Here’s a face scrub recipe that you can make at home with ingredients you probably already have on hand.  It will cost you a few minutes of your time but it is definitely worth it!

photo credit: Malte.S

Ingredients:

2/3 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons applesauce
2 teaspoons olive oil

Mix all ingredients together well.  When you’re ready to use, put a small amount on your hand and work in a circular motion on your face.  Rinse well after using.  That’s it!

How it works

The malic acid and amalase enzymes in apples help remove dead skin and dirt that can clog pores.  The sugar polishes away rough spots, while the olive oil brings the moisture back to the skin.  All natural healing!

If you’re one of the people that frequently shaves any hairy part of their body, chances are you’ve experienced razor burn. I think razor burn is one of the most painful things!  It is definitely not a fun experience. There are products out there (like Bikini Zone ) to combat razor burn, but they contain all kinds of nasty chemicals that you don’t want to slather on sensitive areas.  What’s a girl (or guy) to do?  Make their own!

photo credit: Flavio@Flickr

All Natural Razor burn treatment

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cucumber, chopped and peeled

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together in a food processor or blender.  Apply to affected area and let it sit for 15-30 minutes.  Wash off with lukewarm water.  The coconut oil is anti-microbial and anti-bacterial so it helps rid the area of germs that can cause bumps.  Cucumber is anti-inflammatory, and the yogurt contains lactic acid which gently exfoliates the skin.  Now you’re all set for summer!

How do you combat razor burn?  Or are you one of those people that doesn’t shave?

Have you ever wondered how to make hair conditioner? It’s super easy, frugal, and fun!  A couple times a week I like to do a deep conditioning treatment to my hair. Of course I want something all natural and simple, so I make it my own all natural hair conditioner.

How to make hair conditioner

You only need minimal ingredients:

-1 small Avocado

-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil

You want to cut the avocado in half from top to bottom.  Remove the pit (you can compost it) and scoop the avocado from the rind into a bowl.  Add in your two tablespoons of coconut oil and mash with a fork until well blended.  From there, massage the mixture into your hair.  Leave it in your hair for about half an hour, then shampoo out.

The avocado contains vitamins, oils, and hair strengthening proteins.  Coconut oil is moisturizing and enhances shine.  Even if you “no poo” shampoo, this works well.  You may want to use a little less coconut oil though!

Do you use hair conditioner, or skip it? Do you think it’s a waste of money?

Have you wanted to make homemade soft scrub to clean your bathroom? The other day I decided my bathtub was pretty dirty, so I set out to come up with a recipe for homemade soft scrub.  It contains just a few safe ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen.

How to make Homemade Soft Scrub

-1/2 cup baking soda

-3 Tablespoons liquid castile soap (I used Dr. Bronner’s )

-1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of water

-5 drops of tea tree oil (for it’s antibacterial and anti-fungal qualities)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Add in a few drops of other essential oils if you wish.  Use to clean the bath tub, sinks, floors, kitchen and pretty much anything else your heart desires!

I would save an old squeeze ketchup bottle to use for this.  It would make dispensing very easy!

Have you made homemade soft scrub before? Do you use homemade cleaners to save money?

This post was included in the Festival of Frugality at Provident Planning.

photo credit: Tim Patterson

I’m going to start highlighting some foods that are fairly inexpensive and are very good for your health. Today’s focus is on the green smoothie.  Every day I start my morning off with a delightful green smoothie. At first I was repulsed by the idea (and the look!) but after I got down the art of making them, I was addicted. There’s nothing to help detoxify your cells and brighten your day than a green smoothie! Green smoothies are fairly inexpensive to make, and pack a huge nutritional punch.  They may look funny, but they don’t contain any unpronounceable ingredients.

One of my favorite things about making green smoothies is that they save me money and food waste.  If I’ve got some bananas that are about to go bad, I toss them in the freezer to save for a smoothie. When I buy the 1 pound spinach from Costco, I wouldn’t be able to use it up if I didn’t make green smoothies.  That’s a lot of spinach!  You can throw pretty much any fruit or veggie into your green smoothie, which helps reduce any food waste and helps keep your body healthy.   I’m also pretty lazy in the morning, so throwing ingredients in the blender and mixing makes me happy.  Easy peasy!

Ingredients

-Greens. Any type of greens will do, but my favorites are spinach and Swiss chard.  They are very mild, and if you don’t use too much, you can’t taste them in the smoothie.

-Fruit. We buy a large bag of frozen strawberries from Costco just for making smoothies.  We also go crazy buying bananas that are almost brown and discounted in the store and freeze them.  They taste great!  Basically, any fruit will do.

-Ice. If you aren’t using frozen fruit, you’ll want to add in a handful of ice.  I don’t like drinking warm green smoothies. 

How to make a green smoothie

Blend a handful greens with a cup of water in your blender.  Make sure you blend it until it looks like green water.  Throw in a banana (or whatever fruit you choose).  Blend until smooth.  Add in frozen strawberries and pulse.  Blend until incorporated.

At first, I would add in very little greens.  Then you can gradually work your way up to more greens.  Greens are fabulous for your body because they contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, are good sources of calcium, magnesium, and folic acid; and help detoxify your body.  Fruit is full of antioxidants and tastes yummy.

Green smoothies are inexpensive, so healthy for you, and a great way to reduce food waste.  Give them a try!  You’ll be glad you did.

Have you heard of green smoothies?  Would you try them?

photo credit: neil conway

Have you ever wondered how to make deodorant? I have, and decided that I would come up with a recipe that would work better than just putting baking soda on my underarms. I wanted something that felt more like real deodorant.

Store bought deodorant contains many ingredients and fragrances. After using my homemade deodorant for so long, I can’t stand the smell of perfumey deodorants. Also, there’s a bunch of controversy about aluminum in deodorant being linked to breast cancer. I like to err on the side of caution. I figure it can’t hurt to use homemade deodorant.

Also, your body is meant to sweat to release toxins, so anti-perspirants really aren’t that great.  Just use a little deodorant and you’ll be smelling like roses all day!

Ingredients

-6 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil
-1/4 cup Baking Soda
-1/3 cup Cornstarch
-1/4 teaspoon shea butter or cocoa butter
-10 drops of your favorite essential oil

Directions

Heat the coconut oil until you can stir in the shea butter or cocoa butter. Once these are incorporated, add in the dry ingredients and the essential oils. I like to use lavender essential oil because it smells so good! You could also use lemon, sweet orange, or patchouli. Use whatever you like! That’s the fun of making your own deodorant.

When the mixture cools, you can put your homemade deodorant in an old deodorant container or in a tub and just scoop some out with your fingertips. I reused an old Trader Joe’s deodorant container.

You may have to store the deodorant in the fridge in the summer, because the coconut oil may liquefy. Use caution.   Also- I like to put mine on right when I get out of the shower.

What kind of deodorant do you use? Are you concerned about aluminum in deodorant?

photo credit: makelessnoise

After all the discussion that my toothpaste recipe sparked regarding mouthwash, I knew I would have to come up with some natural mouthwash ideas. Don’t worry, I haven’t failed you!  I’ve got some ideas (some from you!) that will help keep your mouth feeling so fresh and so clean, clean without breaking the bank and pumping your mouth full of toxins.

1. Vodka mouthwash. It will kill germs and leave your mouth smelling fruity if you use flavored vodka.  If you aren’t into that, you can make your own mouthwash by combining half vodka, half water, and then about five drops of cinnamon essential oil. Shake before using. Yum-o!

2. Baking Soda Mouthwash.  Add about half a teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt to a glass of water, and a drop of peppermint essential oil if you wish.

3. Hydrogen Peroxide Mouthwash.  Mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water and use like regular mouthwash!

Thanks to everyone that contributed their ideas! I’m personally a fan of the vodka mouthwash, but will definitely be giving the others a try. If you aren’t into making your own, I would recommend a natural mouthwash like Kiss My Face mouthwash or Tom’s of Maine.

What do you use for mouthwash?

In a quest to green our lives and save more money, I have decided that when we run out of many of our personal hygiene products, I’m going to try my hardest to make the replacements myself. Here are the recipes I’ve concocted so far. When we ran out of toothpaste last week, I knew that I would be creating some of my own toothpaste. I have a couple recipes that I’ve been using, but Mr. Money wanted something more like commercial toothpaste, so the search was on. Enter this super simple toothpaste recipe.

Ingredients

-4 T. Baking Soda

-4 T. Vegetable Glycerin (I got mine at the grocery store in the pharmacy area, but you can get it from Amazon if you can’t find it locally.

-2/3 t. Salt (I used pink Himalayan sea salt)

-30 drops of Peppermint Essential oil (I got mine locally, but it’s on Amazon too)

-Container (I use an old toothpaste tube that I cut the end off)

-Toothpaste Tube Squeezer (Optional- keeps the toothpaste in the tube!)

Instructions

Mix baking soda, glycerin, and salt in a bowl. Add in 30 drops of peppermint essential oils and stir. It should be the consistency of real toothpaste. You can add more or less glycerin if preferred.

Put it in a container or reuse a toothpaste tube, and use it to brush brush brush your teeth!

Do you use all natural toothpaste? Would you make your own?

If you’ve tried the No Poo Shampoo Method and it just didn’t work for you, don’t worry. I’ve got the perfect shampoo recipe you can make yourself that’s all natural and won’t break the bank. This is a tried and true recipe; Mr. Money uses it exclusively and loves it!

Ingredients

• 1 Bar of Soap (I used homemade but you can use something like Dr. Bronner’s or Ivory.
• 1/4 Cup of olive oil
• Your favorite essential oil (I used peppermint)
• Water or tea (I used mint tea)

Directions

Grate your bar of soap on a cheese grater. Mine looks suspiciously like cheese. It’s not; I promise it’s just beer soap.

Put your grated soap, olive oil, and a little bit of water in the blender. I started with about 1/4 cup of mint tea.  Add in about 10 drops of your essential oil.

Blend until it is the consistency that you’d like. You may need to add more liquid.

(Ignore the bubble that looks like a butt. Bubble butt!)

When it’s the consistency that you like, put it into an old shampoo bottle. I like to use a funnel. Now you’ve saved money by making your own natural shampoo and you’ve also kept a bottle out of the landfill.

That’s it! It’s so simple.  Lather, rinse, repeat as usual. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of making your own shampoo, the most natural brand I have found out there is Aubrey Organics.  I love their Egyptian Henna Shampoo.

Would you make your own shampoo?

This post was included in the Festival of Frugality! and Make it From Scratch Carnival.

If you aren’t done Christmas shopping yet, or you realized that you forgot to get a gift for someone (the bus driver, mail person, your pediatrician, etc) don’t worry. You can make a wonderful candy cane sugar scrub that will be sure to knock their socks off. I made it last year for the women in my family, and they loved it so much they requested it in the summer!

Ingredients

1 cup granulated white sugar
6 candy canes, finely crushed almost into a powder
1/2 cup sweet almond oil (or olive oil)
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional – used as a preservative)
1 teaspoon cocoa butter (optional)
6 drops peppermint essential oil

Instructions

Mix all ingredients until well blended. I took and broke up my candy canes in a food processor first, and then combined all the ingredients together. I also left out the cocoa butter. It worked out really well; works fabulously and smells yummy!

What have you made for gifts this year?