Diaper Swappers

Natural Home and Body Products

My adventures in cloth diapering have also led me down a more natural path in life, and one of my favorite discoveries has been all the natural products I can use in my home to clean with. It has saved us a tremendous amount in both time and cost.  Here are some of my favorites usages I never knew about:

Vinegar as an all purpose cleaner. I mix a spray bottle full of a few inches of vinegar and a few drops of my favorite essential oils for scent (I only add a bit of vinegar at a time because I like to change my scents frequently).  I use this mixture to clean EVERYTHING in my house from sofas to windows down to wooden floors. It’s the only product we use for cleaning anymore.

Coconut oil as a moisturizer. It’s affordable and great to cook with, but also is a wonderful moisturizer. A little goes a long way, and the oil naturally has some sun protective properties. It can be used as a deep conditioner for your hair as well.

Baking soda as shampoo. This is the “no ‘poo” craze you may have heard of.  Trust me when I say I was NOT a believer until I tried it. I thought there was no way it  would work as well as any regular shampoo for my oily hair. But I was hooked after trying. I mix just under 1/3 cup of baking soda with some water, rub well into the oiliest areas of my scalp, and rinse with warm water. My hair has been much happier.

Apple cider vinegar (ACV) as a conditioner. In a squeezable condiment bottle I mix 1/3 cup of ACV with a few drops of an essential oil and then fill the rest with water. I use this as a rinse just before I get out of the shower. I rinse it out and though it smells like vinegar for a little while, it dries odorlessly except for the essential oil.

Aloe vera straight from my kitchen window sill for unhappy skin. I’ve started keeping a small aloe  vera plant in my kitchen for small emergencies. Sunburn scare? I break off a leaf, scoop out the gelly inside, and apply it directly to the skin minus all the chemicals or cost. The plant seals off the broken leaf and grows quickly, leaving a lot at your disposal.

Pureed cucumber to hydrate and cool skin after a long hot day. To cool off, slather pureed cucumber all over your skin to cool off and rehydrate. Watermelon works great too.

Other pureed veggies and fruits for at home facials. The brand my esthetician uses is made of organic produce that is 100% natural; this is essentially the same thing I do at home. Anything from strawberries to cukes are fair game. They all have different purposes, so a quick google would be helpful.

Poppy seeds as exfoliators. Because poppy seeds are totally round, they do not cut up your skin and allow bacteria to enter through these cuts. Add some to a pureed fruit/veggie for a great at home scrub! Much better for your skin than sugar.

Calendula (marigold) petals for a soothing bath to ease diaper-area rashes. As my marigolds are dying, I gather their leaves and dry them out. If my son has a particularly bad diaper rash, I’ll put these in his bath (word to the wise: make a strong tea and add it to the bath or put the leaves in an old stocking – DO NOT JUST THROW IN YOUR TUB! It will look great but not be so fun to clean up) to help sooth his bottom.

Do you have any household all natural tricks you love using?