Late Winter Solutions

The current late Winter in New England is epic in the classic, truest sense. Managing our daily lives with early immeasurable snow is worrisome, demanding and is a marathon. This wintery season has months yet to go. 

Here are some solutions to ease your body and soothe your spirits. 

Use coconut oil or olive oil as lotion to soothe dry skin. Keeping your flesh moisturized is a simple way to protect your overall health and comfort. Most store bought lotions contain fragrances made of dangerous chemicals. The truth about this violation of our bodies and and our wallets is becoming common knowledge. It's not necessary to use these products, coconut oil and olive oil are very healthy for us, inside and out.

I like to buy more expensive, better quality lotions from small, local companies. I use a small amounts and mix it with coconut oil or olive oil to make it go farther. If you don't have these oils in your kitchen, use up the corn or whatever oil you have and try them. My favorite thing about using coconut oil is it's sustainably harvested. Most store bought oils are from genetically engineered crops or, as with palm oil, the cultivating and harvesting destroys huge tracts of habitat. Union of Concerned Scientists

The coconut oil is amazing on your skin; it is solid in the jar but as soon as it touches your skin it melts right in. Coconut oil is very good for frying and substitutes well for butter or Crisco in most recipes. It's not real "coconutty" tasting or smelling, so do try it even if you aren't crazy about flaked coconut. 

Olive oil is nourishing, a bit thicker than the coconut oil. I use it for cooking at low temps on the stove top and when I make salad dressings. When there is about a quarter of the oil in the bottle left, I use it with lotion and get a fresh bottle for the kitchen. Olive oil has a delicate flavor and ideally should be bought in small bottles and used up quickly so it won't go bad. 

Use coconut oil and epsom salts to make soothing bath salts. If you've never put bath salts in your bath, what, my darlings are you waiting for? I had a jar of bath salts for several years and only had a shower, no tub, so I just held onto it knowing someday I'd have a tubby. Eventually the oil in the scrub went sour and I had to throw it out. I think it was olive oil. I could have used the bath salts as a scrub in the shower but I didn't think of it. Now that I have thought of it, I strongly suggest you lay a hand towel down to stand on inside the shower. The oil and salt both can make the floor slippery. 

Learn from my mistakes, * don't wait any longer. Comfort and soothe yourself with a nice salt scrub in the shower or take some bath salt tubby time. * If showering, stand on a hand towel so you won't slip. * Before you leave the bathroom, while the tub or shower is still warm and wet, use a mildly soapy cloth to wipe the oil out of the tub and dry it with your damp towel so no one slips and falls. 

This is you showing yourself the respect you deserve. This is you preparing yourself, making life easier. 

One Good Thing is a nice website that I reference for suggestions for a safe and comfortable home and body. The link will take you to my favorite bath salt recipe. It's so easy, so healthful and very luxurious for little money. If you don't care for lavender or the price of pure essential oils, try adding vanilla flavoring or add finely chopped fresh herbs or flowers you do like. Even scent free is still pretty luxurious. 

Be well, be safe and do try to go sledding. All that snow is good for something.