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Summer is such a fun time for being outdoors, swimming, and more! You can enjoy the season even more with these 17 summer swaps that will help you save money while living a natural lifestyle. With all of the essentials from sunscreen to pest control to hair care, you can skip the store in favor of DIY this season!
Summer is my favorite season! We love spending long days in the backyard, at the creek, or in the pool.
There are several products that become a necessity this time of year, though, and they can certainly add to the budget.
I’ve been DIYing my own skincare, pest control, hair care, and other essential products for years. It’s such a rewarding thing to do, and it really does save a ton of money!
If you would like to create more and consume less while helping with the household budget, you are going to love these summer swaps.
They are simple, effective, and wonderfully easy to make.
Let’s dive in!
Sun Protection
DIY All Natural Sunscreen Recipe
I know how expensive natural mineral sunscreen can be. That doesn’t mean you have to opt for the cheapest drugstore sunscreen to save money — you can make your own for even less!
This homemade sunscreen is nourishing and all-natural, using zinc oxide to protect the skin against UV rays.
Learn how to make your own DIY sunscreen here!
Sunscreen Lotion Bar Recipe
For on-the-go, I like to have some DIY sunscreen lotion bars on hand! They’re convenient to travel with and very easy to apply — just rub the bar along your skin, and it will leave behind a layer of all-natural, homemade sunscreen.
You can learn how to make your own sunscreen lotion bars here.
After Sun Care
DIY After Sun Lotion
A long day in the sun can be draining and hard on your skin, especially if you’ve gotten a sunburn. This after sun lotion seriously helps! It’s wonderfully soothing and offers a cooling effect on hot, sunburned skin.
Learn how to make DIY after sun lotion with just a few natural ingredients.
DIY After Sun Spray
DIY after sun spray is similar to after sun lotion, but easier to make and even easier to apply! It can be made with just 5 ingredients that are simple yet powerful at soothing irritated skin and providing relief for sunburns.
Make your own DIY after sun spray before your next day outside!
Pool
How to Reduce Chlorine Exposure This Summer
Swimming is one of our favorite summer activities, but not without taking a few steps to minimize the harm of overexposure to chlorine! In this post, I share a couple of recipes for pre-swimming protection and post-swimming detox. They are more affordable than comparable commercial options, and they give me some peace of mind!
Learn how to reduce chlorine exposure here.
Summer Hair
DIY Sea Salt Spray For Wavy Beach Hair
We all love those perfect beach waves after a day spent swimming in the ocean. Unfortunately, a swim in the ocean doesn’t come around as often as I’d like! This easy and nourishing sea salt spray gives your hair fresh-off-the-beach waves, even if you’re nowhere near the coast. It’s very affordable and quick to make!
Make your own DIY sea salt spray with this easy recipe.
How to Lighten Hair Naturally
Give your hair that bright blonde, sun-kissed look without any bleach or hair dye! These 3 simple methods harness the power of the sun to lighten hair naturally.
Learn how to lighten hair naturally.
DIY Hair Heat Protectant
Keep your hair healthy and smooth without spending a fortune on store-bought heat protectant spray! This DIY hair heat protectant spray is easy to make and effectively protects your hair during heat styling. It’s essential to have on hand for weddings, special occasions, or daily styling!
Make your own DIY hair heat protectant.
Bug Control
Homemade Bug and Tick Spray
I definitely don’t want to go out in the woods without some bug protection, but I’m also avoiding DEET and other harsh bug sprays. This homemade bug and tick repellent makes it easy! Making a batch of homemade bug spray is so fast, and it really works at keeping unwanted bugs away.
Make your own homemade bug and tick repellent here.
DIY Bug Repellent Lotion Bars
Bug repellent lotion bars are a nourishing, moisturizing alternative to homemade bug spray. They use similar essential oils but in a convenient lotion bar instead of a spray. You can give your skin the hydration it needs while repelling mosquitoes, flies, and ticks!
Learn how to make your own DIY bug repellent lotion bars.
Homemade Citronella Candles
My family absolutely loves eating meals on our porch in the summer, but the bugs can be unbearable without a repellent. These homemade citronella candles smell incredible and keep the bugs away while we enjoy our outdoor spaces!
Check out my post about how to make homemade citronella candles.
Essential Oil Roller Bottle for Bug Bite Relief
Even with the best homemade bug repellents, the occasional bug bite is inevitable. Save money on anti-itch creams and keep it natural with this simple essential oil roller bottle. It relieves bug bite itching and pain fast!
Make your own bug bite relief roller bottle.
Summer Body Care
Simple Summer Body Scrub Recipes
A good body scrub truly makes me feel like a new person! It exfoliates dead skin cells, leaving behind fresh, silky, soft skin. These simple summer body scrubs smell like summer and make me feel revitalized and refreshed.
Get started making your own summer body scrubs!
Sugar Wax Recipe
Say goodbye to unwanted hair and painful waxing with homemade sugar wax! Sugar wax is very gentle on the skin and works well to remove body hair quickly. It requires far less frequent maintenance than shaving, which I’m all about in the summer!
Make your own DIY sugar wax with my tutorial.
Natural Deodorant Cream Recipe
When the summer heat hits, I need a reliable deodorant to keep the body odor away. There are some great natural options on the market, but they can be pricey! Homemade natural deodorant cream is just as effective, easy to apply, and much more affordable than store-bought natural deodorant.
Make your own DIY deodorant cream here.
Summer Home
Summer Essential Oil Diffuser Blends
Nothing gets me in the spirit of summer more than running a diffuser with seasonal blends. Blends like “beach life” and “citrus summer” make it feel like summertime and brighten the whole house.
See the best essential oil blends for summer.
Tropical Diffuser Blends
A tropical vacation isn’t in the budget every summer, but I can still get those beachy vibes in my house with tropical diffuser blends! They smell utterly amazing and make our home all the more inviting.
See tropical essential oil diffuser blends.
Weed Control
DIY Natural Weed Killer
Keep the weeds at bay without spraying harmful chemicals in your yard. This natural weed killer seriously works, and it’s made with simple ingredients you likely have on hand! Best of all? A batch costs far less than any commercial weed killer, so you’re saving money while living a nontoxic lifestyle.
Take control of the weeds by making your own natural weed killer.
Conclusion
Now that you have all of the recipes at your fingertips, you’re ready to take on these 17 summer swaps! If you’re anything like me, you’ll find DIY positively addicting and want to make as many of your own products as possible. After all, it’s the best way to save money on natural products and simplify your lifestyle.
Let me know what you’ll make first in the comments below! And don’t forget to bookmark or pin this post so you can come back and find your next summer swap.
