DIY Toilet Bombs & Scented Rocks

Toilet Bombs ~ deodorise & kill bacteria

You will need:

2/3 cup baking soda (bicarb soda)
1/4 cup citric acid

30 drops each lavender, peppermint and lemon essential oils (I used 30 drops of eucalyptus and lemon eo)

cold water in a spritz bottle

Sift baking soda and citric acid in a bowl.  Add the essential oils and mix well.  Spritz the water onto the dry ingredients and mix well before mix starts to react and bubble.  Keep spritzing a little water at a time until mixture comes together to form clumps.

Roll mixture into teaspoon size balls and place on baking paper on a flat surface.  Leave to dry thoroughly before storing in a pretty jar.

Note: the balls swell up if you add too much water.

Alternatively you can place the mixture flat (a slab of mixture) onto baking paper and leave to dry. You can then break it up into pieces when it's completely dry.  Or into chocolate moulds for decorative balls.


To use:
1) Plop one ball into the toilet water after flushing for a fresh scent.
2) Plop one ball into the toilet tank and leave for 15mins before flushing.
3) Add a ball to the toilet water before giving your toilet a clean.

Scented Rocks ~ room, draw, car deodorisers (from JOLI Natural Skin Care)

You will need:

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup table salt

1/3 cup cold water

1/8 teaspoon fragrance

1 drop food colouring
*makes about 15 balls


Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Add fragrance and colouring to cold water then add the water to dry ingredients.  Mix into a soft dough.

Roll mixture into teaspoon size balls and place on baking paper.  Leave to dry over night.

To use:
Groups of balls can be placed in organza bags and stored in the car, your nicker draw or hanging off the toilet door.

  

Chemicals In Our Day To Day Life

There are chemicals all around us – in our skincare, food, drinks, household cleaners... everywhere.  I never used to pay too much attention to how many chemicals I was exposed to – I was always a little blasé and didn’t really care, up until a few years ago when my mother-in-law introduced me to natural & chemical free skincare, which I feel in love with instantly.  Chemical free skincare sometimes has the ‘label’ of being more expensive than regular over the counter ranges.  Some of the more expensive beauty counter brands are packed full of chemicals – why pay higher amounts just for the brand even though it’s full of nasty chemicals?  If you were to be given a list of all these nasty chemicals in these products (without being told what products these chemicals are composed in) and if you were asked if you would expose yourself and your body to these, your answer would probably be no – so why pay high $$ for a beauty product, just because it has a well known brand name written on it?

After only using chemical free skincare over these past few years, I can no longer tolerate chemical-filled ones.  They smell just as nasty as the ingredient listing reads, and some feel quite ‘yucky’ too.  I was recently given a sample of a well-known brand’s most recently released face cream.  I was intrigued to try it, so off I went to the bathroom mirror and delicately applied it to my face, neck & décolletage.  Approximately 5 minutes later, I could actually taste the face cream.  I thought back to how I had applied it – had I somehow put some on my lips?  I was fairly certain not, but was starting to think that maybe I had...  The following day, I used the remainder of the sample sachet, being very careful to make sure I went no where near my lips... again, within 5 minutes I could actually taste it again.  I could not believe how nasty this product was for me to be able to taste it after applying it – what is this nasty face cream doing to my body and blood stream??  The following day I was very keen to use my chemical free face cream again and not being able to taste it.

Anything we put on our skin gets absorbed in to our blood stream, therefore I like to be very careful with all my skincare and makeup products.  I have been using chemical free lip balm for over 5 years now, and I can no longer wear store bought lip balms – as soon as I apply them I can taste the chemicals. 

My body has definitely thanked me for eliminating chemicals from my daily skincare regime – did you know that the average woman applies 14 different skincare & makeup products each day?  I was alarmed when I first heard this, until I listed all mine:

1.       Morning – face cleanser

2.       Morning – face toner

3.       Morning – moisturiser

4.       Morning – deodorant

5.       Morning – perfume

6.       Morning – foundation

7.       Morning – mascara

8.       Morning – lip gloss or lip stick

9.       Night – Shampoo

10.   Night – Conditioner

11.   Night – face cleanser

12.   Night – face toner

13.   Night – moisturiser

14.   Night – foot cream

15.   Night – hand cream

That’s pretty scary!!

With such a wide range of chemical-free skincare and makeup on the market these days, we are sure to be able to easily find a range or product which suits our personal budget and needs.  It’s fun to go out and start investigating these ranges and products, so if you’re only just beginning your chemical-free skincare journey, I am sure that you will enjoy every step of your learning path, and I can be fairly sure that you will not want to go back to chemicals.

Guest Blog by Rebecca

  

WIN a box of Chocolates! Easter Comp!!

NEW Easter Competition win a Big Chocolate Box with Easter Eggs

This is going to be a competition with a difference. 

Guess the amount of Lip Balm tubes in the jar.  The correct or 'nearest to' guess wins.

To enter:

1. Send me an email* with your guesstimate.
2. LIKE our Joli Facebook page.
3. ONE guess per person, however if you Like & share our competition on FB and other social media you'll get another guess.
3. Open to Australian residents only.

• Competition starts: 27th February.  Send in your guess is NOW!
• Final guesses will need to be received by: 31st March.  
• Winner announced: Friday April 11th around 6pm on the JOLI Facebook page and via email.

Winner will WIN the above chocolate box delivered to your door.  Yum Yum!!
2 runners up will receive 'Make your own Easter Bonnet Kit'

*Bonus offer: 

without having to lift a finger you will automatically be added to our VIP list

• Designed to help you indulge and pamper yourself
• With exclusive VIP deals
• DIY recipes
• Helpful information on products, chemicals etc.
• Hear about our latest articles first
• FREE access to your very own skin care specialist

PLUS We'll send you a FREE 5 SECRETS to clear skin, and fortnightly Indulgence direct to your inbox :)

  

Top 4 Ways to Reduce and Prevent Nappy Rash

By Eva Van Strijp of Oz Baby Trends

Nasty old nappy rash. It seems to be one of those inevitable skin problems that every baby goes through at some stage. There are many things that can exacerbate nappy rash, among them teething, illness, introduction of solids, infrequent changing, allergies and reactions.

Sometimes, it's very clear what is contributing to the development of nappy rash. Other times, almost impossible. It can be frustrating and disheartening for parents to try and correct a problem when the cause is difficult to pinpoint.

These 4 simple, natural ways are our own proven steps that we have taken with our five children to help reduce the incidence of rash. Wherever possible, use all 4 tips in conjunction.

1. Change frequently

Consistently, health care professionals advise that frequent changing is the best way to prevent nappy rash. It can also help to reduce it. For further information about dealing with ongoing rash issues, please Click Here.

2. Use a barrier

If you're using cloth nappies, try using a liner between your baby's skin and the nappy. Microfleece and polarfleece are fabulous fabrics to use for nappy liners. They are cheap, easily accessible and require no hemming or special care. Grab 30 cm from your local fabric store and cut strips to size. The best thing about microfleece and polarfleece is that it wicks moisture away from baby's skin and into the absorbent layers of the nappy, helping to keep your baby drier for longer.

You can also purchase flushable liners that help to draw moisture away from baby's skin, and many modern cloth nappies are made with a "stay dry" layer or fleece of suedecloth directly against the skin.

TIP: if you need to use cream with your cloth nappies, be sure to use a liner.

3. Give nappy free time

When our little ones fall and graze a knee, we try to only resort to bandaids if we absolutely have to, because we know that allowing lots of fresh air to the sore will help it heal quickly.

It is exactly the same with little bottoms.

Where possible, let your baby enjoy nappy-free time. Lay them on a towel or a dedicated waterproof mat and let the fresh air work it's magic.  

4. Wipe simply

Disposable wipes may be handy when you're stuck on the side of the road having to clean up a surprise, but they shouldn't be used on a daily basis. They are loaded with all kinds of ingredients, which at worst, can irritate and inflame already sore skin and at best, simply aren't required to clean a baby.

Invest in a few washers that you use only for baby's bottom. Rinse them in warm water (cold is great to sooth irritated, red skin) and use them to thoroughly clean the area. If you don't use cloth nappies, just wash these with your towels.

TIP: Use a particular brand or colour for baby's bottom so you don't mix them up with face washers or dishcloths.

© Oz Baby Trends 2014

P.S. JOLI's Soothing Salve is a perfect natural baby bottom balm.

  

Pure Natural Organic ~ don't be fooled

Do those words above appearing on skin care items or advertising sway you to make a purchase thinking you've brought into a good thing?

Once upon a time (when I started in 2005) natural skin care was relatively unheard of, very few people I knew were aware of toxic chemicals in skin care and there were very few options when it came to purchasing "genuine" natural skin care. Most products had something iffy added to them so they could be stocked in stores, sitting on shelves for extended periods of time.

These days pure natural organic skin care has become popular and big brands have caught on.
They realised that by using those words they'll sell MORE. These days those words are everywhere!

It might surprise you to know that only about every 1 in 100-1000 people don't get fooled by the hype.
Ok #those stats are totally made up by me, however, they're based on the fact that chemical filled brands out-sell all (genuine) natural skin care companies by billions of dollars each year, therefore it's suffice to say that a great MANY people *ARE* fooled by the hype and buy into a brand they think is good - when in fact it is NOT.

Puriti - infused with citrus extracts [the brand & tag line]

Sounds pure and natural doesn't it. Almost has you thinking of pure natural lemon zest added to a pure base product. Practically good enough to eat.... right? Wrong!

Look further and the Conditioner ingredients are: cetyl alcohol, polyquaternium-7 (a synthetic polymer), cetrimonium chloride, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, methylparaben, ethylparaben...

The Shampoo ingredients are: sodium laureth sulfate, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, methylparaben, ethylparaben...

Not a lot of purity about those ingredients even though the name suggests a 'pure' product. The packaging also suggests the product is "not tested on animals" yet the above ingredients are. They HAVE to be because they're toxic and manufacturers need to know what amount they can add to a product before any adverse affects are felt.

Always read the labels and if in doubt research the ingredients. Don't assume that a company using the words pure, natural and organic really are.

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Natural skin care is my name ~ your awareness is my aim!

You can also follow JOLI on our website Blog

Lemon Verbena & Mint Iced Tea recipe

This is a lovely refreshing tea to have on a hot summers day.

There are a couple of steps to making the tea and it is best prepared a day in advance.

Step One:

1/2 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
6 cups boiling water

Boil the water and pour over the verbena and mint leaves. Leave to sit over night in the fridge, or a couple of hours. Or if you like a weak tea let sit for 10 minutes - before straining.  Chill in fridge.

Step Two:

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water

Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute, until sugar fully dissolves.

Step Three: 

1 cup lemon verbena leaves

Blanch verbena leaves in boiling water for 1 minute then plunge into cold water. Drain.

Step Four:

When sugar syrup is completely cooled, pour into a blender.  Add 1 cup blanched verbena leaves and process until smooth.  Cover and chill over night.

Step Five:

If you've left your tea to soak over night (step one), strain your tea into a large pouring jug.  Strain the sugar syrup through a fine sieve into pouring jug - adding lemon sugar to the tea mixture.

To serve:

Grab a tray of ice cubes and process in a blender or food processor into crushed ice.  Fill high wall glasses  half way with crushed ice and pour in lemon verbena mint tea.

Enjoy your refreshing chilled ice tea.

  

Making Love Naturally & DIY Fanny Spray

Making love is a very natural thing and it doesn't cost a lot to do. A fun activity to do on a budget. I'm sure many of you will agree when I say foreplay is the bestest part.

Foreplay noun - sexual stimulation before intercourse.

Every couple or person has their own preference when it comes to foreplay, some like a lot, some like a little, others like role play or fun flirty games such as strip poker, spin the bottle, or even doing a strip tease.

These games can be played in a few ways. Instead of stripping during poker the winning hand might ask the losing hand to do something to them, for example give them a kiss, rub their shoulders, massage their ankles. This game can start off quit humble, leading to something much more awakening.

What ever the type of foreplay and love making you like there are a couple of products JOLI sell that are perfect for the job.

Massage oil for 1. With eight different custom scents to choose from you are spoiled for choice and it goes without saying that foreplay and massage oil go hand in hand.

Massage Oil - JOLI

Soothing Slave for 2. Yes that's right. Is there anything this salve can't do! The salve can be used for clitoral stimulation - yes I said the 'c' word ;)

Soothing Salve - JOLI

Skin Serum or Cuticle Oil for 3. Either of these products can be drizzled over breasts for a gentle massage and if need be, because you're out of massage oil, they can also be used on genitals.

Luscious Body Butter for 4. How nice would it be to have someone to rub moisturiser into your body and for you to reciprocate. Maybe they rub the butter on your your shins, your ankles, your belly. I'm in heaven thinking about it and this butter his perfect and sensual for all over body use. Not suitable for face or genitals.

Just to name a few: though I can't forget to also add Moisturising Lip Balm and regular Lip Balm. There might also be other products you've tried yourself that we could add to the list - feel free to share if you have.

I encourage you to get in the bedroom and fool around with the products listed above, maybe add some other products to the fun flirty list.

Foreplay can be a very under rated part of love making. Using JOLI products can make it all the more tempting to enjoy!

NOTE: responses may vary from person to person, test small areas first and stop if these items aren't doing it for you.

DIY Fanny Spray recipe ~ aka home made Vanilla Perfume
You will need:
125ml spritz bottle
100ml water
25ml vodka
5 drops vanilla scent
4 drops jasmine scent
Coffee filter paper or paper towel
Funnel
Glass jar (big enough to hold 125ml)

- Place all ingredients into a glass jar, shake well and place on bench top or counter to sit for two weeks. Shake daily. The alcohol in this recipe helps the scented oils amalgamate into the water. It also acts as a preservative. You can leave the alcohol out: if you do so you may have to shake contents before each use and the perfume won't last as long - store in the fridge to keep it longer.
- After two weeks place a funnel over your spritz bottle, place filter paper over funnel and pour in jar contents. Filtering helps remove excess oil particles that haven't amalgamated.
- You can have a play around with different oils and scents. Maybe you'd like to try coconut and lime.

- This perfume can be used to spray toilet paper before you wipe, or after wiping to clean and scent. It can also be used to spray onto groin or undies to freshen up the area.

  

Clearing Out The Crap

It may surprise you to know that I wasn't always a natural skin care guru! Once upon a time I used the same dodgy stuff (i.e. chemical filled rubbish) as everyone else.

Once upon a time I was as naive as the next person when it came to personal care products being FULL of harmful chemicals. Without giving it a second thought I simply purchased these items and used them because: 1) TV and people told me to and 2) No-one advised me they weren't safe.

It's a simple mistake that many of us make. The TV commercials make it look all so enticing. Our friends use the products and swear by them. Our mum's give us products to use in our teens and we continue to use them as adults. Then we pass the same things onto our friends and children to use.

Much as teens and young adults (and even older adults) are doing today I was simply unaware of the dangers of chemicals in skin care. Chemicals in products was not discussed among friends or on TV. Even today with more hype about it than ever before there are still billions and gazillions of people unaware that the products they're using are harmful to themselves, the environment and their loved ones. (And some people don't want to know about the dangers that lurk in their beauty products because it's easier to stay in the dark).

The above picture is of me cleaning my bathroom cabinet out a couple of years ago - and to be honest I really didn't have a great deal of nasty stuff, thankfully. Then again one could argue that even one harmful product is one too many.

Here is a list of chemicals to look out for. If your personal care (and cleaning products) contain any of these ingredients it's time for a fresh start! Aside from skin care, if you want to know of other safe brands to use let me know and I'll be happy to give advice.

When did you first learn about hazardous chemicals in skin care?
Have you done a clean out of your bathroom cabinet to rid yourself of these badies?

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