Homemade Laundry Detergent & Deodorant!
The Mister and I are not ones to skimp on quality. No no, my entire family will confirm my champagne taste. But with things like toiletries and cleaners, I have learned that a high price-tag does not equal high quality. The salon is not formulating their sodium lauryl sulfate better than CVS.
And so, I began making my own concoctions. I’m voting for health with my money. Every dollar I spend on raw ingredients for toiletries & cleaners means less toxins in my body. And wouldn’t you know it, it’s cheaper. Now I’m paying LESS for a better product.
DEODORANT
5-6 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil*
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup Arrowroot Powder
Several drops fragrant essential oil, optional
Place mixing bowl with ingredients over warm water in the sink—EVCO* is solid at room temperature, but melts when warm. Mix until ingredients are combined. Pour into deodorant container and place in refrigerator until solid again. Refrigerating the deodorant ensures ingredients are uniformly mixed and that EVCO doesn’t rise to the top.
Elements Bath & Body has lovely little deodorant containers for those of us who don’t want to reuse an old deo tube. I like the 2 oz. Natural Twist Up, but this deodorant is also easy to apply with your hands. In fact, you can just rub the leftovers on like lotion.
LAUNDRY DETERGENT
1 cup Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds
2 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 cup baking soda
Warm water, salt, and baking soda in a sauce pan over Low-Medium heat on stove until mostly dissolved—the baking soda will not completely dissolve. Pour into a gallon container with Sal Suds (I use empty distilled white vinegar bottles). Fill rest of bottle with water, and shake well. The baking soda will settle to the bottom, so shake bottle before each use. Use 1/4-1/2 Cup of detergent for each load of laundry.
For a natural fabric softener, whitener & color brightener, and to remove static cling, use 1/4-/1/2 cup distilled white vinegar in the rinse cycle.
(Thanks to Lindsay Edmonds at Passionate Homemaking for these recipes. They work like a dream!)
Gluten-Free Life
If you haven’t seen the phrase “gluten-free” on grocery store shelves more lately, then you haven’t been paying attention. But what is gluten, and why would one want to be free of it? Is it just another random food phobia propagating a new fad diet? Or is it, like trans-fats, something to be avoided at all costs? While some might think it’s just the new, cool alterna-food craze, for people like me it’s a necessity of life.
Read the rest of this entry »
Homemade Toothpaste!
Inspired by Lindsay Edmonds at Passionate Homemaking, I decided to make my very own toothpaste. What are the benefits of making your own toothpaste, you may ask? Oh, my friends, they are virtually endless: saving money, avoiding yucky/toxic ingredients in name-brand toothpastes, telling corporate America I won’t be duped into buying their marketing nonsense, etc. etc. etc.
Joshua’s former-favorite Crest toothpaste has the following ingredients:
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Sodium Fluoride, Sorbitol, Water, Hydrated Silica, Flavor, Disodium Pyrophosphate, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Sodium Saccharin, Sodium Hydroxide, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Polyethylene, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide, Blue 1 Aluminum Lake, Yellow 10 Aluminum Lake.
Our new homemade minty toothpaste has the following ingredients:
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2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 3 Tablespoons Baking Soda, 1 Tablespoon Salt, 2 teaspoons Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile Soap.
Just place a mixing bowl over warm water, stir ingredients together, and put in a resealable container. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so the warm water melts it to make mixing easier. Brush daily!
How To Afford Organic
Organic products often cost more than “traditional” ones.* So how can a family do right for the environment and their bodies without going broke? Well, here’s how we Blankenships do it.
Food Revolution Thoughts
Joshua and I watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution the other night, and it is really impacting me. Paying attention to proper nutrition and changing my food habits has made such a huge difference in my health (I have been infection free for a year!). But I certainly wasn’t passionate about this until I became sick. So I want to ask: what does “living a healthy life” mean to you? And more specifically, what do you want to know about [your] health, food, nutrition, etc.?
Heirloom Seeds
When you plant heirloom seeds in your garden this year, you’re protecting America’s biodiversity and culinary heritage. Seventh Generation’s blog shares what heirloom varieties mean to us and where to find them.
Homemade Caesar Dressing!
Want to avoid soy and other ridiculous additives in grocery store condiments? YOU CAN. Make your own. The world is full of delicious recipes you want to try. So go for it!
CAESAR DRESSING
6 garlic cloves, mashed/minced
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise*
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper
Lemon juice
Minced anchovy, optional
Combine garlic, dijon, vinegar, and 2 pinches of salt in a blender. Add mayonnaise and blend. Slowly add olive oil. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon.
*I haven’t tried to make my own mayonnaise yet, but that’s definitely happening soon.
Is Your Organic Beauty Product Really Organic?
Many personal care products claiming to be “organic” aren’t. So the National Organic Standards Board is asking the USDA to enforce the same organic standard on beauty products as it does on food. The Organic Consumer’s Association has the story and a list of brands perpetuating the fraud. Visit Skin Deep’s searchable database to find almost any beauty product’s toxicity level.
Why Is Bottled Water Evil?
“Evil“, you may say, is too strong a word to describe an inanimate object. Well, maybe yes. But when you consider the systems that produce it and even the psychology of why we want it, I think it’s not far-fetched to say bottled water is a moral issue. See this infographic for reasons why.
Man Succumbs To 7-Year Battle With Health Insurance
The Onion, while not always my fave, nailed it in this story. Satire is a feisty weapon.
