I’m not going to link this in the ROW80 linky tool today because the majority of this post doesn’t pertain to ROW80. And there have been SOME people who get annoyed if you link to the linky and post other stuff that day. Some people do it anyway, but I would hate to annoy anyone. š
Short ROW80 update. WIP is going pretty well. I’m getting a feel for what’s happening in the small Florida town, although I still don’t have a name for the town.
What I want to talk about now is what I did last night. I got all my ingredients for the natural stuff I wanted to make. I like buying from Mountain Rose Herbs, but they were out of some stuff I needed, plus they are slow shipping stuff out (because they are so popular and busy) so I got the rest of what I needed from our local health food store. Anyway, I had coconut oil, sweet almond oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder, emulsifying wax. beeswax, and a couple of essential oils. I was going to buy some more essential oils from my local store, but when I saw the prices, I decided to buy those later from Mountain Rose Herbs. Anyway, I set out to make three things…moisturizer, deodorant, and solid perfume. Now, normally, when one decides to make these kinds of things, SOMETHING is going to go wrong or won’t turn out right. I hate to disappoint you, but I have no funny story to tell. Everything came out AMAZING. The moisturizer is just the right texture. The deodorant felt wonderful. And the solid perfume…well, it turned out right, I just wish I had different essential oils. I mixed lemon with cedarwood. It was okay, but not my favorite scent. That’s just all I had.
So, the moisturizer felt great on my face this morning. I’ll probably use it for hand lotion, too, because I have way too much to just use on my face, and natural products have no preservatives. The deodorant felt so good going on this morning. I wish I hadn’t put any cedarwood scent in it just because I love the smell of the coconut oil by itself. I think if I do the solid perfume again, I’ll put it in something flatter or maybe one of those tubes like lip balm is in. This perfume is REALLY solid, and it’s hard for me to get enough on my finger to rub on my skin. It would be better to rub it directly on my skin.
So, is anyone else experimenting with any of this? If not, are you thinking about it? I’ll have to let everyone know how the deodorant works. LOL
lauralynnelliott.com 
I wouldn’t even attempt anything like this – there are already far too many ridiculous stories of my mishaps. š
Coconut oil is amazing. I can’t find it where I’m living, and it’s driving me mad! I used to use a natural deodorant, and it was great except it stained my skin really badly. Lol. What did you put the solid perfume in?
It was all very easy, Claire. Mostly just melting the waxy stuff and adding the other stuff.
I ordered my Coconut Oil from Mountain Rose Herbs. I wonder if there’s somewhere closer than the US you could order it from. It’s completely on the other side of the country from me (in California) so the shipping is a little high and it takes so long to get it. But they have good quality items. I bought chili powder and cumin from them, too.
The natural deodorant I made only has coconut oil, baking soda, and arrowroot powder. That’s all. Very simple. I wonder what was in the natural deodorant you used that stained your skin?
I put the solid perfume in a little sample jar I had bought something in. It’s hard to get my finger down in it without getting it all under my fingernail. I think a lip balm stick that you can push or dial up would be perfect for solid perfume. Or for something pretty, maybe a locket or something. š
Now I’m trying to figure out what essential oils I want to use to make more perfume. I wish I could smell them online. LOL
There are a couple of places that sell it online, but they’re crazy expensive, and I know you can buy it in Dublin for a fifth of the price, so I’ll have to stock up next time I visit. š
I can’t remember the ingredients. It’s a pity because it worked so well apart from the stains. It’s not sold any more. I’ll have to research an alternative and try again some time. I like natural products because I have sensitive skin.
A locket would be lovely for the perfume. If you wore it, the heat of your skin would keep it a little softer and maybe make it easier to use.
I read that as sell them online, and I was about to cheer for your new business. š
Wow! That’s so awesome. I’m impressed. I haven’t experimented with any of that stuff. I hope the deodorant works just as well. š
Yeah, I’m a little anxious about the deodorant. I can’t stand body odor. The real test will come this summer. š
How’s your sick family?
You are so great to be making your own perfume and moisturiser like this – I wouldn’t have the patience. I love the smell of coconut – mmm.
I wanted to be more natural, but if you buy natural products from other people they are SO expensive. I’m still not going to make my own soap, though. I don’t want to fool with the lye. LOL. I’ll just buy that from Etsy shops I like.
I wasn’t sure the coconut oil would actually smell like coconut. But it does! Very light. I just wish the almond oil really smelled like almonds.
I’ve experimented with making lip balms, soaps and hand salves in the past. I’m big on making things for gifts. We got into jam making for gifts a few years back and I haven’t done skin care products since. You’ve reminded me that was really fun! Maybe I’ll experiment again. I love the solid perfume idea. Lavender and vanilla are my favorite scents.
Like I told Emma, I don’t want to fool with lye in making soaps. I used to buy soap in a big block at Hobby Lobby and put different scents in it. But it was still commercial soap. Which isn’t true soap at all. If I didn’t have a full time job, I would probably experiment with soap.
Making things for gifts, to me, is so rewarding. You put yourself into the gift. Plus, it IS fun. The solid perfume would be a great gift in a little ornate jar or some kind of locket. All mine had in it was sweet almond oil, beeswax, and essential oils. Easy to make. But you have to hurry when you pour it. It hardens pretty fast.
That’s great, LL. I’ve never even considered that it was a possibility for me to make my own toiletries, but then again I’m just not a crafty kind of guy. And I say name the town “Hubbardsville”. Sounds like a nice little town that Hubbardsville. Bet they have nice neighbors and play lots of bocce ball. š
Even a non-crafty person could do this. š
I can’t imagine where you would come up with a name like that. LOL
I’d never really thought about making my own all natural products, but spending some time on Pinterest lately has made me want to try. Where did you get the recipes? I’d love to try to make a moisturizer.
I love all three of the products I made. I’m not crazy about the scent I used in the perfume, but that was my fault. I can’t wait to try other oils. Something like a solid perfume in a pretty container would be a great gift.
Here are the links to the recipes I used. For the moisturizer, instead of the olive oil, I used half coconut oil and half sweet almond oil.
Moisturizer: http://www.wabisabibaby.com/2008/how-to-make-an-all-natural-lotion-with-only-3-ingredients/
Deodorant: http://www.squidoo.com/homemade-deodorant-recipes#module147868347
Solid Perfume: http://www.crunchybetty.com/handmade-solid-perfume