This is the time of year when I re-organize, reevaluate, and stock up on our needed supplies for the year. Right now, my regular organizational efforts are turbo-charged thanks to nesting and I’m taking advantage of the extra energy to order the items on my natural remedies shopping list and pre-make many remedies/beauty products before the baby comes.
A reader recently asked me what supplies I stock up on and always keep on hand for natural remedies and DIY projects and since I just re-organized my remedies cabinet and restocked, I figured I’d share.
I’ve divided this into sections based on bulk ingredients and supplies I keep on hand, herbs and spices, and other ingredients and linked to the specific ingredients I use:
Ingredients and Supplies
These are the ingredients I use most often for natural remedies and DIY projects and that I order in bulk to save money over the long-term. I’ve listed two sources for each ingredient so you can choose which source is a better deal for you. If you have Amazon Prime Pantry, you can find great deals there.
Please note that I have acquired these ingredients over time and didn’t purchase them all at once, but now that I have them all, they help me save money while using natural products.
My Natural Remedies Shopping List
My Amazon Natural Remedies Shopping List
Other Supplies
- Magnesium oil
- Coconut Oil
- Food Grade Alcohol like Vodka or Rum (organic)
Bulk Herbs and Spices
Mountain Rose Herbs offers discounts of up to 25% of bulk orders of herbs and spices so I typically order in bulk once a year to qualify for the discounts. In these cases, MRH is much more budget-friendly, even with shipping. If you prefer, you can often also find these bulk herbs on Amazon. I’ve ordered organic herbs from Frontier and Starwest Botanicals in the past.
Remedies I Make In Bulk
This is also the time of year when I make many of my natural remedies in bulk and re-stock any that I’ve run out of in the past year. As most infused oils, salves and lotions that I make are exclusively oil based, they last for years if kept cool and dry, so I don’t have to re-make all of these each year. The beauty of doing this all at once (besides saving money ordering the ingredients in bulk) is that many can be made in the same pans and containers so it also reduces cleaning quite a bit.
Bulk Remedy Recipes
These are the infused oils, salves, lotions and syrups and remedies I’m making this week with the ingredients I ordered above (click each one for the full recipe):
- Elderberry Syrup– I keep on hand for cold and flu season and pre-make several quarts to keep in the fridge.
- Solar Infused Oils– I infuse jars of chamomile and calendula for skin, the herbs in this recipe as a healing salve base, Eucalyptus and peppermint for natural vapor rub and other combinations for lotions.
- Homemade Healing Salve– Using a heat or solar infused oil (see above), I make this healing salve in bulk and it is our “natural neosporin” for the year.
- Natural Vapo-Rub– Similar to store bought vapor rubs. If using on children, consider infusing the oils instead of using essential oils.
- Gardeners Hand Salve– Using the same infused oils above, I pre-make this salve for the gardening months.
- Coconut Oil Pulling Chews– Simplifies the oil pulling process.
- Soothing Shower Melts– For congestion.
- Herbal Cough Syrup– (I keep in the fridge) and other herb-infused honey recipes to have on hand.
Tinctures, Vinegars and Liniments
I also pre-make most tinctures in bulk so I have them on hand when needed. Tinctures last years and years if properly made so I often still have some of these left over, but still make new batches as a good tincture takes weeks or months to prepare properly.
These are the tinctures, liniments and infused vinegars I am making this week- note that any of the tinctures below can be made alcohol-free by following these instructions.
- Herbal Tinctures- I use this process to make tinctures of chamomile, digestive blends, lavender, and many others.
- Multivitamin Tincture
- Digestion Tincture (helps ease nausea and stomach pain)
- Chamomile Tincture (I use often for the kids)
- Sweet Dreams Tincture
- Herbal Liniment (for sore muscles)
- Anti-Itch Spray
- Fire Cider Infused Vinegar (for colds and flu)
- Herbal Throat Spray
- Herbal Hand Sanitizing Gel
- Dit Da Jow– Ancient herbal remedy for sore muscles.
- Vinegar of the Four Thieves – For illnesses.
Note: Any herb can be made into a tincture with this process, just make sure that you’ve consulted a qualified professional or herbalist before using any herb as a remedy.
Beauty Recipes
In a few hours, I can pre-make our lotions, lip balms, soaps, and beauty ingredients for the year with minimal mess (and save money over the course of the year).
- Imitation Burt’s Bees Lip Balm (our favorite- can also make unscented)
- Regular Lotion Bar Sticks (in deodorant tubes for easy use)
- Natural Deodorant
- Dry Shampoo
- Coconut Oil Lotion Bars
- Shea Butter Lotion Bars
- Magnesium Body Butter
- Massage Oil
- Whipped Body Butter
- Petroleum Jelly Substitute
- Shampoo Bars
- Homemade Lipstick
- Herbal Face Oil
- Herbal Perfume
- Sweet Salt DIY Hair Spray
- Cracked heel salve
- Detangling Spray
- Bath Fizzies
- Basic Homemade Soap
- Charcoal and Clay Facial Soap
- Crockpot Soap
- Whitening Toothpaste
I also typically pre-make big batches of laundry detergent on my bulk-prep days to have it on hand for at least a few months.
When you bring it all home, here’s how to store and organize your natural remedies.
Do you have a natural remedies shopping list so you can pre-make healthy DIY items?
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