Hello hello! (little eyebrow dancing)

As promised, I am sharing all the recipes of the products that I talked about in both talks from this last weekend (“Household cleaning in my house” and “Personal Care in my house”) at Sustainable Market in Alegro Alfragide.

First of all, let me just say that this was an awesome event, full of amazing eco-friendly brands and projects that gathered to show some alternatives to conventional items and products that we use in our daily lives. All of them environmentally friendly, mostly handmade and supporting fair trade, envisioning a sustainable and healthier future.

I had the opportunity to meet and talk with wonderful people, and I want to thank everyone who showed up to walk about the market and to listen to my talks. I really do think that our society is in need of more events like this one, where environmental awareness is the main agenda.

Anyways, here are the recipes for the products that I use. I hope it helps some of you transitioning to a healthier and environmental friendlier self.

DISINFECTANT: kitchen and bathroom - spray

1. Mix in a bottle:
   • 500 mL of water
   • 500 mL of vinegar
   • 1 tbsp of washing up liquid
   • a few drops of essential oil

DISINFECTANT: glass and painted furniture - spray

Mix in a bottle:

• 500 mL of water
• 100 mL of vinegar
• a few drops of washing up liquid
• a few drops of essential oil

LAUNDRY

Detergent

1. Mix in equal parts:
   • Grated soap
   • Borax
   • Washing soda (or soda crystals)

Fabric Softener

1. Add half a cup of white vinegar into your washing machine's fabric softener dispenser (optional: add a few drops of essential oil)

DEODORANT

1. Mix in a jar:
   • 4 tbsp coconut oil
   • 2,5 tsp baking soda
   • a few drops of essential oil (I use lavender)

TOOTHPASTE

1. Mix in a jar:
   • 2 tbsp of coconut oil
   • 1 tbsp of baking soda
   • 10 drops of peppermint essential oil

MOUTHWASH

1. Mix in a jar/bottle (250-300 ml):
   • 1 tsp of baking soda
   • 2 drops of peppermint essential oil
   • 1 drop of sage essential oil
   • 2 drops of tea tree essential oil
2. Fill the rest of the jar/bottle with water.

SOAP - hair and body

1. Slowly add 60 g of lye to 120 mL of water (do it carefully and outside the house), stir and wait for it to completely dissolve (around 10 min)
2. In a double-boiler, mix:
   • 300 mL of olive oil
   • 175 mL of coconut oil
3. Add the lye solution and stir
4. Add 1 tbsp of green clay
5. Optional: a few drops of essential oil

As I said before, my intention is not to impose this lifestyle on anyone. I am just sharing with you my lifestyle and I want to show you that there is an alternative way to do things and live your life with cruelty-free, homemade and vegan products, with no harmful chemicals to you and the environment (chemical-free and eco-friendly).

There are other ways to live an environmental friendly life. There is no single formula. I myself am still transitioning to a better formula of my own. For each individual, it depends on their circumstances. Obviously, it is easier for those who live or work near a grocery shop where they can buy in bulk, or for those with higher income (because let’s face it: to eat organic is more expensive, some bulk products are more expensive than some packaged ones...), but in developed countries for most people there is something that we can do to reduce our waste and lower our impact on the environment. You don’t need to be zero waste. You just need to do whatever you can. If we all did what we could, both the environment and our health would be so much better.

But, this is my own opinion.

Anyway, if you choose to give this DIY products a go and have any question about it, feel free to do so: comment this post, email me, send me a private message on instagram or facebook… whatever you feel comfortable with.

Besides, I’d love to get your feedback about it as well. I’ve mentioned before that zero waste or low impact DIY is largely trial and error, and we are all different and what works well for me might not work so well for you.

I hope you enjoyed this post. Have a nice day! ;)