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The longer I live the less confidence I have in drugs and the greater is my confidence in the regulation and administration of diet and regimen. ~John Redman Coxe, 1800

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”
- La Rochefoucauld

How do we discern what is most important, especially when we are on a tighter budget? The word “natural” can be quite deceiving!

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Why do we think it is impossible to live nutritiously and organically on a budget? It is because we are buying everything in a box or can! These pre-made packages of so called “organic” goodness are not as healthy as I originally thought and they jack up the food budget. The simple solution: make them yourself! It really is not as hard as you think.

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Visit here for part 1 of this post.

Here are a few more additional recipes for all natural body products! Enjoy!

Liquid Soap – Fill your empty soap dispensers with Dr. Bronners liquid castile soap. It is rather thin on its own so dilution is not recommended.
Shampoo – Baking Soda & water (approximately 1 Tbls soda to 1 cup water)-make use of your old dispensers! Combine these two ingredients for an excellent shampoo. I make a paste with baking soda and water, massage this into my scalp and rinse well. It definitely does not have the soapy feel of your regular shampoo, but it actually feels like it is cleaning your scalp more thoroughly. This is called the no-poo method.

Here is another shampoo recipe using apple cider vinegar. ACV works effectively as a conditioning agent. This substance must be refrigerated between uses.

Add the following ingredients in a blender:
1 oz. Olive oil
1 egg
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ACV.
Use as you would a regular shampoo

Conditioner - Apple Cider Vinegar (Approximately 1-2 Tbls. cider to 1 cup water) – Spray this solution to the ends of your hair and again rinse well. Cleans and detangles. Makes hair feel very soft. I do not recommend using an old cleaning spray bottle (I washed it in the dishwasher too!). I did this at first and it added a horrible smell (probably not good for the hair, either). Use a small spray bottle. The smell takes a little getting used too, and I increased the water quantity to decrease the scent. It would be worth trying to add an essential oil of some kind to overcome the ACV smell.

Apple Cider Vinegar has not only proved beneficial to take internally but also offer as many topical health benefits too. When you incorporate apple cider vinegar into your body-care regimen, you will quickly find that you don’t need many of the commercial beauty aids. Many of which contain preservatives, and synthetic perfumes. Apple cider vinegar (ACV), on the other hand, is an all-natural remedy that helps the skin/scalp Ph balance. Healthy skin has a protective acid mantle that can be stripped away by overuse of alkaline body soaps. The skin is the largest organ of elimination; so maintaining an acid mantle assists the normal detoxification process.

For refreshing and deep cleansing face wash
Add 1 c. of ACV to basin of warm water to use as a refreshing face wash. For a steam deep cleanse, add 3 tablespoons of ACV to a pan of boiled water and lean your face over it. Cover your head with a towel for five minutes, allowing the steam to open up the pores and loosen any impurities from the skin’s surface.

Hope that helps with a few ideas for natural body products! Any other ideas?

I just came across this website that has many more wonderful body product recipes. Some are similar to what I have tried above. Check it out!

Here is another site a reader sent me on going shampoo free. Very interesting information! Thanks Jerilyn!

If I can say one thing…remember to take your time in incorporating a more natural lifestyle into your home. I try to add one new thing on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, so as not to overwhelm myself. It is important to take simple steps towards improving your health and the care of the environment as well. I will not guarantee that pursuing a healthier lifestyle with your food, body products, cleaning supplies, etc. will be a piece of cake, but I will say that it is definitely worth it! Taking good care of our bodies will make us more fit for the Master’s use, and that is an important pursuit!

Now for some recommendations for natural body products!

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been called the “healthiest dietary oil on earth.” This is the item that I have just started incorporating into our diet. I have been cooking with it, adding it to smoothies, and now I am realizing the benefits to using it as a natural body product. Coconut Oil is a little more on the expensive side, but it definitely extends a long way and can be used for multiple purposes, which makes it a very valuable and worthwhile purchase in my book (I am all for all-in-one products!). Read on!

Take advantage of this awesome oil in the nourishment of your skin and hair.

Hair Conditioner – Using coconut oil for hair conditioner is a great, healthy idea. It not only softens the hair and leaves it shiny, it also leaves your scalp moisturized. It will also absorb into your skin nicely as well without leaving that greasy feeling that some moisturizers have a tendency to do. Applying coconut oil to wet hair is what works best. Make the application after you get out of the shower. Put a pea sized drop in one hand. Better to have too little than too much. Evenly coat hands by rubbing them together. Evenly run fingers through hair and rub coconut oil into hair. Using a comb to distribute oil through hair is also acceptable. Repeat if desired.

Deodorant – This has been the best thing I have discovered lately! It works wonders! I am one that has always had to use very strong deodorant because the natural stuff never worked. I have been blown away by the effectiveness of this recipe. My husband was a little skeptical at first, and didn’t necessarily like applying it with his hands, but the benefits far out way any extra effort. Ingredients: Arrowroot powder (or cornstarch), baking soda, and coconut oil. Combine equal quantities of arrowroot and baking soda (I started with ¼ cup each). Then add as much coconut oil to the mixture till you get the substance that you desire (2-3 Tbls). Replace your empty deodorant containers with the product or store it in a plastic bowl with lid.

Skin Care – Coconut oil is also an excellent massage oil for the skin as well. It is an effective moisturizer on all types of skin.

Read more about the multiple health benefits of coconut oil here.

Bath Soap – I highly recommend Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap bars. I prefer the Baby Mild brand because it works for all of us. Trader Joe’s carries the Peppermint kind for $2.50, but I find it stings the skin greatly. Azure Standard also sells these products for $2.70 per bar. In the future, I will probably try the liquid version, as I believe it would be more economical as it is a concentrate and can be used as regular hand soap, shampoo, toothpaste, cleaning, and laundry. Ingredients include: Saponified Organic Coconut, Organic Palm and Organic Olive Oils (with Retained Glycerin), Water, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Salt, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.

Any other good body product recipes or recommendations? Please share!

Find the best price on coconut oil here at Mountain Rose Herbs!

My desire through this Friday series (Natural Living on A Budget) is to provide you with ideas and resources to encourage you in more natural living but without paying the extravagant prices out there now a days for organic and natural products. As Christians, we are also responsible to be good stewards of the environment as well…this is not just something left for the world around us to be concerned about.

As far as housecleaning goes, there are many natural products available on the market today that are worthy of your support, but does it have to cost that much? No! Making your own products can serve the needs of your family and household far more naturally and cost effective. Check out Housecleaning on A Budget – part 1 for good recipes for making your own cleaners. Start simplifying your cupboards and your cleaning bucket today!

Here is an even simpler list of ingredients that are environmentally friendly alternatives that are inexpensive and readily available:

All-Purpose: 1/2 c. vinegar, 1/4 c. baking soda, 1/2 gal water
Window cleaner: vinegar, club soda, or the all-purpose cleaner
Disinfectant: 4 Tbls vinegar, 3 cups hot water
Scouring powder: baking soda
Natural Abrasive: salt & toothpaste, apply to scrubby or directly on surface
Dusting powder: vinegar, olive oil
Furniture polish: vinegar, food-grade lemon oil, or 1 c. olive oil and 1/2 c lemon juice
Fabric softener: vinegar
Silver polish: baking soda, salt, toothpaste
Mold/mildew: vinegar or lemon juice at full strength, with small amount of salt
Bleach replacement: spray one coat of vinegar, followed by one coat of hydrogen peroxide (these can not be mixed, so they have to be layered separately). Scrub and wash as desired. Works just as well as bleach without the chemicals.

You can add essential oils to all of these recipes for added scent, cleaning power, and to preserve them. For preservation purposes, try out citric acid, tea tree oil, rosemary oil/extract, and/or grapefruit seed extract.

Did you know you can even make a simple recipe for laundry soap and dishwasher soap?

Laundry Soap: See my homemade recipe here.

Dishwasher Soap: See my homemade recipe here.

Dishwashing Soap: Use baking soda and liquid soap, add 2-4 Tbls of vinegar to the warm, soapy water for though jobs. Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap diluted along with some vinegar and tea tree oil works as well.

Wow! Isn’t that easy. If you have vinegar, baking soda, and some essential oils you are pretty much set to go! You can buy 1 gallon of vinegar for around $4 (which is the price of one small container of all-purpose cleanser), which will extend very far for you.

Try using t-shirts or cloth diapers for all your cleaning needs! Eliminate the need for paper towels. I stopped using these a few months back and I have not missed them. I just have a pile of rags in the kitchen and in the closet at easy reach for any messes.

I just found this website recently which has a huge supply of more ideas for homemade cleaning products: Clean and Green.