If the commercials are to be believed, there is some variety of soap available for every cleaning task. Want to wash the windows or mirrors? You need glass cleaner. (That's window soap.) For dishes, dish soap — one kind for washing by hand, another if washing by machine. Countertops require disinfectant aka “kill-the-germs” soap. One soap for washing clothes, another for cleaning the oven (oven soap?!) And when it comes to personal care items, there are three different soaps simply for basic body washing: shampoo (hair soap), body wash (body soap), and facial cleanser (face soap). And what about the non-soaps? The deodorants, scrubs, moisturizers, lotions? What do these products all have in common, huddling in the dark recesses under the sink, or crowded, mosh-pit style, in the corners of the shower stall? Plastic.
Most of the cleaning and body care products on the market are packaged in single-use plastic containers. In an effort to avoid this unnecessary waste, many eco-conscious consumers opt to make their own cleaning and body care supplies at home and store them in reusable containers. Making cleaning products at home is not a new concept. Many people report that the smell of vinegar triggers a scent memory of their grandmother’s kitchen, probably because our older generations didn’t have special cleaners for different cleaning tasks. Ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, ammonia, bleach, lemon juice, and dish detergent served as our grandmothers’ main supplies, but that doesn't mean they are all safe to combine.
Like tomatoes in a fruit salad, some things should never be mixed. Bleach, when mixed with ammonia, produces toxic gasses called chloramines. Mixing bleach with acids like vinegar or lemon juice is literally the recipe to create chlorine gas. With these products in the home and around family and pets, safety is key. Never mix ingredients without doing a little research first. Think of bleach like that crazy uncle at a wedding reception — it’s best if no one gets too close, and please, don’t give them anything, but water.
Commercial skin and body care products are expensive and filled with mystery ingredients, which is why educated and motivated consumers are seeking greener, purer, and more cost effective alternatives. Beauty sites, social media, and Pinterest abound with recipes for at-home facial scrubs, deep-conditioning hair masks, “non-toxic” deodorants, and homemade body butters. Regardless of whether these concoctions achieve their intended results, playing around with at-home skin and body care products can leave you with a lot more than greasy hair and less-than-fresh pits. For example, baking soda (a great deodorizer and often one of the main ingredients in homemade deodorant) can cause irritation to sensitive skin, and even toothpaste (sometimes used as a makeshift acne remedy) can cause chemical burns.
Creating homemade masks and scrubs from kitchen ingredients sounds harmless and even kind of wholesome, right? Maybe. The ingredients in these scrubs are often simply an abrasive substance suspended in an oil or wax. Popular choices include ground walnut shells, different varieties of sugar (white, brown, raw, unrefined), and coffee, all of which can be too harsh for skin. Exfoliants like these create microscopic cuts in the skin which can allow in bacteria. “Rubbing your skin raw—using scrubs that aren’t designed for the face—will only result in disaster: scabs, scars, infection and discoloration,” says aesthetician Breanna Thomas on Dermstore. “Using lemon juice to lighten skin or an egg-white mask for firming may seem harmless, but besides the risk of salmonella in raw eggs, lemon juice destroys the natural protective barrier of your skin and increases its photosensitivity” says Arsenault Dermatology.
“The problem is when people try to make their own masks or products without fully understanding how they work together. This can result in a big mess with no major changes to your skin,” Gracie Tolentino from Dermstore .com
The savvy consumer knows to check their resources. Before whipping up a body scrub or a DIY bathtub cleaner, check reputable sources like Arm & Hammer, Bon Appetit, and The CDC for advice. Measure ingredients accurately and always label containers clearly for safety. If altering the recipe in any way (for example, halving or doubling the recipe), make sure you understand and double check the ratios, or you may end up with 2nd-degree burns in your armpit, which no one wants.
The bottom line: creating products at home can certainly help eliminate plastic waste and cost less than store-bought options, but research potential hazards before going down the homemade road.