I'm taking baby steps too
: but here are some of my favorites:
DEODORANT
I used Funk Butter by Oyin and loved it but felt that they charged too much for shipping. Now, I make my own thanks to an MDC mama. The recipe is as follows:
1 Tbs shea butter
1 Tbs coconut oil (I warm it up to make it liquid)
1 Tbs baking soda
1 Tbs cornstarch
Several drops of EO (the original recipe called for lavender but that gives me a headache so I use sweet orange and it smells very nice)
Mix it all together in a small bowl. Use a fork to work out any lumps. Pour into a 2 ounce container (I use the tin that my Funk Butter came in). Allow it to firm up (I put it in the fridge for about 10 minutes to speed this along). Apply to pits and viola!
This recipe works great. My DH has yet to have a stinky day using this stuff!
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER
I use a modified version of a recipe from
Clean House Clean Planet (an excellent book with tons of recipes).
32 oz spray bottle
30 oz purified water
3 Tbs Dr. Bronner's liquid castille soap
50 drops tea tree oil (I think)
Mix all ingredients together, spray on desired surface, wipe clean.
I use this instead of vinegar since DH can't stand the smell. I've also read that the acidity in vinegar can actually pit natural surfaces like granite, marble, and tile grout. The TTO ican the above recipe gives in a nice antiseptic quality. The original recipe called for more soap but I found that it was leaving too much soapy residue to I cut it back. If you have hard water, it's best to use purified water with this recipe as the minerals can inhibit the cleaning action of soap. I use this to clean my kitchen, bathroom, and almost anything else that needs a good wipe down!
MIRROR/WINDOW CLEANER
Again, another recipe from
Clean House Clean Planet:
Spray bottle
Club Soda
Pour club soda into spray bottle. Spray on desired surface and wipe clean with a lint-free towel.
That's it! It works great and it's cheap! I use microfiber towels to clean. I bought a big pack on sale at Target from the automotive section which was waaaay cheaper that buying the towels that are marketed for actual cleaning.
ABRASIVE CLEANER
Baking soda
I use this to scrub my toilet bowl, bath tub, and kitchen sink. You have to rinse well. If you find that you're still getting a white haze, rinse with vinegar.
FACIAL CLEANER
I second the previous suggestions for honey. You can start with regular if you can't get your hands on raw. I found a farmer at our local farmer's market who sells raw honey and just buy it there. We just keep it in a squeeze bottle in the shower and wash like you would with soap. I also keep a glass spice shaker bottle of baking soda for exfolliation which I use about eveyr 3 days. I squeeze some honey into the palm of my hand, shake in some baking soda,
gently scrub and rinse. Even my DH who's a "man's man" and certainly not crunchy swears by this method (though it did take some convincing to get him to try it).
LAUNDRY
I haven't gotten around to making my own but have been really pleased with
Charlie's Soap. It's natural, cheap, and it works. I completely ditched dryer sheets and instead use distilled white vinegar in the fabric softener tray of our washer. If you don't have a tray in your washer, just use the Downy ball. DH doesn't notice the vinegar smell on anything but our towels but a couple drops of EO took care of the problem. FWIW, I can NEVER smell it but my DH has a crazy sense of smell.
HAND SOAP
I purchased a container of Target brand foaming hand soap, poured out the contents, cleaned it, and then made my own soap with the following recipe:
4/5 purified water
1/5 Dr. Bronner's liquid soap
Mix and use.
I just eyeballed it, there were no exact measurements. I have found that the soap tends to settle at the bottom of the container over time but will remix just fine with a little gentle agitation.
MAKEUP
I switched over to mineral makeup. There's co-ops for Sheer Miracles mineral makeup here on MDC fairly regularly. I've been pretty happy with their product so far. I remove my eye makeup with organic coconut oil and, on the rare occasion that I wear foundation, I just wash with honey. I
don't put coconut oil anywhere else on my face because it makes me break out. I'm still looking for a good natural facial moisutizer with SPF in it.
DISHWASHER
I have yet to find a homemade recipe that works. Most of the natural commercial brands don't work that well IMO. I think I've heard the best things about Ecover, but only the tablets.
That's all I can think of off the top of my head. As far as cleaning goes, I found
Clean House Clean Planet to be the most helpful. Everything else I learned here on MDC!
It's so easy to get overwhelmed. Try to just take one thing at a time. Good luck!