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oils

homemade mouthwash
City Living, Simple Living

Simple Living Part Two: Homemade Mouthwash

As I mentioned in the previous blog, I’ve really enjoyed learning about how to make simple and cheaper versions of things I use all the time. I don’t think that there is anything morally wrong with just using whatever you buy at the store – I’m not one of those organic evangelists who thinks that if you feed your child Cheerios you are a horrible parent (I buy my 31 year old baby Cheerios. I DO roll my eyes because he works in the OIL FIELD people! Don’t you need more energy than those lil round things to work 16 hours a day?! Whatever. He loves them).

I think that sometimes “living simply” can mean so many different things for people. For example, for someone who is working a demanding job, perhaps living simply looks like whatever can get them relaxing with their family as much as possible. Or if things are tight financially, living simply looks like purchasing/making whatever allows there to be more free room in the bank account. Does this make sense?

I am super curious about experimenting with various methods of making my own products (fill in the blank: toothpaste, shampoo, tomato sauce, candles…etc.).

ALL this to say, the next month or so I am going to do a series, titled Simple Living, documenting my experiments and reviews of specific recipes, as well as interviewing several natural living experts. Just like any other blogger, I love to get feedback. If you have a recipe for something YOU make around the house that simplifies you and your family’s life,  I want to hear about it! I would love to feature YOUR recipes here :)

Email me at restoringsimple@gmail.com or fill out the form below to share a recipe, story, or experience you had creating something to simplify your life.

 

And now: HOMEMADE MOUTHWASH!

 

homemade mouthwash

I recently got together with a good friend and we cranked out 6 different recipes that we wanted to try, including deodorant, face wash, make-up remover, shampoo, conditioner, and mouthwash.

Homemade Mouthwash: big thumbs up.

Slightly cinnamon-y, minty, and refreshing. Doesn’t have that crazy burn that most mouthwash has. I had a painful mouth sore when I started using it and the next day after using this mouth it was significantly less painful, and by day 2 it was gone completely. My husband thinks that the mouth sore had just run its course, while I think the essential oils did the trick – this is an on-going debate we have about success of EOs. He thinks its in my head, I partially think it is too, but I still LOVE essential oils and am convinced that they do their job. But more about that later…

I like this recipe because it uses the essential oils that it does, so you get the added benefit of having the Thieves, Peppermint, and Lemon swished around in your mouth.

Plus, I kind of feel like there is a Christmas-y cleaning party going on in my mouth. It’s very pleasant.

Try it out and let me know how you like it, or don’t.

Here is the recipe that my friend provided (she originally found it here, but tweaked a few things):

2 tsp calcium carbonate powder

10 drops of trace minerals

10 drops of peppermint

5 drops of lemon

5 drops of thieves

2 cups of filtered water

Store in the fridge for up to two weeks (precaution).

 

Now, I’ve had it now for four days, and I haven’t yet put in the fridge… mostly because I keep forgetting :)

So try it out and let me know what you think!

And if you have a recipe or homemade product that you’ve made before (doesn’t have to be an original recipe) and want to share it, please fill out the form below and you’ll be hearing from me shortly :)

 

 

Ryan and Hannah Corson, Herbal Tea Collection
City Living, Simple Living

Herbal Tea, Yoga, Essential Oils, & Juice

 

That sounds like the start to a yuppies dream day.

Yikes.

Well, its been the glorious start to mine for the past month.

I realize right off the bat that this blog post is like every other blog post I have seen lately about, well… the exact same things. Essential oils and yoga.

:sigh:

It’s kind of my pet peeve when I’m following the trends of the rest of my peers.

 

BUT MY MORNINGS ARE AMAZING SO I DON’T CARE.

 

Seriously. I’ve been trying to find some kind of morning routine since moving back to the city, and I think I may have found it.

 

6:00 – wake up. drag myself out of bed. used to be a morning person. marriage makes me wanna stay in bed. go figure.

6:05 – shower. typically still not feeling super jazzed about the day.

 

Edens Garden Essential Oils

 

6:20 – yoga & oils enter the picture. I took some classes at Bella Yoga in Brighton and learned a ton there. Now, that knowledge combined with a sweet app (Yoga Studio) that someone referred me to, and a couple of oils normally rubbed on my feet, chest, and arms (with carrier oil of course) and 15 minutes of stretching and I feel much more awake, energized, and even focused.

 

 

 

 

Cozy Apartment

6:45ish – cleaning frenzy. I know that with normal people, its dreaded. But I’m a freak and cleaning is strangely therapeutic. And given my husbands cleaning habits, I’m thankful that I ended up being that kind of freak rather than the other kind (that pile things on until it feels like there’s a monster living by our front door). Just a couple of minutes of laundry, dishes, {sometimes} making the bed, and I’m a brand new woman. And so is our apartment.

 

 

 

6:55 – Breakfast. I got a free juicer a few months ago with my lil bro at a church garage sale that was packing up for the weekend. I have no idea what brand it is, but I love it. It feels really nice to have fresh juice be the first thing that my stomach deals with in the mornings. But I’m probably going to turn orange very soon from the mounds of carrots I keep juicing. I have to remind myself to add some celery so that this doesn’t actually happen. If it does, I’ll post pics. {Also, ginger is yummy in carrot juice}

Orange Ginger Juice

 

7:10 – Start boiling water for some tea. Throw on some clothes for work. Make herbal tea. I’m not sure if you knew or not, but we (::cough:: I) recently started becoming slightly obsessed with loose leaf tea. Some mornings I’ll make a lil something with caffeine* and some mornings I just stick to herbal for the health benefits.

 

Herbal Tea

*** Picture credit

 

7:15 – Sit down with my tea, granola, and a book. What I’ve been reading lately:

Country Matters

Genesis

The Secret Life of Bees

The Jade Peony

 

7:30ish – out the door, ready for some NPR on the way to work and a hopefully smooth commute and lovely day.

 

Hipster side note: I’m growing a baby. It’s like a week old. Cute huh?**

 

Kombucha Baby

 

 

OK. All you oil experts and fellow aspiring naturalists. Feedback needed:

 

 

– I am still an oil baby. Haven’t been using them very long. Tell me what has worked for you for: sore throats, fatigue, sore muscles, anxiety….etc. ALSO: favorite delivery method?

– Juicing. I’ve pretty much stuck to carrots, celery, ginger, apples, and beets. What else works for you here? Any specific remedies you’ve found? Or other flavors to make yummy juices (or not so yummy juices)?

– Kombucha. Haven’t even finished growing the child yet, but I need some direction. I am not a huge fan of the taste of kombucha, haven’t quite cultivated those taste buds yet… SO what are some things I can do to make it more “Hannah friendly”? I feel like adding juice of somekind would be tasty, but just need some direction.

 

Thanks for enduring my first post of city life. Maybe the next post Ryan will tell you all about the oil field and fracking. #contradictions? #tuneinnexttime

 

 

* did I mention I definitely drink coffee once I get to work? necessary…

** why the heck is this nasty thing called a baby?

*** Thanks Eliza. You good.