Recipes for the Household

[kimberlysteele]

I have a few favorite go-to recipes for everyday basics. If you're familiar with crunchy granola Earth momma blogs, many of these will probably be familiar or variations on a theme.

Feel free to share your own recipes in comments!

Number 1. (green cap mini container in front)

TOOTHPASTE

The price of toothpaste is STUPID right now. I was in Walgreens a few months ago and the cheapest bottle of toothpaste, with fluoride, of course, was $7. I won't buy Dollar Tree toothpaste because there is a good chance it is made in China, and that means it's anyone's guess what kind of toxic waste is in there. That leaves making my own toothpaste. Toothpaste is number one on this list for a reason -- it's much better stuff if you make it, plus you can customize it however you like. Stronger, weaker, more flavor, less flavor, etc.

INGREDIENTS

1 part arrowroot powder... I use about 1 tablespoon
1 part olive oil or other neutral oil... I use however much is needed to moisten
Pinch of baking soda
Stevia powder to taste
A few drops of essential oil or extract of cinnamon, mint, orange, vanilla, anise, or whatever you like for flavor

DIRECTIONS

I start out by putting some arrowroot powder in a bowl and mixing it up with baking soda and my preferred amount of stevia. I find the stevia is nice in this toothpaste because it is somewhat cooling. Then I add small amounts of olive oil and mix in very well until I get the thickness I like. I tend to like a soupier toothpaste, but no matter how this toothpaste starts out, it tends to thicken over time as it is stored. For whatever reason, it lasts a very long time on the shelf -- I often only make one batch every few months. Store in a covered bowl.

DEODORANT (black lidded jar, bottom right)

I like the smell of store-bought antiperspirant but the aluminum and other mystery crap in there makes me worry. This deodorant tends to do just as good as a job, plus since it isn't a far cry from the toothpaste recipe, it's nontoxic and can be put on any stinky part of the body without concern.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon arrowroot powder
¼-½ teaspoon baking soda
2-3 teaspoons melted coconut oil
Up to 10 drops essential oils of choice... I use lavender essential oil

DIRECTIONS

Mix arrowroot and baking soda well in a small bowl. Melt coconut oil and slowly add it, mixing as you go, until you arrive at a smooth paste. Mix in essential oil and transfer to a small lidded pot or empty lip balm jar.

HAIRSPRAY (metal spray bottle on right)

Ugh summer frizzies AMIRITE??? This hairspray has been a lifesaver for me, especially when I wear my hair up in a ponytail or bun. No more halo of frizz and flyaways for me, plus essential oil of eucalyptus smells great!

INGREDIENTS

1 part water
1 part white sugar
Essential oil of lavender, eucalyptus, neroli, etc.
Optional: dash of Florida water, rubbing alcohol, or vodka

DIRECTIONS

Dissolve sugar in water on the stovetop or in a microwave safe bowl for only as long as it takes for sugar granules to disappear. Yes, this is a recipe for simple syrup -- so go ahead and save some for mixed drinks later I suppose... Pour the sugar water into a spray bottle and add essential oils if desired so it smells pretty. Since I store mine in the fridge, I don't add Florida water or alcohol. However, if you want to store this at room temperature, I would add a bit of alcohol of some sort to prevent it from going icky.


ALL PURPOSE CLEANER/HAIR DETANGLER (spray bottle of glass cleaner)

You can clean your toilet with it or condition your hair... Seriously. Not that I would suggest doing both at the same time -- that could get weird. To use it as a hair detangler, spray it onto wet hair after washing for best results.

INGREDIENTS

1 part water
1 part white vinegar
Dash of Florida water, rubbing alcohol, or vodka as a preservative
A few spritzes of perfume or cologne

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I imagine most, if not all, toothpaste is made in China, no matter where it’s sold. Sonkitten’s Crest is “distributed by Proctor and Gamble,” i.e. made in China. (Just in case anyone didn’t already know, “distributed by” is a dead giveaway for “made in China.”). I use baking soda, which I am pretty sure is also made in China; if it weren’t, it would have PRODUCT OF [SOMEPLACE BESIDES CHINA] on the package in letters so big a blind mule 50 feet underground wouldn’t miss them.

Hoping your arrowroot is NOT made in China.

—Princess Cutekitten

[kimberlysteele]

Interesting! Well, doesn't that just add insult to injury, because Crest was $9 along with the rest of it.

[(Anonymous)]

If I remember right, you’re in Chicagoland?

Here in Kittenville, toothpaste is $3-5 a tube, depending on size, brand, and weekly sales.

—Princess Cutekitten

[(Anonymous)]

I think toothpaste goes for pretty much the same here in NH. It's gotten so I don't look at the sales slip any more than I have to.

Much of our baking soda is actually mined here in the US, mostly in the state of Wyoming.

https://www.treehugger.com/we-all-love-baking-soda-where-does-it-come-4858727

That having been said, the methods for mining it leaves something to be desired. And who processes the stuff once it's mined, is of course another big question. It could be China, India, Africa or pretty much anybody. Arm&Hammer gets the finished product, packages it and distributes it, hence the enigmatic labeling.

Manufacturing of any product, not just baking soda or toothpaste, is so opaque now that trying to track down where your stuff was actually made is enough to make anybody's head explode. This is the situation we've been handed as the result of a century or more of industrialization, rampant consumerism and endless outsourcing. Confessions of an Eco-Sinner by Fred Pearce does a fairly decent job of describing the author's attempt to track down where his stuff came from.

Trying to extricate ourselves from this situation is every bit as challenging as Brer Rabbit trying to free himself from the Tar Baby. We've been immersed in this lifestyle for so long it's really hard to see the extravagance for what it is so it's going to take a while to get loose from it.

JLfromNH

[kimberlysteele]

Thank you! Fascinating stuff. Confessions of an Ecosinner sounds like a must-read as well.

[nebulous_realms]

Thanks for the recipes! I have make-at-home recipes for window/glass cleaner and for an awesome scrubbing paste that, in combination with a sponge or brush, works far better to clean up tough sink and tub stains than any store-bought cleaner I've seen. Here's the recipe for the latter:

1/2 cup water
1 2/3 cup baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable-based liquid soap
2 tbsp vinegar

In a one-quart container with a screw-top, add the water and 2/3 cup of the baking soda. Add soap and stir everything together. Then add the vinegar and stir in the remaining 1 cup of baking soda until the mixture forms a paste. You could also add some drops of essential oils or Florida water to the mix, probably.

[kimberlysteele]

Thank you! I was looking for a soft scrub-ish recipe for tub and sink gunk.

face lotion

[randomactsofkarmasc]

For an easy face lotion, mix equal parts coconut oil and shea butter in a double boiler. Heat it enough to melt them to mix, but don't let them boil. Pour the mixture into jars. Once it starts to cool a bit, add a few drops of aloe vera and jojoba oil. (You can stir, but I've found it easier to put the lid on a shake.)

For measuring the coconut oil and shea butter, I do by mass rather than volume (because it is easier). I use about 300g of each and it makes enough to last me about 4 months. I keep the jars in the fridge, except for the one I am using.

Thanks very much for your recipes. I look forward to trying them.

PS: You can add essential oils if you wish. I have sensitive sinuses, so tend to avoid smells.

Re: face lotion

[kimberlysteele]

Glorious. I have used a similar recipe for body butter. It's much better than trying to make lotion because homemade lotion goes rancid due to its water content.

[scotlyn]

Funny! This brought back a memory of my mother using toothpaste (yep, the storebought kind) to clean our shiny patent leather shoes on a Sunday morning - it's a long time, I reckon, since they were a thing! ;)

These are useful recipes. I've never used arrowroot powder, though. I bought a number of herbs from a very good supplier last year for making tinctures, but since I had them in stock, I started making myself a nice toothpowder made of one part ground licorice root, one part ground cinnamon bark and one part ground myrrh. I'm thinking this might be interesting to moisten following your recipe. I wonder if the arrowroot has functions other than thickening, though?

[kimberlysteele]

LOL, yes, I am old enough to remember those kinds of shoes. I remember when guys would look at them trying to get a peek of the reflection of the girl's panties.

Nice, I like the tooth powder recipe! With your recipe, it likely restores the teeth and disinfects the mouth. The reason I add olive oil is that it is often used in a practice called oil pulling which is designed to draw out toxins from the mouth. Oil pulling makes me gag, so I don't do it.

[(Anonymous)]

For post-washing hair rinse/conditioner, I just take an empty ketchup bottle (the squeezy kind) and fill 1/4 vinegar, 3/4 water. Apply to hair after shampoo rinsed out, then rinse briefly with cold water. Works great, have waist-length hair and haven't used conditioner in years.

[kimberlysteele]

Very smart! Oddly, hair conditioner is the world's best shave cream. My husband uses it when he has to trim the edges of his mustache and beard and he says it's better than any shave cream he has ever used.

[(Anonymous)]

Ok, since I finally transitioned away from detergent-based shampoos and body washes over to Castile soap this summer, I've been putting off coming up with a natural rinse to cut through the soap residue, especially on my hair. I now understand why pushing detergents on people was so easy to do, given that they leave no trace of residue behind. Let's face it, detergents strip away all the oils, leaving hair "squeaky clean", a state it was never meant to be in!

My book on natural care and cleaning products from my post-college days is buried in a storage box somewhere, and unlikely to be found any time soon. Through the mists of time, I can vaguely recall that it had lots of hair-rinse recipes. The only one I remember was chamomile tea based. I could easily substitute strong chamomile tea for the 1 part water in your recipe, but would you happen know whether a different herb tea might be even more beneficial in a hair rinse?

— Christophe

Vinegar

[(Anonymous)]

I use white vinegar in a spray bottle as my hair rinse.

I wash my hair with Dawn (which is a hold over from my dreadlock days), rinse it out with the high pressure spray setting. Then liberally spritz vinegar on the hair from roots to tip and massage it in. Then using that same high pressure spray I rinse my hair thoughly. After I'm done washing everything else I rinse my hair with water a second time. If I don't rinse it out twice I'll sometimes smell the vinegar.

The Dawn causes the keratin scales to open up and helps get everything out of the hair. The vinegar causes the scales to lay flat which helps prevent tangling.

Vinegar should work regardless of the soap or shampoo you use. Some people simply use baking soda instead of shampoo with a vinegar rinse and report success.

[kimberlysteele]

I love being squeaky clean but I know it's probably not an ideal state. I especially love to get my hair and scalp "over" clean but again, most likely it's not ideal. It has always required some kind of conditioner or moisturizer right after bathing, and yeah, I know I'm just replacing my own oils with store bought ones and/or essential oil fragrances. I used to have very oily skin, and overdoing it with the detergents is a good temporary fix. I'm grateful for the excess oil now, especially since it's not the freaking Exxon Valdez spill it used to be, as it has helped me avoid some wrinkles and sagging.

I believe sage and rosemary is used for brunettes and chamomile is for blondes. There used to be a shampoo called Black Malva by Aveda (malva is a marshmallow relative) but they discontinued it. It had a great deal of blue in it so it helped tone down brassy brownish red in hair. Fair women with lighter brown hair tended to go grayish green if they used it -- it was truly meant for dark hair only. My giant hair is naturally wavy and shot through with gray. I may end up trying a homemade rinse of black walnut at some point just to see if the browner ends would darken to black. I don't care about the gray because that's a full time job that I refuse to sign up for LOL

[(Anonymous)]

A lot depends on how long you keep your hair. All that stuff matters a lot less for short hair. But if you grow it out, not-tangling is a much higher priority.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, and, if you happen to be a swimmer with longer hair, god help you! There's no rinse on earth that could completely stop my hair from snarling up unless I were to cut it short or give up on the pool.

— Christophe

[kimberlysteele]

Ugh, yes. Even the dreaded bathing cap does not keep hair from getting chlorine-soaked.

[(Anonymous)]

I also bless my oily skin for keeping wrinkles at bay. After a day of skin oil migrating down my hair, the snarls would naturally be able to resolve themselves, but coming right out of the shower, my chlorine-damaged hair matts up something awful.

I used to think nothing of pouring detergent on my head and then following that up with a harsh conditioner. That was before my family's version of male pattern balding started making an appearance last year. I suddenly realized that I had basically been torturing my scalp with chemicals, while expecting my follicles to never conk out of service. So no more chemical baths for my skin — well, except for the pool! Castile soap is more than caustic enough to cut through the daily grime.

Since I've still got a few dirty blond hairs hiding out amidst all the gray ones, I'll go ahead with chamomile. Thanks for your well-timed push to get me to make up a rinse to clear away the soap residue and the snarls. It would be ironic if in trying to keep some hair on my head, I ended up brushing it all off by trying to get out the resulting snarls!

— Christophe

[kimberlysteele]

Vinegar truly does work miracles. It makes you wonder what kind of wacky things it would do if we could see it on the etheric.

[(Anonymous)]

Oily facial skin was my bete noir when I was younger. I had to give up having bangs because they would end up getting far oiler than the rest of my hair simply from contact with my shiny forehead. Makeup was out as well as it clogged my pores no matter how carefully I washed, promoting the dreaded zits of my youth. Now approaching 69, the oil is still there but not so bad now, and you are right. The wrinkles are very mild with little sagging.

My hair is medium brown with only a sprinkling of gray. My late mother didn't turn seriously gray until she was into her eighties. I'm not going to fight the inevitable with the gray. That's a losing battle for sure. What's wrong with aging gracefully anyway?

I will try that hair conditioner to see how it works, though.

JLfromNH

[kimberlysteele]

Ah, same. To this day, foundation makeup slides off my face in the summer. So I go without and look like I've got allergies and people ask "Are you tired?".

As for aging gracefully, Martha Stewart is one of the few who has had tons of plastic surgery but still looks human. It's still creepy that she's as old as she is but is so clearly afraid of looking her age. The rest are achieving ghoulish appearances at ever-younger ages. Plus, why would anyone want to look age 60 at age 80, or worse, to look like a stretched and off-kilter 26 at age 65?

[(Anonymous)]

Another great Kim post. I love it when you keep these kinds of Earth mom posts coming.

Before we had such exotic products as arrowroot I added my own calcium carbonate to homeade toothpaste, obtained by pumping co2 in to limewater. The co2 ifself was provided by quicklime. A really cheap and effective way to get a "pure" and technically "vegan"* source of calcium for reducing acidity.

*Limestone really is an animal product, but does anyone really care after all these billions of years?

[kimberlysteele]

Thank you! How interesting -- I didn't know you could do that to water.

I use petroleum jelly as a moisturizer and a pomade -- maybe not vegan but then neither is the gas in my car LMAO.

Face Mask

[(Anonymous)]

Bentonite Clay Mask

Ingredients:

Powdered bentonite clay (food grade)
Bottled water
Zip lock bag

Tools:

Measuring device
Scissors
Silicone travel bottle

Add equal parts bottled water and clay into a zip lock bag. Remove excess air, seal bag, and massage the bag to mix the clay. Add additional water or clay to desired consistency. When thoughly mixed cut off 1/4" diagonally from corner of the bag and squeeze the clay through this hole into silicone travel bottle. While usable immediately, letting it sit over night will help guarantee even hydration of the clay.

I find this to be as effective as the masks with a bunch of other ingredients added.

Re: Face Mask

[kimberlysteele]

Nice! That sounds like a nice one to make, plus the clay has a myriad of uses such as in toothpowder and homemade cosmetics.

Re: Face Mask

[(Anonymous)]

One caution though-- we use bentonite in our homemade tooth powder. Anything with clay in it, you want to be somewhat careful about your household plumbing, as it can build up in your drains and cause clogs. Spit/rinse outside, and you're fine ;)

Re: Face Mask

[kimberlysteele]

Noted!