I have been using this around the house more and more over the last few months as I keep find more great uses for it. We have finally got round too buying a large quantity of it as we were getting though the small amounts we were buying really quickly.
I have been using it as part of my hair washing routine for a while and I made deodorant with it some months ago and still using my original batch. I also have been using it for some time to clean the bathroom, the tiles, surfaces, sink and bath all get a wipe with a bicarb paste.
I have now started to use it more in the washing machine instead of washing powder or liquid, a tablespoon for lightly soiled or two if more heavily soiled. I also put two tablespoons of white vinegar in the conditioner slot with a few drops of lavender oil, you could use any essential oil you like the smell of. I use lavender oils as it repels the moths. When I am not using this I use Eco balls.
It can be used in the dishwasher to make your own powder, I mix a tablespoon of bicarb with a tablespoon of borax the dishes have never been so clean.
This week I have sprinkled it on the carpet in the bathroom as it was getting really smelly. I would not choose to have a carpet in the bathroom, but it was in the house when we moved in and we have other priorities in the house. I left it on the carpet overnight and hoovered up the next morning. The smell has gone, for now!
I have also used it on a mattress that got wee on it, again sprinkled on and left all day, hoovered off, smell gone.
I have also read recently that it can be used to get oil stains out of fabrics. I have yet to test this, but will be giving this a try next time we have something with oil on it.
I started to look into making my own household cleaning products when I experienced a bout of Urticaria last year. I had no idea what you could make at home and how many products I was buying could be replaced with so few ingredients including one I already had in the cupboard.
Showing posts with label bicarb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bicarb. Show all posts
Hair
20 July 2012
In May I posted about the beginning of my shampoo and conditioner alternatives journey. Since then I have to make more changes to the quantities I have been using.
I had opted to use bicarb and cider vinegar to wash and condition my hair, following a outbreak of Urticaria. I had started with a tbs of each in a pint of water, before finding that that made my hair too dry. So I switched to using a paste of bicarb and a little water applied to dry hair, rubbed in and washed out to wash my hair and the same quantity of vinegar to water that I had before, as a conditioner. After using this method for six weeks or so I found that my hair was getting very greasy. I thought it was because I was using too much bicarb, so I reduced the amount and made a more watery paste and continued with the same mix for the conditioner. No change. I knew that the mix I was using was stripping my hair of its natural oils and my hair was then overproducing to compensate, what I did not know is what was doing the stripping.
I tried not washing my hair for two weeks, my hair is long enough to be tied back or up. It didn't get any greasier in that time, but it did start to hurt from being pulled into a different position all the time. I needed to do more research. I discovered that if you are experiencing greasiness using bicarb and vinegar you need to reduce the vinegar. Why was that not obvious to me, as an acid it was bound to strip natural oils!
So I am now still experimenting with exact quantities. I am using more bicarb and water mix to shampoo and a lot less vinegar and water to condition. I have found that the amount of vinegar is critical as too little and my hair is heavy and lank. I can feel it is the right amount now. Just need to work out the optimum quantities for the bicarb.
I live in an area with very soft water. If I go to my mum's house the water there is very hard and the mix does not work. The bicarb will not dissolve in the water due to the minerals already present. I have read that it will work if you boil the water first, some have even suggested using this boiled water to rinse your hair was well as mixing to make shampoo and conditioner.
I do not have the option of returning to using shop bought hair products as I do not want to risk the urticaria returning. It has been a slow journey to find what works for me but I am sure I will get there in the end, I hope!
I had opted to use bicarb and cider vinegar to wash and condition my hair, following a outbreak of Urticaria. I had started with a tbs of each in a pint of water, before finding that that made my hair too dry. So I switched to using a paste of bicarb and a little water applied to dry hair, rubbed in and washed out to wash my hair and the same quantity of vinegar to water that I had before, as a conditioner. After using this method for six weeks or so I found that my hair was getting very greasy. I thought it was because I was using too much bicarb, so I reduced the amount and made a more watery paste and continued with the same mix for the conditioner. No change. I knew that the mix I was using was stripping my hair of its natural oils and my hair was then overproducing to compensate, what I did not know is what was doing the stripping.
I tried not washing my hair for two weeks, my hair is long enough to be tied back or up. It didn't get any greasier in that time, but it did start to hurt from being pulled into a different position all the time. I needed to do more research. I discovered that if you are experiencing greasiness using bicarb and vinegar you need to reduce the vinegar. Why was that not obvious to me, as an acid it was bound to strip natural oils!
So I am now still experimenting with exact quantities. I am using more bicarb and water mix to shampoo and a lot less vinegar and water to condition. I have found that the amount of vinegar is critical as too little and my hair is heavy and lank. I can feel it is the right amount now. Just need to work out the optimum quantities for the bicarb.
I live in an area with very soft water. If I go to my mum's house the water there is very hard and the mix does not work. The bicarb will not dissolve in the water due to the minerals already present. I have read that it will work if you boil the water first, some have even suggested using this boiled water to rinse your hair was well as mixing to make shampoo and conditioner.
I do not have the option of returning to using shop bought hair products as I do not want to risk the urticaria returning. It has been a slow journey to find what works for me but I am sure I will get there in the end, I hope!
Shampooless
19 May 2012
In November last year I was forced for health reasons, see this post, to stop using my shampoo and conditioner. I had to come up with an alternative. After searching in all the shops in my local town I was unable to find one that contained ingredients that I could tolerate. Not wanting to be in a situation where I would have to drive miles or having to order on the internet each time I ran out, I thought about making my own. After much searching it seemed there were recipes to make shampoo and conditioner which involved lots of ingredients and you ended up with a shampoo and or conditioner not unlike one which you would buy, except that you have total control over the ingredients. The alternative was much simpler, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. I was really sceptical that this combination could leave my hair feeling and looking clean but my hair desperately needed a clean and in the absence of anything else, I gave it a go.
I started off with a mix of 1teaspoon of bicarb in a pint of hot water which I poured over my scalp and hair, I massaged my scalp and rinsed this off. I followed this with 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar in the same quantity of water which I again rinsed off. I found this combination made my hair very dry so I reduced the amount of vinegar to 1 teaspoon to a pint of hot water. This seemed to be alright but after a month or so my hair still seemed to be fairly dry. So I tried a different method with the bicarb. First I tried making a paste with a teaspoon of bicarb and a little amount of water. I rubbed this paste gently into my scalp. I have fairly long hair which is quite thick so found this method difficult to apply. I made the paste a bit runnier the next time and applied to my scalp and this is the perfect combination for my hair. I have also reduced the amount of vinegar slightly. I have been using this combination for about three months and my hair is definitely less dry.
I am now washing my hair every 5 to 6 days and my scalp is far less itchy than it used to be. I live in a soft water area. Before trying this method my hair would be greasy after about 2 to 3 days. Most shampoos strip your hair and scalp of the natural oils that you produce. Your body tries adjusts to having the oil stripped by going into overdrive and producing loads, therefore your hair will look greasy. When you stop using shampoo you will probably go through a detox period when you hair will look really greasy. You body is still in overdrive. If you are patient then it is worth the wait.
I started off with a mix of 1teaspoon of bicarb in a pint of hot water which I poured over my scalp and hair, I massaged my scalp and rinsed this off. I followed this with 2 teaspoons of cider vinegar in the same quantity of water which I again rinsed off. I found this combination made my hair very dry so I reduced the amount of vinegar to 1 teaspoon to a pint of hot water. This seemed to be alright but after a month or so my hair still seemed to be fairly dry. So I tried a different method with the bicarb. First I tried making a paste with a teaspoon of bicarb and a little amount of water. I rubbed this paste gently into my scalp. I have fairly long hair which is quite thick so found this method difficult to apply. I made the paste a bit runnier the next time and applied to my scalp and this is the perfect combination for my hair. I have also reduced the amount of vinegar slightly. I have been using this combination for about three months and my hair is definitely less dry.
I am now washing my hair every 5 to 6 days and my scalp is far less itchy than it used to be. I live in a soft water area. Before trying this method my hair would be greasy after about 2 to 3 days. Most shampoos strip your hair and scalp of the natural oils that you produce. Your body tries adjusts to having the oil stripped by going into overdrive and producing loads, therefore your hair will look greasy. When you stop using shampoo you will probably go through a detox period when you hair will look really greasy. You body is still in overdrive. If you are patient then it is worth the wait.
Deodorant
08 May 2012
For some time now I have been trying to find a deodorant that works for me. Last year I started to have symptoms of Urticaria a skin condition that you can read about here. The upshot of this is that most skin products or products that come in to contact with my skin have ingredients that make me itch. I tried using bicarb on its own for a while. I found it difficult to apply and it make my skin a bit red, dry and itchy. After doing some research I realised that bicarb on its own may be a bit strong for my skin and it would be better to mix it with something else to tone it down.
I have now settled on the following recipe:
Homemade Deodorant
1/4 cup bicarb
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
5 tbsp coconut oil
Coconut oil is solid a room temperature. I placed it in a glass bowl and put the bowl in another bowl of boiling water and left it to melt. I then stirred in the bicarb and arrowroot. I left this to cool a little before putting into an old deodorant stick that I had cleaned. I bought all these ingredients in my local health food shop.
I have been using this for the last month and it seems to be working. We have had the occasional warm day but admittedly it has been cold on most days. It remains to be seen (and smelt!) as to whether it works in hot weather, if we get any this year that is.
I have now settled on the following recipe:
Homemade Deodorant
1/4 cup bicarb
1/4 cup arrowroot powder
5 tbsp coconut oil
Coconut oil is solid a room temperature. I placed it in a glass bowl and put the bowl in another bowl of boiling water and left it to melt. I then stirred in the bicarb and arrowroot. I left this to cool a little before putting into an old deodorant stick that I had cleaned. I bought all these ingredients in my local health food shop.
I have been using this for the last month and it seems to be working. We have had the occasional warm day but admittedly it has been cold on most days. It remains to be seen (and smelt!) as to whether it works in hot weather, if we get any this year that is.
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