DIY: All-Natural Coconut Deodorant For years, deodorant was something I applied every day without question because that’s what society has told us to do since our underarms started perspiring and giving off odor. Then one day a few years ago I did indeed stop to think about what was in my deodorant, and I freaked out! I saw something that looked like this: Active Ingredient: Aluminum Zirconium Tetrachlorohydrex 15.4% Inactive Ingredients: Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Kernel Oil; Stearyl Alcohol; Cyclomethicone; C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate; PPG-14 Butyl Ether; Hydrogenated Castor Oil; Hydrogenated Soybean Oil; PEG-8 Distearate; Fragrance; Hydrolyzed Corn Starch; Behenyl Alcohol After several years of trying to find a good all-natural deodorant that didn’t make me stink or break out in a rash, I finally decided to make my own. All-Natural Coconut Deodorant Prep Time: 5 minutes Cool Time: 15 minutes Ingredients Directions Combine coconut oil, baking soda, cornstarch, and arrowroot in a mixing bowl. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com
Homemade Perfume A fine perfume can have a hundred ingredients — but sometimes simple is just as sweet. While you can make perfumes with combinations of essential oils, or with complex top notes, middle notes, and base notes, a delicate water-based perfume with a floral scent is deliciously direct — and an ideal gift for a romantic at heart. Not to mention that making your own perfume is a way to eliminate the harmful chemicals or preservatives often found in synthetic fragrances, such as phthalates, some of which have been shown to cause health problems. A homemade, all-natural, water-based perfume is the best Earth-friendly option. When making perfume as a gift, it’s important to keep in mind the recipient’s tastes and preferences. Basic supplies for making perfume: 1 1/2 cups chopped flowersCheeseclothMedium-size bowl with lid2 cups distilled waterSmall saucepanWashed and sterilized vanilla extract bottle, or another small colored bottle with a lid or an airtight stopper Instructions for making perfume:
DIY Lengthening Mascara There are oodles of haircare products available. Between oils and deep-conditioners, it's really easy to keep our manes in tip top shape. But what about our eyelashes? They are technically hair as well, and although we love falsies, wouldn't it be nice if your real lashes were super long? If you want long and healthy lashes, look no further, because we've created a DIY lengthening mascara that'll do just that! What You'll Need First, wash an old mascara or nail polish container and fill with: 1/4 of the container with Castor Oil1/2 Vitamin E Oil1/4 Aloe Vera Gel Mix the concoction together as well as you can with your mascara wand. And you're done! While you wait for your own to grow, try out some of these crazy temporary lashes. Also try out some of these fun braids to match your plump new lashes.
Make your own eco bubble bath There has been a lot of talk lately about the potentially harmful chemicals in conventional bubble bath products. As best, most of these products contain sodium laurel sulfates and petroleum by-products. At worst, they also contain known carcinogens like formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. Who wants their baby soaking in that? A better bet is to make your own homemade bubble bath. Ingredients 1 cup green baby shampoo or eco-friendly liquid soap (try California Baby, Earth Mama Angel Baby, or Tom's of Maine)3/4 cup water1/2 - 1 tsp. glycerin Combine baby shampoo or eco-friendly liquid soap, water, and glycerin in a reusable plastic bottle.
5 Simple Beauty Products You Can Make From Coconut Oil Many people who are very choosy about what they eat often forget that their skin is their largest organ, and what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body. Unfortunately, many conventional soaps, lotions and other beauty products are filled with chemicals and toxins. To replace your chemical-laden products with health-sustaining natural ones, all you need is a jar of coconut oil and a few minutes of free time! This superfood isn't just great for better-balanced hormones, and a stronger immune system--it can feed your skin as well, leaving it soft, glowing and youthful-looking. (Not to mention delicious-smelling!) Once you’ve replaced your standard beauty products with coconut oil, you’ll never go back. Here are five easy-to-make beauty products that use coconut oil as a base. Makeup Remover It doesn’t get much easier than this! Deodorant Conventional deodorants and antiperspirants contain aluminum, which has been linked to cancer. Toothpaste Shaving Oil Body Butter
Make your own natural body lotion If you’re tired of all the chemicals and synthetic fragrances in most store-bought creams and lotions, you might want to consider making your own. Most people think that making creams and body lotions is difficult but it’s actually fairly easy. I frequently make my own and give them as gifts to friends and family members who seem to love them. If you can, I recommend that you keep an old blender, a small- to medium-size glass bowl, and a spatula that you use solely for making natural aromatherapy products. Here’s what you’ll need: • 3/4 cup of pure oil (I like sweet almond oil since it absorbs well and doesn’t leave a greasy film. • 1 cup of pure water (or you can use rose water — available in health food stores) • 2 tablespoons of shaved beeswax (most health food stores sell plain beeswax. • 30 drops of essential oils (like lavender, ylang ylang, bergamot, or other oil. • A glass jar or small glass jars for storing the lotion How to make the lotion: That’s it.
DIY Homemade All-Natural Cough Syrup So, here we are, right in the middle of January and flu season is definitely upon us. We've been lucky enough in our family to avoid any seasonal sickness so far this year, but a lot of that luck is probably thanks to the fact that we've been staying in with baby Jack most of the time. If we do end up getting a bit of a sore throat or a cough, this is what I'll be whipping up to get us through it. I used to have a store-bought honey-based cough syrup that I used to use when I was growing up, but why not make your own? Here's what you do! The supplies you'll need: -Honey. -Apple Cider Vinegar (get the unfiltered and unpasteurized kind). -Ground Ginger. -Cayenne Pepper. To make a single dose for yourself, mix together: -1 Tablespoon of Honey -1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar -1/4 Teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper -1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger The great thing about this recipe is that it's totally safe, so you can even add extra of any of the ingredients if you like. Give it a try!
The kitchen spa Help your skin survive unpredictable weather with these two essential steps: exfoliation and moisturization. Skin-cell buildup leads to dryness, poor circulation and blemishes. Exfoliation eliminates these dead cells, revealing fresh skin that is better able to absorb moisture. And guys, take note: While men’s skin tends to be oilier than women’s, men may be more prone to epidermal dehydration. Food: Avocado Purpose: Moisturizer The scoop: Loaded with vitamins A, B, C and E, as well as potassium and fat, avocado is the perfect moisturizer. Recipe: Take a spent avocado peel and using gentle upward strokes, lightly massage your face with the inside of the peel. Food: Cucumber The scoop: Cucumbers contain compounds known to tighten pores and reduce inflammation, which is why they’re the classic choice for minimizing puffiness around the eyes. Recipe: Puree 1 tablespoon each of cucumber and parsley. Food: Oatmeal Purpose: Exfoliant and moisturizer Food: Peach Purpose: Exfoliant Food: Strawberry
Homemade Hair Treatments - At Home DIY Hair Treatments - Womans Day Eggs, yogurt and honey are, at first glance, all components of a tasty breakfast—but they also happen to be hair treatment ingredients, and affordable, all-natural ones at that. And they're not the only ones. Did you know, for instance, that the oils in avocados more closely resemble our own skin's oils than any product in the beauty aisle does? Or that the mild acidity in lemon is an effective—and gentler—alternative to chemical-laden products? Next time your locks need a lift, save money by using one of these kitchen fixes. For All Hair Types "The [raw] egg is really the best of all worlds," says Janice Cox, author of Natural Beauty at Home. To Use: For normal hair, use the entire egg to condition hair; use egg whites only to treat oily hair; use egg yolks only to moisturize dry, brittle hair, Cox says. Photo by Shutterstock. For Dull Hair To Use: Massage 1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt into damp hair and let sit for 20 minutes. For Itchy Scalp For Limp or Fine Hair For Frizzy Hair
Homemade Liquid Hand/Body Soap Frugal Home Series Part 4: Homemade Liquid Soap Today's tutorial isn't for anything that includes borax, vinegar, or soda of any kind. No, it's liquid soap. Did you know you can make a gallon of liquid soap from just 8 oz of bar soap? Yep, it works. My Grandma gave my sister and I a Philosophy gift set with body wash, hand cream, a bar of body soap, perfume, and lotion. Have you ever used Philosophy products? Love it, but I love the food in our fridge and the roof over our head a little more. You need:8 oz of bar soap (Any bar. 1 gallon (or 16 cups) of waterStock PotContainer for soap (trusty milk jug for me!) When all is dissolved, you will have what looks like soapy water. Take off the heat and let cool/coagulate for 10-12 hours. It should be like thick snot now. Funnel into container and you are in bid-naz! I found Dial Men's care bars- $2 for 3 bars for my husband. *Edit 3.26.12 Yes, the soap is going to be a little "snotty", no matter how much water you add.