9 Essential Home Remedies for Summer

Summer ailments are such a bother but the great news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to keep the family safe and healthy! I've got a few home remedies to share that you probably already have lying around the house!

1.) OUCH! I got a sunburn.
White vinegar is an essential for the kitchen, cleaning, and now your medicine cabinet too! It can help to ease the pain, ditch the itch, and prevent blisters from forming on areas of sunburn. I recommend applying with cotton ball or paper towel and soaking for about 10-15 minutes. You can also dab on some olive oil after the alcohol treatment to help that skin heal and bounce back faster with the Omega-3s that are essential for skin healing!

2.) My skin just looks OLD with all these sun or age spots!
Before you go to bed I recommend scrubbing with a lemon and loofah. (Don't do this in the morning because one of the extra compounds in lemon can darken when exposed to light.) The lemon's citric acid can help to exfoliate as it dissolves the darkened and dead skin cells. Lemons also have a healthy dose of Vitamin C to help prevent further skin damage and restore that baby soft skin.

3.) AHH! We itch all over from mosquitos!
Grab a banana and split it up with the family but save that peel! The inside of the banana peel can be rubbed and held down with a band-aid to help moisturize the skin and calm irritation. Lavender oil can also be used to counteract the mosquito venom so I'd dab a drop or two of that on there too.

4.) Swelling  injury or small cut?
Grab a green tea bag to reduce inflammation and stop the bleeding. Try freezing used tea bags for small and successful ice packs on the go!

5.) Poison Ivy in the Yard?
Prepare a spray of water and rubbing alcohol to spray on your skin before you head out into poison ivy infested areas. Rubbing alcohol can help prevent the oil from poison ivy from spreading over large areas and can help reduce exposure afterwards too. (I recommend a 1:2 ratio of rubbing alcohol to water)

6.) Yellowing Nails?
Soak those nails or dab them with a cotton ball that has been soaked in a peroxide/baking soda mixture. Used over time, this can reduce the yellow color of your nails, freshen your laundry, and whiten your teeth! (I recommend using 1 tbsp peroxide mixed with 2 tbsp of baking soda for a paste.)

7.) Unsightly Dry and Cracked Heels?
Soothe your tootsies with some crushed papaya by soaking them in a tub of papaya for 30 minutes. The enzymes can help soothe and remove the cracked or rough skin.

8.) Dry Lips and Dehydration?
Most of the time when you're lips are dry its a huge sign that you're dehydrated, however in the summer months it may also be partially due to sun exposure that is drying out those supple tissues. Try smoothing on olive oil a few times a day to hydrate and heal those lips.

9.) Dry and Sun Damaged Hair?
Rejuvinate it with the healthy fats in avocado. Use as a pre-wash treatment by applying smashed avocado for 30 minutes before your shower.

DIY All Natural Air Fresheners

There are toxic ingredients in the common aerosol and even wax air fresheners that are on the market today. Many of these harsh chemicals can trigger asthma or allergies and can lead to headaches. With the number of toxins in our home environment already, we need a natural alternative that won't break the bank or lead to health problems. I've got the solution so LISTEN UP!

Many of the staples you'd find in your kitchen can be used to brighten your home with delicious scents and even bring a unique blend to any holiday. For this project you'll need some mason jars, variety of herbs, spices, and citrus, and possibly some essential oils to mix for different scents!

Step 1:
To start with you'll need to figure out what scents you think will work best for your home. I've got some suggestions listed below and you can mix and match as much or as little as you want.

       Citrus/Fruits:     Lemon, Lime, Orange, Grapefruit, Cranberry, Strawberry

      Essential Oils/Extracts:     Eucalyptus oil, Almond oil or Almond extract, Vanilla extract, Spearmint oil

     Spices/Herbs:     Basil, Cilantro, Thyme, Rosemary, Pine sprigs, Bay leaves, ground or whole Nutmeg,  
                               ground Cinnamon or Cinnamon sticks, ground or whole Cloves, ground or whole
                               Allspice, Vanilla beans

    Suggested combos:     cilantro lime, lemon basil, lime mint, eucalyptus spearmint, orange cinnamon clove,
                                      pine clove allspice, eucalyptus vanilla, orange vanilla clove

Step 2:
Combine your ingredients. You'll usually want to use approximately 2 cups of citrus/fruit, 2-3 fresh herb sprigs, and 1 tsp of essential oils, extracts, or spices as a guideline but feel free to adjust quantities to mix up the flavor.

Step 3:
Fill the rest of the jar up with water.

Step 4:
Heat it up and let the smell permeate! There are many different ways to heat the mixture up depending on how large of an area you'd like the smell to fill as well as how long you'd like it to stick around. The best and quickest way to fill a large area is with steam from cooking it in a pot on the stove, but you'll really have to be careful that the water doesn't dry up. Some of the slower methods include a crockpot, candle warmer, or a ceramic/glass bowl with a tea light underneath. These are going to release slower smells and won't need constant "babysitting".

You can make them ahead of time and keep them in the fridge for quick use. You can reuse each of these mixtures approximately 2-3 times but you might need to add a few more ingredients to refresh the smell the 2nd or 3rd time around. Make sure to store them in the fridge when not in use.