Homemade Healthcare

It’s no secret California is in a multi-year drought. Mid March and we were already hitting the high 90’s on the thermometer. It can be tiring going on bike rides in those kind of temperatures, it’s also very easy to burn when out in sun that intense.

But have you looked at what’s in commercial sunscreen!? I don’t like eating stuff that I can’t pronounce, and I’m just as hesitant to smear scary sounding chemicals on my skin. Your skin is the largest organ on your body and anything you put on it will be absorbed into you. So, I set out to learn how to make my own health care items!

To date I’ve made toothpaste, deodorant, lip balm, lotion, garbage disposal freshener, and sunscreen! Oh, and body scrub cubes!

I use my deodorant everyday and I love it, I have pretty sensitive skin so I was a bit nervous, but so far it’s awesome.

Here are my recipes for deodorant and sunscreen, I found them both on Pinterest along with many others that I love. I found all the ingredients at Sprouts, once you have them you will be set for a good amount of time, I haven’t had to restock in over a year now. Except the coconut oil, that one I do burn through pretty quickly.

Sunscreen- I use a recipe with diaper rash cream instead of zinc powder. Zinc is very harmful if inhaled and I’m sort of a clutz so I didn’t want to risk that. Plus I have fur babies and I didn’t want something in my home they can get into. There are recipes using zinc powder if you feel comfortable using that instead

1/4 cup diaper rash cream (I used the Burt’s Bees Lavender, it’s paraben-free and smells fantastic)

1Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 Tbsp Cocoa Butter

1 Tbsp Aloe Vera Gel

1 tsp Seame Oil (I use almond oil instead, it was already in my arsenal of natural products)

1 tsp Beeswax

10 drops essential oil (optional, but AVOID CITRUS OILS!!)

Mix everything in a double boiler. I sort of improvised one; soup pot with a veggie rack and a ceramic bowl. I like to melt the beeswax, diaper rash cream, and coconut oil together first. Then I add in everything else. I got a silicon squeezy bottle from Target in the travel container aisle, it works perfect. Take it to the beach and enjoy!

Deodorant

You will need coconut oil, baking soda, corn starch, arrowroot powder, and essential oil (I like tea tree, smells very clean)

5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil

1/8 cup arrowroot powder

1/8 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup baking soda

Add essential oil until you have the scent as strong (or mild!) as you like.

A few note from personal experience, I tried a sweet orange essential oil once, it was not pleasant, was real funky by the end of the day. I’ve found Tea Tree works best for me. Some folks experience a sensitivity to the baking soda, play around with the recipe if you need to =)