Sept. 21, 2014
Well, my pursuit to a healthy home and personal care environment continues. A few months back I posted I was making my own toothpaste and deodorant and love it. Did I mention, I love it?! I was always concerned it wouldn't work as well as store bought and it'd be time consuming to make, but the reality is it works way better than store bought (really!!) it takes me about 10 minutes total every 6-8 weeks to make BOTH batches and it costs pennies on the dollar compared to what I was spending, especially in comparison to the "healthier" brand options I was purchasing.
I can also give it a two thumbs up approval from both my husband (who I feared would be my worse critic) and my 22 month old son for the toothpaste. We tried the baby toothpastes and training toothpastes, but even the "natural" ones were basically sugar. I was skeptical coating his teeth in it, and it didn't do the trick. He, unfortunately, has a tendency to get staining at the gum line, so we had to resort to adult toothpaste once or twice a week and I hated him swallowing the fluoride and chemicals. On a whim, I suggested we try the homemade version thinking he'd hate it...and he didn't. He actually liked it and I have no guilt with him swallowing it. My husband, seeing he liked it, tried it himself and was shocked he liked it.
For skincare I've always used Origins, which I still stand by is a much healthier option than many on the market. It's a bit pricey and I know it isn't completely safe, so I thought I'd see what else is out there. There are options that come with huge price tags. Did I really want to spend $50 to "see" if one worked well?? So, I decided to just try coconut oil and see. I was nervous. Putting oil on my skin? Erm... Well, I did. And, no break outs. It absorbed easily and to be honest, my complexion looks great! Score!
It only takes a tiny, tiny bit, which I learned after night one. I still have a bulk of stock piled Origins from their fabulous sales which I still intend to use, but have decided that is my "travel" skincare. My trip this summer, reinforced the idea traveling with coconut oil is not a good idea. Reminder...it melts over 74 - 75 degrees. I had a DOP kit of coconut oil covered make up and products. Even in carry on, with the ziploc allowance, I'd be concerned of it heating and leaking.
My next feet was finding a lotion I could feel healthy about. My two choices I narrowed it down to were Honest and Earth Mama Baby Angel which were some of the safest on the EWG.org. However, they also came with the largest price tag. For my baby, I didn't mind spending it because he's a tiny guy and they lasted. For me...lots more coverage = lots more lotion.
I looked online and found some great recipes at Wellnessmama. The same place I found the deodorant and toothpaste. I had my shopping cart full of organic beeswax and organic shea butter and though, hm, well, coconut oil worked for my face. I wonder if it would for my body. Would it be too oil? Get on clothes? Furniture? Bedding?
I gave it a whirl. I little goes a long way, but that is all you need. It absorbed quickly and left no oil residue. It didn't get on anything. I just allowed it to soak in for a few minutes after I dried off after my shower. My skin feels soft and it's not dry. I should admit at this point, that I hadn't been using lotion for about six months now because I was creeped out by all the chemicals I was putting on, essentially, the largest organ of my body...my skin! As an added bonus, it does offer a wee bit of sun protection too. Not enough to do away with sunscreen, but a bit ;)
So, score there. No paying a hefty paycheck on lotion anymore. My jumbo size tub of organic coconut oil from Costco is well worth the money. If you don't have a membership you can get a decent price on Amazon.
I found a few ideas for face cleansers that I've yet to try. Some were oil cleaning (just using oil to clean your face) which I'm sure works great, but I've ingrained in my mind that foaming cleansers are what works. I have to stop thinking that way. Until I find something I love (I'm testing as I go) I still have my drawer of Origins that I'm relying on in the interim until it's delegated to travel cleansers.
The shampoo will be the interesting one. A lot of the recipes, since they are made out of ingredients, actually go bad if not used in the appropriate amount of time. I plan to start making small batches of different recipes until I know what I want to do. In the interim, I have a few organic shampoo and conditioner samples that I've tried. I have to once again get use the lack of lather. They leave my hair nice and clean, but it's the whopping price tag that has be bumming. I'm convinced I'll find a nice homemade one.
So, we are now an all vinegar and baking soda cleaning household with an occasional Better Life cleaner. It's much cheaper at Sprouts or Whole Foods. We got rid of all our candles (nasty nasty toxins, unless they are pure organic beeswax and have all organic cotton wicks) and air fresheners. Well, almost all. My husband refuses to give up his one in his bathroom ;) I need to just make him up spray with essential oil to see if I can convince him at works as well without all the gunk.
My personal care journey is doing well on eliminating and limiting toxins. All in all. I feel pretty good about it.
The next thing I've been thinking and praying on is a fast. Raised a Catholic, the extent of fasting I did was to not eat meat on Fridays during Lent, not snack during Lent, and to give something up. Other than that, we weren't big fasters. I know a lot of people do. What kind, I don't know.
There is a fertility juice cleanse fast that my friend swears by. I may have mentioned her in the past. She and her husband tried for ELEVEN YEARS (!!!) to get pregnant. Numerous failed IUIs and IVFs. Nothing seemed to help. A bishop at her ward (church) said he'd counseled many infertile couples to try this fast and it had worked for everyone. Extremely doubtful, she and her husband did it. Two weeks later...pregnant! If I didn't know her personally, I'd give that story the side eye and say "Yeah, right!" But, I DO know her personally and I DID see this happen in her life.
She sent me the info. My hesitation? It's two weeks. How with working full time and raising a child will I do this? It's to drink a gallon of water and a gallon of fresh organic juice everyday. Fruit and veggies all day and only veggies in the PM. It also has some supplements, but since I am on TCM, I don't think those supplements are necessary. I looked at the ingredients, and a lot I'm already taking on my own, or my TCM herbs have similar ones included.
To be honest, I'm already considered underweight (even though I've gained 10 lbs in the last nine months) at 105 lbs. And that 105 lbs was with my sneakers and jeans, so it's probably a little less. Will a juice fast be too detrimental on my system? My friend gave me the name of the woman who promotes it and said she called several times with questions. They were very good to get back to her and never charged any type of consultation fee.
I was thinking if I do embark on this, to use the Nutribullet to get maximum absorption and fiber and possibly put in some seeds or nuts to get protein, but I'd have to run it by the woman if it'd do any good. I won't do the fast without it though. I can't lose weight, and I'm borderline hypoglycemic, so too much sugar with no protein is bad news.
Anyway, it sounded like an idea to explore for health benefits but also as a spiritual journey with fasting. If I don't think I can handle two weeks, maybe start with three days? I'll keep you posted.
Still reading my book by Nerida Walker and taking more time with my Bible and the word. I've been incredibly peaceful. It's so interesting, but really, since taking the time to explore my relationship with God, ask myself the tough questions and grow in my faith, my diagnosis doesn't seem insurmountable. It's a worldly diagnosis.
As always, God bless.
Well, my pursuit to a healthy home and personal care environment continues. A few months back I posted I was making my own toothpaste and deodorant and love it. Did I mention, I love it?! I was always concerned it wouldn't work as well as store bought and it'd be time consuming to make, but the reality is it works way better than store bought (really!!) it takes me about 10 minutes total every 6-8 weeks to make BOTH batches and it costs pennies on the dollar compared to what I was spending, especially in comparison to the "healthier" brand options I was purchasing.
I can also give it a two thumbs up approval from both my husband (who I feared would be my worse critic) and my 22 month old son for the toothpaste. We tried the baby toothpastes and training toothpastes, but even the "natural" ones were basically sugar. I was skeptical coating his teeth in it, and it didn't do the trick. He, unfortunately, has a tendency to get staining at the gum line, so we had to resort to adult toothpaste once or twice a week and I hated him swallowing the fluoride and chemicals. On a whim, I suggested we try the homemade version thinking he'd hate it...and he didn't. He actually liked it and I have no guilt with him swallowing it. My husband, seeing he liked it, tried it himself and was shocked he liked it.
For skincare I've always used Origins, which I still stand by is a much healthier option than many on the market. It's a bit pricey and I know it isn't completely safe, so I thought I'd see what else is out there. There are options that come with huge price tags. Did I really want to spend $50 to "see" if one worked well?? So, I decided to just try coconut oil and see. I was nervous. Putting oil on my skin? Erm... Well, I did. And, no break outs. It absorbed easily and to be honest, my complexion looks great! Score!
It only takes a tiny, tiny bit, which I learned after night one. I still have a bulk of stock piled Origins from their fabulous sales which I still intend to use, but have decided that is my "travel" skincare. My trip this summer, reinforced the idea traveling with coconut oil is not a good idea. Reminder...it melts over 74 - 75 degrees. I had a DOP kit of coconut oil covered make up and products. Even in carry on, with the ziploc allowance, I'd be concerned of it heating and leaking.
My next feet was finding a lotion I could feel healthy about. My two choices I narrowed it down to were Honest and Earth Mama Baby Angel which were some of the safest on the EWG.org. However, they also came with the largest price tag. For my baby, I didn't mind spending it because he's a tiny guy and they lasted. For me...lots more coverage = lots more lotion.
I looked online and found some great recipes at Wellnessmama. The same place I found the deodorant and toothpaste. I had my shopping cart full of organic beeswax and organic shea butter and though, hm, well, coconut oil worked for my face. I wonder if it would for my body. Would it be too oil? Get on clothes? Furniture? Bedding?
I gave it a whirl. I little goes a long way, but that is all you need. It absorbed quickly and left no oil residue. It didn't get on anything. I just allowed it to soak in for a few minutes after I dried off after my shower. My skin feels soft and it's not dry. I should admit at this point, that I hadn't been using lotion for about six months now because I was creeped out by all the chemicals I was putting on, essentially, the largest organ of my body...my skin! As an added bonus, it does offer a wee bit of sun protection too. Not enough to do away with sunscreen, but a bit ;)
So, score there. No paying a hefty paycheck on lotion anymore. My jumbo size tub of organic coconut oil from Costco is well worth the money. If you don't have a membership you can get a decent price on Amazon.
I found a few ideas for face cleansers that I've yet to try. Some were oil cleaning (just using oil to clean your face) which I'm sure works great, but I've ingrained in my mind that foaming cleansers are what works. I have to stop thinking that way. Until I find something I love (I'm testing as I go) I still have my drawer of Origins that I'm relying on in the interim until it's delegated to travel cleansers.
The shampoo will be the interesting one. A lot of the recipes, since they are made out of ingredients, actually go bad if not used in the appropriate amount of time. I plan to start making small batches of different recipes until I know what I want to do. In the interim, I have a few organic shampoo and conditioner samples that I've tried. I have to once again get use the lack of lather. They leave my hair nice and clean, but it's the whopping price tag that has be bumming. I'm convinced I'll find a nice homemade one.
So, we are now an all vinegar and baking soda cleaning household with an occasional Better Life cleaner. It's much cheaper at Sprouts or Whole Foods. We got rid of all our candles (nasty nasty toxins, unless they are pure organic beeswax and have all organic cotton wicks) and air fresheners. Well, almost all. My husband refuses to give up his one in his bathroom ;) I need to just make him up spray with essential oil to see if I can convince him at works as well without all the gunk.
My personal care journey is doing well on eliminating and limiting toxins. All in all. I feel pretty good about it.
The next thing I've been thinking and praying on is a fast. Raised a Catholic, the extent of fasting I did was to not eat meat on Fridays during Lent, not snack during Lent, and to give something up. Other than that, we weren't big fasters. I know a lot of people do. What kind, I don't know.
There is a fertility juice cleanse fast that my friend swears by. I may have mentioned her in the past. She and her husband tried for ELEVEN YEARS (!!!) to get pregnant. Numerous failed IUIs and IVFs. Nothing seemed to help. A bishop at her ward (church) said he'd counseled many infertile couples to try this fast and it had worked for everyone. Extremely doubtful, she and her husband did it. Two weeks later...pregnant! If I didn't know her personally, I'd give that story the side eye and say "Yeah, right!" But, I DO know her personally and I DID see this happen in her life.
She sent me the info. My hesitation? It's two weeks. How with working full time and raising a child will I do this? It's to drink a gallon of water and a gallon of fresh organic juice everyday. Fruit and veggies all day and only veggies in the PM. It also has some supplements, but since I am on TCM, I don't think those supplements are necessary. I looked at the ingredients, and a lot I'm already taking on my own, or my TCM herbs have similar ones included.
To be honest, I'm already considered underweight (even though I've gained 10 lbs in the last nine months) at 105 lbs. And that 105 lbs was with my sneakers and jeans, so it's probably a little less. Will a juice fast be too detrimental on my system? My friend gave me the name of the woman who promotes it and said she called several times with questions. They were very good to get back to her and never charged any type of consultation fee.
I was thinking if I do embark on this, to use the Nutribullet to get maximum absorption and fiber and possibly put in some seeds or nuts to get protein, but I'd have to run it by the woman if it'd do any good. I won't do the fast without it though. I can't lose weight, and I'm borderline hypoglycemic, so too much sugar with no protein is bad news.
Anyway, it sounded like an idea to explore for health benefits but also as a spiritual journey with fasting. If I don't think I can handle two weeks, maybe start with three days? I'll keep you posted.
Still reading my book by Nerida Walker and taking more time with my Bible and the word. I've been incredibly peaceful. It's so interesting, but really, since taking the time to explore my relationship with God, ask myself the tough questions and grow in my faith, my diagnosis doesn't seem insurmountable. It's a worldly diagnosis.
As always, God bless.
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