Eco-Friendly Health and Beauty Recipes You Can Make for YourselfShare

Eco-Friendly Health and Beauty Recipes You Can Make for Yourself

Nearly everything you need to care for your body can be made with a few basic ingredients. Even so, there is a $10 billion natural and organic beauty industry out there trying to convince us that the solution to harmful main stream health and beauty products is their (usually expensive,) all-natural organic alternative – we call that green washing. By cutting out the middle man you cut out unnecessary steps like processing plants, disposable container, shipping materials and more. Here are a few simple recipes to get your started making your own health & beauty products – with more coming soon!

Olive Oil Face Cleanser

Despite what the skin care industry would like you to believe, you don’t need to burn your face with antibacterial chemicals to maintain a dewy complexion. Nor do you need the artificial fragrances and other additives included to convince you you’re really getting your skin clean. The truth is, your skin does a pretty good job of keeping itself clean – but make up, environmental elements and dirt in general can call for some extra help. When you use “oil fighting” skin treatments – even natural ones- you throw off the skin’s natural cycle by stripping away necessary oils. Your skin then over-compensates by creating even more oil – which can lead to break outs.

The olive oil method was recommended by a team member’s mother – it’s easy, inexpensive, and her skin looks amazing! Remember, oil alone does not cause break outs – in fact, your skin uses oil to stay hydrated and clean. So drink plenty of water, and try this DIY method for removing dirt and make up.

Ingredients:

Castor oil
Secondary oil: extra virgin olive oil or sunflower seed oil

Instructions:

Create your custom blend depending on your skin type:

Oily Skin: 30% castor oil to 70% secondary oil
Balanced Skin: 20% castor oil to 80% secondary oil
Dry Skin: 10% castor oil to 90% secondary oil

Mix and store your blend in a clean flip-top 4oz bottle, we suggest GoToobs because they’re leak-proof and travel well.

Clean your face at night before bed – you really should never need to deep clean your face in the morning. Pour a quarter-sized amount of oil in the palm of your hand, rub your palms together to warm the oil. Smooth the oil over your face – take your time massaging any problem areas of your skin. This mixture will even remove stubborn waterproof mascara.

Soak a clean washcloth in hot water and cover your face with it – the cloth should be hot enough that it acts as a steam treatment – opening your pores. Allow the cloth to cool on your face – you may want to sit or lie down. Gently wipe away the oil – resisting the urge to scrub. If your skin feels tight, apply a tiny amount of your blend, and massage into the skin.

You may find that you do break out in the first few days after starting this method, that’s because you’re unblocking pores and your skin is adjusting. Stick with it, and your skin should balance out shortly.

Photo by Funadium

The No Shampoo Method

We know it sounds crazy, but think about why it sounds crazy – for thousands of years people did not wash their hair every day. In fact, if you ask your grandmother she’ll probably tell you about going to the salon once a week for a shampoo just 50 years ago. So what’s changed since then? Is our hair dirtier now than it was in grandma’s day? Or have marketers gotten smarter about selling us stuff we don’t really need? We think it’s the latter. For about $5 you can buy all the supplies you need to keep your hair clean without a bunch of detergents that strip your hair of essential oils.

Ingredients:

Baking soda
Apple cider vinegar

Instructions:

Mix 1 tablespoon of baking soda with 1 cup of hot water – you can double or triple the recipe for long or thick hair, but keep the ratio of baking soda to water the same. Too much baking soda can make your hair brittle. Put this mixture in a container with a cap, or an empty shampoo bottle.

In the shower, apply the mixture to your hair with warm water. Work it in, and then rinse after about one minute. Wash your hair with this method once or twice a week. In between, you can rinse your hair with plain water – the baking soda helps to remove any styling products.

Every 2-3 washes, make a solution of 1-2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of water. After the baking soda, rinse your hair with water and then rinse with this solution. Massage into scalp and rinse with cold water. Apple cider vinegar will help to balance the hair’s pH level and seal the cuticle. If you find your hair smells like vinegar after rinsing you’re using too much vinegar.

There are lots of variations to this recipe, and everyone’s hair is different. Experiment, and check out this great post about going shampoo free.

DIY Deodorant

Conventional deodorant is full of unnecessary chemicals and potentially dangerous elements like aluminum. Meanwhile, natural deodorants tend to cost more, not be effective, and they still involve a complicated manufacturing process and disposable packaging we’d rather avoid. Our VP of Operations Brad has given this recipe from Tammy’s Recipes his seal of approval, although he advises starting out with less coconut oil if you want something a little more solid.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrow root powder OR corn starch
5 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions:

Combine baking soda and arrow root powder in a bowl and mix with a fork. Start with a small amount of coconut oil 2-3 tablespoons and add to the baking soda mixture, working into a paste. Add the rest to achieve the texture you want. Place the mixture in a small lidded container – store it somewhere cool if you want it to stay completely solid.

DIY Toothpaste

There’s a great deal of debate over the safety of conventional toothpaste ingredients – fluoride and sodium laurel sulfate, to name a few. But switching to so-called natural brands can cost $5 a tube or more, not to mention all the waste involved in tossing out messy, non-recyclable tubes of toothpaste. There are lots of recipes out there – with flavors and textures to suit about anyone. This is a really simple, inexpensive recipe from Seeking the Old Paths.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons baking soda
5 drops peppermint essential oil
5 drops spearmint essential oil
A pinch of Stevia powder

Instructions:

Mix everything together in a small, lidded container. Coconut oil is anti-viral and anti-bacterial so you can dip your toothbrush into the mixture, or scoop a little out and apply it to your brush.

DIY Mouthwash

Our Community Manager Natalie’s dentist advised her to stop using alcohol-based mouthwash and to instead rinse her mouth out with the same soap she uses to wash her body. Unwilling to find out how that would taste, she sought out easy-to-make, alcohol-free homemade mouth wash recipes. This one from Care2 is simple and inexpensive.

Ingredients:

2.5 cups of water
1 teaspoon fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon anise seeds

Instructions:

Boil everything together for about 20 minutes. Strain, and cool. Store it in a capped bottle and use as you would conventional mouthwash.