The laundry is washed and hung on the line. Its going to be nice today and even though I have been trying to only wash twice a week, I could not resist the chance to hang the clothes out. Its suppose to start getting cold again tomorrow and may even snow.
I colored my hair and used aloe vera after sun gel instead of hair gel as my friend Dee Dee suggested and it seems to work fine. I finished it off with a few squirts of homemade hair spray.
Jeff and I are heading to town to wash the car, get gas and a couple of bottles so I can make some chemical free cleaners.
I have been making homemade disinfectant wipes using pieces of old t-shirts in a container. I then put in some vinegar 1/2 c. or so? a squirt or two of dish soap, and a few drops of tea tree oil. I then add some warm water. This smells clean and works well so I want to mix up something similar to put in a spray bottle for counters when I don't want to use the wipes. Oh and after I use the homemade wipes I just toss the cloths into the clothes hamper and wash with everything else. When clean I toss them back into the container with the others and flip them to get them wet. When I have done that too many times and its getting dry I just add more of the ingredients I mentioned. I am really learning how bad the cleaners we use are for us and I know I already have many chemicals in my system, but at least I can quit adding more to it.
6 comments:
Is vinegar antibacterial?
I dont think vinegar is antibacterial. The tea tree oil is.
Tea-tree oil has been used in Australia for over 80 years to treat skin and other infections, and it is beginning to catch on here, but does it work ? The answer, according to Australian researchers, is yes, better than some commercially available antibiotics. Scientists and doctors are keen to discover powerful new bacteria-killing agents because overuse of currently available antibiotics has led to many bacteria becoming resistant. One bug for example, called MRSA, is now a serious problem in hospitals as there are fewer and fewer antibiotics left to treat it with. In the current study, researchers gave 30 people infected with MRSA either antibiotics, or Tea-tree ointment. At the end of the experiment, only 13% of the people treated with antibiotics were clear of MRSA infection, compared with an impressive 30% of those treated with tea-tree oil. This sounds really impressive but how does it work ? Tea tree oil contains about 100 chemicals and of these 7 oils called terpenes are the commonest. If small amounts of these terpenes are added to cultures of bacteria, the numbers of bacteria fall by over 90%. It looks like the terpenes are punching holes in the bacteria, causing them to die. The really good news is that terpenes also seem to help cold sores, which are caused by herpes viruses, and also thrush, which is caused by a yeast infection called Candida.
Show about MRSA, other superbugs, and ways to tackle them
I forgot to list my source for the above info.
http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/news/news/1079/
Tea Tree Oil is steam distilled from an extremely hardy tree native to Australia - when cut down, the Tea Tree will quickly regrow from the stump. The Aborigines in northeastern New South Wales have used tee tree as a healing herb for many generations. They make a poultice of the leaves and treat skin infections, cuts and wounds.
The oil is now well known in natural medicine for its antimicrobial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal effects. Some of its immune supportive properties may be a result of its anti-depressant effects, as one's emotional well-being has a significant impact on the body's ability to resist infection. Tea Tree essential oil can also help sooth insect bites, but is even better used as an insect repellent; one aromatherapist claims Tea Tree is the best she's ever used. A must for the traveler's medicine kit.
Tea Tree essential oil has been the subject of numerous scientific studies validating its antibacterial and antiviral actions. Tea Tree has proven to be particularly efficacious in the treatment of Candida infections in many regions of the body. Some natural therapists advise 'spiking' vaginal suppositories with a small amount of the oil; others indicate to take one drop at a time 3x a day for 'Thrush', where the Candida fungus has infected the throat.
The essential oil has also been studied for its effect against MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the 'superbug' causing infections in immuno-comprimised hospital patients. This antibiotic resistant staph has been effectively treated with Tea Tree oil in some cases; however, a blend of well-known antimicrobial oils may have a better effect against this particular rare, yet dangerous, infection. Excellent choices to boost Tea Tree's potency are Geranium, Lavender and Oregano. (Another study noted that a Methicillin-resistant strain of staph bactiera was most suseptable to a blend of Geranium essential oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract, or GSE.)
Tea Tree Oil is found in many oral hygiene products, and its wide spectrum of action has made it traditionally useful in treating mouth sores and gums, for acne, and for herpes infections, as well as for general immune system stimulation and for support when fighting respiratory infections. Tea Tree has the wonderful property of effectively fighting infections without harming tissues. It can be used 'neat' as a treatment for small cuts and scrapes; many parents mix it 50/50 with Lavender for a soothing, natural anti-bacterial treatment for their young ones. This blend may be applied directly to injuries, and will both sooth the area and prevent infection.
After landing the H.M.S. Endeavor in Botany Bay in 1770, Captain James Cook and his party came upon a grove of trees thick with sticky, aromatic leaves that they found made a spicy tea. The 'Tea Tree', as it was called by Captain Cook, became a valued bush remedy used by early European settlers.
in 1923 an Australian government scientist, Dr. A. R. Penfold, conducted a study of tea tree Essential Oil and discovered it to be 12 times more potent as an antiseptic bactericide than carbolic acid (the standard at the time). Tea Tree oil became recognized, according to the British Medical Journal in 1933, as 'a powerful disinfectant, non-poisonous and non-irritating'.
Source:
http://www.anandaapothecary.com/aromatherapy-essential-oils/tea-tree-oil.html
Thanks for all the interesting information. We've been using TTO for a few years now. If I put it on a cut or scratch right after it happens, the wound heals really quickly. It is great for fungus infections too, and one of my daughters was plagued with vaginitis until she put a few drops of TTO on the end of a tampon, and inserted a new dose like that every day for a week. It worked SO much better than the OTC meds she had tried. And it discourages head lice too.
Yolonda,
Thats interesting about the tampon. I make Thieves Oil in 2 formulas one with eucalyptus and one with tea tree. Both have healng properties.
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