A DIY special

I'm thrilled to present a DIY guest post today courtesy of two of my sisters. We are always trying to find ways to cut the junk/chemicals out of our lives and one of the best ways to do that is to make your own products. You know exactly what goes into each one and can feel better knowing that what you are using in your home or putting on your body isn't causing undue stress on your immune system.

My sister Amanda is a regular DIY'er and very crafty. She and her husband Miguel have a home business called Huckleberry Hill Home Furnishings where they refinish old furniture pieces and give them a funky vintage vibe. They also make beautiful wooden boxes, signs for your home and dog beds! Please feel free to stop by their Facebook page and give them a like!

Here is Amanda's guest post:

So I decided to complete a couple DIY projects today seeing as it was supposed to be raining and I just can't help but be productive on a Saturday in the summer. I started by making my own blush. 

Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1-3 teaspoons hibiscus powder

a container for your new lovely blush

Optional: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Hibiscus powder is hard to come by, I'm told Amazon is a good place to find it buuuuuut I'm not all that patient and wanted to try this out today so I bought hibiscus tea hoping I could grind it down.

There were a lot of leaves in the tea bags other than hibiscus so the strainer kind of/sort of worked to separate them

I don't have a mortar and pestle.....

Ok that's as much grinding as I care to do, lets add this to the cornstarch and see what we get

This is what we get... a big mess. It didn't mix well at all and the cinnamon couldn't save it. Epic fail, you win some you lose some right? 

Not easily deterred I went onto the next project: Toothpaste. 

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons coconut oil

6 tablespoons baking soda

25 drops essential oils, I used eucalyptus

1 teaspoon stevia

Mix, mix, mix

Pour into container, it'll be really rather liquid as coconut oil is when whipped into a frenzy

So I put it into the fridge to hurry up its solidifying process. 

Initially putting it in your mouth it tastes like baking soda... bleck... but when you start scrubbing that particular ingredient subsides and all the other flavours come together. My teeth feel fresh and clean (:

Then on to making my own dishwashing detergent. Funny to see that crystal light in there, but you need it for the ascorbic acid - hard to find on its own. 

Ingredients:

2 cups borax

2 cups washing soda

8 packets sugar free crystal lite

Mix all together..

Grab glass out of dishwasher before it's entirely done to check how it works - nice and clean!

And lastly: Solid Perfume. 

You will need:

equal parts beeswax and oil, I used coconut.

Your favorite essential oils

And because double boiling wax takes approximately 1000 years...

Take a break with a cup of tea and the chocolate/raspberry cupcakes you made yesterday ;)

Get a few extra containers ready in case you unknowingly make too much

Then run around like a maniac trying to find a much bigger jar before your wax very quickly hardens because you have waaaaaay too much.

And presto! Lavender and peppermint solid perfume....could easily just be used as a lip balm though :)

 Thank you so much Amanda, I love these ideas!

If you use as much dry shampoo as I do then you'll love this DIY from my sister Chantal.

Super simple DIY dry shampoo!
This recipe is one part corn starch and one part cocoa powder.  

DIY Dry Shampoo (skip the cocoa powder if you're a blondie) 

• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• An old makeup brush to apply 

What to do: Mix the cocoa powder and cornstarch. Store in a small jar or old powder container and apply with the make-up brush. Comb through hair and style as usual.

**** TIP: Don't skimp on the cocoa powder... even if you're a light brown like I am.  The first time I tried it my hair looked slightly "powdered". **** 

The cornstarch actually gives you a bit of volume too which is always nice on hair that hasn't been washed in a day or two. 

Enjoy!  I hope you have as much success with this as I have.

 Thank you Chantal, I'm definitely going to try this one.

If you have a great DIY recipe that you'd like to share please let me know in the comments below, I'm always looking, and I'm sure other readers would like to see them as well.