Homemade Wipes

I am just so excited about these homemade wipes! I never thought I'd say that about wipes, but I can honestly say I'll never buy them from the store again. These are made with ingredients I already had and I incorporated Young Living's lavender and tea tree oils. They are gentle, moisturizing, actually clean the skin, DURABLE, and I don't have to worry about them harming my babes when we go through a ton a day. 

I did a little math and realized this recipe came to cost about 2 cents per wipe, or $2.31 per batch of 100 wipes. I compared this to Honest Co.'s natural wipes, which cost 7 cents per wipe, or $4.95 per pack! And this recipe is so quick and easy, I have been able to whip up a batch in a matter of minutes when we've run out.

Here is the recipe I used:

1 roll of paper towels—I used Viva for its durability
1 3/4 C distilled water, or boiled and cooled but still warm
1 Tb coconut oil
1 Tb witch hazel
1 Tb Dr. Bronner's unscented castile soap
2 capsules of vitamin E, or 10 drops from a liquid dropper
Lavender and Tea Tree essential oil, 3 drops each
A container to store the wipes in—I've re-used formula containers and cut a slit in the top for easy dispersion, a cylindrical glass jar, or a deep storage container with an easy pop top.

Cut the paper towel roll in half using a sharp serrated knife, or if you don't want to use your kitchen knives, a chop saw works great! Place cut side down into your container and set aside. In a bowl or Pyrex measuring cup, whisk together water, coconut oil, witch hazel and soap until all is dissolved and no chunks of coconut oil remain. Then add your essential oils. Gently pour mixture over the paper towel roll, covering sides and center, and pull out cardboard roll. Cover and let container sit on all sides until the liquid has been evenly dispersed. Pull wipes out from the center of the roll and you're done!

If you would like to try Young Living's oils, I recommend getting the Premium Starter Kit, which contains these oils along with nine others I've come to love!

 

In my last batch of wipes, I modified the recipe by adding 3 drops of eucalyptus to double as Boogie Wipes! I used Young Living's Eucalyptus Radiata because it is gentle and safe to use on children, and is refreshing for sinus congestion. We've gone through a ton during this season of allergies and teething!

 

This recipe can also be found on my friend's blog. Visit Vanilla & Lace to see more!

Essential Oils

I'm not one to impulsively purchase anything big. Often when I shop, it takes hours because not only am I indecisive, but I go over the practicality of the item, evaluate if I really love it or just like it, put it in my cart, stop, hold it for a while, put it back, leave the store, think about it for a while, then return for it if I decide I can't live without it. 

For months I've thought about getting on the essential oils train, but had decided against it because I've actually been really skeptical about them in general. I feel like a lot of what you hear is how they miraculously heal ailments and treat issues that come up in the day to day, but honestly have felt like maybe a lot of these oils could have been placebos. I'm all about doing things naturally (ex: birthing a child) but am definitely not against ruling out drugs when someone truly needs them (ex: birthing a child). After discovering a couple of oils that I actually prefer over common products, I finally decided to give the Premium Starter Kit from Young Living a try and learn more about them. 

I'm trying to incorporate more and more natural products into my home, for health, cleaning, beauty, etc. and as I'm just getting started, I'm wondering if there are any oils any of you really swear by? I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Try the Essential Oil Starter Kit with me.