Foaming Hand Soap

This is probably the most simple and money saving DIY you can do outside of laundry soap.  Hand soap will run you anywhere from $2.50 to $6.50 a bottle depending on where you buy it.  Anyone who has dish soap and water on hand can make their own for roughly $0.11.  I like to add essential oils to mine as well particularly with my kitchen soap dispenser and would suggest lavender, peppermint, lemon, or tea tree essential oils.  These oils all have antibacterial properties and particularly the lemon and peppermint are good for kitchen use to get yucky smells off of your hands. The addition of the oils will bring the cost up to roughly $0.50.  

Below you will find my recipe for hand soap.  You can also add sweet almond oil or fractionated coconut oil to make the soap more moisturizing which is great in the winter.  The addition of these oils will add about $0.25 per bottle to the cost.  I recycle foaming hand soap bottles.  If you are so inclined, you can purchase decorative ones.  They generally run anywhere from $10-$15 per bottle which is why I just recycle the old ones. 

Foaming Hand Soap
1 Foaming Hand Soap Bottle
2 Tablespoons Dish Soap (any kind will work)
20 drops Essential Oil per preference (optional)
2 teaspoons fractionated coconut oil or sweet almond oil (optional)

Add essential oils and coconut oil to soap dispenser bottle.  Fill with water to about 2 inches from the top.  Add dish soap.  Place lid on soap dispenser and gently shake.  All of the oils I suggested above mix nicely for example lavender-lemon, lemon-peppermint, lavender-peppermint, so feel free to experiment with what scents you like.  I pretty much always add at least 5 drops of tea tree to all of my soaps as it has the strongest antibacterial properties of all the oils.

Vapor Rub

Cold and flu season will soon be upon us.  Today I'm posting my recipe for vapor rub.  All of the major ingredients are organic the exception being a few of the essential oils.  You will notice this recipe does not include camphor essential oil.  Camphor is what is in most of the commercial vapor rubs.  Camphor is probably fine for adults and older children, but it is highly toxic even ingested in small amounts.  I choose to use eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils instead as they are much safer.  Should you wish to use camphor, just substitute it for both the eucalyptus and peppermint in my recipe, and use only 20 or so drops.  This rub can be applied to the chest and back as needed for congestion.  As a side note, there has been a debate in recent years about putting vapor rub on your feet with socks.  Some people swear by this method while others say it makes no sense.  Although there is no medical research to back up putting it on your feet, some of the largest pores on your body are on your feet.  This could account for why some people get great relief using the rub on feet.  If you've never tried it on your feet, give it a try next time.  It can't hurt anything either way.  I have never personally gotten great relief with it on my feet, but it does seem to help the kiddo when he is congested.

Vapor Rub
4 oz glass or PET1 jar
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
1/4 cup organic olive oil
3 tablespoons organic beeswax
1 teaspoon vitamin E
50 drops eucalyptus essential oil
40 drops peppermint essential oil
20 drops lavender essential oil
15 drops lemon essential oil
8 drops tea tree essential oil

This recipe will make 4 ounces.  Put coconut oil, olive oil, and beeswax in a glass measuring cup for easy pouring.  Heat in 30-second intervals until all ingredients are melted.  Add vitamin E oil and gently stir.  Prepare the jar by adding all of the essential oils.  Pour melted oils over essential oils.  Cover with a paper towel and let sit until cool and firm.  Cover with a lid and store in a dry, dark, room temperature place.  Apply to chest, back, and feet as needed for congestion.  The rub should last 6-9 months.