Recipes in My Life (not for eating)

I save us so much money by doing a few things that are truly easy, if not I'd likely not embrace them so well, and they are so good for us.  I eliminate chemicals that I don't want around by making stuff out of natural elements.  Thought I'd compile a list of what I use on a daily basis so y'all can see how easy it is to stop paying $13.00 for detergent and 4.00 for deodorant, etc.  I'm not hardcore at this DIY stuff-making.  I still buy shampoo and conditioner, but it's on the horizon to get changed next.  I still use toothpaste and mouthwash.  Also I still use brand toilet bowl cleaner and dishwasher gel (I did try a few DIY dishwasher soap recipes, and was not satisfied with the results so, for now it's still Cascade).  Most all the rest, I make.  And when you make the stuff, you can customize the stuff.  Lovely.  These specific recipes are the ones I use in my home and life all the time.  If I use hair spray, I use this.  It's more like scrunch spray than finishing spray.  I only wash myself with this body wash.  Only this deodorant, and I don't refrigerate mine.   I only do my dishes with this.  I only scrub my bathtub with this.  So, they work.  And I think they work well.  The one caveat I will add is that the laundry soap doesn't help things stay white.  So, if you are a white whites purist, you'll want to beware.  Whites in this house are dull.  They aren't a priority for me.  They are clean, that is all we need.  Enjoy.

PS: I did not author any of these.  They are all found online and many folks use them.  Again, not my creation.

Hair Spray

Ingredients

·         1 cup of hot water (not boiling)- Can also use strong Chamomile Tea as the base if you want to lighten hair or black tea as the base if you want to darken hair, but you will need to keep in the fridge.

·         2 tablespoons Epsom salts (or more for extra texture)

·         1/2 tsp Himalayan or Sea Salt (optional but adds stiffness)

·         1 teaspoon aloe vera gel

·         1/2 tsp conditioner (optional- don’t use if you have fine/oily hair)

·         Optional: a few drops of essential oils or a spritz of your favorite perfume for scent- Lavender and citrus are great options

·         Optional: 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon vodka or alcohol- if you want to lighten hair (the lemon juice lightens and the alcohol preserves)

Hair Spray Instructions

1.   Get a spray bottle that holds at least 10 ounces. I used a glass bottle made from an old apple cider vinegar bottle and a regular spray top. I also tripled the recipe to accommodate the size of my bottle.

2.   Put the hot water (or tea) in the spray bottle and add the Epsom salts, sea salt (optional), aloe vera, conditioner, scent (optional) and lemon juice/vodka (if using).

3.   Put the cap on the bottle and shake for 1-2 minutes or until Epsom salts and sea salt are dissolved. Store in the fridge if using lemon juice or tea base, or at room temperature if you aren’t. Will last 3-4 months or longer.

Herbal Bedtime Tea

Ingredients
*Purchase organically-grown or wildcrafted herbs whenever possible. Parts are measured by volume not weight.

-3 parts chamomile flowers
-2 parts lemon balm
-1 part catnip
-1 part oatstraw
-1 part passionflower
-1/4 part hop flowers
-1/4 part valerian root

Method

1.    Measure the parts of each of the herbs listed and mix in a large bowl until well combined.

2.    Grab your tea accessories, tea infusers, and/or tea pots…and brew a cup! (Note: I get all of my loose leaf tea-making supplies online from Mountain Rose Herbs.)

3.    This herbal tea blend will keep stored in a cool, dark place for approximately 6 months. (Note: I like to store all of my teas in glass jars with tight-fitting lids.)

4.    This tea is mild enough to use nightly. Take a cup 30 minutes before bed.

Homemade Muscle Rub Recipe

The blends below start at a 5% dilution, which combined with the cayenne-infused oil should be sufficient for most situations. However, in some cases you may find that more is needed to relax and soothe. A 10-20% dilution is considered appropriate for very sore muscles if used only on an occasional basis. To increase the dilution ratio to 10%, simply double the number of drops. To increase it to 15%, triple the number of drops. To increase it to 20%, quadruple the number of drops.

INGREDIENTS

·         4 fluid ounces (1/2 cup) melted coconut oil – this will yields about 2 fluid ounces of infused oil (where to buy coconut oil)

·         4 fluid ounces (1/2 cup) shea butter (where to buy shea butter)

·         2 tablespoons grated beeswax, tightly packed (where to buy beeswax)

·         2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (where to buy cayenne)

·         100 drops peppermint essential oil or eucalyptus globulus – 50 drops of wintergreen essential oil can be used in place of peppermint or eucalyptus, but please read the cautions below before including it (where to buy peppermint essential oil, where to buy eucalyptus essential oil, where to buy wintergreen essential oil)

·         40 drops copaiba essential oil (where to buy copaiba essential oil)

·         40 drops juniper berry essential oil (where to buy juniper berry essential oil)

*Note About Wintergreen Essential Oil: This oil should be avoided by pregnant and breastfeeding mamas, children, anyone on anticoagulant medication, anyone who has recently undergone surgery or will soon undergo surgery, individuals with hemophilia or other bleeding disorders, and anyone who has a salicylate sensitivity (this often applies to individuals with ADD/ADHD). (Source: Essential Oil Safety)Individuals with the MTHFR mutation may also have a problem with wintergreen due to it’s high salicylate content. If this applies to you, replace the wintergreen with 50 more drops of peppermint or eucalyptus globulus essential oil.

EQUIPMENT

·         double boiler (or a pot that fits inside another pot)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.   Place coconut oil and cayenne in a double boiler and gently warm the oil. Be careful not to let it get hot because the smell of cayenne will fill the room and make you cough. (Not that I would know that from experience – ahem).

2.   Once the oil is slightly warm give it a stir and then turn off the stove. Allow it to sit for half an hour and then repeat the process.At this point you can move on to step 3, or you can warm it again and allow to infuse 1-2 more times for a stronger oil. Overall this process should take 1-2 hours, depending on how many times you reheat the oil to intensify the infusion.

3.   Using a cheesecloth or old t-shirt, strain the mixture mixture over a measuring cup. After straining out the spices, add enough coconut oil so that the final amount is 1/4 cup.

4.   Melt beeswax and shea butter in a double boiler and add to the coconut oil. Stir in essential oils and allow to cool completely.

5.   Store in an airtight jar – Amber or cobalt are best but a clear jar is fine if kept out of direct sunlight (which promotes oxidation).

Storage and Shelf Life

I recommend storing this rub in the fridge to preserve shelf-life, which should be around 6-12 months.

 Mind-Clearing Mist

Ingredients

4 ounces water
10 drops peppermint essential oil
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
4 drops patchouli essential oil 

Directions

1. In a spray-mist bottle, combine all ingredients. Shake vigorously.

2. To use, apply a light misting to face, neck and surrounding airspace.

Homemade Body Wash Recipe

Ingredients

·         ⅔ cup liquid castile soap (find it here)

·         ¼ cup raw honey (find it here)

·         2 teaspoons oil – jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed, sesame, or olive (find it here)

·         1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil (find it here)

·         50 – 60 drops essential oils (find 100% pure essential oils here) – see suggestions below

Directions

Measure out all ingredients and combine in a bottle with a squirt top, shaking to mix. Shake gently before each use. To use, squirt onto a washcloth, bath pouf, or directly onto body.

Since this recipe doesn’t contain water, it has a long shelf life.

Fabric Softener

Ingredients

• 3 c White Vinegar
• 1/4 c Rubbing Alcohol (or vodka)
• 20 drops of Essential Oil (such as Tea Tree, Purification, or Thieves)- I recommend this brand

This is easy! Simply put the ingredients into a glass jar, shake it up and you're ready to go! Just add ½-¾ cup to your fabric softener dispenser in you washing machine the next time you do a load.
That's so easy right?

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 bar, Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap -OR- 1 cup liquid Dr. Bronner's Castille Soap* (from Whole Foods)
1/2 cup washing soda (sold at Meijer's)
1/2 cup borax (sold at Target)
water
5 gallon bucket with lid (sold at Home Depot)

Using a food processor with a grater attachment, or an old-fashioned regular grater, grate the Castille bar soap, or simply use the liquid Castille.

Heat 6 cups of water until very hot, but not boiling. Pour the water into the 5 gallon bucket, and add the Castille soap. Stir until dissolved.

Add washing soda and borax, and stir until dissolved.

(for this next step, you really want to make sure that the bucket is in a place where you will be storing it, so you won't have to carry it. Once the bucket is full, it is heavy!)

Fill the bucket within a few inches of the top, and stir well. Let stand overnight.

In the morning, stir again. There will be a gelatinous topping, so you want to stir the detergent, until it is the consistency of egg-drop soup.

You are now ready to use the detergent. I used a ladle and a funnel, and re-used several plastic juice and cider containers, and poured the detergent into several smaller containers, and stored the rest of the detergent in the bucket.

TO USE: Simply add 1/2 cup of the laundry detergent, while the water is filling the basin, so it mixes with the water.

*Dr. Bronner's comes in all sorts of nice scents, I chose a citrus scent, which works great. However, since the scent comes from essential oils instead of chemicals, it is much more subtle than traditional detergent. If you want stronger scents, add essential oils. But honestly, I love the way clothes just smell, well, clean.

Easy DIY Dish Soap 

Author: Kristin Marr

Ingredients

·         2 TB borax (where to buy)

·         2 TB washing soda (where to buy)

·         1¼ cups water

·         ¾ cup Sal Suds (where to buy)

·         15-20 drops each: peppermint essential oil (where to buy) and tea tree essential oil (where to buy)

Optional:

·         ½ TB nourishing oil (jojoba, almond, olive oil, etc.)--If you'll be using this soap with bare hands.

Instructions

1.       In a saucepan, heat the the water just until it reaches a boiling point. Turn off the heat and add the washing soda and borax, stirring to dissolve. Let the mixture cool for 3-5 minutes, just until warm, but no longer hot.

2.      Add the Sal Suds and and essential oils to the water mixture. Vigorously whisk the ingredients together.

3.      Use a funnel to pour the dish soap into a soap dispenser (I found one at IKEA). The soap may separate after sitting for 24 hours. If this happens, vigorously shake the soap bottle until the ingredients are combined.

Deodorant

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder for sensitive skin)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/8 -1/4 teaspoon essential oil (We like lavender and lemongrass, but feel free to choose your favorite)

*Recipe slightly adapted from gnowfglins.com

Instructions

1. If the coconut oil is in a solid state, put some in a microwave-safe container and pop it in the microwave for 10-second intervals (until it melts fully).
2. Mix in essential oil.
3. Add cornstarch and baking soda and mix until smooth.
4. Transfer to a jar and apply with your hands or an empty deodorant tube for mess free application.

Note: It may be best to refrigerate your deodorant since coconut oil has a low melting point.

Disinfectant

makes 1 medium bottle
Safe for use on granite, great for killing germs anywhere.
3 tbsp Castile soap
30 drops essential oil
Enough water to fill bottle

Shower spray

 makes 1 bottle
Lightly mist walls and tub after you shower—no more evil soap scum!
1 cup water
1 cup vinegar*
2 tbsp Castile soap*
10 drops essential oil

Soft scrub 

makes 2 squeeze bottles (mix in individual bottles!)

Scrub into tubs, sinks, and toilets—let sit, then rinse.
1/2 cup baking soda per bottle (1 cup total)
1/2  cup Borax per bottle (1 cup total)
1/2 cup Castile soap per bottle (1 cup total)
15 drops essential oil per bottle (30 total)
Splash or two of water per bottle (get it to the consistency you want)

All-purpose cleaner 

makes 2 medium bottles
Use on all surfaces except maybe granite, wood furniture, and food areas like cutting boards.
2 cups hot water
2 tbsp Borax (dissolve)
1/4 cup vinegar*
1/2 cup Castile soap*
40 drops essential oil