Category Archives: DIY

Safe, DIY Hand Sanitizer

I’ve been seeing a lot of DIY hand sanitizer recipes lately, thanks to the novel coronavirus (covid-19). Unfortunately, a lot of the DIY recipes leave you with a product that is less than the CDC recommended 60% alcohol. I want to share why and how that happens, and give you a basic recipe to make your own hand sanitizer that follows the CDC guidelines.

First, it’s important to understand what your bottle of rubbing alcohol is: a bottle of 100% isopropyl alcohol and water. “Wait, my bottle says 70% rubbing alcohol!” I assure you, it’s still 100% alcohol mixed with water. Imagine an empty bottle, now put pure (100%) alcohol into the bottle, but only fill it halfway. Now fill the bottle the rest of the way with distilled water. You now have 50% rubbing alcohol because the solution (two or more things mixed together is a solution) is made up of 50% isopropyl alcohol and 50% water.

Red is 100% isopropyl alchol, blue is water, purple is 50% rubbing alcohol.
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DIY Aromatherapy, Fizzy Bath Bombs

“Self-care” has really been a buzz word lately, hasn’t it? But, that’s for good reason, taking care of yourself really isn’t a luxury so much as it is a necessity. If you are at your wits end and have gotten to the point where you have started to “lose yourself” (you know, that moment when you say “wait, who am I anymore?!”) then you just can’t effectively serve/help/interact with the people around you!

Self-care can be as simple as locking the door when you shower so you won’t be interrupted, taking 15 minutes in the morning to enjoy your favorite beverage, or spending 5 minutes playing your favorite game on your phone while you wait for something to happen (like waiting for the kitchen timer to go off). It can also be extremely elaborate, like an entire spa day or going on a vacation (or daycation) by yourself!

These DIY aromatherapy bath bombs are somewhere in between the simple self-care and elaborate self-care. They feel extremely indulgent to use, but they only need about 20 minutes to assemble several of them and about a 20 minute bath to utilize them (though, I’ve found my baths last a tad longer when they feel this luxurious 😉 so, whatever you have time for). Continue reading →

DIY Diffuser Ornaments (or buy one! – details inside)

Essential oils have so many uses – helping with aches and discomfort, soothing skin irritations, and soothing digestive discomfort to name a few – on top of adding a pleasant scent to the air and setting the mood. Because essential oils are volatile organic compounds, sensitivities/allergies to them are uncommon. This time of year, a lot of people rush to get trees of all kinds (real, fake but look real, very fake, and then the wire with lights to show off ornaments) to decorate for the holidays. A lot of people I know adore the scent of a real tree, but are allergic to them! However, since allergies to essential oils are rare, you can use a diffuser ornament (or several) on a fake tree to get the best of both worlds! I also use a diffuser ornament on my real tree to add extra holiday scent.

finished both 2 signed

The finished products!

Making diffuser ornaments is surprisingly easy to do, and requires very few tools. If you don’t want to make your own ornament, then I am offering 10 ornaments for sale (see below for details). Just make sure you order an ornament before December 11th if you want it before Christmas because I need time to make them and have them dry before the USPS shipping deadline of the 14th! (These are only for purchase in the United States, sorry for any inconvenience.) Continue reading →