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Homegrown Collective August 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, bug spray, candles, homegrown collective, insect repellants, pictures, reviews, salves, subscriptions

13 September 2015

Hah! How perfect that this came when I’ve been having some skin flare-ups. I wonder if they’ll be good for that in addition to actual bug bites? I don’t know what is causing my redness and bumps but it might just be worth a try.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

Project #1, DIY anti-itch salve: This looks really promising for soothing itching skin of all sorts. I love how simple it is, so it can be quickly put together and slathered on. I’ve rubbed it on my swollen fingers and so far so good with the soothing effect. I may smell like I’m trying to ward off vampires, but if it helps with the itching then I’m all in.

Project #2, DIY plant-based bug spray: Whoa, there’s a lot going on here! All sorts of scents to keep those bugs at bay and create a barrier between us and anything that might want to to irritate our skin. Mosquitoes, beware! This should definitely pack a punch.

Project #3, DIY mint citronella candle: I know that citronella is great for keeping bugs away, so this is a great candle to have for burning outdoors. Luckily, it smells good to us humans and can provide a nice freshness to the air. I like to keep the door open in the evening so the cats can play on the porch, so I might try having this candle by the door to hopefully keep the insects from flying in.

It’s great to have these natural ways of repelling insects so we don’t have to worry about what we’re putting on our skin or what we’re breathing in. This box offers three great ways to keep the bugs away and/or soothe any bites that you might have gotten.

Want your own? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective to start getting projects too!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective July 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: green, homegrown collective, pictures, projects, reviews, soaps

23 August 2015

Ooo, another soap box! Almost a year ago, we got a similar box, but the recipes are mostly different this time. I like that they used the same three base soaps, but came up with some more soap types to try out. The charcoal one is the same as last year, but that means I get to try it with both possible bases (white and clear). I want to try using some of the fun molds I’ve gotten, like stars or ducks.

Project #1, DIY charcoal soap: As mentioned, this soap is the only repeat from the last box. Since you can try it with two different soap bases, I look forward to being able to make both! Yeah, I still haven’t made the soap from the last round… I just have so many bars waiting to be used! I’ll make these when I finally work through some of the backlog I’ve managed to accumulate.

Project #2, DIY rosemary mint soap: I don’t think I’ve had a rosemary soap before, so this is a cool one to try. I certainly enjoy cooking with rosemary and I like the benefits that it is purported to have for the skin. Detoxifying soaps are my fav!

Project #3, DIY cacao chocolate soap: For me, this is the most likely candidate for the luffah and I can’t wait to try it. I will look for some extra ingredients to incorporate as well, just to make things more exciting. It’s so much fun to get full control over how your soap will be made! I wasn’t sure when the cinnamon sticks were supposed to be used, so I figure this one would be the perfect fit. I’ll probably shave off some and then break off some bits to mix in.

I prefer using soap over body wash, so I’m more than happy to get another box of them. With these pre-made bars, it’s super easy to customize them the way I like and have fun creating something unique. These ingredients should sit pretty well, so I will hold off on making them until I’m closer to using them. I’ve got a drawer that’s full of other soaps at the moment!

Want your own? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective to start getting projects too!

Homegrown Collective June 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: body scrubs, boxes, exfoliants, face scrubs, home, homegrown collective, homemade, pictures, projects, reviews, scrubs, subscriptions, sugar scrubs

10 July 2015

Ooo I’m all about exfoliation! In fact, I think I probably go too crazy with that, but I just love envisioning the dead skin sloughing off leaving behind freshness. Sugar, salt, ground up nuts – I’ve tried’em all and love’em all!

Project #1, DIY lavender bath soak: Ah, what a nice easy soak to put together. I enjoy baths with lovely scents like this, so I’ll be trying this with one of my next baths.

Project #2, DIY eucalyptus sea salt scrub: Now what is the difference between these types of salts? I’m not really sure, but I’m happy to use them. I guess epsom is good for soaking and sea salt is good for scrubbing. Oh, and the glove is so cute!

Project #3, DIY sugar & lemon scrub: I had no idea sugar helps draw sugar to your skin, but I did know there is a difference between using sugar scrubs vs. salt. Still, I like them all and will use this when my skin is feeling dry to hopefully revive its moisture.

All these are just up my alley and I’m excited to have them to try, among my many other exfoliant products. The last sheet explained more about exfoliation and the benefits of it all over your body. Good stuff. 🙂

Want your own? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective to start getting projects too!

Homegrown Collective May 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: eco-friendly, green, health, pictures, products, projects, reviews, skincare, subscriptions

14 June 2015

What a cool theme! Focusing on an area of the body allowed them to really include a nice variety of projects this time. I’m super excited about these, some which are totally new and some which are familiar.

Project #1, DIY rosewater tonics: I have a bottle of rosewater sitting on my counter, which I use to lightly mist my face from time to time. I like that this time they also offered a toner option, which I’m totally going to try. I definitely need to use toner!

Project #2, DIY makeup remover pads: I’ve already done this one so I can try them out this week. I generally use facial wipes, but I’m happy to make my own makeup remover pads to use instead. I love how simple and easy it is.

Project #3, DIY activated charcoal mask: I’ve seen both these projects in previous boxes before, but I think it’s the first time they’ve been offered together. I just started trying a teeth whitening toothpaste, so once I get a chance to see how that works, I’m curious to try the charcoal and compare.

Project #4, DIY coconut oil pulling chews: I also went ahead and made these to try first thing tomorrow! It takes me a good half hour to get to work, so I might chew these on my drive. I’ve never heard of oil pulling before, but I figure it couldn’t hurt. I made half peppermint and half cinnamon to see which I prefer and future batches will probably be one or the other.

I couldn’t quite figure out what the loofah was for, but I’m happy to have another one. Is it weird that I love the unique jars, molds, and containers they send? I just love that stuff. I’m also really pleased with this box. I’m trying to be better about doing them right away or else I sort of don’t get around to trying them…

Want your own? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective start getting projects too!

Homegrown Collective April 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: almonds, eco-friendly, food, green, homegrown collective, milk, pictures, projects, reviews, seeds, sprouts, subscriptions

07 May 2015

Hmm, I guess they reverted back to printing out inserts. This box is similar to a combination of two previous boxes (my very first one with sprouts and one with almond milk). I like that sprouts are completely different ones and the focus was a unique theme of raw foods.

Project #1, growing sprouts/sprouting: Wow, there are so many different sprouts to try! I’ve really only had bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts before (pretty sure brussel sprouts aren’t actually sprouted). I’ll have to test each of these to see which is tastiest. Maybe they all are, and that would be great. These would be super easy to throw in a salad or atop my regular meals. Seeds are powerful things and I have no doubt that sprouts offer great health benefits.

Project #2, chocolate almond milk: While I am not a fan of almonds, especially anything made from them, I’m curious how a chocolate milk would be. I started to try to make the original one I had from the other box, but I left the almonds sitting too long and it grew mold so I had to throw them away. I haven’t quite gotten around to retrying just yet, but I will!

These are simple projects yielding all sorts of edible results. I would have liked to see one project using some of those seeds and making a face mask or something from them. Otherwise, this box was good, with a variety of easy plants to deal with.

Interested? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective get your own projects!

Homegrown Collective March 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: baking soda, cleaning, home, household, projects, reviews, sucscription boxes, vinegar

11 April 2015

Homegrown Collective is trying something new and instead of printing out inserts with the projects for the box, they’re posting all the info on their site! I think that’s a great idea and it certainly offered them a chance to share a ton of information. This month’s theme is “Vim & Vinegar!” and they showcase three types of vinegar, all with amazing uses. This is great timing since Panda and I were planning on some spring cleaning this weekend.

Project #1, orange peel white vinegar: I can’t believe I never considered infusing vinegar with other scents to help with the odor. I’m pretty sensitive to the scent, so cleaning with vinegar has been something I avoided. This is perfect and I can’t wait to see how the orange peel helps with the vinegar smell! I won’t have to hold my breath when using white vinegar to clean. 🙂 They also laid out over a dozen ways to use it, from removing scents to conditioning hair and of course plenty of cleaning remedies. A spray bottle of this stuff is going to be a total life saver around the house.

Project #2, baking soda & white vinegar cleanser: Combine two power cleaning products and the effects have got to be amazing! I’ve heard of all the things baking soda can do, so it totally makes sense for both of these to be key ingredients to cleaning just about anything. Surprisingly, I haven’t tried using them for removing stains before. I really need to try that on the ones the cats have created.

Project #3, apple cider vinegar: Wow, they wrote up another extensive list of ways to use this kind of vinegar. I’m totally adding this to my daily drinking habit (I go through a good 10 mugs of water and/or tea on weekdays). I never knew it could be good for digestion! Maybe it will help with my stomachaches. Other uses that jumped out at me were skincare related, including using it for a facial toner, applying it to work against acne, and rubbing it in to help with cellulite. The hair care benefits reminded me of what I learned from the January box.

Project #4, pasillo pepper spicy vinegar: The final use is about infusing vinegar, which takes advantage of the balsamic vinegar. I did a cold infusion before, so this hot style will be new and should provide a strong flavor. I’ve never tried pasillo peppers and I hope they aren’t too spicy or I’ll have to give this to someone else to actually consume.

What an assortment of vinegars and their respective uses! This will certainly keep me busy for awhile, trying out all the ways vinegar (and baking soda) can power my cleaning needs. I love the simplicity of these natural items that are so easy to buy.

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective today and start living a greener lifestyle!

Homegrown Collective February 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beeswax, boxes, face scrubs, home, kitchenware, lip balms, pictures, projects, reviews, subscriptions, utensils, wood butter

15 March 2015

Now this is a theme I’ve seen before. In fact, it was exactly a year ago! I like that the projects are slightly different from the first time around, though I think once my annual subscription is up I’ll have to take a break since I’m starting to see repeats.

Project #1, honey lip balm: This simple recipe for lip balm is all you need for soft lips! I like that there are the tubes and tubs to use. I didn’t realize until later that the essential oils were meant for this one. I have a ton of lip balms, but this might be just the thing I can make for Panda so he doesn’t always complain of dry lips in the winter.

Project #2, honey & sugar scrub: This time around, the sugar was not included. Luckily, I have the bag from last time and raw sugar isn’t hard to find at the supermarket. I think the essential oils could be useful in this as well. I love a good scrub!

Project #3, beeswax wood butter: Sweet! Last time we did wood coasters, which I still use pretty much on a daily basis at home. Now I get some cooking utensils, which will be great for the meals we make. I even used some of the wood butter I made previously on the kitchen cabinets, which helped give them a nice luster (and hopefully be more resist to the steam and oils from our cooking). I’m excited to add these to my collection of tools.

I couldn’t quite understand what the peppers are for and I wasn’t sure about the essential oils until I reviewed the recipes in depth, so I took a picture of these mysterious extras separately. I still don’t see a use for the peppers, but I can use them for other things!

I would have enjoyed these a lot if they were new to me. I do appreciate that it wasn’t identical to the last box of this theme, but some greater variation would also keep me interested. We’ll see how many more repeats come along.

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective to get your own projects to try. You’ll be going green in no time.

Homegrown Collective January 2015 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, conditioners, green, home, homegrown collective, lifestyle, natural, pictures, projects, reviews, shampoos, subscriptions

11 February 2015

Again and again, they continue to impress me with their projects and timeliness. I was just telling Panda how I needed some conditioner. Traditional hair care seems to be causing some of my hairline breakouts, so I’ve been avoiding them and now I have the perfect, natural solution.

Project #1, DIY dry shampoo & conditioner: This totally reminds me of my Klorane dry shampoo, which I still use. I’m surprised how simple it is – you can basically just use the maize starch and you’d be good to go. I absolutely love the little shaker they included, which is totally adorable. I’ve already done this project and have it sitting ready for whenever my current dry shampoo runs out! I’m not sure where the conditioner plays into this part, so I think it was just supposed to be dry shampoo.

Project #2, DIY coconut conditioner: I saw video about using coconut oil to help grow your hair stronger and longer, but I never got around to buying some. Now that I have this, I just need to make some extra time one day to apply it and let the oil absorb into my hair. I’m not great at these types of things that you just leave on, but maybe I can also get a mask out of the way at the same time to get more for my time.

Project #3, DIY rosemary shampoo: I can already imagine my softer hair. The winter has done a number on my hair and sometimes it feels like straw, so I’m looking forward to improving the condition of my locks. It’s amazing that this shampoo is full of great ingredients and would be safe enough to eat. Now that’s good for the body.

Project #4, DIY hair care: I’ve read about the benefits of baking soda and vinegar, but again, just never tried it. I want to wean myself off my usual hair routine and incorporate these simple remedies though. It just takes of bit of patience with these and they aren’t nearly as fun since they don’t have the foaming action I like so much.

I can’t wait to put these to good use. My hair hasn’t felt very healthy for awhile, so I’m hoping these can really improve its condition. I will miss lathering shampoos, but I’d rather have awesome hair.

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective and can your very own box to live a more natural lifestyle!

Homegrown Collective December 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, colds, cough syrups, eco-friendly, essential oils, green, herbal, herbs, homegrown collective, illness, pictures, projects, reviews, salves, sickness, subscriptions, teas, tinctures, vapor rubs

11 January 2015

Excellent timing with the theme this month as people are starting to get sick all around. They’ve introduced us to some of these herbs before and it’s great to see how versatile the uses are, whether infused into something or used more directly.

First they outlined the benefits of three main herbs: dandelion, St. John’s Wort, and echinacea. I love that each addresses different ailments so that combined you’re pretty well covered for digestive issues, low energy, and immunity concerns. These are some useful plants!

Project #1, DIY vapor rub & salve: What a simple set of ingredients to help us breathe better if we do get sick. I’m familiar with vapor rubs for the chest but haven’t really used them. However, I know how effective menthol can be in clearing up my nasal passage! It’s fascinating that they recommend rubbing this under the feet as well. I certainly wouldn’t have thought of that!

Project #2, cough & cold syrup: My very own cough syrup?! This is cool. I remember we had a bottle of some awful cherry-flavored thing as a child and I hated it. I’ve never really been a fan of cherry-flavored stuff. I think this will be much more to my taste with honey, ginger, and cinnamon. It might not even taste like medicine!

Project #3, DIY herbal teas: As a fan of tea, I’m happy to put other plants in my drink for their healing properties. I’ve got to admit I haven’t yet tried the dandelion tea from nearly a year ago, but I will be! I drink a lot of tea at work so switching to these shouldn’t be hard and I don’t need to be sick to try that.

Project #4, DIY tinctures: I first learned of a tincture from last December’s box and I’m super intrigued, but totally intimidated. I don’t know where to get vodka or rum and how that will affect the taste of these. I don’t get sick very often, so I haven’t needed something like this yet. However, there was a period last winter that I felt awful and this could have been handy.

Project #5, DIY essential oils: I’m getting quite the amazing collection of essential oils and I love it. Star anise essential oil is not something I’d come across before, so I was curious to learn about it. I’m not quite sure what to do with these once mixed – do I rub it on my skin? Drop it on my tongue? How often? I tried to do more research on their blog but for some reason I don’t see posts past August.

This time there were a ton of smaller projects that are quick and easy. I feel like I have a whole arsenal of stuff to help keep me healthy throughout the season. It’s great! I’ve already made the vapor rub, which I will share another time. 🙂

Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective so you can get these types of cool projects too! It’ll make for a happier home and better health.

Homegrown Collective November 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, food, homegrown collective, pictures, projects, reviews, snacks, subscriptions

22 December 2014

You know you’re an old-timer when you start to see familiar projects showing up! I’m sure I would have been more excited if I didn’t already try two of these projects already, but these are great nonetheless. I think it’s all very seasonal and appropriate.

Project #1, essential oil immune boost: When I first saw this, I thought it was the tincture project from last year, but it looks more like the oregano oil one with a twist. I thought it was something you drop on your tongue for a boost, but then I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be inhaled more. Now that I compare it to the oregano oil though, I’m pretty confident you can ingest it as well as use it for a topical solution, since both oregano and peppermint are safe to eat. This is perfect timing what with compromised immune systems all around me at work.

Project #2, evergreen oil lamp: I made this very lamp last year and brought it to our new condo for a housewarming item the first time we visited after it was complete. 🙂 It’s very easy to put together and can burn crazy large flames if you don’t trim the wick down a lot. I like it more for the look and don’t really feel like tainting the wick with a burn. After a few months, the plants inside went brown – I’m not sure if that was due to the heat from the flame or if they’d do that anyway. I’ll have to leave this one around without burning it for comparison.

Project #3, cacao wonder cups: One of the very first projects I ever conquered! This one came in the August 2013 box that was my first and they were fabulous. The chocolate chips are a little different this time around, but no doubt just a tasty. I’ll have to make this for my coworkers sometime. They’d love it! What a nice winter treat.

This was the first time I was a little disappointed with the box, just because it included repeats. Still, the projects in and of themselves are wonderful and I’m happy to do them again.

If you want sweet projects like these, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now! Why wait? Get an awesome start to 2015.

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