Zero Waste self-care beauty products

hair. I like to use coconut oil for everything from hair to nails, and I use plant decoctions for my hair and as a base for future soaps. By using natural products, you take care of yourself without producing plastic waste.

Violina Kirilova, Anna Ćaleta

Into this part of the book, we present some self-care beauty recipes that are made from purely natural products, do not harm the nature around us and also save money. As we already know, nowadays, the beauty products offered on the market are full of chemical ingredients, whose origin, composition and true influence on our body we do not know. In many of these products we find substances that damage rather than preserve our beauty. Often they are packaged in plastic, which is one of the most harmful materials. With these DIY beauty hacks, we want to introduce new ways of producing

Zero Waste beauty products by using natural products that we have at home. In this way you can protect yourself from the chemicals in ordinary beauty products, which get into your body through your skin. Also, this way you reduce the use of plastic and other materials that are non-degradable and harmful to nature.

Quick and easy deodorant

You can make this deodorant in less than 10 minutes!24

• 1/3 cup coconut oil

• 1/4 cup baking soda

• 1/4 cup arrowroot or cornstarch

• 6 - 10 drops of essential oils, if desired (tea tree and lavender are my favourite)

1. Mix baking soda and arrowroot. 2. Mash in coconut oil until blended. Add essential oils, if desired.

3. Place the mixture in an empty glass jar. 4. To use, just warm a small amount between your fingers until it turns into liquid. Apply to your armpits. If it’s hot outside, the coconut oil will be liquid, so no need to mash it. But you can also warm it in a pot over steam. If you have sensitive skin, skip the baking soda and add more starch. For a more luxurious deodorant, check the recipe below!

Homemade deodorant recipe with lavender and sage

The first step in this recipe is to make an infused herbal oil with lavender and sage, or any other herbs of your choice.25

FOR THE INFUSED HERBAL OIL

Fill a half-pint canning jar about 2/3 full of dried lavender and sage leaf. Melt 1/4 cup of coconut oil in a saucepan on the stove over low heat, then pour over the dried herbs. Then add sweet almond oil to fill the jar.

Cover the jar and put it in a cool and dark place to infuse for 2 - 6 weeks (the

longer the better). Strain out the herbal material with a fine mesh sieve when ready to use.

FOR THE DEODORANT

Ingredients • 1/2 cup herb-infused oil (see above)

• 2 ounces beeswax

• 1 ounce shea butter

• 20 - 30 drops essential oils of your choice (I like to use 10 drops each of lavender, sage and sweet orange) • 2 tbsp arrowroot powder • 2 tsp baking soda (optional, replace with more arrowroot if you omit) Instructions

1. Put the infused oil and beeswax into the top container of a double boiler, and stir as the beeswax melts. (Tip: you can make a double boiler with a smaller pot, bowl, or a glass Pyrex measuring cup over an inch or so of simmering water. If you use glass Pyrex, put something in the bottom of the pot that it can rest on, such as a canning jar lid).

2. Once the beeswax has completely melted, add the shea butter and stir until it dissolves.

3. Remove the mixture from the double boiler and stir in the essential oils, then stir in the arrowroot powder and baking soda. Keep stirring for a minute or two to thoroughly combine. The mixture will begin to thicken slightly. 4. Pour the mixture into empty deodorant containers or half-circle molds. Let the deodorant set up for a few hours before using. This recipe makes about 8 ounces of deodorant in total.

Homemade shampoo bars

We are surrounded by so many choices that are available on the market. But there are almost no purely natural suggestions that are environmentally friendly and health-oriented. That's why we offer homemade shampoo bars as a good idea.26 Ingredients • 3 teaspoons cocoa butter • 2 teaspoons cetyl alcohol • 1 tablespoon coconut oil • ½ pound goat milk melt-and-pour soap base • 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil • 1 teaspoon organic argan oil • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon sea salt • 10 drops lavender essential oil • 10 drops tea tree essential oil • 10 drops rosemary essential oil • 10 drops peppermint essential oil • ¼ cup crushed lavender petals (optional; you can use a spice grinder, coffee grinder or mortar and pestle)

• Soap colorant (optional) • Double boiler

Directions

1. Add the cetyl alcohol, coconut oil and cocoa butter to a double boiler over medium heat, stirring frequently until all ingredients are completely melted. 2. Cut the melt-and-pour soap base into cubes, and add it to the double boiler, stirring until completely melted and well combined. 3. Stir the apple cider vinegar, sea salt, baking soda, Vitamin E and argan oil into the mixture in the double boiler.

4. Add the essential oils, and stir to combine.

5. Add a few drops of soap colorant if you like, and stir to combine. 6. Stir in the crushed lavender, reserving about 2 tablespoons (optional). 7. Sprinkle a bit of crushed lavender into each cavity of the soap mold (optional). 8. Gently pour the shampoo bar mixture into your silicone mold. 9. Spray the top of the mold with a spritz of rubbing alcohol to dissipate any bubbles. 10. Allow your homemade shampoo bars to harden at room temperature or in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until completely cool. Store the shampoo bars in an airtight glass container until you’re ready to use them.

“No-poo” chickpea shampoo

You can make shampoo simply by mixing chickpea flour and water! Massage it into wet hair and rinse!27

“No-poo” rye shampoo

Place 2 tablespoons of rye flour into a jar, pour 1 cup of boiling water over and stir. Let it cool down, and strain with a fine strainer or cloth. Use it as a regular shampoo. 28

Our next recipe is related to hair masks. If you want silky and smooth hair, you should try this homemade hair mask. For it you need the following ingredients.

29

• Yoghurt – will make your hair soft • Olive oil

• Honey • Vitamin E capsules Steps to follow: 1. Place yoghurt in a bowl – vary the amount according to your hair length. 2. Add 1 spoon of olive oil and mix it. 3. Add 1 more spoon of olive oil and mix it again. 4. Add 1 spoon of honey and mix it. 5. Add oil of 2 vitamin E capsules into this. 6. Mix all nicely. 7. Leave for 5 minutes, and your hair mask is ready. Apply this mask to your hair and scalp, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Shampoo your hair. This mask will

- Make your hair soft and silky - Fight against dandruff and scalp infections

- Boost your hair growth If you want hydrated, exfoliated and awesome-scented skin, we present the following recipe for home coffee vanilla scrub for the body.

Ingredients: • 1/2 cup coconut oil

• 1 1/4 cups sugar

• 3/4 cup finely ground coffee

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Instructions:

Measure out your coconut oil, and if it’s not already melted, melt it over low heat in a pot until liquid. Let it cool a bit. While the coconut oil is melting, mix the sugar and coffee grounds together in a bowl. Pour in the melted oil and vanilla, and stir to combine. Go a little easy on the oil until you know you need it all. You want the mixture to be wet but not soupy or liquid at all. If it does get too wet, just add a little more sugar and coffee until you are happy. Seal in an airtight container between uses.30 We all know that summer can be really harsh on our skin, and we want our skin moisturized and smooth. The lips are a very sensitive part of the body, and it is important to take care of them too. Now we are going to share a summer recipe for raspberry lip balm. It is a perfect recipe for moisture and care.31

Ingredients: • 1 teaspoon beeswax pellets • 1 teaspoon shea butter • 1 teaspoon coconut oil • 1/2 teaspoon honey (I use raw honey)

• 1 - 2 drops raspberry flavoring

• 1/4 teaspoon red or pink lipstick (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the beeswax pellets, shea butter, coconut oil and honey in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 10-second increments until it is melted.

2. Stir to combine.

3. Add the raspberry flavouring, and the lipstick if desired. Stir to combine.

4. Pour into lip balm tins and let cool. These are just simple examples of recipes that are very easy to make, and are made from all-natural ingredients. In this way, we take part in the Zero