Soothing a Dry Scalp.

   My scalp has been driving me NUTS. I'm not sure if it's the weather change (going from hot, dry weather in Arizona to facing every season and lots of humidity here in Germany) but my scalp has been so dry. Don't confuse dry scalp with dandruff (seborrheic dermatitis). Through the years off suffering and trial and error, I've picked up on a few things. 
   
   Dry Scalp: 

• You know when you see a Head and Shoulders commercial where they have little white flakes on their shirt? More than likely that's dry scalp, not dandruff. And when you think you have dandruff, you'll use Head and Shoulders or Selsum Blue, which further dries out your scalp, making your flakes even worse.
•  If your water is heavily chlorinated or has a lot of minerals in it, it can also dry out your scalp. Instead of buying a ton of money for a water purifier, you can buy a filtered shower head. 
• Using your hair-dryer or flat iron daily can dehydrate your scalp and hair.
• Using too hot of water can dry out your scalp too, since that heavenly hot water strips the moisture and healthy oils straight out. 
• Not drinking enough water can dry your scalp out too, not to mention your nails and skin as well, so to stay hydrated take your body weight and divide that number by 2. The answer is the number of ounces of water you need to drink daily. 

   So for example your weight is 160. Take 160 divided by 2 = 80. You need to drink 80 ounces of water daily.


   Dandruff:

• Dandruff is a little more of an issue than dry scalp, because it's the result of a bacterial or fungal overgrowth, kind of like a buildup. 
• If the flakes you have stick to your hair when you brush or comb it, or if they feel greasy or waxy then it's dandruff. Dry scalp is dry skin, almost translucent like a peeling sunburn. Dandruff is much different.
• If you use leave in conditioner or a lot of styling products like hair gel, hairspray, mousse, volumizer, etc. try to cut down as much as possible. This only aggravates dandruff because you're creating buildup with products, much like your scalp can't breathe.

   In my case, it's dry scalp. So today I used a half cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, warmed it in the microwave for 25 seconds and started applying it on my scalp with my fingertips. Working my way to the back of my head, I just kept applying more with my fingertips and massaging in circular motions. When your scalp is completely massaged and oily, use a soft bristle brush or a comb and brush it all back. After slicking it back, tie it up loosely on top of your head. I used a shower-cap to hold it all in and help retain heat (plus I hate the smell of Olive Oil) and let it sit for at least 20 minutes. You can let it sit longer if you'd like, it won't hurt you in any way. After you feel like it's sat long enough, so shampoo your head with a mild shampoo and warm water (not hot.) This conditions my hair so much I don't need to apply conditioner when I'm done. Towel dry your hair, then let it air dry. Your scalp should feel much more relief now that you put some moisture back into it. 
   I'm not a doctor, or hairstylist so if you have a scalp condition you're unsure about, check with your physician first before assuming anything. I can't guarantee this will work for you, but it works for me. Good luck, and if you have any questions or tips please let me know! :)

           Beth

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An All-Natural Ant Killer? Say whaaat?!

   Yeah I know, sounds too good to be true right? No... I called up my grandma (Grandmas know everything!) and asked her if there was a way to kill the ants on our patio, she said Borax and something sweet. I already use Borax religiously to get rid of grime on our drill, I use it in my homemade laundry soap and to clean our toilet. But to kill ants? At first she recommended boric acid, but I haven't the slightest clue where I'd find any over here. (Germans live VERY clean and don't like to use chemicals. I can't even use roundup on weeds.) 
   
   So I sped off to the kitchen to brew something up. I used REAL maple syrup (lots of sugar and very sweet) and the Borax. I used equal measurements (1 Tbsp. each) and mixed it together well. Then I used an old large size yogurt lid to keep it all in. 

   I haven't seen as many ants since I've set it out, and my dogs stay away from it. Maybe they don't like the smell of the Borax? Any way, it works! Sweet Grandma also told me to sprinkle some used coffee grounds around and it'll keep them away. Do you have any natural remedies for pesky ants?

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I've been SO busy!

   I have been SO busy, it's insane. Hubby's been working 12's AND weekends for an upcoming base event so I've been having to everything around the house. Mowing the yard, cleaning the garage and getting things together to sell. We have been selling and donating a few things we no longer need or have room for, and let me say there was a lot of it. I mentioned earlier our bed was ruined during our PCS over here. It was only 2 years old and we bought the mattress, boxspring and frame brand new off the floor, so to have it ruined kind of chapped my ass. It was a memory foam pillow-top that's like a latex foam material (which apparently retains moisture.) It was on the cargo ship for 3 months and when the movers unloaded everything they removed it from the cardboard box to bring it in the house which I'm assuming is when it got exposed to moisture. (Which I had no idea because that memory foam layer sucked up all the moisture, then released it later). 4 months later and we had black mold between our mattress and boxspring. Of course, we filed a claim so we could be reimbursed, and the moving company doesn't want to pay up. So I'm 99% positive it's going to be some time before we see that money. We went to the BX to buy a new mattress and boxspring set, and found one we really liked. We decided to upgrade from a queen size to a king, and of course they didn't have the model we wanted in stock.
 I asked the employee: "Well, how long will it take before you get more in?"
Employee: "Well, it can take anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks."
My reaction inside my head: "What the ffffffffffff!?!?!"
Me: "Um, okay well, I guess we'll just get whatever bed you DO have in stock, I mean we can't sleep on an air mattress for another 8 to 12 weeks."


   Well, as expected the only one they had that wasn't a Trump or Vera Wang bed set (seriously what military family with a small income can/will pay 3,000 for a mattress?!) was the most expensive Serta mattress. We had to take it. The BX is the only place that we can shop for an American mattress overseas. We could buy a German sized mattress, but they're not as thick and  are smaller, so you have to buy German sized sheets, etc. 

   Here she is!

   Since we had a queen sized bed before, we had to sell our frame and get a standard metal king sized frame. (The BX only had 2 king bed frames that included a headboard and footboard. Aghhhh.)

   I love having the extra room, I still wake up and realize I have about a foot of space before I hit the edge of the bed :)

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