Bathrooms are easily over crowded with endless beauty supplies and toiletries. If they are organic then you find yourself spending a fortune. If they are not then there is the strong likely hood that they are filled with harmful toxins and chemicals. I prefer to keep my bathroom a simplistic and natural as possible. How do I do this? By using four ingredients that many of us already have around the house that are fairly easy to obtain that can be used to make almost any product you could want. What are these four bathroom essentials? Castile Soap, Coconut Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda. With these four ingredients you can replace shampoo, conditioner, facial astringent, body wash, hand soap, toothpaste, deodorant, shaving cream, body lotion and moisturizer. I buy all four bathroom essentail from Azure Standard a great co-op with wonderful prices.
Castile Soap
I love this soap! It is so multipurpose. I have used in shampoo, in tootpaste, as a hand soap, face wash and body wash. Castile soap is wonderful to combine with an herbal infusion as a frugal shampoo. If you have dry and or curly hair you will love this shampoo. It moisturizes your hair and adds a bounce to your curls. As a person with straight, thin and oily hair it didn’t work that well. It actually made my hair greasier but I have friends that use it all the time and love it.
I use a couple drops of castile soap on a washcloth or luffa as a body wash. I use just a drop of it as a facewash. I was given an old foaming hand soap pump from a friend, I fill it with 1 part castile soap and 3 parts water for frugal hand soap.
I also use castile soap in a combination with coconut oil, baking soda, essential oils in my toothpaste.
Coconut Oil
I can almost ask myself, what don’t I use coconut oil for? I love this oil! It is so good for you! Coconut oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-microbial. You can read my post about the benefits of coconut oil here. I use coconut oil as it is in replacement of shaving cream, facial moisturizer, lotion and makeup remover. I just keep a little jar of it on a self in my bathroom. Right there you can replace 4 different containers with one! Coconut oil is also the main ingredient in my toothpaste and deoderant. Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has so many health benefits for your body internally but it is also amazing for your body externally. I use it in replacement of conditioner, a bottle of organic conditioner used to cost me around $10 a bottle now I spend mere pennies on an raw apple cider vinegar hair rinse. ACV helps remove the build up in your hair that is the result using hair products. I mix 1/3 cup of ACV with one quart of water in a spray bottle and keep it in the shower. I spray it on before I soap up and then rinse it out after a couple minutes. The result is clean and soft hair, more soft than when using conditioner. You can also infuse the water with different herbs to enhance the color of and strengthen your hair. I have yet to do that but I a friend that does and has enjoyed the results. Or you can add a few table spoons to my shampoo. When I have blemishes I use a tincture made with plantain and ACV as a facial astringent. It does wonders to clear up your skin, leaving your face looking fresh and clean.
Baking Soda
Baking soda can be used as a replacment for shampoo, in deodorant and in toothpaste. I’ve heard of many people how have successfully switched from washing their hair with shampoo to washing it with a combination of baking soda and water. Stephanie a Keeper of the Home has a wonderful video about the no-poo method as it is called. My friend Serafina has found going no-poo to work really well for her. As has my friend Britt who has braids/dreds. I on the other hand didn’t have the patience or the will power to go through with it. My hair tends to be very greasy and with the no-poo method, it can take up to six months for your body to adjust to going no-poo. It is such a natural and frugal option that I really should give it a try again, we shall see… I love the idea of just mixing a couple things from your kitchen having your own hair wash!
What are frugal and simple personal care products do you like to use?
This post is part of Wild Wednsday, Simple Lives Thursday, Week Long Blog Hop, Teach Me Tuesday, Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days,
This post is part of Wild Wednsday, Simple Lives Thursday, Week Long Blog Hop, Teach Me Tuesday, Frugal Ways, Sustainable Days,
Thanks Anitra, all try to stop by this Friday!
Carrie B, I wish I could use Dr. Bronner’s as a shampoo, my is just too oily. You shampoo sounds amazing though!
Kelly, great minds think alike! 🙂
Diana, you’ll have to let me know how it goes! Are you going to make deoderant with baking soda or just use the baking soda like Bethany suggested?
What a great post and comments Katie! I’m going to try the herbal infusion shampoo and using baking soda as a deodorant. I was just complaining the other day to my hubby that my deodorants never give me good results. I’m excited to see how the baking soda does!
I use most of these things, too. I love using coconut oil as a moisturizer. Thanks for sharing!
I use most of these, though I prefer shea butter over coconut oil. Dr. Bronner’s (or other castille soap) is SUCH an essential! I make my own shampoo using Dr. B’s, water, Bragg’s raw ACV, essential oils, and some calendula-infused jojoba oil. Works like a charm and your hair feels fuller, too! 😀
I’d never heard of castile soap or RAW apple cider vinegar. Thanks for posting. I found you on the Wild Wednesday hop and I’m following you on GFC. Come hop with me tomorrow during my Friends-day Wednesday hop!
Bethany, I never thought of using just baking soda as a deoderant, good idea! I think baking soda is pretty awesome too. I’ve been using it a lot in cleaning as well.
Great post, thanks. It inspires me to remember to do some of these things 😛
I was tired of using expensive, healthy deodorant that gave me only okay results, so one day I thought about baking soda….it’s supposed to deodorize and kill bacteria, so I poofed some on. It works amazing! Way better than any deodorant I have ever used. I can even poof it on after I start getting stinky and it takes away the stink. How did I never think of that before?
I also use baking soda for my toothpaste. Baking soda is currently one of my favorite “toys” if you haven’t noticed!