Diana Earnshaw
True Food has a fabulous selection of natural toiletries, cotton wool pads, tooth brushes etc. Be assured that all your bathroom needs are supplied ready to use! However, did you know that they also supply some of the raw ingredients to make your own toiletries? You can invest in a few reusable bottles and away you go! This company has a good selection and small quantities can be bought.
https://glassbottles.co.uk/ (Lots of other useful jars here too!)
One of the most useful ingredients for homemade toiletries is coconut oil. Mixed with other ingredients, it makes toothpaste, deodorant, cleanser and more. Sodium bicarbonate is also very useful. Not necessary, but nice, is to buy two or three essential oils to flavour/scent your products.
There are other recipes you can use using powdered clay, but this is the easy-peasy recipe I use for toothpaste. It fills 3 x 30ml pots.
3 heaped dessert spoons softened coconut oil
3 heaped dessert spoons sodium bicarbonate
20 drops (omit or adjust to your liking) peppermint or fennel essential oil
Mix thoroughly and spoon into pots.
Deodorant
60g sodium bicarbonate
60g arrowroot powder
120g coconut oil, softened
Essential oils as you wish or omit
Mix well. Put into pots and refrigerate to solidify. To use – apply a pea-sized amount and spread well.
2 tablespoons cocoa butter
1 teaspoon coconut oil
few drops of essential oil (citrus or peppermint or omit)
Melt all ingredients together. Pour into a suitable pot and allow to set.
Many years ago, I made lots of facial products. One of the most popular, was an oatmeal and lavender bud face scrub. I used 2 teaspoons of lavender buds and 2 teaspoons of oats tied up in a small square of muslin. The active ingredient was the oats. The lavender added scent.
Either place a tablespoon of fine oats in muslin, wet and rub over the face, or mix the oats with a little honey and massage this into the skin. Rinse. This leaves the skin beautifully soft.
Coconut oil can be used just as it is. It makes a good cleanser – just massage a little into the skin and wipe off. Even mascara will come off as long as it isn’t waterproof! To remove the residue, try the toner below.
Vinegar Toner for 100ml
30ml cider vinegar
70ml spring water (or cold chamomile tea)
A few drops of essential oil (optional)
Mix and bottle. If you have added essential oils, shake well before use.
Moisturising is important if you like to keep your skin soft. Coconut oil can be used – or even mayonnaise! I remember Elizabeth Taylor once saying, that mayonnaise has all the right ingredients for hydrating the skin and she used it when she had run out of her usual brand. Or try the one below if you prefer not to smell like salad dressing!
120 ml coconut oil, softened
2 teaspoons olive oil (or use a less powerful smelling oil)
1 tablespoon cocoa butter
10 drops essential oils of your choice, or omit. (Maybe lavender and tea tree for an oily/spotty skin, lavender/geranium for normal skin or lavender/frankincense for maturing skin.)
Melt together gently. Cool to the point of setting then whip to a light texture. Transfer to a suitable pot and refrigerate until properly set.