Fragrances are a key area of concern for many people trying to reduce their exposure to potentially toxic chemicals and phthalates. There are numerous articles dedicated to this subject on the EWG website. My concerns have led dramatically reduce my perfume use – opting instead for pure vanilla and to stop purchasing room fragrances.
The trouble is – it’s still really nice to have a nice room spray to freshen up a room when it’s needed. This recipe does the trick in our home.
So – now I make my own! It’s simple, fast and inexpensive. Anyone can do it and keep their powder room safely fresh.
1/2 Cup of Distilled Water
1 Tablespoon of Vodka
20 drops of Vanilla (or other favorite) Essential Oil
1 Teaspoon of Grapeseed Oil
Combine all the ingredients and store in a glass container for 45 days. When you think of it – or every 7-10 days shake your concoction.
Once the fragrance has aged – use a funnel to transfer the liquid into a gorgeous atomizing container.
PND Vanilla Room Fragrance
I have been contemplating making my own dressing for some time now – so many store bought are laden with ingredients that are unknown, preservatives I can’t pronounce and additives you don’t really want to eat. This one is made from ingredients you probably have in your pantry
We used the last of our Maria’s Ranch Dressing – the little ones were happy & busy. I seized the moment.
Ingredients
3/4 cup of light sour cream
3/4 cup of lowfat yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon of parsley flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon of dried chives 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of agave or sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice or rice vinegar – maybe 1/2-1 teaspoon
Combine all the ingredients, adjust seasonings to your taste and chill.
I made the recipe in the clean and empty Maria’s jar – so I didn’t even need to mess up a bowl.
Gave my 3 year old a taste and she wanted the whole spoon! She is pretty much exclusively a ranch girl – so we’ll take that as a positive review. It really is delish – if I do say so myself!
This is the Homemade Body Butter Recipe I shared when I visited Martha Stewart Living Radio!
Enjoy.
Pure Natural Diva Body Butter
I keep a small tub of my homemade body butter recipe in my car and shared some of it with Kadi Prescott – dynamo mother of 7 children. Needless to say – she instantly wanted to know how to make it for her sensitive skinned little one. Because we are both blogging diva’s – instead of emailing the recipe to her I told her I’d kick into gear and get the recipe posted.
All of the ingredients can be easily sourced – but the trickiest may be the beeswax. You buy it buy the pound so one block will make a lot of lotion! You can find it at Michael’s for $20 – but I found for less money, not to mention a more trusted source on Local Harvest.
This Homemade Body Butter Recipe has 4-5 ingredients, is easy to make and you’ll have the pleasure of knowing every ingredient that went into it.
Honey Citrus Homemade Body Butter Recipe
2 Tablespoons of Beeswax
1/2 Cup of Grapeseed Oil
1 Capsule of Vitamin E Oil
2-3 Tablespoons of Distilled Water
10 Drops of Citrus Essential Oil – or to preference
Homemade Body Butter Recipe Instructions
Combine the wax and oil together in a wide mouth jar. Microwave until the wax is almost completely melted.
Use a hand blender to whip – ensure it’s completely submerged for safety reasons!
Slowly add water and continue to aerate, then add fragrance. It will turn white and be thick and goopy.
Allow the lotion to settle for at least 15-20 minutes.
Scoop into a lotion container of your choosing, empty lip balm tubs.
Apply a small amount to any dry spots and enjoy!
A note about preservation… the vitamin e will help to extend the life of this product, but the formula does contain water… so it will only stay bacteria free for a few days without being refrigerated. I suggest keeping the bulk of your product in the fridge – and pulling out a couple days worth at a time in a smaller container. IF you eliminate the water, then you could keep it out, but I haven’t had a chance to test the recipe without water.
Who knew making your own Homemade Body Butter Recipe could be this simple?
Mixing up new cleaning formulas has become a recent hobby. I love not spending hundreds of dollars on cleaning products and knowing exactly what I’m using in my home.
2 tbs Oil
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs alchohol
24 oz Water
or
2 tbs Oil
2 tbs Castille soap – I like the almond for wood floors.
2 tbs Alchohol
24 oz Water
Front bottle contains the Hardwood Floor cleaner.
If you like a little more fragrance add an essential oil of your choosing. PND likes almond and citrus for cleaning products.
Mix in Method Spray Cleaner Bottle – Spray on floor using a damp cloth over a mop to wipe. Because these cleaners contain oil – you do need to make sure you shake the bottle, to keep the liquids mixed while cleaning.
I’ve also used Method Hardwood Floor Cleaner, using about 1/2 cup and putting it in a spray bottle, fill with water. Spray directly on the floor and mop with a damp cloth.
Also try:
PND All Purpose Cleaner Recipe
PND Foaming Handsoap Recipe
Tags: cleaner, eco, floor, friendly, Green, hardwood, make, non, own, Recipe, toxic, your
Whole grain bread crumbs are readily found at most health food stores, but they are not readily available at regular grocery stores. I hate having to make special trips to the “health food store” for ingredients like this. Not to mention they always cost a premium.
My family never eats bread heels, one day as I was throwing them out, I put it together. I should make Whole Grain Bread Crumbs out of our loaf heels.
Take the heels and toast them, then let them sit and toast them again, let them sit till they are rock hard. Then I add them to the “heel bag”. When I have a bag full of toasted heels I run them through the food processor.
Super easy and a win-win. Eliminate an expensive specialty item by using something you just might be throwing away otherwise. Something from Nothing!
Are tips like these useful to you? My girlfriend Jennifer insisted that I post this one, but I’m not convinced. Share your thougths!
How To Make Foaming Soap
Making your own foaming soap is so easy and inexpensive – Use our “how to many foaming soap recipe” as a guide! Anyone can do this! You’ll never wonder what is in your soap, plus an average family using one bottle of foaming hand soap a week will save an average of $180 a year.
How To make Foaming Soap: Supplies
Making Foaming Soap is Simple
The first thing you need is an aerating dispenser bottle.
Ours came from re-using a container from another brand. Method makes one, and I reused a bottle from Clean Well for a year. After a year or so you will notice the bottle begins to have a “skunky” smell, that is when I know it is time to replace the bottle with a new one. If there are effective ways to sanitize and remove the smell from the bottle that you know – please share because I’ve yet to figure it out!
Once you have your aerating dispenser bottle – you can make a variety of foaming soaps. The recipe we’re sharing is a Vanilla Orange Foaming Handsoap, but don’t be shy, select your favorite essential oils for fragrance and adding small amounts of your favorite oil for moisturizing.
How to Make Foaming Soap
Vanilla Orange Foaming Hand Soap Recipe
1 1/4 cup of water
2 TBS of Castille Soap – I used the Citrus. To create your own scent use unscented.
1 Capsule of Vitamin E Oil – Good for your skin and is a natural preservative.
3-5 drops of Vanilla Essential Oil
4-6 drops of Citrus Essential Oil
How to make foaming soap: Instructions
Combine the ingredients and in a measuring cup and use a funnel to pour into the dispenser. Soap will will dispense in an nice foaming lather… and if you kids use the whole bottle in 3 days, you won’t be furious!
Please let me know if you have any questions about How to Make Foaming Soap!
Tags: easy, foaming, hand, make, Natural, non, own, Recipe, simple, soap, toxic, your
