DIY

A brother of mine from college called me several weeks ago, trying to sell me on this pyramid scheme where you sell cleaning products and beauty products to everyone you know forever and you make a bunch of money. I don't know anyone I could sell shit like that to in the first place, but selling stuff to people leaves me feeling really icky anyway, so I said "no thanks," and was patient when he kept on trying. He wanted to know for sure that I myself was using safe household products and I laughed for a little while: all I ever use and all anyone needs are the following products:

- Baking Soda
- White Vinegar
- Washing Soda
- Borax
- Salt

With these simple and inexpensive ingredients, I have made my own laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, household cleaners, and toothpaste. Eventually, I would like to compile recipes in here since many products of mine are still in an experimental stage, but really: if you have those five things, you are all set.

The toothpaste is still in an experimental stage. You need the extra ingredient of vegetable glycerin to make toothpaste, which is inexpensive at the local herbal supply store out here, but I had to add a pinch of xanthan gum to make it blend with all the baking soda, and it came out salty and much too thick. Not paste like, but not right for the container (a squeezy-bottle) I was keeping it in. For my next batch, I'm going to try using some white clay instead of the baking soda, and using a lot less salt. The vegetable glycerin can also be used for skincare, but I usually just stick with water for my face; I break out at the drop of a hat and try not to tweak my routine too much.

Essential oils and or lemon juice can also be nice to have around for scenting products. I used a variety of essential oils in the toothpaste, but my laundry soap remains unscented and I'd like to add some orange oil. One thing I haven't tried yet is DIY deoderant. My friend Dae makes natural deodorants out of brandy and scented things, and I guess you spray them in your pits. I use perfume rollers from Auric Blends, but lately my favourite of their scents has been leaving my pits all itchy and irritated lately, which is horrible. I heard that scrubbing your pits with a loofah will naturally help them smell less, but that also sounds really uncomfortable. Pit skin is delicate!

You know what it turned out my brother's products were all about? The tea tree. I have tea tree oil, and I have everything else: what do I need a pyramid scheme for?