It's a boon that so many companies are offering natural body products these days, but they can be quite spendy. Many of them can be made in your own kitchen for substantial savings. These are some of my favorites:
Shaving Cream
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/3 cup shea butter
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Stir together the coconut oil and shea butter in a larger bowl. (You may have to melt them a bit first.) Refrigerate until hard. Take out of the fridge and add the olive oil. Whip with a mixer until incorporated. Transfer to a shatter-proof container and store in the bathroom. This will leave you silky smooth!
Baby Wipe Solution
- 1 cup cooled chamomile tea (or water)
- 1 T oil
- 1 T castile soap
- 3 drops favorite essential oil (I like lavender and tea tree.)
Shake together in a bottle. Spray onto a cloth or paper towel, and wipe baby's bottom clean!
Deodorant
- 6 T coconut oil
- 1/4 c baking soda
- 1/4 c arrowroot
Mix together in a small dish and transfer to an underarm deodorant mold (or just smooth it on with your fingertips). I have added essential oils in the past, but when used on the skin regularly in full strength, some are irritating.
Toothpaste
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 2 T baking soda
- 1 T xylitol or stevia
- 20 drops essential oil (I like mint or orange.)
Mix together in a small glass bowl and leave in the bathroom. We dip our toothbrush bristles into the mixture, but if you are concerned about germs, you could spoon it onto brushes, or dip it out with a toothpick. You can also "swish" or "oil-pull" with this mixture before spitting it out. Note: If your drains tend to plug easily, spit into the garbage; coconut oil can harden in the drain. (We learned this the hard way!