DIY Homemade Deodorant

I've been very reluctant to make my own deodorant. I found it much easier to give up shampoo and put honey in my hair. Switching to an all natural deodorant has been the last frontier of crunchiness for me. It took a while for the ickyness of traditional deodorant to out weigh my fear of being sweaty.

Well, thankfully my sweatyness level is pretty much the same with my homemade stuff. I'm still sweating a bit but it's similar to how I did with typical deodorant. Making my own deodorant is now a way of life & I'm not going back to the store bought stuff. (And no, I don't stink.)

So my main reason for making deodorant for myself? Traditional deodorant is BAD. The main ingredient in store bought deodorant is aluminum which is linked to breast cancer and Alzheimer's. Aluminum mimics estrogen which can mess up your hormone levels. I have a family history of Alzheimer's so I've been aware of the link to aluminum for many years but only as I've gotten older have I started looking for ways to cut down my own aluminum exposure.

I've made a couple of different homemade recipes. This one from the Purposed Heart worked pretty well but had complicated ingredients & irritated one of my pits. The other was fine so I guess I have weird pits.

I've researched a lot of recipes and ingredients and today I'm sharing the most simple & frugal I've found. I use arrowroot powder instead of cornstarch as it's much less irritating to my pits. If you don't have it on hand you can go ahead and try the recipe with cornstarch but just be warned.

Simple Deodorant

1/4 c. baking soda

1/4 c. arrowroot powder or cornstarch 

5 Tbsp. coconut oil

Essential oils (optional – I used 2 drops tea tree as it's antibacterial and 3 drops lavender for a nice scent)  *Don't use citrus oils as they can promote hair growth which you probably don't want to encourage in your pits.

Mix it all together in a small container. You may need to warm the coconut oil if it's not soft at room temperature. Pour the mix into a small plastic bowl and place it in the refrigerator to harden. After it hardens it will pop out of the bowl for easy use. I leave it in my fridge all the time since I prefer to keep it cool. I just pop it out to rub on my pits in the morning. The coolness feels refreshingly good during the summer. If you leave it at room temperature it will be soft and you can scoop it onto your fingers and sensually rub it into your pits.
In the winter I may experiment with pouring the deodorant mix into a cleaned out deodorant container. The weather has to remain cooler for the coconut oil to remain solid like a traditional deodorant.

Have you tried to make your own deodorant? Are you willing to try?

This post has been linked to: Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Mama Moments Monday, Living Green Tuesdays, Works-for-Me-Wednesday, The Morris Tribe, Homestead Barn Hop, Make Your Own Mondays, Women Living Well, Your Green Resource

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

I make a lot of things from scratch because it's usually easy, cheap and better for the earth and my family. It's taken me a long time to find an easy dishwasher detergent recipe that I was happy with because I didn't know where to find citric acid and didn't want to mess with my own essential oils. Lemi-Shine has solved my problems with this. 

This recipe is super easy- only four ingredients that you can find at most stores. I'm pleased with how safe it is for my family too. I'm not too worried if my little ones were to decide to break the child lock & get into this stuff since reading that Crunchy Betty's neice ate some of this detergent with no ill effects.

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 cup Lemi-Shine
1/2 cup kosher salt

Mix it all up in a small bowl and store in an attractive bottle from Goodwill. To Use: fill your dishwasher soap well with it each time you do a load of dishes. Fill your dishwasher rinse aid with white vinegar to avoid water spots.

You may notice I paid $1.48 for this triangle glass bottle from Goodwill. I bought it years ago for a different project and it sat unused on a laundry shelf. It now fits just right under my sink holding my detergent.

Fun With Our Homemade Sprinkler

Let me start by saying this homemade sprinkler is not my own invention. I was unfortunately not blessed with much of a crafty gene. I found the idea for this sprinkler over a year ago on Pinterest but I can't remember what blog it came from. 

My eldest, Zane loves playing with water so when I mentioned making our own sprinkler out of a 2 liter bottle he was very excited. 

It's really quite simple. You poke holes with a push pin all over the bottle and then use duct tape to attach it to your garden hose. Turn on your water and the bottle will fill up and spray water out the holes.

My younger boys were happy to run through the water but not Zane. He was not content to leave our sprinkler in one place and kept moving the bottle around the yard.  He really wanted it to spray him while he was swinging so he worked hard to balance it above the swing.

The bottle sprinkler stayed above the swings for a while but eventually kept falling. It's not so easy to keep a bottle full of 2 liters of water balanced on a board. Zane was still pretty happy when the bottle was hanging down as it was still spraying the swings.

Simple, frugal and easy- just how I like my kid projects!

Lavender Lotion Bars

It's the time of year when I'm looking for that perfect gift to show the people who teach my kids how much I appreciate them. Most years I try to personalize the gift by making it myself or with my kids. This year I made lavender raw sugar scrub and lavender hard lotion bars.  The sugar scrub is something I've made for myself many times but this was the first year I gave it away to others. The hard lotion bars were an experiment that turned out great and I'll definitely make more for my family.

Hard Lotion Bars

3 oz Coconut Oil

3 oz Shea Butter

3 oz Beeswax, grated

optional essential oils (max recommended is 5 drops per oz)

First I grated the beeswax since I had a big bar of it. Then I melted the coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax together in a small pot on low. The recipe called for a double boiler but I don't have one. I kept my burner on it's lowest setting and that worked fine.

After the mix was completely melted I removed it from the burner and let it cool a few minutes. Then I added about 10 drops of lavender essential oil. I poured the mix into my cupcake pans and it quickly solidified. I stuck the pans into my freezer which made it very easy to pop out the bars once they were cold.

Here they are, my fabulous Lavender Hard Lotion Bars! Once I explained what they were to my kids they each wanted one of their own. My 7yr old Braden has eczema so enjoyed rubbing his dry spots with his bar. My 10yr old Zane has dry hands from his constant hand washing and the bar is working better for him than lotion. Zane has sensory issues and doesn't like the feel of lotion so he much preferred using the lotion bar.

I wrapped up five of them for teacher gifts. I folded each bar up in parchment paper and then wrapped it in raffia and added a beautiful label made by my friend Karen.

Now my teacher gifts are ready to go! I used brown lunch sacks and placed one lotion bar and one jar of sugar scrub in each bag for each teacher. I had five teachers gifts in all between my three kids.

You can learn more about making hard lotion bars from The Lotion Exchange e-books and find ingredients at Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon.

Natural Hair Lightener

The older I get the less blond I am. My hair has always been blond, from the white blond of my childhood to the the honey blond of adulthood. Now that my thirties are upon me my blondness is darker than I'd like yet I still don't want to do anything unnatural to my hair.

One of my favorite books on making your own beauty treatments is Natural Beauty from the Garden by Janice Cox. She recommends chamomile, lemon juice and vodka as natural hair lighteners; honey works too.

Here's what I put together:

Natural Highlight Spray
1 cup strongly brewed chamomile tea
1 T lemon juice

Mix together and pour into a small spray bottle.  I didn't have any vodka on hand as I used all of mine making vanilla extract but you can also add 1 T of vodka to this mix.

Spray or comb through damp hair every morning before heading outside and gradually the sun's rays will naturally lighten your hair over time.

DIY Laundry Detergent

I started making my own liquid laundry detergent years ago but eventually stopped because I didn't like "cooking" it or having an open bucket of detergent in my laundry room. Here's an easy, frugal, "no-cooking" recipe for making your own powdered laundry detergent that I like better.

1 bar of Fels-Naptha laundry soap, grated
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax

I grated the bar of soap first, let it sit overnight to dry out then placed it in my food processor to chop it up. (I prefer it to be as chunk-free as possible.) Next I added the washing soda & borax to the processor and pulsed a few times. Then I poured it the detergent into a pretty glass jar I picked up at Goodwill. To use: add 1-2 Tablespoons to your laundry depending on size & dirtiness of your load.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

I had the opportunity to travel to the spice islands of Indonesia last year and I came home with lots of fun memories and some vanilla beans. They were cheaper there than in the United States and looking back I wish I'd bought a lot more. I didn't know then what I would do with them but once I found out how easy it is to make your own vanilla extract I was so glad I had the beans. As with most homemade items this is wonderful stuff and adds great flavor to your baked goods.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
8oz glass jar with a tight fitting lid
3 medium or 1.5 large vanilla beans
vodka (or any liquor more than 40% alcohol)

Sterilize the glass jar in the dishwasher or boiling water. Slice the vanilla bean with a sharp knife lengthwise to expose the seeds. Place the beans in the jar and cover with liquor. Close the jar tightly and shake a few times. Place it in a cool, dark place- I used the back of a cabinet.  Leave the beans in the liquor for 8 weeks but shake the jar once or twice every week.
After 8 weeks remove 20% of the liquid, about 1.5 oz of beautiful vanilla extract. Top off the original jar with more liquor and shake again. You can add 1 or 2 more vanilla beans a year to the jar and if you keep "feeding" in this way the extract will last forever. You can remove the older beans when the jar gets too crowded.

Nicole & Joe in Bali, Indonesia

Clean Hair Without the Chemicals

HAIR-RAISING CHEMICAL FACTS & WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT

I’ve never liked chemicals.  Perhaps I’m more aware of them since my dad is a chemist. I know there are “good” chemicals, but I’m more of a pessimist and tend to focus on the icky ones that come in contact with my kids or myself.

My MBA focused on marketing so I often think about how products are positioned & what’s real versus what’s advertising. As I started paying more attention to the ingredient lists of my personal care products, I started thinking & researching what those long words really mean. What I found is that most of them are dangerous & unsafe.

According to "Skin Deep," a 2004 study and ranking of 7,500 cosmetic products published by the Environmental Working Group (EWG.org), 100% of shampoos tested contained ingredients that have not been assessed for safety by either the Cosmetic Industry Review panel (an industry body) or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is charged with regulating cosmetic ingredients.

Other hair-raising facts

•  69% percent of hair-dye products may pose cancer risk
• 76% percent of conditioners contain ingredients that are allergens
• 93% percent of shampoos possibly contain harmful impurities linked to cancer or other health problems.

The safest thing to do is choose hair-care products that are free of the following “Top Four” hazardous chemicals.

1. Phthalates: These chemicals get covered up on labels by the general term "fragrance," which the FDA permits to protect "trade secrets." Our fingernails, skin and lungs readily absorb Phthalates. Studies have found that phthalates can lead to liver cancer and birth defects in lab animals. One study from the University of Minnesota, published in the May 2005 Environmental Health Perspectives, found a connection between phthalates and genital abnormalities in baby boys. They found that mothers with high levels of phthalates gave birth to boys with one or more developmental issues. Definitely something to stay away from when pregnant!

2. Parabens (methyl-, propyl-, ethyl- and butyl): Some studies have shown that parabens mimic estrogen in rodents; the chemicals also have been shown to stimulate growth of human breast-cancer cells in the lab.

           

3. Coal Tar appears in many hair dyes and strong dandruff and psoriasis shampoos and has been linked to cancer in lab animals.

4. Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a powerful detergent and attacks greasy surfaces and probably the most dangerous ingredient used in skin and hair-care products. SLS is used in 90 percent of products that foam, including cleansers, shampoos, shower gels and bubble baths. In the cleaning industry SLS is used as a commercial garage floor cleaner, engine degreaser and car-wash soap. SLS is a harsh skin irritant that may also result in the formation of potentially carcinogenic nitrates and dioxins. Animals exposed to SLS experience eye-damage, central nervous system depression, labored breathing, diarrhea, severe skin irritation and even death.

WHAT I DO

I buy Tea Tree Tingle shampoo, conditioner & body wash at Trader Joe’s for my family, as I know its SLS free.

For myself, I stopped using shampoo & conditioner last year. Yup, I’m ‘poo free. So what do I do? I do something I learned from Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living  by Tsh Oxenreider (SimpleMom.net).

Here’s what I wash my hair with:

 

Hair Cleanser:

1 Tablespoon baking soda

1 Cup water

Mix together in a squirt bottle & keep in the shower.  It can take a few weeks for your scalp to adjust to not being stripped of its natural oils.  I only need to wash my hair 2-3 times week and my hair feels very clean.

Hair Clarifier:

1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Cup Water

Mix together in a squirt bottle & keep in the shower.  Use this is in place of your conditioner.

I dare you to try it for a month and be faithful... see how much you love your new hair . 

[For more information on going shampoo free, visit http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html or http://simplemom.net/how-to-clean-your-hair-without-shampoo/]

[For more information on chemicals found in personal care products, visit http://www.EWG.org.]

  

Home Beauty with Honey

One of my absolute favorite at home beauty treatments is a Honey Hair Pack. I first learned about using honey on my hair about 9 years ago from the book Natural Beauty at Home by Janice Cox.

Honey is an all natural product you can find at any grocery story & it has some wonderful beauty uses at home.  It contains many vital vitamins and minerals and it's high potassium content make it nearly impossible for bacteria to survive in it. Honey gives dry or damaged hair back it's moisture, color, body & shine.  Honey can have a lightening effect on hair over time so if you've got dark hair I'd recommend trying molasses instead.  Try a honey hair pack once a week!  I love to use honey on my dark blond hair & I recommend you give it a try too!

First comb through your hair with a wet comb to get your hair slightly damp. Be sure to wear a button up shirt or robe as you don't want to get honey on your shirt. Next drizzle about 1/2 cup of honey all through your hair and then put on a shower cap or wrap your head in plastic wrap and wait 20-30 minutes. Don't worry about the stickiness as it will easily wash out of your hair.  I love to sip a hot beverage & have some quiet reading time while waiting.  Finally you wash & condition your hair as normal.  Easy, frugal & good for you!

Do It Yourself Foaming Hand Soap

Here’s my easy & frugal solution to making my own foaming hand soap.

1 foaming soap bottle

1 part water

1 part (SLS free) body wash (I like Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Body Wash) or Dr. Bronner’s liquid Castile Soap

Add water and soap in equal measures to a bottle and mix or shake. It may take a few squirts for the soap to thoroughly dilute. That’s it! Easy-peasy, right?