How to “Green Up” Your Life Without Getting Overwhelmed: Toiletries

When I decided that I was going to begin the process of greening up our home, I decided to make an easy fix first in the laundry room. With that first big win, I was ready to tackle something new. I was afraid that if I attempted to revamp our diet, I’d end up biting off more than I could chew (sorry) and give up on this whole crazy idea. So I started looking into toiletries.

For me, this was easy. I’m not super loyal to any brands and I don’t really do much primping. (I’m not a native Texan.) After perusing Whole Foods, I knew we couldn’t afford to buy most of the pre-packaged toiletries. Discouragement settled in until one fateful pin I saw on my beloved site. It showed me how to MAKE my own aluminum-free deodorant! Light bulbs started going off. I could make most of this stuff myself!

First, I made a list of things we use regularly and really can’t do without. The things that I would throw into a duffel bag for a weekend trip. Thankfully, I’m not uber girly so the list wasn’t too long.

Toothpaste
Deodorant
Shampoo
Moisturizer
Soap
Lip Balm        (Store Bought)

And my “I’m going outside!!!” toiletries:
Bug Spray
Sunscreen
Hand Sanitizer

I searched the internet, mostly pinterest, to find recipes that had a lot of similar ingredients, to simplify and cut down cost. (Notice how similar the toothpaste and deodorant recipes are. We’ve never accidentally switched them up. Oh wait…) Click on any of the highlighted toiletries to get a link to the recipe. Keep checking back as I haven’t gotten around to writing a lot of the posts.

Some recipes worked great the very first time. (Deodorant, Toothpaste and Moisturizer fell into those categories.) Others are still a long and arduous process of trial and error. (I’m on my third attempt at making my own shampoo/ the “No ‘Poo Method”.) Other things I decided it was worth just shelling out a buck or two to get it pre-packaged (Organic lip balm really isn’t that expensive at your local health food store. It’s worth it to me to not have to melt beeswax in my kitchen!) There’s also some stuff that we use sparely that I haven’t found natural replacements for such as hair gel. I tried aloe vera but wasn’t satisfied with the results so we still buy the cheap stuff from the store. So yeah, not perfect. It’s a process and I’m still in the middle of it.

So that’s it. Make a list of what you use and try a simple recipe. You might be surprised how easy it is. I LOVE that I don’t have to make as many runs to the store when we run out of stuff because I can just whip it right up.

Do you have any tried and true toiletry recipes? Pointers on how to keep cost down and not lose your mind? Please share in the comments!