Yankee Homestead

Resources for healthy living

Resources for healthy living




Homemade Hand Sanitizer {with essential oils}

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Homemade Hand Sanitizer {with essential oils}

Honestly, I’ve never been a big fan of hand sanitizer.  We rarely use it.  For starters, it dries out my hands.  And I was less than thrilled to learn about the ingredients in most mainstream versions.  Blech.

But let’s face it, some situations simply call for some sort of hand treatment in the absence of soap and water.  Port-a-potties, for example.  Playgrounds, nasty gas station bathrooms, diaper changes on the go, and other travel situations.

So, it’s good to have an easy and safe alternative to mainstream hand sanitizers.  Read More

Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Four}

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Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Four}

Did you read the first three posts in this series on essential oil diffusers?

Today I will show you how, where and when we use essential oil diffusers here at my Yankee Homestead.  

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Three}

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Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Three}

Did you catch the other posts in this series?  I recommend reading the first two before reading today’s post.

You can do that here:

Now that you have an idea of features to consider when shopping for an essential oil diffuser {Part One}, and you know all about the two diffusers I’ve used here at the Yankee Homestead {Part Two}, it’s time to tell you about doTERRA’s popular diffusers, plus one low-cost model I almost tried…

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Two}

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Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part Two}

Whisper DiffuserDid you catch the first post in this series?  I recommend reading it before reading today’s post.

You can do that here: Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part One}–features to consider.

Now that you know which features to consider in an essential oil diffuser, let me share the diffusers we’ve used here at the Yankee Homestead…

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Easy Gardener’s Hand Scrub {great gift idea}

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Easy Gardener’s Hand Scrub {great gift idea}

I love to garden.  [Check out This Year’s Garden Experiments.]  Wish I had more time to devote to digging in the dirt and trying to make things grow, but here’s one thing I don’t have to spend extra time on: cleaning up my grubby hands, post-gardening.

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part One}

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Which Diffuser is Right for You? {Part One}

I’ve received quite a few questions lately about choosing a diffuser.
It’s time to answer your questions!

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

My Favorite Natural Deodorant: What I’m Using Now (and loving)

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My Favorite Natural Deodorant: What I’m Using Now (and loving)

So you’ve heard all about What’s Wrong with Regular Deodorant, and you know which Natural Deodorants I’ve Tried.  Now it’s time to tell you What I’m Using Now (and loving), plus Two Tricks I’d Like to Try.

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Easy Gift Idea: Homemade Air Freshener (and the dangers of regular air fresheners)

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Easy Gift Idea: Homemade Air Freshener (and the dangers of regular air fresheners)

I live in a house with three boys and a dog.  Let’s just say there are times when I could use some air freshener.

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Goodbye To Toxins (Day 4): My Favorite Natural Lotions

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I have a history of skin issues, including severely dry hands in the winter, acne issues and itchy rashes and hives on various parts of my body.  Thankfully, due to the MANY changes we’ve made here at the Yankee Homestead, these conditions have vastly improved.

Lotions, Before

These are the brands of lotion I used before, thinking they were safe.  Because, after all, many were DERMATOLOGIST RECOMMENDED.  And if a dermatologist recommends it, it MUST be safe, right?     😉

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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page

Homemade Toothsoap

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Homemade Toothsoap

I am not a huge expert on flouride or dental health, but I do know that sulfates are not healthy.  So why would I put them in my mouth?  Or even worse, in my children’s mouths?

It’s such a shame that many personal care products contain sulfates, parabens and other nasty ingredients that can contribute to cancer and other health problems.  Slowly, but surely, I am learning to use products that are safe for the whole family, as well as for the environment.
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Kathleen

Kathleen Henderson is the Yankee behind the Homestead, where she keeps up with Mr. Native Texan, three busy boys, a large dog, an assortment of chickens and an organic garden on three beautiful acres in Northern Virginia. Yankee Homestead is where she organizes her tips, tricks and resources for a healthy life. Favorite topics include real food recipes, gluten-free living, essential oils and home remedies, all things natural and nontoxic, plus mommy musings and homeschooling resources. Find out more on the About page