Make it Yourself Monday!!!

Since I came out of the No-Pooing closet, quite a few people have messaged me interested in getting recipes for some of my homemade products, mostly beauty related or bath related. I decided that every so often (i.e. when I run out and need to make more), I would do a post with recipes that I use to make every day products!
Introducing my favorite product of all time: Castile Soap!! This can be used for everything from scrubbing floors to washing babies. It's super concentrated, so keep that in mind when you see how little of it is used in recipes!
Yes, my kitchen is a mess...
I like Dr. Bronner's and Dr. Wood's castile soap, but I've found that the Dr. Wood's is a lot less price-wise than Dr. Bronner's, although Dr. Bronner's is more widely available. You can find it at Target now!
This is castile soap with peppermint essential oils and organic shea butter, so this is what I use to make bath products. Keep in mind, this has no numbing agent like most shampoos, so watch out for eyes.
Since this has the peppermint essential oils, keep that in mind when using it on kids. There are mild versions, especially good if you have a little one with sensitive skin or a diaper rash. Some kids are more sensitive than others. But for us, personally, the little ones really enjoy the minty smell (and Keelin likes the cool tingle, Jackson has yet to comment- LOL)!


This is a jar that once held my favorite oil cured kalamata olives! I'm craving them just looking at the glass jar!

For the kids, I fill the jar halfway with hot water and dissolve about a 1/4 of a cup of castile soap. I called a mommy friend of mine who uses the same thing on her kids and she says that she uses 1 part soap to 5 parts water- gives loads of suds and isn't tough to wash off.
There is no magic measurement, just make sure that you use a lot more water than soap- it's really concentrated!

My no poo recipe is still being adjusted. I make a thick paste out of baking soda and water, scrub it really well into my scalp, and then work it down to the ends of my hair, rinse with cool water, and then rinse with some diluted apple cider vinegar (organic and unrefined ACV is best, but you can use white vinegar in a pinch). Definitely works for me!
I've been reading online and a lot of people seem to use a thinner mixture instead of a paste. The common ratio seems to be 1 TBSP of baking soda to 1c of water. I'm going to try it later!

And here is something I am really excited to share!!!
Homemade dishwashing detergent!
Isn't it pretty?
Recipe:
2 cups of Borax (I bought "20 Mule Team" brand borax at Harris Teeter for $2.50)
2 cups of Baking Soda (or washing soda) (I bought Arm & Hammer, huge box, for $2.50)
4 small packets of sugar free lemonade Kool-Aid (you can also use 4 tablespoons of citric acid--if you can find it) (I accidently grabbed Orange- LOL, hence the color! - $1 for 12 packets)
White Vinegar until it's really wet and soft ($1 for a HUGE bottle)

You use about 2 tablespoons per load and I have had really good results with it so far today!
For $7, I got enough to make enough dishwashing detergent to last for a YEAR!!! That is half of what I used to pay for one small bag of my all-natural dishwashing tabs that lasted not even a month and a half... We cook at home a LOT, hence a ridiculous amount of dishes.

EDIT: My mixture dried solid within a couple of days, which I am sure is caused by my jar not being air tight. Since then, I have mixed my powder together in the jar, using the vinegar in the rinse aid compartment in the dishwasher instead of mixing it with the dry ingredients! Hope that helps!



Next time:
homemade deodorant,
facial cleanser,
moisturizers,
styling spray for no-poo'ed hair,
and homemade laundry detergent!!

No Poo Week 2!!!!

I don't really like taking pictures of myself, but I promised!

Here is a picture of my hair after 2 weeks of No Poo-ing!

When I still used shampoo, my hair was super "poofy" without product,

my curls undefined and frizzy.

Now, my curls are DAILY becoming more defined, my naturally wavy hair is more under control than it has been in years.

I'm working on mixing up a good defining "product" in my bathroom.

Not sure if it will work or not, but if it does, I will definitely post a recipe!

I particularly love how my hair looks after a day on the beach.

Maybe I will end up with a sea-salt based spray of some sort?

That is my goal! We'll see how it goes :)

My hair is everywhere!

Some of you might know what "no poo" is and some might not. I'm planning on doing a really detailed blog about it tomorrow if all goes well.

Well, I am about to finish my first week of no poo-ing and WOW. All I can say is WOW.

I have really wavy, slightly curly hair that has gotten straighter as I've gotten older. Big disappointment, since I love my curls, even though I do take a flat iron to them occasionally. At first, I blamed the lack of curls on my hormones changing during pregnancy, nursing, etc. but after my first couple of times no poo-ing (i.e. not using shampoo, but instead, using a homemade mixture of totally natural cleansing product- I use baking soda and apple cider vinegar, not at the same time), I realized that it was the products that I've been using in my hair! I thought that since they rated pretty well on websites that rank toxicity of beauty products, I was safe, but it is clear to me now that my hair is just really affected by what is put on it.

Last night, I took a late shower and fell asleep with my hair down and damp. Yeah, I was absolutely zonked and drooling... Woke up this morning with curly hair like I haven't seen since I was in high school. I've been putting my hair up to work outside in the yard, so I guess I just haven't noticed the curls! Now, there will be no pictures, because my hair is still rebelling a bit against the lack of product, so I'm rocking a look that speaks of wild woman of Borneo chic and it is not to be immortalized on my blog.

I hear that after a week or two, your hair starts to calm down. So I'm ready for that to happen :) My hair is shinier than it has ever been, super soft, starting to get the natural curl back, and I think I made the right decision to switch to no poo-ing when I ran out of conditioner and didn't want to buy another $20 bottle. Baking soda wash and vinegar rinse plus some cool water has really worked wonders for my hair. Who could have possibly imagined that "not" washing my hair would give me back my high school hair?! haha And it's ridiculously cheap. Can't beat it with a stick!