‘I make all my soap, detergents, deodorants and shampoos myself’
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Sanne (33) is very handy with coconut oil and baking soda and her baby wears washable diapers. She also eats completely organic and vegan.
“I make all my soaps, detergents, deodorants and shampoos myself. It started as a hobby; I saw someone do it on Instagram and I was intrigued. I was always one of those women who stood in line at the drug store with a full basket full; I couldn’t resist the 2+2 free offers. Once in a while I would clean out the cupboard under our sink and then I would be ashamed of what could go away. Tubes, jars, bottles with products that I had used a few times and didn’t like very much.
make it yourself
The first thing I ever made myself was coconut oil deodorant. It worked perfectly. I somehow missed the convenience and the smell of my trusted aerosol, but I also got a very good feeling about it; I no longer burdened the environment and I saved money.
“My friends laugh a lot about it, about my housework, but they are always very happy with it”
I now make almost everything myself; from detergent to shampoo. I always have a large amount of baking soda in the house. I have become very handy at it and give it to my friends as a gift on their birthday. They laugh a lot about it, about my housework, but they are always very happy with it. ‘If I had had the time, I would have done it’, I often hear. But everyone has time for this. If we put that damn phone away a little more often, we could do much more useful things.
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As sustainable as possible
A year and a half ago I became a mother. Also in my motherhood I am as sustainable as possible. Bobbi wears washable diapers, which I have already had to explain a lot about. People mainly imagine huge poo-poo sessions with that. She only has wooden, durable toys and certainly not too many.
I haven’t bought her a jar of baby food yet; I prepare every meal fresh – also for ourselves by the way. When I see what is involved in a delivery meal, it really pisses me off. Everyone seems to be so lazy. Go into the kitchen yourself! Now someone has to come to you to bring it. The food is delivered in all unnecessary packaging material. And often it is far too much and the remainder disappears into the bin.
No packages, bags or pre-cut vegetables for us. We eat organic, I bring my own bags and tidy for the fruit. We went completely vegan a year ago. We have become ‘green people’. But fair? I really don’t understand how we are the exception to this. I find the rest rather weird.”
This article appears in Kek Mama 10-2022.
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