I Haven't Used Shampoo in Over 2 Years

...and I swear I don't smell like a hobo!

One day I ran out of my beloved Alaffia shampoo. I figured I'd try the No-Poo method before replacing the bottle. No-Poo method simply means washing your hair without shampoo and using just water, conditioner, or baking soda instead.

Why No-Poo? Many people find that shampoo leaves hair dry and frizzy, especially curly and kinky hair. Personally, I've never experienced this. I think it's because I don't wash my hair as often as most people do. I wash my hair once a week in the summer and sometimes just once a month in the winter. If it feels un-fresh in between, I just rinse and scrub with water. Why waste time removing the naturally perfect oils in my hair just to replace them with products that don't work as well?

It's been over 2 years and I have yet to buy shampoo. I love washing my hair with baking soda! It gets my hair at least as clean as shampoo. It might even be cleaner because baking soda is much easier to rinse out. Plus, there's no plastic bottle to recycle, no ingredients to investigate for safety, and each cleaning cost just pennies.

Here's how to clean your hair with baking soda instead of shampoo:

Peek Inside My Cosmetics Bag

I'm sharing the contents of my cosmetics bag because I think you know someone better when you know what's inside their bag. Also, I'm curious if you carry around any of the same stuff. 

Here's what in my Sustain organic cotton pouch cosmetics bag:

What is Dry Brushing and How to Do It

Dry brushing is exactly what it sounds like. It's literally brushing your body without using any oil, butters, or other moisturizer.

Why dry brush? My first experience with the holistic skin care ritual proved that it makes your skin smoother and softer almost instantly. I felt it removed much more dead skin cells than using a brush (or even my beloved exfoliating gloves) in the shower.

In short: Dry brushing keeps you from being ashy. 

It's also supposed to be really good for supporting your body's natural detoxification system. Refinery 29 reports on dry brushing:

According to aesthetician Susan Ciminelli, dry brushing increases the circulation of lymphatic fluid and blood flow. It helps circulate nutrients through the body as well as waste, helping to take pressure off the kidneys to regulate the amount of water in the body. Excess water is secreted, and Ciminelli even claims that it "helps to keep the layer of fat under the skin's surface very thin. The thinner that layer of fat, the easier it is for the body to excrete toxins through the skin."

I also love how dry brushing makes me feel warm and energized. If you often crave a good back scratch like I do, you're gonna really enjoy dry brushing.

How exactly does one dry brush? Is there a specific way to do it?

DIY Rosemary Lemon Dishpan Hands Remedy

Are your hands rough, dry, and chapped from washing dishes? Mine are! Is the cold, windy weather making things worse? Absolutely! That's why I mixed up this batch of healing rosemary lemon salt scrub. I use it a few times daily to exfoliate, moisturize, and heal my hands naturally. 

Here's the recipe so you can mix up a batch too. You probably already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen. Keep some near your sink so that you remember to use it.

DIY Rosemary Lemon Dishpan Hands Remedy Recipe

You'll need:

• 1 cup kosher (coarse) sea salt or epsom salt
• 1 lemon
• 3-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 6 drops lemon essential oil or about 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 6 drops rosemary essential oil (optional)
• 1/2 cup organic almond oil, more or less (substitute: olive oil has a strong smell, which you may or may not like, but is also suitable for this recipe.)

DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub Recipe

Nothing says Happy Holidays like this delicious smelling DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub.

This all natural scrub is a yummy treat for skin damaged by winter weather. Almond oil is moisturizing. Sugar and ground coffee exfoliate dry skin. Chocolate, coffee, and vanilla are rich in antioxidants, which help prevent and repair damaged skin cells. Honey is a humectant, so it actually draws moisture to your skin and keeps it there. Peppermint oil perks up your mood, chasing away the winter blues.

This bath and shower-friendly scrub is also great for use after washing your hands.

DIY Chocolate Espresso Mint Cookie Sugar Scrub Recipe

You'll need:

• 1/2 cup fair trade ground coffee beans 
• 3 oz fair trade brown sugar (substitute: white sugar with 1 tsp molasses blended in)
• 1 heaping tablespoon fair trade cocoa powder or cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon fair trade raw honey (vegan substitute: vegetable glycerine)
• 1/2 cup organic almond oil, more or less
• 10 drops French vanilla liquid stevia (substitute: 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean powder)
• 6 drops peppermint essential oil

Sustain Vegan, Natural, Eco-friendly Lubricant Review + Giveaway

If you're seeking vegan, nontoxic lube to use with your equally vegan eco-friendly and chemical-free vegan condoms look no further than Sustain's new organic lubricant.

Sustain, the first sustainable, non-toxic, Fair Trade Certified brand of condoms in the U.S. just launched a line of organic personal lubricant. Sustain’s lubricant consists of a long-lasting, premium, mess-free formula, free of harsh and potentially harmful ingredients such as parabens, glycerin, petroleum and propylene glycol.

Sustain water-based lubricant is certified 95% organic and 100% vegan, gluten-free, latex and polyisoprene (i.e., non-latex) compatible, free of silicone and dyes and not tested on animals. Yay!

I was delighted to find a box containing both lavender and unscented Sustain lubricant in my mailbox last week. I was even more delighted to give it a try. :-)

(Keep reading to see what I think of it and to enter my giveaway.)

Most Common Toxic Chemicals in Personal Care and Cosmetic Products

Ever flip around a bottle of shampoo to read the ingredients? Usually it's just a jumble of words I can't even begin to imagine how to pronounce. Sometimes these hard to pronounce words are just the botanical name for something plant-based or the scientific name for something otherwise totally natural and safe.

Oftentimes these weird words are the names of some dangerous chemicals. Synthetic chemicals and some natural metals linked to cancers, reproductive illness, developmental difficulties, and other serious health issues are ingredients featured in the personal care and cosmetics products that line the shelves of drug stores, upscale department stores, and boutiques alike.

Hopefully, use of harmful chemicals in personal care and other household products will eventually be more regulated. Meanwhile, it's a good idea to check and see if the products you and your loved ones use are safe. I know it's overwhelming, especially because we live in a time when everything seems to give you cancer. Still, it's so important to be aware and do your best to avoid synthetic chemicals when possible.

Here's a list of 17 toxic chemicals to avoid in your personal care products.

How to Make Natural & Vegan Lip Balm

Making natural lip balm is easy, economical, and fun! Here's a basic lip balm recipe (with a beeswax-free vegan adaptation) along with helpful tips for beginners and info on where to buy tubes and other supplies online.

Basic Lip Balm Recipe with Optional Vegan Adaptation

This recipe makes 9-10 tubes of lip balm. I've included info about how many parts of each ingredient to use so that you can easily halve or double the recipe.

You'll need:

• 3 Tablespoons coconut, sunflower, olive, castor, almond &/or other carrier/liquid oil (3 parts)
• 1 Tablespoon shea, cocoa, &/or mango butter/ solid oils (1 part)
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon grated beeswax (1 part beeswax)
• To veganize, substitute beeswax for half as much plant-based wax, so use 1 Tablespoon candelilla wax or carnauba wax  (½ part vegan wax)
• 10 to 20 drops of any combo essential oils (about 3 to 5 drops of eo per tablespoon of ingredients) 
• 3 or 4 drops of Vitamin E oil, works as a preservative (optional, but recommended)
• stovetop access, small pot, glass measuring cup, measuring spoons, mason jar lid or double boiler, silicone spoon or spatula, and pot holder
• empty lip balm tubes or small balm tins

How to Make Natural Salt & Sugar Scrubs, Bath Tea, and Bath Salts

On Sunday, I taught a Healing Herbal Scrubs & Soaks workshop at the Pace University dorms. There were seventeen students (my biggest hands-on workshop yet) and we all had a great time!

I'd love to take this opportunity to share with you some recipes, tips, and tricks to creating your own custom natural bath products that will make you smile too.

Basic Salt Scrub and Sugar Scrub Recipe

Make your own awesome scrub (aka "body polish") to exfoliate dead skin, unclog pores, increase circulation, and moisturize dry areas. Your skin will feel so silky after using this!

How to Use Coconut Oil to Prevent Frizzy Hair [VIDEO]

Do you know you can (semi-) waterproof your hair naturally with coconut oil? Yeah! Coconut penetrates hair, leaving no room for it to absorb humidity, making frizz impossible.

Watch and learn.

Hate videos? Read on to learn how to use coconut oil to prevent frizzy hair:

The Best Hand Soap for Cold Season

Germs, germ, everywhere germs. Well, not really. Still, we should probably do our best to keep our hands clean so we don't pick up the latest cold or flu bug going around.

This means reaching for the best bottle of antibacterial hand wash, right? Wrong! There's no evidence that washing with antibacterial soaps decreases our risk of catching the cold or flu. Also triclosan is a pesticide that is the active ingredient in most antibacterial soaps.

Here's what the FDA says about triclosan:

Animal studies have shown that triclosan alters hormone regulation. However, data showing effects in animals don’t always predict effects in humans. Other studies in bacteria have raised the possibility that triclosan contributes to making bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

So the FDA is still studying whether triclosan is safe or not. Good news is you, me, and the kids who are our future get to be test subjects. Hooray!

The Simplest DIY Brown Sugar Body Scrub

This natural bath product goes from kitchen cabinet to Christmas tree in 10 minutes!

Buy one crappy tube of exfoliating "sugar scrub" at the drug store and it'll be something like $5. A jar of the real stuff can cost you $15 and up, especially if it's marketed as "natural", even if it's still got unhealthy synthetic fragrances in it.

I was inspired by this recipe for DIY Lavender Vanilla Sugar Scrub at Livin' the Crunchy Life to make a dozen 4oz jars for myself and my co-workers with mostly organic and fair trade ingredients for less than one jar of fancy stuff costs. I quadrupled the recipe for maximum gifting. 10 minutes from start to finish and I had gifts for everyone. Tis the season!

I'm not big on bath products, especially food ones, cuz I don't like taking the extra time to clean up the mess in the shower and oil makes me paranoid about slipping and falling to meet my early demise by DIY. Still, I enjoy using this every so often because it leaves my skin feeling moisturized and nourished right out of the shower.


You'll need:

• 2 to 2.5c fair trade white sugar
• 2 to 2.5c fair trade brown sugar or more white sugar
• 1c your favorite plant-based oil. Olive oil is great if you have friends with nut allergies (and if you're just deciding to whip this up last minute like I did). That's what I used. Coconut oil isn't a good choice this time of year since it's cooling.
• 40 drops (or less) of 1 to 3 kinds of your favorite combo of essential oils. I used lavender and found the molasses in the brown sugar took over the show in a mostly yummy way but there was a little riff between it and the lavender. Maybe next time I'll use something more complimentary like clove or cinnamon essential oils. If you stick with only white sugar it should surely smell more like the essential oils you use.
• 2 to 3 handfuls of lavender flowers. A classy (optional) touch! 

My Unlazy Natural Acne-Prone Skin Care Routine

I haven't been very proactive when it comes to skin care, but I'm now determined to overcome my struggle with acne. Here's a brief history of the things I've tried.

The Oil Cleansing Method
Yes, I rubbed oil on my skin to correct acne. Seems silly but it works for so many people. My skin didn't look much different after a month. (I blogged my before and after.)

Birth Control Pills
I've been taking Ortho-tricyclen off and on since I was 19. The hormones always successfully clear my skin within weeks. I look amazing! Sadly, as soon as I stop taking them, the acne returns in about a month.

I'd prefer not to take birth control pills because I have a family history of cancer and cancer and extra hormones are besties. Still, sometimes people do stupid things for immediate solace and I am no exception.

Weird thing is this year each of the three different types of birth control pills I tried (ortho tricyclen, ortho tricyclen lo and ortho-cept) caused me to have a million side effects including 21 EFFING DAYS of menstruation every month for 8 months!!!

About two months ago, I finally had enough and stopped taking the pills. Of course, my zits came back. I decided to get unlazy (to borrow my friend Savi's term) and put some effort into keeping a simple skin care routine and see what happened.

Here's what I do now:

Hard Water 101: What it is, How to Tell if You Have it & How to Live with it

Hard water literally means water that is "hard" or difficult to create lather or suds in when using soap or even detergent. This is cause by higher mineral content in the water. Folks who live in mountainous regions or use well water usually have hard water, but according to Borax website, over 85% of homes have at least slightly hard water.

Jolie Kerr, The Hairpin's Ask a Clean Person columnist offers this wonderful description of hard water:

Hard water contains a high mineral count. It's not harmful to humans, though it is harmful to machinery in that those minerals build up, leaving what's called "scale" or "fouling" — colloquially, we often refer to it as scum. Hard water also doesn't play as nicely with soap as does soft water, resulting in a distinct lack of lather without the aid of a water softener designed to reduce the calcium, magnesium and etc etc etc minerals that are found in hard water.

A sure way to know if you have hard water is to contact your local municipal water supplier. (Find them via Google.) They should have a water quality report on their website or available by request. They could probably answer your hard water question over the phone too.

Hard water can't affect your health but it can make life a little difficult, especially when you're trying to wash clothes. Borax website explains: "When you add detergent to hard water, some of the detergent combines with the calcium and magnesium granules that settle to the bottom of the washing machine, where it washes harmlessly down the drain without cleaning your clothes."

Guide to Naturally Fabulous Fall Hair

Guest post by Joanna Puciata, founder of http://healandglow.com/.

From pool, to sun, to chemical treatment (and here I mean shampooing and conditioning, not just coloring), straighteners and curlers, your hair is probably screaming bloody murder. Add to it humidity or cold temperatures, and your once beautiful hair seems in need of a major makeover every day, no matter what you do to it.

All the blondes suffer from the "sun-dried syndrome." The luster is gone, the color becomes grayish and every strand seems to be going in different direction unless you torture your hair with anti-frizz conditioner, styling product, heat resistant product, serum and finally a hair spray. Oh, don't forget the flat iron...

Brunettes? Not really sure, but I take it you probably suffer too. Extreme humidity coupled with heat and cold from constant air conditioning or cold temperatures with dry, heated air puts you far away from the Hollywood gorgeousness.

So what can you do to revive your hair?

1. Nourish yourself everyday. When you eat consciously and purposely every cell in your body becomes healthier and more beautiful. That goes for skin, hair and nails as well. Your outside body parts are a reflection of your lifestyle habits. Mineral depleted body produces weak, easily breakable, dull hair. Eat well and the hair becomes bouncier, thicker, and stronger.

2. Take care of your liver. Liver toxicity is responsible for weakened immune system, skin break-outs, slowly growing hair. Each year your liver accumulates about 5 pounds of toxins just from the cosmetics you use. All the parabens, sulfates, fragrances, colors doesn't just get rinsed off with the shower water. They get absorbed through the skin and into the liver where they sit patiently waiting for a detox and fiber.

3. Establish a Weekly Beauty Routine. Remember what I always say; having a spa experience once in a lifetime is great and quickly forgotten, but doing small things consistently every day or every week is what brings you the desired results. And the only way to be able to afford that is to do it yourself using simple pantry ingredients.

Ready?

• Make a small investment and buy an inexpensive heating cap. The heat will open-up the hair shaft allowing for deeper and speedier conditioning.
• Use organic shampoos and conditioners, skipping all those chemicals. Make sure to read the labels. If you are sensitive or allergic to something you eat, you will also be affected by it in a cosmetic form. (Learn about the ingredients in products you use via EWG's Skin Deep cosmetics database.)
• Look around for an organic hair stylist in your area to color your hair with gentler colors.
• Treat your hair. For each treatment put plastic wrap around your head and go about your business for 30 minutes or better yet use the heating cap and relax. Wash as usual.

MOISTURIZE

What's Your Makeup Hiding?

I just read a great article: Why Your Makeup is More Harmful Than You Think. Honestly, I never think about makeup because I don't wear any. However, it's not all about me so I'm taking a moment to share with you beautiful readers three ugly facts about makeup that the article pointed out.

• Out of 1,000 carcinogens the EU has banned, the US has only banned 9 of them. 
• Scientists have only "improved" upon all of the chemicals used in our beauty products, making the particles both smaller and stronger. This means they're more easily absorbed into the skin and past the protective layers that once served as a barrier to these toxins.
• Terms like "herbal," "organic" and "natural" on beauty packaging aren't regulated and have no actual meaning. Trust us, there's not one "herb" in Herbal Essences shampoo. Go to safecosmetics.org or ewg.com/skindeep to suss out which exact products are chemical-free.

 Read the rest of the article on Wellness Today.

Before you get all emo and worry you'll have to expose the world to your raw, unedited beauty (which I'm rooting for), know that you can totally make your own natural makeup. Amy at A Blossoming Life shares homemade natural makeup tutorials for mascara, foundation powder, blush, and bronzer. Katie at Wellness Mama blogged a bunch of natural makeup options, including eyeliner, and has another blog post on how to make natural tinted lip balm. I haven't tried any of their recipes, but the safe ingredients make me happy.

Do you seek out natural makeup? Have you ever made your own makeup?

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Wanna keep nerding out about creative green living? Let's stay connected: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Newsletter // Bloglovin' // YouTube

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My Natural Hair Care Routine

I love my hair. I also love talking about my hair. So when a reader asked what products I use I practically jumped over myself to create a post on the topic.

Here are the natural hair care products I use, listed in the order I use them along with some Amazon affiliate links to where you can buy them, if you choose. None of these products contain synthetic fragrances or parabens. They're all made without animal products or animal testing. Most are fair trade and use organic ingredients. So I have an afrotastic hair day and nobody gets hurt. Yay!

Hair Typing: I'm not sure how much hair typing matters, but I do find it useful for managing expectations on how my hair should look after using a certain product or styling technique. I have 4A hair, which means it grows in lots of tiny, defined, and supertight coils. (You can discover your hair type here.)
Remembering that there are little distinctions even within hair types might help you determine if the products I use and how I use them will work for you. In other words, please don't get mad at me if your hair doesn't like the products I use.

My hair, today, showing it's natural curl pattern. (It hasn't been stretched or styled.)

Deep Condition: Everyday Coconut Super Hydrating Conditioner, Beautiful Curls Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment, or coconut oil. I finger comb or use a wide toothed comb to distribute about 1/3 cup evenly through damp hair. I put on two shower caps or reuse plastic bags (produce bags are great for this) and a warm knit cap. I leave my hair alone for about 30 minutes. Now is the perfect time to work up a sweat cleaning up around the house. The steam created by body heat helps the conditioning process.

Shampoo or No Poo: Alaffia Kola, Ginger & Shea Daily Fortifying Shampoo. (I'm not sure if they still make it.) The bottle I used before this one was Alaffia Neem & Shea Scalp Recovery Shampoo. Both are sulfate-free, meaning they are low poo. low suds, non-drying, and non abrasive. This keeps curls happy. I only shampoo once and don't use a lot of shampoo. Squeaky clean is too clean. Hair needs some oils to stay awesome.
If you're dead set against shampoos, or just thrifty, an alternative to shampoo is the Baking Soda No Poo method.I tried it once. It does work.

Final Rinse: Once all the shampoo is rinsed from my hair, I do a final rinse with 2-4 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) + 8-10 oz homemade herb infused water or 2-4 TBS ACV + 8-10 oz water + 4 drops essential oil. (Lavender is my herb/essential oil of choice.) I do not rinse this out. It leaves my hair supershiny and the smell of vinegar eventually dissipates.

Dry: I gently squeeze hair dry then partially towel dry. I use Aquis Microfiber Hair Towel.

Leave in Conditioner: In a spray bottle, I mix together 1 part aloe vera gel (Aloe 80 Organics Skin Soothing Gel) with 3 parts filtered water and a few drops of essential oil. (Again, you can also use herb-infused water in place of filtered water and skip the essential oil, but for some reason I'm just thinking of this!)

Moisturizer/ Hot Oil Treatment: Coconut oil is a great way to seal in the moisture from leave-in conditioner. I usually want a hot oil treatment after washing, so I heat it by placing a small cup of oil (I use a sake glass) in a larger bowl of hot water. The heat makes the oil extra potent. 
When I rock a wash-and-go, I rub it through my damp hair with my palms so I don't disturb my natural curl pattern. If I am going to wear two-strand twists, I may use a comb or brush.
I've used many brands of coconut oil. Right now I'm using Dr. Bronner's White Kernel. Last month I used Dr. Bronner's Whole Kernel Coconut Oil. I haven't noticed a difference in results. I just buy what's on sale at Whole Foods. I like olive oil too. I would recommend always going for organic and food quality oil.

Touch-up/ In-between wash days: I do all the above every one to two weeks. Every other day or so, I mist my hair with my DIY leave-in conditioner and seal in moisture with a little coconut oil.

Random Tips: Healthy hair is part of a healthy body. A food based multivitamin supports hair growth and strength. (My hair stylist says a prenatal vitamin is even better.) Eating healthy fats like flax seeds and flax seed oil, coconut oil, walnuts, and avocados help keep your hair and skin well moisturized. 
Water is a friend of hair. I drink lots of water. I also let the steam from a hot shower treat my hair as well.
Massaging your scalp with your fingertips is also beneficial for scalp health and hair growth.

What hair products do you use? What's your routine?

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7 Reasons to Travel with Coconut Oil

You needn't abandon healthy habits just because you're away from home. Carry your commitment to supreme self-care with you by packing a jar of coconut oil. Here are just a few ways you can use the very versatile oil to treat your body right on the road.

1. Shaving cream
My personal research has uncovered that wishing leg and armpit hair won't grow during vacations doesn't work. (Le sigh.) Fortunately, rubbing coconut oil onto wet skin before shaving makes the experience a pleasure and leaves skin feeling extra silky. Who needs shaving cream!

2. Hair Conditioner
Hotel toiletries are always a drag. Not only are they usually full of yucky synthetic chemicals, they generally suck too. I love using coconut oil as a deep conditioner. I comb it through damp hair, put on a complimentary shower cap, and let it work it's magic for 10-30 minutes. Afterwards I wash my hair. (Forgot to pack healthy shampoo? Use baking soda.) I also use coconut oil as a leave-in conditioner, but I don't recommend that use for folks with oily or thin hair.

Visit GreenLivingLadies.com to read the rest of my post and learn 5 more reasons to travel with coconut oil. I'm a thrilled to be a guest writer on that awesome blog today!

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Wanna keep nerding out about creative green living? Let's stay connected: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Newsletter // Bloglovin' // YouTube

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What to Do if You Forget Deodorant

Sometimes you leave the house and you realize you've forgotten something. Not your wallet or your sunnies, but something even worse...deodorant!

Don't fret, my pet. Chances are you've got something in your purse that will do the trick: hand sanitizer.

Yup! Hand sanitizer not only kills common germs on your hands but anywhere. So if you put it in your pits, it'll Kung Fu odor-causing germs there too, leaving you fresh.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a big advocate for hand sanitizer. I believe we need germs. I also think using soap and water is the ideal way to keep our hands clean. Still, I feel that on days when you need a touch-up on your natural deodorant or have flat-out forgotten it, this is a sweet secret weapon.

I like EO Hand Sanitizer gel. It's made with organic alcohol, has moisturizing jojoba oil & glycerin, and is scented with essential oils not synthetic fragrances, so it's not as bad as standard antimicrobial sanitizers.

How do you feel about hand sanitizer? Do you ever use it? Have you ever used it as emergency deodorant?

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Wanna keep nerding out about creative green living? Let's stay connected: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Newsletter // Bloglovin' // YouTube

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5 Natural Remedies to Soothe Bug Bitten Skin

I'm the sweetest lady in Providence, RI. Don't believe me? Ask the mosquitoes. If 'skeeters, fleas, flies, and other bugs think you're tasty too, here are five natural, non-toxic treatments to soothe your ailing skin.

Baking soda
Broke and bug bitten? Try my favorite remedy: baking soda. Make a paste by adding a little water to baking soda. If you have witch hazel, use that instead of water, as it helps to draw out fluids and reduce swelling. Apply paste directly to bug bites and feel relief almost instantly. Warning: This will leave an unsightly white crust on your skin, so I don't recommend doing this before leaving home unless you just don't give a darn. In which case, can I borrow some of your confidence?

Essential Oil
You probably have lavender and tea tree essential oils in your green cleaning kit, but you needn't reserve these dynamic oils for household chores. Lavender essential oil is one of the few essential oils that's safe to place directly to your skin without a carrier oil. A dab on the skin can help reduce inflammation and pain and prevent infections. (via Huffington Post) Tea tree oil is also helpful. Add a few drops to a tablespoon of coconut, almond, or jojoba oil before applying to irritated skin.

The home remedies below didn't work for me. I'm including them because they're pretty popular. Maybe one of these will give you relief since every body is different.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Another handy, inexpensive treatment. Use a cotton ball to dab some ACV directly onto bug bites. The acid helps to balance the pH of your skin and kill germs that cause irritation. (via Huffington Post)

Veg Out
Place cucumber skins on top of the bites to sooth the itching and irritation. (via Dr. Oz blog)

Hair of the Dog
Apply honey to a bug bite to sooth the skin. Because honey is a natural antibiotic, it can also help prevent infections. (also via Dr. Oz blog)

How to you treat your itchy bug bites? Do any of these remedies work for you? Leave a comment. 

Update: This blog post is linked up with Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #81 link party at FrugallySustainable.com. Check it out!  

Thanks so much for reading this blog entry! I hope it was helpful. Wanna keep nerding out about creative green living? Let's stay connected: Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Newsletter // Bloglovin' // YouTube