ecoLIVING London

Alright...so a lot of people think that I'm already completely crazy, but I'm going to really go over the top with this one -- I made homemade hairspray!

I don't use a ton of hairspray but because of my fine hair and because it's short, I do use a bit to keep it out of my face and to provide texture. I hate that hairspray has so many chemicals in it though (like all other beauty products). I also hate spending money on things that I could easily make at home given the chance.

A few months ago I noticed that Organic Authority posted a recipe for homemade hairspray on their website (http://www.organicauthority.com/). I had it saved in my favorites and knew that I would eventually go back to it and try my own version.

Here's the recipe:

4 tsp sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp vodka (acts as a preservative)
3-5 drops essential oil for scent
empty hairspray bottle (not aerosol)

Heat water in a saucepan to just under a boil. Dissolve the sugar in the hot water, stirring thoroughly. Add the vodka and remove it from the heat. Once cooled, add the essential oil and pour into the spray bottle.

I've been using my hairspray for a week now and I'm pretty darn impressed. It works great! You should really check out their website. They have lots of great homemade alternatives to pretty well anything you'd normally find at the drug store, even homemade dishwasher soap!

If you're not the crazy make-everything-from-scratch type (like me) then maybe a trip to your local environmentally-friendly store for some better-for-you products? Here in London, P'lovers is great! I had visited their Stratford store a couple of times but it wasn't until a couple of days ago that I went to the store in downtown London.

Originally, I thought that I would go in and see about buying a couple of Christmas gifts but got distracted and bought myself a few things instead. I could have easily bought more but had to contain myself. There was a lot of different soaps, candles, cleaners, clothing, towels, baby items, books, laundry soap, etc. You can even refill your own containers which is great because it's (1) cheaper, and (2) better for the environment.

So.....do you think I'm crazy now? Or are you going to make your own hairspray too? Maybe I'll try making my own dishwasher soap...

Dallas Rocheleau lives in London, Ontario and has been blogging about local eating since 2009. She sources out local foods from the Southwestern Ontario region and loves to spend time in the kitchen making seasonal recipes. She also avoids buying processed foods and tries to replicate common grocery store foods at home from scratch. Her blog can be found here.