Vinegar & Oil: 5 Household Items for Natural Beauty and Cleaning

September 13, 2013

As a follow up to my recent article about 5 Household items for natural beauty and cleaning, here are 5 more amazing products that have multiple uses and benefits for beauty and around the house. As a bonus, they are not expensive and you may even have them in your house already.

White Vinegar

• There are literally hundreds of uses for vinegar – it’s a must-have item. You clean most of your house with vinegar and you can kill weeds naturally and effectively. I have used this on my pathways and around my patio and pool for years.
• As a household cleaner, vinegar in a spray bottle effectively cleans mirrors, counters and appliances.
• Add a few drops of lavender or lemon essential oil and use as a multi purpose, great smelling household cleaner.
• Vinegar mixed with baking soda can unclog and freshen sink drains.You can pour baking soda first then pour vinegar over it, followed 5 minutes later by a hot water flush. Try boiled vinegar to increase the speed of slow drains.
• Full strength vinegar can be used where mold starts to build up, usually in bathrooms, without worrying about breathing in fumes.
• Vinegar shines brass, bronze, copper and even silverware when made into a paste with baking soda.
• A little trick to get rid of musty odors – soak a piece of white bread in vinegar and place in the musty spot overnight (think-cooler, lunchbox or even a car trunk or camper.)
• Clean your wiper blades with vinegar when they get dirty.
• Here’s another great use: put a bowl of 1/4 part vinegar and water in the microwave, heat it for a few minutes, then after it cools, dip a sponge in to wipe down all those nasty food stains inside.
• Disinfect cutting boards by wiping them with vinegar.
• Soak fruits in a pot of vinegar mixed with equal parts water to remove pesticides and dirt (better yet, buy organic!)
• Clean out your coffee maker by running it through its cycle with a cup of vinegar followed by two cycles with water only.

Coconut Oil

A whole article can be dedicated just to coconut oils uses , it is THAT amazing. I take off my make up with coconut oil, moisturize my body and face, use it in body scrubs, cook with it and condition my hair with it.(this really works wonderful for shiny smooth hair).

• Rub coconut oil on a baby’s bottom to protect against diaper rash.
• As a massage oil, it can’t be beat.
• For chapped lips (and hands, knees and elbows) it works wonders. And get this, coconut oil has a natural SPF of 4, so while not a strong sun protection factor, it does add some degree of blockage of the rays.
• Use it on eczema and psoriasis and on chapped nipples when nursing.
• Coconut oil is used in oil pulling, an ancient method known to help protect gums, detox the mouth and re-mineralize teeth.
• Health wise, ingesting coconut oil can actually improve cholesterol levels and may even help insulin levels.
• It works great for very high temperature cooking (better than olive oil for example).
• You can shave with coconut oil and use it on frizzy hair as a balm.

Need I go on? I think every house needs at least one jar on hand, or even one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. I prefer organic virgin coconut oil.

Honey

• Mixed with apple cider vinegar, honey is known to calm a cough.
• Mix honey with the juice of a lemon or into tea when you have a cold to help soothe nasal passages and sore throats.
• Honey can be applied to skin for its healing properties.
• It aids in helping dry acne and is good on burns to clean, disinfect and soothe the skin.
• Raw honey is not stripped of any of its nutrient and health buffs often take a teaspoon a day and stock it away in emergency kits or backpacks for when extra energy is needed.
• Here’s something cool – some allergy sufferers find that taking a teaspoon of LOCAL honey each day helps them with allergies and reduces symptoms.

Lemons

• Mixed with room temperature water, lemon is known as a detox drink many people drink first thing in the AM.
• Lemon juice also removes odors (like garlic and onion) from fingers and cutting boards.
• Try squeezing a teaspoon of lemon juice into water when cooking potatoes or cauliflower so they don’t turn brown. Same thing on cut up apples and avocados – it will prevent that ugly browning.
• How about the old trick many women remember to lighten hair naturally? Mix 1/4 part lemon juice with water in a spray bottle and spray your wet hair at the beach to add “natural” highlights.
• Some women apply lemon juice on q-tips directly to skin spots, freckles and areas they’d like to fade.
• Dip your nails in lemon juice to lighten and brighten them too.
• A squeeze of lemon juice in homemade cleaners adds a nice fresh scent.

Sugar/Brown Sugar

• Perfect to make homemade body and face scrubs, just mix with equal parts oil and add a few drops of essential oils of your choice (I like orange with brown sugar and lavender with white sugar).
• Sloughing off dead skin once a week makes your skin radiant and feel extremely smooth.
• The big bonus is that no chemicals are needed and it’s inexpensive to make. Use within one week and keep airtight or just make small potions for one time use only.

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