Sensitive Fly Spray

My Arabian gelding, B, is has very sensitive skin. I have to be careful what I put on him, or he gets these awful raw patches all over his skin... not pretty or comfy for him at all. He is also pretty sensitive to lots of sun, bugs, etc. His skin just has a fit. He enjoys staying in a nice cool stall on most hot days :) Anyway, after learning the hard way that regular old store bought fly-spray of various kinds doesn't work on him (well... maybe it kept the bugs away, but what good is that when it leads to big, oozing skin problems?), I scouted out recipes for 'sensitive' fly spray. After reading various recipes, I came up with what I now use. It works, doesn't hurt his skin, and is relatively cheap to make.

In a regular size spray bottle, I fill it a little less than half way with distilled white vinegar. Then I fill nearly the rest of the bottle with water. Next I squirt a little Ivory dish soap in, along with a dash or two of Avon Skin-So-Soft or citronella oil. Put on the nozzle, shake, and your ready to go!

Like I said before, it seems to work well, and it is so nice not to have to worry if it will cause my horses skin to break out. It may not last as long as the other types of fly-spray, but it seems to last me just fine through an all day ride!

B 

Three Things That Work

Today I am sharing with you three items that work. At least, they work for me. These things are things I believe in and that I love. Hopefully, they will work for you too.

1. Face Wash
     
          I had 'okay' skin through my high school days. Typical breakouts occurred regularly, and I always had at least one or two spots on my face, and it occasionally got much worse than that. I did, however, try all these face washes that were meant to clear up my skin. I tried all those brands that come to mind, like Clearasil, Proactive, etc. Finally, while in college, I tried something totally different. I started washing my face with baby wash. Yep, the regular old baby wash in the yellow bottle. After a while.... viola! Vast improvements in my skin! I have used it ever since. Hardly any breakouts since switching. Twice a day, morning and night, I use my beloved baby soap as my face wash. This stuff works for me.

 I usually use Johnson & Johnson brand, but trying to save a buck or two, I am currently using the Equate brand from Wal-Mart, and it seems to work just as good.



2. This Revlon foot scrubby thing...

           Summer is here. Flipflops are on my feet most everyday. This scrubber thing works so well at smoothing out the bottoms of my feet and making them look way better than they did in the winter! It exfoliates any rough patches on the heels, toes, or balls of the feet. I just use it when I take a bath or shower, after my feet have been in the warm water for a minute or two. I never really use the cuticle thing that it comes with, just the brush and the exfoliating side. It stores nice and neat, too. I use it once every week or so. Easy and quick.

  

My mom picked this up for me, so I am not sure where she got it. I am pretty sure that I have seen it at most drugstores, Target, Wal-Mart, and so on.


3.  Sugar as an exfoliator.
       
          I mix regular old sugar with my face wash or body wash to exfoliate. It works great, is cheap, and I always have some on hand! I just rub it in with the soap until it lathers and then I get to exfoliating. I usually keep a small bowl of it in our shower to grab whenever I need it. Besides my husband thinking that I am crazy for keeping it in there, there is only one other thing that I should mention if you do decide to keep it in the shower or bathtub: If it's not in some kind of container with a lid and it gets wet, it gets very hard and clumps together. Not ideal. Other than that, I love it, and it leaves my skin very soft and clean feeling.