DIY Daily Shower Spray

Most household cleaning products are full of harsh synthetic chemicals complete with warning labels, but did you know that you can replace almost all of your household cleaners with just a few ingredients that you probably already have around your house?  It's true!!  You'll even end up saving money!

The first cleaner I made myself was a daily shower spray.  I liked the idea of daily shower spray, but it smelled particularly insidious to me.  When I used to use a store bought brand, I would literally hold my breath while I sprayed it, try not to touch it or get it on me, and place a towel over my nose and mouth when I stepped out of the shower, gasping for breath because I hated the smell so much.  Then I decided to try making my own.

As usual, I scoured the internet reading several DIY recipes and settling on a combination that I am pleased with.  It's super easy and economical.

You'll need:

• 2 parts water
• 1 part white vinegar
• 1 part rubbing alcohol
• 1 tsp liquid castile (optional, not pictured)
• tea tree oil for its antiseptic qualities
• other essential oils for scent - lemon and eucalyptus are great for cleaning, but I also like the freshness of peppermint, rosemary, and lavender together.  Whatever you prefer!

If you strongly dislike the smell of vinegar, you could use hydrogen peroxide instead.  Just be sure to use an opaque container, as hydrogen peroxide degrades quickly when exposed to light.  Don't replace the rubbing alcohol with peroxide, however, because when you mix vinegar and hydrogen peroxide a chemical reaction takes place and you end up with an unstable liquid called peracetic acid.

I simply rinsed and reused my shower spray container, and I usually use my bathroom cup and a funnel I keep in my bathroom to mix up a batch of this or that.  Fast, inexpensive, better for you, and I'm completely satisfied with its performance!  More DIY cleaning recipes coming soon!

You need to know about this cosmetics company!! (And a mini progress report.)

I'm in LOVE, I'm in LOVE, and I don't care who knows it!!!!!!!  ...With a cosmetics company.  

I usually experience a range of emotions when I realize something else in my life needs to change: a twinge of annoyance that effort will be required of me, a healthy dose of exasperation that I've been duped by the lure of marketing and the ease of convenience yet again, a bit of anticipation for the hunt (I like research),  and ultimately a cozy, satisfying feeling that I'm doing something better for my health.

So I realized that most of my makeup had to go.  Preservatives, synthetic chemicals, phthalates, parabens, petroleum, carcinogens...yuck.  The first change I made was a mineral veil/finishing powder replacement that I made myself and was very happy with.  You can read about that here.  Making everything else seemed a little out of my reach, though.  Maybe someday, when I have more time **scoff** I'll get into making my own cosmetics, but for now I need something ready made.  It took me several research attempts to find something that didn't disappoint when I read the list of ingredients.  I figured I'd just go with Bare Minerals...which I think is a good company and a good option.  But then I Googled one more time and found 100% Pure.  Not only was I not disappointed, I was ecstatic!!!  From their website:

100% Pure are the first and only cosmetics colored from antioxidant rich fruit and vegetable pigments. While other color cosmetics are colored with either synthetic dyes or minerals, only 100% Pure Cosmetics are colored with fruit and vegetable pigments (patents pending)! All the antioxidants and vitamins are in the pigments, so you will be applying all the healthy nutrients of the fruits directly on your skin.

Not only are there no harmful ingredients, but you get the benefit of antioxidants and quality moisturizers!!!  I can read the ingredients list and basically recognize and understand everything in it!  They offer a full range of makeup and skin and hair care products.  I recommend reading the FAQ page to learn more about why this company is awesome.  I was tempted to quote the entire thing, but I'll just link it.  You're welcome.

It was a gradual process, but I have now switched almost all of my makeup to this brand, and I couldn't be happier!  So far I have purchased eyebrow powder gel (huh? but I like it), eyeshadow, mascara, cheek tint and lip glaze.  Next on my list is eyeliner and lip gloss.  Another thing that makes this company awesome is their samples and gifts with purchase.  Because of this I have also gotten to try their body cream in several scents, a body scrub, face wash/mask, coffee bean eye cream, and super fruits reparative cream.    So far, I have pretty much loved every product I tried.  They almost all smell aMAZing...the body creams especially are fruity heavenliness!!  To me, the coffee bean eye cream smells exactly like buttered popcorn Jelly Bellies taste...weird, but kind of yummy.  Even the mascara smells good!  My sole product complaint is that the mascara tends to give me raccoon eyes, so I have to be vigilant against smudge.  It can also be tricky to pick out colors on a computer screen.  Finally, their products are not drugstore cheap, but you get what you pay for.  Their products are quality, and they're made in the US.  I'm happy to pay more for a product I'm this excited about.  In the future I may review individual items, but for now I just want you to know that this company exists!!

Now for the mini update.  We are still looking for land - with or without home, though not as intensely.  We are still seeking the Lord for where and when.  It's been almost a year.  This entire process started when we celebrated my mom's birthday last year, which we will do again on Sunday.  It has not been an easy process.  There are a lot of opinions, a lot of variables, and a lot of obstacles.  We've asked a lot of questions and had a lot of conversations.  "Did God really say...?"  "I'm running out of steam."  "I feel like I'm working harder than anyone else at this."  "I don't know if I want to do this anymore."  "I felt pushed out of the process."  "I'm considering just doing this on my own."  "Should we just wait until...?"  "But there will always be something to 'just wait until' for."  "Are we being too picky and delaying obedience because it's hard, or is it just not the right time?"  And so much more.  I believe all of that has been good practice, though.  Multi-generational living and working together is not easy, but we believe it's worth it.  The Lord continues to refine our vision as we continue to learn.  I'm grateful for His wisdom, His sovereignty, His leading and His timing.  And a little impatient sometimes.  But mostly just grateful.

Better Than Mineral Veil

It often goes something like this: Shoot.  I'm out of ________.  Do I have a coupon?  Can I get it cheaper online?  Wait a minute...can I make it?  Check Pinterest.  Do some research on Google.  Create.  Feel amazing because I just saved a ton of money.  Feel a sense of accomplishment that I made something from ingredients I can pronounce, that is good for me, and works as well or better as what I would have spent a lot more on at the store.

That is precisely what happened when I ran out of mineral veil several months back.  I almost dropped $20, figuring mineral based makeup was better than the alternative.  Then I was almost giddy with excitement when I realized that I could make a comparable alternative for pennies.

Here's what's in mineral veil according to the Bare Escentuals website:  

The main ingredient is cornstarch.  The other things I'm guessing are preservatives and color.  We don't keep cornstarch in the house, so I felt temporarily thwarted until I remembered the bag of arrowroot powder sitting in my cupboard, lonely and unused, since I switched to the deodorant stone (read about that here).  There are lots of cornstarch and baby powder mineral veil replacement recipes on Pinterest, but I preferred arrowroot to cornstarch and am not so interested in talc because of what I learned on my deodorant quest.  I Googled to see if anyone else had ever used arrowroot on their face, found one DIY makeup forum that mentioned it, and felt affirmed enough to forge ahead.

I washed out my used mineral veil container, filled it with arrowroot powder, and added cinnamon for color.  According to livestrong.com, "cinnamon--in both grated and essential oil forms--is beneficial to the skin because it brings blood and nutrients to the skin surface while also helping to dry skin."  I've also heard that it's antimicrobial and antibacterial.  Plus, it smells really yummy when you're putting it on!  I've been completely satisfied with it as a product...never missing the more expensive stuff for a moment.  My skin has even been significantly clearer since I stopped using commercial products on my face.  I still get an occasional blemish, but noticeably less than before.  I'm not always entirely thrilled with my homemade experiments, but I can't think of a single downside to this one!!  Yay!!!

Soon I'll tell you about how I've replaced all my makeup with healthy alternatives that I'm really excited about!!

 This post shared at frugallysustainable.com's Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways #76