Eczema sucks. There I said it. It sucks. My husband's daughter is plagued by eczema. Yes, I know its all about what you eat and you can help correct eczema through an all clean diet. But what about when a flare up happens? How do you manage the skin?

When our 6-year-old's eczema was really bad when she'd come to our house it was my mission to fix it! That meant some extreme measures. So here are things I did that actually worked! 

Bathing: Only used castille soap for bath time and not too long in the tub. My fav castille soap is Dr Bronner's. We'd use the unscented kind for her skin. 

Then came the real work. Buttpaste. Yes, I'd lather her whole body in buttpaste.  It sounds crazy but it works. On top of the buttpaste to seal it all in, I'd add Aquaphor then put her pjs on. ( I wouldn't recommend Aquaphor now in my current crunchy level of living) 

Then repeat. When she woke up, we'd do it all over again (just a bit lighter on the application if we were leaving the house). Her eczema was healed in less than a week. Her skin was amazing again. I do admit we'd reapply during the day as needed or whenever I'd notice scratching. 

What I learned from this is the zinc was the true cure for the skin.  Since that original time I've found Wedela Skin Food. This product is amazing also! It contains Zinc Sulfate and tons of other awesome ingredients for the skin that truly help. Yes it is crazy expensive but it works!

​Another product our family loves for eczema is Thena Healing Cream.   This is a very natural lotion to help keep the eczema at bay and is very light. 

I've got a new favorite essential oil! (I say that with each one I buy) But ya'll turmeric is awesome! It's helps with skin, hair and overall health. I originally got it for my young mildly achy bones. My knees and shoulders tend to hurt (yay high school sports) and I read that turmeric oil, beyond just being amazing in curried chicken, could possible help my joints. AND IT DID. Yes, I start off smelling like I'm seasoning chicken to cook for later but that's okay because I don't hurt. (priorities right?)

SO I began looking into turmeric to see what else it could do. Did I want to diffuse it? Was it kid friendly? Or was it just for my bones? The answer my friend, is for so much more: hair, skin, digestive, depression, and so much more. The warm, spicy, earthy, orange oil is very useful.

Chemical Makeup of Turmeric 

So we know that essential oils don't just smell good, they have good chemicals in them that do awesome stuff. It's that chemical make up that allows the essential oil to do certain biological properties that they contain.
Turmeric has a lot of chemical components (over 300) including: turmerone, curcumin, alpha-turmerone, beta-turmerone, ar-tumerone, zingiberene and 6-gingerol.  Its major compounds are sesquiterpenes meaning they are able to pass through the blood brain barrier delivering nutrients and oxygen to the brain.  So let's begin there.

Turmeric,  the Brain & Cells

Turmeric is able to work on a cellular level and its molecules are small enough to pass through the blood brain barrier bringing nutrients and oxygen to the brain. Turmeric is able to help with cognitive functions and even may help with many issues that affect the brain. But why? Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) declining is a key issue when it comes to many disabling brain diseases like Alzheimer's.  Turmeric can help BDNF to increase.

In it's conclusion, a 2010, study stated that curcumin (a component of turmeric) shows a strong chance of being able to prevent or event treat age-related brain diseases like stroke,  Alzheimer's,  and Parkinson's.

Ar-turmerone (an aromatic part of turmeric) hinders microglia which is a type of brain nd spinal cell that proves the presence of disease. 

​There have also been many studies that show turmeric may help against cancer this is because of the curcumin and one study suggests its pairing with turmerone.  Thisstudy points out curcumin can selectively kill cancer cells and not normal cells. While many of the studies were looking for items to help create drugs to fight cancer, why not use the components where they are naturally found? In Turmeric. 

Other health benefits on the cellular level: 

• It helps the body recover from chronic stress
• Combats depression and promotes a positive outlook
• It causes the body to release bilirubin which is an antioxidant that comes rom the breakdown of red blood cells and is excreted by the liver. 
• Promotes hormonal balance and liver health 
• Supports healthy glucose and lipid metabolism
• Enhances cellular antioxidant enzymes 
• Stimulates glands

Turmeric, Skin & Hair 

Pimples, where? Not with turmeric. You can use it as a spot treatment or an all over face moisturizing mask. Turmeric also can help lighten scars and heal wounds, bruises and other skin issues. Of course to apply the essential oil topically you'll want to dilute in a carrier oil depending on the strength desired (usually 2%).

Here are a few recipes, mix with: 
​
SKIN 

• tamanu oil as a natural acne cure 
• argan oil (a healing moisturizer) to reduce blemishes 
• jojoba oil to help with sunburn
• almond for anti-aging benefits as it also prevents damage from free radicals  
• emu oil (good for healing) for wounds 
• castor oil (detoxing) for feet and heels 
• can help heal herpes as it speeds the blister healing and improved overal immunes system to reduce outbreaks 

HAIR 

• neem oil for dandruff and lice 
• olive oil for hair growth (helps keep the scalp healthy) 

Turmeric & The Body 

Turmeric, when ingested, helps with bloating, excessive gas, and cramping. The zingiberene and 6-ginerol help stimulate the digestive system and increase gastric juices.  It also acts as an anti worm and parasitic compound. 

When applied topically turmeric can help with arthritis and other muscle or joint pain. It inhibits actions of inflammatory compounds and prevents swelling.
Other health benefits for the body:

• After working out, turmeric can help with recovery.
• Good for detoxing 
• Adding turmeric to toothpaste can help with periodontist disease. 

Remember, I am not a doctor. I am only sharing information I have researched and use for my own and my family's health. If you have any health concerns and want to use turmeric to help talk to your natural practitioner or family doctor. 

Creativity, motivation, releasing anxiety and more… all areas where many claim incense can benefit (depending on what you’re burning). But there are also many ways you can burn in incense. 

Cone, stick or resin? What type of incense do you use? Believe it or not, all incense is not created equal. Like anything, there’s a crunchy version and a synthetic version. While there are a few studies about the dangers of incense the main points I have about the incense is “What are you burning?” and “How’s the ventilation in the room?”

In order to not release dangerous VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the air which can cause harm to your body. You don’t want these VOCs in your home! But there are ways to help purify the home… but I digress. 

DIRECT BURNING

Direct burning is usually done in the form of incense sticks or cones in which you directly apply heat and burn causing the aroma. When it comes to cones in the cone actually burns the incense with less smoke as there is no wood to burn. You also have to make sure the incense is scented in natural incense and not synthetic which can also be harmful to your health. The wood inside the incense also needs to be “clean” wood as it burns as well. 

INDIRECT BURNING 

Resin incense is the most common for of indirect burning. You put the resin on charcoal and burn the charcoal, in turn burning the resin.  The traditional way would consist of taking coals from a fire putting it on a stone (or non-flammable surface), then placing the resins or loose incense herbs over the charcoal to release the smell. The important aspect here is to only buy the herbs or resin from place you trust. You have to ensure the product is pure. (Omg I sound like I’m talking about drugs “Make sure the product is pure”, but seriously that’s important).  I get mine from my local health food store that I trust. 

You also have to make sure the charcoal you’re using is pure also. I use this one made from coconut husks.

There’s also bamboo charcoal that is a better alternative than regular charcoal which often has additives to burn faster and longer, these can release VOCs into your home… (BOOOO!)

WHAT’S SO BAD?

Well, I don’t know exactly what could be in your incense but neither do you. The exact type of pollutants released into the air (and your home) depends on the chemicals present in the incense being burned. That’s why I’m a crazy person when it comes to gettin only pure and natural incense and charcoal. Whether you choose stick, resin or a cone incense, choose something clean and pure to the best of your ability and stay away from synthetic incense. 

FINDING THE GOOD STUFF

Incense De Santa Fe 

It’s a cone type incense in the shape of a rectangle. This company offers 7 different types of natural wood incense made in the US. There is also a sample back where one could try all the offering for a good price. 

Blackbird 

Its a modern twist on incense cones. Their most popular mix is called Blood Countess, a dragon’s blood resin and frankincense Combination to lift the mood and add some edge.

Nippon Kodo

It’s a Japanese specialty brand that isn’t too pricey but has been around a very long time! These are natural and trusted brand.

Maroma 

This is the brand my local health food store and local Whole Food’s offer. It is a natural brand with ingredients I can understand (Yay me!).  These also offer the tradition scents like frankincense and myrrh that aren’t blended so you decide for yourself on the scents you like. 

Also check out your local health food store to see what they offer for incense, just make sure you read the packaging to ensure there’s no artificial or synthetic fragrances. 

Not really crunchy related but this is my life. I will admit I was swindled by a moving company. ABC Moving got me. They gave me an estimate to move our items from Wisconsin to Delaware. They get to our house and of course the estimate goes up. So we pay it... then when they get to our house they demand more money. I almost about cried ya'll! Actually I did cry. Lets be real here. This post is to let you know, if you got swindled and just paid the people to get your stuff, you are not alone. Oh, and the icing on the cake, we are missing a box and our first TV we bought together was broken. Like we hired a moving company to ensure it was done right. I messed up crunchy friends. I messed up. Vent over. Return to the normal scheduled crunchy posts! 

 Now that the hubby, Jake,  and I both have days where we are busy typing away on the computer for work, we have to remind ourselves to take time for our physical health. Yoga is now our thing. That's not something many couples will say and legit me actual yoga. But that's what we do. Yoga on demand with out matching mats. Those really make me happy because they have cute sayings on them. Mine says "I am love" and his says "I am strong" plus they are nontoxic fromAffirmats. Who woulda thought that yoga mats were sometimes made with toxic ingredients.... uh YUCK! But I digress. 

I didn't think Jake was going to get into yoga and at first he didn't either, but now there are mornings he has our yoga mats out and ready before I am even awake. At first I am convinced he did yoga only for me and then when his muscles started shaking and he realized it was not all easy stretching he got on board.
It really connects us because according to the Peloton app we use (shout out the the yoga instructor Dennis for making yoga look easy), we are not yet intermediate in yoga and we can joke about how one class was hard or help each other keep our form. Honestly, it's great for us (and our 2 year old loves to jump in and try to do yoga (or knock mommy down) also! We even had to get her a yoga mat as well! 
Do you and your significant other do yoga? Are there any great apps or on demand programs for us to try? Let me know! ​

It's my second year of being a crazy garden lady. This year I have less space since we moved to Wisconsin so I decided to do an indoor garden... starting slowly. I decided to get a nice little herb garden to ensure I'm responsible enough to grow my food indoors and water it. An indoor garden needs more care and love than your typical house plants. 
In deciding to start my garden I went on my search for organic seeds and dirt.  My husband thinks I'm crazy because I buy soil instead of digging up the back yard. But I believe this way, I ensure I know what is growing my food and I am able to have the healthiest food possible! 

DO I REALLY NEED ORGANIC SEEDS?

That's the first think I tackled, finding good organic seeds. I found mine via the local health food store. They usually will have starter plants for the garden as well but the weather has been pretty crappy in the Milwaukee area (but I digress). 
You need organic seeds because you know they haven't been genetically modified. There is no foreign DNA or anything mysterious in the seed. A good article about organic vs conventional seeds can be found on The Good Heart Life. I'll sum it up briefly. Organic seed means the crop was grown in an organic environment without pesticides etc therefore the seed is strong and designed to be grown in an organic environment. 

THERE'S DIRT OUTSIDE... CAN'T I USE THAT?

Sure, but what's in that dirt? If you don't know then don't even chance it. OR you can test your soil. Since I'm planting indoors, I'd rather keep the outdoors outside and buy soil to go inside. You may say it's odd but it makes sense to me.  More info on soil testing and organic gardening can be found on Beyond Pesticides. Buying soil allow you to choose the proper soil for what you're growing. Did you know different fruits/veggies need different nutrients in their soil? I didn't until I started learning and trying to understand why my garden last year didn't get the results I wanted. 

That's the technical stuff... Then i got the cutest window planter from Target for $20 on sale. *doing a dance because I love a sale*  Put it all together with water and you get my happy window! Let's keep this year's herb garden alive.

What are you growing this season? Share your organic gardening tricks with me in the comments!

Essential oils can be used to help calm the mind and relieve a the stress and anxiety of everyday life.  

Instead of banging your head on the wall, try these essential oils. Remember everyone's body chemistry is made differently. Just because one oil doesn't work for you, try another before giving up. Also don't force it. If you hate the way one oil smells don't use it! 

You can use these in an inhaler (15-20 drops),  with a carrier oil on your body (12 drops per ounce for a typical 2% dilution) or in a diffuser(5 drops per 150ml). 

Lavender- This is the oil you're most likely to have in your cabinet already. It has been used to beat stress, depression and anxiety. There is a full review in the International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice (2013). 
Vetiver - It has a smokey spicy woody type scent. My husband isn't really a fan of this oil but I love it. According to a 2015 study on rats, vetiver oil is used in aromatherapy for relaxation. The study showed vetiver has anti-anxiety abilities similar to the drug diazepam. It is a grounding oil. I read in The Healing Power of Essential Oils that is has also been used to help with ADHD. 
Ylang Ylang - It has a floral scent but I love it. Besides being and awesome "get it on" essential oil. Ylang Ylang is great for anxiety. 
Orange oil - It smells orangey (haha) There are studies that show orange oil used to help with presurgical anxiety in dental patients and it did in fact help! 

You can use these oils alone or try a mix to see what you think . 

Of course if you are under a doctor's care or taking prescriptions talk to a doctor before taking any oils. 

There are many ways to do  the same thing. Essential oils sprays are an example of that. I share my recipe and a video of another recipe! The bottle to the right is a 2ml bottle. I like to use dark glass bottles to ensure the mixture holds for as long as possible. 

The way I make it is using witch hazel, grain alcohol (like Everclear) essential oils and distilled water. The grain alcohol will mix with essential oil and allow it to mix with the water and witch hazel. Essential oils on their own do not mix with water. Witch hazel and grain alcohol will also help to ensure bacterial won't overgrow. (but if you notice a change in the smell or color then it may be rancid)

If you're using a 2ml bottle then 20 drops each of the Everclear, witch hazel and essential oils. Mix these all together then add the distilled water and shake shake shake!   

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOOOOVE subscription boxes for myself and now there are so many for the kiddos too! But the ones that are educational absolutely have me sold! This one is my favorite so far! All three of my girls (11,9 &2) get these. The 2-year-old version is called the tadpole crate. It is for ages 0-2 and they go all the way to 16! My older girls get the doodle crate (artistic) and the tinker crate (hands on stem). They also love theirs! Here's Ivy playing with her latest Tadpole Kit. This one taught her puzzles in like 2 minutes and she went in her room and started doing the others we have!! She also surprised me knowing more colors than I thought. Yay learning! 
Try KiwiCo crates here: (and get $10 off!)