I’ve always been fascinated by the type of people who take
on do-it-yourself projects. Some people are just incredibly crafty. They can
re-purpose old furniture found on curbs, sew their own clothes, make meals from
scratch out of ingredients they have grown in their organic gardens, shear
their own sheep and knit themselves socks with the homespun wool… I am not one
of these people. I am lazy.
Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing but respect for anyone
who has the time, energy and creative abilities to take on a DIY. But I’m just
not that type of person. I don’t have a Pintrest account because I know full
well that anything I try to duplicate will end up on the “fails” list. And while
I like to dabble in some artsy activities on occasion—I’m an avid crochet-er, a
fantastic baker, an amateur photographer, and a sporadic crafter—too much right
brain thinking makes my head numb. I’d rather read a book or binge watch
something on Netflix.
When I was first diagnosed with an allergy to
isothiazolinones, my heart sank. So many of the products that I had been using
needed to be thrown into the trash and I was left scrambling to find suitable
alternatives. I spent hour after hour on the internet trying to find some sort
of a comprehensive list of products that were safe for me, but nothing of the
sort seemed to exist. It was incredibly frustrating and I started to worry that
I was going to have to start making all of my own products. I feared that I was
going to become one of those people—a
do-it-yourselfer.
And so I scoured the web for recipes: body wash, lotions,
shampoos, deodorants, toothpastes, dish soaps, laundry detergents, cleaning
supplies—it seemed like everything could be made from scratch. But I still
didn’t want to do it. First off, the number of supplies needed to make these
things was overwhelming (read: money). Second, after obtaining these supplies
I’d have to spend the time creating the products (read: trial and error… and in
my case, most likely error). And third, then I’d have to figure out a way to
preserve this stuff. Sure, preservatives are what got me into this mess in the
first place, but they serve a vital purpose—to keep our products from going
bad. Unfortunately, many of the DIY products I found called for new product to
be mixed prior to each use. This
endless cycle of product creation did not appealed to me.
And then I had another concern: would these products even
work? There’s a reason that big companies have formulated commercial products
the way they have—they get the job done. They may be loaded with nasty
chemicals and preservatives, but they do what they were created to do and they
do it well. That’s what keeps consumers keep coming back for more: products
make our lives easier.
Luckily, through the help of tools like EWG’s Skin Deep
website, the Think Dirty iPhone app, and recommendations from fellow MI/MCI
victims on Facebook—along with reading a lot
of ingredient lists—I was able to find some excellent alternatives (which I
will write about soon!).
And as it turns out, I did decide to go the do-it-yourself
route on a few products as well.
Foaming Castile
Soap
~2 tablespoons liquid
castile soap
Water
Foaming soap pump
I feel a little odd calling this one a DIY since it’s
essentially just watering down regular soap.
Castile soap is great, but straight up it can be a little
drying. So I take a pretty blue-tinted glass soap foamer that I found at
HomeGoods and I put in a few capfuls of Dr. Bronners, Dr. Woods, or Acure
castile soap (or sometimes a mixture of the three), fill the rest up with
distilled water and give it a good shake. If the foam isn’t thick enough, I add
more soap. If it’s too thick, I add more water. It’s the perfect gateway DIY
product for a non do-it-yourselfer like myself.
Sea-Salt Spray
2 tablespoons Epsom salt
~2 ounces aloe vera
juice (optional)
~6 ounces water
(preferably distilled)
8 ounce spray bottle
Sea salt spray is just too easy not to make yourself. This was a perfect DIY product for me, since
epsom salt is something that I always have on hand (for relaxing foot soaks, of
course). It’s kind of criminal that stores sell sea salt spray for so much when
it’s so easy and economical to make your own. So here’s what I do:
·
Using a tiny funnel I found in my kitchen
“catch-all” drawer, I scoop some Epsom salt into a cute amber glass spray
bottle I found on Amazon.
·
Next I pour some aloe vera juice (the watery
stuff—not the gel) into the bottle until it’s about a quarter full. (I use
George’s brand that I get from Swanson Health because it’s one of the few I've
found that doesn’t contain additional additives.) If you don’t have aloe juice,
you could add some aloe gel instead, or just skip it.
·
Then I fill the bottle up the remainder of the
way with water. I use distilled in the hopes that it will help the product keep
longer, but to be honest I use it up so fast that I’ve never had a problem with
it going bad.
·
Finally, I screw the cap on the bottle and give
it a good shake until all of the salt is dissolved.
The great thing about sea salt spray is that the
measurements are very forgiving. As long as your bottle contains salt and
water, you’ve got yourself a sea salt spray. Easy peasy!
Body Mist
20-30 drops of
essential oils
½ teaspoon glycerin
1 ounce witch hazel
3 ounces distilled
water
My third project required me to go out and purchase a few essential
oils. Being completely new to essential oils, I felt like this was a big step
for me in my journey towards hippiedom. Since I didn’t want to risk smelling
like patchouli, I chose fruity scents like lime, sweet orange, grapefruit and tangerine
to start with. The finished product ended up with a light, fruity scent, which
I really like.
So as you can see, if I take on a do-it-yourself project,
it’s quick and easy. As I continue to dive deeper into the realms of DIY I’m
sure I’ll be up for more complicated tasks, but for now simple is all I can
handle.
If you’re in the same place, don’t feel bad.
If you’re one of those super crafty do-it-yourselfers… well,
I envy you.
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