Wild Child Natural~The Blog

 

Which one is better for your dog’s coat?

 

  

I started looking up dog shampoo recipes & you wouldn’t believe the most common 1 turning up….ivory dish soap!

Here we are worried about all the chemicals & surfecants they use in laundry soap, dish soap, shampoos…& so on….then use that on our pets?

I googled it & came up with some amazing information;
on Procter & Gamble Co.’s own website, the manufacture of Ivory Dish Soap, they state that
“Ivory soap is more caustic than some milder bars, such as Dove, a non-soap synthetic detergent bar.” It also went on to state that the pH has been determined to have a value of 9.5. (Caustic for both Human and Pets) Per their customer service department they stated to me that their Ivory Dish Soap was not safe for use on Pets (dogs ph is around 7)

 The Human epidermis is approximately 18-20 cell layers thick and in the canine the epidermis is only 8-10 cell layers thick. The canine’s skin is thicker overall but the epidermis is very thin and susceptible to bacteria if it is stripped away with improper ingredients that are not pH balanced for their skin. A good example is if you went to the salon for a facial a you received a peel.  That would be removing several layers of your epidermis and the esthetician would send you home with product for after care and sun protection as well and specific instructions. A peel is also only done to help correct a specific skin problem, it is not an ongoing treatment unless you were under the care of a doctor. The same rules apply with a canine or a feline. The feline Epidermis is even thinner then the canine. There is no forgiveness with the feline epidermis. You may be able to get away with using this mixture of the Ivory Dish Soap, Water and Coat conditioner without serious damage to the skin once or twice but with repeated use you are looking for trouble.

 quote; http://www.epi-pet.com/Dish%20Soap%20and%20the%20Companion%20Animal.pdf

So, I made my own NATURAL dog shampoo. I used mild emollient oils & added botanical to help their coat, not strip it!
Tha’t my dog RUSTY on the lable after I gave him a bath. He smelled so fresh & was so soft!

Hop on over & take a look, why use anything else on your best friend?

Here is the natural doggy shampoo http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24199979

Tags: Add new tag, dog shampoo, natural

Thanks for all the entries! The contest is now closed. I meant to be posting blog updates, but we’re helping a relative with health problems, so our time is taken for the moment. A winner was chosen, and 3 more for sample sizes, all winners have been emailed.

We have decided to do a givaway, yay! I’m using ContestMachine to accept entries, and it will randomly pick a winner. Look below for details and 3 easy wasy to enter. I also plan on having a givaway on the first of every month, or more often if it’s poplular!

Who? This is open to everyone. Even non U.S. residents.

What? Our natural laundry soap. There will be enough to wash 48 regular loads of laundry. Here it is on etsy, so you can see ingredients. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23192620

When? It will run for 2 weeks, April 1st to April 15th.

Where? Wildchildnatural.com/blog of course!

Why? To get natural products to more people!

How? Submit each entry seperately. Max of 3 entires per person.
3 easy ways to enter.
     1. Simply post a comment in the entry form.
     2. Blog about this contest, with a link to it, and post your blog post link in the entry form.
     3. Email this contest to at least 3 friends, and CC to us; wildchildnatural@yahoo.com
     Then use the entry form saying you have emailed friends.

Prize winners will be notified by their registered e-mail. Winners must respond within a timely manner (3 days) with their valid shipping address, or the prize is forfeit and a new winner will be selected.

Tags: Giveaway!, laundry soap, natural

Well I saw an article on yahoo about aspartame, and it has inspired me to dig up information on sweetners. Here is the link: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/22630/the-truth-about-diet-soda/

There has been an ongoing craze that sugar is bad for us and we should seek other means to satisfy our sweet tooth. Sugar is generally ok. The problem is you can get too much of it. In the fast paced, prepared food world we live in sugar is injected into everything. Why? Because it’s addictive, that means more money for the big guys. As I sure you have noticed, the more sweets we have the more we want. I found an article that explained it really well.

“Eating sugar shoots our blood sugar levels up and triggers a spike in the hormone insulin, which is needed to prep our cells to absorb the sugar. If there are no other nutrients to sustain our blood sugar level, it crashes as quickly as it rises — and we crave another hit. This is how sugar addiction begins.”

How we take in sugar is even more important. Table sugar is so refined our bodies burn straight through it. Sugar from fruits, honey and molasses are more complex and are broken down slowly, giving our bodies time to react. To simplify it: Eating sugar is like putting pineapple juice through a strainer. Eating fruit, honey and molasses is like putting crushed pineapple through a strainer.

   Then there are the artificial sweetners such as aspartame. Those are chemical X that taste like sugar but can have bad side effects. The FDA maintains that the sweetener is safe, but reported side effects include dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, memory loss, and mood changes.
   “Almost all of the independent research into aspartame found dangerous side effects in rodents. The FDA chose not to take these findings into account when it approved aspartame for public use. Over the course of 15 years, those same side effects increasingly appeared in humans. Not in everyone, of course — but in those who were vulnerable to the chemical structure of aspartame.”

   While we have not been hit with Splenda for long, it is also showing side effects similiar to aspartame. I know, you’re thinking ‘but Splenda is natural’. Even I am confused by that, but lets face it, it’s not possible to have something that is made from sugar, tastes like sugar, yet has nothing bad about it. From what I read Splenda is the name for sucralose (which is artificial), yet is has the sugar molocule. I don’t know exactly WHAT splenda is, but I know I can’t have my cake and eat it too.
    “The FDA has no definition for “natural,”  Splenda is the trade name for sucralose, a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. It is true that the Splenda molecule is comprised of sucrose (sugar) — except that three of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule have been replaced by three chlorine atoms.”

For my cooking at home I prefer honey, and maple syrup is great on pancakes.
A good choice for high blood sugar is stevia and agave nectar, they do not trigger an insulin reaction. (They can be found at a health food store)
The agave nectar is a complex form of fructose that naturally contains quantities of Iron, Calcium, Potassium & Magnesium.

One more tip: wine and alcohol count as a sweet it’s like a daily dessert.

But if forced to choose sugar, artificail sweetners, or splenda, I would take good old fashioned sugar.

Eating better requires a lifestyle change, which is obviously hard to do. So if you want to cut back sugar, try to stay away from pop and instead drink water, tea, or juice (just make sure it’s 100%, the lables are getting tricky!) And instead of grabbing a candy bar, keep some fresh fruit on the table. I love a nice crisp apple! Fruit will taste much better once you have less sugar in your diet.

(I forgot to add, if you want an ant killer, get a packet of crystal light and put it in a dish where your ants are, it has aspartame in it, which atracts the ants since it’s sweet)

Tags: honey, natural sweeteners, splenda, sugar

Wow! We were so excited to see an etsy conversation a few days ago. It was an invitation to be interviewed by a green earth blog! We work really hard at having 100% natural ingredients, so it was wonderful to be recognized for that. This is the site: http://greenearthjourney.blogspot.com/2008/11/wildchildnatural.html

Here is our interview!

Name: Dana, Ashley, Roma
Shop Name: Wildchildnatural
Shop Link: http://wildchildnatural.etsy.com
Location: Southwest Missouri
Ships To: Anyone who wants healthy, natural products! (Everywhere)

What materials do you use for your ECO friendly products? Natural plant oils and butters; cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter, jojoba oil, coconut oil, palm oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, castor oil, essential oils, beeswax, soy wax.

Why did you decide to make ECO friendly products? It was hard to find natural ECO products. Some look promising then put in a bad ingredient.

What inspires you? Everyday items, we are looking at things we use daily that are hurting us and the environment. Then we see if we can replace those items with a natural one.

How long have you had your shop on Etsy? Just over 2 months: September 10th 2008.

Is this a job for you or a hobby? It started off a hobby, and we haven’t quit our day jobs ^_^ but we want it to become a job.

How did you get into your craft? 4 years ago we started making lotion bars that were extremely moisturizing and eco friendly. Then, knowing how bad aluminum is, we started making our own deodorant and sharing it with family (one family member has chemical poisoning and can’t use anything with chemicals or fragrances).

Do you have any advice for fellow Etsy shop owners? Always do research on your eco materials to make sure they are eco friendly. And we’re learning promoting + eco products=sales

Anything else you would like to add? It’s amazing some of the wonderful properties of natural materials. Shea butter for example to reduce wrinkles, helps drain toxins from sore muscles and so much more. All that is available on the earth, there is no need to make ECO destroying products and chemicals.

It’s cold today and the wind is blowing. You know what that means… It’s cooking time!
We are chocoholics so chocolate biscotti was the obvious choice today.

2 1/3 cups Whole wheat flour
1 C. Honey
3/4 C. Unsweetened cocoa
5 Eggs
1 tsp. Chocolate extract (or vanilla)
1 tsp. Baking soda
5 oz. Whole blanched almonds (opptional)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the almonds; mix well with a spoon. Stir in the almonds until well blended; the dough will be thick and sticky. Place half of the dough on a 10″ x 15″ cookie sheet that has been coated with butter (or pam). Form a slightly rounded 4″ x 12″ loaf that is about 3/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough on the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 F.

Uncooked—–>

Allow the loaves to cool for 20 to 25 minutes. Then cut them into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Lay the slices cut side down on the cookie sheets and bake for 15 more minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake for another 15 minutes or until very crisp. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container.

NOTE: Biscottie are very crunchy. That’s why they’re perfect for dunking in coffee, tea, hot chocolate, cappaccino, and expresso.

We added our own flair to it. When it was done we took a bag of chocolate chips and soaked them in hot water. After they melted, cut a small hole on the end of the bag. Use that as a drizzle hole to pour over the biscotti. (Make sure they are melted, we had a chip that wasn’t and it make the whole too big!) ^_^ And enjoy!

Wow! First off, sorry for not updating in so long. We’ve had tons of stuff going on at home, and the flu going around recently.

So we’re coming back with a whopper of an update. This time the little nasty is fragrances!
Now, you may or may not know that ‘fragrance’ is artificial. Fragrances, or fragrance oils are made of chemicals to smell like something pleasant, or something from nature. That means they may have harmful side effects and have no good qualities (such as aromatherapy).
We knew all of this, but have still been guilty of buying fragrance candles. After looking around, we found most people who like essential oils have no problem using fragrances also. So we dug deeper, and searched for details of fragrances!

Those with a week stomach should turn away now! Here is what we found.
“Fragrance oils are combinations of synthetically manufactured chemicals designed to “mimic” the aroma of natural materials. Far from “natural”, 95% of the chemicals found in these oils are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum, and include chemicals such as benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and others capable causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders (CNS) and allergic reactions.”
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has reported that the fragrance industry uses up to 3000 ingredients, mostly synthetic, 900 of which were identified as toxic. However, they are not required to disclose ingredients of fragrances and perfumes on their labels due to trade secrecy considerations. The FDA supports this non-disclosure on the grounds that “consumers are not adversely affected — and should not be deprived of the enjoyment” of these products.

And there is more!
Fragrance on a label can indicate the presence of up to four thousand separate ingredients, many toxic or carcinogenic. Symptoms reported to the USA FDA include headaches, dizziness, allergic rashes, skin discoloration, violent coughing and vomiting, and skin irritation. Clinical observation proves fragrances can affect the central nervous system, causing depression, hyperactivity, and irritability.

Even unscented and fragrance-free products can contain masking scents to “mask” the smell of other ingredients. Fragrances that have been tested to be ’safe’ or ‘non-toxic’ are only tested on the skin, to check for irritation.

New natural lip balm scents!
We just made these today. Just like our chocolate lip balm in 4 new flavors!
Orange, coconut, chocolate mint, and banana.
These are not sweet. There is nothing wrong with lip balms that taste sweet, but it causes you to lick your lips, which in turn dries them out!

As always nothing artificial was used. Each one is only colored with mica and oxides, earth’s natural minerals!
Also to obtain the wonderful scents, we used fruit extracts and essential oils.

We also accomplished making more massage lotion candles! 3 scents to be listed soon, they have essential oils for therapeutic qualities.

Essential oils are extracts of plants and have great therapeutic qualities. Each one has it’s own unique qualities. In a forum on etsy.com the other day, someone said their asthma was bothering them, and sometimes even medicine doesn’t work. I knew lavender was one and looked for others (which I then informed the etsy member). Peppermint is another pleasing scent that works on asthma. For a complete list look here: http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Aromatherapy-Essential-Oils-for-Asthma

If you ever want to buy essential oils make sure it says 100%, that they are in an amber or cobalt bottle, and not in plastic. Also stay away from the term ‘fragrance’, even though it sounds pleasing, it is usualy a word for chemical-smell-a-like.

Lavender Chest Rub for asthma:
8 drops lavender essential oil
¼ cup olive (or other vegetable) oil

Combine ingredients. Rub on chest as needed, especially before bedtime.

Don’t forget to dilute essential oils if you are going to use them as a massage oil.

There are many other uses for essentail oils. Tea tree oil is effective for treating insect bites, boils and minor wounds. It has also been known to help soothe sunburn, poison ivy, ear infections, and bee stings

We found mica at a great price and are so excited we wanted to share it with you. http://www.coastalscents.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm/category/35/mica-powders.cfm
Mica is a wonderful natural mineral that has a sparkle to it. It is often mixed with oxides (more minerals) that have a very strong pigment. The mixture is a great and natural way to color things! From soap, to lipstick, to eyeshadow, and some can even be used on nails. (Though I am unsure of the recipe)

It’s so beautiful, we can’t wait to start mixing colors! Since we don’t use anything artificial!

My Aunt is visiting and bringing her Border Collie; Happy. My Aunt lives on a farm, works at a vet, and must use extreme self-control to not take in every stray that ends up there. But she couldn’t resist the little border collie pup!

We met Happy when we visited on labor day weekend. She is about 6 months old and herds everything! The cats, the horses, the cows, and the chickens! She was taught to not chase the cows and horses, so she will lay a few feet from them and give them the ‘hard eye’. It’s part of her instinct as a herder, where she stares them down and shows she is in control.

It was amazing to see her go to work! When my Aunt was trying to get a horse into a seperate fence area, and the horse kept moving away. So little Happy goes the opposite direction, circles waaaaay around, and comes behind the horse to get it in the right direction!

(Blog is usually wrote by the grand-daughter ^_^)