*~*~*Homemade Toothpaste*~*~*

In an attempt to eventually rid ourselves of toxic chemicals,

reduce dependency on the "grocery store,"

and save money as well,

I have found a recipe for homemade toothpaste

that works wonderfully.

Just so you are aware,

any recipe I share with you here is put to the test

and has to prove itself, or it will not make the cut.
If I shared all the failures, this might turn into a comedy blog.

This recipe takes maybe five minutes to make
and could easily be made by children.
I keep my "house-keeping" type recipes in a hideous little recipe box
that I happen to like.
It's a great size, and I don't misplace it.

I look to the 'T's and pull the recipe.

First in a small deep-sided bowl,
measure 2 Tbl. coconut oil (I don't soften mine)
and 6 tsp. baking soda.

Mix it together like you would grease and flour for pie crust.
It will get crumbly then begin to hold.

At this point, add 1/4 tsp. hydrogen peroxide and several drops of 
an oil of your choice (the edible sort of course.)
Mix those in well and place in an air tight jar.
I was using a 4 oz. canning jar, and that worked well.
I now put it in a pretty little glass container. 
It dries out a little towards the end, but that doesn't bother me.

This last me a couple weeks or so.
To be honest, I haven't really kept track.
The coconut oil is supposed to be good for 'pulling' bacteria.
I don't know how true that is, but it does cover 
the baking soda so it's not like eating plain baking soda.

*This is not an original recipe of mine.  I believe I found it in Hobby Farm Home a year or more ago.  When I went back to verify, the magazine was out of print so if there was a specific creator of the recipe, I'm sorry I am unable to give that person proper credit.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches

*~*Homemade Deodorant*~*

For some reason this seems to be a touchy subject

with some folks.

There are lots of different recipes, and I was skeptical,

but thought, "It doesn't hurt to try."

The cost to make a stick of deodorant?

Maybe 25 cents - ish.
(It's so little, I didn't take the time to do the actual figuring.)

One thing that was advised

was that you try it on a weekend when you plan to be home

so you aren't in public sniffing your underarm

every 5-10 minutes:)

I went ahead and took that advise.

I didn't have any sniffing problems; 

however, after a short time I noticed little white things

all over my floor.

One more word of advise:

it doesn't take as much as store bought deodorant.

1-2 swipes does the job.

What I really like (in addition to the lack of mystery chemicals)

is that there is no odd purfumey smell

if you do perspire.

You simply don't smell anything.

Also, it washes away better.

Most of the recipes I found call for tea-tree oil as it is an antiseptic.

Being sensitive to tea-tree, I used lavender.

Men could use pine or cedar, etc.

So here is what I used: 
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup corn starch
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
15 drops essential oil
Mix it well and press into deodorant container.
Let set 2-3 days before using.

I can honestly say,
I don't see myself ever buying store-bought deodorant again.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches