Eliminating Toxins Part 1

I know I've been promising this post for weeks now... ok months... so here it is. Finally! I was inspired this AM when I heard on the news that the FDA is launching an investigation into the safety of a common ingredient in antibacterial soaps and gels, triclosan. Studies show that this chemical causes hormone disturbance in rats, go figure. Come on people! We kill a few germs in exchange for messing up people's hormones?!! Anyway, here's the post:

Many of us do a pretty good job eating clean, and eliminating GMOs and processed crap from our diets. Unfortunately, we often forget about all the toxins we are exposed to from the air we breath, the water we drink, and the THOUSANDS of products we apply to our skin, clean with, and store our food in. Putting real food in your body is an excellent first step, but what about the things you put on your body, or breath into your lungs? Ever think about the disinfectants you spray your counter tops with? How bout the pans you cook with? Ever looked at the ingredients in your lipstick or favorite shampoo? I think what is most terrifying is that in many countries chemicals commonly found in household products in the USA, are banned!!! I read something in a presentation from Metagenics a few months ago that was horrifying, " it has been estimated that by the time the average woman grabs her morning coffee, she has applied 126 different chemicals in 12 different products to her face, body and hair."- Smith and Lourie "Slow Death by Rubber Duck"

The campaign for safe cosmetics conducted a study of several of the top lipstick brands and found that 61% of those tested had significant lead levels. Highest levels were found in those by L' Oreal and Cover Girl. I don't know about you, but to me, this is absolutely unacceptable!

Here's something to think about: women shave their armpits and then apply aluminum laden deodorant to their freshly exposed pores, right over the axillary lymph nodes. That aluminum can then penetrate the skin, and travel through the lymph system. SCARY! Researchers are linking aluminum exposure to breast cancer and dementia! So here is my homemade deo recipe:

6-8 Tbsp Coconut oil (solid state)
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch (arrowroot is preferred)
6 drops of lavender essential oil
10 drops of tea tree oil
Heat the coconut oil for 30secs-1 min, just so its soft enough that you can mix everything. Add remaining ingredients and thoroughly combine. Store in a glass jar and just apply with my fingers. This makes enough to last for months!
* this is NOT an antiperspirant... you're supposed to sweat people!

This week I made a huge batch of cleaning supplies from just a few simple ingredients. I put everything in spray bottles for convenience, and I always label the bottles with both name and ingredients. Here's the list:borax, white vinegar, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, lavender essential oil, natural dish soap, and water. 

Here's what I made:

glass cleaner- equal parts water and vinegar

all-purpose antibacterial- H2O2, vinegar, natural dish soap, H2O, lavender EO

toilet cleaner- borax and vinegar

 For a scummy shower or tub, I sprinkle baking soda all over and then spray it down with my all-purpose cleaner. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes and then wipe down with a sponge.

Next on my list, homemade laundry detergent! Stay tuned.

 

Dish washer detergent

So I am all about using natural household products, but they can be super pricey. I've been using the Trader Joe's brand dishwasher detergent pods, and they work really well. However, when I ran out last week, I decided to try and find an easy homemade recipe. Here's what I came up with:

1 tbsp borax
1 tbsp baking soda
2 tbsp vinegar


First I put the vinegar in a small bowl and set it in the top shelf of the dishwasher. I add the the borax and baking soda to the detergent holder, just like any other product. Then, let her rip! This works so well, and costs pennies compared to buying premade detergents.

All purpose cleaner

God love my sweet mama but my goodness she uses a ton of chlorine bleach. Both my parents are convinced that they only way to get anything clean is to use bleach. This is how I grew up, however as an adult I've been determined to cut the use of chemicals in my own home. There are several products that I always have on hand and they can be mixed in various ways to make all kinds of cleaning products. Here's the list:

borax
washing soda
baking soda
lavender oil
hydrogen peroxide
white vinegar


All-purpose cleaner:
In a large spray bottle combine equal parts hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar and add 10 drops of lavender oil.

I use this mixture all over the house and it works great! I recently read that keeping the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide separate and spraying one after the other is more effective at disinfecting. I'm going to do a little more research so stayed tuned!