Thursday, July 7, 2011

My personal war against chemicals

As part of my journey towards health, I have learned a lot about how bad harsh chemicals are. I knew cleaners were bad, but I didn't realize how good simple vinegar and baking soda were. No harsh smells, and they get everything so clean!! I took a bizarre path when I read about making my own toothpaste.

I had just finished reading about how too much flouride causes osteoporosis. I figure that the amount of flouride I get from the gallons of tap water is sufficient. Then the next article I read was about homemade toothpaste. I had most of the ingredients, so I whipped up a batch. It tasted pretty nasty, but my teeth felt cleaner than when I went to the dentist! I was hooked. I added more peppermint oil and it tasted better, but still a little salty. I haven't used conventional toothpaste since I made it. It is awkward to put on a brush, but my teeth are so CLEAN!

My success with the toothpaste led to me make deoderant. I admit I didn't take it to Florida with me, but that's because the melting point for coconut oil is 76 degrees and I didn't want my container to leak. This stuff works so well! I used the second recipe and used arrowroot instead of corn starch. The only issue is it will detox the area and you may have 1-2 days of a detox rash. After that, everything is fine. My pits don't smell and I feel dry.

Next up is sunscreen, since most commercial brands are toxic. S is allergic to some of them, so I would like to find something better. Then I want to move on to bug spray. The big test of this will be our Galway trip. Mosquitos like to munch on us and we're tired of being the buffet. I'm having so much fun playing with this!!!

2 comments:

LRNs said...

Just remember that even natural and/or homemade stuff can be dangerous.

A Pocket Full of Posey said...

Trust me, I do tons of research before I do something. Lots of natural things cause problems. I love lavender, but it screws with hormones. I try to go with things that have no side effects. Coconut oil is so safe they put it in premature baby formula. I figure it's good enough to cook with, use as lotion, and put in toothpaste and deoderant.

It always cracks me up when people think just because they buy something in a natural food store that it's healthy. Ummm - no. Chips are still junk food and soda is still crap. You still have to know what you are buying.

I'm trying to get away from processed food and chemicals because of my allergies. It's working because I am getting healthier and I can't remember the last time I took allergy medicine or Advil. I used to live on both medicines. I didn't wake up one morning and decide never to take them. I just stopped needing them.