There are a lot of reasons to make your own cleaning products (from shampoo to fabric softener). Cost is probably one of biggest: homemade laundry detergent for example costs about $0.05 a load vs $0.21 store-bought. Over the course of a lifetime those cents add up! Making your own soaps and cleaners also means you are not buying and throwing away plastic container after plastic container, and you know exactly what is going on your skin, hair, counters and clothes.

Despite knowing all this, many of us (myself included) haven't taken the plunge and tried making these products. The bottom line is that change is difficult, and throwing something in a shopping cart is much easier than home-brewing! However, given all the advantages, let's take baby steps together to try these out. Many of the same basic ingredients are needed in the recipes below, so after the initial start-up costs, you'll be set for quite a while. Start off with one, and see how it goes. Setting an hour aside over the weekend to make it happen may mean never going down the laundry/soap/cleaner aisle in the grocery store again!

Shampoo and Conditioner - These will probably be the biggest change, so it may be better to try another first. Natural shampoos won't create the bubbly lather we're used to, but using natural ingredients to create a signature scent does sound fun! There are also many different recipes for dry shampoo, like this one from Crunchy Betty.

Lip Balm - Chapped lips can be seriously annoying, but you can avoid the drying and cracking by making your own homemade lip balms infused with sesame oil, shea butter and cocoa butter. Crafts.lovetoknow.com has a wide range of recipes, from basic to flavored and healing. You can also check out not martha’s lip balm adventure.

Laundry Detergent  and Fabric Softener

Cleaners for the kitchen/bath and Dishwasher Detergent

If you want to use handmade soaps, balms and cleaners, but don't necessarily want to make them yourself, browse all the hard-working artisans here on ArtFire. Have a tip or story to share about handmade products? Share in the comments below!