frugal living

Peppermint Foot Slather with Neem Oil

Body Care Products

As the weather warms up, get those feet ready for their annual unveiling with this recipe for a neem-heavy lotion I can only term a “slather.”  It hits the warmth of your skin and liquefies into a juicy, emollient boon for the toughest hide. Neem and calendula are both well-regarded for their skin-healing properties.  The [...]

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Blackberry Leaf Decoction

Body Care Products

As I was trimming back a few blackberry shoots I got to thinking–Aren’t blackberry leaves Something–you know, something in their own right other than the prickly part of blackberry production? As it turns out, they are something. High in tannins and vitamin C, they are good for: skin mouth/gum tissue intestinal health immunity Teas and [...]

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Composting with Chickens

Barnyard

My compost pile is located inside the chicken yard– part coincidence, part deliberate decision, and it’s been a good combo. The compost pile has always been beside the outbuilding which is now the chicken house. When I enclosed a space connected to the chicken house, I included the compost pile area and it’s naturally the [...]

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Micro-soap

Body Care Products

I don’t know this never occurred to me before. When I was making my latest batch of liquid soap, I just popped all the oils in the micky for a couple of minutes on 30% power and they were ready to go! Ivory the Inventress (though somebody else has totally thought of this, I’m sure.) [...]

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Make Your Own Insect Repellent

Body Care Products

This is an insect repellent for the skin. I’m not going to misrepresent–for me, it isn’t the holy grail of natural repellents which would last indefinitely and be 100% bugproof. I keep a bottle in my back pocket and reapply frequently and I still get the occasional bite. I do like it, though. In a [...]

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