I know this is an old thread, but just wanted to add... The best deodorant I've ever used is just equal parts of baking soda/corn starch with enough coconut oil mixed in to make it the thickness I like. I'm allergic (break out in a terrible itchy red rash) to normal deodorants and even the deodorant stone, and I have tried every natural/alternative deodorant out there and nothing works as well as this. I love the slightly coconutty smell of it, too.
Oh, and I have also used it between my thighs while wearing a skirt and had good results.
Coconut oil is great stuff. My moisturiser for years has been solid coconut oil, bit of kokum butter, bit of cocoa butter, all organic cold-pressed yada yada yada. I made up a jar yesterday with 2 drops sandalwood, 1 drop musk rose, 1 drop elemi essential oils, and the smell is really gorgeous.
I wash my face using the Oil Cleansing method, and my basic mix is half olive oil, half hempseed oil. (The traditional castor oil is far too harsh for my skin at any dilution.) I then throw in a bit of this or that depending on mood, such as a bit of neem oil for eczema, a few drops of essential oils, some carrot oil, that sort of thing.
I've tried sugar/oil scrubs. They were great for the skin, but our shower is over the bath and the oil turned it into a death trap. Does anyone know a water-soluble alternative? Aloe vera gel instead of the oil, perhaps?
Hair - I'm lazy about it at the moment but I used to do rinses with a teaspoon of cider vinegar and a herbal teabag or two, chamomile or sage or what have you, plus a few drops of rosemary oil or similar. I still dab a bit of oil onto my hair, though. Right now it's a blend of liquid coconut oil and broccoli seed oil.
I'm vegan and have incredibly fussy skin, so being able to make some of my own toiletries is really great for me.
Used ground aspirin mixed with cornmeal for years (now just buy powdered salicylic acid), use oatmeal, mix up stuff with the addition of all kinds of active ingredients I buy online. Grapeseed oil is great for lashes, skin, is also an anitfungal,
My mother's dermatologist said the only two things that should touch your skin is sunscreen and olive oil. The Oil Cleansing Method (OCM to the pros) is well thought of in the home beauty crowd.
And Mandalinn- I love the fragrance website. My current perfume provider is down due to her moving half way around the world. Thank you!
I used to make my own bath salts all the time. 3 parts Epsom salts, 1 part sea salt. Mix in essential oils with a fork til it smells good. For a 4-cup batch, about 10 drops of oils for the strong smelling salts I like. Peppermint by itself or with rosemary, cinnamon, lavender, lemon and clove were my go-tos. For gifts, I would by powdered food coloring and mix that in, too.
I've tried sugar/oil scrubs. They were great for the skin, but our shower is over the bath and the oil turned it into a death trap. Does anyone know a water-soluble alternative? Aloe vera gel instead of the oil, perhaps?
I have used lemon juice & sugar (just try not to lick your fingers, haha) and milk & sugar. Both work well, although they aren't moisturizing like oil. I will have to try the aloe vera.
Someone upthread mentioned coffee grounds and that reminded me of a storebought coffee-scented scrub I used to use that smelled amazing. I will have to try making a coffee based one too.
Make your own beauty products to keep harmful chemicals off of your skin. Homemade creams, soaps and other products can be just as luxurious and fragrant as their commercial counterparts but you can avoid artificial chemicals – and the headache of dealing with all that packaging waste.
Although beauty products don't have to list their ingredients, they often contain phthalates, formaldehyde, parabens and other chemicals that have been shown to harm animals in lab tests, and which are being phased out in Europe in favor of less toxic alternatives. Prenatal exposure to phthalates, for example, has been linked to liver and kidney damage and effects on baby boys' reproductive organs, and the chemical has been implicated in male obesity. The CDC found the potentially harmful sunscreen ingredient oxybenzone in 97% of Americans tested.
Plus, you don't want any nasty stuff getting into our fragile waterways, do you? That's what happens when cosmetics and personal care products are washed down the drain. Frogs and aquatic life are highly susceptible to damage from even minute contamination.
Why not get beautiful in less risky ways? Remember that many of these recipes can be put into reusable containers — which can also be decorated and given as unique, homemade gifts.
