Green Zone: Ants be Gone!

With spring here, and the warmer weather coming, we all know what we can expect (other than mosquito's): ants!  Luckily, we don’t generally have a problem with ants at the house except for by the dog’s food dish, but a friend of mine has given me a great way to kill ants without chemicals.  The way to get rid of ants is to sprinkle the area with (raw) grits!  The ants will eat the grits and it will swell in their belly and kill them.

The No 'Poo Experiment

Missy over at Graceful Little Honey Bee, posted on her blog several months ago about her journey to go no ‘poo.  I had never heard of anything like it, and wondered what my hair would be like without any hair products.

Admittedly, I {heart} Garnier Fructice shampoo.  I have been using it alongside other brands for the last 10 years not to mention I use hairspray every day.  My intent is to determine whether or not my hair will become healthier and lightweight without all of these products in it.  I have seen in several blog posts that at some point, you may be able to go without washing your hair ever again once your hair get to its “natural state.”  I think this would be great, but I am curious to see if I can get to this point or not.

Clean Hair With Shampoo View From Top
(Yes, I need to touch up my roots!)

Clean Hair Head-On

Ingredients:

• Baking Soda
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Water

The baking soda is supposed to help with the grease whereas the apple cider vinegar is supposed to help nourish the hair.

Here is to a journey over the next couple of weeks to determine what this “No ‘Poo Revolution” is all about.  I will be documenting the good, the bad and the ugly!

Green Zone: Natural Moss Eliminator

My good friend from work got me interested in gardening several years back.  We are always bragging about our gardens to one another and I will say, many years, I am jealous of the harvest she is able to get from her garden (maybe I should follow through next year!) 

At any rate, my friend came into work telling me about how she got rid of moss that was in her garden.  You will never guess it.  Baking soda!  Apparently, if you sprinkle baking soda on moss, it will get rid of it!

I started to look into the method of getting rid of moss and I learned that moss really doesn’t hurt anything.  Yes, it’s an eyesore at times, but for the most part doesn’t hurt anything.  We have moss that grows on stepping stones we have to our front yard, and when the stones get moist, I have been known to do one of those slip, slide and catch myself dance moves for all (two) neighbors to see.  I don’t care about looking like a fool in front of the neighbors but I have pulled muscles by doing this ice-skating move on the stones!

I am looking forward to sprinkling some baking soda on the stepping stones tonight as well as around the garden where we have moss growing.

Green Zone: Deoderant Rock

Back in July of 2010, I had this overwhelming feeling that I wanted to prevent myself from getting breast cancer any way I could.  It was an intuition of sorts.  I started to drink “green smoothies” and learned about aluminum in the typical deodorant I used.  A month later, I found out my grandmother had breast cancer.

After researching deodorant rocks, I found stores online that sold them.  The price was a bit expensive, especially since I get my deodorant for $0.50 - $1.00 each when on sale and with double coupons.  Todd and I decided to try our local health food store to see if they may have one, and sure enough, they did.  I bought it and haven’t turned back since. 

I absolutely love the deodorant rock!  It doesn’t have a scent, but it works, which is all I really need!  I usually apply the rock to my under arms immediately after I get out of the shower.  The first weekend I had it, I wanted to test and see how long it would last.  It was two days and then I had to get a shower and reapply.  That’s not bad for July heat! 

I have always had sensitive underarms.  This product does not irritate my arms one bit, even after shaving.  I have read articles about people who bought one to use for stinky feet, which I thought was interesting.

The only thing that may be awkward at first with the deodorant rock is that it is not an antiperspirant.  Your underarms will still be wet when you sweat; however, there is no bad odor!  Another thing I like about it is that there are no more deodorant stains on my clothes.

I paid a little over $7.00 for my deodorant rock, but we are almost to the one year mark and it does not appear to have gotten any smaller since I bought it.  I did drop it once and it chipped a little off a corner, but it is still a very nice sized rock.  I look forward to using it for as long as it will last.  It may eventually end up being less expensive than “regular deodorant.”  To me, the cost was not an issue (even though I am a natural tight-wad!) I am striving to become healthier and creating new habits that will prevent illness and extend my life.

Green Zone: Uses for Peroxide

I am a peroxide junkie.  I’m not sure why, but I have been this way since I can remember.  People would always tell me that doing the things I did (and still do) with peroxide would hurt me, but I have found articles online that prove otherwise. 

Use #1: Mouthwash

Every morning when I brush my teeth, I put a capful of peroxide in my mouth and swish it around.  I can see the areas I need to brush thoroughly (like between my teeth) because of the bubbles, and it helps to keep my teeth nice and white.  I have been doing this since I was in middle school.  (Don’t swallow it though – yuck!)

                    

Use #2: Blemishes

If I have a pimple, I put peroxide on it before I go to bed and in the morning when I wake up.  When you put it on a blemish, it will turn white for a few minutes, but it will then go away.  The peroxide seems to dry up the blemish much quicker than if I were to let it be.

Use #3: Ear Cleanser

I put a few drops in my ears every week.  At first, it feels weird with the bubbles, and then it gets to be enjoyable.  I let the bubbles rise in my ear for a few minutes, then turn over and empty it out in a wash cloth.  I then use a q-tip (I know you’re not supposed to, but I do) to get the remaining liquid out.  It has gotten to the point that my ears are so clean, sometimes they don’t even bubble anymore. 

I have read that doing this helps to prevent colds which would explain why I don’t generally get sick very often (except for last month).  I have been doing this since before high school.

Use #4: Congestion

About a month ago, I got the horrible sinus/head cold that everyone in the office passed around (thanks guys!).  I was so stuffed up that I couldn’t breathe out of my nose.  I read online that you can put peroxide up your nose to help clear your sinuses.  I don’t really know how to pour peroxide up my nose without choking on it, and I wasn’t willing to try it, so I put peroxide on a q-tip and swabbed my nose with it.  I wasn’t decongested for very long, but I was able to breathe for about an hour by doing this!  I reapplied every time I’d get stuffy again. Some articles state that this is fiction; however, it worked for me!

Use #5: Cleaning Agent

I haven’t done this, but I read online that peroxide is a great cleaning agent for the house.  It is non-toxic and cleans wonderfully.  You can clean any surface to get rid of bacteria and germs.  It was also mentioned that it is great as a produce wash!

Do you use peroxide for anything other than what is listed here?

If so, I want to hear about it!