DIY All Natural Mosquito Repellent Recipe

It's that time again! Lovely hot summerrrrrrrr~ Can't wait for the the bugs bites?? I dread mosquito bites the most just because you start scratching and scratching and end up with lovely scars all over your legs and arms. That's not very pretty and then you end up not wanting to wear those cute shorts and tank tops! I don't know about you guys but I don't want to wear long sleeves and pants all summer despite the diseases that mosquitos carry around~ Why should they have all the fun? So I want to propose to you in this blog a natural solution to conventional mosquito repellent. You can customize your own recipe based on some suggestions I will list below and it's non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and affordable. 

Adverse Effects of DEET bug spray: 

"DEET has few adverse effects when applied as directed.

The most common problem is local skin irritation, including

erythema and pruritis, at the site of application. One case of

anaphylaxis after brief exposure to DEET has been reported.1

When the patient was re-exposed to DEET in an emergency

department she experienced similar symptoms of

anaphylaxis. Many people, including military and forest

service personnel, apply high concentrations of DEET on a

daily basis and have developed more severe adverse effects

due to chronic exposure. These adverse effects included

insomnia, muscle cramps, mood disturbances and rashes.1

Clinical Toxicology/Toxicokinetics

The toxicity of DEET is largely dependent upon the route

of exposure and dose. The most common unintentional

route of exposure is ocular as many DEET formulations are

sprays or liquids.5

DEET causes local irritation and

discomfort when introduced into the eyes or oral cavity.6

DEET has not been shown to cause severe, long-term damage

to the eye in animals.7" - UUHSC Utah University of Pharmacy

Seriously? The effects of commercial bug repellents sound just plain awful and painful on top of that. No thanks for me~! I'll stick with an all natural recipe which is easy and fun to make. The only downside is that you might have to buy these extra items since most people won't have these on hand. It's definitely worth the investment for a healthier you since these items are not toxic like most commercial bug repellents contain.

This is the most important part of your natural mosquito repellent. I list two essential oils below that are the two you absolutely need to make this work. There are extra essential oils that work as well but anything extra would be listed below in the extra excerpt.

Catnip Essential Oil - According to Science Daily and many research mosquitos as not fond of catnip. Of all things catnip, lol! I know this sounds silly at first but studies show it works and it.

Lemon Eukalyptus - on Mountain Rose Herbs it's like 2.75 US dollar for 1/2 ounce which is 15ml of it. It's not a bad price.

You can find good quality oils on Mountain Rose Herbs or Living Libations website. Check out their wonderful website and see for yourself. Make sure to get fair trade and organic! Keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way and you will need only a few drops per how ever much you are making.

Try 8 to 12 drops of catnip essential oil and 4 to 6 drops of lemon eucalyptus per ounce of product you make.

This will dilute the essential oil because it can be very strong by itself. You can use a range of items listed here from four different categories of bases which are gel, alcohol, oil, or water based. You choose what works best for you and your skin.

Clear Gel base:

• Aloe Gel - this is clear gel and it works really well with just about anything.
• Glycerin - I have a Now Solutions Glycerin - 7 or 8 dollars for 16 ounces at your natural grocery or on amazon.com

Alcohol base:

• Vodka
• Witch hazel
• Perfume alcohol

Oil base:

• Castor oil **
• Sweet almond oil
• Safflower oil
• Jojoba oil
• Sunflower oil
• Olive oil
• etc...there are tons

** works best with repelling

Water & misc. base: (This can be used alone with the essential oils or to supplement the alcohol bases but it'll work best supplementing just because oil and water don't mix very well unless you shake very very well before using every single time)

• Distilled water (I would use this to dilute even more with the alcohol bases)
• Brewed tea - black tea, green tea
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Hydrosols - this is the left over by product from the steam distillation process of essential oils

This section is completely optional because there are extra essential oils out there are good for repelling and you can add these for a stronger effect if you like.

Supplemental repelling oils:

• Cinnamon bark essential oil
• Citronella essential oil
• Lemongrass essential oil
• Sage essential oil
• Rosemary essential oil
• Thyme essential oil

For good smells:

• Lavender essential oil
• Peppermint essential oil
• Vanilla
• Ginger essential oil
• Orange or tangerine essential oil

Last but not least, you'll need a container to put all these ingredients in. You can use just about any container. Best way is to reuse one of your bottles from home or if you don't have one at your disposable then you can purchase a bottle from sunburstbottle.com or amazon.com which have some great ones. Keep in mind to get one that will fit your recipe like if you're going to use gel or oil then it would be best to use a lotion pump bottle or a squeeze bottle with cap. If you are going to use the alcohol or water base then spray or atomizer would be best fitted.

I always recommend to get the highest quality, organic, and fair trade items when purchasing to get the best out there for you and your health.

Remember to reapply your newly made all natural repellent through the day like every 2 to 4 hours or so. 

Natural Teeth Whitener That Works

Pearly white teeth. Does this sound like a pipe dream? You might be like me who has tried everything and nothing seemed to work when it came to whitening teeth. You can brush your teeth twenty times a day everyday and still hopelessness!! It's such frustration, I know, I've been there. On top of that, I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars buying whitening mouthwash, super-duper toothbrushes that spin at lightning speeds, toothpaste, strips, trips to the dentists, so on and so on... I'm a broke college student HELLO. I keep reading more about how damaging commercial products from the store can be bad for you which don't even work anyway?! What a complete waste of money! I'm going to list my favorite whiteners below that will work and only will cost you cents to make and do!!!!! A great plus, they're natural natural NATURAL! Need I say more?

Not everybody is going to have this item ready at home. It's worth the investment though! We've all heard here and there of how activated charcoal is great for detox. You can actually take this capsule to help detox and get rid of impurities in your body. I read such an interesting story online on how great charcoal is. There was a guy back in the day that drank arsenic (a poison) and didn't die from it because he also took charcoal. He was extremely lucky and please don't try this at home! This is just to emphasize the great detoxifying benefits of charcoal. When taken orally charcoal can adsorb toxins like a sponge and eliminate it via the toilet. I take two capsules once a week but you can do this daily just make sure to do it 2 to 3 hours before or after eating as it will neutralize the toxins and the nutrients in the food. It probably is best before you go to bed. You can use charcoal for everything from a natural food poisoning cure, constipation, intestinal problems, helps with blackheads and pimples, and also removes plaque.

I buy this brand Kal activated charcoal for like 5 or 6 US dollars at Natural Grocers (one of my favorite stores for organic and natural products). You just break open one capsule and you don't use the whole thing. Even a pinch is enough for the job. Be aware this will stain easily and get your sink messy but it's worth the benefits! I mix it with a few drops of peppermint oil or with Toms of Maine toothpaste or you can just do it plain with distilled water. 

Fact: Carbon is 100% alkaline and is spinning with electrons making the substance highly electrical. Carbon's negative ionic charge attracts positive ionic charges (of toxins and poisons) causing them to bind and then escorts them out of the body via the eliminative channel of the intestines. - Black Magic article by Foodmatters.com

Lemon and baking soda are also great teeth whiteners and these are super CHEAP to get! One lemon is like 50 cents and get a box of baking soda for like a dollar or two? You saved yourself sooooo much money. It's natural and healthy. Please don't use washing soda or borax instead of baking soda. Baking soda is a weak base and those other ones are super strong and can be severely damaging! 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Brush for about a minute. Make sure not to do it for longer as this will burn away at your enamel.

These are natural astringents and contain vitamin C. The astringent removes surfaces stains as the vitamin C removes plaque. I've seen recipes where you can mix baking soda and strawberries for more of a powerful whitener. I have to try the charcoal and strawberry. That would be interesting... YUM!

All these items are easy to get and they're all affordable. No more stress about buying products that don't work out and they're super bad for your body and health. WHEW good thing I can still drink mah COFFEE! I <3 COFFEE~~

Have any more natural remedies for healthy teeth? Share with us below~ ^___^

Tips On Making Your Own Natural Moisturizer

Let's face it, a lot us have a hard time figuring out what kind skincare products and oils we need simply because there are way too many! I have to admit when I first started out I had to spend a lot of money and hours of research trying to find the best combination for me. Trust me, there were A LOT of trial and errors. THIS BECAME EXPENSIVE! It can be frustrating at times. I've read many articles and watched many videos and felt a little disheartened considering that I couldn't just pick up any product easily. Even watching videos with natural regimens didn't help. Just because it works for the viewer doesn't mean it will work for me. I have sensitive skin and on top of that I have combination skin which consist of an oily T-zone and dry patches around my chin and cheeks. I have breakouts too!!!! Few in number but they pop up here and there all the time. It's annoying! The best thing for anybody is to eat healthier, drink tons of water, and wash your face with a gentle natural cleanser. That is the first step. Now if you want to find a good cleanser and moisturizer. Toner will come later. I will write a separate post about different cleansers. The one I use for now is a mixture of Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Castile Soap, distilled water, sweet almond oil, and a couple of drops of tea tree oil. Now onto the moisturizer or the OCM (Oil Cleansing Method). Ever since

I'll let you know my tips that I think will cut down a lot of time and money for you guys.

You know your skin best. Everybody's skin is different. I mean they say that each person fits in one category whether it's normal or oil or dry or combination. I think it's much more complicated than that and I think that's why most people have problems finding the right regimen for their skin. I buy combination dry products and they don't seem to work on me! I've tried so many brands too. We spend countless number of hours shopping and money trying to get that "perfect skin." If you're acne prone then look up oils that are not over-drying and that help eliminate acne. 

This cut down the hours of searching and useless oils collecting in your home if you try them out at the store. If you have the benefit of a natural grocery store that sells oils they might have testers and use this to your advantage and dab a small amount and rub it onto your cheek. Let it sit there for a while. Your skin will tell you the answer. This is also a great way to run into any allergic reactions. You have to be careful because the product maybe 100% natural, organic, or pure but they are processed in processed in plants that have soy, nut, or other ingredients that you may be allergic to.

There are all kinds. Where to start? This will be the most important item because this is what majority of your OCM will come from. Well I find olive oil too heavy for the skin just from experience. This oil makes me break out more even if it's extra virgin. You see in all kinds of videos though most people use olive oil and I just don't see how this oil would work out for people. I can imagine olive oil being okay for other parts of the body but not the face. I feel like my face can't breathe. A good base oil would probably be thinner oils that are easily absorbed into the skin such as jojoba oil and this is great for all skin types. Try it out for yourselves though. I personally like jojoba oil because it's really thin and doesn't block the pores.

Jojoba oil
Sweet almond oil
Jojoba oil
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Avocado oil
Or a mixture
There are more.....

There are tons of essential oils! This part was a huge headache for me but this doesn't have to be for you. You don't have to buy a million essential oils that you know little to nothing about to get the perfect combination. It's okay! You can start off with just one or two. No more until you get the hang of it. In reality you don't have to have 20 different essential oils to make your perfect product (but that doesn't mean you can't do that!) The great thing is that a lot of these essential oils have great benefits no matter which one you're getting. These oils can be almost anything for helping with acne, calming, for extra smells...

Orange

Pomegranate

Ylang Ylang

Geranium

Thyme

Tea tree (which I like to use for acne prone skin)

lavender

Peppermint

And tons more! Let me know of your favorite recipes!

Depends on the day. I like to keep it simple. Mine is Jojoba oil as my base and a few drops of vitamin E oil. Those two are a must. I have a drop of peppermint and/or tea tree for acne and a slight wake me up. Peppermint is known to bring more focus. I need that as I tend to daydream a lot, haha! I might be adding more. The good thing about it is that you get to know your skin more and more by doing this. You'll be an expert and know what's best for your skin. 

How to Make Your Own Natural Eyeliner

I realized even with natural makeup there are toxic chemicals that could be harmful for you. We should make it a priority to take care of our eyes and skin. I want to show you a simple and all natural way to make your very own eyeliner at home. All you need is activated charcoal capsules or powder and a few drops of water. You could do this dry and it still works just as great! Make sure to use that thin angled brush for eyelining. Looks like this:

3.99 US dollars w/o tax and shipping

I put up a photo of myself with my right eye all lined up with charcoal and water and nothing on the left eye for comparison. Share your comments below to let me know what you think. I think it looks pretty similar to the real thing. I also like to use this dry for the eyebrows and as an eyeshadow to make it more of a smokey eye effect for a night time clubbing look. *DISCO DANCE*

I'm holding one of the capsules. It's easy to pull apart and sprinkle onto a small plate or container. A little bit goes a very long way. One capsule can last you weeks depending on how often you use it. I have a glass container and I use the lid as my plate like the one below I got for like a dollar at Sunburstbottle.com.

Here is my brand that I use that I found at Natural Grocers for like 5 US dollars. 

A great natural makeup remover that I use is the Desert Essence organic jojoba oil I bought online from Amazon.com for like 12 US dollars. I put a couple of drops onto a Q-tip and apply. I love the smell of jojoba oil! Be advised charcoal can get a little messy. The great thing about jojoba oil is that it's awesome all natural moisturizer for the skin and hair. 

I make my own face moisturizer with jojoba oil and d-alpha tocopherol (natural vitamin E). <----not the synthetic ones! Check out my blog about which vitamin E Click here.

Here is the brand I use which is called Now Solutions Vitamin E Oil 32,000 U 100% natural. This stuff works amazing. It's a thick amber colored solution. It is truly natural as it is the d-alpha tocopherol. <---this is the only one that occurs naturally. The others dl-alpha tocopherol, tocopherol acetate, etc etc...are all synthetic and only work half as well. Make sure to look on the back of the bottle and it says nothing else besides d-alpha tocopherol. The second best would be the mixed tocopherol with the gamma, alpha, and beta. Anything besides that would be a complete waste of money. I got my bottle at Natural Grocers for like 13 or 14 US dollars. You can find it on Amazon.com for like 10 US dollars (that's without tax and shipping of course)

Japanese Lashes For Doll Look

Japanese fashion and cosmetics are getting widely popular all over the world. Their cute and doll-like fashion is gaining a lot of attention and their products are being bought from left and right. I can see why! Look at how cute their items are. Japanese people take pride in not only the product's quality but in the aesthetics as well. The packaging is always so adorable.

What gives these Japanese (or most asian) models this signature look are the doll-like eyes. False lashes and circle lens are a MUST and maybe a little photoshop but nonetheless these are the essential items to start off with. Like me, you were probably wondering where to start. It's hard to find the best Japanese brands especially here in the states. You have to look online for almost everything. Never fear my beauty lovers! I will show you here where you can go to get a good pair of lashes. I'm going to review two eyelash brands which are really popular in Japan: Dolly Wink by Tsubasa Masuwaka and DE {Decorative Eyelash}.

First, I'll go over the DE lash brand. DE is a drugstore brand owned by renown company Shobi making these cute looks achievable and affordable. I don't work for these guys, I promise, haha. Each pack of 5 pairs go for about 1050 Japanese Yen. That's about equivalent to 10 US dollars and 25 cents. That's not too bad. That's a little over 2 dollars a piece (not including tax and shipping of course!). But still a great deal, if I say so myself.

You'll see this photo below everywhere it seems like. Decorative eyelash markets their products in three different categories: play cute, play sexy, and play cool. It's pretty easy to understand. The same model Emi Suzuki rocks all three looks. If you are a beginner try starting off with the Play Cute which are lighter lashes and more doll like. Personally, I would go with the Play Cute line just because I don't like dramatic looks unless it's halloween or something.

Play Cute has 7 different eyelashes. All the lashes are upper with the exception of maybe two in this line (most upper lashes as you know can be cut into lower lashes). You can go to their official website to see the detailed lash look. >Click here for official website< What I love about their site is they have close ups like the photo to the left of what the lash look like! I love that! I hate looking at blurry photos or photos too small to even recognize what it looks like. If you're anything like me, I'm a skeptic when it comes to online shopping even though my favorite way to shop nowadays is to shop online! So clearer and bigger the photos the better. It's even better when they have photos of the eyelash, the packaging, the back, and a model wearing the lash which is super important to me when buying lashes especially. I hate sites that only contain models with lashes on because most of the time it's photoshopped to which will make everything they have on look awesome(which may not be the case for you or me)!!! I've learned that the hard way. When you put the same item on what the model is wearing usually doesn't look anything like it, lol! So I posted two photos to the left of the ones I liked but I liked them all. It's hard to decide. I definitely would go with the Play Cute line for an everyday look.  They have a few half lashes in the entire Playgirl series which is awesome since it's not all the same

Here is what the back of the packages look like. Keep in mind the directions are in Japanese. Don't freak out like, "WTF?! I can't read this. What's going on?!" Chill out, it's okay they have pictures and if you still don't get it there are tons of Youtube videos to help you put on lashes.

Play Cool:

There are four lashes and don't let the small number in this group fool you. There are some cute lashes in this one. The hairs on these will be straighter than the Play Cute as they are more criss-cross. #3 can be worn as a lower lash. The photo here is the Play Cool #2 which does a have a overlap mixture of straight and slight criss-cross. This one is going to give you that cat eye look without having to do the eyeliner that way so it will look more natural.



Play Sexy:
Last but not least the Play Sexy line has 7 lashes and two of them are fairly new. The lashes here are a lot fuller than the rest of the line. If you want a dramatic look then this one is for you! I believe #4 and #5 can be lower lashes since they are smaller. They combine criss-cross and straight in this line creating a fuller dramatic look as seen in the photo. They do it in two ways which is like a gradient and an overlap. The lash pictured slightly above is Play Sexy #1 and it is the gradient style as it changes from inner to center to outer. On the official website it says this one is great for customizing and can be cut to fit any style or part of lash. How cool!

This one is Play Sexy #7 is an overlap style which has the straight over the criss-cross. I never knew that there were styles like this which is great to know!

I want it, I want it! Okay so where can I get a pair?!!! Unless you live in Japan you can't really buy directly from the website. Sad face! They have hundreds of adorable items. You can buy these lashes on Honeycolor.com It is a little pricey since they charge over 20 US dollars for one pack. If you guys know of other places to purchase these outside of Japan please comment below. I'm sure everyone will want to know where to get these for cheap! =) I know I do!

Get ready to blow all your money because this line called The Dolly Wink line is very extensive. Dolly Wink is owned by the Koji company and the line was produced by Tsubasa Masukawa.  Not only does it contain false lashes but also a whole

makeup collection that Tsubasa picked out personally down to the very color. I don't care too much for the makeup line (I wish I could) but I use a natural makeup line called Au Naturale and 100% Pure. The lashes though are super duper KUUUUUUTE! Just having Tsubasa on the cover will probably get any gyaru fan or Japanese girl buying it! Heck! I'm not even Japanese and I WANT IT ALL! haha. People went crazy for this. Look at the photo. The line was soooooo long when they first launched this brand. Good god! They have all kinds of false lashes, mascaras, glues, eyeliners, eye shadows, etc etc...

Cuteness overload!!!!!!!!! >0<

>Click here for Dolly Wink Japanese Official Site< (All in Japanese Of course!)

There are 17 different eyelash styles in her line. 17??!!!! I don't even know where to start! You can buy these for about 1260 Japanese Yen without tax or shipping. I think their tax is really expensive so it's like double that. That's about 12.31 US dollars. Of course, you're not going to get it for that price since it's imported! If you're an American like me you'll find it to be 27.99 US dollars a piece on the pinkyparadise.com website or you can find it for 17.90+ on the honeycolor.com website.  That's a huge difference. Keep in mind I didn't include tax or shipping costs so this will vary. Comment below if you got it for cheaper elsewhere! Let us know! You might be able to find it on ebay or amazon.com for cheaper!!!!!! These are much pricier than the DE brand I mentioned above. You only get two pairs in the Dolly Wink package. I picked out the Dolly Sweet package to show you guys as an example. This website shows you the lash close up, on the model, and the package. I love Japanese companies.

I hope this post made it easy to get into Japanese eyelashes. I put this all together to save you headache and time as this took me forever to compile this information. Let us know of any other Japanese brands you guys adore! We would love to hear them....

P.S. Here is a eyelash glue suggestion as this one is less toxic than the other popular brands.

• • Approx. 50 applications.
  • Paraben-, phthalate- and fragrance-free.
  • Dermatologist-tested; PETA-certified.
  • By Winks by Georgie™; made in the USA.
• 
  
• Ingredients
Purified water, natural rubber latex, cellulose gum, chamomilla recutita (matricaria) flower extract (USDA-certified organic blue chamomile), sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate, lavandula hybrida (natural lavender). Ingredients are subject to change at the manufacturer's discretion. For the most complete and up-to-date list of ingredients, refer to the product packaging.
(this is featured on my "want googly eyes blog")
Make sure you are not allergic to latex or any other ingredient listed here.

Ja ne~~~~~~ ^-^v

DIY All Natural Lipbalm

Why use chapstick or lip balms that contain parabens and nasty chemicals bad for your body? You can make your very own natural lip balm at home with your friends and family. It's super fun! I'm so excited about this post because I've always wanted to make my own lipbalm. It's cheap and it's completely natural and I know what I'm putting in it. Best of all, it's super easy and doesn't take up too much of your time. I hope you like this post as I've viewed different tutorials and found that it contains ingredients that I don't want. Some of them add lipstick for color. I want it to keep completely natural and free of chemicals. So avoid adding lipstick unless it's organic natural lipstick, haha! For this post I will make a peppermint flavor one and of course you can add your favorite esssential oil (lemon, vanilla, orange, pomengranate, etc....) I will do more posts in the future for natural coloring and different flavors. :)

Yields: Varies. Approx. 5 to 7 lipbalms (for 1/2 ounce containers)

INGREDIENTS:

Organic Beeswax [1/2 ounce]

You can buy these at your natural grocery store or online for really cheap. I got an one ounce bar for 0.99 cents at a Natural Grocer. Mountainroseherbs.com sells the same for 1.75 US dollars. On amazon.com sells 5 - one ounce bars for 7.24 US dollars. >Click here for the exact item page< They also sell beeswax shreds which might be easier for this recipe since it will melt faster.

Organic Coconut Oil {or other oils like almond oil} [2 ounces]

I got mine at a natural grocery store as well. This should be easy to find.

Organic Shea butter - Mountain Rose Herbs [1/2 teaspoon]

Organic Essential Oil - Mountain Rose Herbs organic peppermint oil [6 to 10 drops]

{{{{Optional - almond oil, cocoa butter, vitamin E oil}}} *this will yield more lip balms*

I wanted to keep this recipe simple as some of these ingredients would be hard to find. I highly recommend the vitamin E oil as this is an antioxidant, has healing properties, and increase cellular regeneration. I'm working on a DIY kit so that way you guys can purchase these all at once without the hassle of buying these individually. I'm really excited. I'll keep you guys posted!

MATERIALS:

Stove Pot

There will be boiling involved so make sure to enforce safe practices. :)

Cutting board & Knife

Mixing spoon

Glass jar

 Lip balm containers - You can purchase these on Ebay, Etsy, or Amazon. I prefer to use glass cosmetic jars just because I try to avoid using plastic. I got the 1/2 ounce glass containers from sunburstbottle.com. The great thing is you can recycle and reuse these containers to make more lipbalms or put other materials like lotions and creams. :)

Gather your materials!

(Optional - Sanitize your containers by boiling the containers for about 10 minutes)

Cut your beeswax in half. If you bought a bigger bar then measure out 1/2 ounce.

Put that bar into your glass container.

Put about 1/2 teaspoon of shea butter into the jar.

Put 4 scoopfuls of coconut oil into the jar.

Put about 6 to 10 drops of peppermint oil. Depends on what you prefer. I put 6 because I like it light.

*Optional step* Add a few teaspoons of almond oil, 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa butter, several drops of vitamin E oil. Adjust accordingly. Play around with to see what you like best. Remember this will yield more lip balms.

Boil until everything melts. Approximate time 10 to 15 minutes

Handle carefully with mitts and pour contents into jars.

Tada! Now you wait for it to cool and harden.

I put mine in the fridge to harden faster. Tada! Your very own natural lipbalm. How cute!



I only produced about four this day but I tweeked this recipe to contain more coconut oil in this post since I want it to be a bit softer so it might yield five to 6 when you guys do it. Adjust accordingly to fit your wants.

Coming soon **** honey lipbalm and pomengranate lipbalm~!