DIY Natural Products

Toothpaste

Mineralizing toothpaste— 6 tbsp unrefined coconut oil, 3 tbsp Bentonite Clay Powder, 3 tbsp baking soda, 1 tsp Xylitol, 1/2 tsp peppermint or wintergreen essential oil.  Place all ingredients into a medium sized bowl and mix until well combined. Store in glass jar and your ready to use this toothpaste

A Simple Toothpaste– just use baking soda

Shampoo and Body Wash

• 1/2 cup Dr. Bronner’s – Pure-Castile Liquid Soap Lavender.
• 1 water
• 1 teaspoon of Vitamin E oil
• 30 drops of your favorite essential oils.
• Put into Foaming Dispenser

Clarifying shampoo– add a pinch of baking soda to the above body wash/shampoo recipe and mix them together in your hands, then lather and rinse.

For dandruff-  lightly spritz apple cider vinegar onto your scalp after shampooing. Massage it into the scalp, then style as usual. Dandruff is a scalp fungus and ACV kills this fungus.

To balance the pH of hair and face -you can lightly spritz both with apple cider vinegar.

Deodorant

Magnesium Oil Spray works as a natural deodorant and also provides magnesium to the body by way of absorption thru the skin.  This bottle will last for a very long time.

Skin Care

Clarifying Mask– 1 tsp of honey mixed with 1 tsp of baking soda.  Mix together and leave on for 10 minutes, then rinse.

Skin Brightening Mask- 1 tsp honey with 1 tsp of ground turmeric powder. Leave on for 10 minutes and then wash off with warm water.

Body cream

• 1/2 cup jojoba oil
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup beeswax
• 1 tsp vitamin e oil
• 2 T Shea butter
• 2 T cocoa butter
• essential oils

Add all ingredients except for vitamin E and essential oils into double boiler and melt together.  Remove from heat and allow to cool while continuing to stir.  Add vitamin E and essential oils as it begins to solidify, stir together and then pour into desired containers.

Lighten scars:

Cold Pressed Castor Oil applied to scars can lessen their appearance.  One drop of castor oil can also be used to heat-proof the hair, moisturize the skin, and lengthening your eyelashes.

Aromatherapy

• Lavender Essential Oil
• Distilled water
• Vodka
• Empty Glass Bottle Atomizer
• Put 10 drops of your favorite oil into atomizer, then fill 1/2 way with vodka and the other half with distilled water.  Shake before use.  I like to use lavender at bedtime and orange as a pick me up during the day. These make nice gifts too.

Supplements

Magnesium oil spray-  It is estimated that 75% of Americans are deficient in Magnesium which plays an important role in cell health and is an active component in more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body such as normal muscle and nerve function, keeping the heart rhythm steady, support a healthy immune system, and strengthening bones. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis. There is an interest in the role that magnesium plays in preventing and managing hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer development.  Symptoms of deficiency include twitching and tremors of muscles, irritability, lethargy, insomnia, confusion, reduced memory, reduced learning capacity, and heart issues.

1/2 cup of Ancient Minerals Magnesium Bath Flakes. Don’t use Epson salts, it is not the same product.  You don’t want this to come in contact with metal during the mixing process so put the flakes into a glass bowl then add the boiling water and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved.

Allow to cool and then fill up a fine mist spray bottle.  Do a patch test on your skin first to see if you are sensitive to magnesium oil.   You may experience a pins and needles feeling, but this is normal and will go away in a few minutes. It is said that the more deficient that you are, the more you will have the prickly feeling. Some people find that diluting further will help with any skin sensitivities.  10 sprays on the chest, stomach or thighs, or bottoms of the feet is the recommended dose.   I use this at bedtime and it helps me to relax and sleep well.

Homemade Sun Protection

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup, Unrefined Shea Butter
• 5 T Beeswax Pellets
• 2 T Zinc Oxide Powder
• 1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil
• 1/2 tsp Red Raspberry Seed Oil

Melt all ingredients except for the oils in a double boiler then stir in the oils.  Pour into a mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly. As it starts to solidify you will use an electric mixer to whip until creamy. Store in a mason jar. Use fingertips to apply to your skin for sun protection. This may melt if left in the sun but you can mix it up again, as needed.

Sun Burn Remedies

Aloe Vera Gel- look for a natural variety that does not contain additive or preservatives, or scrape the gel from the leaf of the plant and gently dab on the skin.

Baking soda- mix four tablespoons of baking soda with 3 cups of cool water. Soak a clean cloth and then lay over the sunburned area, or take a bath in baking soda and Epson salts and soak.  Spritz the skin with apple cider vinegar when done to balance the pH of the skin.

Skim milk- create a compress of skim milk and apply to your sunburn for half an hour every four hours until the pain subsides.

Vitamin E Oil- open a vitamin E capsules and apply directly to the affected area.

Make a paste using ground up oatmeal and water and gently apply to the skin.

Apple cider vinegar and put into a spray bottle and lightly mist the skin. This may sting for a short while but it will balance the pH of the skin and help to heal it.

Menstruation

Most sanitary napkins and tampons are made from bleached rayon, cotton and plastics. Rayon is made from wood pulp that has been bleached with chlorine, which can create dangerous cancer-causing dioxins.  Bleaching with chlorine results in the production of dioxin which has been linked to breast cancer, endometriosis, immune system suppression and various other ailments.  Additionally, cotton is one of the most pesticide-intensive crops which means that unless you are going organic, you are being exposed to carcinogens directly through a mucus membrane.  Tampons and pads are frequently scented with artificial fragrances which can irritate sensitive skin and also contain phthalates which are hormone-disrupting chemicals. Sanitary napkins are also made with plastic materials, and depending on what type of plastic this is, you might be exposed to chemicals like BPA and BPS, which have been linked to health issues such as cancer, heart disease, and other conditions.

To avoid exposure to all of these toxins and to save money, I prefer to use a menstrual cup. It is a flexible silicone cup that is inserted into the vagina to catch the vaginal fluid and is emptied every few hours. It may take a few cycles to get the hang of how to use this, but most women who try them wish they had started them much earlier.  There are two cup sizes (pre and post childbirth), so be sure to find the correct one for your needs. Menstrual Cups  work best when combined with Glad Rags which help protect the undergarments (these  can also be used by those who do not wish to use an insertion cup). Not only will you save money , but you are helping the environment as well. The average women uses about 17,000 pads or tampons during her lifetime.  You can find them on Amazon or at health food stores.  If you like to sew, you can also find instructions on the web for making your own.

Athletes foot/toe fungus/warts

Put Bragg’s apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle and spritz the toes and feet once or twice daily.  ACV is an effective anti-fungal.

Apply iodine tincture to warts twice per day until the spot is healed.  You can find iodine tincture at drug stores or online.

Cleaning Supplies

Stainless steel polish- clean with vinegar and water and then dry.  Next step is to put a small amount of olive oil onto a towel and then wipe across the surface following the grain.  Continue to polish with the oil until shiny.

Furniture polish:

• 1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive oil
• 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
• Mix the ingredients in a glass jar.
• Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces.
• Stores indefinitely

Orange or lemon all-purpose cleaner:  fill quart jar with orange or lemon peels, cover with vinegar, let sit for 10 days. Strain out peels and put liquid into a spray bottle.

Laundry

Powder Detergent: 

• 1 bar of grated Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap.  Tip:  Use the finest side of the grater…it takes longer to grate, but it dissolves better in the finished product.
• 3 cups borax
• 2 cups baking soda
• 2 cups Washing Soda
• Optional ~ 20-25 drops of your favorite Essential oil, such as  lemon or lavender
• Mix all ingredients together well .   Use 2 T. for a large load, 1 T. for small loads.
• Makes about 9 cups which should do about 72 large loads.
• This detergent does not suds up too much so is safe to use with high efficiency washers.

Bleach alternative –Use 1/2 c of white vinegar in place of toxic bleach to whiten your laundry and kill germs.

Soften laundry- by adding 1/3 c of white vinegar in place of fabric softener.

Static Remover- I use Wool Dryer Balls that I spray with white vinegar.  The balls worked great eliminating static on their own, but then I found that they weren’t working as well in the dry winter months so I sprayed them with white vinegar and that really did the trick.

Pest Control

Ants- Mix 1 tsp of honey with 1 tsp of borax.  Place a dollop where you have spotted the ants and allow them to take this back to their nest. It will take care of them within a short period of time.

Pet Care

Flea spray- Use equal parts white vinegar and water into a spray bottle and spray on their fur and bedding.

Flea and tick powder- mix together 1 cup of Diatomaceous Earth, 1/2 cup Neem Leaf Powder, 1/2 cup Yarrow Powder, 20 drops of Eucalyptus Essential Oil  and put into a shake top container.  This can be applied to your pet and brushed into the animals coat. Apply once per week as a preventative, and reapply after swimming or bathing.

Products mentioned in the article:

Wool Dryer Balls by Smart Sheep 6-Pack

Rocky Mountain Oils – The Essentials Kit