Category: Uncategorized

Baking in the Bathroom – Oil and Salt

Shannon

 

OIL  I’m talking plant oils here, so no mineral oil, petroleum, etc.  There are tons to choose from, all having different nutrients and properties to offer.  I generally use/start with Olive Oil simply because it’s abundant in this house, but I have used Grapeseed Oil (lighter, good for damaged skin), Coconut oil (solid at room temp, great alone as a skin moisturizer), and Jojoba (closest to human sebum) to name a few.  Drop by your local grocery store to get started right away.  When you are ready to expand your collection, check out Mountain Rose Herbs for more.

SALT  Yeah, salt.  This article is mostly about oil, but salt does a great job of exfoliating rough/dry skin.  There are many gourmet salts on the market, but plain old NaCl will do.  You could branch out with sea salt (it’s softer) and epsom salt (not for consumption), but this is about using what you have, so, use what you have!


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PVC Pea Trellises

Shannon 1 Comment

We’ve been gardening for a few years now, but we still don’t quite have it right. We discover new problems and new solutions every year. This past year I decided I wanted to grow peas, they are a favorite of mine, but I quickly discovered my 4 3′ rows were not enough. On top of that, the “trellis” we threw together was just crap. This year I put out a little money and made trellises out of PVC piping. I didn’t recycle anything, but it was cheap, quick and should last at least a few seasons. This is the kind of thing you could gather supplies for from yardsales, craigslist, or freecycle earlier in the season to make it even cheaper.

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Laundry Part II: Fabric Softener

Shannon

Another quick and simple post!

We ran out of softener recently and I figured, if I make my own detergent, why not make softener?  After consulting the great Google, I found this article.  As with the detergent, there are many variations…y’know, experiment.

Ingredients:
6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner

Directions:

  • Pour all of the ingredients into a 1 gallon jug. Stir or slosh around to mix. Shaking will create bubbles.
  • Use as you would store bought softener. If you prefer dryer sheets, spray a washcloth with the softener and pop it in the dryer.

That’s it!!

I’m not sure how it happened, but we have a surplus of conditioner, so this was an excellent find for me.  You can use any conditioner you like the scent of, and I would guess the cheaper, simpler brands would work better.  You don’t need stuff like panthenol (it coats) or straightening ingredients.  If you clip coupons, you can get Suave super cheap if you use one during a sale.  Even if you don’t it’s still cheap.

What should I write about next week?  Do you guys like cleaning tips and recipes?  Or move on to another subject?  I’ve amassed a lot of information, but of course, I would like to write about stuff people are interested in.  Leave a comment!

Welcome our new columnist Shannon

James Burnette

To help out with my hectic demand of the five day a week pace I’ve brought on a great friend of mine. Welcome Shannon to Survival Punk. I’ve known Shannon for almost ten years now. She is an experienced gardener and crafter. She is right in-line with the DIY and money saving nature here.
I think she will bring a much needed softer side to Survival Punk. I look forward to Shannon’s how to articles and how to garden better.

Hello world!

James Burnette

Welcome to survivalpunk my attempt to write about my favorite subjects: Survival, paleo eating and punk music. The blog will feature how to articles, gear reviews, camping trips, gardening/permaculture, recipes and much more. So stick around I have a lot in store for this blog