I’m sure the title to this post freaked some of you out, but hopefully you were intrigued enough to continue reading 😀
You see, we’ve been scaling down many things in our home as of late, so why not add some personal care products to the list?
Homemade Deodorant
My friend Rachel at Surviving the Stores turned me onto making my own deodorant, but I was honestly not brave enough to try it until it got cold here! I do not enjoy sweating, so I thought I would give it a go when I was less likely to sweat and then turn to my old ways.
What you will need:
5 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
1/4+ cup Baking Soda
1/4+ cup Cornstarch
3-4 drops Essential Oils
For the directions, please see her post.
Storage
I stored mine in a small, empty butter dish and in an empty deodorant container like Rachel suggested. Except, that I used one that had the gel-type deodorant in it (not like the containers in Rachel’s post) and it didn’t turn out so well 😀
The Verdict
A few months later, I am still using the homemade deodorant and loving it! I haven’t turned my husband onto it yet, but I’m working on him in baby steps.
I guess my true test will come when I am at church camp for a week at the end of July…
Oil Cleansing Method
I first heard of the Oil Cleansing Method on Simple Mom, but at the time, these kinds of changes were not at the top of my list.
In fact, I confess that I thought it was a bit odd.
Back in November, I began researching better options for skin care {at 29, I had had more breakouts in the last 2 years than any of my other years combined!), and came across Simple Mom’s article again. And then I read about Megan at SortaCrunchy’s experience with the OCM.
Call it an a’ha moment, call it an epiphany, or call it a big fat duh. Whatever. I was curious, immediately ordered some castor oil, and anxiously awaited for it’s arrival.
As soon as my UPS man delivered my castor oil, I made up a batch with some sunflower oil and went to wash my face.
I was a teeny bit worried that my face would feel all oily and greasy afterward, but it did not.
And it hasn’t since!
Oily Skin: 30% Castor Oil to 70% Sunflower Oil.
Balanced Skin: 20% Castor Oil to 80% Sunflower Oil.
Dry Skin: 10% Castor Oil to 90% Sunflower Oil.
I use the 20-80 ratio right now, but with winter making my skin drier, I added a little more Sunflower Oil.
Also, when I was “making” my cleanser, I used a Tablespoon to measure out my oils:
Homemade “Oil Cleansing Method” Facial Cleaner
Ingredients
2 Tbsp Castor Oil
8 Tbsp Sunflower Oil
Add to squirt or oil bottle and shake well
How to use it
Shake the bottle well.
Massage your face gently with the oil.
Wet a wash cloth with hot water, and lay it on your face for a minute or two. Sometimes, I re-wet the washcloth to make my “facial” last longer. (I do this in the shower a lot, and I let it “set” while I rinse the shampoo from my hair.)
Gently wipe the oil off your face… no rinsing required!
It is super easy, makes my skin soooo soft, is frugal… and the breakouts are almost completely back to normal (or what it was 2 years ago!).
Ya gotta love that!
:: Resources ::
- Simple Mom {The Oil Cleansing Method}
- SortaCrunchy {Oil Cleansing Method}
- The Oil Cleansing Method {Everything you need to know}
- photo credit for first photo: di.wineanddine via photopin cc
- photo credit for second photo: Taras Kalapun via photopin cc
I will have to try those!! Although I live in Louisiana so I may not try the deodorant in spring or summer lol. But the oil cleaning your face is very interesting. Definitely have to try that one out soon!
I seriously LOVE the OCM. It gets my face sooooo clean, and I don’t have to scrub at all. As far as the deodorant, I have to admit I am a bit nervous about this summer, myself. Church camp at the end of July is super hot! Lol! Thanks for commenting! -A
Cool!!
My great grandmother was allergic to BASICALLY EVERYTHING (perfume, makeup, bandaids..) and even deodorant. She used a mix of baking soda and I think baby powder (or maybe plain talc I don’t know) and there may have been corn starch in there, too. She buffed it on with a giant buff. I adored my great grandmother so as a preteen I wanted some too. She mixed it up for me and I used it til it ran out and then by that point I just switched to store bought deodorant. But stuff like this doesn’t surprise me! She used that powder mix for years. Probably 50 of them. And it worked. You’ve definitely intrigued me, piqued my curiosity. I think I wanna try. =) Like your husband, I’m not sure I can get my husband on board with it though. =p
LOL! That’s awesome about your grandmother (the part where she used it most of her life… not the allergy part). You know, you can always mix some up and use it when you know you are going to be at home (if you are a bit squeemish about going out in public with it at first… I know I was!). It doesn’t go bad, and it gives you a chance to get used to it. Good luck! 🙂 -A
Uh, wow! I have to admit, I’ve thought of making the transition, but thought that maybe it was a bit extreme. But…now maybe I need to think about it again! Thanks for sharing your experience!
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We will have to see how it works out this summer, lol. Church camp at the end of July is H-O-T! {giggle} You can always try it, and only use it when you know you will be at home. That is a great way to get used to it! And, the OCM, cleans my face SO WELL. I truly love it. -A
I remember reading about the oil cleanser at Simple Mom, too. It seems counter-intuitive that oil would reduce breakouts. After reading this, though, I’m willing to give it a shot.
I found you through M2M.
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I tried the caster oil/EVOO face treatment last night for the first time. My skin felt great after wiping it off and it was very relaxing. I’ll definitely give this a try for the next couple weeks. I do have a question though. My face was a little oily this morning when I woke up. How do you recommend washing your face in the morning if you’re doing the oil treatment the night before? Thanks!
I’ve been doing the Oil Cleansing Method for about a year and I LOVE it. My skin feels great and it makes me feel like I just went to the spa.