The Artful Parent: The Intersection of Art and Parenting

Since you asked for recipes and for more feedback, I thought I’d do another post (the first one was long enough already!).

I’m a little hazy on copyright issues and what’s okay to post on a blog (anyone else know?), so I don’t think I’ll post the lip balm recipe from Gail Duff’s Natural Beauty book. However if a couple people e-mailed me, I might be willing to e-mail it. And the deoderant recipe is here, as you know. We have all used the deoderant and think it’s effective so far. And we all like the lip balm.

Here’s the rest:

Alice’s Wonder Spray (all-purpose cleaner) from a pamphlet my mom’s co-op in Oregon put out: dissolve 2 tsp borax in 32 oz hot water (otherwise the spray will be grainy) in a 32 oz spray bottle (we had smaller bottles and just adjusted the recipe accordingly). Add 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar. Add 1/4 cup liquid dish soap and 20 drops essential oil (optional – we had lemon and orange essential oils). Shake ingredients to mix. Note: I think we’ve all used this and love it!

Laundry Detergent recipe from a local mama: Use one bar of grated glycerin soap (melted down with water on the stove to a liquid), 3 gallons of water, one cup Arm & Hammer washing soap, and optional 1/2 cup borax (she didn’t use borax, we did). Mix vigorously for 5 minutes. Use approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup per load of laundry. Note: at least a couple of us have used this and like it. I’ll try to find out about the rest of the group.

Tub and Tile Cleaner from an article in Organic Style (May 2005) titled “Easy DIY Recipes”: Mix 1 2/3 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup liquid soap (we used liquid dish soap) in a bowl. Dilute with 1/2 cup filtered water and add 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar. Mix with a fork until any lumps are gone and mixture has a pourable consistency (you may need to add more water). Pour into a clean 16 oz squeeze container (the kind with a squirt flip-top lid). Shake well before using; keep the lid tightly closed to prevent the mixture from drying out. Note: at least a couple of us have used this and like it. I’ll try to find out about the rest of the group. I LOVE this tub and tile cleaner myself. It works so well!

Dishwasher Soap from a website on non-toxic home cleaning. Unfortunately I forgot which web site. Mix equal parts of borax and Arm & Hammer washing soda, but increase the washing soda if your water is hard. Note: at least a couple of us have used this and like it. I’ll try to find out about the rest of the group. My dishes got clean and there wasn’t any residue left!

A note about ingredients: the borax, washing soda, distilled white vinegar, and glycerine soap bars are all super cheap and readily available. The borax and washing soda can be found in the laundry section of grocery stores. I always see borax there and sometimes the Arm & Hammer washing soda, although I’ve had to look around for that more. The ingredients for the lip balm and deoderant are a bit more expensive (shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, almond oil, etc) but reasonable if you make a bigger batch and go in with friends. I bought much of it through Mountain Rose Herbs, but later saw the the ingredients were also available at our local health food store.

Anyone else have recipes to share? I’m really excited about making my own stuff now!

Okay, here’s the lip balm recipe:

Honey Lip Balm from Gail Duff’s Natural Beauty: Making and Using Pure and Simple Beauty Products: Place 4 tablespoons almond oil and 1 tablespoon beeswax in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set in a saucepan of water. Melt them gently together on a low heat. If adding optional herbs (1 teaspoon dried marigold flowers or 2 fresh marigold heads, 1/2 teaspoon dried or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped comfrey leaves — we used both fresh marigolds and dried comfrey) do so now and keep the mixture at a simmering point for 15 minutes (the extra 15 minutes isn’t necessary if not adding herbs). Strain into a sterilized pot and add 1 teaspoon honey. Stir until cool. Cover when completely cold. Use within three months.