There are lots of things that just aren’t worth buying the cheap versions of. Things that can impact your health, and in the long run, make it more prudent – cost-effective even – to go ahead and buy the more expensive version with wholesome ingredients.
Like I said a few weeks ago, I’m not buying aluminum-laced deodorant or harsh chemical soaps. In fact, my goal is to not put any chemicals on my body. Just doing that, for most of us, will cut the chemical load our bodies have to deal with by more than half!
But even though it’s worth paying a premium on those things, that doesn’t mean you have to. You can make your own! Yes, there’s an initial investment – you usually have to buy ingredients in larger quantities than you need for one recipe, but when you break it down, it saves you so much money.
I went ahead and bough two-pound tubs of shea butter, and bentonite clay (among other things) even though the initial investment was higher, because they’re cheaper by the ounce that way, and since I make so many of my own products, I knew it would be money well spent. Those tubs have lasted me two years so far – and I expect them to last at least that much longer again.
Skin Care Products You Can Make At Home To Save Money
Lip Balm
This is one of my absolute favorites! I must be super picky about the lip balm I like because they all seem to be either too waxy, or too greasy, or just don’t stay on, but when you make your own, you can customize it to your own needs and make the perfect lip balm for you! I have never loved lip balm so much than since I started making my own! Homemade lip balm recipe.
Tooth Paste
There’s a lot of debate over whether fluoride is beneficial or detrimental to tooth and overall body health. Yikes! my personal feeling is that it, and all the other chemicals found in commercial toothpaste don’t belong in my body, or especially my kids bodies. Maybe I feel the risk of going non-fluoride is pretty small because, though I grew up using Colgate, my teeth are beyond terrible, and what they need is access to minerals to stay (or get?) strong. Personally, I prefer to make toothpowder because it’s easy to make, and I didn’t want to buy toothpaste tubes, but you can find a fabulous recipe for homemade toothpaste here.
Homemade Deodorant
The underarm area is such a sensitive part of your skin. Right next to all those lymph nodes that are trying to clean toxins from your body. Aluminum keeps your underarms dry, sure, but in doing so, it absorbs into the skin and clogs those poor lymph nodes. For that reason alone, we switched to natural deodorant years ago, and couldn’t be happier with our switch! Making homemade deodorant, is super easy, and you’ll be surprised by how well it works! Homemade deodorant recipe.
Baby Lotion
This is the easiest lotion you will ever make! I started making this lotion when my first baby was tiny. He had such sensitive skin it wasn’t funny, but this lotion was gentle enough for both him, and for me to use on my face, which is a total win! Easy Homemade Baby Lotion
Body Lotion
This grown-up version of lotion contains a lot more skin-nourishing ingredients, though it’s still easy to make, I love it for my feet! Homemade Body Lotion
Bar Soap
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that soap is hard to make. It’s not! You can pour a few ingredients together and stir, you can make soap! And it’s totally worth having a bar that’s not only natural but hasn’t been stripped of it’s natural moisturizing components the way most commercial bars have. Learn how to make cold process soap, or hot process soap.
Liquid Soap
Once you have your bar soap made, it’s beyond easy to turn it into liquid soap for convenient bathroom sink dispensers. All you need is a bar of soap, and a little water! How to make homemade liquid soap
Cough Drops
This is one that always gets me. Who wouldn’t rather fill their kids with natural, soothing, healing ingredients when they’re immune systems are down, than over-the-counter drugs? Homemade cough drop recipe.
Cough Syrup
The same principal applies here as it does to cough drops, and, my into-everything two-year-old has actually gotten ahold of the bottle and drank it – no harm done. Just think about that happening with the over-the-counter variety! Homemade cough syrup recipe.
Homemade Itch Relief
If you’re having itchy problems, you have to try this stuff! It’s so helpful for bug bites, and poison ivy! Homemade itch spray.
Homemade “Sun Butter”
Sunscreen is full of chemicals that I definitely don’t want my kids soaking not their skin! But hooray for homemade sun lotion, they don’t have to! Yes, it really works, and it works well! Homemade Sun Butter.
Homemade After Sun Spray
While an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, for those times that you forgot your sun butter, or didn’t have enough, or whatever, this after sun spray is invaluable! So soothing on lobster skin! Homemade After Sun Spray.
Homemade Facial Exfoliant
This is a super simple recipe that you will definitely be happy you tried! It only uses two main ingredients, but they’re oh so effective! Homemade Baking Soda Face Scrub.
Homemade Sugar Scrub
There’s nothing like scrubbing yucky things off of your skin, while rubbing nourishing things into your skin at the same time. That’s exactly what you do when you use homemade sugar scrub! Welcome to heaven.
Homemade Stretch Mark Cream
I know that you technically can’t heal stretch marks, and some even say that you can’t prevent them, but it can’t hurt to feed the collagen in the deep layers of your skin – especially since most of the same sources admit that doing so does at least reduce the appearance of stretch marks. And common, it’s worth a try! Especially since all the ingredients in homemade stretch mark cream are amazingly healthy for anybody’s skin. Homemade stretch mark cream recipe.
Homemade Facial Astringents
This recipe is super simple, and uses healthy ingredients – unlike your average astringent which uses chemicals to irritate the skin causing pores to appear smaller. Does that sound healthy to you? Not me! Try this homemade astringent!
Don’t be afraid to jump in in make your own homemade body products – it’s hard to go wrong when you’re using natural, chemical-free ingredients like this!
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Recipes everyone can make!
Nourish your body with ingredients you already have in your kitchen!
M says
“…my goal is to not put any chemicals on my body”. Literally your entire body is made of chemicals.