D.I.Y. For Your Palm Oil Free Life!

It’s time to ditch some of our usual products and make our own supplies! Palm oil is hidden in half of the items in the grocery store, so making your own products is one of the safest ways to ensure they’re palm oil free.

Palm Oil-Free Cleaning

Laundry Detergent:

Ingredients:

• Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer Brand available at most stores)

• Borax (20 Mule Team Borax available at most grocery stores)

• Bar Soap (Dr. Bronner’s, Ivory, or other natural, unscented bar soap)

1. Grate the bar soap or mix in food processor until finely ground. Use the soap of your choice. Handmade coconut oil soap is great or Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castille Bar Soap because of its exceptional quality, and because it is available in several different natural scents like lavender, tea tree, peppermint, almond and others.

2. In a large bowl, mix 2 parts washing soda, 2 parts Borax and 1 part grated soap. I use 1 bar of grated soap and 1 cup each of washing soda and borax.

3. Store in closed container such as quart or half gallon mason jars. If you are using a big enough container, you can skip step 2 and just put all ingredients in storage container or jar and shake.

4. Use 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup per load of laundry.

Household Surfaces:

Ingredients:

• Distilled white vinegar (made from grains) and baking soda works wonders in the kitchen and bathroom!

Palm Oil-Free Personal Hygiene

Shampoo:

Ingredients:

• Mix one (1) cup Castile liquid soap with 5 – 7 drops of essential oil(s).

• To treat dandruff or an itchy scalp add sage or lavender oils.

• To lighten hair use lemon oil.

• To promote growth use nettle or peppermint.

• For dark hair that needs additional shine use rosemary.

• This can double as a body wash!

Conditioner:

Ingredients:

• If you use the above shampoo, you should not need to use conditioner. But if you’re looking for a little boost, mix two (2) tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with one (1) cup of water. Store in a spray bottle and use as needed

Cleanser:

Ingredients:

• Plain and simple; oil is the best way to cleanse the pores, remove dirt and get rid of excess oil!

Begin with one (1) teaspoon of coconut or olive oil and apply to the skin in circular motions, using more if needed and rinsing with warm water (using fingertips or a soft cloth).

Deodorant:

Ingredients:

• Mix two (2) tablespoons of baking soda (a natural deodorizer) with two (2) tablespoons of corn starch (which helps to absorb the moisture) and either lemon or tea tree essential oils.

• Both oils have natural anti-bacterial properties but for something even more effective consider adding sage and/or witch hazel.

• Store in an air-tight container. Store in an old spice jar (with perforated top) or talcum powder bottle.