Homemade Health & Beauty Products

If you're anything like me, you felt a little creeped out after this week's Mid-week Morsel; especially if you went to Skin Deep and looked up the beauty products you currently use.  I've done a little looking, and found several simple recipes for homemade health and beauty products.  Just like cooking, making your products from scratch gives you such a sense of accomplishment and comfort.  It's feels great to create effective, natural products for your family.  One recipe that I use already is for our dog, Zeus.  As is common in English Bulldog's, he has skin issues, but washing him every 7-10 days with my own recipe helps keep his skin soft and his fur thick & silky smooth.  (On a side note, he is also on a special diet that contributes to his skin and fur health.)  Here is how I do it...

After I lure him into the bathtub (usually with a piece of meat), I rinse him thoroughly with lukewarm water to  get any loose dirt and oil off of him.  I mix 1/2 cup baking soda with 1/2 cup water and pour it over his back, rubbing it into his fur as I go.  I keep an empty shampoo bottle that I fill with apple cider vinegar.  I squirt this over his back, little bits at a time.  The vinegar will make the baking soda foam up (think volcano science project).  Massage the foam into his fur and skin.  I let this sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse him with warm water.  Finally, I pour a cinnamon rinse over him.  This is made by simply steeping cinnamon in hot water.  You can use either cinnamon sticks or ground cinnamon.  If you use ground cinnamon, put a tablespoon or so of cinnamon in a coffee filter, fold it up like a tea bag, and staple it shut.  Make sure to let the water cool before you pour it over your pet.  I don't want anyone getting burned.  The cinnamon will help your dog smell better, but more importantly, cinnamon is also an antibacterial and antifungal.  Also, I don't know if there is any science behind it, but I've read that cinnamon can help ward off fleas.  If you want to read more about using cinnamon for health, Dogster.com has an informative article.  

There are so many recipes for homemade health and beauty products out there that it's easy to get lost in the search.  Here is a quick list of some of the recipes I've found...

Confessions of a Homeschooler's Lip Balm

Spell Out Loud's Baby Lotion

Good Housekeeping's Hand Lotion, Facial Mask, and Toner

Spark People's Shampoo & Conditioner Recipes

My Homemade Beauty (They have a whole list of various recipes.)

If you have any recipes for great homemade products, post them below in the comments or on my Facebook or Google+ page.

Karissa