The Paleo Mama

Homegrown and Handmade

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Homemade Herbal Shaving Cream & Citrus Spiced Aftershave

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I’m so thankful for all these wonderful bloggers who are willing to share some great stuff with my readers on my page! I just think that is so generous! With my big move to North Carolina, setting up our farm, and settling in with the kids, these guest posts have, not only, been a lifesaver, but I am learning so much from them! Aren’t you? Today’s post is brought to you by Becca at The Dabblist! I am just amazed at how great this recipe works and I do plan on whipping up a batch of the homemade shaving cream for myself! Please welcome Becca!  

My poor husband had basically given up on shaving, and had resorted to sporting stubble for several months when enough was enough. His sensitive skin would break out in a rash every time he shaved, and no conventional (or expensive natural brand) skincare products could make it right.  So he thought his only option was to not shave anymore, which I wasn’t exactly a fan of. Every kiss would be highlighted with the scrape of needle-like facial stubble. Sometimes I would break out in hives when we would…ahem…have one of our more passionate moments.

So, as you can see, we were in a bit of a pickle. And I wasn’t going to let it go on any longer. So I started researching homemade, herbal remedies for sensitive male skin that would also work for shaving. We needed something to moisturize his skin while shaving, and soothe it afterwards. As I keep finding out in my journey through life, nature has the best recipes – for our skin, for our health, for a happy and healthy life.

Today, I’m sharing with you my recipes for shaving cream and soothing aftershave tonic.

Homemade Herbal Shaving Cream

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Ingredients: 

 Instructions: 

In a double boiler (or a glass bowl placed over a pan of water), melt the oil and butters together. Once melted, immediately remove from heat, transfer to another bowl, and add in the other ingredients. Blend with a hand blender until frothy and cream-like (should take 60-90 seconds). Place cream into glass jar containers and allow to cool. Store in a cool, dark cupboard (no need to refrigerate). Shelf life is 1 month.

To use, take a small amount of cream in your hand of work up to a lather on your face before shaving. Be sure to splash face with warm water after shaving, and before using the aftershave tonic.

 Citrus Spice Aftershave Tonic

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Ingredients: 

 Instructions: 

Combine all ingredients in a large jar and seal tightly. Store in a cool, dark cupboard for 2 weeks and allow mixture to steep. Give it a shake every couple of days to agitate the ingredients.

Once mixture is steeped, strain the liquid into a lovely looking container. Your aftershave tonic is ready to use! Store in a cupboard (or refrigerate, if you want it cool) and use within 6 months.

To use, pour a bit of the mixture onto a cotton pad and swipe over skin just after shaving. Another option is to pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz the face.

19bc4a93063dc53ad76900340c908f0bBecca is the face behind The Dabblist – her manifesto to declare freedom from the taboo from being known as a “dabbler.” She has found that, through sharing our stories and creations with each other and not being afraid to get our hands dirty, we can remember what our great great great grandmothers once knew – that we can be the creators of our own joy. 

 You can follow The Dabblist on Facebook, Pinterest, & Instagram.

Confession: I Don’t Use Shampoo

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No, I am not gross. No, my hair is not greasy. No, I am not a hippy.

I haven’t used shampoo, conditioner, or hair products on my hair in a long tim. My hair has never felt so amazing. It’s soft and shiny. It is healthy. I have been doing what people call the “no poo” method. No I don’t put poo on my head…I’m not a Rastafarian!!! Haaaaa! “No Poo” stands for “no shampoo”. Get it?!! Ok, it actually took me awhile to get it. I would hear other natural-minded friends talk to me about the “no poo” method and I just didn’t get it. Then I started looking for a more natural way to color my hair. I discovered Henna! You can read about my Henna journey here: https://thepaleomama.com/2012/04/01/henna-hair-dye/ .

A few months into “no pooing”

I LOVE Henna now. I have done it every 6-8 weeks for awhile now. I will never go back to chemical-laden dyes. Henna is amazing. Ok, back to “no poo”!

“No Poo” Method is used when you make a baking soda paste as the shampoo/cleaning part and an apple cider vinegar rinse for the conditioner part. Ask your mamas how they used to get their hair to shine. They will say vinegar! This is nothing new; nothing hippy. I love bringing back what our mamas and grandmas used to do. They had it right in so many ways. Our modern-day culture is far from where we need to be. When it comes to living sustainably, I am all for it. So, when I finally started to understand the “no poo” method I figured I would give it a good try and LOVE it!

There are many methods that people use. I have found this method to work best for me: add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to about 1-2 cups of water. Pour this all over your wet head. Use your fingertips and really scrub your roots and scalp. This is where the grease starts and where I really focus on. I really don’t bother with the rest of the hair much when I am using the baking soda rinse. I make sure that all my roots and scalp are scrubbed and then I rinse it out. Now, we have been brainwashed to believe that scrubbing bubbles and foam equals clean. Not true! And you won’t get that with this method…or many other natural methods of cleaning. Chemicals are used to create foam and I’m not for that.

Once you rinse out all the baking soda then you are ready for the conditioner. I take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and add it to a cup of cold water. Because I don’t really like the smell of vinegar and I don’t like the smell in my hair, I add 5-8 drops of Sweet Orange essential oil to the mixture. This smell is heavenly! Next, I pour this all over my hair and massage it in really good, especially into my ends. I leave it on for a few minutes while I finish up the rest of my shower and then rinse it out with cold water. The colder the water, the more shiny and soft your hair will come out. The vinegar rinse also balances your PH levels after the baking soda wash.

My hair used to be so coarse. In order for it to look good, I had to blow dry it and then straighten it. My hair was so damaged by the overuse of chemicals in all the hair products I was using and the overuse of heat in styling it. Now, my hair is so soft I don’t even have to use any kind of styling products to make it soft, like serums. I don’t blow dry it anymore. I let it air dry and then sometimes I will straighten it. If it starts to feel a little coarse throughout the day, I rub a teeny tiny amount of coconut oil on it and it softens it right up.

I love my hair now! Using this method has also helped the Henna coloring to stay on longer and doesn’t fade. The only time I have to re-do my coloring is when my white roots start to grow out.

Hope this encourages you to give it a try! Also, your hair goes through a period in the beginning when it overproduced sebum (hair grease) because it’s so used to be washed everyday with shampoo that strips the natural oils off. Don’t fret! This period only lasts a few weeks at the very most. Wash your hair 2-3 times a week and it will eventually even out.

Henna Hair Dye

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Update: 4/4/12

Last night I applied the other package of Henna that I have. I read a lot about Henna these past few days and believe I was more uneducated the last time I applied it. I’ve learned alot from this free booklet that I found online: https://www.hennaforhair.com/freebooks/hennaforhair.pdf . I did several things different this time. First, I mixed the Henna with lemon juice, not boiling water. I read that you need to use something acidic to release the dye. Instead of letting it sit overnight, I placed the bowl of mixed Henna outside for a few hours. When it started to rain I placed it inside next to a window to cure. The booklet says to let it cure overnight or if you are in a hurry to put it outside for a few hours.

After about 5 hours of curing and after the kids were in bed I took the bowl of Henna and added a little more lemon juice to it to get it to the consistency of mashed potatoes. I also added about a teaspoon of cloves to it to give it a nice smell. The first time I applied Henna a few days ago I mentioned how messy it was. Well this time it was so much easier. I filled up my bathtub about ankle deep with water. I got all my supplies ready and put it near the bathtub. I got in the bathtub and applied the Henna in there. It made it much easier cause I wasn’t flinging Henna all over the bathroom. I had a washcloth ready to wipe off any Henna that fell on my shoulders or on the bathtub sides. I used a mirror while I was standing in there and applied all the Henna from back to front. Dividing it up in sections made this MUCH easier. Next I took my gloves off and grabbed saran wrap and wrapped my head up really well.

I cleaned up the small mess I made, which was easy since it was all in the bathtub. All-in-all, this took me about 20 minutes. Then I layed a dark towel over my pillow and hung out with my hubby till we fell asleep. I also wrapped a towel around the saran wrap to help keep the heat in more. Heat helps release the dye onto your hair.

When I woke up I got in the shower and rinsed the Henna out. This takes a few minutes, so enjoy the hot shower and let it completely rinse out. I washed my hair with baking soda and conditioned with apple cider vinegar (No Poo Method) and got out and styled my hair.

I went out in the sunlight to see what a difference it was. I figured if it was too red I would apply the Indigo, however, I am very happy with the color. My hair is so dark that I really didn’t expect it to lighten it up very much. But, I was surprised how auburn it now looks, especially in the sunlight!

I read that Henna is permanent in the hair but fades over time. I am hoping I can go about 2 months till the next time I need to use Henna again, but I will let you all know!

I also want to recommend EVERYONE do Henna, even if you don’t need color. They have a neutral Henna that has no color, just the conditioning properties. It is so nourishing to your hair. My hair feels so soft and I love the smell. I read some people hate the smell, but I think it smells so earthy and sexy. I really like the clove smell too that I added to it.

Update: 4/2/11

I really don’t think I left the Henna on long enough when I applied it. I left it on for about 10 minutes and then I applied the Step 2 to my hair. I’ve learned that the Step 2 was Indigo, another natural dye. This tones down the Henna and makes it darker and not so red. I left the Indigo on for about an hour. My white hair was covered and it turned it a nice golden blond color. I don’t believe it did anything to the rest of my hair. I really wasn’t expecting it to because my hair is very dark. I think I’m going to use my other box and do just the Henna application (which is the Step 1) and not use the Indigo. I would like more of a red in my hair.

I felt like Cleopatra last night! I had henna all over my head and I was reminded how the last Pharaoh of Egypt, the beautiful and exquisite Cleopatra, was known for her use of henna. For thousands of years women have used henna, which comes from a plant, to dye and condition their hair, skin, and nails. Henna is completely natural and chemical free, unlike commercial dyes that strip the hair with harsh chemicals like ammonia and hydrogen peroxide so that it is then able to absorb the color.

I never knew you could use henna on your hair. I’ve had henna done to my body before. The most recent time being when I was pregnant with my little 8 month old son. My friends at my baby shower had a blast decorating my full belly!

9 months pregnant

I never knew you could do henna on your hair. I was researching some natural and chemical-free ways to dye your hair. Since I have been doing the “no-poo” (no shampoo) method on my hair the past week, I was wondering how I would dye my hair now since I was avoiding chemicals. I looked it up and saw that women the past thousands of years had put henna on their hair. My hair was needing some color. The only reason I dye my hair is because I have premature WHITE hair…not gray…stark white.

My white roots

I found a henna brand on Amazon and ordered it. I couldn’t wait for it to get here. As soon as it arrived I started my experiment. It was a pretty long process but, I do believe, worth the end result.

The directions that came in the package were pretty clear. What I liked about this brand was that it is not a compound henna pack, which you do want to avoid. It’s not 100% true henna. I thought for my first time I would do something like this since it had directions and was pretty easy. Next time I might actually go into an Indian store and get the henna powder that I have to mix myself. I was also thinking about ordering the henna bricks from Lush. I love Lush! Have you seen their products?! They are so clean and delicious!

The process of putting the henna in your hair is messy. The directions did not warn me about this. Next time I will either do it outside or put newspaper all over my bathroom. I didn’t stain anything because my husband was quickly picking up my mess! Gotta love a clean freak hubby! This box came with a 2 step process because it is targeted towards those needing gray coverage. I let the mixtures of both powders that came with the box cure for 3 hours. The step 1 mixture was the henna that I put on my hair for a total of 10 minutes. I rinsed that out and put the step 2 mixture on, which is the conditioner. I added a raw egg to the mixture for extra conditioning. You can also add a teaspoon of ginger, nutmeg or sage for smell if you want. The smell of the henna didn’t bother me. It smells natural, like earth. My hair still has a faint smell of henna…and it’s the next morning. I plan on not washing my hair for 3 days so the henna can set and start to darken a little bit more.

watching my Roku while waiting for henna

Henna could be considered “semi-permanent” because it lasts for 4-8 weeks depending on how often you wash your hair. I figured since I won’t be using shampoo on my hair and am using baking soda and apple cider vinegar, then it might last a little longer.

So, I love the outcome! Not only does my hair feel amazing, look shiny, and covered my gray pretty, darn well, but I didn’t even have to use harsh chemicals at all! I also have not used shampoo in over a week and my hair feels so clean and looks very healthy. I am thoroughly enjoying experimenting with more natural skin care and hair techniques. It’s nice to feel more self-sustainable!

No more white!

Homemade Body Wash and Toothpaste

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I’ve been buying Kirk’s castile soap for my family. It’s very safe, hypoallergenic, and has like 5 ingredients in it. I love that it’s coconut based too! The only thing though, is that we have been going through almost a bar every week. I am used to body wash…liquid soap. I’m not digging the bar soap. So, I found a recipe online on how to turn a bar soap into body wash! Score! I love Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap, but it’s kind of expensive. I keep it on hand to clean the kids with, and to mop the floor with. A little goes a long way with Dr. Bronner’s, but I had 2 bars of Kirk’s soap so I thought I would see how a homemade recipe would turn out. I modified this recipe I found online and here is what I did.

First I grated the bar of soap.

Then I put 6 cups of water in a pot and turned it on. Once it was almost boiling, I added in the grated soap (about 2 cups). I stirred it until it was melted and set it aside to cool for about an hour.

At this point I added in a few TB of coconut oil and about 15 drops of Lavender essential oil. It made a quart-sized mason jar and a pint-sized jar!

I used some of this the other day when showering. It’s nice and works well.  If you’ve ever used Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap, then you know that natural liquid body wash has a more “watery” consistency. I am on the look-out for those foaming hand soap dispensers because I would really like to use this soap I made for washing hands too. It should foam up nicely with one of those foaming dispensers!

Homemade Toothpaste

On to homemade toothpaste! Ok so this was a big step for me. To make something I lather on my body is one thing, but to make something that I actually put inside my mouth is another. Then I realized how silly this logic is. I’m trying to live more sustainably, so I need to trust myself more and trust that God gave us all we needed when He made us and the earth. I’m really trying to live more sustainably for many reasons. One, I want to be ready in the even of a Zombie Apocalypse. Two, I want to never run out of things and have to run to the store. And three, I want to show my kids to be dependent on themselves and not the grocery store. So, I found a recipe on Pinterest that uses: 5 Tbs baking soda -4 Tbs coconut oil -About 10 drops of essential oil -Container (Make sure it has a lid. Baking soda will absorb smells if left to open air.) -*You can also add a bit of stevia or other natural sweetener if you’re used to a sweeter toothpaste. I added some stevia and it did make it more palatable. It is definitely different tasting. I didn’t have any peppermint essential oil so I used my lavender essential oil. Gross! It smells good but the taste is hard to take. However, I am going to use it for myself. I know my husband will never use it. He couldn’t even use the Tom’s toothpaste without gagging. I really do like how clean it makes my teeth feel. It doesn’t bubble up and lather like commercial toothpaste does, but those do that because of all the toxic chemicals in it.

I’m really happy with all my homemade, natural products! I’m ordering a few “peri” bottles from Amazon to store them in. I have a bunch of glass mason jars in the shower right now and we all know how dangerous that can be.

All-in-all, I’m excited about my all my new products I’m making. I’m on my first week of doing the “No Poo” hair method, which is using no shampoo to wash with, however, that is a whole new post in itself. I am documenting it and after a month or so I will update you all!

I Rendered Lard!

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Before eating Paleo, we were “real food” eaters, following the guidelines and traditions of the Weston A. Price foundation and Nourishing Traditions cookbook. The use of lard was introduced to me as being healthy 3-4 years ago. Before that, you wouldn’t be able to convince me it was beneficial. However, I am now a believer in pig fat and cow fat (tallow). Not only is lard the original shortening that our grandmothers used to use, but it is also very high in Vitamin D, and anyone who has had their vitamin D levels checked recently, can tell you that we all are lacking in this essential vitamin.

Good lard is only 40% SATURATED fat, with 48% MONOUNSATURATED and 12% POLYUNSATURATED fat. Another interesting point to make is that lard’s fatty-acid composition is very comparable to breast milk which is 48% SATURATED 35% MONOUNSATURATED and 10% POLYUNSATURATED.

WE NEED SATURATED FAT IN OUR DIET: “It makes up over half of all cell membranes and gives cells stiffness and integrity. Bones require about 50% of the dietary fat to be saturated so calcium can be absorbed. SF lowers Lipoprotein-a in the blood, an inflammatory marker directly associated with the risk of heart disease. SF protects the liver from alcohol, toxins and drugs and they enhance the immune system. Omega 3 fats are retained in the tissue when the diet is rich in SF. Heart muscle contains rich deposits of stearic acid and palmitic fatty acids as they are foods the heart muscle uses and which are drawn upon in time of stress. Many SF have antimicrobial properties and protect us from harmful pathogens in the intestine. There is no scientific evidence to back up claims that SF causes “artery clogging” in fact arterial plaque is only 26% SF the rest unsaturated fat, over half of the plaque is polyunsaturated fat!

WE NEED CHOLESTEROL- it is only found in animal fat. In spite of being falsely accused of being the cause of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stork, cholesterol is actually a necessary substance in every body. It is a strong anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger. This is why cholesterol levels go up as we get older since we need more protection. Cholesterol makes up a large portion of the brain, is the root of all corticosteroids and hormones in the body, it is the precursor to vitamin D. It keeps our skin soft and moist, and makes the bile which we need to digest fat. Mother’s breast milk is very high in it (which should tell us something!). Our bodies make over 2000mg daily whereas a maximum of only 100mg can be absorbed from the diet, so it’s pretty clear how shaky and wrong the connection of heart disease to dietary cholesterol intake. It is oxidative stress that causes cholesterol to elevate in the bloodstream in response to excessive free radicals. In the skin, uv light causes the production of free radicals, known carcinogens and aging factor, which damage the vital phospholipids of the skin unless the cholesterol is there in adequate supplies to protect it. Cholesterol is required for proper function of serotonin (the “feel good” brain chemical) such that low cholesterol levels are associated with aggression, violence, depression and suicidal tendencies. Cholesterol lowering drugs, especially the statins, are intrinsically toxic to the liver, they deplete CoQ10, an enzyme needed by all muscles by (note that the heart is a muscle), and ultimately leaves us dangerously exposed to oxidizers, free radicals and other damaging agents” (quoted from here).

Ok, so enough trying to make you a believer, here’s my process of rendering lard:

1. First I pulled the frozen lard and chopped it into pieces.

Pork fatback from local, pastured piggies.

All chopped up.

2. I used my dutch oven and put the chopped lard on my stove top and cooked it on medium-low heat. I stirred every few minutes until the big portion of the lard was cooked and melted.

Just started melting

 

about 15 minutes into cooking

3. This took about 20 minutes. At about this point you will start to see the “cracklings” form. This is when everything starts spattering, so be careful. Once the cracklings are done splattering all over, they will begin to rise to the top of the bowl. This means you’re done!

All done and cracklings rose to the top

4. Next, I placed a colander over a bowl and poured my hot bowl of rendered lard into it. The cracklings were caught by the colander and the lard drained through into my bowl.

cracklings

5. I transferred to a mason jar and admired my beautiful fat. The lard was yellowish/brownish color when hot and turned a nice, smooth white color once it cooled!

Just drained lard…hot and brownish in color
Cooling my lard. Picture taken a couple of hours after I put it in the mason jar. See how it’s changing colors!
Still cooling and changing into a beautiful white color. Picture taken 12 hours after the whole process.

These cracklings or pork rinds are delicious and a wonderful Paleo alternative to bread crumbs (all crunched up). My daughter couldn’t get enough!!!

What do I do with my lard?

  • I use it to fry homemade chicken nuggets.
  • I use it in place of shortening in baking recipes.
  • I use it to saute vegetables.

***I have also rendered tallow the same way and it turned out delicious!

Silk-dyed Easter Eggs

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These were so much fun to make! A little intricate, but so worth it. They came out beautiful!

This is a project that takes a few days, especially if you don’t have any of the supplies you need. I started accumulating old men’s silk ties, boxers, and women’s silk blouses. I went to Goodwill and another consignment shop that was near me and I bought a bunch of different men’s ties in cool designs. It must be 100% silk for the pattern to transfer onto the egg.

The benefit of using silk dye (or acid dye) is that it isn’t poisonous like all those other dyes out there. You can actually eat these eggs after you dye them.

Items you’ll need: silk fabric, kitchen twine or twistie ties, white eggs, vinegar, 100% cotton sheet and some vegetable oil.

Step 1: Gather, gather, gather! Raid your husband’s closet and take those old ties he never wears. Go to your nearby consignment shop. One tie makes 2 eggs. So if you are making 24 eggs then you need 12 ties.

Step 2: This is the tedious step that you might want to do beforehand, especially if you have little hands helping. You need to unravel the ties. So, cut the thread and start taking the tie apart.

Step 3: Cut the fabric into squares. Make sure they are big enough to cover the whole egg and have enough fabric left to tie it together. Then wrap them around the egg, as tight and as flat as you can without crushing it, with the fabric inside out (bright pattern is against the egg). Secure the kitchen twine at the top of the egg. Here’s a picture of my eggs all tied up:

Step 4: Cut your white cotton sheet into squares and then wrap the cotton squares around each egg.  This keeps the dye from each egg bleeding onto the other eggs. I forgot to take a picture of this step. Sorry. I did, however, save on the tieing of twine and used twistie ties.

Step 5: Very carefully place each egg in the bottom of a big pot. Only put them in one layer. You might need to use 2 pots or do them in batches. Cover the eggs with water, with 1/2 inch of water on the top. Then add 1/4 cup of white vinegar into the pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Take the eggs out and set on paper towels to cool and let the color set. No peaking!

Step 7: Unravel the eggs and behold the beauty!!! Wipe them dry with a paper towel and then rub a little vegetable oil on them (this is the only thing I have used vegetable oil on in years!).

All done! I got so many comments on them. They are so beautiful and people will think you are so artistic! Little do they know!!!