The Big 20/20 Event: Day 15: Homemade Natural Deodorant Stick

Welcome back to “The Big 20/20 Event” - I am so glad you’re joining us! We will be sharing 20 fantastic tutorials from a host of awesome contributors, for 20 days.

If you enjoy the tutorials, make sure you sign up for my newsletter, as all my newsletter subscribers will receive a beautiful PDF eBook at the end of the event, showcasing all 20 tutorial projects to keep and peruse at their leisure!!

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Homemade Natural Deodorant Stick

 

 

If you’ve been following my blog, you will know that I switched the family to all natural, homemade toiletries about 1.5 years ago. The one thing I was somewhat hesitant about though, was deodorant. Somehow I didn’t think I could make that one myself.

You see, we live in the desert, that means it’s REALLY hot, which in turn means, there’s a fair amount of everything from ladylike perspiration to downright, not-at-all-lady-like sweating.

Even though I switched to all natural deodorants quite a while before then, it took me a long time to find something that actually worked - and had the right ingredients!  And over the years I have tried many, many “alternative” deodorants, with very little success. They either didn’t work at all, or not for very long! Or they smelled rather unpleasant! Or they weren’t entirely “natural” enough to be worth it, as many of the supposedly natural deodorants still had a bunch of undesirable ingredients in them.

I finally found one that worked for me ingredient wise, it worked all day and it smelled good enough for me to still feel feminine! The catch? It was around $10-12 a pop. Granted it lasts a while, but I just have a hard time paying that much for a deodorant on a regular basis!

 

So, I set about making my own. I started with some of the many tutorials on the web, but I found that most of them turned out too oily/greasy for me to feel comfortable with. I wanted mine more on the powdery/dry side but still glide on.

Today, I’m sharing with you the recipe that’s been working best for me!

It’s quick and easy to make, it glides on enough to be a deodorant stick, it’s nourishing to the skin but not greasy, it has ingredients  that I already have in the house and best of all - it keeps me smelling nice all day! And, since I usually make orange and vanilla for myself, it goes nicely with the Orange Honey Shampoo I make and use.

Is it an ANTIperspirant? No.

Part of the problem with regular deodorants and anti perspirants/deodorants is, a) the aluminum, which is a carcinogenic (cancer causing,) and b) the fact that they are designed to block our sweat glands and pores. This is to reduce sweating, but I do believe that this is not a good thing for our bodies. We sweat for a reason!

 

I would like to note here though, that like with all transitioning to more natural products,  there might be a short adjustment period. The first  couple of weeks of use, you may not find it quite as effective as you would have hoped. Stick with it though! Once the body detoxes the old stuff out and becomes accustomed to the new goodness, it will work pretty well for you!

A note on  the deodorant container. You can purchase them new, or you can use your existing deodorant/anti-perspirant container.

To clean an existing one, twist the deodorant stick all the way up to the top, break off and scrape out any remaining deodorant. Then wash in hot soap and water, until none of  the old stuff remains. Dry thoroughly and it’s ready to use for your homemade version!

The containers I used were meant to be filled from the top.

There are however some on the market that are meant to be filled from the bottom. They are the ones that come with an inside cap. Not the general cap, but an extra one, directly covering the deodorant stick. You will need that cap, so make sure you have all the parts before you begin filling a reused container!

You will need:

1 Empty Deodorant Container

1/8 cup Arrowroot Powder/Starch

1/8 cup Baking Soda

2 1/2 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

1 heaping Tbsp. Beeswax Pellets

5 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

1/8 tsp Sweet Orange Essential Oil

1/8 tsp  Vanilla Essential Oil **

 

**Please note that sweet orange and vanilla is my favorite combo, but you can use any essential oil combination you like here. For example, rosemary and lemon grass, is a nice, fresh combo, that is a little less “girly”.

 

Preparation:

Melt beeswax and coconut oil in a pan or double boiler over low heat.

Whisk in the baking soda and arrowroot powder.

 

 

Remove pan from heat, and stir in essential oils. Add more essential oils if it isn’t fragrant enough. Be aware however, that if you use a LOT more essential oil, that you will get a softer deodorant stick, due to the increased oil content. However, 5 or so more drops of any given essential oil is fine!

Pour into deodorant container. Fill it all the way up to the very top of the container. It may look like it’s going to spill, but it will settle as it cools.

 

 

Leave it uncapped while it’s cooling. If you are impatient, you can speed up that process by putting the deodorant stick in the refrigerator.

Once it’s completely cool and solid gently twist and move it up and down just a bit to loosen it. Then cap.

And now it’s ready for use!

 

 

Notes on using your deodorant:

1. This is not quite as solid as your store-bought deodorant, so don’t twist it up as high as you might be used to. Just go a little above the top edge.
2. It does leave white marks if it gets on dark clothing while applying it, so bear that in mind.
3. Don’t be tempted to put on lots and lots. It won’t work more, the more you put on, especially during the adjustment period.        There is such a thing as too much with this deodorant! If you build up a thick thick layer under your arms, it will eventually start to either become unpleasant or crumble off, like it would with any other regular deodorant too. Just use a couple of strokes under your arms and enjoy your naturally fragrant self!

 

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Birgit Kerr

Meridian tapping mixed media and digital artist, blogger, crafter, baker, cook, caretaker of numerous growing things (human, animal and plant alike) and general creator extraordinaire!

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Water Kefir - My Basic Recipe

First Ferment

4 cups of structured, Prill water or living water (or filtered water)
1/4 cup of organic evaporated cane sugar
10 organic raisins or so

1.5 tbsp. hydrated water Kefir Grains

In a mason or fido jar, combine sugar and water and stir with a non metal spoon to dissolve sugar partially . It doesn’t have to be dissolved all the way, the kefir grains will do the rest.

Add the kefir grains and raisins.

Tighten lid on the jar and let the water kefir grains do their thing for 24 to 48 hours.


Note: Don't let the grains ferment for longer than 48 hrs (first ferment.) It won't kill them if you do, but experience has shown that they will stop growing and multiplying.

*{I started out using jars with an airlock lid as my means of making the initial ferment for water kefir, but for the last year or so, I much preferred fermenting in a large fido jar. Fidos off-gas by themselves, so no need for burping or fear of explosions, and we get very fizzy second ferments just that bit faster!}*

There is a great debate going on about aerobic and anaerobic fermentation and which one is better and there are many myths surrounding all the different methods of fermentation. I suggest you try it yourself and find out what works for you.

When all the raisins are at the top and are staying at the top or coming right back up when you move the jar, your kefir is ready. Currently that is 24 hours for me, but my kitchen is usually pretty warm during the summer, even in an air conditioned house. It can take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

Remove the raisins and strain out the water kefir grains.

Rinse the kefir grains for our next batch. (Personally, I always rinse them. It keeps the "yeastiness" down a bit. However, other people recommend not rinsing them. Find out for yourself which way you prefer!)

From here, you can either drink the kefir as is, or you go on to a second ferment, which will allow you to add flavorings.

At this point, your flavor options are pretty much endless. You can add (fresh or dried) fruits, juices, syrups, flavor extracts, herbal teas and anything else you can think of!

One of our basic flavorings but also a favorite, is to make grape soda.

I add about half a cup of organic grape juice to the strained water kefir and decant into flip-top bottles. Then I let them sit out on the counter for another day at room temperature, before refrigerating. The result is a delightful and very fizzy grape soda!

All manner of juices work, even though we’ve found that anything citrusy can make little stringy inclusions (they taste fine, but some people aren't font of the "look") and that anything that also contains apples always tastes more like cidery fermented than anything else.

But do your own experimenting and see what you can come up with!

Or you could go on to make:

Probiotic Cola Soda

Probiotic Root Beer

Probiotic Ginger Ale

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Healthy Soda Series: Probiotic, Homemade Root Beer

And so we have arrived at Root Beer in my series of probiotic sodas.

As I have mentioned before, I’m not the biggest fan of Root Beer - being European and all ... and that cough syrup thing!

However, I have found out that I just don’t like store bought Root Beer. The home made kind is a whole different ball game!

It’s real. It has depth and body. It has character! The flavors are round and compliment each other - not like cough syrup at all! Even to me!

So, much like the Cola, we will make the root beer syrup first and then we will add the syrup to the second ferment of the water kefir.

And this one does actually get to be as dark a color as the original version. But even so, it does not contain any gluten, as we are not using caramel color!

My starting point was a fabulous recipe by Hank Shaw and I adapted it to suit water kefir fermentation, and our taste buds!

Root Beer Syrup

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 3 ounces dried sassafras roots
• 1/2 ounce dried burdock root
• 2 tsp of orange zest (optional) 
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 whole star anise
• 2 inches of a vanilla bean
• 3 Allspice berries (whole)
• 1 whole clove
• 1/4 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
• 2 drops wintergreen extract (do NOT replace with mint - it’s a different flavor altogether!)
• 5 cups organic evaporated cane sugar 

Preparation:

Put the sassafras and burdock roots, vanilla bean, coriander seeds, star anise, orange zest and clove in a heavy-bottomed 2 quart saucepan. Add  the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, place a lid on your saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the molasses, stir, and return to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the wintergreen extract, replace the lid and let the mixture cool to room temperature and sit for about 5 hours or overnight.

Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth, place over a bowl or pot and pour the steeped infusion into it to strain. Do not press on the contents, but let the roots rest in the strainer for about 30 minutes so everything can drip out. 

Return the sassafras infusion to a pot and add the sugar to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil one more time, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the hot syrup into mason jars, put on lids and let it cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate the syrup.

It will keep for a year in the refrigerator.

Second Ferment - Combining the water kefir and the syrup

4 cups of water kefir (finished the first ferment, grains strained out)
1/4 cup of root beer syrup (you can adjust the amount of syrup to your liking)

Mix the above ingredients, decant into flip top bottles and leave them on your kitchen counter at room temperature for 24 - 48 hrs.  If you have a warm kitchen and the carbonation is really building up, 18-24 hrs. may be enough.
Refrigerate you bottles.

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You can also use this syrup with carbonated water to make root beer, or if you have a really fizzy first ferment of the water kefir, forgo the second fermentation and drink it as is!
Personally, I like to get the second ferment in, as it does seem to add to rounding out all the flavors!

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Healthy Sodas? Is that even possible? YES!

I have told you about our relatively new found love for water kefir before, but I have been experimenting since.

The kids and I are perfectly fine with juice based water kefirs, but my husband continues to be a bonified soda drinker, all be it with the soda fountain. He has given up the caffeine soda a couple of years ago, but his favorite drink continues to be coca cola, dr. pepper and root beer.

I have been on a mission to at the very least reduce his chemically based soda intake, so I have been experimenting with making a healthier form of “soft drink” to at least tempt him to try other things!

Since the base of the water kefir is relatively neutral, it really does lend itself to a variety of options. The Cola one is the most work intensive, but it is also the one that can be played with and adjusted to your personal preferences.

The initial ingredients I started to experiment with, were from a variety of websites and suggestions. Many of them included essential oils, but that didn’t work well in a water kefir application. So, I went with this recipe from the New York Times and adjusted it some!

Sounds quite spicy and more medicinal, doesn’t it?

I expected it to be somewhere between a Christmas cookie and a Root beer on the flavor scale. And I don’t really like Root beer all that much, even though the rest of my family loves it. Having been raised in Europe, Root beer tastes like cough syrup to me, conjuring images of being sick as a child. Not exactly that enjoyable, even though after all these years, I am starting to warm to it a little more!

But I know it’s a big thing in the USA! You even float ice cream in it and call it a treat! *shudders*

But I digress! Well, not entirely - I will also show you how to make natural, good-for-you water kefir that tastes like Root beer!  And this one does actually taste like the real thing!

Anyway, back to the Cola syrup!

Amazingly, some way, somehow, once the syrup is done, and fermented for that second time with the water kefir - it definitely reminds me of the flavor of ... Cola! 

Does it taste like Coca Cola/Pepsi?  Definitely not! It’s different!  It’s better! It’s homemade, with wholesome ingredients and no artificial anything added.

Since we are not using any kind of food coloring or caramel color, this syrup is a lot lighter in color than we are used to.

 

 

Cola Syrup

Grated zest of 2 medium organic oranges

Grated zest of 1 large organic lime

Grated zest of 1 large organic lemon

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg,  freshly grated

1 section of a star anise pod, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried lavender flowers

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 one-and-a-half-inch piece vanilla bean, split

1/4 teaspoon organic citric acid (personally I prefer 1/2 tsp)

1 cup organic evaporated cane sugar

1/2 cup organic brown sugar

2 cups of water + 2 tbsp..

1. In a heavy pot over medium heat, bring 2 cups water to a simmer with the zests, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, lavender, ginger, vanilla and citric acid. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

2. In a non-stick pan, bring 1 cup of organic evaporated cane sugar and 2 tbsp. water to a boil. Slowly caramelize the sugar, JUST until it turns a DARK brown. When it starts to smell ever so slightly burnt, but isn’t actually really burnt just yet, you’re there! Take it off the heat immediately and slowly and very carefully add it to the hot syrup, a little at the time, stirring constantly.

If you are not comfortable with handling all this boiling hot stuff, you can caramelize the sugar ahead of time, pour it onto a lightly greased sheet and let it cool. It will be like hard candy once it’s cooled and you can break it into pieces and add them to the boiling mixture, stirring to dissolve the sugar chards.

Then add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve.

 

Alternatively, you can forgo the whole caramelizing step all together and just add the sugars right to the water and spices. It will taste slightly different as the caramelization and the “almost burnt” sugar add a flavor note, but if you’re going for quick and easy, this is the way!

 

3. Line a sieve or colander with a double thickness of cheesecloth and place over a bowl. Pour the contents of the pot through the sieve. Carefully gather up the corners of the cheesecloth and twist the top to close. Use a spoon to press the bundle against the sieve, squeezing out all the flavorful syrup.

4. Stir the syrup and let cool. Transfer to containers with a lid and keep refrigerated.

 

 

 

Water Kefir - First Ferment

4 cups of structured, Prill water or living water (or bottled water)

1/4 cup of organic evaporated cane sugar

10 organic raisins or so

1 organic lemon wedge (1/4 of a small lemon)

1.5 tbsp. water Kefir Grains

 

In a mason jar, combine sugar and water and stir with a non metal spoon to dissolve sugar partially . It doesn’t have to be dissolved all the way, the kefir grains will do the rest.

Add the kefir grains, lemon wedge and raisins.

Tighten lid on the jar and let the water kefir grains do their thing for 24 to 36 hours.

When all the raisins are at the top and are staying at the top or coming right back up when you move the jar, you’re kefir is ready.

Remove the raisins and lemon wedge, strain out the water kefir grains.

Rinse the kefir grains for our next batch.

 

Combining The Two - Second Ferment

4 cups of water kefir (grains strained out)

1 cup of Cola Syrup

 

Combine the two and bottle in swing top bottles. Leave the bottles to ferment at room temperature for at least 24 hrs., burping them once or twice. Once you have achieved the desired level of fizziness, refrigerate the bottles.

 

And there you have it! A healthy probiotic drink, very reminiscent of Cola! And it has nothing artificial or chemical in it! And no gluten!

 

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Incidentally, if you don’t really care about the food color (gluten) and artificial flavor aspects and just want to make probiotic cola - this flavor concentrate makes a pretty mean cola soda that tastes a lot like store brand Cola!

 

To make it with the flavor concentrate, do the first ferment as described above.

For the second ferment, you will need:

 

4 cups strained water kefir

1 tsp cola extract (for a gluten free cola extract, try Lorann’s Cola Flavor Concentrate and use 1/4 tsp)

2 tbsp. organic evaporated cane sugar (More if you like it sweeter - the second ferment will feed on the sugar and some of the sweetness will go away, but you need at least 2 tbsp. to feed the ferment!)

 

Mix everything together in a jar/jug and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Pour into flip-top bottles and let ferment at room temperature for at least 24 hrs., burping them about once a day. Once you have achieved the desired level of fizziness, refrigerate the bottles.

 

Next up in the series of healthy “sodas” - Ginger Ale!

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Orange And Vanilla Honey Shampoo And Body Wash

This has become our favorite shampoo since we stopped using store shampoos and body washes several months ago!

This shampoo/body wash is quick and easy to mix up and even though it may seem odd to put honey in your shampoo, I highly recommend you try it!

It is NOT sticky at all and the antibacterial  and antifungal properties of the honey are oh so good for your hair and scalp (and skin for that matter!) Not to mention the softness it imparts on your hair! Hair and scalp just seem to be moisturized and the oil production balanced!

It seems to also cover pretty much any hair and scalp problem our family has (from dandruff to eczema) which is an added bonus!

My children and I also use it as a body wash, so for us, it’s an all around good thing! For my husband I replace the vanilla essential oil with peppermint and/or tea tree essential oil, so he doesn’t smell quite so “girly.”

Orange And Vanilla Honey Shampoo

1/2 cup of castile soap (I generally use Dr Bronner’s Citrus or Baby Mild)

3/4 cup of raw honey (I use Nature Nate’s Raw Unfiltered honey, which I can get locally at Fry’s/Kroegers!)

1/4 cup authentic African black soap (optional - can be replaced with with more castile soap or any other natural liquid soap)

1 tsp of sweet orange essential oil (use no more than 1/2 tsp if making for a baby)

1/2 tsp of vanilla essential oil

Mix everything together and fill into a shampoo bottle!

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To use, wet your hair, then massage shampoo into your hair and scalp. A little goes a long way with this shampoo!

You don’t need to pay special attention to the ends of the hair - the scalp is the important part.

Rinse thoroughly!

There is no need for conditioner, but for added benefits, use a Raw Apple Cider Vinegar rinse!

I generally use 1/8 cup of  Raw Apple Cider Vinegar to 2 cups or so of cool water! This is your final rinse, don’t wash it out!

Using cool or cold water closes the cuticles in your hair and makes it even softer and gives it amazing shine!

As always, be aware of the transition period if you are switching from regular shampoos, even some organic ones. Your hair and scalp will go through a transitional period, which can mean that your hair looks dull or oily after the first couple of times using this shampoo. Generally these effects are however short lived and your hair and scalp will adjust and come out healthier and happier at the other end!

If you are lucky like our family, we skipped the transition period and went straight to happier and healthier hair and scalps!

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Lately ...

Lately, I have been so busy, with so many things. Things I want to share with you. Things that all require at least one post by themselves, yet I never quite get past the beginning, as the next thing demands my attention.

So, as a result I have a flurry of unfinished blog posts, that never quite made it onto my blog.

What kind of things, you ask?

Well, there is

• Gardening in general, gardening in the dessert specifically, my experiences with Square Foot Gardening in the desert summer heat and gardening with children. Permaculture, what and why I am turning our backyard into a veggie garden and all that! Oh, and organic pest control. And building your own raised beds and other structures the cheap and easy way! And what about grow bags and root pouches! Yes,  gardening has taken up a lot of my time of late!
• Then there are the mason jar meals. Tips, tricks, experiences, recipes and other useful things.
• Tying in with both of the above, doing real food, good food, organic food on a budget. And I mean a fairly tight budget.
• I have also dabbled in sausage making of late and have some German/Bavarian recipes to share!
• And since it’s the season of abundance everywhere it isn’t as blisteringly hot as in Phoenix, there is also a lot of processing and canning and preserving going on. Which ties into the gardening and the budget and the organic and real food topics!
• And there’s the bread baking! So many recipes to share, so little time!
• Oh and some more tips and tricks, from money saving recycling ideas, to time saving practices around the house, to some crafty (ad)ventures around the garden and with the kids!
• I have also dabbled a little more in the homemade shampoo and other cosmetics area with great results and I have recipes to share!
• And then there are of course the kiddos. They are on break. And home. And in need of entertainment, learning and activities. Since it’s really hot here, we are mostly confined to the indoors, which always makes for a bit of a challenge!
• Then my husband had a somewhat unexpected health challenge, which involved surgery, hospital, recovery at home and all that good stuff!
• I have also always wanted to share with you some blog posts about mental, emotional and spiritual well-being practices. EFT, Access Bars, Body processes, meditation and so many other things that I practice regularly and like to involve my children in too. Ah, yes, one of these days I will get around to all of that!

So yes, it has been an eventful summer! And for the moment, at least until the kiddos are back in school and we resume some kind of normalcy, the unfinished blog posts probably stay that way!

 

However, I will leave you with a few photos!

 

Some of my pots. They are starting to go somewhat scarce and dormant for the summer. With those it’s not so much a matter of production but sheer survival. However,  if they survive the summer heat, they usually go into a second production cycle after the heat lets up a bit!

 

 

Growing potatoes in grow/root  bags and coffee sacks, filled with mulch! The potatoes you see here were planted at 4 different stages, so the harvest should keep us in potatoes for a few months, without having to store them much (no cellars/basements in Phoenix!)

 

 

Bavarian Leberkaese, which literally translated means Liver Cheese. The funny thing is, it neither has liver nor cheese in it. But it is a very delicious Bavarian sausage!

 

 

I have found some more things that you can grow/re-grow from grocery store produce!

 

 

Mason Jar meals galore!

 

 

 

We scored more inexpensive organic peaches, nectarines and figs and I’m canning and freezing like a champ!

 

 

My kids have been involved in quite a bit of gardening and fruit picking this year! They are really getting into the whole growing stuff! Good thing that I am too!

 

 

Yummy breads coming out of the oven every week!

 

 

 

At a 120 F you have to get a little creative with the shade cloth in order to give your plants at least half a fighting chance! What’s climbing up on the side are sweet potato vines! They LOVE the heat! Did you know that you can eat the leaves of the potato vines? You just sauté  them like spinach leaves.  Oh, and the sweet potatoes are another thing you can grow from store produce! This particular one I grow mainly for slips and the leaves, but I have a couple of other containers that I am growing for the sweet potatoes!

 

 

Field trips and new adventures are a necessity during the long summer break! And so much fun!

 

 

How is your summer going? Are you looking forward to the start of school or are you going to miss the little people being home all the time?

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Natural, Homemade Goo Remover (that really works!)

I love bottles, and jars and all manners of appealing vessels for lotions and potions and food and, well sometimes just to look at.

I’ve been decanting stuff into pretty bottles ever since I can remember. I have also been known to choose one product over another because one was in a pretty re-usable jar/bottle/vessel. Yes, that’s me!

Somehow my bottle/jar/vessel love took a bit of a back seat while the twins were toddlers. Maybe for obvious reasons, like most of my pretty bottles/jars/vessels are quite fragile. Some more than others, but none of them are exactly toddler proof.

But in the last year or two, it has returned to me and many a plastic containers has once again made way for mason jars, glass bottles and pretty pottery.

Another thing that returned, is my love for “making it myself” all the way. Before I was married and had kids, I would make my soap, lotions, potions, toiletries, etc. myself too. Well, I am going back there!

Not only have I recently switched the family to natural and organic in almost all things food, I am also going organic and homemade on the toiletries and cleaning front again! The benefits, even though it has only been a few months, have been tremendous to me personally already. I can’t wait to see what health benefits we reap in the long term!

 

But I digress! Back to the jars and bottles and things! If you love containers as much as I do and love to reuse them and give them new life in so many different ways, you also know the pain that is the removal of  labels and sticky, won’t-ever-budge adhesive residue!

Be it on glass or plastic, the easier the label comes off, the more impossible it seems to remove the adhesive they use for labels these days!

I seem to remember that you could just soak something and the label would come clean off, or at most you had to give a couple of spots a quick scrub. But not anymore!

These days it seems that there are adhesives that don’t respond to anything much. Especially when you have a clear label. It peels off easy enough, but then your left with the almost invisible sticky residue that won’t respond to heat, soap, scrubbing or anything! And every time you think you got it and your vessel dries, there it is again, sticking to your hand and collecting every particle of dust, fluff or hair in sight! You know the one I mean, right?

 

Yes, that stuff! Ugh!

 

Turns out there is a way to get that stuff off. Easily even!

Which brings me to my recipe of a different kind today! So if you already tried soaking and scrubbing and dish soap and the stuff just won’t come off, try this!

 

 

The natural, and oh-so-effective “Goo-Be-Gone” you can whip up in your kitchen!

 

It only has two ingredients:

Baking Soda

Coconut oil

Yep, oh and you might want a jar, so you can make up a batch and have it handy.

Basically, all you do is to make a paste of some room temperature coconut oil and baking soda. Mix it all up in a jar and keep it handy for when you need it!

 

I can’t even believe how well this stuff works!

To use, you just scoop a little out of your jar, put in on the “goo” you want to remove and scrub it with a damp scouring pad or a magic eraser.

 

Now, back to that impossible-to-remove adhesive!

It takes a couple more steps, but nothing too wild. I did several bottles today and it didn’t take me long at all.

First fill the vessel that has the goo on with hot water. Close the lid, so the hot water stays in.

Spread your coconut oil/baking soda paste on the goo.

 

 

Let it sit there for a couple of minutes.

Then take a scrubbing sponge or scourer and lightly scrub it. I tend to use a Magic eraser on plastic so I don’t make any scratch marks.

Once your done, rinse with a little washing up liquid or pure castile soap (that’s what I use) and voila - you have no more sticky residue!

 

 

If you should have a particularly stubborn adhesive, just get a little more of the coconut goop on and repeat. In 10 something bottles I only encountered one spot that I had to do twice!

As an added bonus your hands smell yummy!

 

Try it sometime! It really works well!

Note: Before you use it on different kind of plastic, acrylics or wood (like removing a kid’s sticker from your wooden floor,) please test in an inconspicuous spot and make sure your scrubber isn’t too abrasive!

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