Homemade body/hair care products?

[bluedaisy]

I just got the book Clean House Clean Planet and love making my own cleaning supplies. We are gradually trying to replace all our store bought, chemically laden products with homemade or natural alternative.

I'm looking for good ideas for homemade body/hair products or food items that serve a double purpose (i.e. coconut oil as a moisturizer).

Any good ideas or good websites for things like:
shampoo
conditioner
hair mousse/gel (i have curly/frizzy hair)
face moisturizer
deodorant
sunscreen
moisturizer
baby wash
perfume/cologne (my DH loves his aftershave cologne)

Thanks!

[sarathan]

Ooooh, I just got the book Better Basics for the Home and it has tons of recipe ideas for all the stuff you listed. How do you like Clean House Clean Planet, btw?

I'm with you, I'm also replacing ALL of my store-bought cleaning/beauty products with homemade stuff. It's fun!

[bluedaisy]

Thanks Sarathan! I'll have to check out that book. clean house clean planet has TONS of recipes - i havent tried them out yet - i have a 3 month old so finding time is a challenge!

[MisaGoat]

I have curly/frizzy hair too. I just put some oil in it when it is wet. It keeps the curls together, smells good, keeps my hair soft and shiny.

[Leta]

Moisturizer and sunscreen are easy. Moisturizer, use coconut oil or vegetable shortening. For sun protection, to each cup of oil or shortening, stir in 1 Tb each titanium oxide and zinc oxide- inexpensive white powders, check eBay. If you want waterproof sun block, stir in some grated beeswax while you heat the oil and powders in a double boiler. Allow to cool before using, though.

For perfumes, use perfume oils. Cheaper than essential oils, and somewhat easier to find. The Body Shop has tons.

Baby wash I buy. There's lots of good ones out there- Dr. Bronner's is my favorite. It is not "tear free", but personally, I think it stings less than, say, Johnson's. There's no SLS in it, which is a MAJOR eye irritant (which is why I don't understand why it's in baby wash at all...)

Deoderant you can make solid or powdered, or you can just buy something like Tom's of Maine. You need baking soda, cornstarch, and something that smells nice, like a orange peel or lavendar blossoms. Put it all in a jar and shake up good, or melt in a double boiler with coconut oil or shortening and pour into an old deoderant container.

Hair gel, I use aloe. I get frizz, too, and this works as well as anything else I've tried. I use aloe as shave gel and mascara base, too.

Shampoo I buy. I just go ahead and spring for nice, SLS free stuff. I figure I make just about everything else, so I'll spend $5 on a bottle of shampoo. You could buy or make shampoo bars (I like pine tar), go no poo (I just like to mix baking soda in with my shampoo), or use dilluted Dr. Bronner's with some vegetable oil stirred in.

Conditioner is easy. Most conditioners at the store are less toxic than shampoos, so there's that. You can also use oil, conditioner beads from Soapcrafters, apple cider vinegar, mayonaisse, eggs, mashed banana, beer...

HTH

[artparent]

for cologne/perfume you can mix your own from essential oils and a carrier oil, just rub it on. i'm thinking of making something for my sweetheart

i'm sure you've seen ideas for everything else all through this forum and the greater mindful home management forum.

*

[amber913]

Originally Posted by bluedaisy

I just got the book Clean House Clean Planet and love making my own cleaning supplies. We are gradually trying to replace all our store bought, chemically laden products with homemade or natural alternative.

Not to hijack, but it's seriously gonna take me YEARS to replace all the shower gels, lotions, soaps, etc. i have. Is that what y'all are doing, replacing? Has anyone just thrown them out/given them away, what? I don't feel comfortable using them anymore.

[Plarka]

Originally Posted by bluedaisy

I just got the book Clean House Clean Planet and love making my own cleaning supplies. We are gradually trying to replace all our store bought, chemically laden products with homemade or natural alternative.

I'm looking for good ideas for homemade body/hair products or food items that serve a double purpose (i.e. coconut oil as a moisturizer).

Any good ideas or good websites for things like:
shampoo
conditioner
hair mousse/gel (i have curly/frizzy hair)
face moisturizer
deodorant
sunscreen
moisturizer
baby wash
perfume/cologne (my DH loves his aftershave cologne)

Thanks!

shampoo : baking soda and water
conditioner: apple cider vinegar
deodorant: baking soda (can mix with corn starch)
moisturizer: olive oil (can add lavendar essential oil) or make your own balm with beeswax and olive oil which I plan to do this week!
baby wash: water. Or can probably use honey, I wash my dd's hair with it.