The 20-Minute Environmentalist Part Five: DIY Bath Products

Making your own bath and beauty products is easy and fun - and a great way to avoid unnecessary chemicals, while limiting the amount of packaging that ends up in landfills. Pretty packaging is all well and good, but if you want something you can leave out on the shelf for guests to see, you don't have to spend your hard earned cash on beautiful single use bottles that will just end up in the recycling bin, or - worse - the landfill. You can make your own decorative containers for your DIY bath products in the same 20 minutes it will take you to make the bath products themselves. Plus, your own reusable decorative bottles and jars can be cleaned out and used again the next time you whip up one of these quick natural bath product recipes.

You will also help to save the environment from production process waste and lower energy usage that would otherwise have been used to make, package and transport the product. Making your own DIY eco-friendly bath products and storing them in reusable containers is an easy, inexpensive way to help save the planet while saving money as well.

There are many bath products that are easy to make at home using all natural ingredients. Here are five easy, inexpensive bath product recipes that will each take less than 20 minutes to make and enjoy.

1. Toothpaste - When I realized how easy (and cheap) it is to make your own DIY toothpaste, I couldn't believe that I had been wasting my money on commercial toothpaste all these years. Keep packaging tubes out of landfills and chemicals and artificial sweeteners away from your family with this easy DIY project. Mix ½ cup baking soda in a bowl with ½ teaspoon of salt, then add a few drops of flavoring oils or essential oils - like peppermint, wintergreen, clove, anise or cinnamon - and enough water to create a paste. Store your DIY toothpaste in a covered bowl or reusable squeezable tube. For more tips and recipes, check out my article, How to Make Your Own Toothpaste.

2. Bath Salts - To create a relaxing and muscle soothing soak, make your own bath salts with this inexpensive, easy DIY bath salt recipe. Simply mix one cup Epsom salts with one cup sea salt and add a few drops of the essential oil of your choice. Peppermint is a good choice for an invigorating bath, and lavender essential oil is perfect for a relaxing soak. You will get all the benefits of store bought bath salts with none of the unnecessary chemicals and artificial colors. To lower your environmental impact even more, clean and reuse a canning jar (or jelly or pickle jar) to store your bath salts rather than purchasing a jar just for this purpose.

3. Bath Oil - In my opinion, no bath or shower is complete without the luxurious finishing touch of bath oil. All natural bath oil is incredibly easy to make and it will take you longer to get the ingredients out of your cupboard than to mix up this easy DIY recipe. Jojoba, grapeseed and almond oil are popular oils for this simple DIY project, but olive oil or soy oil will also work (they are just a bit greasier). All you need is a reusable bottle, your chosen carrier oil (that would be the olive, soy, jojoba, grapeseed or almond oil) and you favorite essential oil. Rose, jasmine, lavender, peppermint and bergamot essential oils are popular choices if you don't know your favorite scent yet. Mix the carrier oil with a few drops of essential oil and store in a reusable bottle.

4. Body Powder - Body powder - aka bath powder or dusting powder - is very easy to make with just a few ingredients. In fact, it is so simple to make that I have never understood why commercial bath powders have such long ingredient lists with so many words I can't pronounce. It will take you about five minutes to mix up a batch of body powder that will last you for weeks. Simply mix one cup corn starch or arrowroot powder (or ½ cup each) with about 30 drops of your favorite essential oil. Store your mix in a large salt shaker or sugar shaker, or make your own container by poking holes in the metal lid of a glass jar.

5. Deep Conditioning Treatment - Making your own all natural deep conditioning treatment for your hair couldn't be easier. There are actually several different recipes that use all natural food products and are easy to make, but this one is my favorite. Smash up half of an avocado in a bowl and mix with coconut milk until you get a nice thick texture (usually between ¼ and ½ cup coconut milk), then slather it on and comb it through your hair. Put on a shower cap and leave it on for about 15 minutes, then rinse. This amount works for short to medium length hair; for longer hair you may need ¾ or a full avocado and to increase the amount of coconut milk accordingly. Coconut oil is also a great, all natural deep conditioner. Simply comb it through your hair, leave on for about 15-20 minutes and rinse.