DIY blackhead removers

My husband I tried out 3 different DIY blackhead removers to see if they actually would work. The three we tried are the following:

Elmer’s glue
Elmer’s glue with tissue
Coco Organics black magic face mask with added gelatin

Elmer’s glue

My husband got to test out the Elmer’s glue by itself. It took a while to dry. We did 2 layers, and applied it with the tip of the glue bottle. You will want to apply an even layer. I would suggest letting the first layer dry completely before adding a second.

Once it was dry (mostly dry, my hubby was done waiting. It took a good 40 min and it was still a little wet on the uneven parts) we peeled it off. There wasn’t much on it. My husband thinks its because he has such a clean face. I think it just wasn’t able to hold on to anything. His nose did feel super smooth afterwards.

Coco Organics black magic face mask with added gelatin

I tested out this one. I wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. I didn’t want to heat up the face mask as it has clay and charcoal in it and I didn’t want to dry it out. So I heated up 3-4 tsp of water to boiling and added about 1.5 tsp of gelatin( Caution if you are pregnant, this stuff stinks). I then added about 1 tsp of the face mask and mixed it. I waited about 5 -10 min before applying it because it was super hot. My husband put it on my nose and a little bit on my cheeks. It took about as long as the glue to dry. This was quite uncomfortable to take off. I wouldn’t say it was painful though. This took off more then the Elmer’s glue, but not by much. My nose and cheeks were quite soft however. I think I am going to buy the charcoal face masks that you can get premixed, and see if they work any better.

At this point my blackheads seemed a lot more pronounced on my nose, so I thought trying the Elmer’s glue with tissue to see if I could pull out any.

Elmer’s glue with tissue

So I quickly applied some Elmer’s glue to my nose, I immediately added a tissue and some more glue. Looking back I should have waited for the glue to dryjust a bit before adding the tissue and more glue. It took about 30 min for the outside to be dry, but unfortunately it was still wet underneath and there wasn’t a way for me to know. I pulled it of before it was completely dry and it failed miserably. This is one I may have to repeat when it isn’t past my bedtime 😀 Click HERE to watch the experiment fail!

Click HERE and HERE for a link to the live Facebook videos I did while testing them out.

Click HERE and HERE to access the YouTube link.

Coco Organics

This new year I have been trying to get through my new year resolution. I choose a word that I wanted to work on and I feel it encompassed all that I wanted to work on this year. I have felt for a really long time that I was meant to do this blog. I haven’t been true to myself, due to fear. Fear that I wouldn’t succeed, that no one would find what I had to say interesting or helpful. Well, I am done! I am going to be consistent and post amazing things on this blog. I know it will grow and help others! I have let go of my fear!

So to celebrate me overcoming my fear and I am posting about my experience of Coco Organics! (Disclaimer: I was not paid or given anything to do this review. I have been eyeing her products for a while and have wanted to try them. )I was lucky to buy the His or hers sample pack she was selling around Christmas time. It had a sample of :

You Mint Me Coco Face Scrub
Coffee Scrub
Black Magic Face Mask
Dirty Mouth Tooth Polish
Whipp Me Body Butter
Kiss Me Honey Lip Balm

They all smelt amazing! I am going to include the ingredient list from her website from each product I tried. I will also include a link to the product so you can check it out (link in the title of the product)! She includes what the benefit of each ingredient does for you!

You Mint Me Coco Face Scrub

Okay, starting with the You Mint Me Coco Scrub. This scrub is amazing! She jokes on her site that you may be tempted to eat it and she wasn’t kidding! I felt it did a great job exfoliating! It’s chocolaty and the mint leaves your face feeling super refreshed! My skin is a little sensitive, so I had to be careful to not scrub too hard. Ingredients off her website are:

You Mint Me Coco Face & Body Scrub/Mask: Ancient Sea Salt, Organic Raw Fair Trade Unrefined Shea Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Raw Cacao Powder, Non GMO Xylitol from 100% North American Hardwood, CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® Peppermint Essential Oil

Coffee Scrub

Can I just say that I love the smell of coffee? I don’t drink it, but I sure do love the smell and the skin benefits! Its a great way to exfoliate, and the caffeine can help reduce the appearance of cellulite! I really enjoyed her coffee scrub. I used it all over my body, and I felt so soft and smooth after!She has listed the ingredients for each scent on her website. (There are quite a few, so it would be a lot of info to post here. Check out the link above to get more info)

Black Magic Face Mask

This was terrifying to use the first time. I was worried it wouldn’t come off! It did, but it took a lot of effort. It was suggested to use one of the scrubs to take it off, which I did, but it didn’t come off completely. I had to rewash my face a couple times with my regular face wash before it was completely clean. While it was on my face, it felt cool and tingly. I felt very refreshed once I was all clean. The ingredients off her site are:

Bentonite clay, activated charcoal, water, organic extra virgin coconut oil, non gmo xylitol from 100% North American Hardwood, Ancient Sea Salt, certified organic oil of oregano, CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® melaleuca oil

Cocos Dirty Mouth Tooth Polish

As terrifying as the face mask was, this was actually a lot of fun! It was gross having black teeth but fun to see the results. I did before and after pictures. Unfortunately for you I’m not a great selfie taker. I noticed a huge difference! I also did a quick video to show you how it looks while brushing 😀

The Ingredients off her site for the one I tried are:

Wintergreen: Calcium Bentonite Clay, Activated Charcoal, Water, Organic Extra virgin coconut oil, non gmo 100% North American Hardwood xylitol, Ancient sea salt, Organic Wintergreen & Peppermint Essential Oil, CPTG Certified Melaleuca oil, Certified Organic Oil of Oregano

I’ve had people ask about the charcoal and if it could damage the enamel on your teeth, and if it can help protect your teeth against cavities. I wrote the owner and she got back to me in such a timely manner! This is her response:

“Yes we use xylitol which is dentist recommended to prevent cavities, and our toothpaste is based on the research of remineralization- we use a calcium bentonite clay that deposits minerals on your teeth to help prevent and even heal cavities. We have a lot of customers emailing us that they are getting their first cavity free dental check ups after switching to our tooth polish!!”

” Yes I’ve heard that before and we have spent lots of time researching – using the wrong charcoal can do that- however we use an extremely fine ground activated charcoal and it is blended into a creamy fine ground clay and water and coconut oil base- and together they can help strengthen enamel and if you read the reviews on our Facebook page thats what it’s doing for everyone! Our activated charcoal is so fine we have to wear respirator masks when working with it because it creates so much dust (not even visible to the naked eye) hope that helps!”

They have amazing customer service, so if you have any questions or problems don’t hesitate to contact them!

Whipp Me Body Butter

The Body Butter had a slightly greasy feel when first applied but once i rubbed it in all the way I didn’t notice a residue. I really liked the way it made my skin feel, nice and soft. It also smelt so good!

Ingredients off her site:

Organic Raw Fair Trade African Shea Butter, Organic Raw Unrefined Cacao Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Fractionated Coconut Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Cold Pressed Rosehip Oil, Organic Cold Pressed Jojoba Oil, Bentonite Clay, CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® Essential Oil

Kiss Me, Honey Lip Balm

I have to admit I haven’t used this one yet. I’m not a big “chapstick” person. I will try it out and then add my review once I have!

Ingredients off her site(unscented):

Organic Beeswax, Organic Raw Unrefined Cocoa Butter, Organic Raw Fair Trade African Shea Butter, Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Raw Honey, Organic Cold Pressed Raw Jojoba Oil, Organic Cold Pressed Raw Rosehip Oil

Overall, I have to say I’m pretty impressed with the products. I love that they are all natural and that there aren’t any harsh chemicals. I loved the results I got from the tooth polish and I would totally buy it again.

Homemade dry shampoo

Ever since I started my no poo journey, I’ve been able to stretch out my washes. I now only wash my hair every 6-7 days. A big reason for that is using dry shampoo on day 4 or 5. I have found a great recipe for dry shampoo, that I LOVE!! And the great thing is, there are a couple different options for you depending on your hair color!

The recipe is super easy!

Items needed:

cornstarch
few essential oils (1-2 drops of each) Rosemary, Lemon, Peppermint, Melaleucca , and sandlwood are a few great ones.
You will want a glass container to store it in so that the oils don’t eat through.
Blush brush

Just place your cornstarch in your container, add the oils and mix until combined! See super easy!

Here is a convenient video to show you how I apply it!

For the original recipe click here

This link has the recipe for blonde and brunettes. If you are a red head, then just replace the cocoa powder with cinnamon powder. Just be careful though as I have read that cinnamon can be irritating to the skin.

Here are a few before and after photos!

Kaydee here! When I started my no poo experiment I was really nervous about how long I was going to last. My biggest concern was what to do after I exercise. Exercising makes my scalp extremely sweaty. Usually, I love to shower right after exercising to get the yucky sweaty feeling out of my hair. Since starting no poo, I have been doing amazing at only washing my hair every 6-7 days over the last month and a half! I give all of the credit to this wonderful dry shampoo recipe. It smells great, too! I put the coco powder in mine, since I am brunette and I use cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder. If the cornstarch doesn’t seem to be working well, then arrowroot powder will be better for you. They are both absorbent, but arrowroot powder is known for being slightly more absorbent than cornstarch. My application process takes places after I shower with a hair net and am getting ready for the day. Before I apply the dry shampoo, I spray my hair with a heat protection spray. That way, any extra moisture from the spray is absorbed by the dry shampoo. Ta-da! All done!

Liquid Laundry Detergent

I’d like to think I am a pro when it comes to laundry. I have to do it 5 days out of the week, not including the time it takes me to put it away ( If I even get to that point!)

I have tried a couple of different laundry detergents over the years and have made my own for the last 3 years. Up until a couple months ago I was using a DIY powder laundry soap. I really liked it, but over time my clothes felt like it was obtaining build up. It also started to smell funny. I had read somewhere that it was most likely a “detox” of some sort from switching from store bought. That did happen but early in the process, not 2 years later. I was speaking to a friend in my neighborhood about making homemade laundry soap and she saw online that other people were running into the same issue. Turns out the detergent we were using had a soap in it called Fels-Naptha. and this soap is really hard to rinse out. So over time it builds up in your clothes, and washing machine (which also happened to me, it was a gross yellow orange film that would stain my clothes if i didn’t catch it in time and clean it). Needless to say I was getting frustrated. I can’t use store bought detergent due to my daughters sensitive skin, but I wasn’t liking what I was using.

Fast forward a few months Kaydee found a new liquid detergent and loved it! So I thought I would give it a try, and OH MY GOODNESS! It is such a difference! My clothes are soft! They don’t smell! I have also noticed that gross build up in my washing machine hasn’t come back! I can’t wait to share this recipe with you!

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

2 gallon bucket

2 gallons water

1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (found at any grocery store I believe!)

1/2 cup Baking Soda

3/4 cup castile soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s unscented)

30 – 40 drops of your favorite essential oils (OnGuard, Lemon, Melaluca, Purify Lavender or Wild Orange are some good ones. If you would like to learn more about essential oils or where to get them contact me here.)

Large spoon or whisk to mix

2 – 1 gallon containers (I bought them at Walmart in the kitchen container isle, these are pouring containers)

First, measure out 1/2 cup of the Super Washing Soda and pour into a 2 gallon bucket. I use this bucket for making this detergent only; I store my supplies in it and just grab it when I need to make more! That way it stays nice and clean and doesn’t get used and dirty with other things.

Add just enough hot tap water to cover the washingsoda, and stir well to dissolve. About 2-3 cups works well

Measure out and pour 1/2 cup of Baking Soda into the water/washing soda mixture, and stir well to dissolve.

Fill up your bucket all the way to the top with hot tap water, only leaving about 1/2 inch of room on top. Make sure you do this BEFORE adding in your castile soap, or you’ll have a bubbly mess!

Measure and pour into the bucket 3/4 cup of castile soap. My favorite is Dr. Bronner’s, and they have a few different scents. I use the unscented, then you can use your favorite essential oils!

Pour in 30-40 drops of your favorite essential oils! I use 20 OnGuard and 20Lemon

Carefully stir everything together until well mixed. Pour the detergent into jars or bottles. I used a soup ladle to transfer into my big jars/containers, but if your bottle is thinner you can use a funnel.

To Use- Pour 1/3 cup of the detergent in with your dirty clothes and wash as normal.

Contents might settle to bottom or clump in your container, but just give the bottle a good shake before you use it every time and it’ll be fine. The clumps will break up in the wash. I noticed mine gets clumpier if it is stored somewhere cold.

Let me know how you like it!

-Natural Mamma

Chemical-Free Liquid Laundry Detergent

Natural Deodorant by guest blogger Kristina

Previously, my husband forewarned me that we were running low on deodorant. I had recently read various articles suggesting a connection between breast cancer and commercial antiperspirants/deodorants. While I don’t accept everything I read as fact, I decided to do some of my own research, which included consulting cancer.gov, where I discovered a repeated theme:

-We really don’t know.

“…researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)…are not aware of any conclusive evidence linking the use of underarm antiperspirants or deodorants and the subsequent development of breast cancer.”

“Because studies of antiperspirants and deodorants and breast cancer have provided conflicting results, additional research is needed to investigate this relationship and other factors that may be involved.”

No definitive debunking of this concern, yet no conclusive evidence for OR against it. As I continued to research, I discovered this interesting piece of information from the same organization:

“Aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants. These compounds form a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin’s surface. Some research suggests that aluminum-based compounds, which are applied frequently and left on the skin near the breast, may be absorbed by the skin and cause estrogen-like (hormonal) effects (3). Because estrogen has the ability to promote the growth of breast cancer cells, some scientists have suggested that the aluminum-based compounds in antiperspirants may contribute to the development of breast cancer (3).”

That was enough for me to at least consider making my own natural deodorant/antiperspirant. I’ve always been a fan of using more natural products, as my body seems to respond better to them, and if they’re homemade, even better!

Living with an autoimmune disease that involves chronic fatigue means I’m a minimal effort kind of person. I have found all sorts of recipes for natural deodorant that call for Shea butter and other things that I don’t readily have on hand, so I opted for a recipe with the fewest ingredients that I was sure to have in the kitchen.

This recipe I got from a book I picked up in the library: Natural Beauty by Susan Curtis.

I’ve used this book for my homemade dry shampoo (which by the way is the bomb. Never, ever, EVER again will I purchase dry shampoo. The homemade is infinitely more effective and lasts the entire day). So I thought, “Hey! I saw a recipe for homemade deodorant in there somewhere… hmm…”

The magic 3.

3 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. baking soda*

(essential oils “optional”—but not really. Unless you feel that the faint scent of coconut oil is enough to overpower your daily smells.)

Mix into a paste; empty deodorant stick, fill, refrigerate.

How does it work?

For me, it’s “ok.” It works similarly to Dry Idea, the roll on deodorant. Keep in mind everybody’s body reacts differently to deodorants/antiperspirants. Ever noticed how some antiperspirants actually make you sweat more or seem to not work, even when they come highly recommended by family or friends? Or how your deodorant varies on how well it works? Natural deodorant is no different. You will always have to test different kinds and see what works best for you.

The problem I ran into is Cleveland has been insanely hot and apparently didn’t get the memo that the high 80’s in September are not appropriate fall temperatures. We have no central air, just AC window units, and then Coconut oil + heat? You get the idea… I personally have had to keep mine in the fridge, which became a pain. But just when I was about to give up on this deodorant, I discovered a remedy. One word:

Beeswax.

If you have problems with keeping it solid, and want to prevent it from melting, check out this recipe, which melts the beeswax into the coconut oil and also includes tea tree oil for an even more pleasant smelling experience:

http://becomingpeculiar.com/homemade-summer-deodorant-that-wont-melt-in-your-cupboard/

I’m absolutely rethinking remaking and using this stuff! If I could convince my husband that it would last his workouts and long days of studying in med school, it would be nice to cut down on some costs. Being the fiscally responsible, scared out of my mind by student debt, too lazy to drive to the grocery store for deodorant woman that I am…challenge accepted.

** Okay, don’t freak out. Yes, I use Arm & Hammer. There’s a rumor floating around about Arm & Hammer baking soda containing aluminum. After doing some digging myself, I came to the conclusion that this is actually a myth. Nowhere does it say it contains aluminum, contacted the company itself, etc. BUT if you are fully convinced that A&H products do contain aluminum, opt for specifically labeled “aluminum free” baking soda for your peace of mind.**

-Kristina

DIY Makeup Remover

Best news ever. I just made the holy grail of makeup removers! I have had a love/hate relationship with makeup removers. I’ve tried many different brands. My go to ones were always Mary Kay and Victoria Secret. I just hated the price tag. I decided to try a more natural route and used coconut oil, as well as olive oil. I didn’t like the way they felt. It was way too oily. So I went back to store brand products. The other day I was perusing Pinterest when a suggested pin popped up on my feed. (Original recipe found here) It was a DIY makeup remover using only two ingredients. Only 2!

Olive oil and witch hazel!

That is it. I buy my olive oil at Costco. I found a similar kind online. You can purchase it here. The witch hazel I chose to buy on amazon. I wanted one that was alcohol free. If you want to get the same kind just click here.

Now for the recipe:

DIY Make up Remover

2 oz Witch Hazel (you can purchase here)

2 oz Olive oil ( you can purchase here)

Pour the ingredients into a container. I reused a bottle that I had on hand. Just make sure to clean it first.

Shake it up and you are good to go! I use cotton pads to wipe off my makeup. This even worked on my waterproof mascara without even trying hard! If I had a glass bottle I would have added lavender and frankincense essential oils. I will be doing that next time! One thing, just make sure you shake it before each use. Let me know how you like this DIY makeup remover!

Brittany

Welcome to No Poo and Beyond

Hi there! Welcome!

We are a few mama’s that have an interest in making our home more natural. Thanks to Pinterest and the World Wide Web, there are so many different options! Our goal is to test new and old health trends and be a master DIY with homemade “stuff”!

We are so glad that you decided to drop by and check us out! Take off your shoes, get comfy, and stay a while! Enjoy our journey of experiments of natural solutions to find what works and what doesn’t! We hope to become great friends!

Brittany & Kaydee

No Poo and Beyond

Super Natural Mama's, Testing At Home Natural Solutions

Author: Natural Mama