Are you making your own liquid soap, lotions, sugar and salt scrubs? You need Jars.

Wholesale Prices On Jars

Making your own liquid soap, lotions, sugar and salt scrubs?  You need Jars from the Jar Store.

Also find Jars for candles, food storage, cookies, candy, and as gift containers for wedding favors at the Jar Store.

                                             

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A soap bar that repel bugs and mosquitoes

A soap bar that repel bugs and mosquitoes - Great for travel, hiking, camping and outdoor adventures - Soap that gets the dirt out.

 

You receive one bar of our mosquito repellant soap that you can cut in half because while traveling you want your favorite soap with you but do not want having a full sized wet soap bar to carry.

When you go camping or hiking you also want to take a soap that you are confident is biodegradable, and has no polluting chemicals, No worries about upsetting Mother Nature!

Why Camping Mosquito Soap?

1)Recently the CDC came out with a press release stating the lemon eucalyptus oil was a good, natural alternative to Deet,

2)All the essential oils in this soap are present because they have a tendency to repel different types of bugs.

3)Anyone who grows lavender knows that you never need to use pesticides on it because bugs naturally stay away from it.

4)Citronella has always been known to keep nasty little bugs away.

5)The Cedarwood oil in the soap, reminds us of how pet bedding is usually filled with cedar chips in order to deter fleas.

Camping Mosquito Soap Ingredients:
saponified oils of soybean, olive, coconut & shea butter.
Essential oils: lemon eucalyptus, citronella, cedarwood, lavender

             Approx 4+ oz.Bar   

We offer Handmade Soaps made in small batches using high quality Essential Oils, Herbs and other natural soap making ingredients.

Our soap bars are not meant to be cute and displayed on a shelf - they are meant to be used to moisturize your body, make you smell good.and most importantly to clean your skin.

 

Available from:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/166041737/camping-and-hiking-soap-repel-bugs-and

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DIY Itchy Stix for Bug-Bite Relief

Photo by Jan Berry

Warm weather heralds the return of fun, outdoor activities, such as camping, fishing, hiking and gardening. Unfortunately, ticks, mosquitoes, gnats and other creepy-crawlies that like nibbling on humans enjoy this time of year, too!

My homemade anti-itch sticks are perfect for treating the discomfort of pesky bug bites. Their easy-to-apply form makes it convenient for letting older kids self-treat. The ingredients are all natural and can also be used on scrapes, scratches and other minor boo-boos, as well.

The base of the recipe is calendula-infused oil, but if you don't have any flowers available, plantain or violet leaves offer similar soothing properties and can be substituted. Peppermint essential oil is added for its cooling benefit, while lavender contributes anti-inflammatory properties. If you'd like, you can also add a drop of tea tree oil to fight infection-causing microbes
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Infusing the Oil
To make the infused oil, add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup dried calendula flowers to a pint jar. Pour a high quality oil, such as olive or sunflower oil, over the plant matter until you almost reach the top, leaving a little room for expansion. Cover the jar and tuck it away in a dark cupboard for about four weeks, shaking occasionally.
If you want to make this sooner, fill the jar with dried flowers and oil as above, but don't cover the jar. Place it in a small saucepan filled with a couple of inches of water. Set the saucepan over a medium-low burner and gently heat the water for about 1 to 2 hours to speed up the infusion process. Keep a close eye on the pan, making sure the water stays under a simmer and doesn't completely evaporate. Remove the jar from the hot water and let cool to room temperature before proceeding.

Strain the infused oil from the flowers and use in the recipe below. Any remaining oil can be stored in a clean glass jar, in a cool, dark place for 9 months to a year.

Photo by Jan Berry

Ingredients

• 3 T. calendula infused oil
  
  
• 1 T. beeswax
  
  
• 5 drops peppermint essential oil
  
  
• 3 drops lavender essential oil
  
  
• 1 drop tea tree essential oil (optional)
  
  
• 6 lip balm tubes

Step 1
Combine the oil and beeswax in a small, heat-proof container. A recycled tin can makes for easy cleanup or you can use a small mason jar.
Set the container of wax and oil down into a small saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches water, forming a makeshift double boiler. Place the pan over a medium-low burner until the beeswax is melted.

Step 2
Remove from heat and add essential oils.

Photo by Jan Berry

Step 3
Carefully fill six lip balm tubes with the hot mixture and allow to cool before capping.
Step 4

Print the labels on sticker paper, available in office supply stores. Cut out and affix to each lip balm tube. Regular sticker paper will eventually smudge and smear, so if you plan to give these as gifts, you may want to invest in waterproof paper, available here.

Photo by Jan Berry

Itchy Six Tips:

• If you find the salve too soft for your needs, try remelting and adding a little more beeswax to firm the texture up.
  
  
• If you don't have a source of lip balm containers, you can pour the hot mixture into a small tin or jar instead to dab on bug bites as needed.
  
  
• If you're allergic to one of the essential oils in this recipe or dislike its scent, you can omit it. Other options include using all peppermint oil or all lavender oil or leaving the essential oils out completely. Calendula oil by itself is still a helpful skin treatment.
  
  
• If you're pregnant, nursing or have chronic health issues, check with a health care professional before using a product containing essential oils.
  
  
• Itchy Stix are not for use by infants or very small children who may try to eat the product.

Original Post:   http://www.hobbyfarms.com/hobby-farms-editorial-blogs/craft-hub/itchy-stix.aspx

Jan Berry Hobby Farms Guest Blogger Jan is a goat-chasing, soap-making, homeschooling farm wife who loves vintage tea cups, word games and turning weeds into beautiful things. She joins the Craft Hub each month with DIY body care recipes and projects. She can also be found at her blog, The Nerdy Farm Wife.

10 Ways to Care For Your Pet Naturally

In preparing to move this past week, I came to realize just how dirty my dog is right now. Joker is a 12-year-old Border Collie. He’s an old man, but still has a lot of spunk, especially when he spots a squirrel, or cows out in a field. (Cows – it’s all about the cows.) Then he’ll go and roll in the dirt (or whatever!) to show me how happy he is, and he’s covered in dirt and leaves…and possibly other things. So, how do I care for him naturally? Check out a few of my tips:

 1. Brushing

Before you bathe a dog (or a cat, guinea pig, or other pet), your first step should be to brush them. It’ll loosen up hair, dislodge dirt and rid them of a few fleas. I put 1-2 drops of high-quality lavender essential oil on the brush to enhance the shine of my dog’s coat, protect his skin and repel fleas and ticks.
(Note: Do not drip undiluted essential oils directly on your animal, and never use essential oils if your pet resists at all. Use extra caution while using essential oils with cats – they are more sensitive to the oils and do not have the detoxification mechanism that most other mammals have. Read more here about the best ways to use essential oils with cats or with dogs.)

2. Cornmeal

If your pet is really dirty, especially oil-type dirt, you can brush dry cornmeal into its coat, let it sit for a few minutes, then brush it out. It will absorb all kinds of things. This is best done outside since it will leave quite a mess. And if they happen to eat it, it’s harmless.

3. Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is the pet owner’s best friend. It is a very small coral-like creature that lives in the sea. When the shell is dry, it’s crushed into a powder. The powder is almost like tiny razor blades that cut criss-cross type cuts into the outer shell of invertebrates like fleas, ticks and mites. It’s harmless to humans and pets as long as it doesn’t get into the eyes or nose, to which it could be irritating. I use it on pet beds, the floor and other carpeted areas. Sprinkle it on, allow it to sit for a day or two and vacuum up the excess. I’ve even used it in birdseed to keep out the Indian meal moths and other such creatures. You can find food grade DE at farm stores or online here.

4. Lavender essential oil

I use it on all kinds of things. On pet beds to repel fleas and ticks, on the dog to repel pests and heal wounds and in the ears to get rid of mites and cure infections. It can even be used internally if there’s a cut in the mouth or something like that. I mix it with some kind of carrier oil like almond or even olive oil. Use about 1 drop to every 1 tablespoons of carrier. Find 100% pure lavender essential oil here.
(Note: These suggestions are appropriate for dogs. Do not give cats essential oils internally, or place in their ears.)

5. Cedar

Cedar shavings not only smell great, they also absorb moisture and repel fleas and ticks. Tip: It’s much cheaper to purchase them at large home improvement stores rather than pet stores. You can also find them online here.

6. Pumpkin seeds

Every once in a while Joker gets worms. It’s the nature of dogs that they snuffle at almost anything on the ground. About once every two months I grind up some pumpkin seeds and add them to his food. Within a few hours, most all the worms, including tapeworms, are expelled. I’m not sure how it works, but it really does! Find pumpkin seeds here.

7. Eggs

My secret to a nice shiny coat is eggs. I take a raw egg, beat it up and pour it on Joker’s food once a week. This really helps keep his coat in top condition, and the extra protein doesn’t hurt either.

8. Mushrooms

I mentioned in this article about mushrooms how they helped get rid of the cancer on Joker’s nose three times now. I’ve been giving him one capsule every 4-5 days as a maintenance routine. It seems to be working well, as the cancer has not returned in several months. Mushrooms contain polysaccharides, powerful antioxidants that fight cancer cells.

9. Sunshine

We need sunshine to produce vitamin D in the body and so do pets. If a pet is kept inside all the time, it can be subjected to darker conditions that can lead to eye problems. If you have an indoor pet, be sure it has exposure to natural daylight through a window or glass door.

10. Water

I can’t say enough about how fresh clean water is beneficial to everyone, including our pets.

Make a non-toxic flea collar for dogs

Though Joker gets fleas on occasion, I help keep them off  him with an all-natural flea collar. I don’t believe in chemical flea collars – they just don’t work well, and the chemicals are really strong. I tried one on my cat before and the only place I found fleas was right under the collar! Pests like fleas can become immune to some of these chemicals, Carbaryl (the main ingredient in Sevin Dust) being one of the most potent. As the fleas become immune, you use stronger and stronger chemicals and eventually it can poison your dog. I’m for the more natural approach.

Supplies

• 1 bandana or similar piece of cloth (find this here)
• 10 drops essential oil such as lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, cedarwood, or litsea cubeba

(Find 100% pure essential oils here.)

Directions

1. Fold the bandana into a triangle.
2. Add the 10 drops of oil to the long edge.
3. Tie on your dog. Enjoy a pest free pet!

(Note: Because essential oils tend to evaporate, you will need to reapply every few days. Do not use this flea collar on animals other than dogs.)

Originally Posted on:  http://www.diynatural.com/natural-flea-remedies-pet-care/?awt_l=FoAck&awt_m=3fZbwk7iqUtFQkt