Samsational Living

3 Tbsp coconut oil 1 Tbsp Shae Butter 2 Tbsp baking soda  4 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or corn starch) 1 tsp vitamin E Oil (optional) 7 drops thieves essential oil (or any you like) 3 drops lemon essential oil 1. Mix baking soda and arrowroot together in a bowl 2. Melt together coconut oil, vitamin E oil and Shae Butter in separate bowl  3. Pour liquid into dry mixture and stir well 3. Add essential oils to mixture. (should look like runny frosting) 4. Store in small glass jar or old washed out deodarent container for up to 4 months

It has been almost a month since I decided to reduce my waste and I feel great!! Yes, I am still producing some waste from products I previously owned that were in plastic, as well as packaging from food.  Over a weekend I worked as a princess at an annual fairytale ball in Detroit. These were 12 hour days and we had to provide our own food. This was actually more beneficial to me because I could control my waste by making my own lunches. I went to Starbucks in the morning and had them fill my personal mug with coffee. I also packed a reusable water bottle. However, The issue I ran into was with plastic one use water bottles. As the princesses we had several 3 hour sessions where we were in character the whole time in the main ballroom. The extremely helpful staff had brought plastic water bottles for us that they brought around individually so that we could take a drink and stay hydrated. Instead of asking one of them to go out of their way to bring my reusable water bottle f...

First I have to say, this is really not that hard! I was expecting to feel the way you do when you start a diet; tons of temptations, doubting if it will even work, and wanting to give up the minute it gets inconvenient or difficult. Instead, I felt empowered, aware, and refreshed. If anyone is maybe thinking about reducing their waste I ABSOLUTELY say go for it! Of course there is prep to be done and I found lots of cheap and easy ways to replace plastic in my life. With my prep this is what I found or purchased: S ilicon food bags (good for freezer, microwave, refrigerator, boiling water). To replace ziplock bags. $16 Amazon Silicone baking sheets. To replace aluminum foil and parchment paper    $5 Meijer Glass jars. Good for shopping in bulk, or to replace plastic packaging.  Previously owned Glass, stainless steel, or biodegradable paper straws. To replace plastic straws.  10 for $8 Amazon Silicone menstral cup. To replace tampons and sanitary napkin...

Ever since I was young I have felt the urge to be eco friendly. In Girl Scouts we earned badges in recycling, celebrated Earth Day, and worked hard to use resources wisely, while making the world a better place. Reduce, reuse, recycle sounds easy enough, but when I started noticing how many of the things I used weren’t being reduced, reused, or recycled, I felt like my own hypocrite. I currently live in an apartment that has no recycling program so I know that everything I produce in waste goes into a landfill. The amount of waste I was producing in a normal week was outrageous for just one person. Things like coffee cups, food wrappers, ziplock bags, plastic grocery bags, and paper towel were filling my trash to the brim. There seemed to be an easy solution; just stop using trash! I was introduced to the Zero Waste movement after seeing a video on Facebook about a girl who fit 4 years of trash into a mason jar. She seemed crazy to me. However, in learning more about the ...