Homemade apple jelly from apple cores and peels!

Let's take a break from talking about hair for a bit. I wanna show you this apple jelly spread I made a while back.



After making apple crumble, I ended up with a big pile of apple cores and peels. Being the frugal person I am, I didn't want to throw the peel away so I did a quick google search to find out what I can do with them instead.

I ended up finding a very simple Apple Jelly recipe that only calls for apple cores and peels, water, sugar, and cinnamon/spices (optional). See that vibrant red colour? It all came from the peels! Absolutely no colourings added. Apples naturally contain pectin, which is used to create the gel consistency in fruit jellies/jams.

If you ever find yourself peeling a crap ton of apples for pies or crumbles, put those peels to good use and give this a try:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=275484.0

Tip: Unripe and tart apples will contain more pectin and yeild better results.

Olive Oil - Sugar/Salt Scrub

For years, I used baby oil to moisturise my skin after showers. However, after about a year or two, I started wondering "What exactly is baby oil?"

After a quick google search, I learned that baby oil (aka mineral oil) is the liquid by-product of distilled petroleum (whatever that means).

Now, I know what you all are thinking: "Petroleum? That sounds dangerous! Isn't that what gasoline and bombs are made out of?" Although that may be true, I honestly don't know if petroleum in the form of "baby oil" is really all that bad for you unless consumed. I mean, this is the kind of stuff mothers have been slathering all over their babies for decades, and it's an ingredient in many cosmetics and makeup products. If it did pose a health risk, you'd think it would be a widely known fact by now. For instance, when you do a quick google search on "baby powder," you'll find several websites and forums claiming that the small, loose particles in baby powder can be inhaled, and potentially cause breathing problems to newborn babies. Now that's enough information for me to choose cornsratch over baby powder!

So to end this rant, I'm just going to say that I know nothing about the potential health risks of baby/mineral oil, so I'm not going to boycott it just yet. However, over the past few months, I have been trying out olive oil on my skin and I'm feeling pretty comfortable with it. It doesn't make my skin as soft as baby oil did (probably because I bought a really cheap brand to start off with), but it's not bad at all. It's a multi-use item that most people have in their home kitchens anyway. I also LOVE the fact that it's an organic substance that's biodegradable! If the Earth can handle it, so can my skin!

A co-worker of mine once told me that after a shower, the best time to apply your moisturiser is in the next three minutes, while your skin is still wet and your pores are open. I did that with my baby oil then, and I'm doing it with my olive oil now. For better results, however, I found that using a home made body scrub a lot more effective. It not only moisturises my skin, but it also exfoliates it for deeper penetration and longer-lasting moisture.

Basic Olive Oil Scrub 1/4 cup of salt (use sea salt if you have it) 1/4 cup of olive oil

1. Stir the salt and the olive oil together. The mixture should still be grainy. You do not want to over mix and dissolve your salt!


2. Immediately after your shower, scoop out some of the mixture into your hands and apply it all over your body in gentle, circular motions. Spend more time working the mixture into drier areas such as your hands, feet, and elbows. The oil does get slippery so be careful not to fall!


3. Quickly rinse off the salt with cool water. Since oil resists water, the baby oil will remain in your skin.


4. Gently pat your skin dry with a towel.


5. Warn fellow house/roommates that the shower/bathtub might be a bit slippery for a short period of time.

Notes:
-If you have sensitive skin or find that the salt scrub is too course, replace salt with sugar.
-You will feel slightly oily/greasy at first, but don't worry - the olive oil gets absorbed by your skin quickly.
-Store your remaining scrub mixture in a dry place at room temperature. I like to keep it in a container by my sink so I can also use it on my hands after washing them.
-I personally don't break out, but I've been told that olive oil typically won't cause acne breakouts. However, if you experience breakout after using this method, please let me know so I can make a note of it to warn everyone else.
-Feel free to alter the recipe to your liking. Add more salt or olive oil if desired. Try experimenting by adding in other oils such as almond oil or essential oils. You can even try squeezing the gel liquid out of a Vitamin E tablet into the mixture. Be creative!

Well, that's all I have for this week. If you have any ideas, questions, concerns or comments, feel free to post a reply below. I will see you all next time. Take care!

Hair Removal 2 - Sugaring

Sugaring is another one of my favourite methods of hair removal. Unlike threading, not only can sugaring remove the hairs on your face, but you can also use this method to tackle larger areas such as your legs, underarms, back, etc.

Sugaring is similar to waxing in a lot of ways, but in my opinion, sugaring is simply a lot better than waxing. Like waxing, sugaring removes all the hairs at the root so you'll be left with a smooth finish that will last days longer than shaving. However, unlike waxing, sugaring is a lot less painful, it is cheaper and can be done at home, easier to clean up because leftover residue can be rinsed off with water (wax tends to resist water), and the sugar mixture is made out of natural ingredients that are biodegradable!

I found this great video on youtube that demonstrates how to perform this technique once you have the sugaring mixture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK0TOZoAp-8
I'd like to thank the youtube user Amy11190 for this great video and the sugaring recipe below (which I've slightly modified for my own personal preference).

2 CUPS SUGAR
¼ CUP LEMON JUICE
¼ CUP WATER

1. Put the ingredients in a saucepan and heat on medium-high heat until it boils.


2. Once it starts boiling, turn the heat down low and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.


3. When the sugar turns into a deep golden brown colour, begin testing it by taking a small spoonful of the mixture and dipping the spoon into a bowl of cold water to quickly cool it down. It should be stretchy (if not, the mixture probably just needs a little bit more time on the stove). You can test it on your arm. Do this about every two minutes while the wax is simmering until it stretches out on your arm and pulls off easily. If it sticks and won't come off it's not done, and if it's brittle you've overcooked it.

For storage put the hot wax into a glass container that won't melt. Let it sit for a few hours. Make sure the sugar mixture is cooled down to room temperature before using it. To use it, you only need to grab a small chunk slightly larger than a golf ball.

Notes:
-If you have a low pain tolerance or if you've never had hair removed by waxing or sugaring, I'd recommend getting help from a friend to remove the hair for you. People naturally get nervous about inflicting pain on themselves during the first few times.
-For delicate areas such as the underarms, dust a little bit of cornstarch, baby powder, or powdered sugar to the area before proceeding. This will help avoid tugging on the skin.
-Exfoliate your skin in the shower as soon as you can after sugaring to prevent ingrown hairs or irritation (and to rinse off any sugary residue). Going over the areas with a loofah should do the trick.

-For sensitive and hard to reach areas (such as the bikini area), I'd recommend going to a salon to have it done for you.

Cleaning your equipment
If you've ever made candy before, you'll know that it's almost impossible to clean your pot or saucepan just with soap and water. Here's an easy way to clean that leftover sugar that's stuck to the bottom of your pot.

1. Fill your sugar-dirtied saucepan about a third of the way up with water.


2. Bring the water to a boil. You may also dip your spoon/stirring device in the boiling water to clean that as well. The water will dissolve the sugar, cleaning your sauce pan.


3. Repeat if necessary.

And that's it! Salon prices for full leg sugaring/waxing can cost anywhere from $35-$60. This sugar mixture alone will cost less than $5 to produce, and you'll be able to get many sessions out of it! Pretty nifty, huh?

Tshirt Shrug

Hi there! I came by to share a super simple, super cute tshirt reconstruction tutorial I found the other day. It's an easy way to recycle an old shirt and give it new life as an adorable shrug.

You can find the tutorial here at Cut Out and Keep.

Here are my results:





Pretty wicked if I do say so myself! :)

Power Shift Canada

Are you a young and enthusiastic Canadian who is concerned about the environment? Do you want to go to Ottawa and make a difference this October? Check out Power Shift!

On October 23-26, 2009, over 1000 young people from across the country will converge on Ottawa to take a message of bold, comprehensive and immediate federal climate action to Parliament Hill. Power Shift will be two days of training, strategy and action and one mass lobby day to hold our elected officials accountable to for their part to solve the climate crisis, and to build a cohesive and effective youth climate movement. This will be the largest-ever gathering of young people on the environment in the history of this country.

At Power Shift Canada, we will deliver our message of change to our elected officials. Youth of all backgrounds will come together to create a fresh, positive, and inspiring vision of the future, one focused on our potential to overcome the challenges of the 21st century, build a clean energy economy, create millions of green jobs, increase global equity, and revitalize our economy. Now is the time for action. Now is the time for boldness. We will accept nothing less from the people with whom we have entrusted our future: our elected officials, and most importantly, ourselves. 2009 will be a year history will remember.

For more information and to find out how to register, please visit http://powershiftcanada.org.

Follow Power Shift Canada's facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=84993838717.