When I wrote EcoThrifty it seemed that there were dozens of people around the web who were talking about making your own laundry detergent at home. I quickly realized all of them were using pretty much the same recipe: borax, washing soda, and a grated bar of soap. I wanted to include homemade laundry detergent in my book, but I had a few problems with that popular recipe … [Read more...]
Ecothrifty Skin Care – Creams and Moisturizers
Creating a product that works for you is really a matter of figuring out which oils and butters have the properties that suit your skin. Typically, people with drier skin prefer butters, and people with normal skin or combination skin prefer lighter oils, such as grape seed or sunflower oil. If you have oily skin, you may not need to put anything on it to keep it from drying … [Read more...]
Ecothrifty Skin Care – Waxes and Butters
Waxes are another popular ingredient in skin care products. Unlike oils, which tend to go rancid within a few months to a year at room temperature, waxes last a long time. Beeswax — In addition to being used to make candles and to polish furniture, beeswax is a popular ingredient in lotion, lip balm, soap, and other skin care products. It moisturizes skin by helping retain … [Read more...]
Ecothrifty Skin Care – Oils
It is not difficult to make your own body care products. In fact, a single ingredient works well for many purposes. You may need to do a bit of research, and you may not get the ingredient that suits you best the first time you try, but don’t give up. It is sad to see people give up on natural products when the first try doesn’t live up to expectations. Just as every commercial … [Read more...]
Ecothrifty Skin Care
The beauty industry, which has been around for less than a hundred years, is one of the most profitable industries on the planet. Americans alone spend $50 billion a year on skin care and makeup. If you ever thought you might be overpaying for cosmetics and skin care products, you were probably right. Although many Americans believe that the United States Food and Drug … [Read more...]
Natural and Ecothrifty Air Fresheners
Not only are air fresheners a waste of money, most of them also contain a lot of multisyllabic chemical ingredients that are not healthy for you. Many fragrant candles also contain toxic chemicals. If your house is clean, it does not stink. You need to find the cause of odor and eliminate it, rather than try to cover it up. More than a decade ago when we moved to a new … [Read more...]
5 things to stop buying for a healthier life
Looking to make some positive changes in 2015 but don't want to spend a ton of money? Many people think that living a healthier life is expensive. In reality, the exact opposite is true if you educate yourself about what's good for you and what's not -- and STOP buying those things that are not good for you. What am I talking about? Here are five things that you can stop buying … [Read more...]
5 tips for battling the common cold naturally
Americans spend $40 billion a year on medications to alleviate the symptoms of the common cold, even though research does not show that it is beneficial. Most people will improve within a week to ten days, regardless of whether they take over-the-counter or prescription medication. In fact, some of these drugs, such as decongestants and cough suppressants, may be doing more … [Read more...]
7+ healthier, ecothrifty sandwich ideas
Luncheon meat was one of the first things I cut out of my diet when I started to learn about nutrition. Cured meats contain sodium nitrates and nitrites, which have been associated with stomach cancer. They also tend to be high in fat and salt and low in protein and nutrition. And when you do the math, processed meat is expensive per pound, especially when you realize how … [Read more...]
Ecothrifty creams and moisturizers
Creating a product that works for you is really a matter of figuring out which oils and butters have the properties that suit your skin. Typically, people with drier skin prefer butters, and people with normal skin or combination skin prefer lighter oils, such as grape seed or sunflower oil. If you have oily skin, you may not need to put anything on it to keep it from drying … [Read more...]