Make paper at home!

Make a beautiful handmade paper at your home!

You need:

shredded paper (Image from swinglineblog.com)

A4 mesh wire frame, and a4 mesh less frame (Image from homecrafts.co.uk)

muslin cloth (Image from feelunique.com)

tub (Image from classic tubs.com)

Bucket (Image from talk.turttlerockstudios.com)

Roling pin (Image from houzz.com)

Jug (Image from howkapow.com)

Grinder (Image from tradeindia.com)

Alum powder (Image from nuts.com)

 

Follow Vatavaran’s Basic steps to make a handmade paper:

1. Sock overnight half a bucket of shredded paper in water in which a pinch of alum powder has been mixed
2. Grind the socked paper to pulp
3. Fill the tub half with water, add a mug of pulp and stir
4. On the mesh wire frame stretch muslin and place the mesh less frame, hold it with both hands, sway it into the mixture.
5. The pulp will form a thin uniform layer on muslin; wait for extra water to drip down.
6. Move to dry area, remove the mesh less frame, and sun the muslin piece which has A4 size wet paper on it
7. When the paper is still moist, straighten it with the rolling pin

To make a coloured paper:

Add one of these natural products after step 3:

Turmeric –yellow

Henna – green

Katha – brown

Beet Root – light magenta

Indigo – blue

You can also design your own paper with adding flowers, grass or any kind of leaves of your preference!

So easy it is!

 

Katja Polc, Member of Vatavaran team

 

HOME -MADE SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER

Why homemade shampoo and conditioner? Do shampoo manufactures have your best interest? Since you are reading this post, I assume you are at least becoming sceptical. However, there are many very strong toxic chemicals which you can find in many hair products. Strong shampoos are damaging your hair if you are using them in a long term. Even more – cosmetic s products include Triclosan, which is an antibacterial agent. Triclosan is toxic to aquatic life; it has been found in the bodies of fish and human breast milk. In shampoos we can also find pthalates and parabens which have been linked to breast cancer and reproductive problems.

Basically manufactured shampoos are:

-damaging your hair

– polluting the rivers, lakes, sea, oceans

–  effecting water animals

-linking to serious health problems

 

To make your own shampoo and conditioner is super simple!

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup liquid Castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s, which you can find cheaply on Amazon)
• 1/2 teaspoon oil (like jojoba, olive oil, almond oil)
• Essential oils for a nice smell of your hair (as lavender, orange…)

Mix all the ingredients into an old shampoo or glass bottle and you’re good to go!

 

Image from  www.lifefomthegroundup.us

Another way to make your shampoo is baking soda! But, you have to rinse with vinegar if you want your hair feeling as light and fluffy as it always does. Alone, baking soda has a tendency to dry hair out. Here’s what you do:

• Mix 1 table spoon of baking soda with 1 cup of water. You can make it also in bigger quantity to use it several times.
• When you’re ready to use, shake and apply to your scalp, scrubbing it in.
• After you’ve scrubbed your scalp with the baking soda, rinse with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

Image from http://www.thriftysue.com

 

HOME MADE CONDITIONERS

There are many way how to make a perfect conditioner for your hair. Here are some ideas:

For soft, smooth hair:   1 ripe banana, 2 table spoon Honey, 2 table spoon Olive oil

For dry, damage hair: 1 cup of yogurt, 1/2 mayonnaise, 1 egg

Hair fall: 1 cup of yogurt, 1/4 cup of orange juice, 4 table spoons of lemon juice, 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1 egg

Blend all ingredients to make a smooth paste. Apply it to hair and leave it on for a half an hour.

 

Give your hair a try of Nature!

 

 

Katja Polc, member of Vatavaran team

Home – made eco& zero waste cosmetics products!

We are used to buy all our cosmetics, because it′s easy and practical. Unfortunately, as I wrote in the previous blog post, many of these products have hazardous effects on our environment.

I want to share with you some simple recipes on how to make your own cosmetic products!  These products can be prepared both cheaply and quickly. Moreover, we help environment in several ways – all ingredients are eco friendly and we don’t use new packaging every single time we make it!

I will share a new recipe every week. For this week, we have Toothpaste!

TOOTHPASTE

Why natural toothpaste? Most brands contain Fluoride, a toxic chemical that has not actually been shown to reduce tooth decay. And just think how much waste we produce with packaging of tooth paste, which everyone is using.  This tooth paste recipe was used by many people for several years and it has worked great!

Ingredients:

• 2 table spoon of coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 15-20 drops of peppermint or any other essential oil.
• 1 small packet of Stevia powder or any other natural sweetener (optional!)

Instructions: Melt or slightly soften coconut oil. Mix it with other ingredients and stir it well. Put mixture into a small glass jar and let it cool completely.

How to use: Dip toothbrush in and scrape small amount onto bristles/ you can also use a small spoon to put on toothbrush.

Here is the video which shows you every step of how to make a homemade tooth paste:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIpTXQl7qT0

If you want to know more about the ingredients and its usefulness for our teeth and mouth:

Coconut oil is a key ingredient in our toothpaste.  It’s natural antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal activity is a key feature for our teeth. While we are brushing teeth it also destroys harmful germs in the mouth. The coconut toothpaste strengthens our gums and eliminates the frequent occurrence of painful, bleeding gums. Coconut oil kills the bacteria responsible for gingivitis. If you have yeast infection in the mouth called thrush, coconut is also an excellent natural remedy for tackling this problem. In addition to all of these, it is also effective in tooth decay.

Baking Soda (Sodium bicarbonate) is another important component of homemade toothpaste. It is used for two reasons. Because it is slightly rough, it gently cleans teeth without damaging the tooth surface. It is also excellent to neutralize acid in our mouth. Soda moreover, neutralizes bad breath.

Stevia is a plant that has a very sweet taste but it does not contain sugar. With the addition of crushed leaves or powdered Stevia makes toothpaste pleasantly sweet and usually children like it more. If you don’t mind about the taste of toothpaste, you do not have to use Stevia in your toothpaste.

Essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, orange, lemon, tea tree, lavender and many more. These oils have many antimicrobial effects, in addition to its pleasant and refreshing taste.

It is super easy, right?

Katja Polc

Member of Vatavaran team