapped, psoriasis-prone skin. Too bad it smells so funky.

Why my interest in phasing out store bought deodorant? It works pretty well. I've been using it all my life. But like most things available to consumers, commercial deodorant contains all manner of preservatives and nasty, unpronouncables. Sweating is our body's natural mechanism for shedding toxins and impurities from our body: blocking that natural reaction just CAN'T be good! Get it out! Don't hold it in! Along with the simple blocking of sweat, deodorant contains aluminum chlorohydrate, a nasty little neurotoxin used in deoderants and other cosmetics which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. Lovely. That's EXACTLY what i want under my arms. There have also been some studies linking the use of deodorant containing aluminum to breast and other cancers because of estrogen-like behavior in close proximity to breasts.

Yes, i cannot for the life of me spell "deodorant" without spell check.

*Note: since i was mixing the deodorant in its liquid state, i had a hard time knowing how much oil to add. As is, it's really hard to get out of the jar- very solid and felt a little gritty against my armpit. As soon as i finish my store bought deodorant, i'll warm this back up and pour it into the canister for greater ease of application. I'm feeling sweat free so far, we'll see how it holds up during my walk with Pocket.

I'll be sure and post greater elaboration on our opinion on the deodorant's efficacy as we use it more regularly. But so far, let me tell you: i am completely odor free! I still sweat some, but who doesn't while jumping up and down over a step for an hour? I can smell the neem sometimes, but smell absolutely no body odor (coming from my armpits at least, teehee) I literally have been searching all my life for a deodorant that actually works, and i think i may have found it - in my own kitchen. I'm stoked.
This post can also be found at Simple Lives Thursday!