30 Natural DIY Household and Beauty Products

Year after year, we learn that certain trusted products we have used for what seems like forever are laden with chemicals, and making us sick. Cancer, allergies, dermatitis, and other maladies are linked to ingredients in items we use on our face and body, and while cleaning our homes. Stop and think about how many medical issues you have today that might be eliminated if you stopped using as many chemicals everyday and, instead, went natural. This doesn’t have to be a difficult overhaul! In fact, there are many products you use all the time that you can make at home, and on the cheap. Here are 20 of them.

Face Wash

Your skin is one of the biggest organs of your body. When you put chemicals on your face and body, they can be absorbed by the skin, and enter your bloodstream, and system. These days, companies will cut corners by adding cheap, questionable ingredients to their products. Instead of subscribing to this, why not make your own products? Like this homemade lavender and honey face wash, shared by blogger Erika of Living Well Mom? It contains soothing lavender, and moisturizing honey, with argan oil (or almond, jojoba, olive, or avocado oil), and can be made in only five minutes! Try it out here.

wp_*postsLip and Cheek Tint

Lip and cheek tints give you just the littlest bit (or more, depending on how much you layer it) of rosiness. You instantly look healthier, younger, and more feminine, with just a swipe or two. It’s also pretty foolproof; most tints come in tins, or nail polish-like containers, and you then blend the formula in with your fingertips. We found an easy, and all-natural way to make your own lip and cheek tint, from blogger Desiree Vatter of Life Infused. Its ingredients include nourishing shea butter, beeswax, coconut oil, and alkanet root powder, which gives it is rosy hue. Try out this DIY here.

wp_*postsDryer Sheets

Dryer sheets make your clothes smell heavenly and spring time fresh. They also help get rid of that pesky static (static cling, and getting shocked with everything sucks), and soften your garments and towels. But did you know that traditional dryer sheets have harmful chemicals in them? Ingredients can include limonene (which is a carcinogen), benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer), and chloroform (a carcinogen and neurotoxin). Those are such some of the chemicals in the average dryer sheet! Why not make your own? Arsy of Rubies & Radishes has a fun project to make natural sheets, using upcycled T-shirts, white vinegar, high-quality essential oils, and water. Learn the DIY here.

wp_*postsLip Balm

Take a moment and look the lip balm(s) that you currently use. How many ingredients are in there? Which ones are they? Are there several? And which one of these can you identify, or even pronounce? It’s scary once you look. After all, it’s just plain lip balm, so you would assume it contains a small handful of ingredients. And little to no chemicals. A look at a particular version of Chapstick (by Naturally Savvy) shows that it contains harmful things like methylparaben, camphor, and paraffin. Here is a three-ingredient lip balm recipe (just beeswax, coconut oil, and almond extract or oil), by the blogger at One Crazy Mom.

wp_*postsConditioner

You know a beauty product is truly natural when you can literally eat the ingredients. You definitely can’t do that with the majority of conditioners available at stores today. The banana-based conditioner featured here is as natural as it gets. It has banana, honey, coconut milk, and coconut oil in it, with no chemicals, or other weird additives. Not only is it natural, but it also contains ingredients known to truly moisturize the hair. Truly a win win situation. You can learn how to make these natural conditioners, and more (seven in total!), at FashionLady’s website. You may never go back to store-bought again!

wp_*postsToilet Fizzies

Bathrooms aren’t fun to clean at all, especially toilets. Ew. Even if it’s just you who uses that toilet, you still don’t want to have to clean it. It’ natural to want to resort to cleaning with harsh, strong chemicals in order to kill any bacteria and clean anything that might be lurking in there, invisible to the eye. But you don’t have to. Why risk exposing yourself to toxic chemicals when you can opt for a more organic approach. Toilet fizzies are tablets you can make yourself (these are made from baking soda, essential oils, and citric acid). Learn how with Wellness Mama here.

wp_*postsDisinfecting Kitchen and Hand Wipes

If you’re like me, you use cleaning wipes like popcorn. You can’t use just one, and having them in your life just makes you feel much better. As much as I try to keep extra waste from going back into the environment, disinfectant wipes are great, because they clean and kill germs and bacteria, all in one, and all at the same time. But, like most commercial household cleaners, wipes can have chemicals that are bad for you. Why have a clean house if it means impacting your health? Try these DIY natural kitchen and hand wipes by Andrea of organicallyfrugal.

wp_*postsLip Scrub

Your lipsticks and lip glosses aren’t going to look great if you have dry, chapped lips under them. Before you spend time at the drugstore or cosmetics store looking for a lip scrub that doesn’t have a ton of weird ingredients, why not try making your own? You can customize the ingredients to suit your preferences, and use it knowing exactly what is in it. We found this cool Instagram post on Pinterest, which shows how easy it is to make five different lip scrubs: a coffee one, an oil and honey version, a coconut oil and honey one, a brown sugar and olive oil variety, and a vanilla sugar one.

wp_*postsDeodorant

If you’re like me, you’ve tried to stray away from big-name deodorants, and even some of the big-name “natural” ones in order to find the healthiest, most-natural option. Some worked wonders, while others, not so much. You want your deodorant to work, to leave you feeling dry and fresh. That shouldn’t feel that that means it has to have chemicals in it. Why not try making your own deodorant? This one from Greatist is made using only the following ingredients: baking soda, essential oil, cornstarch, and coconut oil. Four ingredients, that you know, trust, and that also get the job done.

wp_*postsBlush

If you’re not a fan of liquid or balm-like blush, you don’t have to go and buy powder blush at a store. Powder blushes may contain harmful chemicals, like polytetraflouroethylene (linked to cancer and issues in females), talc (said to have asbestos in it), and metalloestrogens (which contribute to organ toxicity, reproductive toxicity, and allergies.) It’s obviously not worth it to risk your health to–ironically–get a healthy rosy hue to your cheeks. Luckily, it’s not hard at all to make your own blush. With natural ingredients– different combinations of arrowroot powder, cocoa powder, hibiscus powder, peach powder, and beet root powder!

wp_*postsEyeliner

Eyeliner is not something we as Latinas are going to give up. I don’t know what’s in my eyeliner, but it makes me nervous to think that there isn’t a decent natural alternative out there. Well, I found an easy DIY black eyeliner that seems to do the trick of adding a swipe of noir to the eyes. On StyleTips101.com, they share a recipe, which delivers a super-black, super-inky eyeliner, that you can apply with an angled brush. The ingredients are: coconut oil, activated charcoal (or cocoa powder if you want to make a brown liner), and aloe vera gel.

wp_*postsLaundry Detergent

If laundry detergent is going to get your dirty clothes clean, and look like new, then it has to have a bunch of chemicals in it, right? Wrong. Did you know that you could get a clean that would make you ditch your toxin-laden, tried-and-true laundry detergent, once and for all? And that the ingredients are natural, and that you could make the formula yourself? We kid you not. Over at Pink Fortitude, Holly Bertone, CNHP, PMP, has put together an easy DIY, containing pure baking soda, washing soda, pure castile liquid soap, and Purification essential oil. Yes, that’s all that is in it!

wp_*postsFloor Cleaner

You want your floors to shine and sparkle, but not at the health risk of your family, right? Most floor cleaners contain harsh chemicals, which babies, toddlers, pets, and anyone who is on the floor can come into contact with. Children will then put their hands in their mouth, and pets will lick their paws. If you’re going to go all-natural with your cleaners, this would be one of the places to start. You can still get a brilliant floor, with this natural orange peel and vinegar recipe by Growing Up Herbal. Yes, that is all the ingredients this cleaner has! Learn the steps of the process here.

wp_*postsEyebrow Filler

Eyebrows have been a major focus in beauty for what seems like a while now. You need to have a product, that will give you the pigment and consistency you want, to get the brows you want. But it doesn’t have to come from a fancy beauty store, cost a lot, or have any chemicals in it. Amy over at A Blossomed Life shares a totally natural DIY eyebrow filler that you can make on your own. It contains cocoa powder, activated charcoal, almond oil, and non-GMO cornstarch. The idea is to test out the amounts of cocoa powder and activated charcoal to get the perfect color for you. Learn the rest here.

wp_*postsDefining Cream for Curls

We haven’t forgotten about the natural DIY products for curls! There are great, organic, and inexpensice ingredients out there which will really moisturize your hair, and make your rizos look their best. Sisters Sherry and Serena Harris of Obsessed Hair Oil shared a super easy, natural recipe for curl defining cream. The ingredients are: shea butter, aloe vera gel, coconut oil, and an oil of your preference (jojoba oil, almond oil, etc.). The only step is to whip these ingredients together, and you are set, with a natural way to healthily moisturize your tresses. And easy to make again and again!

wp_*postsSink and Tub Cleaner

Just think of how better you will feel when you start switching your usual chemical-filled cleaners for completely natural ones. Ones that you made yourself, so you know exactly what’s in them. You will feel better emotionally, but also physically, as you won’t be exposing you, your family, friends, and pets to unnecessary chemicals. Once we realize that most every store product has a natural version, it becomes easier to want to switch over to the healthier option. Take for instance this DIY natural (and zero waste!) sink and tub cleaner by Greenify-Me. You can get that deep down clean using only water, castile soap, orange essential oil (I would skip this if you have infants or pets, as citric essential oils are toxic for them), and baking soda.

wp_*postsBleach Alternative

You probably know that bleach is toxic. It’s unhealthy to be around on its own, but can be deadly, when mixed with ammonia, vinegar, and pretty much all cleaners. If something is strong enough to burn holes in your clothes, you may want to opt for a more organic, healthy, and natural option, that is still going to keep your whites gleaming. Luckily, there’s a great, easy, and inexpensive solution from The Hippy Homemaker. The ingredients are filtered water, hydrogen peroxide, citric acid, lemon juice, and lemon essential oil (remember our warning on certain essential oils and infants and pets!).

wp_*postsToothpaste

The toothpaste you buy at the supermarket or drugstore may have contained, or perhaps still contains, harmful chemicals such as triclosan, a known endocrine disruptor. The chemical was banned in soap, but currently, there is no ban for it in toothpaste. While these products clean your teeth, keep your mouth fresh, and whiten your chompers, there are several, healthy, natural alternatives out there for toothpaste. Take, for example, this easy DIY option shared by Dana McDonald, RD, LD of Rebel Dietician. It’s simple; the ingredients are: unrefined coconut oil, peppermint essential oil (don’t use this oil around kids younger than 6), and baking soda.

wp_*postsAir Freshener

Remember those aerosol air fresheners that you would spray into a mist in the air? All those chemicals were flying around, landing on your furniture, pets, clothes–heck, on you and your family. But no one really tripped off of it because they smelled so darn good. You don’t have to accept the harmful ingredients as part of the deal of a great-smelling environment. Instead, try making this easy DIY natural air freshener, from Kelly Dixon of Smart School House. It’s inexpensive, uses things you probably have in the kitchen already, and is non-toxic. The ingredients are: rosemary, lemon, water, and vanilla extract. That’s it.

wp_*postsMascara

Mascara is personally something I can’t live without. I have very long lashes, but they aren’t too thick, are very straight, and are a bit lighter on the ends. I put on about 1,000 coats of mascara and instantly have lashes which look fake (in a good way). But I worry about what is in a product that gets so close (and sometimes into) my eyes. I am seriously wanting to try to make my own mascara, and this easy DIY by Know Your Body just might be the one I choose. It only take four ingredients (coconut oil, activated charcoal/cocoa powder, beeswax pellet, and aloe vera gel), plus a container you can get on Amazon. Super easy! (Note: some have concerns about activated charcoal near the eyes, so you can choose the cocoa powder as an alternative.)