natural cleaning – crossgrained

KO for BO, aluminum-free

Posted on April 18, 2016December 20, 2016 by mscellenea

I’ m three years into a concerted search for a natural product to rival my favorite antiperspirant. That product is “clinical strength,” marketed for women, and is pretty much like aluminum-siding your underarms. You don’t sweat, you don’t smell, and you can even skip a few days like they say on the commercial. It’s pretty much my last holdout in the supermarket toiletries aisle.

I know this can’t be good for you. Particularly since it’s used close to lymph nodes, breasts, and other cancer-prone body parts. So, every once in a while I try to find something more natural.

Something that actually works. Continue reading KO for BO, aluminum-free

Furniture scratches? Nuts.

Posted on April 18, 2016December 20, 2016 by mscellenea

This idea via #ThriveMarket, and a blog post on how to get rid of scratches in furniture using — a walnut.

A beautiful table my father made me (coincidentally of walnut wood) looks great, but scratches easily. I keep getting a fine network of superficial scratches that are very obvious with anything I put on top. Continue reading Furniture scratches? Nuts.

@IndigoWild I still love you

Posted on April 3, 2016April 5, 2016 by mscellenea

UDATE 4/5/16: From the cool folk at @Indigo Wild:

@MScellenea Thx 4 the love! The F&M is still the same, it will naturally get darker as it ages. Like fine wine, it gets better with age. 🙂

Seriously, what’s up with this?

I’ve been buying this soap for years.

It never was this color before.

Did a get a melatonin-challenged bottle? It’s about 32 shades lighter than it used to be. Continue reading @IndigoWild I still love you

Refrigerator helper

Posted on February 28, 2016April 22, 2016 by mscellenea

I was on the Thrive blog reading this post about how home refrigerators are often much dirtier than you think. The refrigerators at work are usually something between a compost bin with a light, and something I can’t open without gagging. So, I’m particular about what goes on in mine. Continue reading Refrigerator helper

Thrive! I mean it.

Posted on December 28, 2015December 28, 2015 by mscellenea

Just to say up-front, I don’t know anyone at the Thrive Market (though they seem like very nice, thoughtful people), and I’m not getting anything in return for writing about them. I sure do intend, however, to pay up for a full membership when my trial period ends in three days, (which also happens to be New Year’s Eve). So that’s my disclaimer, which really doesn’t claim or dis anything. Maybe it’s a resolution.

Now begins the blog post:

I get most of my food , vitamins, and supplements delivered. From local stores, from big-name whole food chains, from the almighty Amazon (not going to insult your intelligence by providing a link for that one), from stupendous places such as Swanson‘s. Continue reading Thrive! I mean it.

Gluten-free hair care

Posted on September 12, 2015March 6, 2016 by mscellenea

This 18th-century porcelain figure of the goddess Ceres Is a real celebration of wheat. This Ceres loves wheat. Consider her hair. It’s an exuberant wheaty, red-carpety ‘do. As much as I appreciate the goddess of agriculture, grain, fertility and motherhood, I avoid some of her bounty, mostly grain. (And turnips.)

I hadn’t given beauty products much thought when I was diagnosed with Celiac, as I used mostly natural and organic lines, but here’s the story of why I changed my mind, and why I now take my own products to the hair salon. Continue reading Gluten-free hair care