Coconut Oil as Lotion

The two places I've lived for most of my life are Southern California and Colorado and if you've ever been to either of these states, you know that your skin needs loads of extra help because it is dry, dry, dry! This means in both summer and winter, some sort of moisturizer is a must. 

You may have noticed that I use coconut oil for almost everything body related.  But the first thing I used it for, other than for cooking, was lotion!  I discovered this in college and have been waffling back and forth between natural lotion and coconut oil since. But now I'm committing to the option that doesn't come in a plastic bottle or take a multitude of ingredients to make: coconut oil.

Using coconut oil

So, if you want, you can just scoop coconut oil out of the jar it comes in and put it directly on your skin, I have done this many times and still do quite frequently.  It smells nice and is super effective.

The following is basically making it into a scented mousse-type lotion and is about as simple as it gets for a homemade body product.

This shouldn't take you longer than 5 min!

Ingredients / Supplies

1. Coconut Oil
2. Essential oil of your choice (optional)
   • I recommend lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, or whatever floats your boat
3. 1 small jar, clean and dry

Instructions

1. Scoop the appropriate amount of coconut oil for the jar you're going to put it in and place it in a bowl.
2. Mix/whip the coconut oil with a fork until it has more of a mousse-like texture.
3. Add about 3-6 drops of essential oil per 1 oz of coconut oil and whip again until fully mixed.
   • My jar is about 4 oz and I add 15-20 drops to it.
4. Put your awesomely scented and whipped coconut oil in your jar, and that's it!

To use: apply it the same way you would regular lotion! I use coconut oil both on my face and body.

Variations

Some people prefer the coconut oil to be a bit harder/more compact as opposed to the whipped texture like I do. If you are this way, or think you may be this way here is your solution:

Simply put the coconut oil in a small pot over low heat until it melts.  Pour it into your jar (make sure its not too hot!) and then mix in your essential oils.  The coconut oil will mold perfectly to the jar and come out less light and fluffy.  Use the exact same way as above.

DIY Vanilla, Lavender, and Ginger Extracts

Even before I went zero waste, I had a moment this Fall where I needed to buy vanilla extract for baking and just felt like I was WAY over paying for this teeny tiny bottle. Especially when the ingredients themselves were not actually expensive.  I could put a vanilla bean into alcohol and water, after all!

So I got experimental, with some guidance.  Once I decided to make one extract, I figured I'd just go for it with a few more since there would be leftover vodka (terrible, terrible vodka).

Ingredients

1. 2/3 cups Dried lavender 
   • To buy: you can generally find it at bulk food stores, tea stores, or online.  For online purchasing recommend Victor's Lavender, San Francisco Herb Company, or Amazon.
   • Packaging: If you order online, though, you will probably get it in a ziplock bag. Many local stores will let you bring your own bag or jar.
2. 3 Vanilla Bean Pods
   • To buy: I bought mine from my local Savory Spice, but you can also get them from Beanilla and Amazon.
   • Packaging: Savory Spice gave me the beans wrapped in foil, whereas many online stores will give them to you wrapped in plastic.
3. 1/3 cup (45-50 g) peeled an chopped fresh ginger root
   • To buy: go to your local grocery store's produce section, ginger is relatively inexpensive!
4. About 2 cups Vodka for each extract
   • To buy: The good news is you can use the cheapest vodka on the market for your extracts!  I got a 1/2 gallon handle of vodka for $11, the cheapest one in the store.  The smell when I opened it made me flashback to being a freshman in college again, but 3 months later I can now say the extracts all came out great!

Vanilla Extract Instructions

1. Cut the beans once lengthwise. Make any necessary cuts to fit beans into your container.
2. Put the beans in a clean bottle or jar.
3. Add vodka
4. Seal and let sit for 1-2 months.
5. Invert extract several times a week during this period.
6. Enjoy your awesome new extract!

• My favorite use:  All my yummy baked goods!

Lavender Extract Instructions

1. Measure out lavender
2. Place lavender in a clean bottle or jar
3. Add vodka
4. Seal and let sit for 1-2 months.
5. Invert extract several times a week during this period.
6. Experience the glory of having lavender extract in your sweets!

• My favorite use: adding a little to my vanilla ice cream and melting from happiness!

Note: Lavender extract is more difficult to pour because the flowers float, so I tend to filter most of the out at the end of the process.  The other solution is to put a small piece of fabric over the top of the bottle to filter them when you pour.

Ginger Extract Instructions

1. Measure out ginger
2. Place ginger in a clean bottle or jar
3. Add vodka
4. Seal and let sit for 1-2 months
5. Invert extract several times a week during this period
6. Fall in love with this strong, spicy flavor!

• My favorite use: Adding a smidge to my chia tea! 

Keep it going

So now that you have some homemade extracts, you're never going to want to buy them again.  I do  a take a little, add a little strategy with extracts.  Once you've used a bit (maybe 1/4-1/3 bottle) add some more vanilla, lavender, ginger, or whatever you're making and add some more vodka.  This way you never really run out.  If your jar starts to get too packed with stuff, take out a bit of the old ingredient before you put some new in.

Price breakdown

Vanilla Extract:

• 2 cups vodka: about $2.80
• 3 vanilla beans: $10.95
• 16 oz homemade cost: about $14
• Store-bought cost: as low as $27.59 and as high as $55.95
• Note: the vanilla beans I used are the quality used to make the $55 extract!

Lavender:

• 2 cups vodka: about $2.80
• 0.6 oz dried lavender: $1.65
• 16 oz cost: $4.45
• store-bought cost: $24.65 to $28.25

Ginger:

• 2 cups vodka: about $2.80
• 1/3 cup ginger: about $3.00
• 16 oz cost: $5.80
• Store bought cost: $17.65 to $21.85

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References

 Trisha Jones at Food52.com

3 Ingredient Laundry Detergent

Right now I have this giant container of laundry detergent that I bought because it is supposed to be eco-friendly and non-toxic.  While I believe it's better than most of what you can buy, it was relatively expensive and as I started doing a lot more DIY body care, I figured there had to be a way to do this right. 

First off, if you don't feel like homemaking every little thing like I am attempting to do, I'm going to start suggesting awesome products that you can buy and still go zero waste or low impact!

Retail alternative: The Simply co.

If you don't want to homemake your laundry detergent but still want a better option I'd recommend The Simply Co. This company was started by Lauren Singer who runs the zero waste blog Trash is for Tossers. Her laundry detergent has 3 (or 4 if you want scented) ingredients and is awesome!

Ok, so if you are still looking to homemake your laundry detergent here's what you'll need:

Ingredients

1. 1 box Baking soda (about 14 oz)
2. 1 box Washing soda (about 14 oz)
3. 1 bar castile soap (about 5 oz)
   • I use Lavender Dr. Bronner's but any type will do!

To Make

1. Mix baking soda and washing soda together
2. Shave the whole bar of soap and mix it into your sodas
3. You can put these in a blender/food processor for it to be extra powdery, this is particularly useful if you're like me and wash your laundry in cold water since it's easier for the detergent to dissolve.

Grated castile bar soap

Baking soda, castile bar soap, washing soda

All ingredients mixed together

Ingredients after being mixed in blender

Ingredients before vs after blender

Ready to go!

Awesome, homemade, non-toxic laundry detergent

 

To Use

1. Add 1 Tbsp. for a small load (2-3 for large)
2. I also use vinegar as a fabric softener, about 1/4 cup for a small load, 1/3-1/2 cup for large
   • Make sure the vinegar is put into a fabric softener section of the wash, or put it in for the rinse cycle.
   • Sometimes I throw some essential oils in the vinegar: I recommend 1-5 drops of lemon, lavender, and/or rosemary essential oils for washing (amount added will depend on brand of essential oils)

This recipe makes about 33 oz of detergent, which would give you approximately 65 small loads of laundry. You could double or triple the recipe if you wanted to.  

Cost

2 boxes of baking soda: $2.00

1 bar castille soap:        $4.50

Total: $7.50

Special Note: Washing soda  

So washing soda can be found at big stores like Walmart and Target, but not always.  I ran into this, no stores near me carry it.  However, washing soda is incredibly easy to make from baking soda: all you need is heat!  So if it's not readily available to you, and you're already savvy enough to make your own laundry detergent, just make the washing soda for it too. Follow this super easy DIY from mommypotamus to make your own!

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Acknowledgements:

While my recipe is not a replication of any of these bloggers, I did use their posts for guidance and feel they should be acknowledged:

Katie of wellnessmama.com, Find her laundry detergent recipe here! 

Matt and Betsy Jabs of diynatural.com, find their laundry detergent recipe here!