How to Make Silk Scrunchies

Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials

• Fabric/scraps
  • No less than 3″ wide or it’s too small to turn inside out
• Elastic
• Thread
• Tissue paper*

*Some machines will destroy delicate silk fabric. To hem my dress I used strips of 2″ tissue paper between the feed dog and fabric so the teeth wouldn’t pull the fabric.

Equipment: Sewing machine, scissors, safety pin

Directions

1. Cut the fabric to 3.5″x24″.
   • Because I used the bottom of a dress, after it was cut I undid the rolled hem to give me an extra 0.5″. I was able to get four scrunchies out of the entire length of the hem.
2. Fold the strip of fabric long way right sides together and pin in place. Mark 1.5″ from the top and the bottom. Do not sew the top 1.5″ or bottom 1.5″ together.
3. Sew into a tube. Make the seam allowance as close to the edge as possible. About 0.25″.

4. Turn the fabric tube right side out.
   • You can use a chopstick or something similar to help you.
5. Fold the tube in half and sew the ends right sides together.
   • You should have a donut shaped tube of fabric at this point.

6. Measuring around your wrist, cut a piece of elastic to your desired length and add 4″. I cut mine about 8″. Attach a safety pin to one end and feed into the scrunchie. Once through to the other side, tie a knot and trim.

7. Sew the opening of the scrunchie closed by folding the hem in and pinning. Sew closed and make sure not to catch the elastic.

And that’s it! This would make a great gift too and certainly is a sustainable solution for hair ties. You can also read my low waste hair accessories post for more ideas! Let me know if you make this for yourself. I’d love to know how it turned out.

Happy crafting-

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Foraging Violets

I’ve joked that the “next level” after caring for indoor plants and gardening is foraging. Although I grew up foraging wild raspberries and blackberries near my childhood home, foraging while living in the city seems more daunting somehow. Yet the violets this year could not be missed. They dotted lawns and grew between brick pavers. I pointed them out with a little gasp on our evening walks around the neighborhood. The crop called to me and on a sunny day, I started to pick them.

I picked the ones that popped up among my emerging hostas. It was really no more than a small handful. I was eager anyhow and thought I could make a syrup with a mere dozen. I removed the petals from the stem and soaked them, not too hopeful. But an hour later, after a jaunt to the post office, I collected more from a strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. It wasn’t in someone’s yard, at least. With more than a small handful, I set out to soak the rest.

How to Make Wild Violet Syrup

This recipe yields a 1/4 cup of syrup, enough for a glass of lemonade or a couple martinis. This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled (or more!) if you manage to forage more violets then me!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of violet petals
• 1/2 cup of water
  • 1/4 cup for soaking
  • 1/4 cup for the syrup
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar

Directions

1. Pinch the violet stem off of the petals and place the petals in a ceramic or glass bowl.
2. Bring water to a boil and pour the water over the petals, just enough to cover. Let them soak overnight or a full day.
3. Place the soaked violets in a pan with the remaining water and sugar. Heat on low to medium until the sugar is fully dissolved, swirling occasionally. Once dissolved, warm for another 5 minutes.
4. Strain into a container with a fine mess strainer. Let cool and then transfer into your vessel of choice.

Violet Vale Gin Martini

My writing friends and I have discovered or rediscovered our love for Anne of Green Gables, the beloved character and book series by L.M. Montgomery. I’m not sure Marilla would approve of using violets to make a drink! Don’t be like Anne and Diana with currant wine, please drink responsibly.

With the scant amount of syrup I was able to make, I thought of a fun cocktail! I was recently introduced to Revivalist gin and love their botanical liquor. The packaging of their original bottle has a hose knob as the cork (the attention to detail and design!). I used their summertide version which adds a citrusy kick to the earthy, sweet, and slightly heady wild violet syrup.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz botanical gin
• 0.5 oz – 1 oz homemade violet syrup, depending on your preferred level of sweetness
• Splash of lemon juice
• Optional: violet for garnish

Directions

1. Add the gin, wild violet syrup and a splash of lemon into a glass or cocktail shaker with ice. Mix with a spoon.
2. Strain the drink into a coup glass. Top with a fresh violet. Cheers!

I hope you enjoy this first foray into foraging and seasonal recipes. You can, of course, subscribe below to get new blog posts like these straight to your inbox. I’ve moved my seasonal newsletter to Substack! If you’re looking for writing updates, thought pieces, and explorations on the craft, subscribe to Hayley’s Notions. Sustainable and slow living are huge parts of my life that I hope to continue to share that. Whole foods, gardening and preserving are extensions of the zero waste swaps I first shared on this blog almost 8 years ago. What would you like to see more of?

Happy spring-

Last summer I sewed my best friend a quilt for her bridal shower. For the pattern, I used a Nine Patch block which is commonly featured in Irish chain quilts. I made squares that were 6.5”, and with the leftover blocks, I made these cute quilted eyeglasses cases! I first made a couple for my mom and my partner’s mom before making some for my friends. It’s a perfect little cottagecore spring project! Especially with all of the blush, beige, and green fabric I had left over.

How to Make a Soft Eyeglasses Sleeve

Time: 15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials

• Scrap fabric:
  • (1) block measuring 6.5” square
  • (9) blocks measuring 2.5” square (1 Nine Patch block measuring 6.5”)
• Scrap quilt batting; 6” square
• Matching thread

Equipment

• Sewing machine (or needle if hand sewing)
• Scissors and pins
• Iron (not essential, but would recommend)

Directions

1. Cut the backing fabric 6.5” square.
2. Create a Nine Patch block.
   • Sew (9) 2.5” blocks together 3×3 to make a 6.5” square.
   • OR if you are making multiple blocks, you can do this by strip piecing.

How to strip piece a Nine Patch block:

• Sew 2.5” strips together, alternating your A and B fabric. 
• Sew (1) fabric B strip between (2) fabric A strips. Then sew the opposite. Sew (1) fabric A strip between (2) fabric B strips. 
• From each strip set, cut 2.5” wide sections to create what is essentially (3) 2.5” blocks sewn together.
• Sew these (3) block strip pieces alternating between ABA, BAB, ABA.

3. With right sides facing each other, sew the Nine Patch block and backing fabric together on three sides with a .25” seam allowance. At the top, sew only 3”, leaving a 3” gap. Trim the corners.

4. Turn the square inside out. Iron to flatten. 
5. Through the gap you left at the top, stuff the batting between the blocks.

6. Take the open edge and fold the seam in, pinning it in place. You can use the iron to help the seam fold crisply.
7. Sew across the entire length of the top of the block. The block should now measure 6” square.

8. Quilt the block by sewing 3 rows and 3 columns through the center of every 2” block.
9. Fold the quilted block in half and sew along the side and bottom. Make sure to decrease the tension if you are using a sewing machine. Leave the top open to create the sleeve of your glasses case.

I hope you enjoyed this free sewing pattern! They fit most standard glasses and really hold up to wear and tear. I’ve been using mine for a year now and they have only grown softer with use. Because of the material, they can easily be washed in a delicates bag with your regular laundry. Can’t wait to see what you make!

Happy Crafting-

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One of the hardest part of this tutorial is sewing the zipper. But this is a good introduction to sewing one since you aren’t sewing it into anything just making an edge around it.

This project was inspired by this tutorial by See Kate Sew.

This post contains affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase via one of the links, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only link to products that I know and love. Thank you for supporting my blog!

How to make a book clutch with an old book

Time: 1-2 hours (with drying time)

Difficulty: Medium

Materials

For one book clutch

• Thrifted hardcover book with a spine of about 1 inch or greater
• 1/4 yard or a fat quarter of fabric (similar yellow bundle* or similar green*) to match the book
• Heat n Bond sheet*
  • You want enough to cover the outside and inside of the book. For one book you probably only need 1/4 of a yard but it’s only $3 for an entire yard.
• E6000 industrial glue*
• 20 inch metal zipper*
• Old paintbrush (optional)
  • Will have to be discarded after use because the glue won’t wash out.
• Scrap ribbon (optional)

I bought 1/4 yard of 3 different fabrics that matched the books I wanted to upcycle into clutches. Or dive into your cabbage of fabric and see what you have. You may recognize the yellow flower fabric from my DIY Beeswax Wraps!

Equipment

• X-acto knife
• Iron
• Sewing machine and thread
• Scissors
• Binder clips
• Tape ribbon*

Directions

1. Start by gutting the book with an X-acto knife.

Before you yell at me for cutting up a Pride and Prejudice book, just know that the dust jacket was a movie cover *gasp*.

2. Cut out two rectangles of fabric about 1.5″ larger on 3 sides than the dimensions of the book. I cut mine at 7″ x 9″ for this standard hardcover.
3. Iron on a strip of heat and bond on the edge of the fabric. Draw a straight line with a ruler and cut to make a clean edge and to keep the fabric from fraying. Peel the paper off and stick to the cover of the book 3/4 inch from the spine to give it that “book look.” You can use an entire Heat n Bond sheet to stick your fabric onto the front.
4. Using some E6000 glue, paste the fabric onto the cover and wrap the edges of the fabric around the cover.

E6000 is a strong, toxic (very toxic!) glue. Use it outside or in a well ventilated area. Make sure no pets or small kids are around. Where a mask or bandana around your mouth and nose while gluing. If you need a simple mask tutorial, check out mine here.

5. Make sure the fabric is tightly wrapped and pasted to the inside. Make a clean corner by folding some of the edge over into a 45 degree angle. Let the glue dry while you start the next step: the zipper.

Sew the Zipper

1. Cut 4 pieces of fabric. Cut (2) 3″ x 2″ for the top of the zipper and then cut (2) 24″ x 2″ strips.

2. Start by pinning your small rectangle to the top edge of you zipper. I put 2 pins to indicate the middle where I should sew.

3. Measure the circumference around the open 3 edges of your book. Mine was a little less than 20″, around 18.5″.
4. Pin the second small rectangle of fabric and mark and sew across.

5. Place the long strip of fabric along one edge of your zipper with the right side facing the right side (front) of the zipper. Sew very carefully next to the zipper. (With a zipper foot if you have one. I couldn’t find mine for months! But never fear, I have located it now.)
6. Repeat on the side. Now you should have a rectangle of fabric around your zipper with about 1.5″ of space around.

Glue the Zipper and Finishing Touches

1. This next part is the MOST fiddly part and you just have to go a little slow. Unzip the zipper and starting from the top edge of the book, glue with E6000 the zipper fabric to the inside. Using binder clips help keep it in place! I glued the top edge first and let that dry before moving on to the other 2 sides.

This is why you need the industrial strength glue here. E6000 will hold up to the zippering and un-zippering once it’s finished.

2. Continue to glue the fabric all the way around the book making sure the zipper is lined up with itself.

3. Cut a little rectangle of fabric the lay on the inside on your book against the inside of the spine. Glue it in.
4. Cut 2 Heat n Bond rectangle for inside flaps about 6″ x 8″ inches (this is exactly an inch less than the dimensions of the book itself).

Here you can see I did this with all 3 book purses I made. The last one was still drying as you can see with the binder clips on the zipper.

5. The last step is to iron or stick the Heat n Bond into the inside of the book. You can trim so of the excess fabric if you need but don’t do it too much. For the Pride and Prejudice book I used a bit of scrap muslin I had while I used the same fabric for the outside and inside of the Alice in Wonderland book.

5. Optional: you can add a bit of ribbon through the zipper to have a cute little pull tab on the zipper.

I mean! These are just the best things ever. Not to brag too much but I just adore them. They have so many used too! I use one to store extra cords and things on my book cart, another for pens and other bullet journal stuff, and well I use my Pride and Prejudice one as a purse and show that baby off. Oh and it also make a great little case for my kindle! A book inside a book, what genius. What would you use one for?

Happy Making-

*Affiliate Link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure page for more info.

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In my first tutorial, I made five wraps and have since lost one… It’s probably floating around my kitchen somewhere. Of the four remaining wraps, I composted one that had some stains. Here is how my beeswax wraps look after a year:

They didn’t even fray! It proves that you don’t need any fancy equipment or ingredients to make them: simply beeswax and fabric.

This post contains affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase via one of the links, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only link to products that I know and love. Thank you for supporting my blog!

How to Revive Beeswax Wraps

Time: 15-20 minutes

It took me about 15 minutes to revive 3 and make 2 new ones.

Difficulty: Easy

Materials

• Old beeswax wraps, and scrap cotton or linen fabric for new wraps
• Beeswax pellets*
• Pinking shears or scissors
• Parchment paper (optional but highly recommended)

Parchment paper is compostable in at home or commercial composting. This* is the parchment paper I used and it says it’s compostable right on the box! Wax also decomposes. Although wax does take longer to rot than paper.

I suggest using parchment paper to save you on clean up time! It’s easy to just compost the paper after you are finished. I used the same paper for all 5 wraps that I made. If you don’t use parchment paper, just use a standard baking sheet and scrap excess beeswax with a bamboo scraper before washing.

I recently invested in pinking shears which are made for trimming fabric so it doesn’t fray. They can be expensive though… Especially high-quality ones that will actually cut fabric. If you are going to buy them, make the investment. Thank goodness for JoAnn coupons, amiright?

Directions

1. Throughly wash your beeswax wraps and let dry.

Unlike when I usually wash them after use, I washed them using HOT water to get rid of any lingering bacteria or debris. It’s okay if some beeswax gets displaced because we will be fixing that soon.

2. Preheat oven to 180F and trim fabric if needed.

You can see that the edges of my wraps held up fine but I used the pinking shears to trim the existing wraps and cute two new ones–one circle and one square.

When using 100% cotton, linen, rayon or any natural blend of fabric, you can compost the trimmings.

Here I am tracing my favorite bowl so that I can make a new beeswax wrap to fix over it. After tracing, I used a ruler to mark 2″ from the circle and draw a bigger one. The circle wrap is approximately 10″ in diameter.

I also made another square one since I can’t seem to locate my original square one…

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay a wrap on the parchment paper and sprinkle with beeswax pellets.

4. Put the tray in the oven for about 2-3 minutes.

After about a couple minutes, I give it a peek and see if there are any spots that are less “dark” aka not covered in wax. I sprinkle a bit more beeswax on the fabric and let them melt for another couple minutes.

PRO TIP: If you are reviving wraps and then making some new ones (like I did), revive the old ones first. Then there will be extra beeswax on your parchment paper that you can just lay down the fabric to absorb all the extra. Like I did here:

5. Remove from oven and with your fingertips carefully grab a corner and let harden.

Since the oven is not that hot, I’ve never had any trouble grabbing the corner of the fabric and peal it off the parchment paper. Last time, I hung them up to dry with a little clothespin set up, but this time I just held them until they were cool enough. About 3 minutes. Do not leave on the parchment paper or it will stick!

How do you know it’s time to compost your beeswax wraps?

There can be many signs it’s time to say goodbye. An obvious one, is excessive damage, stains, or tears. Don’t feel guilty if you have to toss them! You avoided so much single-use plastic or plastic cling wrap by using these instead. Plus, they are so inexpensive to make that you can easily make a few more

If you used 100% cotton or linen fabric, your beeswax wraps are compostable! Just toss them in your at-home compost bin or commercial composting. You could also use them as a fire starter!

Another sign that “it’s time,” is if the beeswax wrap loses its stickiness or if there are lingering smells/funkiness going on. I once wrapped a bagel and lox in a beeswax wrap and the smell of salmon never left… It was more than time for it to be composted.

I hope you enjoy this little tutorial! In my first post about beeswax wraps, I explained how you could revive them so it’s to be able to prove it These are one of my favorite zero waste alternatives! What zero waste swaps have you made in the kitchen?

Happy Making-

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If you are looking for a low waste decoration tutorial, this is for you! This project is perfect if you have some scrap fabric lying around that you can cut into triangles and attach to a cord, string, or ribbon.

Tea Staining Natural Fibers

Before I cut my scrap linen into triangles, I decided to soak my fabric in tea to give it a vintage color, the slightly faded-with-time look. It gives it an antique, soft vibe that works for my *aesthetic.*

How to dye your linen bunting

First, brew some tea and soak the linen for about 15 minutes. Then I rinse with cold water and let air dry.

I had scrap of 100% linen from a previous project and dying it with tea colored it beautifully and subtly. This only works on natural fibers like linen, cotton, rayon or wool. It’s not a severe dye but I thought it gave the beige fabric a bit more personality and flair.

How to Sew Linen Bunting

Time: 10-15 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Materials & Equipment

• Linen fabric (optional: tea-stained and dried) measuring approx. 6″x 36″ (a yard)
• Ribbon, cord, or string
• Fabric scissors
• Sewing machine, or needle for hand sewing, with matching thread

Directions

As a note, I choose not to hem or otherwise keep the edges of my fabric from fraying. While that requires an extra step, I think it gives the bunting a more cottage core, country chic look without a hem. If that’s not your style, feel free to cut your triangles an extra 1/4″ wide and fold over and sew to create a hem.

1. Using my bunting template below (or creating your own with cardboard), cut your fabric into 8 triangles.

2. Unspool some of your cord and start placing the triangles along the length. I started 6″ from the end and left 3″ between each triangle. Fold over the top edge of the triangle and pin it to the cord.

3. Sew down the side, turn and sew across, then turn and sew up the side. Make sure to catch the cord on both ends.

And there you have it! These definitely do not have to be perfect. While you can quickly whip them up with the sewing machine, this is a tutorial that you could also do by hand with an easy running stitch.

Happy Making-

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But it was totally worth it because I’ve got a relatively easy recipe that just rocks! Learn how to make this yourself and how to infuse oil with natural botanicals.

If you didn’t already know, traditional antiperspirant is full of chemicals and blocks your pores. This recipe is for deodorant, not antiperspirant. So you will still sweat! Although, after detoxing and switching to natural deodorant three years ago, I sweat significantly less because my body is not overworking trying to rid itself of the pore blocking aluminum. When I know I’m going to be sweating significantly more (like during a workout or on a hot summer day), I wear a tank top or cooling, breathable natural fibers like linen. Easy, breezy, and smelling fresh.

This post contains affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase via one of the links, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for reading and supporting my blog!

How to Make Infused Oil

Infused oil adds scent and well as properties that the various herbs or flowers can benefit your skin. You can mix and match the herbs or flowers for your own infused oil. A lavender sage would be lovely too! My shampoo and conditioner from Plaine Products are scented with lavender so I love incorporating lavender and citrus into my eco-beauty recipes.

The ratio of this 1:2 plant matter to carrier oil.

• 1 Tbsp rosemary (dried or fresh)
• 3 Tbsp lavender (dried or fresh)
• 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of sunflower oil

Mix in a jar. Seal and let sit by a warm spot or on a sunny window sill for 2-6 weeks. I stored mine next to my kombucha.

How to make lavender rosemary-infused solid deodorant

Ingredients

Yields about 6-8 fl oz

• 1/2 cup of infused oil (or 1/4 cup of coconut oil and 1/4 cup liquid oil like sunflower oil, olive oil, or almond oil)
• 1/4 cup of beeswax pellets or grated beeswax
• 2 Tbsp shea butter* or mango butter* (hard oil)
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2-8 Tbsp of baking soda (depending on preference. I usually put around 4 Tbsp, or 1/4 a cup)
• 20 drops of essential oil (optional)

If you are sensitive to baking soda, replace with arrowroot powder. Arrowroot powder is just as effective but not as easy to obtain. I always have baking soda lying around the house!

Directions

1. Strain the infused oil with a fine mesh strainer. I strain the infused oil again with a tea basket strainer. Measure out ingredients.

2. Mix and melt infused oil and beeswax. Either in a double boiler or a water bath. I put about 2 inches of water in a pot and simmer. Then I put a metal bowl in the water bath.
3. Once melted remove from heat and stir in shea butter. Stirring constantly until the shea butter has melted.
4. Add the powders, stirring constantly until combined and the mixture has started to thicken.

5. Pour into an empty deodorant container and/or a mold. Let set for a couple of hours before using.

This recipe makes enough to last me an entire year! No joke. I pour the extra into a silicon soap mold and then when I run out of solid deodorant in my tube, I melt it down again and pour it into the tube. It makes the perfect amount for the size of my container, just under 3 oz– the normal size.

Why I Love this DIY

• Completely natural and easy to obtain ingredients
• Non-toxic and chemical-free
• Inexpensive and takes less than fifteen minutes to make
• Zero waste and effective!
• Ability to control the fragrance and ingredients
• It lasts a long time and is shelf-stable

I think one of the most convenient things about this deodorant is that it travels well. Hopefully, I can see just how well it travels sometime soon. Until then, I’ll be soaking up summer (smelling like lavender and rosemary) and planning another staycation! Have you made your own deodorant before? Let me know how this works for you if you try it!

Happy Making-

*Affiliate Link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure page for more info.

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As a note, mixing vinegar and soap is counterproductive. Vinegar (an acid) causes a process called unsaponification, basically un-soaping soap. Soap is very basic (on the pH scale) so mixing vinegar and Castile soap (for example) causes the lye and oils to unbind. Generally don’t mix vinegar with any acid. (Soap and lemon juice for example.) Use the soap to clean and then vinegar to further rinse. This is especially great if you have hard water and after cleaning with soap and water, a film is left behind.

This post contains affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase via one of the links, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only link to products that I know and love. Thank you for supporting my blog!

10 cleaning products to start making instead of buying

1. Disinfectant Spray

It’s always a good idea to disinfect surfaces but especially now. Rubbing alcohol of at least 70% kill viruses, so using at least 70% for it to have disinfecting power.

• 1 1/2 cups of rubbing alcohol
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• 1/4 cup of water
• peels from 2 lemons
• 3-5 sage leaves
• 25 drops of orange essential oil (optional)

Mix ingredients and if you add botanicals (like sage leaves, lavender, rosemary, etc.), let infuse for one to three weeks before straining and storing in a spray bottle. Good for up to 5 months.

2. Glass and Surface Cleaner

This is my go-to zero waste cleaning recipe that I use to clean almost everything! Just mix and store! I love to use old rags or t-shirts to clean mirrors.

• 1 part vinegar
• 1 part water

Related: 35 Things You Can Clean with Vinegar

3. All-Purpose Cleaner

Again, another super simple recipe for cleaning almost everything. Between this and the vinegar spray, I can clean every surface of my home. Mix and store in a spray bottle for convenient cleaning.

• 1 cup of water
• 1 Tbsp liquid Castile Soap

4. Shower Scrub

I have asthma so any cleaning product with harsh smells or strong perfumes really bother me. Instead of using a Clorox bleach scrub, I make my own paste and scrub my shower and sinks with it.

• 3/4 cup baking soda
• 2-3 Tbsp hydrogen peroxide
• 2 Tbsp liquid Castile soap

Mix and store in an airtight container. To use, take a generous amount with a bristle brush*. I use an old one (too degraded for kitchen use) as well as use an old toothbrush to scrub tight corners, etc.

5. Wool Dryer Balls

Another cleaning product I don’t go without is my wool dryer laundry balls. They help reduce static and soften wrinkles.

1. Wrap the end of the thread around two fingers a couple of times before wrapping the yarn around the middle. This will start the ball.
2. Continue wrapping the yarn around itself, until the entire skein has been used.
3. With a crochet needle (or similar instrument such as a crochet hook, knitting needle, fork, chopstick, etc.), thread the end of the yarn through the ball of yarn.
4. Place the balls of yarn into a stocking foot and tieing with a bit of acrylic yarn to separate.
5. Wash the stocking containing the wool balls in the washing machine or sink on the hottest possible setting.
6. After they dry, store them in near your dryer to easily throw them in with any load!

Use about 3 for a normal sized load and up to 6 for a large load. You can also add a couple of drops of essential oil to the balls to give your laundry a natural scent boost.

5. Bleach Alternative

This is a super toxic cleaner to have in your house. I only used to use it before to get my whites white. Now I use this instead!

• 3 1/2 cups of water
• 1/3 cup of hydrogen peroxide
• 1/3 cup of baking soda
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (optional)
• 5-10 drops of lemon essential oil

Mix and store. Use 1/3 cup per load. This recipe actually works best if you continue to wash on a cold cycle. I only wash my clothes with cold water because it saves on electricity and is just as effective.

6. Laundry Soap

Most laundry soap (or detergent) comes in plastic, plastic, plastic. Skip the packaging and mix these ingredients together instead.

• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda
• grated bar of soap
• 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (I use lemon and lavender!)

Mix and store in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons for a normal load and 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) for a large load.

7. Fabric/Ironing Spray

As a sewist, I always need some liquid nearby to help steam iron my clothes/fabric. This Febreeze spray alternative is safe and chemical-free.

• 1 part vodka or witch hazel
• 1 part water
• 1/4 tsp essential oil (optional but recommended if using vodka)

Spray on fabric or upholstered furniture. Do not soak and let evaporate. I love to spray pillows!

8. Reusable Dust Wipes

This is my favorite new zero-waste cleaning recipe! It’s super effective and with the oil in it gives shine to wood surfaces. Dust and grime cling to the moist fabric.

• 1 cup of water
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp vinegar
• 10 drops of lemon essential oil

Use old cut-up t-shirts (cut approximately 6″x8″), roll up, and submerge in mixture. Wring out excess moisture before using. Simply wipe down dust coated surfaces

9. Produce Wash

Fruit and vegetables come coated in residual pesticides and wax. Soak or scrub produce with this simple mixture. Using soap to wash produce is not advisable since some fruit/vegetables are porous and will retain the soap.

• 1 cup of vinegar
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• 1 cup of water
• 2 tsp baking soda (optional)

10. Dish Washer Detergent

If you have a dishwasher, make this detergent instead of buying soap that usually comes bottled in plastic.

• 1 cup of washing soda
• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1 cup of citric acid*
• 1/2 cup salt

Mix and store in an air tight container. Make sure it isn’t exposed to moisture! Scoop 1 Tbsp per load.

Along with a dishwashing block* and plant-based cloth*, these are all the things I use to for a toxic-free clean home! Cleaning is important but it can be safe and too. No need to run to the store when you can whip up your own product right at home. Do you use any of these recipes?

Happy Cleaning-

*Affiliate Link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure page for more info.

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Almost all of these recipes also have in-depth blog posts so you can learn about the ingredients and the process a bit more if you are keen. But rest assured that they are chemical-free and completely natural. These are the recipes I use the most and find myself referencing often! I’ve rounded up all the recipes into one blog post for convenience, yours and mine

This post contains affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase via one of the links, I will receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you. I only link to products that I know and love. Thank you for supporting my blog!

10 beauty products to start making instead of buying

1. Brightening Toner

After cleansing at night, I apply about 1/2 tablespoon of toner with a reusable cotton round. The acid helps further clarify the skin of bacteria and debris so face oils can do their job. In the morning, I apply pure witch hazel as a toner. Using lemon juice or apple cider vinegar balances the pH of the skin that might have been lost after washing (especially if you use bar soap like me which is very basic on the pH scale).

• 1/4 cup acid: either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup of witch hazel or more water
• 10 drops of tea tree essential oil (optional)

2. Face Oil/Serum

I’ve been oiling my face for 2 years now! It’s the best and leaves my skin hydrated and soft. It might seem counterintuitive but actually oil dissolves oil so the vitamin-rich oil combinations will dissolve and replace the oil on your face.

I have oily/acne-prone skin so I use the last combination. Jojoba oil and sunflower oil are both non-comedogenic, meaning they won’t clog pores. I often use pure sunflower oil as a moisturizer on my face but have experimented with combining oils to get the benefits that different oils offer.

For dry skin:

• 1:1 liquid coconut oil and olive oil

For normal skin:

• 1:1 olive oil and sunflower oil

For oily/acne prone skin:

• 1:1 sunflower oil and jojoba oil or almond oil.

3. Hair Powder/Dry Shampoo

I love adding powder to my hair! I often feel like a 17th-century lady. The powder absorbs oil and can add volume. I apply it to my roots with an old makeup brush. I often keep the powder white (read: feeling like a 17th-century lady) since it will match your hair color if you are careful about only adding enough for the oil to absorb.

1:1 baking soda and cornstarch

• 2 Tbsp baking soda
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• Cocoa powder, cinnamon, and/or turmeric to add color

4. Deodorant

• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) cornstarch
• 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp) baking soda
• 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) coconut oil*
• 25 drops essential oil (optional)I used about 10 drops of tea tree and 15 drops of lavender*

Soften the coconut oil and then mix in the powders and essential oil. Let cool before whipping with a fork.

5. Body Butter

• 1/3 cup coconut oil*
• 1/3 cup shea butter*
• 1/4 cup sunflower oil
• Essentials oils (optional)
  • I used this* lemon essential oil and this* lavender essential oil

Soften the coconut oil and shea butter. Add the sunflower oil and essential oil and stir. Let cool and then whip with a mixer or whisk.

6. Lip Balm

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil*
• 1 Tbsp beeswax pellets*
• 1 Tbsp almond oil or sunflower oil
• 3-4 drops essential oil or extract

Melt oil and beeswax. Add essential oil and stir. Pour into a container and let cool.

7. Sea Salt and Lavender Bath Soak

• 1 cup of fine sea salt
• 3-4 tablespoons of dried lavender

Add a couple tablespoons to a bath for a luxurious soak that helps heal the skin.

8. Reusable Cotton Rounds

• Cotton fabric (doubled) and cut into 2.5″ circles

To make, simply sew a zig-zag stitch around the edge of the circles. These are my reusable cotton rounds after three years of use!

9. Toothpaste

• 1 cup of coconut oil*
• 2/3 cup of baking soda
• 1-2 tablespoons of peppermint extract (depending on your taste preference)
• 2 pinches of sea salt

Melt the coconut oil and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Let cool before whipping with a fork to add a creamy texture.

10. Hair Gel

This is by far my most popular and my absolute favorite thing to make! It’s incredibly simple and so effective.

• 2 Tbsp flaxseeds (purchased in bulk)
• 1 cup of water
• 2-4 drops of essential oil (optional)
  • I used this* lavender essential oil

1. Bring water to a boil. Add flaxseeds and stir constantly.
2. After 3-5 minutes, strain the gel from the flaxseeds into a bowl with a fine-mesh strainer.
3. Strain again into your container with a tea infuser. (Strain quickly so it’s still liquidy and goes through the fine mesh. See some of my tips in my post.)
4. Add essential oil and stir.

And that’s it! Make sure you’ll here in two weeks when I’ll share 10 cleaning products you should start making instead of buying! Making your own products is a less daunting then it seems and I hope these ten simples recipes showed you just that! What products do you love to make at home?

Happy Making-

*Affiliate Link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my disclosure page for more info.

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What makes this zero waste?

• The pattern uses every part of the fabric and there is no waste from extra scrap.
• My fabric was purchased second hand! The fabric I used is a durable cotton canvas, which while being heavy-duty, is made of completely natural materials.
• The zipper was something I had in my stash. It great to use things you already have! You could also remove a zipper from an old garment.

How to make a zipper pouch

Time: 15 minutes!

Difficulty: easy

Materials

• 100% cotton/linen fabric
  • You can use scrap from sheets or old clothing.
• Thread
• Zipper
  • I used a 9″ invisible seam zipper. Although, a nice industrial looking one would actually look nicer! This is just what I had on hand.

Note: I used a serger and a sewing machine for this project. But you could easily make this without either! Sewing a hem by hand and then stitching it together by hand. Although, it will take you longer than 15 minutes

Directions

I made two pouches. One for a makeup travel bag and the other for a first aid kit. (The red zipper gave me the idea!) I first made a little mock-up on the project with some old scrap, making sure I had the dimensions I liked.

1. Iron your fabric if needed and cut to size. I cut a rectangle 9.5″ x 16.5″ and then cut out 1.75″ x 3″ in the middle of either side of the rectangle.

2. Serge (or hem) the entire piece of fabric so it does not fray. You could also zig zag stitch the edge or use pinking shears for a non-fray edge.

My neighbor gifted me this mini serger! (Thank you Kris!) I mean, look how cute it is. It worked so great for the project and I was dying for an excuse to try it out.

3. Fold the fabric in half and, with the right sides facing each other, sew the two sides with a quarter inch seam allowance.

4. Sew the bottom corner to make a square bottom for the pouch. Open the sides and align with the bottom. Sew with a quarter inch allowance.

Sew an optional pull tab

For my makeup bag, I used the scrap from cutting the bottom to make a little tab. This makes the pattern truly zero waste!

1. Sew the little rectangles together, right sides facing each other down the long sides, making a tube. Turn right side out.

2. Fold in half and sandwich between the sides of the folded fabric. Place the tab 1.25″ from the top of the bag. Pin in place.

3. Sew the side seams as normal with a quarter inch seam allowance.

Sew the zipper

Now comes the trickiest part of the pattern.

1. Pin the zipper along the top edge of the pouch with it facing down. Sew as close as you can to the zipper itself. Sew one side at a time.

I found my zipper foot (face palm) after doing both the zippers of course. This step is miles easier with a zipper foot, or if you’re sewing by hand.

2. Then you are going to sew the top edge again to create a professional edge. I did this by sewing the bottom edge of the zipper down from the inside of the pouch. Like so:

Sewing a top stitch across gives the top of the bag a beautiful edge.

Making a first aid cross

Now this is also optional! But I wanted to give a little flair to my plain bag so I made a little cardboard cross (1.5″ x 4″) and used it as a stamp. Make sure to have a piece of cardboard inside the bag so the paint doesn’t bleed through to the other side. I had to do this a couple of times so it would be (mostly) filled. I like the messy, vintage look of it so I didn’t mind that it was a bit of a mess. I did fill some of the gapping with a paintbrush, just to touch it up.

RELATED: DIY PERSONAL FACE MASK

I store my cloth face in here and I put this little to-go first aid kit in my car. It’s the perfect travel size. Having it in my car is great so if I ever go for a hike (or something like that), I can take it with me!

And there you have it! This is a really simple project you can do in under 15 minutes! Especially if you have a serger or you use a non-fraying fabric.

Something else I love about these bags is that they stand up on their own. The rectangular bottom makes the storage insane too. I’m hoping to make another (more complicated) pouch for toiletries too with a lining and all. But this tutorial is very simple fits all my DIY crafts: budget-friendly and quick!

Happy Making-

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