One of our favorite kitchen cosmetics is coconut oil. We use it for skin care as it absorbs well into the skin and leaves it dewy looking. It helps fight blemishes too. Putting a small amount in your hair before washing will condition your hair nicely. It also conditions your eyebrows and lashes.
For centuries every culture has been on a question for beauty but these days our obsession with beauty is proving not only to be toxic and deadly. Every year millions of woman get sick or die because of what they are putting on their skin and hair.
It’s been awhile but I am finally getting back to all those good ol’ homesteading skills that were suspended.
Since we are awash in radishes, I am wanting to make another batch of kimchi but waiting on some cabbage from a local Freedom Farmer
In the meantime, there’s lots of other projects to do – building another [...]
There was such a great response to the natural and DIY hygiene post (like to see readership contribution – keep those comments a coming!) that I thought I should add a bit about our natural deodorant experience.
Like one reader said, body odor really depends on environment and the food you eat – we agree! [...]
Even though we gals beg Justin to keep his black locks long, he insists on a hair cut once a month (well, sometimes he goes two)
For over 20 years now, our family has cut its own hair. Well, not that we cut own our hair ourselves but haircutting is done in house – saving us [...]
Homemade soaps curing on the urban homestead
Popular ‘green’ products test positive for toxicant (LA TIMES)
A cancer-causing chemical is found in almost half of 100 such goods studied.
New tests of 100 “natural” and “organic” soaps, shampoos and other consumer products show that nearly half of them contained a cancer-causing chemical that is a byproduct of [...]
Home Hair Cuts Save Money & Energy!
This week was hair cutting week here on the urban homestead. For nearly 30 years now we’ve done hair cuts ourselves, saving money and gaining a necessary back to basic skill. Of course, we like to keep things simple, so you wouldn’t find any fancy smancy style cuts [...]
Back to Normal
Or as “normal” as can be these days!
Anyhow, thankfully, the case of the running noses and sore throats didn’t hang around long. No need for Nyquil or whatever over the counter drugstore cold medication in this home. Thanks to homemade echinacea tincture and Swedish bitters not to mention homemade wild cherry bark and [...]
Urban Homestead Happenings
The latest on the metal roof installation is that it’s not done yet. Thought we’d had a roof in time for the new year but, mother nature, and a phone call, postponed its completion.
The sand coated metal roof would have been done had it not rain last Tuesday night into Wednesday. Not [...]
Peddler’s Wagon Gets “Most Huggable” Nod from TreeHugger
“Urban eco-pioneers, Path to Freedom, launch an online trove of green goods…”{Via TreeHugger}
:: New Wares of the Week :: To Go Ware®
In addition, the PW has a new url :www.epeddlerswagon.com
Swedish Bitters
Around the urban homestead, you’ll find lots of empty vodka bottles. No, it’s not that we’ve been [...]
Gift
Another generous $10 donation from EB. See right side bar on the journal for a complete tally of support received in Nov and don’t forget to click on ‘thank you’ for a complete list of names of the generous folks who have contributed and supported this work since 2004 – if I forgot someone, please [...]
Breaking Records
Whoops, we did it again this year, breaking another weather record. Tuesday, Los Angeles reached 97 degrees, making it the warmest since such record-keeping began in the mid 1800’s.
Today there’s a nice blanket of fog to cool things down a bit.
Jules Dervaes Sr
Just found that my late grandfather, Jules Sr., is listed as a [...]
Waterfall, natural pool. Justin, Anais relax.
Sabbath-Rosh Hashanah Hike
Yesterday was an absolutely lovely day for a hike – blue skies and nice breeze. We, along, with a friend hiked the upper Arroyo Seco to the dam (about 6 miles round trip)
What a great (free and natural) way to relax and de-stress after a hard weeks work [...]
Plywood stage almost complete. Cleaning up the attic
We’re slowly and steadily working at putting the plywood up. The major “whole” pieces of plywood have been put up on both sides of the roof. Now it’s dealing with the eaves/gables and having to cut the plywood.
With the exception of the electric circular saw, the plywood is [...]
Nitty gritty
Another sweaty, dirty, dusty, filthy day for the guys. This awful humidity makes an already dirty job even worse – the dust just sticks to the skin and becomes muddy. We are all certainly thankful for the sun shower – we are certainly using it a lot these days. As for me, last [...]
HOT TIME IN THE CITY
It’s another hot and sticky day. Frankly, the humidity is getting a bit tiresome; we aren’t used to that kind of weather here. From what other readers are saying (even from “across the pond”), the heat is on!
BOOKMARKS
Britain endures hottest-ever July day
Britain faced the hottest day ever recorded [...]
Beneficial garden visitors
Veggie tales
Peppers, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, variety of salad greens, herbs and more.
Received an email from a friend who is apprenticing at a farm up north and he confirmed our observation and said the seasons a bit off kilter up there too. (not to mention the comments left by our reader’s who are, too, [...]
Garden delicacies
The homemade toothpaste, happy to report, is a success, Justin says that the toothpaste has stopped the sensitive teeth problem. I still want to make a dry toothpowder and that will be next on my project list. The deodorant smells wonderful and does a good job at fighting odor, however, applying it (especially on [...]
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. Tochange things build a new model thatmakes the existing model obsolete.”- Buckminster Fuller
Rain! A late spring storm is bringing much needed rain to the southland. What a tremendous blessing this is late in the season.
There is so much going on in the world today – oil [...]
Cat Stevens (Spanky) hanging out with Miss Clementine
The gloom continues to blanket the southland as we patiently await sunshine and warm temps to jumpstart the summer crops’ growing season. The sun looks like it just may break out of the clouds today; however, there is a chance of rain forecasted today and tomorrow. We are [...]
Pasadena, All Saints & Audubon Center
We’re back! And we hope everyone had a productive Earth Day to make or renewed his/her commitments to become better earth stewards.
It was a busy week for us which partially was to blame for the lack of posting. Recapping last week: There were preparations for Earth Day activities, a local [...]
Enjoying nature
Yesterday was an ideal spring day to hike in the mountains, it’s been awhile since we been hiking since the past couple weekends has either been raining or had chance of rain The hillsides were vibrant with new growth and masses of colorful wildflowers brighten the lush green carpet of wild grasses.
Saturday’s weather was [...]
Film crew
Sunday was a busy day! It ended up that the folks filming ‘Escape from Suburbia‘ didn’t show as expected. It was for the better, since we had our hands full with another film crew from USC taping the documentary ‘Ready or Not‘ ( premiers sometime in May). Even though it was a long and [...]
“RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU’RE SURE?”
This was a popular refrain of a antiperspirant commercial when I was growing up (perhaps still is?). Now, there are some folks that aren’t too sure about what these clogging chemicals (just like with another one of their toxic-”non-stick” concoction) are doing to the body and the environment.
Concern regarding the [...]
Another small step
Having to buy toothbrushes the other day, we chooserecycled ones made from yogurt cups. The re-cycle doesn’t just end there. What’s neat is that instead of throwing the toothbrushes away once they’re old , the company (upon request) supplies you with a postage-paid return envelope to send the toothbrush back to them. The [...]
We spent a day of work finishing up the broken concrete patio in front of the garage and removing the 7 inch layer of decomposed mulch. Over time the countless spreading of tree trimmings and straw has turned into rich and loamy compost. This soil is now being used in the new beds. One [...]
WINTER’S DAY
All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I went for a walk
On a winter’s day
I’d be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin’
On such a winter’s day
~ Mammas and Pappas ~
Another cold night last night. Every night before going to bed JC checks the thermometer outside.First blooming bulbS
If it registers at or [...]
Baby apricots
“We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in new directions, in order togrow.” ~ Anonymous ~
We got some (two) new composters from the city on Friday, they are offering them at reduced prices ($27 compared to $80 in some garden catalog). We are trying to faze out using the large compost pile [...]
Lavender French Milled Soap
excuse the Calif surfer lingo…
I think I FINALLY got the hang of making hand milled (or French Milled ) soap as shown in Marie Browning’sNATURAL SOAPMAKING book. (Or check out these links: Hand-milled Soap orShredded Soap For Handmilling.) For a while I had a hard time getting an even, not lumpy consistency… [...]
Toothache Plant
THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF HERBS
The other day, I had pain from wisdom teeth coming in and since we are growing new herb calledTOOTHACHE PLANT in the yard I gave it a try. And to, my surprise– wait a second here, in fact I shouldn’t be surprised as I am a believer of the power [...]
Been collecting essential oils to make perfume, which smells so much better and lighter than the fake stuff made in labs. Here are some quick and easy recipes to make your own with someEO and Vodka. Also check out this wonderful page of recipes for light floral, Victorianhomemade toiletries {BTW, if you are a Jane [...]
