Act like a hippie (but don't smell like one)

I really like knowing what I'm putting on my body. Cancer scares me, and most of the products we so blithely use every day contain possible (sometimes even probable) carcinogens. I won't go into detail, but check out the excellent video at storyofstuff.org/cosmetics. Suffice it to say, I want out of this chemical consumerism, but what's a girl to do? My boyfriend is content to wash his entire body (hair included! Eeek!) with a bar of Eco Store soap, but I'm a little higher maintenance. I like having soft, clean hair (not straw), clear skin and a distinct lack of body odour. The natural products are expensive, but I figure I can make my own for a fraction of the price. Not only are home made products easier on the wallet, but the money you do spend supports green(er) industries, not the synthetic, polluting, unnecessary and possibly cancer-causing cosmetics industry. Making things yourself inevitably means less processing, and less energy spent shipping water all over the place. So off I go to the all-powerful Google, and start looking up recipes. It takes just a few minutes to whip up each recipe, and I find they are just as effective as the store-bought chemical variety. Here they are below with my notes and modifications.

For your hair

Shampoo

What: a small handful of baking soda (really!).

Why it works: The basic baking soda mixes with the oils in your hair to make a crude but gentle and effective soap.

How: The googlenet says to mix it with water, but it works just as well dry. This couldn't be easier; spread it over your wet roots and scrub away. It will take a little longer to work in than shampoo, but stick with it. It will feel slippery – that's the soap being created. I use 2-3 tablespoons for my longer-than-shoulder-length hair; adjust your amount accordingly. I find after a few weeks/months of just baking soda my hair gets a little heavy. If this happens, add a few drops of shampoo to the handful of baking soda for super-duper clean hair.

Conditioner

What: Beer hair rinse (scummy pub smell not included)

Why it works: The hair rinse works as a mild cleanser and conditioner. The rosemary and mint stimulate the hair follicles to help it grow (and smell nice). The vinegar moisturises, dissolves any leftover baking soda, and helps kill the bacteria that cause dandruff. The sage acts as a preservative, and the beer makes your hair light and shiny.

How: Steep a tea of whatever herbs you have available. I use peppermint, rosemary and sage.

When the tea is cool, strain it and mix:

3 parts tea

1 part apple cider vinegar

3 parts flat beer (best is the yeasty stuff from home-brew that is normally thrown out while bottling. Email us or the brewing club to get a hold of some)

Pour the beer mixture into a drink bottle with a squirt top and keep any leftovers in your fridge. To save shower time and water squirt the beer mixture on your hair before rinsing out the baking soda.

Leave-in conditioner

What: Olive oil

Why it works: it coats the strands, reflects light, and moisturises

How: rub a small drop of olive oil (no larger than the nail on your pinky finger) into your hands, then run your hands over the ends of your hair. Brush through.

Split-end preventer/shine serum

What: a hair brush with lots of bristles (natural or synthetic, as long as they're stiff)

Why it works: your natural oils work wonders to protect and shine your hair, but only if they're distributed throughout. Brushing also helps clean dust out of your hair.

How: 100 strokes per night. It doesn't actually take as long as you'd think, and I find it relaxing. Do 50 strokes with your head hanging upside down, and 50 upright, making sure you get at all the roots. Works especially well after the leave-in conditioner above.

For your skin

Toner

What: Ummm, well, toner. Natalie uses equal parts apple cider vinegar and water, but I find it stings, so I mix it up a little more.

Why it works: The acidity in apple cider vinegar helps kill acne-causing bacteria, moisturises, and restores the slight acidic balance of your skin after washing or showering. The chamomile is soothing, the mint and sage are refreshing, and the sage is a preservative. The aloe vera is antibacterial and moisturising.

How: Brew a tea with some sweet-smelling and soothing herbs. I use chamomile, peppermint, rosemary and a little sage.

Mix:

1 part apple cider vinegar,

3 parts tea

juice from an aloe vera plant (optional)

Bottle.

To use, invert the bottle a few times over a thin cloth (not disposable cotton balls!), and wipe your face. If you find this recipe too mild, use two parts tea to one part vinegar.

Moisturiser

What: beeswax skin and lip balm

Why it works: The olive oil moisturises, the pine or tea tree oil kills acne bacteria, and the beeswax moisturises and protects.

How: In a double boiler (or metal bowl in a pot of water), melt 1 part beeswax and 3 parts olive oil. Add a few drops of essential oil (I use pine), stir and pour into a muffin tin or other mold to cool. Quickly pour the boiling water into the pot that had the wax, and scrub briskly to clean before the wax sets. The cakes *should* pop easily out of the muffin tin in a few hours when they're set. Rub over dry skin like you would a bar of soap.

Deodorant

What: nothing fancy, just deodorant

Why it works: The idea with deodorant is to make something antibacterial and long-lasting enough that you won't stink when you sweat. The natural versions don't stop you from sweating so they don't block your body from getting rid of toxins in your underarm lymph nodes via sweat. They also don't contain aluminums which have been linked many times to Alzheimers (far scarier than cancer in my too-knowledgable opinion).

How: This one didn't go so well. It made an ok deodorant, but the baking soda we have in NZ is coarser than the North American variety where the recipe was written (great if you want to wash your hair, scratchy if you want to rub it under your arms). The original recipe is here http://www.electroherbalism.com/Naturopathy/Recipes_and_Formulas/Stick_Deodorant_recipe.htm. Below is my suggestion based on my alterations and their results.

2 tbsp beeswax

3 tbsp olive oil (possibly more, we kept having to add extra because it when it cooled it was too hard to spread)

2 tsp zinc oxide powder (available online. I didn't use any in my recipe, and have to reapply during the day to avoid smells)

1 tbsp corn flour or arrowroot/tapioca flour

15-20 drops each of lavender oil, rosemary oil and pine oil

Melt the beeswax in a double boiler (or a metal bowl in a pot of boiling water), then add the rest of the ingredients in the order given. Go easy on the essential oils at first, and build up slowly so you don't over-scent it. To test the texture dip the back of a cool spoon into the mixture and let it fully cool and harden. You want a solid that is easy to spread. If it seems to soft add a (little!) more beeswax, if it is too hard, add another tbsp of olive oil. Pour the hot mixture into a clean deodorant container and let set. As with the balm above, quickly wash the pot out with the boiling water before the wax sets.

For a stronger option you might replace some of the olive oil with vodka, but I don't know how well water-based vodka will mix with the wax and oil. My store-bought natural (super-effective) deodorant contains vodka, beeswax and cocoa butter though, so it should mix ok. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

- Laura