Homemade Lotion

So, I made lotion. And it was so easy that you could do it too. Really. Seriously, if you have basic cooking skills, you could also make your own lotion. The best part is, that it is eco-friendly, cheap, petroleum free, paraben free, and phthalate free.

First, I found this super easy recipe on The Green Phonebooth. Then, I got some beeswax from the Downtown Farmer's Market. The beeswax I got was in brick form, not the handy little pastilles. So I had to grate it.

For those who don't want to click on the link, here is the recipe:

1 cup distilled water
5-20 drops of essential oils ( I used lavender).
3/4 cup oil (I used light olive oil because it is what I have at home. You can also use grapeseed oil, apricot oil, coconut oil, coco butter, or shea butter).
1/4 cup beeswax pastilles or grated beeswax.

First, I placed the water and essential oils is a blender. Then, I mixed the beeswax and olive oil in a Pyrex measuring cup and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time (stirring in between) until the beeswax was completely melted. The beeswax can be melted into the oil over a double boiler, but I thought the microwave method would be faster and more energy efficient.

Then, I turned on the blender to the fastest speed and slowly poured in the oil/wax mixture. The mixture immediately started to emulsify. I continued blending the lotion for a several more minutes, stopping the blender several times to stir an scrape the sides.

The lotion turned out to be thick, creamy and very moisturizing.

Sugar Scrubs - From the Kitchen to the Bath

So, lately I have been looking for safer and cheaper alternatives to the health and beauty products I use every day.

I started using the Basic Sugar Scrub recipe I found on Condo Blues. To that recipe I added a few drops of lavender essential oils and some dried lavender blossoms. Simple enough? Then I packed the scrub into reused glass jars and gave it to family members for birthday gifts.

I also tried some out. Now, I have purchased a lot of different scrubs of various sorts over the years and have used them all. None of them compared to this one. The felt nice to use, not to scratchy for my skin. It rinsed off easily and left my skin silky smooth and very soft. I usually use lotion on my legs after a bath to restore moisture, but after using this sugar scrub, my skin was moist enough that I didn't need any.

The best part is that I exfoliated and moisturized my skin without exposure to parabens, phthalates, or other toxic chemicals and without the use of any petroleum products.

I Quit Shampooing My Hair - Update

It has now been 12, almost 13, weeks since I quit shampooing my hair. Until I quit using shampoo, I didn't realize how much damage it was doing to my hair and how many other products I was purchasing and using to correct the damage. Seriously. I used to think that my hair was naturally very dry and needed a lot of moisture added in order to tame the frizzies and bring out my natural curl. I used to shampoo daily, then condition with a conditioner for dry hair. After my shower, I would use a daily leave in conditioner, an oil based hair serum and another hair serum to tame the frizz. Now, I no longer consider my hair to be dry.

What's Changed:

Everything has changed. Since I last posted about my no 'poo choice, I have started using a vinegar rinse on my hair. I use about 10 parts water to 1 part apple cider vinegar and pour it over my hair right before I get out of the shower. It leaves my hair sleek, shiny, and as detangled as a conditioner. Because of this, I have been able to ditch my daily conditioner and all of my styling products. That is something I never expected to happen. Not only that, but my hair looks and feels better then I ever did with the shampoo, conditioner, and styling products. It is moist enough on its own to not need daily moisture therapy. Instead, I have been using a hot olive oil treatment on my hair about once a month to keep the moisture.

My hair had also gotten less greasy. Now my hair is to the point that I only need to use the baking soda scrub on my scalp once per week. The rest of the time, I will rinse my hair in the shower and scrub my scalp with my fingers to get it clean. This leaves my hair looking freshly washed.

What I am Saving:

I calculate that I am saving about $25 per every six weeks or so on hair products. I calculated this using the cheaper grocery store brands of shampoo and conditioner. I am probably saving much more money than that because, in recent years, I have been purchasing increasingly expensive hair products to try to get my hair to look the way it does now.

I am also saving about 4 plastic bottles from the waste stream every six weeks. A few more because I am reusing some of my old plastic conditioner bottles for my vinegar rinse.

I am also saving my health from exposure to the toxic ingredients that were in my shampoo, conditioner, and styling products.

I am also saving the water ways from dangerous toxins from my products as well.

Since going no 'poo is better for my hair, better for my health, and better for the environment, I see no reason to go back.

Hot Olive Oil Deep Conditioning Treatment

Stop paying outrageous prices for deep conditioning treatments at the salon or for high prices deep conditioning products. You can deep condition your hair at home for pennies by using a hot olive oil treatment. Not only that, but olive oil is a completely non-toxic, eco-friendly, and good for your hair.


How to do it:

I take about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (you only need one for shorter hair; mine is really long) and heat it until it is warm to the touch. It can be heated in the microwave or by putting it in a small glass jar and setting it in a pan of hot water.

Once the oil is hot, I apply it to my hair and work it through. Then, I will twist up my hair and secure it with a monster clip and leave it for about 10 minutes. Deep conditioner should only be applied to the same parts of your hair that you apply a daily conditioner to; anything you can gather into a ponytail.

After 10 minutes, I wash out the excess oil. Since I stopped using shampoo on my hair, I use a mild baking soda mixture to remove the excess oil. I use about a teaspoon of baking soda about 1/3 cup water. I then follow up with a vinegar rinse.

Since I have very dry natural curls, I have been applying a hot olive oil treatment to my hair about once per month. I has left my hair moisturized and shiny. I don't think I will every pay for another deep conditioning product again.

I Quit Shampooing My Hair

It's true. I have not used shampoo on my hair for about 5 weeks. I have joined the no 'poo movement, shampoo free, in order to protect and improve my health, save the earth, and have really great hair.

Honestly, when I first heard about the no 'poo movement (shampoo free), I was horrified (which might by your reaction right now). I don't believe that going green means forgoing personal hygiene and turning into a smelly, greasy, hippie. Besides, I can't toss personal hygiene. I'm an attorney; I need to be presentable. Normally, I haven't been able to go more then two days without shampooing before my hair turned into a greasy mess. I try to work out 5 days a week, so I thought it was necessary to shampoo my hair after every workout.

But, I was intrigued by the idea of reducing the amount of shampoo I was using. So, I started to experiment. First, I tried rinsing my hair instead of shampooing and found that my hair was just as clean and grease free as when I shampoo. I started going three or four days without shampooing my hair with good results.

I then decided to see if I could go an entire week without shampooing. On day 4, my hair started to feel a little greasy. So, I tried a baking soda rinse. It left my hair clean, greasy free, and very, very soft. So, when Sunday came around again, I used baking soda instead of shampoo. I have not gone back to shampoo since.

My hair is dry, dry, dry, natural curl which is disastrous without conditioner. So, I still condition my hair; but I am looking for natural alternatives. Many people who go no 'poo also use an apple cider vinegar rinse to condition hair after the baking soda rinse. I haven't tried this method yet, but plan to sometime soon.

Why Would Anyone Want to Ditch Shampoo:

In addition to being one less thing to buy and fewer plastic bottles, shampoo really isn't that good for you or for your hair. Shampooing strips the natural oils from your hair leaving it dry which you then need conditioner to replace. However, when the oil is stripped from your hair, your body over produces oil to compensate which makes your hair oily and you shampoo again. Thus, your shampoo is causing your dirty, greasy, hair.

On a far scarier note, most shampoos contain ingredients that believed to be endocrine disruptors, cause cancer, and a variety of other health problems. Since I already have endometriosis (believed to be caused by endocrine disruptors) and fibromyalgia ( of which endometriosis is a precursor and may be caused by environmental toxins and causes a hypersensitivity to chemicals), reducing my exposure to these harmful chemicals sounds like a good idea. Here are some common ingredients found in shampoo and their health and environmental effects:

Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate - (used to make shampoo foamy) not only is this ingredient linked to cancer and organ system toxicity, but it is bioaccumulative, does not break down normally in your system and can remain for decades after exposure. This ingredient is also linked to wildlife toxicity including fish.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate - (cleansing agent and used to make shampoo foamy) - linked to cancer; developmental and reproductive toxicity causing things like infertility, reproductive cancers, birth defects, developmental delays; organ system toxicity; neurotoxicity; endocrine disruption, biochemical or cellular level changes.

Ammonium Laureth Sulfate - (cleansing agent and foaming) - linked to organ system toxicity

Cocamidopropyl Betaine - (hair conditioning agent) - linked to allergies and immunotoxicity and ecotoxicity

Methoxydibenzoylmethane - (sunscreen agent) - linked to cancer, allergies and immunotoxicity.

Superoxide Dismutase - (skin conditioning agent) - linked to cancer

Methylparaben - (fragrance ingredient, preservative) - linked to cancer; allergies and immunotoxicity; organ system toxicity; biochemical or cellular level changes; neurotoxicity; endocrine disruption.

Fragrance - many artifical fragrances contain phthalates which are linked to cancer; developmental and reproductive toxicity including cancer of reproductive organs, infertility, birth defects, and developmental delays; allergies and immunotoxicity; organ system toxicity; biochemical and cellular level changes, neurotoxicity, endocrine disruption, persistence and bioaccumulation. In this category are chemicals including: Dibutyl Phthalate, Diethyl Phthalate, Cetyl Triethylammonium copolyol Phthalate, Benzoate/Sucrose Acetate Isobutyrate Butyl Benzyl Phthalate Copolymer, Diethylhexyl Phthalate, and many others. Look for Phthalate as part of the name in the ingredient list.

Check out the Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database to find out what is in your shampoo and other personal care and beauty products.

What I lost in the process:

1. Bad hair days. I haven't had one since I quit using shampoo. Instead, my hair is softer, smoother, and has more body. I have also found that I need to use less styling products to style my hair.

2. Dry, itchy scalp.

Shampoo Free Might Not be For Everyone:

In researching internet posts, I found that people tend to have mixed results. It appears that people with dry hair and natural curl have the best results with going shampoo free. People with straight, normal hair have a harder time with no 'poo. My sister has also tried baking soda rinses and found that they left her hair dry and wiry. So, for those of you who have poor results with no 'poo, natural shampoos may be the answer.

My sister's friend, Crystal Ross, gave me this recipe for all natural, chemical free, shampoo.

Natural Shampoo

4 oz of castile soap with any scent is that available – plain, peppermint, eucalyptus.
½ oz of rosemary - stimulates the hair follicles and helps to prevent premature baldness
½ oz of sage – has antioxidants and keeps things from spoiling and is antibacterial
½ oz of nettles – acts as a blood purifier, blood stimulator, contains a large source of nutrients for hair growth
½ of lavender – controls the production of sebaceous gland oil and reduces itchy and flaky scalp conditions
2000 mg of MSM (Organic Sulpher) – provides organic sulfur to your scalp, which improves the health and strength of your hair. It also helps to drive herbal nutrient into the skin and follicles where they can do the most good.
One empty 8 oz plastic bottle, or any other empty shampoo or soap bottle.

Mix the herbs in a mason jar, which has a lid. Boil 2 cups of distilled water. Add 3 heaping tablespoons of the mixed herbs into the boiling water. Pull the boiling water and herbs off the stove. Let the herb mixture sit for 30 – 40 minutes. Put the 2000mg of MSM into the herb mixture after 30 minutes of cooling. After 40 minutes and the MSM is melted, strain the herbal mixture into a bowl.

Pour 2 to 2 1/2 oz of strained herbal tea into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Now, pour the 4 oz ofcastile soap into the 8 oz plastic bottle. Cap the bottle and shake to mix the ingredients.

The shampoo is now finished and ready for use. Use this as a base for all of the shampoos you make. You can add different herbs as you learn what these herbs do and how they help your hair. You can vary the ingredients according to your taste.

Or, make your own organic hair care products.