Many people are moving over to natural, plant-based, organic personal care products and for good reason! There are many reasons to start making your own products, here are a few:
1.) It is beneficial for your health to limit the amount of exposure of toxic chemicals to the skin.
2.) It is also beneficial to the environment as less toxins will be going down the drains.
3.) You will be producing less waste from bottles and other packages.
4.) Over time, if enough people started doing this it could help put an end to animal testing.
5.) Making your own everyday personal care products can be very economical over time.
6.) It can be fun to customize and experiment with your favorite smells and oils.
7.) Making your own products can bring peace of mind as you know exactly where the ingredients are coming from and – what they are.
At first, when you look at the ingredient lists of these products, you might be thinking well, that stuff is very expensive, how would this be saving me any money? Just keep in mind that only a few of these products are expensive, but they should last you a long time. Luckily, some of the ingredients listed in the products are actually really cheap and will certainly make up for the more expensive ones. Overall, making your own everyday personal care products will save you money 100%.
1.Deodorant
If you are still using anti-perspirant then you should definitely consider some new options! Yes, this stuff does wonders to keep your underarms dry and smelling fresh, but do you ever wonder what happens to the sweat that would have been expelled via the armpits but never was? Our bodies sweat; it is a natural process that assists with the elimination of toxins within the body. Not only do anti-perspirants stop that from happening but they leave aluminum and parabens in its place! Have you ever had a white shirt that eventually gets yellowish colored stains on the under arms? Those are not sweat stains; they are actually caused by the aluminum that is in the anti-perspirant.
For those of you who already use natural deodorant, how well does it work? For me it never has really worked at all except for a few hours after the application. It has a smell, which covers up some odor, but wears off fairly quick and has to be reapplied several times throughout the day. Not only that, but it is fairly expensive as well.
I have heard of homemade deodorant before, but I never really believed that it would work considering that I wasn’t having any success with the natural store bought deodorant. I figured if this worked so well, why wouldn’t these brands that make natural deodorant have figured out the recipe by now? It wasn’t until recently when a friend told me about how well this homemade deodorant actually works, that I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did! It works so well, and I kid you not, it lasts all day! Even through strenuous exercise and hot days in the garden, it is a miracle! And here is the recipe: (from wellnessmama.com)
- 6 T coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (4 T) baking soda
- 1/4 cup (4 T) arrowroot or cornstarch
- essential oils (optional)
Mix all of the ingredients together and then store in a container. In the summer months or in hotter climates this mixture will get very soft and even turn to liquid, so just be aware of that. Apply a small dad to each underarm area and rub it in. That’s it!
2. Toothpaste
Toothpaste is another product that generally contains a lot of chemicals and can be beneficial to switch to a more natural option. Again, many of these natural toothpastes that are available can be quite expensive. Why not make your own?
There are many recipes on the web, but here is one that I found to be economical and works great! Here is the recipe: (from diynatural.com)
- 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1 tsp. fine sea salt (optional – direct application of the minerals in sea salt is great for teeth, but can be left out if the taste is too salty)
- 1 – 2 tsp. peppermint extract or 10-15 drops peppermint essential oil (or add your favorite flavor – spearmint, orange, etc.)
- Filtered water (add to desired consistency)
3. Shampoo
Here is a product that seems to be so complicated as there are literally thousands of different types for literally every single hair type and every single color, dyed hair, natural hair, thick hair, thin hair, flat hair and everything else in between. This recipe is so simple you may not believe it until you try it. Yes, there are many great natural plant based shampoo products available, especially at health food stores. But did you know that you can make your own using one, dirt cheap ingredient?
- Baking soda
That’s it, unless you include water as an ingredient. Simply use between 2 and 4 tablespoons of baking soda mixed with 3 times as much water (depending on length and thickness of your hair) I use a squeeze bottle and it works great! Start on your roots on dry or wet hair and distribute evenly through your hair. You may want to avoid your ends unless they feel particularly greasy. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes and then rinse it all out. There are a few benefits to this:
- Seriously, this definitely one of the cheapest ways to wash your hair.
- You should be able to wash your hair less often.
- This method is all-natural and you won’t be piling gunk and chemicals all over your hair that actually cause it to get greasy over time.
- You will be helping the environment by eliminating the waste produced from shampoo bottles and harmful chemicals that go right down the drain.
Don’t knock this method until you try it! It works great and is well worth a shot!
4. Conditioner
This is pretty much just as simple as the shampoo recipe above, one ingredient only: apple cider vinegar. It may seem strange to put vinegar in your hair after washing it, but this method works exceptionally well especially after washing it with the baking soda method. You will be surprised how well and soft this makes your hair feel, even if it is thick, curly, frizzy or all the above. This treatment even works wonders for those who experience dandruff. You will want to make sure that you use unpasteurized apple cider vinegar to be sure all of the beneficial nutrients are still in tact. Simply put 1 part ACV to 4 parts water into another squeeze bottle or a spray bottle even works well for this and apply all over hair and again wait for a minute or two before you thoroughly rinse off with cool water. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to comb through your hair and how soft and shiny it will be after it dries. Please note that this can leave your hair smelling slightly vinegary, feel free to add a few drops of essential oil to the mixture to help lighten up the vinegar smell.
5. Hand, Face and Body Lotion
Women across the globe spend billions of dollars on skin care products and anti-aging creams annually. Yes, men do too, but nowhere near to the same extent as women, all in the name of beauty. The interesting thing here is that a lot –actually most of the products contain a large amount of chemicals including parabens, and fragrances that are actually very toxic to us. In the pursuit of youthful glowing skin it seems that in some cases we are actually making it worse, less glowing and less elastic. Anything that goes onto your skin goes into your bloodstream as well. So, I think it is safe to say that we shouldn’t be putting anything onto our skin that would be unsafe to ingest. Makes sense right? The same way that what you put in your skin can get into your bloodstream, what you are eating can directly effect the appearance of your skin. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and try out this natural homemade body lotion.
- ½ Cup Coconut Oil
- 1 tsp. Liquid Vitamin E Oil
- 5-7 Drops of Lavender Essential Oil or Rosewater
Combine all ingredients and store in a little jar. A little dab is all that is needed morning, evening or both.
