I was on a blogging hiatus for awhile, so I'll have a lot of catching up to do. Before I dive into all the food stuffs we've made over the winter I thought I'd blog some recipes for things other than food.I've been dabbling in making our own toiletries and cosmetics, things like shampoo, conditioner, hand soap, deoderant, and even toothpaste.
I still have a lot of experimenting I want to do but here are some of the basics that have been working for us thus far...
Homemade Anti-bacterial Hand Soap/Body Wash/Shampoo:
1/4 cup vegan castile soap (like Dr. Bronners-I've used Peppermint and Baby Mild but they come in a lot of "flavors")
1/4 cup vegetable glycerin (skin protectant, used for soap-like consistency/thickening)
2 tbsp. witch hazel (astringent, anti-bacterial, can fight even MRSA bacteria in concentrations of 10% and is comprable to treatments with antibiotic ointments such as mupirocen)
2 droppers comfrey root extract or comfrey oil (optional, soothes and heals dry skin)
6-12 drops tea tree oil (anti-bacterial, anti-fungal)
Other oils that are great to add to your soap/bodywash/shampoo:
Calendula Oil (heals the skin)
Grape seed oil (moisturizing and mild antiseptic)
Jojoba seed oil (moisturizing and a fungicide)
Chamomile extract or tea (calming)
Peppermint tea (invigorating, nourishes skin)
Orange essential oil (skin soothing increases blood flow)
Neroli oil (soothing to the nervous system, increases circulation, nice scent)
Lavender Essential Oil (calming, nice scent)
Homemade Hand Creme/Diaper Rash Salve:
2 parts coconut oil
1 part olive oil or calendula oil
2-4 droppers comfrey root extract or comfrey oil
2-4 drops tea tree oil
(other oils listed above can also be added)
Homemade Conditioner
I have been using just plain old organic apple cider vinegar as a conditioning rinse. It leaves your hair soft, and strips it of build up. My husband was shocked at how much it lightened/brightened my naturally blond hair just by removing build up.
A friend of mine uses a mixture of brown sugar, honey, and water as a conditioner-I haven't tried this yet but it sounds nice!
This winter I started having some problems with dry skin patches on my face. I think it was also aggravated by the tea tree oil in my shampoo. As a simple moisturizing mask I started putting plain yogurt on my face, letting it dry, and then rinsing off with warm water. This is working better than any of the many moisturizers I have tried!
Homemade Toothpaste Recipe
Mix together coconut oil and baking soda with about 2 tbsp. Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap. Add enough peppermint extract to your liking to make it taste better. Add water until the consistency of toothpaste and put in a pump container for easy use!
Homemade Deoderant
(I didn't measure for this one)
Coconut oil
Baking soda (optional)
Cornstarch
It's right when it is a consistency where it can be molded into a deoderant bar container, which you can purchase or re-use an old one. Or just put it in a tin and apply it with your fingers.
Another friend of mine has the following book, which I also intend to buy. It has great recipes for homemade cosmetics and herbal health remedies.Another blog that I read inspired many of my creations:
http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/
