Confessions of an Ugly Sweater

I am sure this will not be the first instance of me bringing up the fact that I am a sweater. No, not the wooly kind.

I sweat a great deal and it’s not something I am particularly fond of, but something I am working through and, of course, bio-hacking my way to find a better sweat/life balance. Ha.

But that’s a digression from where I wanted this blog post to go.

Part of my propensity to perspire is due to the learned detox my body gets whenever I go to hot yoga. It’s like my sweat glands have a muscle memory, because the moment I walk into that yoga studio, my pores immediately begin to dump every ounce of bodily moisture possible.

Needless to say, my yoga mat is a disaster by the end of a 60 minute class. Thus, I regularly need to make sure it’s mold and germ free, so I’ve developed a few hacks and ideas to keep my mat sparkling clean.

Spray Bottle; Essential Oil; Witch Hazel

Meet Matt, My Yoga Mat

I have a Lululemon Yoga Mat and have used it consistently for about 7 years now. I love it. It’s not the most non-toxic option, but it is better than some. Lululemon advises against most of the tips I have listed below, so employ at your own caution. I will point out that I’ve been doing all of these for quite some time and my 7-year-old mat is no worse for wear.

Air dry in sunlight whenever possible. I live in a four floor walk up without a balcony, but I still manage to get my mat to the park and into some sunshine now and again. Sunlight is such a great antiseptic, especially for mold and mildew, plus I swear my mat smells “fresher” after a tanning session outside.
Rinse off with your mat! I grab my mat and bring it into the shower with me. I try not to get too much soap on it and usually time my shower companionship for a day when I know I won’t be using my mat the next day (takes a bit for it to completely dry out). Once done, I hang the mat over my shower curtain and go about my day. (the 5mm mat from lulu is a bit heavy, especially waterlogged, so make sure your curtain rod can handle the extra weight!)
Roll it out! Whenever I know I am going to be out of town for an extended period of time, I roll out my mat and let it get some much needed airflow. This probably will only work if you live alone or in space that can accommodate a large 6 ft mat sprawled out across the floor, but hey! worth a shot!
And finally, the lazy girls guide to a clean mat: non-toxic mat spray. I’ve tried a few variations, but this is the combination I like and use the most. It smells great and is very effective. I have not seen any issues with the integrity of my mat’s surface with this spray and it does not make the mat slippery after use (this is a big breakthrough, IMO). Keep scrolling for the easy recipe!

Nama-Stay Away Germs Mat Spray

This can also be used as a multi-purpose spray! I use Uncle Harry’s Anti-Germ essential oil but you can make your own blend of disinfectant EOs. A few of my other favorite combos are: Peppermint + Tea Tree, Rosemary + Lavender, and Grapefruit + Lemon!

What you’ll need:

wide mouth mason jar
spray bottle head (You can also buy these all in one glass jars with spray head. I wouldn’t recommend storing this spray in plastic bottles)
witch hazel
filtered water
essential oil blend of choice (I use this)

Mix all liquids in mason jar and attached lid. Remember to shake gently before use and store in a cool, dark place since essential oils do best in amber, low light glass and your mason jar is not very protective! I use this on my mat after I’ve wiped it down with a clean, wet cloth and then spray with this and let it dry. I’ve also used this spray in my kitchen when I’ve run out of my Branch Basics spray! The peppermint and tea tree combo is a refreshing favorite of mine and helps keep spiders aways. I love when things are multipurpose!

One of the easiest and most luxurious self care activities I have found are floral facial steams. Not only are they easy to set up, (AKA no added stress) they’re incredibly beneficial to your skin. Herbal and floral facial steams boost circulation, calm nerves, open and cleanse your pores and hydrates leaving a dewy glow. And they’re incredibly easy to make yourself!

I am not a “blogger” who will bore you with a bunch of anecdotal word fodder in relation (or sometimes no relation) to the topic at hand, so let’s get right to it!

What you’ll need:

clean, heat safe bowl ( I usually use an oversized ceramic bowl)
2 cups boiling water, preferably filtered
2 tbsp organic, food grade dried flowers (more on that in a sec)
large bath towel
cleansed skin

Add the 2 tbsp mixture into the bowl and cover with the boiling water. Create a hood with your towel over your head and gently lower it towards the steam. Deep inhales and weird noises that scare your roommate are encouraged. I pop on some relaxing music or a good crime podcast and usually last about 10-15 minutes in the steam. Then, I’ll add a heaping application of this to further nourish my skin.

I have bought pre-made facial steams in the past from Franklin & Whitman but made the decision to buy my own flowers in bulk to make variations on the botanical steams offered from them. And I am so happy I did. I purchased everything on Amazon, and mixed up a large batch, so large in fact, I gave away sachets of the mixture as Christmas presents last year. They were a hit! (Unless my friends were lying).

Here are the supplies I ordered, but really the combinations are endless and you probably have a few of the ingredients sitting in your herbs & spice drawer and tea drawer! Images below are linked!

Botanical steams are one of my secret weapons for self-care and skin health. Not only does the gentle steam, infused with calming or invigorating properties. Here are a few of the combos I readily use:

Skin Calming

Lavender
Calendula
Chamomile
Rose

Sinus Clearing

Eucalyptus (I’ve not been able to find a reliable source of organic dried eucalyptus leaves, so I use this instead)
Peppermint
Rosemary

Rejuvenating

Lavender
Peppermint
Cornflower

There really is no right or wrong combination, so I encourage you to branch out. You can also add these combinations to a warm bath, but I suggest using one of these to contain all those petals!