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Category: Bitch on a Budget.

Bitch On A Budget: Home Remedies!

Posted by Dotted with Hearts at 12:33 AM on October 05, 2009

So, skating on a roller derby team causes my teammates and I to have "look at this bruise!" "oh yeah?! Look at this one!" moments. And strange as it is, if you don't get a nice one after a big fall, its almost a disappointment! But let me tell you, they sure can hurt! And for as many times as we have sore muscles, bruises and what not, the price for store bought remedies can sure add up!

Here are a few ways to feel better for aches and pains. Some remedies are Grandma's, others are friends, and some even friends Grandmas!

Compress for Bruises:

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of witch hazel or cider vinegar

2 drops lavender essential oil

2 drops rosemary essential oil

2 drops peppermint or juniper essential oil

In a bowl, mix the water, witch hazel or vinegar, and the essential oil. Soak a flannel cloth in the liquid, wring it out until nearly dry, and then place over injured area.

Cover with plastic wrap so the skin absorbs the essential oils and then cover the whole thing with a towel.

Apply the compress for up to 30 minutes three times daily.

Cheapie Cold Pack

3 parts water

1 part rubbing alcohol

1 plastic zip-close freezer bag

Combine the water and rubbing alcohol in the freezer bag and freeze.

Wrap the frozen pack in a towel and apply to the hurting area.

The alcohol keeps the pack flexible.

Massage Cream for Angry Muscles

2 teaspoons grated beeswax

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4 tablespoons cayenne-infused oil

10-15 drops wintergreen oil

2 tablespoons ginger tincture

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons aloe vera gel

1/2 teaspoon borax

1/4 teaspoon powdered vitamin C (can be found at health food store)

In the top of a double boiler over low heat, mix the beeswax and coconut oil and stir until the beeswax has melted. Stir in the cayenne-infused oil and the wintergreen essential oil.

In a separate pan, heat the ginger tincture to evaporate as much alcohol as possible, then add the water, aloe vera gel, borax, and vitamin C and bring to 160F to 175F on a candy thermometer. Place the ginger tincture mixture in a blender, and whirl at high speed as you add the beeswax-oil mixture. Pour the resulting cream into a clean jar with a lid.

Rub onto sore joints and muscles as needed. Keep in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.

There are all kinds of natural remedies you can use, that are better for you, and won't drain your lovely handmade pocketbook!

If you have a local health food store / natural store, and haven't been there, go check it out!

Bitch On A Budget: Bathtime!!

Posted by creepyqueen at 05:19 PM on June 25, 2009

comments (3)

BATHTIME!

Welcome to the first article of Our Brand New Feature!! It's called 'Bitch On a Budget' and soon CQ mag will be filled up with articles of different ways you can save your hard earned cash.

The topic we're covering first is 'BATHTIME', so prepare to pamper in the tub, but on a dime!

Savin' while Shavin'

I know you have one of these fancy disposable razors in your shower right now.

It's called 'shick intuition' or 'quattro' or 'venus breeze' (or one of it's copycat counterparts) and it's a big hunky thing that has disposable tops that have the shaving butter wrapped around the razor.

The only problem is- is that after 4 days of furrless legs, there is no more cream left around the razor, and it doesn't work so smoothly. It skips and skids, and leaves you with red bumplies. And it doesn't shave smooth anymore.

So, you pop off a razor, toss it in the bin, and grab another one. And You shell out $12.00 for this fancy disposable razor, and then $20.00 for a four replacement blade pack.

If you replace your blades once a week, that's $5.00 a week! ...That's more a month than you probably pay for your internet!

Okay fine- so you're saying 'now I have to buy a whole bunch of disposables and some aerosal shaving gel. Not so convenient'.

Disposable razors are awesome. CQ's Rule of thumb: they're good until they rust. So instead of tossing your 'fanzy' blade every week, you could get away with keeping one for a month (so long as you aren't the bearded lady or in her family tree). So that's a $1 a month- A DOLLAR A MONTH! Try to find internet that cheap. Just Try.

Alright- so now there is the problem of razorburn. I know a lot of you like the expensive disposables because they bring promises of 'green tea', 'cucumber melons' and 'aloe', but I've got something better.

Take a nickel size amount of your favourite $2.00 brand conditioner and smooth it all over your legs. Now take your $1.00 razor to it. Conditioner acts the same as a shaving gel. It puts a barrier between your skin and the blade, make the hair softer and easier to slice off-- and it leaves your legs feeling like you rubbed cocoa butter on them.

So sure, you may have to stock up on conditioner a bit sooner, but- it completely eliminates having to buy shaving cream (which retails at about $5.00 a can).

Soap Saver

Alright- so soap isn't that expensive. I mean it can be, but I know you don't ust want to settle for zest or irish springs. Bathtime necessities can add up. They can get very expensive.

And rather than eliminate washing where the sun don't shine, you just need to learn how to combine your products. They all have the same goal. To clean you.

One of our favourite products is lush's shampoo bars. They come in boatloads of awesome scents, and many are vegan.

One bar is $10.00. I know that doesn't sound like saving, but it totally does. One bar of solid shampoo is the equivalent of 3 150mL bottles of shampoo. We cheat and use it to wash everything. Hair and skin. Then you don't have to buy shampoo OR soap. And you totally get a free tin for it so it doesn't shrivel up when you are not using it.

WARNING: Upon entering lush, don't look around to much, or you will DEFINATELY not end up saving money. Everything there is addicting, and can add up quick. Why not shop online? www.lush.com

Bubble Bill

I love having baths. I hate having boring ones where you can see the bottom of the tub. We've found some more products to help combine costs between clean.

This product is called Lander 3 in 1. It can be used as a shampoo, a bubble bath, and a bodywash! And it's HUGE! 32 fl oz!! We found it at amazon for $5.00, you can probably even find it cheaper at your local drugstore.

Handmade

I know you hate scrounging department stores trying to find the cheapest products when you know the contents are probably %90 water. And if you are here on CreepyQueen, you definitely love supporting the little guy.

So, here are some awesome bath products that are handmade, a little freaky, and wallet friendly.

Click the pictures to check out the items, and the shops they belong to.

Oh- and did I mention everything here is under $6.00??