Natural / Homemade hygiene & household goods

[Deleted]

My girlfriend and I have been phasing out a lot of overly processed chemical products from the household...a bit for health reasons, a bit for cost reasons, and a bit for experimental reasons.
Most of the things we've started using have been great (toothpaste, hand cream, eye cream), some a partial success (laundry detergent: g/f loves it, i don't love it), and some not very effective (dish soap).

Some household things like coconut oil and white vinegar are invaluable. Vinegar disinfects and cleans amazingly well...especially when used in conjunction with baking soda. Coconut oil can be used in so many ways, including directly to the skin as an effective moisturizer (and sunscreen).


I thought I'd share the most successful 'recipes' here if anyone else wanted to try some of these things. I'll split up each into its own post and hope others might have their own things to add.

[Deleted]

Toothpaste: This stuff makes my teeth feel great. If i travel for a few weeks (using standard toothpaste) my teeth start feeling a bit fuzzy and I can't wait to get back home to use this.

1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tsp peroxide
4 calcium magnesium capsules (1,000mg capsules emptied into mix)
16 drops stevia
1 tsp salt (we use kosher...if you use table salt I'd cut this to maybe 2/3 tsp)
70 - 80 drops of peppermint oil

mix it up, put in sealed container for storage.

re: storage - the consistency will vary depending on temperature due to the coconut oil. we simply dip our toothbrushes into the mixture, but have also successfully used camping refillable squeeze tubes

[Deleted]

Hand cream: My g/f and her coworker use this year round, I tend to only use it during during the dry winter months. It will be a tiny bit oily initially and fully soak into your skin after a couple of minutes.

10oz shea butter
4Tbs almond oil
1/2 Tbs vitamin E (from vit.E capsules)
1/2 Tbs aloe (from plant)

Shea butter melted in a double boiler, then all ingredients mixed together. Chill the mixture until hardened. Can be used as-is, but we take the extra step to whip it in the blender which results in a more usable texture. This amount lasts us one year in a sealed jar (though I only use 1/2 of the year)

[Deleted]

Eye cream: I've only used it once or twice when we first made this, but my g/f uses it regularly and loves it. She finds that it works well and likes how cheap it is (eye cream can be crazy expensive). We also distributed some at a local swap event and it went over very well.

2Tbs coconut oil
3 Capsules Vitamin E (400IU capsules)
3 Drops Rose Otto essential oil

[Deleted]

Laundry detergent: My g/f has used this for years and really likes it. It's a very cost effective solution, but I may start researching a more effective solution.

1/2 bar of grated soap of your choice
2.5 gallon warm water
1/2 cup washing soda (can be purchased or made by baking baking soda)
1/2 cup borax
20 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)

Melt the grated bar soap in 3-4 cups of water on stove.
In bucket, mix warm water, washing soda, and borax
Add melted soap water (from first step) into bucket and stir
Add essential oil (if using)
Cover and let sit overnight
Stir and pour into sealed containers (mason jars)

Use ~1cup per full load of laundry

[Deleted]

Bathroom cleaner:
1 part baking soda
1 part borax

Mix together and store in jar. (we use a mason jar with a punctured 'shaker' lid)
Use in place of other powdered bathroom/kitchen cleaners

[Griffin]

I used organic coconut oil and salt for a face-scrub but I feel it damage my skin more then actually peeling it. Do you have any recommendation here?

[Winterland]

Great thread idea. I will try to check some of these out. I am all for the more natural options.

[Deleted]

Jan 1, 2015 13:29:50 GMT -6 Griffin said:

I used organic coconut oil and salt for a face-scrub but I feel it damage my skin more then actually peeling it. Do you have any recommendation here?

i know several people that use coconut oil and sugar (perhaps the sugar dissolves more easily and is less abrasive than salt?)

my g/f makes a facial scrub/mud from the following:

1part bentonite clay
1part apple cider vinegar

mix it together and store in a container. apply to face and let it sit while showering and then rinse. alternatively you can apply it and allow it to dry for 15-20 minutes and then rinse it with warm water.

[Griffin]

I will try it, thanks!