Nature's Remedies - Quite by Accident

You know how babies of a certain age put whatever they grab into their mouths and test if it's edible?
Well, sometimes, I *experiment* and just try eating or using random food items from my kitchen to try and fix stuff. While 90% of the time, this results in nothing. But every now and then I discover some incredibly useful things.


Oatmeal

I first noticed the cleaning properties of oatmeal after consistently finding that the pot I cook the oatmeal in becomes shiny as new after washing. It worked even if there were previous burn stains from food that had proved impossible to remove without an iron sponge.
So what is this useful for?
Well, now whenever I have a pot with those hard to remove black/brown stains, I sprinkle a tablespoon of oatmeal in the pot add some hot water and let it soak for around 10 to 20 minutes. Works every time.
This also encouraged me to use oatmeal along with aloe vera and coconut oil in a cleansing and moisturizing facial. Let me tell you, WOW!!! (Recipe for facial at the end).


Orange Peels

It's debatable, but it's quite possible that orange peels are my favorite part of an orange. I always eat an orange simply because at the end I'm rewarded with a treat: peels! I just love eating the white stuff.
So I was sitting last night looking at remains of an orange carnage on my plate. Then I started playing with remaining orange peels and squishing them, and as always the orange oils come out. Sometimes I'll eat a little bit of that too because I like them and they make me feel good. I never eat too much though since that makes me nauseous. So I had a small zit on my face, and I just randomly put some orange oil on it. Within a minute, it dried up and got shrunk. Next morning it was gone. Of course I expect this to work less speedily with a bigger one, but still, I'm surprised!

Then, today, after yet another orange has bitten the dust, I sat looking at the peels. Then I remembered how when degreasing stuff, whether it's food or pans, it's always recommended to rub citrus rinds on it. Since I was planning to shower, I took a few peels, scratched them with a knife up to let the oils out, then put them in a glass with warm water. The water seemed pretty murky, so I diluted it some more in a small bottle. Then I used some of it in the shower.
Remember, I'm no 'pooing here, and still suffering through transition. So that means somewhat (ah, who am I kidding) oily hair.
I did a little research afterward. Pure orange oil is composed of more than 90% d-limonene an "effective, environmentally friendly, and relatively safe solvent, which makes it an active ingredient of choice in many applications, such as, but not limited to, stain removers, cleaners of various sorts, and strippers"? (from wikipedia)

Of course, orange peels contain very small amounts of orange oil mixed with peel juice which, when further diluted in water, is not quite so potent. The result of this little experiment?
Well, my hair looks good! Unlike vinegar which makes my hair on the sticky side, resulting in the grey gunk on the hairbrush, this stuff actually cleans the gunk out. My hair's not completely air dried as of yet, but so far my it has a nice shine to it and my scalp is not oily anymore but not dried out.
I will try to keep using this on an as needed basis and will report back. My plan is to dry my orange peels, and make a tea with them later to dilute and use.


As promised, Facial Recipe:
1/4 cup oats
enough hot water to make a paste
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp aloe vera gel
1 tsp vinegar
1 Tbs. rose water
1 drop tea tree oil

Massage to your face and leave for 10-15 minutes, then rinse it off. No soap. You can store what's left in the fridge. It keeps.

Cheers.