It is the great giver of life, the washer of dirt, the slow and steady drip of time. Without water, life on this planet would not exist.

Unfortunately, with water, life in your homemade creations may exist where you don’t want it to. Whether you’re DIYing your own beauty concoctions or edibles, there’s one important thing you need to be aware of when you use the effervescent aqueous essence.

Early in my crunchy DIY escapades, I learned a valuable lesson: Anything that contains water can potentially spoil, mold, or grow bacteria. I learned this by putting fresh mint into oil and keeping that oil on a counter top.

Within a week, the oil had turned rancid, the mint was muddy brown, and the whole thing stank to high heaven.

This is DIY 101 about water for several reasons: There has been a rash of comments on older posts with recipes that you’re supposed to keep in the fridge saying things like, “Heya! Can I just keep this in the bathroom? I’ll probably use it in two or three weeks.” (No, by the way, you cannot. Unless you like your beauty moldy.)

Also, I keep noticing recipes on Pinterest that combine water with things like oil (to make a cooking spray) or hand soap (to make a foaming soap substitute), and typically there’s no mention of what needs to be done to keep these things from going bad.

So.

Let’s talk about water, right now, so you don’t have a culture in your kitchen or bathroom that you weren’t counting on. Except, of course, that dirty pot in your sink you just can’t get around to washing. (Ew.)

Putting Water In Your Homemade Creations

Before we begin, I want to apologize. This is a difficult reality to face, this water awareness situation, because SO many homemade creations would be much easier if we could just add water and forget it.

“Homemade is supposed to be easier! Water is the easiest thing on the planet! Shut up, lady, and quit harshing my buzz.”

Trust me, though. The sooner you accept that you have to be more careful with your water-based creations, the easier everything will become in the future.

Remember when I was all, “Oooh oooh, fancy schmancy words about water and how it’s the bringer of life”? Well, the quickest way to come to terms with this water situation is to remember that water is the bringer of life, including bacterial and fungal life. Anything you add water to could potentially sprout an entire world that you don’t particularly care for.

Everything needs water to grow. Including, but not limited to, yucky stuff.

Might not be yucky, but the water's bringing it more life.

We Don’t Live In Sterilized Labs

Here’s the good news: We live gorgeously messy lives.

And the bad news: Because we live our normal, every day life in the same place we indulge in our creative, genius sides, we don’t have the luxury of a sterilized lab, controlled levels of preservatives, and the purest of ingredients. Nothing we make is going to last forever.

On one hand, this is good. Diversity is the magic of nature, and by creating our concoctions using plants and oils and fruits and roots, we have the opportunity to harness all of that diversity in myriad ways. And when you think about it, the things like synthetic preservatives that inhibit life completely may not be exactly what’s right for our living bodies.

However, we do need to remember that a modicum of care should be taken when adding water – or using any water-containing ingredients – so that we keep out the bad stuff as much as humanly possible.

I say all of that to make one simple, salient point: Because we are the creator of these things, and no two recipes will ever be exactly alike, it’s difficult to add the “perfect amount” of preservative or predict the “perfect length” of shelf life to any recipe made with water.

So, instead, we have to use common sense. Here’s how.

DIY 101: Tips For Using Water and Water-Containing Ingredients Safely

• Always, always use distilled or filtered and boiled water. What comes out of your tap contains bacteria. It does. To some degree. Some of the bacteria is good, but some could harbor a stinky, growing mess if you use it in a recipe that you let sit for a long while. Using distilled or filtered (and we’re talking high-quality Berkey-type filter, not, say, Brita) and then boiled water really cuts down on the chance that you’re introducing a contaminant to your recipe.

• BOIL EVERYTHING. Anything you’re working with – be it a bottle, a spoon, a lid or a measuring cup – needs to be as sterilized as you can possibly get it. In a large pot, boil all the things you’ll be working with for at least 10 minutes to kill any invisible monsters, so you don’t contaminate while you’re creating.

• Use containers that don’t require “double dipping.” For instance, if you’re making a water-based lotion (which will likely also include some sort of preservative), store it in a squeeze bottle or a pump bottle. Anything that doesn’t require dipping your hands in over and over and over. And always keep the lid closed when not in use.

• Make VERY small batches at a time. If you’ve decided, say, that you want to try making a homemade cooking oil spray (which, by the way, by the looks of all the recipes I’ve stumbled on recently, is just a mixture of oil and water), MAKE A SMALL BATCH. Especially when  it comes to mixing oil with water; these two things LOVE to grow bacteria together. So if you stick to a small batch that lasts you, maybe, a week, you’ll be in better shape. Just don’t expect to make water-based concoctions that last for months – or even weeks – at a time.
  

• Remember that store-bought products include preservatives that are formulated for their original water content. Now, I cannot say for scientific certainty that the preservatives in the original product aren’t enough to protect bacterial growth if you add water. In fact, I’m pretty (again unscientifically) certain they do to some extent. Just keep in mind that they may not for very long. If you’re adding small amounts of water to things like soap or shampoo or even castile, consider adding a natural preservative (hold on, we’re getting there) and changing out the product every month or so.

• Whenever the recipe has room for it, add a natural preservative to extend shelf life. Yes, nature does come with its own built-in preservatives, although they’re not going to be as long-lasting as store-bought products will be. Remember: THIS IS GOOD. Here are some natural preservatives (reminder: these are not broad-spectrum preservatives, but they do offer a good deal of protection when used properly):
  1. Vinegar
  2. Alcohol (rubbing or spirits like vodka or brandy)
  3. Rosemary essential oil
  4. Grapefruit seed extract (not to be confused with grapefruit essential oil, which is slightly preservative in nature, but not as effective)
  5. Vitamin E
  6. Citric or ascorbic acid
  7. Salt or even sugar
  8. Borax

Remember, these things will not extend shelf life indefinitely when you’re making a water-based recipe (or using, say, fresh herbs), but they will help keep your concoction stable longer than if you didn’t use them. Some of these things are more potent than others, and none of them have “exact measurements,” because all your recipes are going to be different (and it would take a CRAPLOAD of scientific studies to determine exactly what amount would work perfectly in what recipe).

And nothing is going to keep a fresh apple completely fresh once you cut it open, except removing the water – and then it’s not fresh, it’s dried. So if you’re making a beauty recipe with a piece of fresh fruits or veggies, absolutely follow the next rule.

• Store your water-based concoctions in the fridge or freezer as much as humanly possible. I trust you’ll use your common sense especially with this one. If you’re using a vinegar hair rinse in the shower every few days (that includes water), it’s probably okay to keep it there for a week or more. But if you’ve made a product that uses fresh fruits or veggies, or a good deal of water and little preservative, STORE THAT DARNED STUFF IN THE FRIDGE if you plan on keeping it for more than a day. When in doubt, chill it. The cold temperatures keep the bad stuff from growing as quickly. But, as we all know, even the fridge doesn’t stop things like mold. So toss anything that seems even slightly questionable.

Also, quick rule of thumb: Anything that uses fruits or veggies should be used/consumed within 2-5 days, and always kept refrigerated. And if it looks weird, don’t use it.

A Pool of Information, Not a River of Fear

I say all this not to instill fear in any of you, but just to remind you to be vigilant with your homemade concoctions.

And we are NOT making “store-bought” items that are loaded with preservatives and synthetics so they’ll last for years without spoiling. And that’s okay. THAT is not our goal. If it was, we wouldn’t care about what we put on our skin or in our mouths.

We just need to remember that what we make has a much shorter shelf life, especially when it includes water or water-containing materials. (You wouldn’t expect your chicken salad to keep for three months, would you?)

Just use your knowledge, use your common sense, and be aware of what you’re doing. After that, it’s all fun and games. And no one needs to get hurt.

—

I may have left out a few ideas on ways to keep water-based and water-containing ingredient concoctions safer for longer, so I welcome any ideas or comments that could broaden all of our horizons.

Talking about using water in homemade creations seems to bring out a lot of fear in people (especially people who actually make synthetic-preservative-containing cosmetics), so let’s try to keep things calm and collected … and helpful.

The more we help each other, and the more we discuss this, the better our homemade creations will be. Now, and forevermore.

He’s unforgettable. Really gives the whole documentary it’s juicy, natural flavor. He’s the farmer. You know the one I’m talking about. With the large glasses and the no-nonsense, down-home, slightly skewed sense of humor, shootin’ the breeze while the chickens go gracefully into their dark night behind him.

His mouth is the kind of mouth for which a sprig of wheat would stand in line just to get chewed on.

Not only is he outspoken for the return to more holistic, sustainable farming, but he lives it. Every day. On his own farm. He puts his money where his mouth is. I respect that.

If farming had rockstars, Joel Salatin would be the first inducted into the Hall of Fame.

In fact, my sister told me recently that Joel Salatin was her “Sting,” which I found funny, given the fact that when I saw him speak on Friday night, it appeared he was a rockstar. In a completely packed church full of foodies and farmers and real people. He smiled humbly at every standing ovation, shined even more brightly with every whoop and holler.

Quality is poopy, but Joel moves around A. LOT.

I actually found out he was speaking quite by serendipity, checking the Colorado Springs calendar of events the ONE time a year that I actually get around to it. Within seven hours of learning of his impending presence, I was IN his presence.

He’s an animated speaker, and in between schooling us on the joys of cow poop and the bleakness of eating food that’s been transported for thousands of miles, he jumped up and down, vibrated like a truck, “pushed” an imaginary scythe while explaining why wheat used to be scarce and valuable but now is oversold and overeaten.

In a nutshell: He was magnanimous.

After it was over, I had the opportunity to chat with him for a few minutes. I was so in the moment, I forgot to ask him for a picture together. But he did sign my book!

So, condensed below are practical ideas that I learned from Mr. Salatin’s lecture on Friday, as well as his answer to the question I was lucky enough to ask him personally.

Learn, dear friends, and enjoy!

Five Important Things I Learned About Food from Joel Salatin

1. If You Can Afford a Cell Phone, You Can Afford to Eat Better

I’m starting with the best story first, because it’s the one that involves me.

My question to Joel, rather generic because I had no idea how much time I’d have with him, was this, “One of the biggest issues my readers come to me with is that they cannot afford to eat better. Local, fresh, and/or organic foods are very pricey compared to the other options. What is the one piece of advice you have to offer there?”

This is where he grabbed my arm and shook me. SHOOK ME.

He said, “Whenever someone asks me this question, I take them by the arm and look them in the eyes and say, ‘Listen. Do you have a cell phone? Do you have cable? Drink beer on the weekends? I bet you do. If you can afford those things, you can afford to eat good food, real food. And if you tell me you still can’t afford it, I will tell you the issue isn’t with money. It’s with priorities.”

Priorities. That’s likely the only thing standing between you and healthier food. (And I think we’ve even talked about this here before, haven’t we?)

2. Much of Today’s “Food” Is Inedible to Even Worms

My favorite story from Joel’s lecture was about how he’d visited recently with some teachers in California who had done an experiment with their kids on the difference between real food and processed food.

In this composting experiment, they filled two bins with earthworms, dirt, and two different kinds of food: One of the bins contained things like apple cores and veggie scraps and food in its natural state. The other bin contained processed foods (think Twinkies and Twizzlers and fast food).

After two weeks, the teachers had the children go through the bins in search of the food. Nary a speck of food was found in the bin with the real food – the only thing left were worms and their casings. But in the processed food bin, every bit of food remained, whole. The worms hadn’t touched it.

As Joel asked the audience, “Do you really want to eat food that even WORMS won’t eat?”

3. “Official” Reports Are Often Wrong, If For No Other Reason Than a Narrow World View

This was touched on lightly at the lecture, but it’s important to remember. Joel discusses this extensively in his book, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal.

Here’s a small excerpt as food for thought:

“If I could get every American who reads a government report to think first, ‘Now I wonder what these guys manipulated on this report, or what they neglected to put in it?’ before agreeing with or to anything that comes down from on high, this will be a victorious day for righteousness, indeed. One more time: I am not a conspiracy advocate. But I do believe that most experts come from the same school of thought, the same worldview, and therefore approach every problem from the same perspective. That gives consistent answers, and answers that for the most part are wrong.” – Joel Salatin, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, pg. 145

If you’re pro more governmental regulations in regard to food production, I HIGHLY recommend you read this book, just for an insiders look on what really happens at all levels, through the eyes of a farmer. Seriously. Stellar. (And funny.)

4. If It’s Worth Doing, It’s Worth Doing Wrong

What’s stopping you from learning how to can, or from growing your first tomato plant, or from experimenting with cooking fresh foods in new ways? Or, even, what’s stopping you from meeting and getting to know your local farmers?

Is it … by chance … a fear of the unknown? A fear of failure? A hesitancy to get dirty and mess something up?

The ONLY way you’ll ever learn, ever get anywhere in taking control of the most important aspect of your life (your health), is by being brave enough to make some mistakes in the beginning.

Ditch the excuses, get dirty, and learn something new!

5. Expect a Fight For Your Food – And Expect It Soon

This was one of the last points Joel Salatin made in his talk, and it’s worth noting for future reference – for when you begin noticing more and more headlines about the “dangers” of buying food from small, local farms.

As these farms start taking more market share from the big guys, the goliaths WILL put up a fight. They may do it with new “studies” in the news, or by lobbying for stricter and more choking regulatory standards, or even through their close ties to governmental regulatory agencies (like the raid on the California raw food store, remember that?)

Be prepared to stand up for your rights to access the food you choose to consume, and consider this point whenever a new headline regarding food production or consumption crosses your path.

In short: Stay vigilant, and stay healthy.

Further Reading

I thought you guys might like to know more after all this, so here are a few places you’ll probably want to visit:

• Localharvest.org – where you can find local farmers, CSAs, and farmer’s markets, no matter where you are in the United States
• Joel Salatin’s article on Grist in response to a New York Times article denouncing the “myth of sustainable meat” – I fortuitously read this article the day before I saw Joel speak, and it got me really pumped. Dude knows what he’s talking about.
• Heal Thyself on Facebook – I HIGHLY recommend following this group. Not a day goes by without inspiring information about eating locally, healing yourself with foods, and more.
• Polyface Farms – Joel Salatin’s farming operation, where you can read about what he does and a little about what he believes.
• Food Inc website (Take Part) – Even though you saw the movie, did you know this site is FULL of ever-expanding information on the food system and how to make more conscious eating choices? Love it.
• Joel Salatin’s Author Page on Amazon – He really advocated reading his newest book, Folks, This Ain’t Normal, when I chatted with him as a starting point for understanding where we’re at in our food system and how to be a little more close to the food we do consume. But there’s also a book on starting your own farm. Get to it! I want to eat your veggies!

I’m claiming hipster status with chia seeds. Why? Because I tried them first about 5 years ago, before they were cool. Suck on that, 30-second mention of chia seeds on The Chew last week.

But, the truth is, I only tried them once, and they freaked me out. No one told me what to expect; the clerk at the local natural foods store just stuffed a small bag in my hand and said, “here,” after I asked if there was something I could add to my granola to make it healthier.

So I took them home, put a spoonful in my granola with almond milk, and about 3 minutes later started gagging, because I couldn’t stop thinking about eating tiny fairy eyes. That is what they felt and looked like. Tiny sad, disembodied fairy eyes.

Tiny fairy eyes, because chia seeds swell to something like 12 times their normal size, and they feel pretty gelatinous with a bit of a crispy center. And, the first time I tried them, I hated it.

So, my chia seeds went to my next-door neighbor or a stranger on the street or something. And I vowed never to touch another one ever again in my whole entire life.

“Never say never.” – James Bond

A few months ago, I decided to give chia another try. But not in my mouth – not at first. ON MY FACE. I’ll tell you why (and tell you how I use them in the mornings) in a minute. First, let me give you a quick and dirty refresher course on chia seeds, if you don’t know what they are or why you’d want to have them in your home.

Chia Seeds In A Nutshell

Long ago, while the Mayans were planning our 2012 demise through a large stone calendar, they were beefing up by eating chia seeds. Likely so they could roll that calendar around. By the way, the word “chia” actually means “strength” in the Mayan language.

Chia is a superfood – in fact, it’s kind of a super superfood. It’s a complete protein (meaning it contains all amino acids necessary for the human diet). This is really good news for you vegans out there, because not many plant sources provide this, as I’m sure you know.

It’s also really rich in omega-3/6/9 acids (yay!) AND it contains SIX TIMES more calcium than milk, by weight. Add to that a rich mineral profile, and you’ve got a tiny little (fairy eye?) seed that packs a lot of nutritional punch.

Oh! And fiber! So. Much. Fiber. In both soluble and insoluble forms, which means that it helps “clean you out,” but also offers other health benefits (like lowering cholesterol and helping you maintain proper blood sugar levels after eating, if you eat it with meals).

Chia also happens to be very, very fun to take pictures of.

You can do a million things with chia seeds.

• Add them to a smoothie
• Make bread with them (or pancakes – tons of ideas here)
• Chia Pudding – an easy way to enjoy them (or chocolate-peanut butter pudding or fancy vanilla chia pudding)
• I hear they also make excellent egg baking replacements
• Spill a million of them on your kitchen floor and spend two hours cleaning them up! (Okay, you might not want to do this. I did today. Not fun, but chasing them around is great exercise!)

Here’s another cool thing about chia seeds: They don’t really taste like anything at all, but they will take on the taste of whatever you put them in. So they’re kind of like invisible health fairies. I am not letting the fairy thing go.

I’ve settled into a very easy routine to slip chia seeds into my diet – and on my face. Here’s how:

Chia: Rise and Shine, Drink-and-Wash

Ah. I just realized I left out the most important note I have to share about chia seeds.

They are CRAZY high in alpha-lipoic acids. Better known as ALA. Better known as that-ingredient-that-makes-skin-cream-cost-a-bajillion-dollars.

Alpha-lipoic acid is said to help with cell function, promote radiance in the skin, help diminish fine lines, and aid in antioxidant effectiveness.

So it makes sense that these little seeds would be a perfect morning facial scrub. And, yes. Yes, they are. I can’t say I’ve seen my fine lines diminish yet, but my skin feels very soft and clear all day long.

I TOLD you it was fun to take pictures of chia seeds.

Here’s how I (and how you, too, can) incorporate chia seeds into a morning ritual – by drinking them and putting them on your face!

• Before I start brewing my coffee, I mix together 1-2 tsp honey with about 8 oz of warm water.
• Then, I add in 1 Tbsp of chia seeds and stir well.
• While I let that sit for about 5 minutes (so the chia starts to swell), I drink another glass of water with lemon in it (this is optional, but so very, very good for you)
• Then, I stir it up again and pour just a small amount (maybe 1 Tbsp) of the mixture into my hands and start scrubbing/rubbing my face with it.
• Without rinsing  (yet), I drink the “chia seed honey water” and let the mixture on my face chill out for a while. Five to ten minutes, tops.
• Then, I rinse. And enjoy a soft face. Lovely.

Here’s the cool part. You don’t have to use water. I just like it for its simplicity. You could also use full-fat milk or coconut milk (great for dry or aging skin), almond milk, or even a fresh-pressed apple juice if you’d like (EXTRA exfoliating, with the acids in the apple).

And that … that is one awesome way to start the day – for your body AND for your face.

(FYI, you can get chia seeds almost anywhere these days. Vitacost sells them, Mountain Rose Herbs has excellent prices on organic chia, and you’ll find them in any natural foods store.)

Oh, by the way. I totally got over the fairy-eyes thing, and now I thoroughly enjoy the texture of chia seeds. Once I learned how incredibly healthy they are, it was a no-brainer. Now if I could only do that with broccoli.