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Posts Tagged ‘homegrown collective’

Homegrown Collective August 2015 review

laelene Posted 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 Posted 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 Posted 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 April 2015 review

laelene Posted 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 January 2015 review

laelene Posted 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 Posted 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 Posted 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.

Homegrown Collective October 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: activated charcoal, apple cider vinegar, bentonite clay, boxes, charcoal, face masks, food, hair care, hair masks, home, homegrown collective, natural, pictures, products, projects, reviews, rose water, sea salt, skincare, subscriptions, teeth whitener

20 November 2014

This mysterious package seemed to have gotten lost along the way, but it finally made it to me when we were out in Hawaii. I was really excited to get it and finally see what it had in store. I’m loving how useful all of this is.

Project #1, activated charcoal: It seems quite strange to brush teeth with charcoal powder, but I’ll trust them on this one… as soon as I work up the nerves to not freak out that my mouth is black and foaming. I wonder what it will taste like. I’ll have to take a picture of my teeth now (certainly a lot more yellow than they used to be back in my teenage years) and compare after however many number of brushes with this craziness. As for the face mask, I’m far more comfortable with putting charcoal on my face. I love using soaps with it and I’m pretty sure some of the face masks I’ve tried have contained it, so I hope this one is a good formula for me!

Project #2, pacific sea salt: How cool! Smoking my own sea salt?! Where do they come up with these fascinating ideas? I do not have a grill, but Panda does have a set of grilling tools he got as a reward from work, so perhaps these should be compelling reasons for us to get a grill. I’ll have to see what (if any) are allowed in our community, or perhaps there’s a public one somewhere that I can use for a few hours. That could be a fun thing to do come spring – picnic & grilling! I love how this is an edible project, which is pretty unique so far.

Project #3, bentonite clay: While we’ve received bentonite clay beforeqqqqqqqqqq`qqq`, I’m happy that they included new ways of using it for very different purposes. I’ll definitely try it in the bath (I hate those bath soaks that stain the tub, so since this isn’t supposed to stain, that would be awesome) and on my hair and skin too! The recipe for hair is perfect for the coming cold, as hair will dry out more and probably get brittle without intense treatment.

I’m always impressed with the themes that they come up and the creativity they have to offer all types of projects, from personal care to home care and more. I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything from this company, which is just fantastic. It’s totally up my alley both as an environmentally-conscious person and a new homeowner! Now I just need to actually get off my lazy weekend butt and start doing these projects. I even put together a list of what I need to do (and it is plentiful). I should set a goal of doing one each week…

If you want in on this cool stuff, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now! Your home, your family, and your health will thank you for it.

Homegrown Collective olive oil & vinegar infusion project

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, reviews, subscriptions，Tags: cooking, food, home, homegrown collective, pictures, projects

21 October 2014

I’ve been meaning to share the infusions I did from the May Homegrown GREENBOX, so here they are! This was a simple project that wasn’t super messy and didn’t require too many components – mostly just time. I chose to do the cold infusion method since it’s easy to let things just sit. I didn’t read their instructions online, so I missed the memo on the apple vinegar at the end, but I still like my results!

olive oil and balsamic vinegar infusion project ingredients

First, I laid out all the ingredients.

balsamic vinegar infusion project ingredients

I decided to infuse the vinegar with the japones peppers and rosemary.

balsamic vinegar infusion in jar with japones peppers and rosemary

I hope I put enough in there!

I chose the lemon peel and basil leaves for the olive oil.

olive oil infusion in jar with lemon peel and basil leaf

Everything floating happily.

olive oil and balsamic vinegar infusing in jars by window

Infusing time! I let it sit for over three weeks.

infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar with extra flavor in jars

All ready and in their brand new jars. 🙂

The olive oil flavor is more subtle and doesn’t appear too much different, especially when I’m using it as part of cooking. The balsamic vinegar was definitely stronger due to the peppers! Overall I’m happy with the level of infusion for the vinegar and I’d do a second round of infusion for the oil next time to get a stronger flavor since the ones I chose were milder to begin with. This was a nice project and I’ve been using these as my go-to items when I need these ingredients for cooking.

Homegrown Collective September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: body, boxes, homegrown collective, pictures, reviews, skincare, soaps, subscriptions

10 October 2014

I’m super sad I missed out on the August Homegrown Collectiv e box. Mitchell of Homegrown kindly reached out to me when my annual subscription was about to end and offered me a discount. I was waiting for a new credit card I wanted to use to renew my subscription and I guess the payment didn’t make it in in time for last month’s box. I’m happy to be getting boxes again though!

Project #1, charcoal & cedarwood soap: I’m a huge sucker for soaps of all types and I can’t wait to make these! This charcoal one will be particularly useful for me since I’ve recently gone through yet another round of annoyingly large and painful breakouts. I just can’t seem to keep my acne at bay. This soap will be great at helping to calm down all that craziness. Before I knew what the little jar of black charcoal was, I thought it was just an empty jar painted black on the inside. I opened it to look inside and nearly spilled the powder everywhere! Whoops.

Project #2, dead sea salt & lavender soap: This will be a more standard soap and I just love that I’ll get to mix in those dried lavender flowers. That’s going to be fun to use! I think I’ll probably cut the luffa in half and use one piece for this soap so I can get some exfoliation from it too. What fun! I love lathering up in the shower and this soap will certainly make it enjoyable.

Project #3, oatmeal, luffa & tuberose soap: Another great soothing soap that will be good for my skin. I really enjoyed my oatmeal soap from a brand I discovered at Green Festival DC 2012. I hope this soap foams as well as that one did! I’ll be using the other half of the luffa in this soap. I’m also really happy to have a grater, so now I can use it for future kitchen needs if they arise. As always, I love the tools that come with these projects.

I have a ton of soaps I’m working through but I always want more. These are totally going to have a cool factor because I get to make them myself! I had been meaning to get a soap-making kit and try it out sometime, so this will be a great start. There’s pride in being able to make something!

Honestly, you should be getting the Homegrown Collective for yourself, pronto. I’ve been with them a year and I still can’t get enough of the cool home projects they’ve sent to help me live a greener life.

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Posts Tagged ‘homegrown collective’

Homegrown Collective August 2015 review

Homegrown Collective July 2015 review

Homegrown Collective June 2015 review

Homegrown Collective April 2015 review

Homegrown Collective January 2015 review

Homegrown Collective December 2014 review

Homegrown Collective November 2014 review

Homegrown Collective October 2014 review

Homegrown Collective olive oil & vinegar infusion project

Homegrown Collective September 2014 review

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