With a few basic ingredients, you can make your own beauty products – dramatically reducing your plastic use in the bathroom.
It is possible to spend an exorbitant amount of money, buying the latest and greatest products that claim to do amazing things to your skin.
However, with a few basic ingredients, you can make your own beauty products, which are all completely natural and will dramatically reduce plastic in the bathroom.
Coffee Scrub with Coconut Oil
This beautiful smelling coffee scrub is great for the face and body, exfoliating and moisturising the skin. For this coffee scrub I use fresh ground coffee and rapadura sugar. Fresh coffee contains antioxidants, but you can substitute fresh grounds for used grounds if you like.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 cup of freshly ground coffee
- 1 cup of sugar or salt (I use rapadura sugar as it is the least refined & feels better)
Method:
Mix together coffee and sugar.
Melt coconut oil until it is liquid.
Blend the oil with the coffee sugar blend.
Place in a jar and seal. This can be kept in the shower ready to use. Be careful if using a glass jar as it may break.
Homemade Toothpaste
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp of coconut oil
- 2 tbsp of bicarb soda
- 10 drops of peppermint
Method:
Mix all of the ingredients together and voila!
Get fortnightly ideas and inspiration to your inboxIf you are human, leave this field blank.
Commercial toothpastes are full of unnecessary nasties and avoiding them will certainly help you reduce plastic in the bathroom. With it being so affordable and easy to make your own basic toothpaste at home, why not give it a go! You’re also probably likely to have most of the ingredients already in the pantry.
The baking soda in this recipe works as a mild abrasive and the coconut oil contains natural antibacterial properties and helps to give the paste a good mouthfeel. Adding peppermint boosts energy and gives the paste a nice after taste.
Rosemary Hair Rinse
This multi-purposeful rinse will darken, add shine and have your mane smelling like a rosemary patch. Rosemary is said to be able to stimulate hair growth and improve circulation.
The rinse will cost you next to nothing and with a bountiful amount of rosemary in our garden, it’s the perfect way to use it up. While it suits most hair types, add in a few drops of almond oil for moisture if you have a dry scalp.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of water
- 2 tbsp. of fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tbsp. of fresh thyme leaves (to stimulate hair growth) OR 1 tbsp. of fresh sage leaves (to darken greys)
If you’re using dried leaves instead of fresh, just halve the amounts.
Method:
Boil the water in a small saucepan and add in the herb leaves.
Place the lid on the pot to stop the oils from dispersing.
Simmer for two minutes.
Remove from the heat but keep the lid on, allowing the pot to cool down.
Once cool, use a sieve to pour liquid into a jar
Store jar in the shower and use it just before you get out, pouring it over your hair and letting it sit without rinsing it off.
Want more zero waste skin care products?
Who says you need fancy ingredients and commercial products to achieve beautiful skin? Check out our other beauty articles and recipes including:
- Homemade Soap
- Natural Lip Balm
- Plastic Free Moisturiser
- Plastic Free Shaving Soap
- Homemade Shampoo
- Gardener’s Hand Scrub
Want more?
Subscribe to our Youtube channel to keep up-to-date with our weekly Self-Sufficiency Video Series.
Drop our video a “like” if you found it handy and support our work by subscribing to the magazine. You can also sign up to our free fortnightly eNewsletter for fresh tutorials, recipes and podcasts on living a resilient home-based life.
[…] You could also try reducing household waste by making your own cleaning products. Not only is this better for the planet, it’s also much better for your own health, as you’ll be avoiding the toxic chemicals that are in a lot of traditional cleaning products (Pip Issue #13). Make some (or all!) of your own beauty products from scratch, like plastic free deodorant, homemade toothpaste and body scrub. […]
[…] you like more plastic free beauty recipes? Watch our video for 3 recipes to reduce plastic in the bathroom. Or try our recipe for plastic free […]
[…] our recipes for homemade deodorant, toothpaste, body scrub, shampoo, shaving soap and gardener’s hand […]