Tag: tea tree

Will I Ever Learn?



Like many of you, I’ve recently become acquainted with Pinterest. Oh the hours I could spend perusing the yummy recipes, viewing the gorgeous landscaping ideas or checking out the latest style trends. Unfortunately, I don’t have that many leisure hours. But when I do go on the site, I am struck by some of the cool make up techniques folks post. I’ve noticed that some of these techniques are using liquid eye liner to get their sleek, cat-like lines. Now I haven’t played with liquid eye liner in years. But this past Sunday while at the local grocery store, I decided to buy some.

It’s been a while since I’ve shopped the cosmetic section in the grocery store. Apparently a long while! I could not believe the prices on brands like Maybelline, Cover Girl and L’Oreal. Wow. Anyway, being the frugal shopper I am, I looked for the least expensive liquid eye liner to serve my whim.

The next day, while running late for work, I decided to try the new product. Yes, I’m almost always running late for work, and that’s probably the most stupid time to try something new, but what can I say? It seemed simple enough; black liquid on the end of a thin brush. I carefully tried to get underneath my lower lashes to apply a thin, even line along my lower lid. Of course the now 14 lb. kitten had to be on my lap at the time, prancing back and forth, sticking his tail in my face. My line wound up a bit heavy and uneven. And I got some of the liquid on my lower lashes. “No big deal”, I thought. “I’ll just use a cotton swab to even things out”. I swiped the swab along my lash line and the liner didn’t budge. Hmm….odd. So only then did I take the time to read the package. Waterproof! UGH! “Okay,” I thought to myself, “I’ll use my old standby, our unscented aftershave to clean up my mess.” Now my liability insurance carrier would want me to add the disclaimer that you should never use our aftershave in or around your eyes. There, I said it. Anyway, I dipped the cotton swab in the aftershave and proceeded to use it to even out my mistakes. Again, the eye liner didn’t budge. What the heck was in this stuff?! I didn’t want to know. My only option was to do my best to even things out using our eye shadow (Falon, from the Smokey Eye palette), and get my butt into work. Despite having raccoon eyes, no one in my office said a word about it. They’ve probably seen me coming in looking worse. I decided not to analyze it.

That night, I did my normal routine of washing my face with natural bar soap and water before going to bed. When I looked in the mirror after the wash, the raccoon eyes were still there staring back at me, mocklingly. Round two of soap and water. Still there. At that point I was too tired to mess with it any further, and went to bed.

The next morning after showering, I sat at my vanity to apply my morning ‘mask’, again, with a squirmy kitten (it’s his routine now to bug me endlessly until I actually leave to go to work). Looking at the black rings it finally occurred to me – I have no make-up remover. Why would I? I never use waterproof make up. Great, now what to use to remove this stuff? Thinking back to the good old days, I remember my mother using Noxzema to remove make up. Well I don’t even know if they make that stuff anymore, and I didn’t have anything even close to that in my house. I started to panic. Will I have these ringed eyes forever? And it looked worse by this point. Little bits of it were flaking off into my eye. What was the harshest solvent I had in my house that I could use? Before reaching for the bleach I use to scrub my toilets, I fortunately thought of the organic tea tree oil I use when I break out. That stuff is strong enough to remove nail polish. Now you’re not supposed to use it around your eyes either, but I really didn’t have a choice any longer. The tea tree coated cotton swab was wiped gingerly along my lower lid, as my eyes watered and burned. It worked! I suffered, but it worked. I was happily raccoon ring free.

Until I put the liner on again ten minutes later. Hey, I never said I was bright. And I was DETERMINED to make this stuff work. Long story short, I tossed it into the garbage after the second equally-as-horrific attempt. I’m not looking forward to the tea tree treatment this evening…..

Stop Bugging Me!



There’s nothing I love more than being outside in the warm weather. I especially love sitting on my deck in the early evening, listening to the woods and watching the fireflies. So peaceful. One thing I don’t love is the dang mosquitos! I have citronella torches and candles, but those buggers seem to find me any way.

I’m not fond of commercial bug repellents because most of them contain DEET (N,N-Diethyl-m-toluamide). It’s designed to repel, rather than kill, insects. Although DEET is approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is a known eye irritant and can cause rashes, soreness, or blistering when applied to the skin. Additionally, DEET has been linked to neurological problems; according to the EPA, at least 18 different cases of children suffering adverse neurological effects, as well as the deaths of two adults, have been associated with DEET. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that DEET causes diffuse brain cell death and behavioral changes in rats. DEET has been shown to have a negative impact on wildlife and water sources in production and during use. DEET is toxic to birds and aquatic life. DEET has been found in approximately 75 percent of U.S. water sources, including the Mississippi River.

Natural insect repellents are a much safer alternative. And in my opinion, just as effective. Plus they’re super easy to make. Basically, you combine any of the following essential oils in a witch hazel base, and you’ve got a great natural repellent: Citronella, Clove, Lemongrass, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Eucalyptus, Cedar, Catnip, Lavender, Mint, Palmarosa, Pine, Rose Geranium, Lemon Balm, Myrrh.

Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients
Essential oils (see list above)
Natural witch hazel
Distilled or boiled water
Vegetable glycerin (optional)

1. Fill an 8 oz. spray bottle 1/2 full with distilled or boiled water
2. Add witch hazel to fill almost to the top
3. Add 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin (if using)
4. Add 30-50 drops of essential oils. The more oils you use, the stronger the spray will be.

Other quick fix natural insect repellent ideas:

■Add vanilla extract to the above recipe, or just rub on the skin. You can also mix vanilla with witch hazel and water for a spray version.
■Rub lavender flowers or lavender oil on your skin, especially on hot parts of body (neck, underarms, behind ears, etc.) to repel insects.
■Rub fresh or dried leaves of anything in the mint family all over skin to repel insects (peppermint, spearmint, catnip, pennyroyal, etc. or citronella, lemongrass, etc.) Basil is also said to repel mosquitoes.

What if you do get bitten? Personally I apply our Unscented Herbal Aftershave to the bite and it takes the itch out every time (can’t live without that stuff!). But there are several other remedies to try:

• Apply a simple baking soda and water paste directly to bites and leave on for at least an hour.
• For an anti-itch bath, add ½ to 1 cup baking soda to running lukewarm water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Apply a drop of lavender or tea tree essential oil directly onto each bite to reduce inflammation and help prevent infection.
• Make a solution of 1 part apple cider vinegar to 3 parts water, and rinse the irritated area. Repeat this procedure several times until the itching decreases in intensity.
• Apply a drop of neem base oil to each bite. Neem is naturally cooling oil with antibacterial properties. It relieves many types of skin irritations.
• A common weed probably growing in your lawn, plantain (Plantago, various species), is one of the best herbs to treat bug bites. To use the plant as first aid for a mosquito bite, crush a few leaves and rub them on to the bite.

I Hate Blood Suckers

I love this time of year. The plants in the garden are kicking into high gear, most of my spring cleanup work is done and the weather is consistently warmer. The one thing I hate about this time of year is ticks.

I live in a wooded area in Pennsylvania. I’m fortunate enough to have several acres, and I spend most of my free time cutting grass, tending to gardening beds and keeping the woods from taking over my property. I know I should use insect spray and sunscreen and all that stuff, but I’m a get it done NOW kind of person. I get home from work, check on the cats and immediately go out to start on yard work. Thankfully I haven’t gotten sunburned, but I can say I’ve had a few ticks on me already this year. All deer ticks. I usually catch them before they bite, but on two occasions this month, they got me before I got them.

This past weekend I was taking a shower and noticed the out of place black spot on my ankle. I knew what it was. I did everything you’re supposed to do. I used a pair of fine-tipped tweezers and tried to grip the tick by the head, as close as possible to the point where it makes contact with the skin. But I couldn’t grab it. It had all but buried its whole body in my skin. I won’t burden you with the gross details, but I did manage to get the sucker out. I immediately put our Unscented Herbal Aftershave on the wound. It’s my go-to product for all skin conditions: rashes, cuts, scratches, bites, stings, etc. It has always worked well for me and I feel confident that the site has been cleaned thoroughly. Due to the threat of disease, I followed up with a generous dab of tea tree essential oil. And I’m keeping an eye on the bite to make sure it heals with no rash.

I don’t kill bugs. I always say there’s a purpose for them, and who am I to interrupt that purpose? I catch spiders and let them free outside; drives the girls at work nuts. But I gotta tell ya, I just don’t see the purpose for ticks! Hate those blood suckers.