Frugal, Natural, and Healthy Changes Pt. 2

  
Pt. 2: Changes in the Bathroom

Ok, so that doesn't sound like a very appealing title. Oh well. This is where I share what frugal, natural and healthy changes we have made for our family in the bathroom, or personal care/toiletry area. Again, we are still in progress here, figuring out how to frugally do this natural living thing. At first, we started buying all these expensive "natural and organic" products to replace our toiletries. But then it was just getting too pricey. So, I looked up how to make many of our toiletries. Here's what we have done so far:

1. Used coconut oil for body lotion and for face moisturizer. - You can also use it as face soap if you want, and then when you rinse it off, you will not need a moisturizer. I have dry, sensitive skin on my face, so I've always had a hard time finding a face moisturizer I liked that wasn't super expensive. You have to really rub it in and only use a little bit, but it won't clog your pores because it absorbs so well. It also has anti-bacterial properties, which is why it is great for cleaning your skin. I also use it on small scrapes and cuts and they always heal quickly and nicely.
2. Switched to an all-natural deodorant that doesn't have aluminum in it.- I found one I like fairly well online, but it was around $8. Not something I want to keep paying for. So, I found this recipe on one of my favorite natural living blogs, Passionate Homemaking. We have yet to try it, but it's so cheap, that we are planning on it as soon as the current one runs out. If you're not used to a natural deodorant without an anti-perspirant, your body will have to adjust a bit and you may have to apply the deodorant a couple times throughout the day if you are doing enough to make you sweat. But you know those gross yellow pit stains? Supposedly those are caused more by the deodorants/anti-perspirants and how they mix with your sweat, so when you stop using them, you shouldn't have that problem (even if you do sweat more than you're used to now, which is healthy for you!). You should stay away from putting aluminum on your skin. It is possibly linked to breast cancer and definitely linked to Alzheimer's.
3. Switched to all-natural toothpaste...that is, without fluoride. - Again, controversial, I know, but fluoride has been shown to be very harmful when ingested (or absorbed in our mouths), even in these "small" amounts. Read more here on the dangers of fluoride. We use Jason's toothpaste right now, but I'd like to try a kind with xylitol which is a natural and safe substitute for fluoride that helps resist cavities and build enamel.
4. Replaced our body wash and facewash with Norwex anti-bacterial micrfiber cloths that are threaded with silver to kill bacteria. No need to ever use soap again! We love our face cloths and body cloths! Save tons of money on soap and facewash and it's completely safe and healthy for your skin. (We also replaced our chemical cleaning supplies with Norwex all-purpose cleaning cloths so we only have to clean with water...so simple!) We hosted a Norwex party and got tons of free products, so it was really a frugal choice to switch! Here is a link to my friend's Norwex page if you are interested in learning more, hosting a party, or purchasing some for yourself!
5. Made our own shampoo and conditioner.- Now, having curly hair that needs a good product to keep it detangled, I was skeptical of making our own shampoo and conditioner. We are still in process with this. I haven't tried the shampoo yet, but I've made the conditioner and LOVE how it makes my hair look and feel. The shampoo is basically baking soda water, and the conditioner is apple cider vinegar water. Check out the recipes here.
6. I forgot to add this in part 1, so I'll add it here. We bought and installed a reverse-osmosis water purifier for drinking water in our kitchen sink. I can tell a huge difference in the taste and, since installing, have probably doubled my water intake throughout the day. It came with a water meter to tell how your water has improved. Our tap water is 99 parts per million (of icky things) and our filtered water is now 6 or 7 ppm. We bought an APEC system, but there are many others out there. We liked that it was a 5 filter system, that we could install it ourself, that we only change the filters a minimum of once a year, and we take it with us when we move.

We are pretty excited about how much we're saving in general to make the above changes, and we actually like the new products/replacements!
Next post: Changes for Baby