Homemade Lotion Bars

I wrote yesterday about my daughter's eczema and what has finally helped it heal.  (You can read it here)

I'd like to share with you the lotion bars that I mentioned that have so greatly improved the texture of her skin!

Please note that I do not believe these will "cure" eczema if the cause of it is internal (which I believe it usually is).  However, we've seen beautiful results with these after the diet change took place!

As I mentioned before, the coconut oil we were using was pulling toxins from beneath the layer of skin up to the surface.  Once that painful cycle started to subside, her skin was left anything but soft.  Some spots were leathery, some were dry, and some were even cracked.

The Shea Butter in this recipe has been so beneficial for Noelle's poor skin!!!!
It has brought back soft, smooth skin that we haven't seen in quite a while!

So, here's how I made them.  I purchased the Shea Butter and Beeswax from Mountain Rose Herbs.
I knew the ingredients that I wanted, as I got this recipe from Wellness Mama!

I looked high and low, from Amazon to other lotion making suppliers and couldn't find any other merchant with the selection and quality that Mountain Rose Herbs did!  Shipping is not the cheapest, but I found it worth it to me!  They are very dedicated to the quality of their products!

Anyway, here is what you'll need.

• 1 part organic, unrefined Shea Butter
• 1 part organic, cold pressed Coconut Oil
• 1 part unrefined beeswax (the more beeswax you use, the more firm the bars will be)
• Essential oil of your choice

I used 1/2 Cup of each ingredient and 15 drops of Lavender Young Living Essential Oil.

First you need to grate your beeswax.  That sounds easy doesn't it?

Well, if you're someone who has worked with beeswax before (which I hadn't), you'll know that it is NOT a simple thing to do!

I tried grating it with a cheese grater....that seemed tiresome, so I figured chopping a smaller piece off the block would be best!

That wasn't very easy either....

Proof that chopping doesn't really work with beeswax!

Finally, I figured out how to shave wax off with a knife and that's how I measured the remainder of it.

Next time I will DEFINITELY be purchasing the beeswax in pellet form!!!

Now, put the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax into a jar with a lid (I used a large mason jar).

Place the jar into a couple inches of water in a pot on the stove and heat it up.

Shake the jar every few minutes as the ingredients start to melt.

Continue melting and shaking until all the ingredients are completely smooth and liquified!

Almost liquified!

Take the jar out of the pot and add your essential oil of choice.

You can really get creative with the oil you choose...I'll post some options below.

Stir the essential oil in quickly and immediately pour out your mixture into molds or muffin tins lined with baking cups.

Allow them to cool completely...it'll take a few hours at least! (If you need them sooner, put them in the freezer!)

Store the bars in a container with a lid until ready to use! 

The texture of these bars is so lovely!  They melt immediately into the skin upon contact so you can control how much you use!

Essential Oil Options:
Lavender: Smells amazing and is wonderful for the skin!
PanAway: For rubbing on aches and pains!
Joy: The smell is so uplifting as well as beautiful!  Would make a great perfumed bar.
Purification: Would make a great bug repellant bar
Peppermint: Would make a super refreshing lotion bar! 
Citrus Fresh or Orange: I will try this next time!  Either of these would just smell divine and be really refreshing as well!
Any oil, blend, or combo you like! You can be creative and use whatever oils you are using for their health benefits or just for their scent!

**If you don't know much about essential oils, read this post and feel free to contact me with ANY questions!!

So, we've learned so much about what goes into our bodies these last several months.  And because of this, I just tossed all our store bought lotions, creams, soaps, and shampoos that have ingredients I cannot pronounce and wouldn't want inside my children's bodies!

I'll be making things myself, or purchasing from Young Living. (we already use their shampoo and toothpaste for the kids)

So if you are wanting to make the same decision for your family's health, then start with trying out these lotion bars!  You won't regret it!

Check out the different ingredients available for lotions, soaps, salves, and anything else you might need for homemade toiletries.  As well as TONS more stuff!!!
Click on the banner below to check it out!
**I was not contacted by or compensated by Mountain Rose Herbs in any way for the contents of this post!  Don't think they know I exist! ;)



Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This post also contains affiliate links to the company which I have personally used and recommend.  If you purchase through these links, I will receive a commission, however the cost to you remains the same!

Healing a 2 year old's Eczema

So I'm writing about a topic I haven't touched on before.  
I wasn't planning on sharing it, but it has become a very big part of our family's life these past couple years.

The topic is eczema.

Our daughter Noelle has greatly struggled with it since she was an infant.

It may not be an exciting thing to read for many, but learning from other moms really helped me, so I've decided to document our experience with this condition!

So sit tight...it's a bit lengthy.

Eczema (or dermatitis) actually can take many forms and can have many causes.  It usually causes inflammation and/or irritation of when skin.

Our battle with eczema started when Noelle was just weeks old.  It started on her face, which we assumed was baby acne!

Started with some redness on cheeks

Her poor little cheeks and forehead were red, inflamed, bumpy, and sometimes dry, sometimes weepy. 
It continued to spread onto her scalp and I treated it as cradle's cap.  Her scalp would get yellow, scabby, and downright gross!

You can see some of the bumps on her forehead from this angle

I was confused and tried so many different remedies to help...we put olive oil in her bath water, rubbed her scalp with it and scrubbed all those bumps off!  It usually returned.

By the time she was a couple months old, she was getting red patches on the rest of her body.  We noticed large patches starting on her tummy and spreading up and downwards.

I researched online for hours trying to find something that would help.
With the doctor's recommendation combined with articles that I read, we started applying hydrocortisone cream followed by a moisturizer.

We tried several lotions until we settled on Cetaphil...the only one that didn't sting her poor skin when applied.  I tried a bunch of recommended creams, and Noelle usually would squirm and scream seconds after I put it on...poor thing :(

We took away all fragrance soaps and lotions and we were already using homemade fragrance-free laundry detergent.

The hydrocortisone really seemed to help her problem areas!  I was happy with it.

Her face was clear at 5 months with no dairy and use of the hydrocortisone

But her patches were stubborn and new patches would surface frequently...so we used MORE!

I think she was 3 1/2 months old when my mom found some new information online for me.

I was pretty hesitant to receive it, however!

She found that a HUGE percentage of babies with eczema had a food allergy.  Well, Noelle was exclusively breastfed so the issue was not what I was feeding her, but what I was feeding myself!

She suggested I eliminate dairy from my diet....one of my favorite things to eat!!!

Sometimes I get tired of my mom being right...and I really really wanted her to be wrong about this.

But, for my child, who had terrible irritated patches all over her body, I had to try something!
So, sure enough, only a couple days after cutting dairy out, her skin started to change.

I was so excited!!!  We continued to apply the hydrocortisone and Cetaphil daily on her patches as she continued to have extremely sensitive skin that would react to pet dander, saliva, and even certain foods once she was eating solids.

When I weaned her at 6 months old, we had to put her on special formula for babies with dairy intolerance.

She seemed not to react badly when we tried milk again at 12 months so we figured she no longer was sensitive to it!

We still had to be very careful with anything acidic getting on her skin.  Her wrists were frequently inflamed from hand feeding herself.  She's often have breakouts all around her mouth if anything with tomato got on the skin!

I remember her rubbing her wrists hard on the carpet or on her highchair tray when she'd have an irritated patch on them....broke our hearts!

So although her skin had improved since her infancy, the poor girl had never had "baby soft" skin!  Her pediatrician prescribed a stronger steroid ointment for her called Triamcinolone Acetonide when she was around a year and a half old.

Boy, did that stuff WORK!  We were cautioned not to apply for more than 31 consecutive days without a break.

That was easy enough....after a couple weeks of application, her skin would usually be clear for another week or so.

Her problem areas were behind her knees, on her elbows and in the creases, and the top of her feet and ankles.


So.

Enter these last few months where I learn about more natural remedies, and more importantly, the effects that food and other products have on the body....including what we put on the skin.

If essential oils reach every cell of your body when applied topically, why would I think that lotions, creams, and ointments that I put on my babies' skin is completely harmless and remains external?

I learned that the steroid ointment I was putting on Noelle's skin causes thinning of the skin, increased infections, burning, swelling, and redness (wasn't that what we were trying to AVOID?), and more increased use of corticosteroids.

Upon learning this, I immediately discontinued use of it!  I instead used only coconut oil which is very well known for naturally treating eczema, is an anti-inflammatory, and a great moisturizer.  It also will detox the body, bringing toxins out!

What happened was nothing I was prepared for.

Noelle's skin looked like a battle ground.

Her legs broke out in hundreds of red, inflamed bumps.  This led to itching, which led to weeping wet skin, sores, and scabs.  It was horrible.  It seemed to go through a cycle and moved up her body to her stomach, then her back, then her arms.
 

This was the first week or so...it got worse.

Each time it spread, it would be itchy, painful, scabbed, and sometimes bleeding from her wolverine scratches when I'd forget to clip her nails.

She'd whine when I'd apply her coconut oil twice each day and I'd be in tears feeling completely helpless.

We applied Lavender essential oil, which definitely helped sooth the pain and itch, but there was no quick cure!

We again, eliminated dairy and took out gluten as well as they are known culprits of conditions such as this. 

We also started giving her water with a drop of lemon essential oil in it to assist the detox. (These are the only ones we use)

I knew if I took her to the pediatrician, he'd prescribe more steroid cream!!  Not going down that road again!  So I took her to my chiropractor who is a wealth of information, all of which is geared towards natural healing of the body.  She gives advice on what the body needs and what foods and products to avoid that make it more difficult for the body to do what it was designed to do...heal itself!

She pretty much encouraged the changes that I had made as well as giving me other guidance on her diet...eating anti-inflammatory foods and avoiding those that are inflammatory.

She also had us start Noelle on probiotics in addition to the lemon water. (NOT probiotic gummies that are filled with corn syrup. We bought adult probiotics and we emptied the capsule into her food.)

More detox symptoms behind her knees. The skin became leathery before healing.

She is getting regular adjustments to assist her nervous system in functioning properly, helping her body with the healing as well.

Finally, the skin on her stomach began to clear, as well as the skin on her legs, then her arms, and her back  was almost clear!
 

What we believe happened was after 2 1/2 years of putting steroids on her skin and into her system, they had to come out.  Our chiropractor believes that it was a severe recoil from the steroid ointment being stopped so abruptly combined with the fact that coconut oil will pull toxins out of the skin!  Her tiny body had a couple years worth of toxins laying beneath her skin and I think the coconut oil was drawing it out!

So.

4 weeks of this and we were still struggling to see clear, smooth skin.
We saw improvement, but even the spots that weren't red anymore, were not soft.

Her skin remained dry, cracked, and some of it was leathery.

So we tried organic, unrefined Shea Butter.

I applied it all over by itself the first morning and night.

I was amazed at the texture of her skin the next day!!!  The spots that had no scabs were SOFT!
The shea butter did not take her itch away however.  I was so surprised that she was itching so badly that day!

It was clear that the coconut oil soothed her itchy skin and pulled all those toxins out while the shea butter provided the much needed moisture!

So I made some lotion bars, which I'll post a tutorial for, that has both the coconut oil and the shea butter.

Since using the lotion bars, (tutorial here) we've seen her skin transform.  It isn't perfect yet, but spots that looked like they'd been chewed, scratched, and burnt now are more smooth, soft, and FAR less red and inflamed.

Her tummy used to be covered in bumps and scabs!  Now we're left with soft skin with some small patches that we're still working on.

We are still not giving her dairy or gluten and we still do our best to only cloth her with cotton and clothing that is soft as her skin remains very sensitive and I assume it has thinned from the steroid ointment.

But praise The Lord it is BETTER and healing!!!

So, if you're reading this and wondering why your or your child's eczema is taking so long to heal, I'll be the first to tell you that it takes time.

Read about others trying to heal eczema instead of just masking the symptoms, and you'll see that conditions with internal causes are not quickly healed.

We had to go to the root of the problem, not merely treat the effects that we could see externally.  Makes sense right??

**Update-A week later and poor girl's skin is starting to break out again!  Ah!  It's looking more like classic eczema than the severe issues we were having before.  Anyway, it's a roller coaster battle and I'll keep you updated!

Update: Here is the tutorial for our lotion bars! 



  Disclaimer: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  None of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
This post also contains affiliate links to the company which I have personally used and recommend.  If you purchase through these links, I will receive a commission, however the cost to you remains the same!

Christmas Sprit Giveaway!! {ENDED}

And the winner selected at random is.....EMILY THOMPSON!!!! 
Thank you to all who entered!  Stay tuned for more posts about essential oils!
 


So, here we are again...thanks to Young Living's December Promotion, I've received a FREE 15ml bottle of Christmas Spirit essential oil!

And since I already have a bottle of it (that seriously smells like CHRISTMAS), I've decided to share the free one!

So what IS Christmas Spirit essential oil blend? 

source

Well, it's a blend of Orange, Cinnamon bark, and Spruce!

That means, that not only does it SMELL like each of those, but it also carries the health benefits of each!

Thieves blend(my all-time fave right now) also smells like Christmas, but if you're like me...and hoard your Thieves, then you can use Christmas Spirit for making your house smell AMAZING during the holidays! (And save your precious Thieves for rubbing all over your family to keep them illness-free!)

So.

Benefits of Christmas Spirit.

Immunity Booster 
This blend is highly anti-viral!  The citrus in it also helps it stimulate your immune system.  It's also anti-infectious and anti-bacterial.

The Spruce and Cinnamon in this blend are both great for the respiratory system!  So when diffusing it, you're not only making your house smell like a cinnamony-sprucy orange, you're also assisting deep breathing of all who inhale it!

*To use this oil as an immunity booster, rub a drop or two into your feet! (I recommend once/day, but more like every 3-4 hours if your fighting illness) 

*You can also rub onto your chest to support the respiratory system, but you MUST dilute this one.  It can cause skin sensitivity.  So if you have something like R.C., Raven, or Eucalyptus, you'll want to use those instead if you have sensitive skin.

*Rub a drop or two between your hands and place your hands over your face, and breath deeply.

*DIFFUSE!  Put 8-12 drops along with water in your diffuser and experience the health benefits throughout your home.


Make Memories
Ok, don't click away just yet!
I mentioned, very clearly in my last giveaway of Frankincense that I do NOT promote relying on essential oils for any type of spiritual awareness, prayer, or meditation. I don't believe that is where we are called to turn to. 

I'm talking about memories.  

You can't tell me that scents don't create memories!

Whenever I smell my mom's biscuits and gravy, I think of Christmas!!!  (I don't think there's an oil that smells quite like that)
Fragrances have the ability to take us back to particular traditions, memories, or time periods in our lives!

So, start traditions now!

We have a fake...artificial Christmas tree.  It doesn't smell like pine, or fur.  But I remember that smell back when we'd go to pick one out with my parents!

So my children don't know what a Christmas tree is supposed to  smell like.  But they will know what mom and dad's house smells like during Christmastime starting this year!

Create an "uplifting" atmosphere
I put uplifting in quotes because that might have a different definition for others than it does for me.

This oil definitely has an uplifting fragrance.  Pretty much any citrus oil is known for its anti-depressive benefits, and orange is no different.

You can't walk into a home that smells like Christmas Spirit and not stop to say, "Wow!  What smells so good!?!!?"

So diffuse this oil, and be happy.  That is all.

Ok, HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
The entries are pretty much the same as last time.

You have 5 ways to enter!

1. Share this post on Facebook (can be done once/day)

2. Share this post on Twitter (can be done once/day)

3. Pin ANY post on my blog to Pinterest (only ONCE!)

4. Follow my blog if you aren't already (by entering your email in the "stay up to date with us" box

5. Comment on this blog post and tell me one thing you'd like to learn about essential oils! (only ONCE!)

***Please leave me a comment or message on Facebook, or a comment below to let me know when you've shared or pinned the post.  If you aren't my FB "friend" I won't see it!!*** 


The winner will randomly be selected on Saturday, December 14th!


DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medical professional.  I simply make decisions on how to care for and improve the health of my own family.  Nome of the statements on my blog have been evaluated by the FDA and any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.    

 

He's Flying!

So, it's about time I give an update on our adoption with Tobias.

I have been hesitant to post an update these past couple weeks, just because there's a lot to say, and still a lot of waiting.

In my last post about Tobi, I mentioned that Didier thought they might be able to find Tobi's birth mother.  The Embassy was beginning their investigation on November 18th, and would interview her if they could find her.  Investigations are estimated to last at LEAST 3-6 months.

Well, ours lasted all of about 2 WEEKS!

Praise The Lord!

We were completely surprised to get the e-mail from the Embassy!
Next step, getting Tobi's passport, then his Visa.

Tobias is currently living in Lubumbashi at the orphanage, however. 

So, he is moving to Kinshasa tomorrow in order to get his passport and visa.
  
Please pray for this move for him.  He's never been on a plane or probably even left the orphanage for long in the last year and a half.  

He's leaving what he knows as home and coming on a PLANE to a brand new world and brand new caregivers and friends.

He will be there until his visa process is completed, and unless something major happens with the exit letter situation, (that I wrote about in this post,) he will then return to the orphanage to wait for Congo to resume issuing the exit letters so the adopted children can come HOME!

My real prayer is that God will move in the country to allow the children to leave with their parents.  That way, he wouldn't have to move BACK to Lubumbashi before we come to get him.  

We know that might not happen, and trust in God's sovereignty regardless!  However, our hearts' desire is not only for him to be home, but for him to go through the least amount of emotional trauma as possible.  He's only four.  This is a whole lot for him to try and adjust to without completely understanding what's going on.

So, the completed investigation is a HUGE praise, and leads to many prayer requests!!!  I'll summarize it in simple terms.

• Pray for Tobi's travel tomorrow, November 11. (they're 8 hours ahead of us)
• Pray that he'll handle the adjustment well.
• Pray that his passport will be issued in a timely manner without delays.
• Pray that his Embassy interview on January 22 will be without hiccups!
• Pray that his visa will be issued!
• And most of all, pray that EXIT LETTERS WILL BE ISSUED and that we can go PICK HIM UP AND BRING HIM HOME!!!!!!

We would soooo love for this to happen in time for him to just wait for us in Kinshasa rather than traveling back to Lubumbashi.

**If this exit letter "ban" wasn't an issue, as soon as he receives a visa, we would be able to plan our travel.**

Advent Activity Calendar!

So it's officially December!  

We are now in the month of Christmas...my favorite time of year!

I love everything about Christmas time....except for all the materialism.  

I love the lights, the spirit, the fun, the family get togethers, holiday parties, food, and most of all, taking some extra time to dwell on our gift of Christ.

We desperately want our children to grow up understanding the magnitude of Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection.

But, in this world of materialism we know we are going to have to be very purposeful in guiding their hearts back to what truly matters.

We do this every day in what we teach them, the stories we read them, and the opportunities that life gives us every day when the girls see something that they don't understand.  We're here to explain life to them from a Biblical worldview.

We are also trying to make memories with them!  Last year we kicked off the Advent season with an Advent Activity calendar!  It was super fun putting it together and having the kids open an envelope every day with a new activity on it!

  

The girls totally loved it, so we knew we'd have to make it a new tradition!

This year, I included several activities that involve giving.  We really want to continually guide them to think of others instead of themselves. 

Which got me thinking the other day....when do kids start making Christmas lists?  I honestly don't want our girls sitting around for weeks thinking about what THEY want!  I want them thinking of what they've already been GIVEN!  And then, we should be thinking of those that have nothing and what we can do to give to them!  (Concludes mini rant)

So, making your own activity calendar is super easy and there's a ton of ways you can do it!  I didn't have clothes pins on hand this year, so we improvised.  

First, make a list of the activities you want to include. (you'll want to start on December 1st and have 25 activities)

Then, look at your calendar and map out which activity to plan on which day.  We really needed to plan ours out!

Now, what I did was cut scrapbook paper into four squares.

Then I wrote the activity on the back side of the paper.

I then folded the paper into an envelope and taped the seam shut.

Then I wrote the corresponding number on the outside.

Because I didn't have clothespins to pin them onto twine like last year, I just pinned them onto a small wreath.

This morning the girls opened one that told them they could make a Christmas countdown chain! (Who doesn't remember making those???)

Joy was super excited....so excited that she jumped for joy and hit her head on the counter.  Temporary crying ensued.

So if you'd like to make your own for your kiddos this year, I'll share our list.  It's very personal and there are soooo many ideas that you can use!

25. Make a Christmas Countdown Chain
24. Make paper snowflakes and hang on the window
23. Decorate bedroom door for Christmas
22. Open a new wrapped Christmas book and read it!
21. Collect toys from your toy box to donate.
20. Take your change to Salvation Army donation spots in front of the grocery stores.
19. Make Christmas ornaments
18. Go to the MALL!
17. Dress up for a tea party dinner (at home)
16. Open another wrapped Christmas book
15. Surprise movie night! (they'll open this one right at bedtime when we're tucking them in.  We'll have hot cocoa and Polar Express ready for them when they come back into the living room)
14. Take a glow bath! (You put glow sticks in the bath and turn the lights off...it's really cool!)
13. Go to see Frozen at the theater
12. Go to the Parade of Lights in Sutter Creek
11. Make Christmas cards for grandparents/great grandparents
10. Drive up to see the snow
9. Make Christmas cookies and decorate them
8. Open one last Christmas book
7. Get cookies ready for the mail lady and trash collector guy
6. Drive around to see Christmas lights
5. Have dinner by candlelight
4. Help mom wrap Christmas gifts
3. Help mom make homemade gifts for friends (can't elaborate on these online!:)
2. Stay up extra late at Nonnie and Papa's for Christmas Eve
1. Read about Jesus's birth first thing in the morning!

For other ideas, check out the list on this blog.  There are lots of good ideas (not every idea is good or something that I agree with or suggest!)


So whatever you choose to do this season, purpose to teach, guide, and direct your children to what really matters.  And that is the gift the our Savior has given!!!