Laundry.....

I've started using Soap Nuts instead of regular laundry detergent for some of our laundry.  They work great for normal laundry (like mine and my daughter's) but not so good for heavily soiled laundry - like my husband's.

He refers to them as "monkey nuts" and prefers that I don't use them to wash his clothes.  :)  It makes me laugh because, well.....enough said.  LOL

So I found a recipe for homemade laundry detergent and have been using that for his clothes.  Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup of grated bar soap (any soap you like - we use all the scraps or half used bars laying around the house)
• 1/2 cup of super washing soda
• 1/2 cup of Borax

Mix these all together in a bowl and keep them in a little canister in your laundry room.

     For a lightly soiled load - start the water in your washer and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the mixture so it has time to dissolve before putting the clothes in.  For a heavily soiled load - use 2 tablespoons of the mixture.

This mixture works great and cleans our clothes nicely and leaves a faint scent of whatever soap you used in the mixture.

Soap Nuts are more allergen free.  Actually, I don't think you can get more natural than these nuts for washing your clothes.  You can order them online through various retailers.  Just google "Soap Nuts".  I have used the brand "Eco Nuts" (pictured above) They typically come in a box with a little cloth bag.  You take 4-5 soap nuts out of the box and put them in the little cloth bag and throw the bag in the washer with your clothes.  That's it.

When you pull your clothes out of the washer - pull the little soap nuts bag out and throw it in your next load in the washer.  Occasionally, I have forgotten to retrieve the little bag before putting the load in the dryer and consequently the nuts went through a dryer cycle.  Doesn't hurt them one bit.  Just pull em out and throw them in the washer with the next load.  They are very forgiving.

You change out the soap nuts after about 10 washes - they start getting really brittle and shrived up.  Put the used up nuts in your compost or garbage and put in 4-5 new soap nuts in the bag and you are ready to go!

The outside layer of the soap nuts is a natural surfactant so it works just like soap, you just wont see any suds (which you really don't want in your washing machine anyway).  I personally think they do a great job of cleaning - they just don't leave a fragrance behind.  So your clothes smell like...you guessed it.....clothes! Just not dirty clothes.

If you're used to your clothes smelling like a flower garden after laundering - using soap nuts may take some getting used to.  If you can't live without your clothes smelling like some kind of fragrance, you might try the recipe I listed earlier for making the homemade laundry detergent.

I've read several accounts where people have switched to using soap nuts with great results because they are allergic to the fragrances and other ingredients in the laundry detergents you find at your local grocery.  My daughter has sensitive skin so I do like using these to launder her clothes.  I also like to use them on my clothes too - especially anything delicate.  We've been using the soap nuts for at least a year with good results.  I've been using the homemade laundry detergent for a few months - also with good results.

Hope these tips are helpful to you and your family!

"Non Toxic" Care of my skin - a work in progress

I read about the oil cleansing method a while back and gave it a try.  A few days after I came across a post from someone else who tried it and had broken out severely and it took her 3 months or so to get her face cleared up. YIKES!  I promptly decided not to pursue this method further.

UPDATE (5/13/2013):  One of my fave blogs posted a great list of TIPS on using the Oil Cleansing Method if you are thinking of giving it a try - one of her tips was not to use olive oil or coconut oil.

A friend told me she loved the Pumpkin Compexion Soap that I gave her for a gift one year and has been using it on her face ever since and LOVES it.  Her face looks great so I decided to give it a try too.

Its been a few months, and I love using this soap.  Its easy to use, it takes my makeup off easily, my face feels nice and clean afterwards.  My face does feel a bit tight and dry after it dries so I do need to follow it up with a moisturizer....

What should I use?

I started with organic virgin coconut oil as a moisturizer, as well as a lotion for all over my body.  It worked ok.  My skin definitely "drank" it up promptly, but it was difficult to figure out that balance of applying too much or too little.  Too little - would make my skin itchy and dry, too much - I would be a big greasy ball and leave grease marks on anything I touched.  :/

I ordered some samples of Body Butta from Bubble and Bee to try instead of the straight coconut oil.  I loved the smell of the Rasberry Vanilla and the Coconut Lime.  Wonderful!  They both did an excellent job of moisturizing all day with one application.  Not to mention, I smell divine!

I also tried their sample of Organic Face Cream.  It was better than using coconut oil, but it is very thick and it takes a while to spread on your face - you have to let the heat of your body warm it up a bit so it melts some and then it spreads around much better.  I still felt like I needed more moisturizing than what this product offered.

A few months ago, I had found a moisturizing cream, the Healthy Glow Facial Hydrator, in my local ULTA Beauty store from a line called Belli.  This line is geared towards pregnant moms who are concerned about chemicals in their beauty products.  You can read more here.

I initially tried it when I bought it months ago, but at that point, I was still trying to move towards using the simplest products on my body.  (Products that had one or two ingredients, basically trying to use products that weren't full of preservatives, additives, no matter how natural they were touted to be - just trying to keep it simple)  I remember liking the smell of the Belli lotion, but I remember that I was also battling some minor acne at the time too, thinking that this lotion was just exasperating the problem....and so I put it aside.

Anyway, I pulled it back out about a week ago and started using it again for a moisturizer.  Its smells great, reminds me of orange popsicles....Its a very light cream that doesn't leave my face feeling oily.  It soaks in quickly and has worked great these past few days.  No feeling of tight or dry skin.  And I haven't had any breakouts either....yet.  I hope I don't.  I really like this lotion.

So what's in my cabinet now for skin care?

Pumpkin Complexion Soap - to cleanse my face
Coconut oil - to remove that pesky waterproof mascara
Belli Healthy Glow Facial Hydrator - for moisturizing my face
Bubble and Bee Body Butta Rasperrry Vanilla - for moisturizing all over

UPDATE: (5/13/2013)  I recently had a facial at my favorite spa and they just started carrying a new line of skin care called Naturopathica.  Their products are very simply made and use essential oils and other natural ingredients.  I was very impressed with how my skin felt and looked after my facial with these products.  I have been using the products for about 2 months now and my skin looks great and feels great too.  The products that I am using are:

• Aloe Cleansing Gel
• Lavender Protective Moisturizer SPF 17
• White Tea Antioxidant Mask

A snapshot of our daily exposure to chemicals

I used to never give it a second thought about what I was putting on my body in the name of "beauty".  Becoming a mom changed all that - the more I research the ingredients of products that we so readily put on our body on a daily basis - the more shocked I am - and saddened.  I guess I always assumed that companies that create these products would realize that these ingredients are not good for us to put in or on our bodies and that they would have their customer's best interests at heart.  (don't forget that your skin is one large organ that allows products to soak through and be absorbed straight into your bloodstream)

A friend sent me this picture - It sums up some of the chemicals that we are exposed to through our favorite beauty products.  I am familiar with many of these through some of my research, but it still shocks me to see just how much.

There are lots of alternative beauty products out there that don't have all of these chemicals in them....and they work just as good as the chemical ones.  I hope you are inspired to give some a try, and reduce you and your family's exposure to some of these chemicals.

An Update on No Poo :)

Well, its been over two months since me and my husband quit using shampoo and conditioner on our hair.

We've been using Baking Soda and Apple Cider Vinegar instead.  (see my previous post in March about No Pooing if you want the recipe we use)

Our hair is in great condition, it feels good and I would say that there's not anything I miss about using regular shampoo and conditioner.  In fact, I used to have to wash my hair daily or it would get too oily to style.  Since I've been No Pooing, I've gone as long as 5 days without washing and as little as 2.  And can you say - CHEAP?  I haven't calculated out just how cheap, but I was paying about 8 bucks a bottle before on my salon shampoo.  And now i use about a Tablespoon of baking soda and a Tablespoon of vinegar everytime i wash my hair, which isnt even every day.  :)  so there's some serious savings there.....

:)  So, if you are curious about it and want to give it a try - go for it!  You dont have anything to lose!  Feel free to bombard me with questions you have too.  I will be happy to answer them.  :)

UPDATE (5/13/2013):  Still no pooing!  Its great!  Love it!

Uh, oh...EVOO?

I posted this weekend about starting to use the Oil Cleansing Method to clean my face.

That evening, I came across some not so bueno comments on another blog that said this method made them breakout with very painful acne that has taken them a couple months to clear up.

Yikes!

So, I have only used this method once to clean my face and frankly, I'm a little afraid of trying it again. I'm thinking I can deal with my tight, flaky skin after using soap much easier than painful acne.......

In case you want to read more, the comments I found were on a post on Crunchy Betty's blog about EVOO and how sometimes the labeling is fraudulent....Which I must say is a MUST read if you use EVOO. I learned alot and there is a link on the post on where you can check to see if the EVOO that you currently use really is what it is labeled as......crazy huh?

Here's the link:

http://www.crunchybetty.com/when-your-extra-virgin-olive-oil-isnt-so-wholesome

Oil Cleansing Method

I've been reading a lot lately about the Oil Cleansing Method on some of my favorite blogs (Sortofcrunchy and Crunchy Betty). It's a method to clean your face with oil instead of soap. The idea is that "like dissolves like".....as in dirty facial oil is dissolved by cleansing oil and leaves your skin moisturized, instead of dry, like soap can.

I've been using natural, organic soap on my face now since about July last year and on the whole, its worked pretty well for me - I've always had oily skin...however, the last month or two I've noticed that my skin is a bit tight and itchy and sometimes flaky after it dries from washing my face.
So I decided to try this new method to see if it really works or just makes an oil slick of my face. :)

Here's the recipe I am using, in case you want to try too.

Oily skin: Use 2/3 castor oil to 1/3 carrier oil. (Or measure out 2 tsp castor oil and 1 tsp carrier oil.) For the carrier oil i used EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) You can find castor oil at your local health food store, I found mine at Sprouts Farmers Market.

1. Take a bit of the oil mixture and rub it on your face - no need to take your makeup off prior to - it should take that off for you too. Rub it around - using upward strokes and let it soak in a bit.

2. Take a very warm, wet washcloth and lay it on your face a bit to open your pores, then slowly wipe all the oil off your face with the cloth.

That's it.

I was pleasantly surprised that my face didn't feel oily afterwards. It didn't feel tight and itchy afterwards either. Ladies and gentlemen, we may have a winner! :)

Not all soap is created equal.....

I'll be the first to admit - I have a soap /bath products fetish.  It is extremely difficult for me to walk into a Bath & Body Works store or a Victoria's Secret and not walk out with some new perfume, body wash or creamy lotion.  Pure bliss.......well, that was then.....(a few months ago....)

This is now.....my house has almost been purged of the likes of any bath products such as these - and all products used on my body and my baby's now must pass the test of the database. " What? " you say?

Yes, this all started when I saw came across a video called "The Story of Cosmetics".  You can google it.  Its a little cartoon - and yes, I will admit now - they did use alot of scare tactics in the video.  And yes, I was VERY scared after watching it.  However..........I did learn about the existence of a Cosmetics Database*.  You can go to the online database, enter in your beauty/bath product and it will give you a synopsis of all ingredients in the product and whether or not any of them have been linked to or are known carcinogens, reproductive toxins, etc....basically bad for you.  Each product is given a score from 0-9.  0 being the most safe, 9 being highly toxic.  The database has quite a few products in it but not everything.  But, for those products that are not in the database,  I have found that I can look up the ingredient(s) in it. 

*You can find a link to the Cosmetics Database on my list of Noted Websites.

I first used the database to find a "safe" or "toxin free" sunscreen for Ruthie this past summer.  I found one I was pretty happy with by the brand of Badger.  I started looking up the soap, wipes, ointments, etc. that I was using on Ruthie and was surprised to see that quite a few had some pretty toxic substances in it.  Do I know how much of the "toxins" were in the product?  No, I decided I didn't want to expose her at all -  if I could help it (or afford it!).  Now yes, I understand the arguement that all of us who are parents now have probably been exposed to all this stuff since we were infants too and we've all turned out fine........well, maybe. 

So I changed the baby wipes I used as well as the soap/shampoo I used on Ruthie.  I now use California Organics baby wipes on her - they are great, relatively inexpensive and are devoid of most of the chemicals that other brands have in their products.  My gifted friend, Katie, found a great recipe for making your OWN baby wipes - this means you can make them with whatever you want!  How cool is that?  You can check out the recipe - she posted it on her blog:
http://cabbageranch.blogspot.com/2011/07/homemade-baby-wipes.html
(Yes, I did try to make some myself, but used the wrong kind of paper towels - you need to use something that's got a little strength to it otherwise they fall apart in your hands -not so bueno.  To be continued....  :)

So, the first soap I tried on Ruthie was a castille based soap (made from olive oil) and it worked ok.  I decided to get some for myself to try.  Hmmmmm....well that didn't go so well.  I could not get the castille soap out of my hair!  And it did not lather at all.  I'd wash my hair and dry it and it would look like I hadn't washed it in a week!!!  It looked and felt extremely oily!  It was awful!  (I was thinking to myself - how do people use this stuff?!?!)  UGH!  Well, I was about ready to give up on it all and found that if you rinsed your hair afterwards with vinegar it got rid of all that "gunk".....it worked pretty well - except the comments from my husband that I smelled like vinegar.....hmmmm..not very attractive.  Ok, time to look for another alternative.  I researched other's suggestions online for using organic made soaps/shampoos and found many of the problems people had encountered were largely in part to having hard water.  We were meaning to get a water softener installed anyway because we already knew we had very hard water.  So, the soft water helped but the castille based soap still just wasn't doing it for me......taking a shower had turned into a chore - no longer a nice, relaxing experience :/

I started looking for other soaps to try and found a company called Soap for Goodness Sake*.  Many of their soaps had low ratings on the Cosmetics Database so I thought I'd order some samples and try them out.  It took some getting used to using a bar of soap on my hair for shampoo but they lathered up so well and the lather was so luxurious that I was over that in no time.  :)  AND they smell heavenly - some very herby, and some very yummy.  I no longer pine for the body washes and soaps from the chain stores I used to frequent.  I think the best part of all for me is it simplified my routine.  I use one bar of soap on my hair (no need for conditioner anymore), face, body and for shaving.

*If you'd like to check out the soaps by Soap For Goodness Sake, you can find a link in my list of Noted Websites.  And no, I am not being paid to endorse them - I just wanted to share my positive experience with their products. 

On another note, my face has cleared up dramatically - my deep pores no longer get clogged constantly.  I dont' use the myriad of face products anymore - just the bar soap to clean, witch hazel to tone when needed now and then and dab an essential oil on here and there for moisturizing - as needed.  I used to have VERY oily skin.  No longer.  My face feels good all the time and I am not doing much to it.  I hardly put much makeup on either - haven't needed it.  Its truly been a liberating experience for me.  I feel good and I like what I see when I look in the mirror.

Its alot cheaper too - I dont spend a fraction of what I used to on facial products.  One bar of soap costs me $4-5 and that's about all I need. 

So, I am back to enjoying my guilty pleasure of lathering up with some incredibly scented soap in the shower and feeling like I am doing something REALLY good for myself and my family.  :)