Straight out of Lynne’s Lab

I’ve been creating stuff in my kitchen again…

There really is a method to my madness. When my dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, I did what many others do when a loved when gets handed a dreaded diagnosis – I researched. Lots of reading and weeding through pages and pages of info; endless discussions with doctors, social workers and friends about dementia.

Then, I started making changes in my own life, as I’m sure others have done, too, if there is even a remote chance that genetics play a role in your loved one’s disease. I was trying to reduce the amount of household chemicals we used, and also trying to eat organic foods.

In my hours of reading, a saw more than once that there may be a link between aluminum and Alzheimer’s. Aluminum can be found in cookware, baking powder and antiperspirants/deodorants, too. Needless to say, I started reading labels and purchasing items that were aluminum-free… which didn’t work so well with deodorants. I tried several different brands, salts, etc. No luck.

About that time, my mom started forwarding information on the benefits of coconut oil with Alzheimer’s patients. The information is amazing, and can be found by doing a simple Google search. So, after doing a lot of reading, I started to incorporate coconut oil into my diet and also use it as part of my skin care routine.

Yet, I was still frustrated that I couldn’t find a decent deodorant. And with my dad’s disease progressing, I became too distracted to care.

A few months after Dad passed away, and I came back to the land of the living, I decided to look online for homemade deodorant, and was successful in my search. And, well, because I am me – a rather impatient person – I tried the one recipe that listed the ingredients I had on hand – baking soda, cornstarch and coconut oil as I wanted to try something…NOW!

It worked!

In the past few months I have had some teenage gals try this potion, and they are liking the results. The ultimate test came when my hubby tried it, did yard work in some seriously high heat, and he was really pleased with the effectiveness. (Note – you will perspire as your body was designed by God to do, but the deodorant will do as it is designed to do – deodorize.)

If you want to try it, here goes:

1/4 cup baking soda + 1/4 cup cornstarch + 5 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. (Your best bet is to use organic ingredients). Mix until ingredients are smooth. It is like a paste, and you just massage it in. Use about a dime size. (You can add essential oils if you like, see link below for details.) Sometimes the coconut oil can solidify, so should that happen, you will need to warm it in your hands so it is spreadable or run the container under warm water. I use small refillable containers for storage.

My success with this venture inspired me to try other items off the same website, www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com (also on my BlogRoll). Today I made three gallons of liquid laundry detergent and a half-gallon liquid hand soap. But here is where “Miss Impatient” (me) will be tested, as I have to wait overnight for the soaps to thicken before I can finish making them. So it will be sometime tomorrow before I can use them!

Please stay tuned, and I will post the results in a day or two.

Have you tried making any personal or household cleaning products? If so, share in the comments section 🙂

© 2012 – Lynne Cobb

11 Replies to “Straight out of Lynne’s Lab”

  1. Do I sniff the beginnings of a new business venture? I hear stories of local women who’ve made good money selling candles and soaps! I’ve never tried making my own products, although I do make a few health and beauty treatments from essential oils, including lavender. (Remind me to share a blog post I did on that topic a while back, as there are a couple of good resources mentioned.) I’ve also made potpourri from my herb garden — but that’s about it. Like you, I find all of this very interesting — especially the research on coconut oil.

    1. Actually, Cindy, I have toyed with this idea as a business. And yes, please post the blog with the essential oils info! Thanks so much!

  2. Interesting adventure! I haven’t tried this yet, but I think I recall recently seeing a post on Crunchybetty.com about it.

    By the way — I just nominated you for a “One Lovely Blog Award” and gave you a little shout-out for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger. (Hee!)

    1. Aww, thanks Joan! That made my day!

      I stumbled across crunchybetty – I think via onegoodthingbyjillee – both excellent DIY sites!
      There is something very satisfying about making your own food and other products…stay tuned as I plan to post updates on my new adventures!

      Thanks again for the award nomination 🙂

  3. Another great blog, Lynne. This one was so informative that I printed it out so I can try some of these ideas in the future. (The picures really added to the topic). It sounds like you have “taken the bull by the horns” in an effort to minimize your chances of suffering the side effects of aluminum. I wasn’t aware of this. I will be passing this info on to the family. Keep up the good work. I can’t wait for you next blog!

    1. Stay tuned, Bob! I will have my report on the soaps tomorrow…plus I made granola this evening. And thanks for the kind words 🙂

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