Danielle's Homemade Products Hand Care Tip

Recently, I heard that a woman's age can be determined just by looking at her hands....Yikes. I would hate to hear what my hands say about me since I constantly abuse them. With winter on the way in, this is a concern for chapped, cracked, and dry skin are my worst enemies.

My hands take a beating all year round, with cleaners (even homemade ones), scrubbing, showers, dishes, you name it. I must quote Water Boy here and say that Water Sucks in this case because it kills my poor hands.

After the last cleaning binge I had, my poor hands looked just terrible.



My hands were in a bad place and I didn't want anyone to see them. With winter coming up, they can get that bad and worse. So I thought...hmm I wonder if anyone else has this same problem and thought I would share what I do to help them out and tips to protect your hands.

The first thing I do is use a hand scrub. I offer a sweet orange version on my website, but I also make a quick one for when I don't want a scented hand scrub or need a quick body scrub. Fill a small jar 3/4 of the way with sugar, pour a thin layer of oil over the top of the sugar (I use olive oil, but whatever you have will work), then fill the jar the rest of the way with dish soap ( I use Dawn, but any kind would work, if you have one that has a moisturizer in it, that is even better). Then stir the items together and add additional sugar if the mixture is too loose. I like mine on the dry side, but this is preference. Then take a scoop of it out, rub it over your hands and rinse off in warm water. Try not to make the water too hot as this will dry your hands out more as well.

After using a scrub on your hands (you should do this at least once a week), make sure to apply a nice lotion or salve to your hands and allow it to soak in. I use my own All Purpose Salve (available on my website at daniandskye.wix.com/danishomemadeproduct). I like the salve better than lotion since it soaks in pretty fast and doesn't give me the greasy feel lotion does (I seriously feel like I need to wash my hands again after putting lotion on so this would defeat the purpose of the moisturizer).

If your hands are really dry or cracked, it is a good idea to moisturize over night as well. To do this, I put on a thick coat of my all purpose salve (use what you prefer but I swear by my salve for many different things), then put on a pair of gloves (I have a fabric pair that I bought for this purpose or sometimes I just put on a pair of latex gloves I keep on hand for meat cutting, or even a clean pair of socks will work), and then go to bed. That simple. By morning, the salve has soaked in and softened my hands a great deal and it is much easier to moisturize them with a thin coat of my salve throughout the day.

My hands were in pretty bad shape so I did the scrub and moisturize routine for a couple of days but here is what they looked like after the couple of days.



Big improvement, but not quite fully repaired.

Some tips to protect your hands:

1. Moisturize. You should apply some kind of lotion or salve to your hands at least 4 times a day to help retain moisture and prevent chapping.

2. Temperatures. Watch the temperature on your water when you wash your hands. It should not be either too hot or too cold, both will strip moisture from your skin. Make sure to dry your hands completely (don't forget in between your fingers) after you wash them and apply lotion or salve to your hands.

3. Gloves. When washing dishes or cleaning, protect your hands with gloves. Gloves can even be used for over night moisturizing when your hands are really dry or cracked.

4. Cleaners. Chemicals can be harsh on the skin (just check out the pics of my hands above). When possible, choose a mild cleaner or soap to keep from tearing up your hands. Some body soaps can be full of chemicals as well so go homemade or mild whenever possible.

5. Exfoliate. Use your favorite hand scrub to help remove the build up of skin cells. Don't forget to moisturize afterwards.

6. Protect. Protect your hands from weather, both sun damage and winter cold damage. This will help keep your hands looking youthful for many more years.

After taking care of my hands, I don't worry about showing them off. Which is a good thing since I tend to gesture and talk with my hands and they are always visible. I certainly don't want people to be able to guess my age by the looks of my hands, even if my polish wears off quickly. How do you care for your hands? Leave a comment below.

Danielle's Homemade Products Lip Care Tip

It has been chilly here the last couple of days and it reminded me that winter was coming. Winter is not fair to one part of our bodies that many of us forget to take care of....your Lips



Here is a little low down on our lips....

Did you know that the lips are the only part of the body that we expose to all weathers without thinking about them? They get sunburned in the summer, wind burn or chapped in the winter and everything in between.

The lips are the most sensitive skin we have on our bodies...don't believe me? Try this little test from my high school psychology teacher. Take 2 toothpicks and touch them to your finger. How close can you get them together before you no longer recognize that there are two? Do the same with your lips? Or better yet, have the partner in your life do the test while you sit with your eyes closed or blind folded. I am sure you will be surprised. I know I was...way back a million years ago now (or so it seems).

Most people have about 16 layers of skin on their face....but the lips have only 3 layers. The skin on the body has between 3 and 5 layers of skin with sweat glands, oil glands, and hair follicles. The lips have only 3 layers and depend on your care for their moisture (they have no sweat glands or oil glands to self moisturize themselves...poor things).

It is not too late to change...here is what you can do or stop doing

1. Drink plenty of water. Water hydrates your skin from the inside out including your lips. Caffeine will dehydrate your skin and lips so drink an extra glass for every cup of caffeine you indulge in. Remember..if you are thirsty, your body is already dehydrated so drink up.

2. Stop licking your lips. Yes, I am guilty of this too. The thing to remember is that saliva is meant to help you digest food. Do you really want to literally eat your lips? Kinda gross when you think of it that way right?

3. Keep your lips out of the elements. I know this sounds silly, but its a big deal. In the summer, wear a hat that shades your lips. In the winter, cover your face and lips with a scarf. These will make a difference in how dry your lips will be.

4. Don't breath through your mouth. As a mouth breather myself for many years, I know how difficult this one is too change, but every breath in or breath out through the mouth dries out your lips.

5. Exfoliate. There are a couple of ways to do this. A soft toothbrush will work, rub the bristles gently over your lips to loosen dead skins. A lip scrub will also help to remove dead skins, but be cautious. Body scrubs may be too harsh on the lips so get one designed for the lips (I offer a few varieties on my website daniandskye.wix.com/danishomemadeproduct, I also will make custom flavors or scents as well, that are made with either cocoa butter or shea butter)



6. Apply moisture. When possible, use a lip balm that has a SPF of at least 15, but lip balm applied will be a big help. You don't want to put a thick coat on, just enough to coat the lips. Too much and you may be tempted to lick your lips for the flavor...remember this is a NO NO. Find a lip balm that you like and use it when ever you are tempted to lick your lips, or if they feel dry (I offer a few varieties on my website, see link above, and will be offering a chocolate flavored one in the next couple weeks).

Let's stop abusing a very tender part of our bodies. Make your lips kissable for this coming winter and protect them.

Danielle's Homemade Products....Tip

I realize I haven't posted in over a week and for that I apologize. Life has been crazy here and we have had some family tragedy as well with an unexpected death in the family. It has been a rough week so I thought I would post about something fun to do with the family.

My daughter is 6 and her favorite thing in the world to play with.....SHAVING CREAM. But plain old shaving cream can get boring after a while. So I have found ways to make play time with shaving cream a little more fun. Today I will post about one of those that we did over the summer and she is constantly begging to do again.

It is very simple and requires two things:

Shaving cream (I buy the cheapest from the Dollar Tree when I can)
water balloons

Take the water balloons and stretch them over the nozzle of the shaving cream can and fill them with shaving cream. Not too full or they will pop while you are filling, but if not full enough they may not pop when you play with them.

Here are our balloons.



Since the balloons were not very heavy, they did not break on impact when we were throwing them at each other, but instead broke when they hit the grass. I will admit....I wasn't very nice. She picked up a handful of the shaving cream off the grass and I helped her to wear it....sorry kiddo but it was kinda funny



I won't lie...I laughed and she didn't like it, but since she was covered in shaving cream already, I let her finish playing with the shaving cream in the bathtub and that made her day.



She LOVES shaving cream....how can you make shaving cream play better? Look for future posts on what other ways we use shaving cream to play.

Danielle's Homemade Products....Tip

Well, life has certainly gotten away from me this past week or so...from funerals to computer issues it has not been a good week and one thing always seems to make those crazy weeks worse: having to argue with your child because it is time to come in the house for the night and their friends keep knocking on the door.

I don't know about you, but this is one of my biggest pet peeves. Now that my daughter has friends in the area we are at, it seems they are always knocking on the door, and I mean ALWAYS. During homework time (she is not allowed to play until after her homework is completed, checked, and signed by me), when it is time to eat dinner, and when it is time to come in for the night to shower and prepare for bed. It has gotten to the point that I don't even answer the door myself most times any more because it is more likely for her than for me (my daughter is the little social butterfly).

Well...let me tell you how I reached my breaking point. It started Sunday evening. During the school year, I have my daughter come in the house around 7pm each night, that gives her time to shower, settle down, and maybe read a few books before her 8pm bedtime (she is 6 after all and not a pleasant child to get up in the morning so an early bed time is a must). Well 8 oclock comes around and she still has friends knocking on the door....REALLY?

I was not a happy mom at all and she ended up having to come in early Monday night because she didn't go to bed when she was suppose to and wanted to fight the entire process because her friends kept coming by. I put a stop to that with a quick solution last night...well temporary one for the moment anyway until I can create a new one that is a little more...artsy.

Here is what I did last night...

I found an old door hanger that she had decorated on one side. With the help of a sharpy marker...I made a little sign that I hung on the door using a suction cup hook.



Now, this is just a temporary version that I will use until I can make a new one a little nicer that has two sides, one saying she can play, and one saying she can not play. This way, when it is time to come in for the night, eat dinner, or get ready for bed, her friends will be able to know before knocking whether she can play or not. She liked the idea and enjoyed taking the sign off the door when she finished her homework and went outside to play yesterday. When she came in for the night, she hung the sign back on the door without me even having to ask (BONUS LOL). Eventually, it will be easier because it will be a matter of flipping over the sign instead of taking it completely off or putting it on (less likely that it will be lost), but for now my temporary version seems to be working...and I am one happy momma

Danielle's Homemade Products...Tip

As I mentioned before, here in Indiana the fleas are horrible and it is now time to mix up some more of my homemade flea shampoo. Since I promised on my last post that I would add this little tidbit I thought now was a good time.



I mean who can say no to that shy face (I haven't figured out why but he does not like the camera and tries to hide the minute I have the camera out), but at 11 years old he is allowed to be grumpy now and again.

This recipe if very simple and has 3 ingredients.

1 cup of Dawn dish soap (I use the original blue)
1 cup of white vinegar
4 cups of warm water

Mix the three together and you are ready for bath time (even if your pet isn't).

I saved one of my bottles of Dawn and use that to hold my flea soap. I have been known to mix up a large batch and keep it ready in an empty gallon water jug. I have not found any issues with making the larger batch and using it when I need it and refilling my container when it needs it too. I have seen that it kills the fleas almost immediately either way. I have noticed that the soap is colder (even in the summer time) than when I first mix it with the warm water so keep that in mind. Harley is usually pretty cooperative when it comes to bath time (that does not mean he likes it by any means), but when the soap is not warmed up at least a little he doesn't like it at all. So I usually let the jug sit in warm water to warm it up a bit before he gets a bath.



Happy washing...

Danielle's Homemade Products....Tip

I don't know about the area you live in, but here in Indiana it seems I fight fleas (yucky) all summer long and sometimes throughout the winter months too. Here we have sand fleas which seem to be that much more difficult to fight and despite using medicated products for my dog, it never seems to work.



Thumper is what our dog is affectionately known as though his name is really Harley. He gets to scratching something fierce and thumps on the ground in the process...which while comical to watch is not really because that means its time for another bath...not so much his favorite time.

There is a couple of things that I do to help the poor guy out.

The first is a homemade flea wash. Its very simple and inexpensive and I have seen the yuckiness wash down the drain with it so I will continue to make this and use it on him as often as necessary.

The second thing I do is a homemade flea spray. This is also very simple and easy to make, though Harley now runs from me when he sees me holding a spray bottle in my hand

The third thing I do is to add a little something special to his dog food. Did you know fleas do not like garlic? When I mix up his food for the day, I add a few twirls around his bowl of extra virgin olive oil (Or EVOO for foodies) and then add a few spoons of minced garlic. I stir the two items into his food and he thinks he is getting a special treat. Now, I must say that we also call Harley our garbage disposal since he pretty much eats anything you give him (luckily he stopped eating non food items when he pasted his puppy stage) but food wise he is all for it. I avoid a few things like corn (not a fun mess to clean up later) because of the way ruffage works on his stomach, but otherwise he will eat anything so the special drizzle to his food he is in heaven.

From the scratching and biting he does when the fleas are bothering him the most, he is always losing hair on his tail and hind area (he gets hot spots as well). After I give him a bath, I will also spread some of my all purpose salve on any sore spots I find while bathing him. He has his own dedicated jar. Yes, he does tend to then lick those spots, however the all purpose salve is all natural and will not harm him but does help with the dry skin and itchiness associated with the flea bites that he had.



You can find my all purpose salve on sale on my website daniandskye.wix.com/danishomemadeproduct
I use it on my daughter, myself, loved ones, and my dog because it is safe and works for so many things.

I find with the four combined its not as difficult to keep the fleas under control. Watch for future posts on making the flea shampoo and flea spray.

.....There goes Thumper again...time for another bath

Danielle's Homemade Products....Tip

I have lived in my place now for about 7 years. The stove in my place was there before I moved in and was not in the best shape. I have tried every product I could think of to remove the caked on burnt mess on my burners but haven't had much luck...well until recently.

I had ordered a product from a catalog that was designed to help clean grill grates and make life easier when it comes time to clean your grill. Unfortunately, the label on the product advised against using it on non-stick surfaces...figures because my gas grill that I bought last year has non-stick coating on the grates and I was not about to mess with that.

But then I got to thinking....I wonder what it would do to my yucky messy stove. Here is the before picture.



Now I will admit that some of the mess was my creation...the red marks are from making my candle melts right before hand, but otherwise the stove had just been scrubbed down. I hated how this looked all the time. So...I decided to try out my product....



Oh YEAH....I think I did a little dance when I saw the difference...so I kept scrubbing over the next couple of days and here is the way it looks now...completely free of burnt on mess...



I can not even begin to tell you how thrilled I was...

The product I bought came in a package of two stones. I think they were called Magic Stones. Here is a pic of the label from the opened package.



Now a bit of warning...this product is like a pumice stone. I used a microfiber rag to wipe up as I went along and it did stain the rag badly even after washing (I ended up throwing it away). It also was pretty harsh as the stone scrapes away at the gunk (yes, I said gunk) it slowly deteriorates similar to a Magic Eraser, but is gritty and sand like. This will scratch surfaces, but I was ok with the scratches compared to the gunk on my stove. It did a number on my hands as well and when I finished up the scrubbing on the second day I wore a pair of powder and latex free exam gloves (just like the doctors wear), but the stone quickly tore holes in the gloves so I ended up taking them off shortly afterwards. The stone did tear up my hands because of it...but a few nights of my all purpose hand salve with more gloves on has helped a lot with the damage from the stone and for me the clean stove was worth my hands being cracked and sore for a day or two afterwards. Two days later now and I only have one small cut left on my right pinky finger that is almost completely healed (YEAH to the all purpose salve).





These are my hands this morning after treating with my all purpose salve the last 2 nights. You can see the small pink mark on my pinky by the knuckle and the slight dry cracks on my pointer finger...very big improvement from the raw and an open cracks I had after finishing my stove. One more night of treatment should do the trick completely. Then I will have both nice soft uncracked hands and a nice clean stove....double bonus there.