Oh….Birthdays!!! I love them, don’t you? I created Healing Harvest Homestead in July, 2016. However, I didn’t do much with it for about six months, and I started it only for fun. I look upon that date as its conception date.

My website’s REAL birthday is January 13, 2017 (which is also my birthday). That’s about when I began taking my blog seriously, trying to add better content, grow it up, and have a lot of fun with it. That means Healing Harvest Homestead is two years old this January! Happy Birthday!

I have to say a big, huge ‘Thank You,” to YOU, my reader! And especially to my newsletter subscribers—-you all make my day! I love you! Thank you for the continued great feedback and love. I couldn’t keep writing without you. You guys ROCK!

This year, I thought I would compile an article about the top posts on the blog in three different ways: 1) as far as Google search is concerned; 2) as far as you, my readers write in about or share on Pinterest; and 3) I’m also making a short list of my personal favorites, which were written as a labor of love and effort, but maybe were just not that popular.

I hope you enjoy these lists of favorites, and if you’ve missed any of them, please stop in and take a look! Also, don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter and get immediate access to the growing Resource Library if you haven’t done so already! :-)

FTC Disclosure: There may be affiliate links scattered throughout this article. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Healing Harvest Homestead is two! Here are the most popular articles on the blog for it’s second year: 2018. Enjoy these soap making, home remedies, preparedness, and herbalism articles that will help you along in your self-reliant journey…No matter… — Healing Harvest Homestead is two! Here are the most popular articles on the blog for it’s second year: 2018. Enjoy these soap making, home remedies, preparedness, and herbalism articles that will help you along in your self-reliant journey…No matter where you live! #mostpopular #articles #healingharvesthomestead #prepping #preparedness #handmadesoap #homeremedies

Most Popular Posts for 2018 According to Google Search

Ohhhh, Google Search. So many bloggers spend HOURS on SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and truly it’s an art. I haven’t purchased any of the fancy tools or spend time on keyword searching, etc. I know these are good strategies to use, but I’ll be honest: I don’t really understand it very well. If you haven’t guessed: I am NOT technical at all. I just like to write.

And because of this huge Google update in August, my articles that are listed here don’t rank as well as they did. Google is deciding to not promote or “rank” natural health bloggers as highly any longer. What a bummer this is for me.

So, it will be very interesting to see what happens with Healing Harvest Homestead in 2019. I hope you’ll remember Healing Harvest Homestead whenever you are searching for herbal, foraging, or essential oil information and come here directly if you can! :-)

Anyhow, here are my top ranked articles, according to Google’s data:

1) INSANE Things You Must Know About Frankincense Essential Oil (And How to Use It)

If you want to know all about Frankincense essential oil and how to use it, this is the article for you! I also have articles about other popular and useful essential oils on the blog. Just search (using the little magnifying glass) INSANE, and they will all come up for you!

My latest “Insane” article is about how to use Ginger essential oil!

2) Can You Make Handmade Soap Without Lye? (The Secret to Soaps)

This was a fun article to write! As a natural soap maker, I get asked this ALL the time! People are afraid to work with lye, at least at first, and this question is one of the top ones asked by new soap makers. In this article, you will learn all about a great alternative: Melt & Pour!

If you’ve been wanting to start making your own handmade soap but don’t want to use lye, check out this article!

If you are ready to jump into making handmade soap, there are lots of articles on the blog with all kinds of recipes. You might enjoy this Goat Milk & Honey Hot Process recipe!

3) How to Make the BEST Natural Decongestant That Really Works

Have you wanted or needed a decongestant lately?

Well, here is my best and favorite recipe for natural decongestant you can make at home with easy and simple ingredients!

You may also enjoy this two-ingredient natural Cough Syrup recipe!

4) Recipe for Sexy Wild Man Hot Process Soap

The fact that this one is one of the top ranking posts just cracks me up! This is a soap recipe I used to sell in my Etsy shop many years ago, and it was one of my most popular soaps! Besides the catchy name, the actual soap recipe is just amazing.

Anyhow, if you are starting to think about potential Valentine’s Day gifts for your man, you might just want to check out this hot process soap recipe!

There are LOTS of others over on the blog, too!

5) What are the BEST Essential Oils for Wrinkles & Scars?

This is also a question I get asked about fairly often. So, I wrote about the eight best essential oils you can add to your body products to help with scarring and wrinkles and also aging. These essential oils will help you look your best!

Also included in the article are ways to use them! If you are into making your own handmade skin care items, this is a must read!

NOTE: Want access to Healing Harvest Homestead’s growing Resource Library? It’s free! Just complete the form below to subscribe!

Handmade soap making is a popular topic right now! It’s easy! I think everyone should either make (or buy) natural soaps. It’s better for you!

6) The BEST Essential Oils for Handmade Soaps

If you are a natural soap maker, then you know that you need to use essential oils for scenting your soap. Fragrance oils just won’t cut it. You can read more about the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils in this article.

When you use scent in soap making, you need to use a good amount, or else why bother? In this article, I’ve listed the 20 Best essential oils for soap making based on their effectiveness as well as cost in this article.

7) How to Make Your Own Natural Quikclot (Stop Bleeding FAST!)

This article is about natural first aid and is great for homesteaders, survivalists, preppers, or any person who is in a situation where they get hurt and need to stop a wound from bleeding.

Quikclot is a commercial first aid item you can buy, but did you know you can make your own using some simple ingredients? It’s true! So, here is how you can make your own Quikclot.

And there are other preparedness articles on the blog to enjoy too!

8) 18 Necessities I Never Buy at the Store Anymore, and What I Do Instead

I loved writing this article way back in 2017! It was really neat to step back and think about all the things I don’t buy. I recently wrote an updated version, and this article actually has over 50 things I never ever buy at the store any more!

If you are curious about how to become more self-reliant from the stores, you’ll love these two articles!

9) Deodorant: Is it Really OK to Use? And My Recipe for the BEST Natural Deodorant That Really Works!

I am very passionate about using as much natural skincare as I can. Your armpits are important, my friend! You have lymph nodes right there, and this is where babies in the womb tend to hang out.

Deodorant is a BIG deal, because there are so many toxic chemicals in them. You’ll find out all about those along with a great handmade deodorant recipe in this article!

And if you want to take a look at a divine summer deodorant, try this Mango-Spearmint and Lime Deodorant Recipe!

It’s fabulous!

10) How to Make Your Own Handmade Soap Using the Hot Process Soap Method

I think this may have been my very first article on how to make handmade hot process soap! It’s quite detailed, and has some good pictures for reference.

If you want to make your own handmade soap, then you’ll love this article to help get you started!

And actually, this article shares my no-fail perfect soap recipe that’s started many ladies off in their own soap making businesses!

Homemade deodorant is SO easy to make. AND it’s better for you, too!

My Own Personal Favorite Posts on Healing Harvest Homestead in 2018

1) Don’t Eat That Meat!

I have become pretty passionate about how dangerous and sickening our modern American food industry is. When did we start viewing animals as simply products? Especially in terms of how the big food industry treats them? Can you say abuse?

I hope you’ll read this article. People deserve and need to know about how the meat in grocery stores is processed. THEN make a decision. Most people have no idea what goes on behind the scenes of those plastic wrapped, shot up packages of meat in the stores.

2) 15 Catastrophes That Will Happen Again: Are You Ready?

One of the topics I write about on Healing Harvest Homestead besides homestead skills is about being prepared. The thing is, unless we know about the potential things that could happen, it’s just too easy to put off this necessity.

In this article, I have researched a list of disasters that have happened before in our earth’s history, and that means they could happen again. It’s an interesting read, if nothing else.

3) 10 Money Saving Tips From Survivors of the Great Depression

This article was fun to write because I actually spoke with some folks who got to live through the Great Depression, or saw the aftermath for years afterward as young children. The Depression shaped a whole generation of our country, giving them values and principles it would be wise to remember nowadays.

4) 140+ Items You Need in Your Emergency Storage

This is a pretty comprehensive list of ideas, large and small, for things you’ll want to consider adding to your readiness plan and storage.

It’s a great article to print out and check things off as you get them. Hey! I think I’ll be adding that checklist to the Resource Library!

You’ll enjoy reading about the 140 Emergency Items you should have in your home!

5) How to Become an Herbalist

There is a growing interest in learning how to use natural remedies and plants for our health. Many people these days can’t afford insurance (raising hand) because perhaps they fall through the age and retirement “crack.”

Or maybe they are simply not in a job that supplies insurance, and don’t make enough money to afford it. I know of several young couples in this situation. I know of many other folks who are ONLY working at their job for the insurance.

(Biting tongue here—-I feel a rant coming on, and I do not want to do this to you…..) Ahem.

At any rate, I get LOTS of emails from people who have difficulty affording the medicines they need to take, or the insurance, or the doctor bills….or they have simply learned a mistrust of our medical and pharmaceutical system.

So. I wrote this article for people who ask how they can learn to use herbs.

Here is my homemade super simple cough syrup made with just two ingredients!

And…the series, How to Start Using Herbs:

I started this series for the same reasons as above. I want you to have a simplified way to start using herbs for your own (and your family’s) health. It’s about halfway done, and here are the articles I have right now:

How to Start Using Herbs Part 1: Which Herbs to Choose, Where to Get Your Herbs, How to Dry and Store Herbs Properly

How to Start Using Herbs Part 2: Are Herbs Safe? And General Guidelines for Dosing Herbal Remedies

How to Start Using Herbs Part 3: An Overview of Herbal Preparations and Tools for the Herbalist

How to Start Using Herbs Part 4: Herbal Water Infusions: Teas, Infusions, and Decoctions

How to Start Using Herbs Part 5: Stronger Infusions—Tinctures, Acetums, Glycerites

How to Start Using Herbs Part 6: Sweeter Infusions—Oxymels, Syrups, Infused Honeys

And there are more on the way!

Elder flower tincture——just beautiful! AND it will keep you well!

Final Thoughts on Favorite Posts from Healing Harvest Homestead from 2018

It’s so incredible to look back on this last year and see how far and how much the website and blog have grown! It’s really just amazing.

I say this because I am a grandmother who has few computer skills. Keep in mind, when I was in high school, calculators were brand new! In fact, I had to buy a calculator for a math class my senior year, and it cost over $100! For a calculator!

Our school got a computer lab my senior year as well, which I did not get a chance to take advantage of. When I entered college, most students did not use computers. A few years later, computer classes on basic 1’s and 0’s, the binary system, were being taught….but I never understood a thing.

Yep. So when I think back on what this blog has become, in as good of a way as I have been able, I have to say: Happy Birthday, Healing Harvest Homestead! You’re two!!!

HHH is still a baby, and although it’s certainly not a fancy website or professionally done like the “bigger” bloggers, I am very proud of this child of mine. What better way to get over Empty Nest Syndrome than starting a blog? :-)

If you’d like to start a blog, please check out my section on starting a blog. It will help you get going, even if you lack computer knowledge, like I do.

Hugs, Health, and Self-Reliance,

Heidi

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I love my friends, the herbs and essential oils.

Most Popular Self-Reliance & Homesteading Posts from Healing Harvest Homestead for 2018!