Comments on: The Vodka Variations

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:21:28 +0000

Hi April. Well, the vodka is supposed to kill everything, but maybe it’s not enough. Maybe increase the vodka or use a stronger alcohol like Everclear? Where are you keeping it? I think you have to keep it in the refrigerator, for sure… if only because of the ants. Read my next post about that particular problem here: http://myplasticfreelife.com/2008/02/giving-up-struggle-stories-of-ants-and/ Oh wait… that was a different sugar water hairspray. But still, I think the lemon spray could attract ants too.

Maybe I’ll try the hairspray again with your adjustments and see how it works.

By: April

April — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:54:29 +0000

FYI on the hairspray….
After reading that this didn’t work for you…. I went ahead and tried it anyway but with some tweaking. I used 1 1/2 cups of water to make the mixture more concentrated. Also- when I cut/peeled the lemons- I did this over-top of the pan I was going to cook them in… instead of on the cutting board. This ensured that all of the lemon juice got into the pan instead of pooling on my cutting board. This turned out well and DOES hold my hair in place. I just spray a couple times more pumps than I would have had to do with store-bought spray.

My only concern with this- is that after a while this starts to mold (afterall it is made from lemons). Does someone know a natural preservative I could use for this (and maybe also for the mouth wash should I choose to make it) so that I can make larger batches??

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 01:10:00 +0000

Omg, I just read your comment about using vodka in homemade toothpaste rather than glycerin, and I HAD to follow the link back to this… any excuse to up my alcohol intake while decreasing my plastic intake is always welcome! Also, I’ve tried that Vita-Myr natural mouthwash and it tastes kinda gross… who likes myrrh anyway? Yuck.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:33:00 +0000

I found one cool product in Europe – Vademecum brand mouthwash. It comes in a little glass bottle (plastic cap, though) and it’s a concentrate! You just put a couple drops in a glass of water and I think it works just fine.

By: Deb G

Deb G — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 00:45:00 +0000

Sorry I’m late getting back on this. My recipe is from Natural Beauty at Home by Janet Cox. Lots of great recipes in it-worth checking out. My library has it, as well as Amazon so should be pretty easy to find.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:21:00 +0000

Okay, I’m slow. Thanks!

By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank

Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:12:00 +0000

Hi Sunny. Thanks for the recipe. You can check the box at the bottom to subscribe to comments for a post and be notified if anyone else responds to that particular post. You do have to have a Google account with an email address, I believe, although it doesn’t have to be a Google email address. I think if you add an email address to your Blogger profile, it should work.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:44:00 +0000

Okay, I lost the recipe for a while. Anyways, 2 T baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp vodka. This has lasted me a couple of months so far and is way cheaper than toothpaste since we already have these things in the house and buy in bulk (except for the vodka). I don’t wet my toothbrush either. I just stick it in the powder until it’s up in the bristles and shake off the rest.

PS Is there some way you can set this up so that when we make a comment on a day that we are notified when someone else makes a comment? I know some blogs can do that but I’m not sure how they do that. I don’t always remember to check back to see if somebody had anything additional to say or if they had something to say about my comment.

By: Radical Garbage Man

Radical Garbage Man — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:08:00 +0000

Please, for the love of Bacchus, use cheap Vodka that isn’t fit for drinking for your cleaning and hygene products and save your top-shelf bottle for its intended purpose.

Fleischman’s (Wisconsin’s own crappy distillery) is perfectly rancid (and I think you can still find it in glass bottles). Look for something in the $4-5 range. Safeway Select vodka comes in a very attractive glass bottle and is actually drinkable with mixers, so that might be a compromise, dual-purpose brand.

By: kat

kat — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:14:00 +0000

:( The "21 vodkas" page didn't mention MY favorite use for vodka--it's absolutely great at removing odors from fabrics (tip fresh from a former costumer for Beach Blanket Babylon in SF). Just put in a spray-bottle and spray on the odorific area (after testing for color-fastness, of course).

Hey, it works on my karate uniform! :)

I infuse a stick of cinnamon and some whole cloves in mint tea, then blend 1:1 with vodka for mouthwash. Clove has a long history of helping with oral hygiene. Ground clove, ground cinnamon, ground orange rind, baking soda and a little water make a good toothpaste. Or try mint leaves w/baking soda. The dried spices or herbs add anti-bacterial action to the baking soda's abrasiveness.

I haven't tried it, but stale beer used to be used as a hair rinse prior to styling. Adding a little sugar to the hairspray recipe might increase the stickiness, but too much would be um...bad. Lemon can bleach dark hair, so possibly try a very dilute boiled sugar-water mixed with vodka.