I was inspired by reading the All-Natural Living ebook that I got as part of the Healthy Living Bundle to continue on in my quest to slowly make the switch to more natural alternatives for household products we regularly use.
I especially loved these simple steps the author outlined:
Ditch your fabric softener/dryer sheets – These are some of the most toxic things found in the home and really aren’t necessary. There are homemade options, plus different detergent options that may make the need for fabric softener obsolete.
Make your own detergents – Making your own laundry and dish detergent are both easy and cost effective.
Make a simple All Purpose Cleaner – Even if you aren’t convinced that this homemade stuff can really replace all your cleaners, starting with a simple APC can help ease you into the transition.
Try switching out one beauty product – Not sure if you’re up to a full commitment of diy beauty products? Just pick on that you are willing to try. Maybe it’s the homemade mascara, or the mouth wash, or shaving soap.
These seem doable — even for busy moms, don’t they? I’m all about baby steps and taking it slow, so this was perfect for me.
After reading through the ebook, I picked one recipe to try and I landed on the All Purpose Lemon Power Cleaner.
All Purpose Lemon Power Cleaner
1 cup warm distilled water
1 cup white vinegar
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
10 – 20 drops lemon essential oil (you could also use orange or tea tree oil — or just omit this)Measure ingredients into a spray bottle and shake to mix. Shake before each use.
This recipe was very easy to make and very inexpensive (especially if you opt not to use the essential oils). It smelled very strongly of lemon and wasn’t the best all natural cleaner I’ve ever used before. But I’d say that it was fair and one that I would make again.
I love that the ingredients are things I usually have on hand, but I thought the smell was pretty strong. So if/when I make it again, I’d probably adjust the essential oil ratio down or use a different essential oil than lemon.
All in all, I enjoyed All-Natural Living ebook. The one thing I didn’t love was the author plugging her essential oils site multiple times in the space of just a few pages. Once or twice would have been great, but doing it repeatedly got a little old and sales-pitchy feeling.
However, I loved that she included so many different recipes — even one for Windshield Wiper Fluid! Some were really basic, but there was a lot of variety — including recipes for homemade makeup.
Have you tried making some of your own household products or make-up? I’d love hear about how it worked (or didn’t work!) for you.
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Source: moneysavingmom.com