"Sell it girls, don't give it away!"

That's David Snivley in the middle, doing his Caribbean workout!

"Sell it girls don't give it away!" - This is what David Snivley would shout out during TSN's Caribbean Workout. Do you remember this show?! I would occasionally do the caribbean workout in my parents basement back in the day, and for some reason this quote has stuck with me. David Snivley wasn't referring to clothes, but that's what I'm talking about.

If you have been reading my blog, you know I am a big fan of buying baby items off Kijiji. I refuse to buy from people that:
A) put little effort into their ad or B) can't spell.

If you spell "clothes" as "cloths" or "diapers" as "dippers", then I really don't want to buy anything from you. I also hate when people take a picture of a giant pile of clothes when they are selling a lot of clothing. You can't tell what anything looks like or what condition the clothes are in. I take the time to craft a nice little Kijiji ad, and I expect the same.

I like to try and sell items on Kijiji so that I can make some money to buy more things off Kijiji. If the items don't sell, then off to Goodwill they go.

Here are some recent items I have sold:
 
Bummis SuperBrite Diaper Covers
Details: 3 Newborn Size Cloth Diaper Covers
Paid: $41.97 + tax
Sold: $20.00

0-3 Months Lot of Clothing
Details: 7 Sleepers, 2 Footless Sleepers, 3 Onesies, 2 Piece Outfit, 3 Piece Outfit, New with tags - 2 Sleepers, 2 Onesies, 1 Outfit
Paid: $5.00 (Most of the items were received as gifts, and a couple of the items I purchased from Once Upon A Child)
Sold: $25.00 

Rub-a-dub-dub - Homemade Baby Wash is in the tub

Don't buy commercial baby products. It's pretty simple. Look at the ingredients listed on the bottle. I am pretty sure you haven't heard of most of them. There's a good chance some of those ingredients are harmful.

For example, a baby wash that I have claims to contain 95% plant ingredients and be eco friendly. Most people think this is probably a safe choice for your baby. One of the ingredients is Sodium Benzoate. I obviously had no idea what that was. I did some googling, and there are loads of articles on the possible dangers of it.

I recently read an article in EcoParent Magazine regarding Baby Care Lotions & Potions. I won't bore you with the whole article, but here is a great excerpt:
"You might wonder how children's products could possibly contain toxins. The answer is that petroleum-based synthetic ingredients are the cheapest to produce. Combine this with loose government regulations, an obtuse attitude by the chemical industry, and trusting consumers - and you have your answer."

So the point is, I decided I wanted to try making some of my own baby products. Like many people, I am addicted to Pinterest and have found some great pins on how to make your own personal care products. Here is one of them.

Homemade Baby Wash

Recipe from Crunchy Farm Baby.

The Ingredients:
- Dr.Bronner's Unscented Mild Pure Castile Soap
- Vitamin E Oil (I used Moroccan Argon Oil, which contains Vitamin E)
- Distilled Water
- Essential Oils (optional) I used Tea Tree & Lavender

The Directions:
In a soap bottle (foaming dispenser or pump bottle), combine 1/4 Dr.Bronner's, 2-3 drops of Vitamin E Oil, 10 drops of lavender essential oil, and 2-3 drops of tea tree oil. Then fill the bottle with distilled water.

The Cost:
I purchased the Dr.Bronner's, Argon Oil and Tea Tree Oil at Lyn-Dys and the Lavender Oil at Bulk Barn.

- Dr.Bronner's - $6.29 for 236 mL (on sale)
- Argon Oil - $11.19
- Tea Tree Oil -$8.99
- Lavender Oil -$12.99

This might seem like a lot of money when you can buy a bottle of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Wash for $4.99. Remember, the essential oils are optional. Also, I only used about 1/5 of the bottle of Dr.Bronner's. (So you are really spending $1.26 per batch on the castile soap)

Let me know if you try this recipe and what you think! I am really happy with how it turned out.