The Lavender Pig Blog

Babies are fussy for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they’re hungry, or they need a diaper change, or maybe they’re over tired. When my baby is fussy for no apparent reason I like to give her a calming bath. Now babies are notorious for putting their hands, feet, and anything within their grasp into their mouths, so I’m vigilant about the type of bath products I expose my baby to.

I like to add an all natural mixture of goat’s milk and cornstarch to a warm bath. The warm water is calming while the milk and cornstarch mixture soothes and nourishes my baby’s skin. In fact, the mixture works so well that I’ve taken to using handmade goat milk soap during my own showers. The creamy, rich complex feels wonderful against my skin and the lavender scent of my favorite goat milk soap brand is just heavenly.

If you suffer from chronic eczema chances are you’ve spent a lot of money on lotions, soaps, and shampoos which all claim to cure dry skin. Most of the time those products have many ingredients that are harmful to your skin, in addition to being harmful to your finances. Thankfully, there are organic alternatives that are much less expensive than the over-the-counter medicated soaps and shampoos you’ve been using. Goat milk soap is one such example.

Goat’s milk has several healthful properties such as alpha hydroxyl acid (AHA). AHA is a skin exfoliate that removes dead skin cells, allowing new skin cells to come through. Goat milk soap utilizes glycerin in its production. Glycerin is a humectant, meaning it helps your skin retain moisture. Moisturizing, of course, being the most important measure an eczema sufferer should complete every day. Stop wasting your money on products that don’t work and make the switch to goat milk soap for dry skin relief!

Once our holiday shopping is complete many of us realize too late that we didn’t buy anything that can go in a stocking. If you’re anything like me then this has probably happened to you more than once. It’s frustrating and discouraging to think we’re all done with our shopping only to have to head back out and do it all over again. Some people have told me to use a list but I tell them no, it’ll never happen to me again. Then it does. Go figure.

Body spray is a popular gift for the holiday season. Helping someone start the new year off with a new fragrance is a great way to help them on the way to a healthier and happier life. The size makes it perfect for the stocking and the pricing is usually very affordable. And the best part is you can get it online, eliminating the need to return to the mall and face the hostile gang of interlopers known as holiday shoppers.

During the winter skin can dry out and become cracked because of a lack of moisture in the air, and also because of the extreme cold. It’s important to keep your skin healthy to avoid itching, soreness, and even bleeding. For chapped lips, the natural choice is lip balm, but be sure you choose one made from all-natural ingredients. For dry, cracked skin in the palms and on the hands, a skin moisturizer like shea butter lotion works best. If your cheeks or face becomes chapped you can use sunscreen as a moisturizer. It’s also good to avoid using the heat too much in the car and at home as this will dry out your skin even faster.

If you put on moisturizer and lip balm regularly, you’ll find that you won’t need to do it throughout the winter, and that most of the negative skin conditions won’t manifest at all.

Gift baskets are a delightful way to surprise a family member or friend on any occasion, and also simple to make by yourself. To get started with your homemade gift basket, choose a theme. For the sake of this example, let’s say we’re making a fall gift basket. Fall gift baskets often contain things like candies, autumn coffee blends, pumpkins and gourds, fine wines, cheese, and kettle corn. You can put in pretty much anything that falls under an autumn or thanksgiving theme; the choice is yours.

Once you have your items together, you will want to arrange them in a manner in which all the items are visible from the front of the basket.  Put taller, heavier items in first, then display the other items against them or in front of them.  You can stuff the basket with straw, or silk leaves to make it look more authentic, and act as a buffer in between the items.  Viola~!  You have a beautiful fall basket all made at home.

While some people don’t realize it, salves, cremes, and lotions that are put onto the skin are absorbed into the body. These skincare products often contain chemicals or toxins that would be dangerous to ingest, but they seep right into the skin and people don’t have a second thought about it. It’s important to realize the dangers of exposure to the chemicals and toxins used in health and hygiene products. Using natural soap, homemade body wash and other all-natural products is the path to perfect health. Natural products don’t contain the dangerous chemicals and toxins that most other products contain, and it’s important to use natural products on the body.

When you use natural products, you’re also helping the environment. Natural products are free from chemicals and toxins, and true natural products are also healthy to the environment because their ingredients were cultivated and harvested through natural and non-invasive processes.

I am a huge germaphobe. I don’t like the idea of big messes staying on my hands. Bacteria are an ever-present organism that exists in every facet of our world. I know that bacteria is necessary for the proper functioning of major processes in the ecological cycle, but I am not getting sick on account of the bacteria that could easily be washed off with handmade soap.

I think that we should try to be as cleanly as possible and that is not saying a whole lot.  It’s commonsense to wash your hands before you eat and after using the restroom, but that’s not enough  Think about all the various activities that we do with our hands everyday and how much of it get transferred to orifices throughout our body. All I’m saying is that I will be careful.

Bacteria are microorganisms that exist on just about every surface on Earth. They are single-celled and are usually a couple micrometers long. The shape of bacteria differs greatly—from rods to spheres. And no matter how hard we try, the fact of the matter is that bacteria are here to stay. They have been present since the beginning of life on this planet, and they have evolved to function well in virtually any climate.

Because we are constantly battling these bacteria, many people fail to realize that there are two times more bacteria cells on the human body than our own cells. Most of these are beneficial to our various physical functions. The bacteria which are most harmful to the body affect the respiratory system and cause illnesses like tuberculosis, which kill two million people a year. Your best defense against these bacteria is to use a liquid soap regularly throughout the day.

To help fight diseases, doctors advise frequent hand washing. Dirty hands are often the avenues from which germs can get past the body’s defenses. One little act of touching your eyes, or eating with unwashed fingers can bring millions of harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause cough, colds, or worse.

That is why hands should always be washed, especially after touching commonly shared items like ATM machines, public phones or shopping carts. And while you may think that the soap you find in the store is sufficient, the chemicals and additives can dry your skin. It’s best to opt for a natural foaming hand soap, which will leave your hands squeaky clean and maintain their natural moisture.

It’s impossible to stay perfectly informed about every product we use or ingest. Still, common sense holds that goods made with familiar, all-natural ingredients are better for the body. Discerning shoppers can gain a wealth of knowledge about the foods they eat by merely pausing a moment and glancing at the ingredients. Artificial doesn’t necessarily mean harmful, but it’s best to go with natural ingredients where possible.

That rule of thumb is not limited to food products alone. Hygiene products are available in clearly labeled, all-natural options as well. Most handmade bath products, for instance, typically draw their cleaning and restorative properties from plant oils. These products tend to be biodegradable and feature a relatively short list of ingredients. Knowledge is power, and you can gain some by asking questions about the contents of the products you buy every day.