Current Tangents... how to reduce packaging and grocery bills and pollution

Lately I have been going a little bit crazy.  My new crazes spawned from way too much time spent on Pinterest.  I find myself wondering why I am buying all of these products at the grocery store.  I mean things like dishwasher and laundry detergent as well as shampoo, toothpaste, conditioner.  Basically everything.  My thoughts  have even taken me to toilet paper (we use so much of this), although I haven't found a solution for this yet.

Firstly: Toothpaste

I have found many a recipe for toothpaste and tooth powder.  Most of the recipes I was finding contained mostly baking soda, some also quite a bit of salt.  I suppose that's all fine and good if you don't mind that sort of thing. Our whole family tried it out... but we were left wanting.  Other pastes were very complicated and were made of things I did not already have, as well as things that I would have a hard time buying locally.  After a bit of trial and error here is my very simple, very cheap toothpaste recipe:

1 small jar with a lid
about 1/2 cup food grade diatomaceous earth (or enough to nearly fill your jar) (not pool grade- this is toxic!!)
enough water to make a paste (perhaps a tablespoon?)
1 or 2 drops of cassia oil (cinnamon oil)

All you do is mix this stuff together and voila!  This is actually the best toothpaste I have ever used.  I tastes great, has no fluoride, no sodium lauryl sulfate, no sweeteners, no preservatives, no tube for the trash... I probably could go on and on about all of the things it doesn't have... but I don't need to because I know that all it has are three simple things!

Second: Dishwasher detergent

This is another product that even when you buy it naturally you kind of wonder just what you are pouring down the drain.  This recipe isn't quite so simple as the toothpaste.  Frankly, I don't know the sources of all of the ingredients, but I do believe them to be safe.  Credit for this recipe goes to www.diynatural.com.

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup (kosher or non iodized) salt

Mix every thing together in an empty yogurt tub

Fill rinse agent with white vinegar

I did not use the full amount of citric acid in this recipe, I used about 2 tablespoons.  The amount of this will vary based on your water (hard water=more).

I have been shocked by how well this stuff works!

Third: Shampoo & Conditioner

This topic is still in the experimental phase at our house. For shampoos we have tried baking soda, borax, and diatomaceous earth separately.   The baking soda and borax were both too drying for our household.  This morning my youngest tried out the shampoo paste I made out of the DE.  This sort of worked very well.  The tricky part is rinsing it thoroughly.  My daughter didn't.  Her hair felt like it was full of plaster dust.  After a second rinsing I think I like this one best, but I haven't tried it my self just yet.

For conditioner we have been using apple cider vinegar (the good kind) diluted in five parts water.  This seems to work very well.  We are also using it as a detangler, diluted a bit more in a spray bottle with a little rosemary oil added to cover the vinegar smell.  This works mostly well, the only hang up relates to whatever odd thing we have washed our hair with.  I think my next wash will be exclusively with the vinegar dilution and no DE, borax, baking soda, etc.