Homemade and Natural

 In our house growing up we made many things ourselves. Food was all made from scratch, my mom taught us to sew clothes, my dad made furniture and our house and many other things, we made quilts and the list could probably go on and on! However something that we never did make ourselves was soaps, toothpaste, deodorant and things of that nature we always just bought and used the normal stuff from the store. So that has been something that I have had fun experimenting with. It is a whole new world for me to explore. My sisters (and sister-in-law) have also had fun doing some of that so I enjoy sharing ideas with all of them as well as learning a ton on other blogs and from my blog readers.

 I thought I would tell about a few of my recent forays into making my own stuff. I have been experimenting with natural toothpastes for a few years now but recently I tried a new type after hearing about it from my sister Martha.  I basically followed this recipe from the Bulk Herb Store though I did add some Coconut Oil as I had read that was good to have in toothpaste and then I ended up needing more water too as most of my water boiled away - if I make it again I will use more water in the first place. I also added Black Walnut Hull Powder to some of it as it is supposed to whiten teeth and help get rid of cavities.

Toothpaste Process

  We are still in the testing stage with this toothpaste but I did find it pretty fun to make.

Another thing I made lately was a garlic salve to help with congestion. I found the recipe in "Be Your Own Doctor" by Rachel Weaver. (I love that book!). The salve was simple to make with just Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Garlic Cloves and a little bit of Lavender Oil. I just blended it very well together and store in the fridge. It can be used for all sorts of things. I like the smell (and so do the boys) but Megan thinks it stinks. It always make me feel hungry! :-)

 Something else homemade that I have been totally enjoying using lately is some peppermint soap that I actually won in a blog giveaway. Paula Parrish makes some very nice soap and I am loving the bar that I received! She shares some ideas, recipes and have a monthly giveaway on her blog.

  I did buy some Lye finally (I had looked for it locally and never could find it so I finally ordered it from Amazon) and so I hope to make soap this Spring (I would like to do it outside for safety's sake). I do want to make my own lye sometime but decided it would probably be best to make soap using a standard lye first so I can learn about the process.

  Have you ventured into making your own body care products? What do you like to make?