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| Photo source: goodhousekeeping.com |
Hi friend! I have recently fielded some questions regarding my natural skincare and cleaning regimens, and I realized that it has been a few years since I last updated about these things on my blog. I am still in love with coconut oil and essential oils and natural skincare, but I have added a few things (and tweaked a few things) that I make for personal hygiene and housecleaning that I'd love to share with you!
For almost three years now, my husband and I have been using homemade deodorant. You read that right--deodorant--and we are never going back to the store-bought, chock-full-of-aluminum stuff! I love how I can customize the essential oil profile for him, and me (and neutralize our BO in the process!).
Here's the recipe I use. I found it in this book, which I highly recommend, especially if you are just starting out with essential oils. LOTS of great diffusing recipes in this book, too! Oh, and before I forget, I use Rocky Mountain Oils (RMO, formerly Native American Nutritionals) both for their purity and their fabulous price point.
Absorbant Deodorant
4 T unrefined coconut oil (melted)
4 T baking soda
4 T cornstarch
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops tea tree essential oil
For men: substitute out the lavender and tea tree oils for frankincense and clary sage essential oils
Stir everything together and store your deodorant in a screw-top mason jar (to be applied by your fingers) or an empty deodorant container (or buy new ones here).
For my facial moisturizer, I have added in frankincense for wrinkles to my original recipe, as I talked about here, so my new formula is as follows:
Face Moisturizer
3 T fractionated coconut oil
5 drops lemon, frankincense, and lavender essential oils (each)
I store it in a screw-top mason jar in my bathroom, right beside my jar of straight-up unrefined coconut oil that I use to cleanse my skin with; however, I do not oil pull my teeth anymore (as described before, it is a 20 minute habit that can be time consuming!).
For cleansing my body and shaving, I add essential oils to a wonderful goat milk soap base I buy here (I go in with some friends to buy in bulk and save on shipping!). There are many different types of soap bases to choose from on the site, but my husband likes the goat milk one best for shaving his face, as it is oh-so-moisturizing. Here's our favorite soap recipe, found on Pinterest:
Mock Irish Spring Soap
Cube soap brick and melt down in microwavable container. Let cool a bit and add the following essential oils:
10 drops rosemary
8 drops lemongrass
2 drops geranium
1-2 drops lavendar
Stir and pour into silicone soap molds. Cool.
As far as housecleaning goes, I honestly do most of my cleaning without any sprays now (homemade or otherwise) thanks to Norwex! I dust with their dust mitt, clean bathrooms with water and their envirocloth, and clean mirrors/windows/glass with water and their window cloth. My granite countertops look great after using their kitchen cloths with water and really shine! And these cloths work great on my shiny appliances and stove top. If I do have a stubborn pot to scrub or dirty kitchen sink to clean, I use my friend Kerry's homemade soft scrub:
Kerry's Soft Scrub
3/4 c baking soda
1/4 c liquid castile soap (I now use this one)
15 drops essential oil (I love grapefruit)
1 tsp vegetable glycerin (found here)
This is the same scrub I use for tubs and showers and tile. Oh, and for the toilets, I still stand by my toilet brush and some bubbly baking soda and vinegar.
Now, over the years, I have slowly moved away from making my own laundry detergent and dish detergent, simply because I have had to direct more time and energy toward homeschooling my three children. For laundry soap, I now whole-heartedly recommend Ultra Power Plus (again, from Norwex) for being natural and making whites oh-so-bright! It only requires one teaspoon(!!) to do a load in an HE washer, so the bag will last you a loooong time. Love that!
I still dry my clothes with essential oils (usually lavender or tea tree) on dryer balls, and I have stood by this homemade stain remover for spot-treating soiled clothes for almost three years now:
Homemade Stain Remover ("Shout")
1/2 c Dawn liquid
1 c hydrogen peroxide
1 tsp baking soda
Place all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well before pre-treating stains.
Okay...now on to the kitchen!
For handwashing dishes, I use straight up Sal Suds or Palmolive pure and clear. Easy peesy.
For my dishwasher detergent, I went back to the Aldi-brand tabs (boo me!) because after about 8 months or so of my old recipe, my glasses were starting to look cloudy. I have since learned that if you add some vinegar to the jet-dry dispenser in your dishwasher, that problem might be solved (but I haven't tried it myself). So...I need to find a chemical free, DIY dishwasher tab recipe sometime soon! (Feel free to leave a comment if you have a recipe you like and are willing to share!)
As you can see, all of this is a process of learning and experimenting with what works, and what doesn't work, for you and your family, within your time and budget constraints. All-natural cleaning and skin care can be fun and very affordable though, after the initial investment of some great cleaning cloths and essential oils. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me by leaving a comment or contacting me via Facebook or email! I hope this post was helpful and inspiring to you and yours!
Have a blessed week!
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