Natural Wart Remedies

No one wants to look at pictures of warts - so here's an image of ACV

A fan requested this one as her daughter has a wart and she wanted to know if the common home remedy of Apple Cider Vinegar would work.

This proved to be harder to research that I originally thought it would. There currently isn't any published research on this (note to researchers: Get on it!) and the results I found online were mixed. Interestingly enough though, so were the professional treatments, with many people saying after several treatments either with lasers, freezing, or acids, that their warts remained.

The thing about warts that makes them so hard to treat is that they are caused by HPV--yes the same thing that causes genital warts. However there are over 100 different strains of HPV, and being a virus it's not like antibiotics will work on it. On top of that, once you have that strain of HPV, much like the herpes virus, it remains with you forever. And much like herpes, it has a high sexual stigma, though not all strains are transmitted sexually.

So the warts might fade or go away, only to return later. You can get them cut out, but that is extremely painful and leaves scarring.

ACV aside, the list of other home remedies is long, ranging from duct tape, to the really weird ones like rubbing an onion/potato on it, and burying said veg in the garden at midnight over a full moon (I wish I was joking). However things like duct tape have actually been tested, and research is still out on that. There's a lot of conflicting studies on it, though it seems to work only slightly for children, and not at all for adults. The other thing to remember with warts, much like cold sores, is that they will go away on their own given time. How long that is depends on your body, though it seems children with warts tend to heal faster than adults do.

Personally, from the research I've done, it seems that apple cider vinegar may help. It may not always work though, so if that fails you're best bet would be to see a doctor (note that the options of doctors are as varied as the list of home remedies).

I'm filing this one under "Mixed Results" - not enough data is in for me to say this is true, but it's one of those things that wouldn't hurt to try.

Banana Peels to Heal Bruises

"Holding a banana peel over a bruise for 10-30 minutes will remove it's color!" 

Between work, hobbies and wrangler to two kids, I've had my fair share of bruises. So having seen this idea pin several times on pinterest I decided to give it a try. Despite testing it several times, it never once worked for me. Some of the pins suggest doing it right after you get hit, others seem to say it will fade already developed bruises, however if you bang your knee on a table and put a banana peel on it, and a bruise doesn't form - was it the peel or were you just not going to develop a bruise? I tested it both on newly hit areas, and bruises I already had, yet it didn't do a thing for me. (Other than making me looking silly, holding banana peels to my legs) 

Having looked up the contents of the banana peel, I was hoping perhaps there was some high content of some mineral or vitamin known to help the skin, and in turn people assumed it would help with bruises. However despite having vitamins like Manganese and Potassium, it has a much higher fiber and water content compared to an actual banana (source) In that case, why not just use an actual banana? 

Type in "How to get rid of bruises" on pinterest (or even google) will pull up dozens of different methods. I've personally tested out the banana peel method, but I'm going to list below some of the other ways they say you can fade a bruise:

• Listerine
• Bananas
• Vinegar
• Milk
• Hand Sanitizer
• Leeches 
• Onions
• Eat Pineapple, Parsley

Unfortunately - most of these will not work. That's not how bruises work. They are caused by bleeding under the skin. About the only one I can see being effective on that list is the leeches, but I don't know of anyone who happens to keep a jar of those handy around anymore. Anything else is just being placed on the surface of the skin, and won't have much of an impact on how fast the blood will fade.

There are some more traditional methods that you can try to help lessen the coloring and pain, such as icing the area and taking an NSAID or tylenol; however as I was researching various methods I came across one that seems to actually work faster than just time : Kinesio tape, also known as KT tape.

The interesting thing about this, is that there are well documented photos showing how well it works. 

from the blog Ride. Write. Repeat.

In fact because of how the tape is applied, you can see where the tape was aiding in the healing process. After searching details on this method, I found countless photos and examples of people with kinesio tape to help heal bruises. The way the tape works on your skin, the tension involved and how it pulls up on the skin; allowing the blood to better disperse. Though it might seem a bit overkill if you're just trying to heal a small bruise on your knee or arm, if you're facing a far more serious and painful bruise, this is the method I'd turn to. Leave the banana peels in the garbage. 

Drugs Handed out to Trick or Treaters

"If your kids get these for Halloween candy, they ARE NOT CANDY!!! They are the new shapes of "Ecstasy" and can kill kids through overdoses!!!" 

With the coming of October, there are some things that are just quintessential to Autumn: pumpkins, the changing leaves, and the on going fear of drugs in your child's trick or treat bucket. For decades now the fear has been there. As a child in the 80s the biggest fear was LSD, but today's drug of choice is methylenedioxy-methamphetamine, aka: Ecstasy.

Well rest assured, this isn't going to happen. Not only has there been no record of this happening, but at $10-$20 a pill the likelihood that some strung out raver is going to be dropping these into children's buckets is in fact, very, very slim. Snopes did a great write up about this as well.

But as a parent I will go through my children's Halloween buckets looking for anything out of place, though realistically I'm basically just looking for the candy I myself will end up raiding.

Activated Charcoal to Prevent Hangover

"Simply take 2-4 pills of charcoal after a night of drinking to prevent a hangover!" 

I ordered a bottle of charcoal for another pinterest project to test out, but when looking things up online I found there are actually many different remedies that call for charcoal. One was to use it to prevent hangovers. Sound enough idea, if it's good enough to use in a hospital for absorbing chemicals, surely it'll work on alcohol too right?

So I decided to take one for the team this past Saturday and test it out. One bottle of wine later, I took 3 charcoal pills and went to bed. Come morning, I was hungover. In fact I was SUPER hungover. Far worse than I would normally be after having a bottle of wine.

So what went wrong? Well research actually shows this isn't a good remedy to prevent a hangover. There's a great write up done on this by Mark Rucker, who wrote about the science behind why this doesn't work. The short of it is that charcoal seems to have ZERO affect on the blood level of alcohol in your system, so it won't really prevent a hangover.

The best way to prevent a hangover is still the old standby of not drinking too much, and making sure you are staying hydrated; try having a glass of water for each alcoholic drink you have.

And if you DO find yourself with a hangover, the best remedy in treating it is hydration, and eggs. Not only is the protein in eggs helpful, they contain a large amount of cysteine, which helps break down the hangover causing toxin called acetaldehyde.

Good Idea Friday - Preventing Buttons From Falling Off

Long story short, I have an AMAZING coat I love that my dear husband hunted down from one of my pinterest pins (take note: pinterest is a great way to find the perfect gift for someone! He's always poking around my pinterest boards for gift ideas). But despite how much I love it, I don't love the fact that the freaking metal buttons are always falling off. They cut the string, any string, that I've used to sew them on. To the point that I need to sew them back on at least once a week.

The coat in question - by a company called Just Add Sugar

So I started looking at ways of fixing this problem. I originally thought maybe buying new buttons, but I like the buttons on the coat. So, dental floss? Ehh.. it's white and might be visible from the dark coat and black buttons.

Then I stumbled across this sewing forum post, and gave the hook and eye method a try. Weeks later, the buttons are still on the coat, even after a long camping trip to the Olympic forest that involved a lot of running around and hiking.

What you need is some hook and eye findings, like these:

You just need the "eye" portion, that on the right

This will only work on buttons with shanks, vs buttons with the typical 2 or 4 holes. Loop the eye portion through the shank (I had to use pliers to undo one end, threaded it through, and reclosed it) then simply sew the eye bit onto the coat, not the button.

Ta-da!

Hopefully this helps out anyone else with the problem of buttons popping off. I know there are other solutions out there (sanding the shank down, using waxed thread or dental floss, etc) but this one is so simple and lasting I had to share.

DIY Sugar Wax Hair Remover

"Finally a Working Homemade Hair Removal Solution!" 

This is one of those ideas I debated on blogging about, but after asking fans over on our facebook page if they wanted more "it works but it's...ehhhh" posts, I decided to go ahead and share.

Sugar Wax. A long-time touted hair remover, and something you can easily make in your own kitchen. With a few simple ingredients you can be on your way to being hairless for a fraction of the cost of waxing kits you buy in the store. Right?

It's not that simple. I decided to test this out myself after reading a lot of mixed reviews on it. I found this YouTube video and decided to spend an evening testing it out.

The first batch didn't turn out. Neither did the second. Or the third. I told myself one more try, and then I was going to give up. Well wouldn't you know it, fourth time's a charm I guess, because this time to turned out like the video suggested it would.

So how well does it wax? Not as harshly as the store bought wax I normally use. Which was nice. I tested it out on my eyebrows, upper lip, and arm. It wasn't as easy to control, so my brows didn't turn out as cleanly as I like them, but the upper lip was nice (and it didn't make me break out, which most waxing does when I do my upper lip) I did have to apply and remove it many, many times to get most of the hair, unlike the one time application I do with other waxes. I have dark thick body hair though, so my fair haired followers might not have to apply it as much as I did.

I wrapped the leftovers in plastic wrap, and then went back a bit later to try it again. Unfortunately, it stuck something awful to the bag, and despite briefly microwaving it and trying to warm it with hot water, I could not get it off the plastic wrap. What I did manage to pull had changed in texture and consistency and was pretty much useless.

Personally, I'm sticking to commercial waxes (this is the one I normally use). At the end of the day, this was such a hassle, a mess, and countless hours in frustration that I just can't get into it. Does it work? If you can manage to get it the right consistency, yeah. But is it worth all the hassle? For me, the answer is no.

So has any of our fans tried this before? What were your results like?

Glow Lanterns for Pools with Balloons and Glow Sticks

"Fill a balloon with a glow stick, then inflate! Makes a cool pool lantern!" 

If there is one thing I've learned, it's to be very skeptical of any "glow in the dark" project you find on pinterest. From plant pots to stepping stones, its usually not going to be anything like the image promises.

This is another case of such a project. Fill a balloon with a glowstick, inflate, and have a quick easy beautiful floating lantern, great for late night pool parties and such.

Unfortunately once again that's NOT what this is an image of. Its of an actual product called The Flat Ball Light. At over $200 a pop, that's not quite the easy thrifty item most people are looking for for their home parties.

So what DOES the DIY version look like? Over at the blog Life in the Wylde West, she tested the pin out herself. The results?

Glow Stick Balloons | Life in the Wylde West

Yeah, not impressive. At all. You're better off buying actual LED pool lights (there are cheaper options out there besides the $200 flat lights) but as long as you know what you're getting yourself into, your kids might still get a bit of a kick out the project.

Good Idea Friday - Plywood Floors

We've spent the past year overhauling our attic into a bedroom. Our house, built in 1909, has amazing hardwood floors in most rooms and we were trying to figure out how we could install new flooring--on a budget--that wouldn't clash too terribly with the original flooring. After spending countless searches on pinterest trying to come up with a solution within our budget, I came across this blog post from the infamous Centsational Girl about plywood floors.

Now, I was skeptical. Really skeptical. But after crunching the numbers we realized with $80 worth of plywood, we could install flooring not just in the new bedroom, but also in the hallway leading out to the upstairs landing, So we decided to give it a try. If it didn't work out we weren't out that much money, and hey, nothing a couple area rugs couldn't cover right?

We went about it slightly different that the above post, we had the hardware store cut the wood for us, in the same width as our hardwood floors, and in various lengths. Stores generally charge for this, but for us this was still better than trying to use our extremely old and fairly scary table saw.

First to go down was the sub floor chipboard, screwed to the floor joists, then plastic foam sheeting designed to go under flooring. We laid out the planks, lined them up to our liking, and nailed them down using a brad nailer. Once in position, we used dark caulk to fill in any gaps. This is a great trick, by the way, for hard wood floors; plaster, putty, and glue-sawdust mixture tends to dry and can crack apart and/or pop out over time. Silicone caulk on the other hand, does not. You can find it in various different colors too, so get one that matches the stain you plan to use. (I got the idea from a great friend who also blogs about home remodeling and projects - Us Versus The House) 

After the caulk set we sanded, gently. Plywood is thin sheets of wood glued together, sand too hard or deeply and it gets funky looking, as some colored inner layers will start to show. Just be careful when sanding. We then applied 3 coats of a dark brown stain (Jacobean by Minwax), the same we used on the original floors, and then finished the whole floors with 3 coats of water based polyurethane.

And the final product! 

There's a few things we would have done differently with our flooring though: don't skimp on the wood. We went with a thinner (cheaper) 1/4" plywood, where as the original blog post suggests 1/2", and though it was fine for the room it's in, in a much higher traffic area we would really recommend going with thicker plywood. It LOOKS great, and nearly matches the original wood floors for us, but the sound is off. I know that sounds silly, but it actually sounds more like a laminate flooring instead of actual wood.

All in all I'm extremely pleased with the floors, and for the price (roughly $160 for all the supplies), you really couldn't get a cheaper flooring option than this. This might SOUND like a large undertaking, and something out of the reach of most people, but it really was one of the easiest projects I've done. To summarize, you basically get plywood, cut into planks, lay down subfloor and subfloor sheets, nail planks down. sand, stain, poly. Done. Something like this could easily be done in a week or less (have to let that stain and polyurethane dry!) and is a great floor option for anyone looking for something new on a tight budget. 

Oh, and because I just can't NOT post before and after photos of the attic turned bedroom, here you go if your curious. It was originally lined with wood planks and covered with newspaper from 1918. We KNOW wood plank rooms are en vogue on pinterest, but if you saw the amount of dust and heaven knows what else that fell along with the planks.. you wouldn't want that in your bedroom. Ever.

Before Remodel

After Remodel

Foot Shape to Reveal Your Heritage

I'm sure we've all seen this one make the rounds all over the internet, from Pinterest to Facebook. But there are so many problems with this I don't even know where to start. 

First off, this really only seems to address European decent. What about Asian, or African, or you know, the various North or South Americas? Second off, the shape of one's feet can vary from family member to family member. Just in our family alone, I have "Egyptian," my husband has "Greek," but our kids? One is apparently Egyptian, the other is Germanic.

The truth is: the shape of your feet can't really tell you what your ethnic roots are any more than saying the shape of your hands can. There has been studies done to see if toe length can show genetic traits, and the ruling is no, the shape of your toes really aren't a good indicator of genes, let alone something like your 'roots' or heritage. Where as genetics and heritage can play a role in certain bone structure, it really isn't a good indicator when it comes to your feet.

Cleaning Your Oven with Ammonia

"Easy Oven Cleaning Tip! No more harsh chemicals to clean your oven! Just use ammonia"

 Before I start, just to get this out of the way. YES, it does work. That's not what makes this a bad idea though. Ammonia is a household item that, as the decades pass, become rarely seen in most peoples houses. There's a very good reason for that actually. You see, as much as people assume a single ingredient cleaner is less harsh or scary than those modern cleaners that have a mile long ingredient list, that's not always the case. In fact, cleaning your oven with ammonia can be far more dangerous and harmful than the infamous spray-on oven cleaner most of us know.

 Let's look at this commonly touted pin/life hack.

1. Preheat to 200° then turn off. 
2. In a heat safe glass dish, fill with ammonia and set on middle rack (about 1 to 2 cups of ammonia). 
3. In another dish, fill with boiling water and set on bottom rack (2 cups). 
4. Leave overnight. 
5. The next morning, remove dishes and wipe down the inside with a hot wet sponge

There's a few problems right off the bat with this: there's no mention whatsoever of using gloves or proper ventilation. Ammonia is highly caustic and toxic and can be extremely harmful to your skin, eyes and lungs. In fact a woman in Denmark was sent into a coma from cleaning her oven this way. Which brings up another fact to keep in mind - ammonia is sold in varying strengths, from 2% to 10%, in different countries. This little life hack is meant to be used with the weaker variants found in countries like the US. When you heat up ammonia it stands a good chance of vaporizing, which is extremely dangerous. Vaporized ammonia not only can burn your eyes and lungs, it can kill you if you inhale enough (by, say, sticking your head in an oven trying to clean it).

The fact is, ammonia really isn't better for you or the environment from other forms of oven cleaners. You might look at the ingredients of such products as Easy Off and balk at what it contains, but when you read over just how bad ammonia actually is, you quickly realize that one isn't better than the other. In fact, modern day oven cleaners tend to have far fewer--if any--fumes, something ammonia surely can't claim. Not only that, if you use various other cleaners in your house, you have to be extremely careful to never EVER mix ammonia with anything that contains bleach. That can cause a reaction that produces fumes that can quite literally kill you.

In my opinion, there's a very good reason many housewives started ditching such cleaners like ammonia in favor of the modern cleaners that started appearing in the mid century and soon took over our homes. All in all, this is just not a good idea. There are many other, safer ways to clean your oven.

Home Remedies for Stretch Marks

"Uncover Stretch Mark Remedies with Things Already in your Home: Its unbelievable the simple stuff that are stretch mark remedies." 

I could narrow this down to one of the dozens, if not hundreds of home remedies for stretch marks, but instead I'll make it easier on everyone.

The truth is: there is no home remedy for stretch marks. Not.a.single.one. Not coconut oil, not vinegar, not mustard oil, shea butter, or drinking a lot of milk.

You see, it all comes down to what stretch marks are. They are essentially tears in your skin, causing thick, discolored scar tissue to build up between. Stretch marks occur in the the resilient middle layer that helps the skin retain its shape. They come in various sizes and degrees, and the truth is, pretty much every single person on the planet has them (yes, even men). When they first form they are dark hues, often red and purples, but after they heal they will fade to become closer to your normal skin tone, often times lighter, and possibly shinier than the surrounding skin, depending on the severity of the marks.

Unlike some scars which are only on the top layer of skin, these run so deep that nothing you apply--from creams to oils--is going to fix that. The only proven way to treat stretch marks is with various medical procedures ranging from prescription retinoids, to lasers treatments, to surgery to literally remove the damaged skin.

But what about prevention? I'm sure any woman who has been pregnant has been given various solutions to preventing stretch marks. Unfortunately not a single study has been able to prove any of these actually aid in preventing stretch marks. At the end of the day, rubbing a bit of shea butter in you skin might not help, but it won't hurt. Just don't be surprised if you end up with stretch marks by the time those 9 months are up.

How To Get Rid of Telemarketer Calls

"Life Hack to stop telemarketers! don't know if it works, but hey !! its worth a try !! Those pesky pesky people !" 

We've all been there: your phone rings, you pick it up expecting someone important, and instead you hear "How much are you paying for cable each month? Would you like to save $100 on your monthly bill?!"

According to this little life hack all you have to do is press 9 and be instantly added to that company's do not call list! Let's get real, chances are if you're on the line with a live telemarketer, all they are going to hear is an annoying press of a button on their line. They aren't going to know what button you are hitting. If it's a robocall, 9 might work, but so might 2. Each system is set up differently, and some don't even have the option of opting out like this.

The only way to really assure you're removed from the annoying call lists is to make sure you file your number with the national "Do Not Call" list (which you can sign up for here). However that only covers legitimate telemarketers - scammers don't seem to care if your number is on the list or not. So how can you prevent scammers from calling you?

If you know your number is on the Do Not Call list, let the telemarketer know and tell them you wish to be removed from the list. If they call again, ask for the company's name, phone number, and location. If they are scammers this is often all it takes for them to remove you from the list, but that information (if they are willing to give it to you) can be filed here to submit a complaint to the FTC. If it's a robocall, you can try to smash buttons until you get to a menu. Sometimes at the end of the call, there will be an option to "opt out" of their calls. It completely depends on the way their systems are set up though.

However, personally, I just don't answer calls from numbers I don't know. You can also Google phone numbers and find out if it's a scam, telemarketer, collections agency, etc. Another great idea is if a number won't leave you alone, and you're using a cell phone, you can simply add the number to a block list directly on your phone. It won't ring through, and instead send the annoying caller straight to voice mail. 

Spoon To Prevent Pots From Boiling Over

I'm sure we've all seen the pin on how a simple wooden kitchen spoon, when placed over a pot, will prevent it from boiling over. Unfortunately it's not true. I made a video demonstrating and explaining why that doesn't work, as well as showing a few methods that do.

So why doesn't this work? Simple. Starch. If you place a pot of water on the stove, crank it up to high and walk away, its not going to boil over. It will boil dry (and possibly ruin your pan) but it won't boil over. What causes pots to boil over is what you're cooking in them, usually high starch foods like pasta. A spoon isn't enough to break the sticky, starchy bubbles that form, and it still allows it to boil over. Images showing this working are likely done by bringing the pot to a lower, more gentle boil, rather than a full, rolling boil, so the chances of the pot actually reaching the point of boiling over are much lower.

So what are the two best methods to prevent this? Use a large stock pot (filling it no more than half way with water) or simply turn the heat down to a medium to medium-high heat. What you're looking for is a gentle boil, just the top of the water moving, not forming large bubbles. It's enough to cook the food, but without forming starchy bubbles. Another method involves a kitchen gadget such as a silcone lid, which allows the foamy mess to collect on top with out pouring all over your cook-top. I personally love mine, but it's not a necessary to prevent pasta from boiling over.

Hydrogen Peroxide to Diagnose and Cure Ear Infections

"Amazing Ear Infection remedy. You'll know if there is an infection and treat it at the SAME TIME. Pinning and reading later need to check this out." 

I'm laid up on the sofa today with vertigo from an ear ache, so in the name of science I turned to pinterest to research home remedies (of course, by "science" I actually mean ridiculous home remedies I can test and research).

So, does putting a simple solution of hydrogen peroxide in your ear let you know if you have an infection, as well as treat said infection? NOPE. 

You see, hydrogen peroxide is just simply water with an extra oxygen molecule to it - H202. Now that's not to say it's the same as water, simply altering or adding various single molecules to things can change them drastically. But that's not the case with things like hydrogen peroxide. 

But why does it bubble when you add it to a cut? Because of a simple thing called catalase. Pretty much everything from fruits and veggies to human tissue contains this enzyme. When exposed to the peroxide, it causes the H202 to break up, and allows the extra oxygen molecule to free itself, causing the bubbles. Ta-DA! Even if you're ears are clean and free of infection, chances are good the peroxide will still bubble and foam, so that's really not a good way to test for an infection. Want to test this out? Pour a small amount in a glass and use it as a mouthwash, and enjoy as your mouth fills with bubbles! Just be careful not to choke or gag!

But how about the second claim? Will it at least treat an infection if you have one? Maybe, but it's not likely. Results are mixed as to if this works or not.  It's important to realize that there are various causes for ear infections, from viruses like those that cause colds, to allergies, not to mention bacterial infections which require antibiotics (peroxide is NOT recommended for killing bacteria, as it doesn't kill everything and can actually cause scar tissue to form, something you don't want in your ears). What it is quite good for though, is helping with ear wax removal - in fact ear wax drops are typically nothing more than mineral oil and peroxide. So all-in-all, you can put peroxide in your ears, but it's not going to let you know if you have an infection, and it's most likely not going to cure anything. It's not uncommon for a lot of earaches to only last a few days on their own, so if you find relief using this trick (or warmed oil, which is also a common ear ache treatment) then go for it. However if your ears aren't better after a few days then it's time to seek professional help. 

Don't mind us!

We're almost done with the remodel of this site - new design for the new year! (and new posts to come!) Check back next monday!

(these don't do anything, so just ignore them!)

Good Idea Friday Marble Nail Polish

I had three different people ask me bout this pin this week, so I figured I would go ahead and test it out. We've all see the photos, the good and the bad. And since I've never, ever done this before, I thought it would be a perfect example of what it's like for first timers to give it a go (and why it often ends up a hot mess and failed pin for so many).

I'm here to tell you that, yes, it IS doable. But I'm also going to break it down and explain why, if you're anything like me, this is such a huge pain in the side, that there is no way in hell I would ever, ever do this again. If you're the kind of person who doesn't mind spending an hour on their nails, this is perfect for you. I on the other hand, usually do my nails in the evenings sitting on the couch while browsing pinterest, so needless to say I don't usually do anything overly difficult. 

So here's how the experiment broken down. I originally followed the pin to a T. 

The only thing missing here is the vaseline, which I don't own any, so I reached for my trusted and loved cuticle cream (shameless plug, but I love Orange Thyme products. I own probably a dozen of her lip balms and soaps and seriously, best stuff ever. She's not paying me to say this, I'm just a die hard fan. The Earl Grey lip balm is probably my most prized lip balm ever and I have to hide it so my husband doesn't steal it.)

I added the polish to the water, and noticed right away that the coral polish was creating a strange film on the water. Weird. Well it turns out that the water was slightly too warm, and the polish was a quick-set one, and it was literally hardening in the water. So I had to redo this batch.

And here's the results.

I assumed due to the pin that once it had mostly set up, that I could use something as simple as a toothpick to help separate the polish from my cuticle line, easily cleaning up what is on my fingers. Nope. Didn't work for me. What ended up happening was any sort of pulling, would cause the entire thing to stretch, and tear, making me have to redo everything. So that was a huge fail for me at least.

I then decided to see if using different polishes, different temperature of water, and different shape bowls would have any sort of effect. I tried polishes ranging from $2 Sinful colors, to $12 Julep polishes, and everything in between like OPI, Sally Hansen, Maybelline, Revlon, Zoya. I was curious if the brand mattered. As it turned out, nope! What DID matter was the pigmentation of the polish. Pigmentation can vary from polish to polish, even within the same brand.

I also found that you will get 2, MAYBE 3 good swipes of polish before you need to clear the bowl (I would just use a toothpick and scoot it over to the side) and start over. By the third pass, the polish was less swirly and more clumpy.

After a couple of fails, I found  the combination of polish that worked best for me: OPI in Incognito In Sausalito and Maybelline Color Show in Mint Mist.

After I had all my polish on, I waited. And waited. Once it had set up a bit, I got to cleaning up. Dozens of Q-tips, paper towels, acetone and 30+ minutes later, here are the results. (I also used a very tiny paint brush to better clean up my nail lines and cuticle, something I actually recommend doing after painting your nails anytime for that clean, professional look.)

So there you have it. Yes, it's doable. No, it's not easy. What this experiment showed me, however, was that there were a few things that did help: highly pigmented polish, a shallow plate worked better than a bowl, tepid water worked better than warm, and you should only do 2, maybe 3 swipes before you reset the polish. Also, the clean up is KEY to getting this to look pinterest ready.

Have any of you tried this? Share your photos (the good and the bad!) and what methods worked best for you with us over on Facebook or Twitter. And if you have any pins you're curious, let us know!

Posts Revisited #2

Time for an update post on two different posts.

Natural Weed Killer Update:

Just a few weeks ago I wrote about a couple of DIY weed killers. A few people mentioned sometimes it takes more than 24 hours for commercial weed killer to do it's magic (different weed killers work differently, some work by stopping chlorophyll production, so it can take sometimes a week or more to show results). I kept an eye on the weeds I sprayed (disclaimer - I had already pulled the big, nasty, hit-you-in-the-leg thorny weeds before all of this, so I apologize I have no update on those) and here they are today, about 2 weeks later:

Yeah still looking pretty healthy to me. I went ahead and used up the rest of the vinegar/soap/salt mix, however, on the surrounding weeds just this week, and here's how they currently look (note the completely dead crispy weeds on the top of the rocks there, that's from the original experiment done 2 weeks ago)

As some of you know, I'm naturally skeptical, especially when it comes to anything involving infamous Cure Alls like vinegar, coconut oil, etc., but I'm going to stick with my original review and say that yes, this really DOES work, and it works well. Though boiling water is just as effective, easier, and cheaper, this mix isn't bad and does work.


The BEST Fruit Fly Trap Update:

I've also had a few people ask about where to get sticky tape for the fruit fly trap. I found some just the other day at Winco actually, but I assume most hardware stores will carry it. It's actually marketed as a window tape for flies, it comes in a little package that reminded me of those hand warmers you find around winter time.  And of course you can find it on amazon if you don't feel like hauling yourself to the hardware store.

And that's it for today. I'm running low on bad ideas, so please! If you have a bad idea you've came across on pinterest, let us know. Feel free to share bad ideas with us over on Facebook or Twitter. I've had a couple requests to try a few other natural weed killers so if you have any you'd like me to test, let me know!

Fire Glass - Amazing Flammable Glass to Replace Wood

"Fire glass produces more heat than real wood, and is also environmentally friendly. There is no smoke, it's odorless and doesn't produce ash. You are able to stay toasty warm without cutting down trees and the specially formulated glass crystals give off no toxic deposit.."  

I actually stumbled across this on a buzzfeed article about pinterest (I will just come out and say it, if you want bad pinterest ideas, buzzfeed is a hotbed of them) and knew right away that couldn't be right. I searched pinterest curious to see how often this is actually pinned, and was floored that the above image has been repinned nearly 5,000 times from one pin alone.

A quick Google search later and sure enough, I found the website for Fire Glass. Pulled directly from their FAQs: 

"Fire Glass is tempered glass that is used in fireplaces and fire pits to increase vibrancy, reflection and color. Tempered glass is tumbled and polished to prevent sharp edges and injury. The glass is designed for gas fire pits and gas fireplaces to tolerate high temperatures without melting, burning or discoloring when used as recommended. The glass does NOT create toxic fumes, smoke, ash, or soot... You can use fire glass with both propane and natural gas. "

What does all that mean? It's not a "flammable glass". It's a filler used in gas or propane fireplaces and fire pits; instead of lava rocks or fake wood, you add Fire Glass. The glass itself isn't flammable and won't do anything if you try to set it on fire. It's not a replacement for real wood in a wood burning fire pit. It is quite pretty and I can see the appeal, but unless you have a gas burning pit, it's not going to do anything.

Iodine and Baby Oil Hair Remover

"1Tbsp of iodine 2% 1 Cup of baby oil Rub your hairy area with the mixture and let set for only 5 minutes. Then gently wipe away with a damp cloth. Viola!!!! NO MORE HAIR!"

I've had a lot of people asking about this one. My first step was try to locate the source of this image. I was unable to find the source though so if anyone knows, please let me know. But right off the bat, the leg shape, muscle tone, as well as the hair growth made me believe this was a man's leg. Not that men can't and don't remove leg hair, but if you look closely you'll also notice a rather large scar running down the knee of the hairless leg.  We often see similar ideas where an image of one thing is used to promote a completely different idea, like the spray paint light bulbs, brown sugar for hair straightening, coffee for hair remover, and the fake tan from cocoa powder, just to name a few of the ones this blog alone has disproven. 

Which leads me into why I don't believe this is even remotely plausible as a pin. You see, it's common for surgeons to scrub an area before surgery with iodine. If iodine was such a remarkable hair remover, why would they bother doing pre-op shaving? Anyone who has had surgery on an area with hair growth can tell you that the area is shaved before hand. Wouldn't doctors, of all people, look for time-saving methods and skip the shaving if iodine could double as an antiseptic AND hair remover? 

Not only that, but a lot of results when you google iodine and mineral oil pulls up people talking about how back in the days of bottle brown tans, this was one of the go to tanning methods. If it worked as a hair remover, I think it would be more commonly known today, and I also doubt a lot of men back in the day would have used it as often as they did. Anyone who has used iodine can attest to how it stains the skin, however the hairless leg seems oddly void of any kind of staining. 

And finally, chemically, there is NOTHING in these two that would cause such a reaction as hair loss. 

But in the name of science, and because I know you love proof, I tested this pin out just for the blog. Since it's summer though, my legs get shaved regularly, so I brought in a stand in for this pin. Meet the other half of "us" here at Don't Pin That, and my editor in chief, Tay.

Tay, bless him, is hairy. Very much like the original image. So who better to test this pin out? 

Tay was a good sport spending his father's day evening letting me test this out. I mixed up the mixture and then tucked a towel under his leg incase it dribbled onto the sofa, and applied it.

Then we waited. The pin says 5 minutes, but since there was a bottle of wine and an episode of Conan to catch up on, it turned out to be more like 15 for us. Gently rubbing it away didn't do much, so I then scrubbed. The hair however, remained firmly attached to his leg: 

His very yellow stained leg I might add. 

So there you have it. No, this doesn't work. There's no way this would work chemically or even logically. I have no idea what the source of the original image is, but it's not from some miracle iodine hair remover. 

Have an idea you want us to look into? Contact us! We're on facebook and twitter - leave a message, an pin, or just say hello. 

All Natural Weed Killer

"{Weed Killer} 1 Gallon white vinegar 2 cups multi purpose epsom salt 1/4 cup regular blue dawn dish soap"

I've had a lot of people asking about this one, and even seen it debated on a few of the gardening forums I read. In fact, I'm embarrassed to admit that it was the siren's call of gardening that has kept me away from writing recently. If there is one thing I love, it's gardening. But as anyone with a yard or garden knows, weeds are a major hassle to deal with. You can get all sorts of sprays to treat them, from hiring a professional company to many kinds of pesticides sold at gardening and hardware stores. But what if you're looking for a more natural solution? There's always pulling, but some weeds are hard to remove that way, and if you're staring down a yard full of them, it could take way too long not to mention a back breaking job. 

So in today's post I compare two more natural methods up against a chemical weed killer spray I picked up at the hardware store.

I have a patch of weeds that I've been battling for years (in fact if anyone reading could identify them for me, let me know in the comments!) I even installed a weed cloth in the flower bed to try to combat them, but they've grown along the edge and out of the rocks of the bed where the sheet meets the sidewalk (though I wish at the time I knew about newspaper as a weed barrier, it would have saved a lot of hassle and money in the long run for me!) And to make sure these methods work on various other weeds, I also tested out on my embarrassingly bad curb strip, which is plagued with awful thorny weeds. 

So here are the contenders: Boiling water, vinegar/soap/epsom salt mix, and a commercial spray. 

I marked each section I was going to spray, and then I mixed up the solution - 2 cups vinegar, 1/4 epsom salt, and a bit of Dawn dish soap. All of these are on the list of "Cure Alls" that are common on sites like pinterest, so I was a bit skeptical. To make sure the water stays boiling, I poured it into a insulated carafe before bringing it outside.

Here are the weeds in their before state:

And 24 hours later: 

Boiling Water: 

As you can see, the boiling water had the most effect on the weeds. I made sure to pour it as close to the ground as I could. I've actually used this method before with GREAT success, and it's been my go to weed killer this summer. You do have to be careful when using it that you aren't killing the plants around it. I use a carafe with a small pour spout, so I have better control over where the water goes. 

I give it an A. It's both effective, easy to use, and about as cheap as you can get. What's not to love?

Vinegar/Epsom Salt/Soap Mix: 

Much to my surprise, the vinegar/epsom salt/soap mix actually did a pretty decent job! I made sure to soak the leaves as well as the base of the weeds, though the stems of the weeds are still green (compared to the dead stems from the boiling water). 

I would give this a B. I still prefer boiling water - it's easier to make, and I have no idea what this mixture is going to do to my soil, unlike boiling water (which really the only real risk is killing off the soil flora, something easily fixed by either leaving it alone or adding some fertilizer to it)

Chemical Spray: 

And the Ortho spray didn't do a single thing. I'm not even joking. I'm shocked. Utterly shocked. I followed instructions, I sprayed both the leaves and the soil. and they don't look even phased. I honestly have no idea why this didn't work even a bit, you'd expect after 24 hours that the leaves would at least start to curl like they do when they are sprayed with products like this. I give this a big F.

So there you have it.. set down the costly sprays and reach for an electric kettle. Test these out in your own yard or gardens and let me know how it works for you. And if you have any other natural weed killers you'd like me to test out, post them over on our facebook page or on twitter and let us know.