4 Recipes for Personal Care Products

How safe are your personal care products? While the European Union has banned over 1,000 ingredients for use in beauty goods, the FDA has only banned 9. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit organization that monitors the chemicals that may be in your goods. While there are too many to list, here are two categories to avoid.

Endocrine disrupters, like BPA and dioxin, affect our hormones, causing health issues like weight gain, reproductive challenges and even tumors.

Cancer causing carcinogens, such as quaternium-15 and imidazolidinyl urea, are used as preservatives in many products. Derived from formaldehyde, their safety is questionable.

To avoid harmful toxins, a clever option is to make your own personal care products. Simple and affordable, DIY creations work just as well as those sold in the drug store. Actually, without fillers and preservatives your own concoctions will be even more effective and much safer.

Here are 4 easy recipes to get started.
 

Toothpaste

Ingredients

  • ⅜ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup baking soda
  • ½ t salt
  • 1 t bentonite clay
  • ½ t liquid stevia (optional)
  • 5-7 drops peppermint essential oil

In a medium bowl combine coconut oil and baking soda.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a wooden or plastic spoon.
Store in a jar and use a small spoon to avoid bacteria.

 

Deodorant

Ingredients

  • 2 T coconut oil
  • 1 T shea butter
  • 1 T beeswax
  • 1 T baking soda
  • 2 T arrowroot powder
  • 1 ½ T bentonite clay
  • 6 drops essential oil- lemongrass and orange are good options

In a double boiler combine coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax. Heat on medium until liquid.
Remove from heat and add baking soda, arrowroot powder, bentonite clay and essential oils. Mix well.
Pour liquid mix into silicone muffin molds or into 5 oz containers.
Cool until solid (about 2-3 hours).

 

Lip Balm

Ingredients 

  • 2 T almond oil
  • 1 T coconut oil
  • 1 ½ T beeswax
  • 15 drops orange essential oil

In a double boiler melt the beeswax and coconut oil.
Remove from heat, add almond oil and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon.
Stir in essential oil.
Store in lip balm tubes or small jars. 

 

Sunscreen

Ingredients

  • ½ oz. beeswax
  • ¼ cup shea butter
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 2 T zinc oxide powder

In a double boiler melt the 2 oils and beeswax.
Remove from heat and add zinc oxide.
Mix with a hand mixer until there are no clumps.
Store in mason jars.

 

While some of these ingredients may seem hard to find, they are all easily available on Amazon. I have also found them at New Seasons, Whole Foods and Natural Grocers. Beeswax comes in pellets or you can shred a beeswax candle for the same results.

Too busy to make your own? Remember that the EWG maintains a database of safe products, so look there for safe options.

Karla Diaz Cano