My new book arrived the other day. I am so excited! I'm a total nerd when it comes to this kind of thing and I LOVE to make my own products. Mostly I make cleaners but I also make baby wipes and some other things. I haven't purchased store bought baby wipes in years and I absolutely love my wipes. I also make furniture polish, fruit and veggie wash and hair and body oils. I've also made bug spray and bug repellent. I am so happy with the stuff I make that I can't imagine going back to conventional products. I also tried my hand at making my own dishwashing detergent and my own laundry detergent. Both worked well but soon after I started making them a lot of eco-friendly products became available and the price wasn't astronomical so I quit making those.
More and more research is being done on the effects of the toxic chemicals used in beauty, cleaning and so many other products out there. When we slather this stuff on our skin it is absorbed by our body and makes it's way into our systems. Once in there many products interfer with our endocrine system and effect our hormones. There are also other skin problems that can occur and many (MANY) of the products are truly toxic to us, children and pets. There is very little regulation on the ingedients used in products that we use on a daily basis. There are respiratory problems and also big environmental concerns in the production and use of these chemicals. There is a lot of info on this and you can look into it if it's of interest to you but making your own products is just so much darn fun and saves so much money that you might want to try it just because of that!
Our household went chemical free a couple of years ago and I haven't missed it. The one area where I notice a "negative" difference is in the laundry room. I don't use any chemical stain removers and often stains don't come out with Borax alone so we tend to have some stains that don't come out. All this would take is for me to have some time to look up some recipes and tips on natural stain removers, I just haven't had a lot of time to do that yet. I also haven't used dryer sheets for a couple of years. Those are full of nasty stuff and 1/4 cup of vinegar in your washing machine is a natural fabric softener. There are probably a few weeks in the winter when the air is dry that I notice a little bit of static cling and I just use a little extra vinegar and the problem is solved. Honestly, going green with your household products is not a big hassle and you feel really good about it.
I haven't had much of a chance to look through the book a lot yet but it's filled with lots of recipes for making your own cleaners and beauty products. It's so inexpensive to do this and SO easy. Sometimes you have to buy a lot of stuff up front (such as different essential oils) but they last so long and you could even go in on them with someone if you wanted since you only use a few drops to make something that lasts for weeks or months. Most of the products you can buy cheaply and in bulk (think Costco for baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lemon juice and vinegar). Borax is another staple. The chapter on making your own cleaners is short, this book is full of tips and recipes for making everything from flea spray for your pet to making your own child's nightgown from a pillowcase (it's adorable and I can't wait to make this!). Super fun book and I can't wait to try all the stuff in it. Check it out from the library and see if there is something in there that you find useful, money saving and fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment