Since switching to natural products, I am a sucker for hand made bar soaps. They are efficient, healthy, nourishing and so much fun to buy. Inevitably, when you use bar soap, you seem to always end up with those little pieces that are too small to use, yet somehow you don’t want to just toss them. I’ve seen and tried bags for your end scraps, and although it is a good idea, I just never enjoyed using them. I know it is just soap, but is somehow always seemed to be a soggy mess. The inspiration for this weeks blog is easy money saving tips for your natural house.
Now I save the ends of my soaps, or the soap I bought and took too long to use and every 3 months or so chop them up and mix them with water to make my own hand soap. I use a ratio of 1 part soap, to 6 parts water. It works just great, and I get to enjoy washing my hands using inexpensive, natural soap. If you can get your hands on a foamer, or save an old bottle, this works best. You can even add oils to it to make it more moisturizing!
On this same idea, I use a similar method for my shampoo bars. If you are anything like me, your hair acts differently in different places and in different times of year. I like to buy the same shampoo bar each month (although this could work with liquid shampoo too), because I know it doesn’t damage my hair and scalp, and it is so cost effective. I take that bar and shave it into water (I use 1 part soap, 6 parts water here too, but you may need to adjust it for your own hair). This work great, because then I can add oils to my hair to treat specific issues I am having each month. This is where those essential oils can really come in handy. For instance, in the winter, when my scalp is dry, I add tea tree oil to my shampoo. I don’t really need it in the summer where I live, but I love to add lemon oil to my shampoo as it is a natural lightener and helps lighten my hair in the sun.
Essential oils can also be blended with butter and salves for many uses. I love the hair and body butter for this purpose, specifically the lavender mint because the oils are so beneficial. If I have a cough, I add a few drops of rosemary oil and leave it on my chest. You can also add lemongrass and it makes a fabulous insect repellent.
Speaking of insect repellents, this is a great way to save money too. Now sometimes you just need the real deal, but when you just need to keep the gnats of mosquitoes off of your skin for around the house, sports games, gardening, picnics, etc adding a few essential oils to witch hazel as a spray is a wonderful way to achieve it without having to buy expensive pre-made natural remedies. You could also make a tea with these herbs, but I find that you still need to add a few drops of essential oils to make it effective. I like lemongrass, rosemary, geranium, tea tree, and peppermint the most as an insect repellent.
Of course, many of you I’m sure are thinking you don’t have time for making all this stuff, and that may be true. All I can say is for me, it saves me time and money, and makes my house hold efficient and natural. Maybe it is not for everyone, but I find these few simple tasks take literally minuted to complete and last for one to several months. Saving money and staying natural? I’ll take it.