If you’re like us and enjoy doing DIY and living a sustainable lifestyle, you’ll agree that one of the greatest places to start is in your garden and house. Creating your own natural products reduces the plastic waste with store-bought items. This practice has a significant environmental impact, and by doing your own items, you can take an active role in reducing your carbon footprint. Here are three DIY sustainable tips to help you embrace a more eco-friendly way of living.


Make Your Own Aloe Vera Soap
Creating homemade aloe vera soap is a wonderful way to incorporate sustainability into your daily routine. Aloe vera is not only known for its soothing and healing properties, but it’s also easy to grow and harvest.
Aloe Vera Soap Recipe:
- 5 leaves of aloe vera
- 1/2 jar of dry lavender
- 1 tsp of vitamin E oil
- Food-grade color (optional)
- 1 kg natural soap base
Instructions:
- Begin by harvesting your aloe vera leaves. To remove the yellow latex, let the leaves sit in water for 10-15 minutes. This step ensures that your soap is gentle on the skin.
- Blend the aloe vera gel with dry lavender and vitamin E oil. The lavender adds a calming scent and enhances the soap’s natural benefits.
- Melt the natural soap base, then mix in the aloe vera blend. Add food-grade color if desired.
- Pour the mixture into molds and let it harden. Once set, your soap is ready to use!
Note: While some soap recipes use lye, it can strip away some of the beneficial properties of natural ingredients. This recipe avoids lye, allowing you to preserve the goodness of aloe vera.
Make Your Own Eco-Friendly Candles
Candles are a great way to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home. By making your own candles using soy flakes or beeswax, you can avoid the harmful paraffin wax found in many commercial candles, which releases toxins when burned.
Candle Recipe:
- 4 cups soy flakes or beeswax
- 2 wicks with metal bases
- 20-30 drops of essential oil (try thyme and cedarwood for a soothing scent)
- Dry lavender flowers and orange slices for decoration
- 2 glass or metal jars
- 1 skewer or chopstick for mixing
Instructions:
- Melt the soy flakes or beeswax in a double boiler.
- Once melted, add your essential oils and mix well.
- Place the wicks in the center of your jars and pour in the wax mixture.
- Add dried lavender flowers and orange slices to the top for a decorative touch.
- Allow the candles to cool and harden before trimming the wicks.
Create a Refreshing Cucumber Mint Body Scrub
Exfoliating with a homemade body scrub is not only good for your skin but also good for the environment. A cucumber mint body scrub is a natural, sustainable alternative that’s both refreshing and eco-friendly.
Body Scrub Recipe:
- 6-8 slices of cucumber
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 40 leaves of mint
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
Instructions:
- Blend the cucumber and mint leaves until smooth.
- In a bowl, mix the cucumber-mint blend with sugar and oil.
- Transfer the mixture to a jar, and it’s ready to use!
This scrub exfoliates and leaves your skin feeling refreshed and hydrated.
Sustainability is all about making small, mindful choices that add up to a big impact. The 3 samples above are just some of our favorites but you can always experiment and see how your creation goes. By trying these, you not only reduce your reliance on harmful chemicals and plastics, but you also contribute to a healthier planet. Give these DIY tips a try and enjoy the benefits of a more sustainable way of living.
Happy gardening!