It’s no secret that prices are skyrocketing. Learning how to save money by making DIY natural products is a savvy way to prioritize your health and budget.
You can craft countless household and personal care products easily, allowing you to stretch your budget.
I’ve curated a list of seven simple items to make yourself that only require three to six ingredients.
Benefits of DIY Natural Products
- Cost Effective: Making homemade household and beauty products will avoid highly marked-up commercial products.
- All-natural: Ingredients such as borax, coconut oil, and Epsom salt provide relief from the toxic substances that commercial products usually contain.
- Environmentally Friendly: Creating homemade products is environmentally friendly, reducing packaging waste and preventing toxins from harming the planet.
- Customizable: You can craft your products exactly how you want them using essential oils and natural dyes.
- Educational: Mastering the art of creating formulations will significantly enhance your self-sufficiency skills.
7 Simple DIY Products to Make Yourself
Here are some easy and quick items to make at home to save money that utilize a short list of ingredients:
1. Homemade Laundry Detergent
- Ingredients: washing soda, borax, and grated bar soap
Make homemade laundry detergent to save money and protect the environment. Homemade versions are free from toxic chemicals and gentle on your clothes.
The cost difference between homemade and commercial brands is dramatic. Marketing and packaging drive up the price tag of commercial detergents. In contrast, homemade detergent typically utilizes reusable 5-gallon buckets, glass jars, or other containers for storage.
DIY natural laundry detergents use cheap, readily available, all-natural ingredients. Many commercial brands use questionable and even toxic ingredients, which can be harmful to your health and the environment.
Using different essential oils, you can customize your DIY version with the beautiful scent of lavender or the freshness of eucalyptus. Experiment with essential oils to create the perfect scent that appeals to you.
2. Homemade Toothpaste
- Ingredients: baking soda, coconut oil, and essential oils
Thousands of years ago, people invented toothpaste to help keep teeth clean. Brushing your teeth daily is important as it helps prevent cavities, which nobody likes or needs.
Brushing your teeth alone can help reduce dental costs, but crafting homemade toothpaste can save you even more. A tube of natural toothpaste costs $5 or more.
Many commercial toothpastes can contain harmful ingredients, sweeteners, and artificial colors. Making homemade toothpaste ensures a safer alternative for your oral care.
Furthermore, crafting toothpaste is simple and quick. The process of homemade toothpaste preparation only requires a few readily available ingredients. As with other DIY products, you can easily customize your creation with essential oils. Cinnamon and mint are popular choices.
The long-term cost savings add to the appeal since you’ll use inexpensive ingredients like baking soda and coconut oil to make numerous batches. You can purchase these ingredients in bulk, saving even more money and reducing waste.
3. DIY Lip Balm
- Ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, natural colorants, and essential oils
People always seem to need lip balm, especially in arid climates or cold places. Making homemade lip balm is a fun and easy project that can save you money by making large batches. By buying in bulk, you can see significant savings over commercial brands, which can cost $4 or more for just one lip balm.
As with most store-bought items these days, toxins and synthetic ingredients are used in the manufacturing process. Instead, crafting lip balm allows you to control what goes in it.
The main ingredients needed are beeswax and coconut oil or another oil for the base. From there, you’ll add optional colorants such as beetroot powder or turmeric. If you desire, you can add your favorite essential oil.
Reusing lip balm supplies, such as tubes or tins, is better for the environment and will prevent adding more plastic to the dump. Making lip balm yourself will also give you a sense of satisfaction and self-sufficiency.
4. Handcrafted Bath Bombs
- Ingredients: baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salts, cornstarch, essential oils, coconut oil, and mica, if you desire coloring
It’s good to take time out for self-care and pamper yourself with a bath occasionally. Adding a bath bomb to your bath provides a fun, luxurious, and relaxing experience.
Crafting bath bombs is another fast and easy DIY project. The all-natural ingredients are affordable and easily obtainable. Compared to commercial bath bombs, making homemade bath bombs is much cheaper, allowing you to have a spa-like experience at a fraction of the cost.
Additionally, you can make extra bath bombs for inexpensive birthday and Christmas gifts for friends and family. Your homemade gifts will provide further savings and will be greatly appreciated.
To customize your bath bombs, experiment with different scents and oils. DIY bath bombs are inexpensive and add enjoyment and luxury to your bath routine.
5. DIY Air Freshener Spray
- Ingredients: distilled water, vodka or rubbing alcohol, and essential oils.
Sometimes, our houses need a little help to smell fresh and clean. Air freshener spray can help eliminate odors; however, most air freshener products contain various chemicals that many people might prefer not to use.
Since all-natural air freshener spray is expensive, making DIY air freshener is worth considering. Concocting homemade air freshener spray is one of the most straightforward DIY projects since there are only three ingredients to mix.
Experiment with different essential oils to achieve the scent that is most pleasing to you. Lavender or lemon essential oils are excellent choices for a fresh scent.
Producing a DIY air freshener will save you money and keep your home smelling clean. In addition, you’ll reduce your exposure to potentially harmful chemicals while protecting the environment.
6. DIY Dry Shampoo
- Ingredients: cornstarch, arrowroot powder, cocoa powder (for dark hair), and essential oils
Have you ever been in a hurry and didn’t have time to wash and dry your hair? That’s why dry shampoo is such a convenient product!
One of the biggest concerns with commercial dry shampoos is that they can contain harmful chemicals such as butane or benzene. You can avoid these potentially hazardous ingredients by making DIY dry shampoo.
Opting for a DIY route is safer and highly cost-effective. Essential components like cornstarch, arrowroot powder, and cocoa powder are inexpensive in bulk.
Moreover, creating dry shampoo is easy and quick. It’s an excellent choice for those with limited time who need clean hair without washing it.
7. DIY Natural Deodorant:
- Ingredients: coconut oil, baking soda, arrowroot powder or cornstarch, and essential oils
Everyone wants to smell fresh and clean, and deodorant is a product most people use daily. However, most deodorants contain aluminum and other ingredients that may be harmful or irritate your skin.
Since all-natural deodorant can be pricy, making homemade deodorant is another natural personal care product you might consider making to save money. The essential ingredients for this DIY project are easy to obtain, and buying in bulk will increase the savings.
The process for making DIY natural deodorant is straightforward and fast. With just a few minutes of preparation, you’ll have an inexpensive alternative to commercial deodorant.
Tailor your DIY deodorant by incorporating the essential oil of your choice, allowing you to craft a fragrance that suits your preferences.
Make Stuff to Save Money
With words like recession, inflation, and stagflation constantly in the news headlines, saving money wherever possible will help alleviate some of our financial pressures. Making natural DIY cleaners and personal care items saves money and enables you to avoid the many questionable substances used in commercial products.
Creating products gives you a feeling of empowerment. Being self-sufficient by reducing your reliance on store-bought items makes you more independent and in control of your health. You’re also helping the environment by reducing the amount of plastics and chemicals.
These seven simple DIY projects will help you get your feet wet and start your journey towards saving money and living a more natural lifestyle. Making DIY products might initially seem intimidating, but you’ll realize just how easy (and fun!) they can be.
Making natural products at home has numerous benefits, from cost savings to reducing chemical exposure and helping the environment. Start with one project, like DIY laundry detergent, and gradually try out more. You’ll soon discover how fulfilling and beneficial it can be for you and your wallet!
This article originally appeared on Hello Sensible.
Author: Catherine Kay
Catherine Kay is the founder and owner of Frugal Nook. With over 30 years of experience as a mom to nine children, she has mastered the art of frugal living by gleaning a plethora of practical knowledge from navigating finance, parenting, homemaking, and everyday life on a budget.
Catherine’s blog shares tips and strategies for frugal living, personal finance, effective parenting, and expert homemaking with other stay-at-home moms. These strategies aim to help families thrive while saving money during these difficult financial times.