How to make a Pallet Sign

This is a fairly simple project to do, turns out great, but it can be time consuming. We’ve had several friends ask how to make these so here we go.

Tear Apart Pallet

First, you’ll have to tear apart a pallet., you can aquire a pallet from all sorts of places. I can get them used for free from the place I work. If you know a friend that works at a factory or manufacturing shop, chances are you can pick one up for relatively cheap, if not free! In this tutorial, we wanted the pallet wood defects such as nail holes, cracks, and warping to distinguish it. The great thing about tearing a pallet apart is you do not have to cut the boards to size as they are already cut to a specific dimension and should all be even in length.

Joining Boards

There are several ways to join the boards together. You can screw supporting boards vertically along the back, use the biscuit joining method, or if you want the slimline look of biscuit joining with the rigidity of screws, I used the Kreg joint method. A Kreg jig can be purchased from Amazon or at your local hardware store. I do not have the name brand Kreg Jig, and it was given to me by my dad, so I’m not sure which brand I have but the concept is the same. Here is a few off brand options; General Tools 850 Pro Kit , General Tools 849 E Z Pocket Hole System. The only difference between the off brands and the Kreg Jig is the Kreg Jig has a drill gruide block. This would make it a little easier when figuring out how far to drill into the wood. If you don’t buy the name brand, I would suggest the General Tools Pro. The ratings are quiet a bit higher than the 849 and for $5 more, you get the drive bit, self tapping screws, and the case.

Start out by securing the boards into the Kreg jig. This jig will allow you to cut a slanted pocket into the board that will not be seen from the front, and allow you to screw the boards together at an angle. Drill the pilot holes as needed.

After you have drilled all the pockets you need (about 1 pocket per 6-8 inches) then you attach the special 6-inch driver bit to give you the length to drive in the screws. Make sure you are driving the boards together on a flat surface. Clamps are highly recommended, however I do not own any, so i simply place my body weight on both boards while driving the screws to keep one board from rising higher than the other.

Sanding the Boards

After the boards are all secured together you will want to sand it if you are planning to paint the entire sign. If you are simply adding letters to the weathered pallet wood, you may not want to sand it to keep the rustic look of the pallet.

Paint the Sign

You’ll want to wipe the saw dust from the board and let dry before you begin painting. We chose to use some left over paint from out bathroom and mixed it with some Killz to get a lighter color. If you choice to mix any leftover paint, make sure to mix thoroughly. Paint until you get a good coverage.

Designing your stencil

The stenciling, cutting, tracing, and painting is the most time consuming aspect of this project. There are many ways to go about this, and you can find many ideas and inspirations on different techniques online, but this is the way we went about it.

If you have Photoshop or a similar image editing software (we used Photoshop Elements), you will want to use that as you can type in the dimensions of your sign and not have to worry about scaling letters and fonts, etc.

Setting printer to print to size

Once you have your pattern figured out you can print out the whole thing onto standard 8.5×11 paper. Our sign was 33″x28″ so we designed it out to that scale. Once you go to print it, you should have an option to print “poster.” All printers are different but here is the way ours looks so you can get an idea of the options.

File>Print

Select “Preferences”

Select “Page Setup”

Under “Page Layout” select “Tiling/Poster”

Select “Specify”

Select “Divide into 9″ (My pallet design was 33″x28” so it could fit on 9 sheets of paper. You may need to select more or less depending on the size of your project.)

Make sure these two options are checked as they will make it easier to line up and paste the pages together.

Creating an outline

Line up and Paste together the pages to complete the design. Then lay the design on the sign. We use a lightly adhesive tape to secure the pages to the board and began scoring.

We used an X-acto knife to cut out the design, and score a fine line on the sign. This was a team effort. One of us cut out the font while the other one used a fine tip black Sharpie to create an outline. We chose to go with a black front so black Sharpie blended in but you choose to paint another color, you may want to choice a diff color sharpie unless your ok with a black outline. If the X-acto knife leaves a pretty visible outline, you might be able to skip the outlining step. It wasn’t very visible so we chose to outline.

Begin painting font

We used a black acrylic paint with gloss and a paintbrush to paint the lettering. I used a better quality paintbrush. We used a round size 8 paintbursh. We bought a 5 pack at WalMart. Here they are on Amazon so you can order or get an idea of what to use. We chose the round because it allows you to get a fine point and a thick line. This does take some technique so you may want to practice first before painting on your sign.

Preparing the pallet sign to hang

We used hinge-type mounting brackets spaced evenly to support the weight of the sign. If possible, try to mount into studs. If studs are not available for desired placement, (like ours wasn’t) make sure you use plastic drywall mounts and screws.’

 

The End Result

 

How to Hem Jeans

If you’re short like I am, this is for you! Here is a super easy fix that looks professional. Read below to learn how to hem jeans and keep the original hem.

How many times have you found the perfect pair of jeans only to have denim swallowing your feet?  My hubby knows my shopping woes all too well. I can’t find the right size, fit, color,  don’t like the style, etc. You add in length to the rest of criteria and it can be VERY frustrating.

This week when I was shopping for jeans, I happened to find the perfect pair of jeans. They looked good, the right style, they fit in all the right places, not to tight, not to big, and definitely the right price! To put the cherry on the top, they were buy one 1/2 Off!!! I was in some desperate need of some jeans so I just happened to hit this at the right time. I found them at an outlet store for $20 (the retail price for these jeans are $49)!! EVEN BETTER! So I paid $20 for the first pair and $10 for the second pair. But the ONE problem was this, they were too long and they didn’t have ANY in short. There’s my clothes shopping woes!

A while back I had seen a way to hem your jeans and keep the original hem. With that in mind, I went ahead and bought them. The tutorial I had seen was super easy and I had the basics in memory. I figured even if I wasn’t able to keep the original hem, I could hem it the old fashioned way or roll them up.  I tried to find the tutorial of the original tutorial but I wasn’t successful. I did find some other tutorial using the same methods. I wish I would have pinned the article so I could give this awesome person some credit. So whoever came up with this is, YOU ARE A GENIUS!

How to Hem Jeans and keep original hem

Things you will need.

• a good pair of scissors
• ruler or tape measure
• chalk, or something that you can mark fabric with that will wash away
• straight pins
• Denim needle or heavy duty needle
• thread (I used white b/c that’s what I had. You could choose a thread to match the original stitching or a dark blue to blend in with the denim but you won’t see the stitching on outside of the jeans)
• sewing machine

 

 Step 1

1.  I took a pair of jeans I owned that were right in the length and used them as my guideline. I laid my old jeans on top of my new jeans. I lined them up to make sure the inseam (center seam that starts at the crotch and goes down to the bottom of the pants)  lined up. I didn’t worry about the waist because they fit slightly different. I just made sure both pair of jeans were laying flat on the floor. I then measured from the bottom of the new jeans (bottom jeans in picture) to the bottom of the old jeans (jeans laying on top in the picture).

 

 

Step 2

2.  I took the measurement from step 1 and measured from the bottom of the jeans upward. This is where I need my hem to be. I marked it with a piece of chalk.

Step 3

3. Roll the jeans up like the picture below.

You will roll them up to match the markings with the original hem. I simply folded the hem back to see the chalk markings to see how far I needed to roll upwards.

Now Pin in place and measure. Take the measurement all the way around the pant leg and pin in place. Also make sure to match up the inseams.

Step 4

4. Now you will begin sewing both pant legs. I used a straight stitch. You will also need a denim or heavy needle. You might be able to use another type of needle but sometimes, you can break them. As you can see the picture below, you are going to sew very close to the original hem but not on the original hem. When I was trying to find the tutorial to give them some credit, I found a useful piece of information. **Tip**You can use a zipper foot and this will make getting close to the hem easier. In another tutorial, I saw where they used a straight stitch and and zig zag. You can use a zig zag stitch to give more structure and helps prevent the material from fraying. I almost used the zig zag stitch but I didn’t remember it being used in the tutorial. So it is up to you if you want to use it or not.  

Sew all the around the pant leg removing pins before they go under the pressure foot. My mom taught me how to sew and she always places the pins horizontal and sews over them. I’ve also seen others use this method but it doesn’t work me. I have bent a few pins doing this and my sewing machine doesn’t like it either. So I stick with removing the pins before they go under the pressure foot. Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and the end. This will prevent the thread from coming undone.

***Tip*** 

Check your bobbin before you begin sewing. I had sewed about 3/4 around the pant leg only to find out my bobbin was empty! Oops!

Step 5

5. Almost done! Now go try them on to make sure you got the length right. You can always use a seam ripper, pull the stitch out and start over if you need to. After you have checked them, (no really, check before proceeding!) take your scissors and cut close to the stitching. You could probably do this with a regular pair but I strongly encourage buying a sharp pair that is made for fabric. It just cuts smoother and easier. **Tip** Don’t cut so close that you actually cut the stitching. Yes, I did this one too and had to return back to my sewing machine to fix it!

Step 6

6.  Fold the hem down and iron. That’s it! Super easy. 

Leave your comments

I hope this helps all you short ladies out! And even those ladies that just need a shorter length! Let me know in the comments below if this works for you and your experience!

DIY girls skirt

A few years ago, I made my oldest daughter a 4th of July pillowcase dress. The pillowcase dress now fits my youngest so I wanted to make my oldest a simple 4th of July skirt. I still had fabric left over from the pillowcase dress and I knew both my girls would love to match. Here is the tutorial I used as an outline on how to sew this super easy skirt. Dana Made it:  DIY girls skirt Tutorial 

           

    

First you need to take your measurements.

 

Measure the waist

Measure your child’s waist. My child’s waist measured about 24.5 so I rounded up to 25. Take that number and multiply it by 1.5. If you want a fuller skirt, multiply it by 2.

Your measurements : (Child’s waist )X (1.5) = Width of material

My Measurements: (25) X (1.5)=37.5

 

Measure the Length

Measure the length you want the skirt to be. I measured from waist to knees.  Then add 2 inches.

Your Measurements: (Length of skirt) + 2 = Length of material

My Measurements: (12)+ (2)= 14

 

Elastic

The length of the elastic should be about 1/2 shorter that the measurement for the waist. When you overlap the elastic and sew it, the elastic will be about 1 in- 1.5 in. This will all depend on how much you overlap. You want the elastic to be smaller than their waist so it stay up. I originally cut the elastic 1 inch more than the waist measurement. I sewed the elastic together and before closing up the waist, I had my daughter try on the skirt. It was too loose. So I had to rip the seam, cut off some of the elastic, and sew back together.

Your Measurement: (Child’s Waist) – (0.5)= Length of Elastic

My Measurement: (25)-(0.5)=24.5 inches

 

Cut Fabric

Using the measurements, cut out your fabric of choice.

Iron waist and hem

Ironing Waist

From the top of the fabric where the waist will be, fold the fabric in 0.5 in. Make sure you are folding the fabric from the outside (the part of the fabric you want to show) to the inside of the skirt (part of the fabric that will not show). Now iron.

Now fold the fabric  over 1 in again. Make sure to keep the first fold inside the second as you iron. If you were to completely unfold both folds it should total to 1.5 inches.

 

Ironing Hem

The method for the hem is the same concept as ironing the waist. Fold the raw edge from the outside to inside. The first fold will measure 0.25 in. Iron.

Fold fabric over 0.25 in making sure to keep the first fold inside the 2nd fold. Iron. If you completely unfold both folds, it should total 0.5 in.

 

Begin sewing

Sew Inseam

Take your fabric and fold it in half  with the outside facing in. Match the two inseams up. This seam will run the length of the skirt (from waist to hem). Unfold where you ironed the waist and the hem before you sew. You can use pins to hold the fabric in place while you sew. Before you begin sewing, Sew about 0.5 inch into the fabric. I used the guidelines on my sewing machine to sew. *** At the beginning and end of each straight stitch, you will need to back stitch. This will keep the thread from coming undone.

 

Sew Hem

Take the fabric and fold the bottom (hem) to the inside of the skirt. This is where you previously ironed the hem. You should be able to clearly see the crease from where you ironed. The fabric will probably want to turn inside. Make sure you have both creases in. You do not want the raw edge to show. Now sew a straight stitch making sure to keep the raw fabric on the inside of the crease.

 

Sew Waist

Fold the fabric in using the creases as a guideline. Measure approximately 2 in (this doesn’t have to be exact) and mark them with pins. The pins will tell you when to start and stop sewing. You will need to leave a gap so you can feed your elastic into the waist. Make sure not to sew over the pins. I have been told you can sew over them but I have bent my pins doing this and my sewing machine didn’t seem to like it either.

Feed elastic and sew the elastic

Place large safety pins on each end of the elastic. The safety pins will help you feed the elastic into the waist. I just recently learned the tip to use one on each end. I was glad I tried it because as I was trying to adjust the elastic, the back end slipped in the fabric. Normally, I would have to re-feed the elastic back through.

Pull both ends of the  elastic out of the waist so you can get them under your pressure foot.  Remove the safety pins. Overlap the ends about 3/4 in and place under pressure foot. I used a zig zag stitch to hold the elastic. Sew forward and then backwards a couple of times. Now, pull on the waist so that the elastic disappears in the waist.

Now you can close up the gap. Sew the gap that you left open for the elastic.

Hope you find this helpful! If you use this tutorial, please share your creations!

 

 

The best homemade laundry detergent recipe

Homemade Laundry Detergent

 

On our quest to save money, stretch our dollars, we decided to make our own laundry detergent. I have tried and tested many different recipes and this one,is the best homemade laundry detergent recipe.

There are many reasons why I enjoy sharing this recipe.

1. It saves money! Who doesn’t love that? I pay about $29 each time I make it and it will last 8 months+ (I will update when I run out to see exactly how long it lasts)***UPDATE***It lasted 11 months! And that was through potty training! This will all depend on family size, loads, and personal needs to how long this will last but this by far outweighs the cost of store bought brands. I store most of it in a 5 gal bucket and another in a plastic canister on top of my washer.
2. It works! It cleans the clothes efficiently and well.
3. Limits toxin. Before making the switch to homemade laundry detergent, I was using a more natural product (not 100% natural but definitely better than name brand products) called Mrs. Meyer’s (which I still love the smell but needed something cheaper) and before trying to eliminate toxins, I was using the toxin-loaded Tide! Everything in this recipe is toxin free (except the Downy Unstoppables which is completely optional and I am currently looking into alternatives.) Last year, my hubby’s parents invited us to stay a week in their timeshare by the beach. I forgot my laundry detergent so my mother in law let me have a travel size bottle of Tide. I washed a few loads of clothes at the timeshare but each piece of clothing only made it into the washer for 1 load. When we came home, I could smell the heavy Tide fragrance on all the clothes. I didn’t think much about it until it took me about 3 loads for my clothes to start smelling less Tide like. And when I say less Tide like, I mean the smell was still there but just more faint. And that was only after 1 wash!!!!! Can you imagine how much buildup is on your clothes when continually doing your laundry in what we call detergent???
4. HE friendly. It is low sudsing and can be used in any HE washer.
5. Easy to make. I have made the liquid version which is kind of a pain to make and does not work as well. All you do is grate the soap and mix into 5 gal bucket. 

 

About the ingredients

Borax- I have heard both mixed articles about borax being toxic or non toxic. I would stray away from Borax because of the bad rep it had gotten until I understand what is was, how it was derived, and what all the confusion was about.  While I could set here and explain why it isn’t, here is an article that pretty much sums it all up and explains it far better than I could. Is borax safe?

Why use borax in laundry?

It whitens your whites, softens hard water, neutralizes odors, aids in stain removal, and disinfects.

Super Washing Soda- It is a natural occurring mineral also known as sodium carbonate.

How does it help?

It helps whiten your whites, softens hard water, and neutralizes odors.

Baking Soda- Your probably familiar with baking soda also known as Sodium bicarbonate. The science and information is quite lengthy but if you want to know more about baking soda, check out this link. What is baking soda?

How does it work?

Baking Soda is a odor neutralizer, softens clothes, and cuts through dirt and grease.

Oxi Clean- I have seen mixed reviews on Oxi Clean and if it is safe or not. I’ll let you research it and let you decide. If you’re concerned, you could leave this ingredient out. Another alternative would be homemade Oxi Clean. Check it out Jille’s OxyKleen.  I haven’t personally used the homemade Oxi Clean but I have curious to know how it works. So if you try it out, let me know how it works and if it is safe on colors!

How does it help your laundry?

It helps brighten colors, whiten whites, and helps remove stains.

Fels-Naptha- It is a bar of soap specifically made for laundry. I haven’t been able to find a ton of information on Fels-Naptha. I have heard it is a natural product but I usually won’t vouch for that until I have researched it enough to back it up. If you are leery, you could use another type of soap such as Dr. Bronner’s. I have used the Zote and while many have claimed it is natural, the smell alone makes me think Zote isn’t natural.

Downy Unstoppables- The fact that this is made by the same company who makes Tide and the other heavy laden toxic laundry detergents, should probably tell you this is probably not natural. The ingredients listed is perfume dispersant, perfume and dye. Perfume can disrupt your hormones, worsen allergies, linked to cancer and is just bad news. The Purex Chrystals has an even longer list of ingredients so I chose the lesser of 2 evils. This ingredient is completely optional and has no cleaning power. It just gives your homemade laundry detergent a nice smell. I am currently trying to find alternatives. Usually, essential oils are the natural alternative but I have used it with a homemade fabric softener mixed into my homemade laundry detergent (Epsom salt and essential oil) and by itself in the washer and dryer. From my experience, the smell is completely gone by the time I pull it out of the dryer.

Recipe

 

Ingredients

1 box (4lb 3 oz) box of borax

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 (3 lb) Container of OxiClean

2 (5.5 oz) Bars of Fels-Naphta (You can use1 bar of Zote but I don’t like the smell and I don’t think it cleans as well)

1 (4lb) box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

1 bottle of Downy Unstoppables OR Purex Crystals (optional)

*****I recommend using the Downy Unstoppables out of these 2. Downy Unstoppables due to the ingredients. While both are not 100% non toxic, I feel Downy Unstoppables is the better choice. I have also seen others use Scentsy Whiffers but I have no idea how many bottles you need, price, or the ingredients list. I have tried the fabric softner using essential oils and Epsom salt but it does not give a smell so I am seeking other alternatives.

Directions

1. Grate your bars of soap. You can use a hand grater, zester grater, or food processor. I personally prefer to use my food processor since it is easier and shreds it into little pieces. I first run it through the shredder. Then I put the chopping blade in the processor and let it chop the soap into smaller pieces of soap.
2. Combine all ingredients. I dump everything into my 5 gal bucket, put the lid on, and I let the hubby do the heavy lifting 😉 He then rolls and shakes the bucket until all ingredients are evenly mixed.
3. Store away. I store a smaller amount in a plastic container that I picked up at Wal-Mart. The rest of the detergent, I leave in my 5 gal bucket.

To Use

I use 2-3 T per load depending on size and soil level. I use a coffee scoop and store it in the top of the plastic canister. 1 coffee scoop=2 T *

***(T=Tbs) (t=teaspoon)

 

Let me know if you like this recipe, how it works for you, and if anyone knows of natural ways to get a nice smell without using Downy Unstoppables.

 

11 reasons why I make my own Flax Seed Hair Gel

I am here to tell you about a well kept secret called flax seed hair gel. It does wonders for your hair and is super easy to make. I’ll get to why it is awesome in a few mins but first let me tell you why and how I learned about it……

About 2 years ago, we watched a documentary on Netflix called “Chemerical.” The family began ditching their toxic household products for health friendly products. In the beginning, the mother seemed like she was lethargic. After she ditched the toxins, she was brighter, more alert, more energetic and even her skin looked so much better. I thought it was just me, but even my husband noticed the change. She even tells you of how much better she feels. I already knew that our environment exposes us to many toxins but this women was enough proof begin evaluating our cabinets. One of the products they decided to ditch was their hair gel. I think they were using a different recipe but it made me curious to look into alternatives to my own hair gel.

At first, I decided to purchase gel from the health stores but they are always crazy expensive on everything! I then found Vitacost. Vitacost is typically about half the price for their products when compared to my local health stores  but the hair gel I prefered was still $6 for a 7 oz bottle. (I order a lot of my products from Vitacost and love it. I’ll leave a link below for $10 off your first order) I have lots of thick long hair and it requires a lot of product to cover all of my hair. I just couldn’t afford or see myself forking over this much for hair gel of all things.  I actually went all natural for a while but my waves needed some life. And then I found flax seed hair gel.

The Benefits of Flax seed hair gel

1. It’s cheap. I buy my Bob Mills brown flax seeds at Big Lots for $2.00 for a bag. For a 24 oz bag, it will make at least 12 batches of hair gel. I say at least because many people use the flax seeds more than once. You can buy distilled water or use water from the faucet. You only use 1/4 c of flax seeds per batch so that’s a whopping $0.16 for the flax seeds if you choice to use them once and discard. Even if you buy distilled water at $1 a gal, your total cost for the first batch would be $0.28!!
2. It’s super easy to make. If you know how to boil water, you can handle this. It takes maybe 15-20 minutes of your time, depending on how fast water comes to a boil on the stove.
3. It’s toxin free. Have you looked at the ingredients in your hair gel recently??? PEG, alcohol, propylene glycol, PVP, hydrogenated castor oil, synthetic fragrance and probably a lot of things you can’t even read. Flax seed hair gel has 2 ingredients (3 if you add essential oils) and all of them you can pronounce!
4. It doesn’t damage your hair. A lot of the ingredients in the normal hair care products contain a nice chemical smoothie for your hair that causes split ends, breakage, thinning, and it can dry out your hair. Flax seed hair gel does exactly opposite.
5. It improves the health of your hair. It helps promote hair growth, adds shines, nourishes your hair with omega 3s, repairs split ends, and improves your overall health of your hair.
6. It doesn’t dry out your hair. Like I said above, I have wavy hair. The worst thing you can do for curly/wavy hair is to use something that dries out your hair. Almost all of the hair gels I have looked at contain alcohol. Alcohol dries out the hair which leads to split ends, breakage, and dull hair. It also does nothing for your curls.
7. It doesn’t leave your hair crunchy. Every hair gel I have ever used has left my hair crunchy. It might look good but then you would touch it, and it would be hard.  Flax seed hair gel, once dried, leaves your hair soft. After having it in my hair for a day, it is still soft to the touch. It’s almost as if I didn’t have anything in my hair.
8.  It works with my hair and not against it. I used to  blow dry, straighten, and curl my hair because on day 2 of scrunching my hair, there was no way to spritz my hair with water and re-scrunch it because it would make one big tangled mess. After going to bed, it would be so tangled and it would hurt to try to run a comb through it. It would be frizzy, and just horrible. Now, I can work with the beautiful waves God has given me without rewashing or using heat. And it looks just as good as day 1.
9. Long lasting hold. Many days on day 2, I will just run a comb through my hair since a lot of my wave has held after sleeping on it. It gives it almost like a soft beachy waves look. If it has some frizz, I will take a small amount of the gel and use it as a frizz serum. Coconut oil also works well for a frizz serum. Just remember a little goes a long way!
10. It’s all natural. It’s so natural you can eat it, although I don’t recommend it. It probably wouldn’t taste great and you definitely don’t want to go eating it if you add essential oils to it.  You don’t have to read the long list of ingredients making sure they don’t have toxins added. Nor, do you need to spend tons of time researching each ingredient to see if it is harmful to yourself.
11. You can customize the recipe to your specific needs. If your familiar with essential oils, different ones have different benefits. If your not, a quick Google search can help you out. Or you can simply pick a scent that you like. I have seen that many people will add other things such as aloe-vera gel, avocado oil, Vitamin E, and whatever else fits their needs. I personally used the gel with nothing extra added until recently. I have started adding essential oils just for a nice smell and it also helps preserve the gel a little longer.

What you need

Spoon Pot Fine Mesh strainer (or some use panty hose. if you use panty hose, you will need tongs or something to squeeze the gel out of the panty hose) Container ( I use a chip dip glass jar) Bowl to strain flax seeds into if your not using a glass jar that withstand the heat.

Ingredients

2 cups of water from the faucet or distilled water (I have used both and I prefer distilled water or drinking water better but the water from the faucet works fine) 1/4 cup Brown whole flax seeds 2-3 drops of Essential Oils of Choice (OPTIONAL)

Recipe

1. Add water and flax seeds to your pot. Bring to a boil. Stir from time to time to keep flax seeds from sticking to bottom.
2. I usually pull mine off as soon as it begins rapidly boiling and has foam on the top. Remove from heat and strain into bowl or container. Use a spoon to squish the gel out. You can use panty hose instead of a strainer but I prefer using the strainer. If you go with the panty hose method, use tongs to squish out the gel into your container.
3. Discard the flax seeds or store in freezer to reuse for another batch. Allow the gel to cool and add essential oils.
4. Store in fridge for about 2-3 weeks. Mine usually lasts about 2 weeks but there is safe natural preservatives you can add to extend the life of your gel.

Here is a Youtube video that shows how to make the gel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWaH8GIbLrM   Vitacost coupon- $10 for you and $10 for me. (https://www.vitacostrewards.com/LGaL3XL) I hope you guys like it as much as I do, please comment and let me know what you think, have any questions, or any suggestions!