April 24, 2013

Simple Steps to Safe and Natural Personal Care {And 18 Homemade Beauty Recipes}

Simple Steps to Safe and Natural Personal Care {With 18 Homemade Beauty Recipes}

By Emily, Contributing Writer As you're beginning your journey toward more green and natural living, one surprising thing you will most likely encounter early on is the truth about the dangerous chemicals and toxins lurking in the personal care and beauty products you use every single day. This knowledge can be somewhat shocking and overwhelming at first. I know it was for me! I specifically remember what I first thought upon hearing about the EWG's Cosmetic Safety Database, where they score personal care products based [...]

Filed Under: Baby Steps, Do it yourself, Healthy kids, Healthy Living, Homemade, Homemade skincare and beauty, Living healthy, Natural living Tagged With: , , , , 13 Comments
April 19, 2013

25 Uses for Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree Oil Uses

By Rachel, Contributing Writer Today we're talking about an essential oil that you've probably heard of before or have even seen in recipes for homemade cleaners here at Keeper of the Home: tea tree oil. Tea tree has such a diversity of usefulness that's both practical and convenient that you'll never want to live without it again! And the good news is that it is very inexpensive in comparison to other essential oils. photo credit What is Tea Tree Oil? Tea tree oil, also known as Melaleuca alternifoliais, is an [...]

Filed Under: Baby Steps, Healthy Living, Living healthy, Natural living, Natural Remedies, Non-toxic cleaning Tagged With: , , , , , 103 Comments
April 3, 2013

4 DIY All-Natural Facial Cleansers

all natural facial cleansers

Written by Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer As more information comes to light regarding the damaging effects of chemicals and other unnatural ingredients in many commercial skincare products, the desire to move toward natural alternatives is common. Navigating the products available at the store can be difficult; many products don't fully disclose ingredients and a number of brands marketed as "natural" are nothing of the sort. This can be discouraging and stressful. The best way I have found to combat this problem is to make my [...]

Filed Under: Do it yourself, Frugality, Homemade, Homemade skincare and beauty, Natural living Tagged With: , , , , 25 Comments
March 29, 2013

5 Practices of Natural Mothering

5 Practices of Natural Mothering

Please note that today's post is not intended to make any mother feel "unnatural" or that this way of mothering is "better" than or superior to other ways. I am friends with plenty of mothers who do not chose these practices, and many of them are much better mothers than I am! This post is simply to educate moms new to natural living about several aspects of what comprises "natural motherhood." By Erin Odom, Contributing Writer When I first became a mom nearly five years [...]

Filed Under: Babies, Breastfeeding, Cloth diapering, Healthy kids, Mothering, Pregnancy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , 25 Comments
February 25, 2013

5 Ways Green Living and Real Food are Connected

5 Ways Green Living and Real Food are Connected

By Emily McClements, Contributing Writer  Are you working to ditch processed foods and put more real food on the table? We're running a series called Real Food Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to Eating Better. Our goal is to answer the questions you might have and make the transition a whole lot easier! We all have different paths we are taking toward natural and healthy living. Some of you started with making the change toward real food and are now moving on to other areas [...]

Filed Under: Baby Steps, Going green, Good stewardship, Healthy kids, Healthy Living, Living Simply, Real Food, Real, whole food, Realfoodmadesimple, Sustainability Tagged With: , , , , , 4 Comments
February 18, 2013

Winter Giveaway Week: Win 1 of 3 Gift Certificates to Apple Valley Natural Soap

basil mint shampoo bar

There are very few things that I would consider important enough to put in the crazy expensive FedEx package that we're having shipped to Argentina. My Apple Valley Shampoo Bars? They made the cut. Seriously, I am in love with my shampoo bars. Back in the summer, I made a massive order from Apple Valley Natural Soap, buying enough shampoo bars, a few regular body soap bars, and our favorite healing herbal salve to last for the entire year that we'll be traveling. Every few [...]

Filed Under: Frugality, Giveaways, Natural living, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , 520 Comments
February 7, 2013

Safe Bath Products for Kids

Safe bath products for kids

Written by Kate Tietje, Contributing Writer When I was expecting my first baby, I bought so much stuff.  Some of what I bought was all the "usual" baby care products -- shampoo, baby wash, baby lotion, and so on.  All of that stuff makes babies smell so good! Then, when my daughter was a few months old, I was putting on her baby lotion after her bath one night and I watched an angry, red rash appear immediately. Wow! We never used that lotion again. [...]

Filed Under: Babies, Baby Steps, Children, Do it yourself, Frugality, Healthy kids, Homemade skincare and beauty, Living healthy, Mothering, Natural living Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 24 Comments
February 6, 2013

5 Ways to Get More Fruits & Veggies into your Diet

5 Ways to add more Friuts & Veggies into your diet COVER

              Written by Rachel, contributing writer Are you working to ditch processed foods and put more real food on the table? This month we're running a series called Real Food Made Simple: A Beginner's Guide to Eating Better. Our goal is to answer the questions you might have and make the transition a whole lot easier! We all want a healthy family, right? Some of us deal with picky eaters, and when it comes to getting little ones (and [...]

Filed Under: Baby Steps, Children, Healthy kids, In the kitchen, Living healthy, Nutrition, Raising healthy eaters, Real Food, Real, whole food, Realfoodmadesimple Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments