Monday, February 18, 2013

Homemade cleaners, beauty products, stuff I never thought I'd try...

Since I've been a SAHM and we have cut our income almost in half, I have been very interested in ways to save money, save time, simplify, and overall make a safe and happy home for my little family. 

Homemade cleaners and beauty products have been on my radar for a while now.  I am becoming increasingly concerned about chemicals present in our house now that we have little ones who stick everything in their mouths hanging out here and while I don't spend much money on beauty products, I spend a small fortune on cleaning supplies.  If these homemade natural recipes make my home safer and save us money, what am I waiting for? 

To be honest, I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I do not trust such things.  If vinegar really sanitizes, why did they make bleach?  I was raised to trust and rely on chemicals to sanitize my world.  And make my own shampoo, conditioner, body wash...?? Really? But those ready to buy bottles at the store require not thought at all.  But, I guess that's what I want to change.  I want to put some thought into what we use on our bodies and in our home.  I am not a hippy dippy chick or an environmentalist (not that those are bad things, I just am not), but I am woman who loves her family who wants to make the very best decisions for them.

So, all that being said, I am going to start some trials of all the natural homemade recipes I have seen that have piqued my curiosity.  I'm still not sure how I will decide on all of them.  For instance, am I going to swab my toilets after washing with homemade cleaner and after a store bought cleaner and have them tested at a lab for bacteria levels? Probably not, but it seems like that would be a good thing to know.  We'll see.

Anyway, here's my list of things to try that are already in the works:

-No Poo (shampoo) hair washing
-Homemade body/face wash
-dry brushing
-coconut oil as a moisturizer

That's all for now.  So I guess it appears as though we will start with the personal care items huh?