DIY Projects | Strategic Living

Create a CBD Rollerball for Joint & Arthritis Pain Relief

October 2, 2020 Gaye Levy 6 Comments

Last week I was asked about how I am currently using CBD and specifically, how my husband was using CBD to conquer arthritis and joint pain. This was a timely question given that I recently developed a simple to make and simple to use rollerball/roller-ball formula using CBD oil, essential oils, and fractionated coconut oil.

Why a roll-on formula?

As much as I love using all manner of salves, including CBD salve, a rollerball bottle is super portable. Furthermore, concocting a rollerball is as easy as adding CBD and essential oils to an empty bottle then topping with a carrier oil. There is nothing to melt, mix, or dissolve. Not only that, chances are the CBD you already have on hand is an oil and not a powdered concentrate or isolate. That means there is one less thing to buy.

I am thrilled to share my rollerball and essential oil formula with you and if it helps just one person get relief, the effort will have been worth it.

The Big Book of Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home + Recipe & Giveaway

April 13, 2020 Gaye Levy 54 Comments

I don’t remember exactly when I embraced DIY other than to recall that I used vinegar and water as a household cleaner when I was a mostly-broke college student. Over the years, I became interested in natural homemade products and experimented not only with simple household cleaners, but also personal products such as cleansers, salves, and home remedies.

More recently I have turned to soap making and you might say the rest is history.

While teaching myself to make soap, I discovered Jan Berry and her blog, The Nerdy Farm Wife. I purchased a couple of her books and was hooked. When I learned that her book of homemade products was being updated and expanded, I knew I just had to have it.

This wonderful book is suitable for every kitchen chemist and in this article, I will tell you why. I am also going to share the recipe for a Calendula Spice and Honey Scrub that I have made myself and, in my usual style, offer a copy of the book in a giveaway.

Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps: Interview with Jan Berry

November 18, 2019 Gaye Levy 27 Comments

When I become passionate about something, be it prepping, essential oils, CBD, adult coloring or ballroom dancing, I go all in.

By that I mean I spend hours embracing my new passion, learning as much as I can about it, and spending hours practicing and enjoying my craft. Reading between the lines here at Strategic Living, you know that my latest passion is soap making. Hot process, cold process, rebatch, and melt and pour, I do it all. It is the latter that I do when time is short and I don’t want to mess with lye and the associated safety precautions and cleanup.

Melt and Pour soap takes a lot of the work out of soap making. Because it starts with a premade base, you can focus on your inner creative self by customizing your soap with colorants, fragrance, additives, swirls, and fancy shapes.

For those of you that are new to the soap making world, there is one name that stands out as somewhat of a legend when it comes to making soap naturally. Her name is Jan Berry and she is a prolific do-it-yourselfer when it comes to DIY body care projects. When I learned that she was coming out with a book on Melt and Pour Soaps I knew I just had to have it and let me tell you, if there is such a thing as an MP bible (MP is the acronym for Melt and Pour), this is it.

Today I am thrilled to share a brief review and interview with Jan and, in my usual Book Festival style, offer up a print copy of her new book, Easy Homemade Melt & Pour Soaps, in a giveaway.

Homemade CBD Salve that Really Works

October 11, 2019 Gaye Levy 24 Comments

For almost six months, I have been trying to formulate a topical version of CBD that can be used to mitigate the toughest forms of pain and inflammation. With my understanding of how the endocannabinoid system works, I was convinced that a topical CBD salve would provide relief from both chronic and incidental muscle and joint pain.

It seemed simple enough since all I thought I needed to do is add some CBD oil to a base carrier, similar to what I do when making an essential oil salve. As it turned out, it was not so simple.

Most of my attempts became expensive and messy failures as batch after batch was either too greasy, too firm, or simply too messy to use. I finally resorted to purchasing a pre-made CBD salve and it was perfect in all ways except for cost.

I did not give up, however. About six weeks ago I went back to the drawing board, this time using a CBD concentrate in powdered form. Within days, my resident tester (husband Shelly) told me that not only was this DIY version better than the purchased salve, but when layered with essential oils, it was “unbelievable”. His words, not mine.

So here you go. I am thrilled to share with you a homemade CBD salve that is perfect for back pain, sore knees, wrenched shoulders, sprains, pinched nerves and more.

Beginners Guide to Budget-Friendly Hot Process Soap from Scratch

September 19, 2019 Gaye Levy 3 Comments

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to make soap from scratch. By that, I mean making soap using only the basics of water, fats, and lye. Yes, lye. As much as I had the desire, I was scared of the process and the perceived dangers. I had visions of suiting up in a sick room outfit suitable for treating a patient with Ebola. That said, with some time on my hands, I decided to do some in-depth research, mostly to get up the nerve to try. I read blogs, ordered some books, and watched dozens of YouTube videos. I convinced myself and I could do this and so I did. The rest is history.

Something I learned right away was that making soap can be a useful, budget-friendly hobby or it can be a money pit, especially at first. As a matter of fact, I used over $30 worth of essential oils in my first 3-pound loaf of soap, and that does not include the cost of the various fats I used, all of the highest quality.

My very first batch of soap made with lye turned out fantastic, but clearly, as a hobby, I could not afford to continue to spend that much money when making soap just for the fun of it. So, after a few months of experimenting, I came up with foolproof recipe for making a budget-friendly soap using commonly available, grocery store ingredients. This is a basic soap. It cleans well, is sufficiently moisturizing, and pleasant to use. The use of fragrance is optional and honestly, there is a simplicity in pure, unscented soap that I find attractive.

With that, let me introduce you to crafting homemade soap using the hot process method.