Do-it-yourself recipes

Below you will find a little recipe tested by the LaStanzaBio girls for a cream deodorant. Here is what Gioia and Silvia tell us: 'We use it every day and I must say that it works! The consistency is supposed to be similar to normal cream deodorants, and if you want, you can carry it in your handbag using a mini box like the one used for cream glosses, for example."

Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? Resia is a valley located in the easternmost corner of Friuli, nestled between Austria and Slovenia. It is home to a unique population in terms of language and culture, expressed through music, dances, traditions, and truly special folk festivals! In our language (Resian), "Val Resia" means Valley of Flowers. The valley is indeed an explosion of colors and scents from over 1200 plants (species and subspecies) found in the area, some of which are endemic.

To represent it, I chose a combination of colors and ingredients:

Brown to celebrate the land: rich and generous.

The central yellow flower to symbolize some of these flowers: St. John's wort, arnica, primroses, dandelion, goldenrod, calendula...

Honey, castor wax, lavender, and almonds: precious gifts from my beloved land.

Recipe candidate for the "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" (Soaps and Oxen from Your Own Country) self-production competition. Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"?

A small village nestled on a hill at 650 meters above sea level, adjacent to the Pollino National Park, with fewer than a thousand inhabitants, far from other urban centers, 70 minutes from the sea, distant from train stations, airports, universities, and so on. This humble soap was created to highlight the naturalness, richness, and sweetness in the poverty of our region.

The naturalness of our APPLES: small, ugly, and nameless apples, but naturally flavorful and beneficial.

The richness of the POMEGRANATE: those stolen from the orchard at the end of the village to be sold at the fair on the third Saturday of October, gathering 50 lire for each fruit. "What richness?" But the wealth is in the fruit, rich in minerals, vitamins, beneficial substances for the body (flavonoids, antioxidants, and various types of active acids).

The sweetness of HONEY: the one we all have in the pantry and in the drawer of our memory, the one that grandma obtained from a beehive found on a tree in the countryside.

OLIVE OIL: the best defense against allergies or other skin irritations that can occur from using industrial soap.

Recipe submitted to the "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi" self-production contest. Why does it represent the proverb "Saponi e buoi dei paesi tuoi"? This soap draws inspiration from the beauty of Baltic amber, the roses of Polish gardens, and the natural honey from Polish bees. I would describe this soap with three adjectives: elegant, romantic, and delicate. It embodies the perfect combination of ingredients capable of awakening three senses of our body: the touch of amber powder, the scent of roses, and the taste of honey. Amber, attributed with magical characteristics, reminds me of the elegant and mysterious beauty of the Baltic Sea. The precious amber powder is used as a luxurious exfoliant, making the skin softer and smoother. Rose essential oil is known for its moisturizing, firming, and skin-repairing properties. Its wonderful scent will give you a feeling of happiness, thanks to its antidepressant properties. Additionally, rose petals create a refined composition with amber powder. Honey has relaxing, emollient, and soothing properties. This fantastic liquid gold will help keep your skin hydrated and fresh.

There are those who have tried to adopt a bat, those who have chosen ultrasound as the soundtrack for the summer, those who saturate the air or spread substances of all kinds everywhere.

Mosquito-repellent stoves, mosquito coils and candles are among the most common furnishing elements in Italian gardens. Among the most voted natural there are those who sew a mosquito-repellent hat or there are those who prefer to use Neem oil on the skin. It is completely natural, it guarantees good protection from attack by mosquitoes (even tigers) but gives off an unpleasant smell (a pity that it is not only for mosquitoes!).

But are there natural remedies against mosquitoes, effective and even pleasant? Of course yes!

Some plants and the essential oils extracted from them can be a valid remedy against these annoying insects.

In fact, numerous plants generate scents to attract insects to make them participate in pollination, but others, on the other hand, produce aromatic substances to drive them away: real insect-repellents and even insecticides capable of disturbing their nervous system or their enzymatic processes. These are essential oils, aromatic substances produced by the metabolism of the plant which are found in the form of tiny droplets in the leaves, resins, branches, wood, flowers, roots, peel and which are then extracted from the fresh plant generally with the technique of distillation in steam current.

Essential oils interfere with insects' sensory organs via chemical messages. By sending their "radar" haywire, the mosquitoes are no longer able to find their target ... that is us, so that we can enjoy these beautiful summer evenings without worrying about getting intoxicated!