Welcome

If you are new to this newsletter welcome, and thanks for joining the 11,800 people who read this every week. I am a former magazine editor who left her highly stressed life and discovered a life free of chemicals and based on old-fashioned principles. I send this newsletter out every Thursday at 3pm (NZ time) and parts of it go onto my website blog page.I share recipes, tips, ideas and links to information about living a chemical-free life.

www.wendyls.co.nz

Onboard and loving it

This is our ship Nieuw Amsterdam leaving Venice which is where we boarded. I just love getting on a cruise ship because I get to sit on my verandah and stare for ages at the sea. Sometimes I sit there and imagine I own the boat and I'm the only person on it!
So far we have visited Dubrovnik in Croatia, Kotor in Montenegro, Kerkira in Corfu, Greece and yesterday Naples in Italy.
Last time I was in Naples we got off at their train station and Pearl, who was eight at the time, got very clingy and I got very scared - it was quite a mean looking place. Consequently Pearl and I spent the night hiding in our hotel room and sending Paul out for famous Napolese pizza. The next day Pearl loved Pompeii though.
Today we will see Rome which is 80 km away from our port at Civitavecchia.
The tour is going so well and we're really enjoying life onboard ship, especially the Blues Bar which has become a favourite hang-out for the group.

Bath Soak Recipes

Is it cold in New Zealand?(No I'm not trying to rub it in that I'm in the Northern summer!) I'm a big fan of a hot bath when the weather gets cooler so here is a list of my favourite bath soaks from my archives. I hope you enjoy them!
PMS soak
This is great if you’re feeling a little, shall we say, moody. Into the running bath throw 1 cup sea salt (not cooking salt, it must be raw and smelling of the sea – rock salt is ideal), 1 cup baking soda, 10 drops rose geranium essential oil. Shut the door to the bathroom, tell your family you are out of action for half an hour (or longer if you think you can get away with it), light a single candle and sink into your bath. Banish bad thoughts, think of the beach and relax.
Soothing bath bags
These are great for kids who have chickenpox or just itchy skin after a night with too many mosquitoes. They’re also great for prickly heat or anyone in need of some soothing. And they make great gifts.
Take a square of muslin (I used an old nightie). Place on the square a handful of oats with some herb flowers. I use flowering rosemary, which is good for soothing muscles and is also anti-fungal and antibacterial. Lavender would be good, too. Gather up the corners and tie together with string for a rustic look or a nice long piece of ribbon. Hang from the tap or drop in the bath. You can open and use the oatmeal as a scrub as well, if you don’t mind clearing out the clogged drain at the end!
Athlete’s dream soak
Believe it or not, I have exercised to exhaustion on occasion, and with the recent rash of women tearing around the place competing in marathons I’m thinking there’s a real need out there for this soak. It’s basically Epsom salts, which has a high magnesium content that helps clear out the lactic acid released during exercise. You must use at least 2 cups per bath but preferably four cups. Don’t add any oils to this as they will change the chemistry of the water. Make the water hot and soak for at least 20 minutes.
Help, I’m getting a cold!
Even if you get the cold, keep having this bath daily as it works wonders. Run a bath and add 5 drops each of lavender, eucalyptus and peppermint oils. I sometimes use more, but this is good for starters. The peppermint will attach itself to your back and may tingle, but the sensation takes your mind off your cold for a minute.

Easy Lip Balm Recipe

I sent this recipe out to my newsletter readers in March, 2011 when I was in Paris during the winter and freezing as it was 2 degrees C! My lips had become very dry, as they do at home in winter. This is so easy to make so why not have a go? Scroll down to Recipe of the Week to see the recipe.

Oxy Bleach - 30% off this week only.

I would be lost without my tub of oxygen bleach, it has so many uses around the home and is a much safer alternative to chlorine bleach. The problem with chlorine bleach is that when it goes into our waste water it can react and create toxins which are harmful to marine animals. Oxygen bleach - which is powdered hydrogen peroxide breaks down to oxygen and water in the environment.
Here are 9 great uses for oxygen bleach powder:
1. Sprinkle in dirty sinks or basins, mix to a paste with water and leave to soak to get rid of stains.
2. Sprinkle in your toilet, scrub with your toilet bursh and leave to soak as long as you can to get rid of nasty stains in your toilet bowl.
3.Mix 1/3 cup with 2/3 cup soda ash to make a powdered laundry soaker.
4.Mix 4 Tbs with 9 litres or water for strong white soaker.
5.Mix 1 Tbs with water to make a paste. Rub on the stain and leave for five minutes before washing.
6. Add 1 Tbs to white wash for extra cleaning power.
7. Mix to a paste and scrub away mould from grouting around tiles.
8. Mix to a paste and apply to stains on white cupboards or porcelain ( I used this method to get rid of pink hair dye left in our bathroom by Pearl!)
9. Use 1 cup dissolved in four litres of warm water to clean wooden decks and furniture.
We have our 1 kg oxygen bleach on sale this week for just $10.50 a pot. You'll save $4.50 and you'll find so many uses for it around the home.
Click here to buy now.

New Simple DIY Kit - just $80.

We've had another look at our DIY kit because we figure many of you already have bottles and equipment you need and you just want the basic ingredients to get started.
This kit will give you four 1kg tubs of premium baking soda, borax, oxygen bleach and soda ash, plus a 1 litre bottle of our double-strength white vinegar (you only need half as much) and a 236ml bottle of Dr Bronner's Mild castille soap. You'll also get 10 of my favourite recipes to get your started.
All you need to do then is get your favourite essential oils and you're away, making your own home-made all-natural cleaners.
Daniel's ordered plenty of stock so click here to buy one of these $80 kits for yourself, or maybe you'd like to encourage a friend into the art of making their own cleaners?
Click here to buy now.

Recipe of the Week

20 ml sweet almond oil
½ tsp beeswax, grated, or beeswax pellets, cosmetic grade
½ tsp cocoa butter
1 tsp icing sugar
1 capsule vitamin E
5 drops essential oil (sweet orange, rose and peppermint all work well)
Melt oil, beeswax and cocoa butter in a double boiler (or use a bowl sitting on a saucepan of gently boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl stays above the water). Add icing sugar and stir to dissolve. Take it off the heat and add vitamin E by piercing the capsule and pouring oil in. Add essential oils, stir and pour into a lip balm jar.