Chemical Detox

Although I’ve never done a detox, I know plenty of people who have.  I also know a lot of people who sort of “detox” by no longer eating processed foods and eating as organic as possible instead. And the other week I got the bug to detox.

But not my body.

See I fully believe eating better will certainly make you feel better. And yes, there are some definite health benefits (and environmental benefits too if you’re trying to eat organic and locally). But the more and more I’ve researched after doing my “What’s in your face wash?” post, I’m not sure it will make as big of a difference if you are still using products full of chemicals.

I’ve recently found myself, now armed with my new knowledge and understanding, wanting lecture people who talk up how they eat all organic foods, recycle and compost, drive their Prius, and then go spritz hair spray all over themselves. Why? Because, they pretty much just counteracted all that goodness they put into their bodies with that hair spray, and probably the shampoo and conditioner they washed their hair with earlier too.

I’ll have more on ingredients later, but just trust me here (it’s a lot to write up, I’m working on it). At the end I’m going to go ahead and give you some easy steps to take to detox your own products. I couldn’t just torture you with my ramblings.

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My family started a chemical detox of our house a couple of years ago, and I’ve done a detox of my personal care products in the last 6 months. But there was one area I still had to detox.

My dresser drawers.

I’ll be honest, one reason it was such a major mess was because I don’t really touch anything in those drawers. Which was a good reason why it needed to be cleaned out. But I was also ready to get rid of the last remaining hazards to my health.

I also found lots of interesting things.

Like my retainer that I’m still suppose to wearing a couple nights a week.

Oops.

I panicked this fall because I thought I was out of albuterol for my nebulizer. Nope, just buried deep in my drawer. Although look at that expiration date, probably was time for some new stuff anyways.

Who remembers these?!

Mine still contained all my things that were in there for my last ballet recital as a senior. I still haven’t been able to bring myself to clean it out.

These actually work great in hair.

Another flash back for you! Bon Bons mini nail polish bottles! I used to love these because I could buy quite a few with only one week’s worth of allowance.

After I was done, I had a bin of products, every single one containing at least one, more often lots, of harmful chemicals.

My issue then became what to do with all of it. I considered it toxic waste, but my state did not (a few states do, so check on that). I did have some good recyclables though.

These bottles are a nice small size and have a fine mist, so I saved them to be cleaned out.

I’ve been wanting to make my own deodorant, so I’m glad I’m weird and saved almost used up deodorants.

I saved a few other items, but most just went into the recycling after I emptied them.

I emptied into a plastic bag, but I’d highly recommend emptying into a jar of some sort. It got quite messy and well, just trust me here.

Interesting thing to note was that as I started pouring out all these products, I could smell the chemicals like never before. Some of the stuff were items that I used to use on an almost daily basis. Funny how we get used to smells. I know I wouldn’t have used them had I thought they smelled like chemicals, and because I had become used to the smell I didn’t notice.

I also developed a major headache while dumping out the contents.

But don’t worry, I cured it by smelling some rosemary and peppermint essential oils.

Ahhhh… yay for all natural!

Another interesting thing I noticed was how many bottles gave the illusion that they were natural and safe, yet were anything but that when you read the ingredients list. Which is why I’m working on putting together some more information about how to read ingredient list because well, labels cannot be trusted.

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Now it’s your turn to detox. You don’t have to do it all at once, although you are certainly welcome to. But for most of us, it can be overwhelming (and time consuming) to do it that way. Here are some steps you can take to detox your daily routine.

1. Research

Crunchy Betty, Keeper of the Home, and Pinterest are three of my favorite places to look for new ideas. I have a couple boards on Pinterest with ideas for all-natural, do-it-yourself personal and home care products. (If you need an invite to Pinterest, please feel free to send me a message!) You’ll get an idea of the types of things you can make (anything and everything), what you want to try, and what you think would be easiest for you to try first. (Yes, start with easy first! Something as simple as swapping your face wash.)

2. Gather

Gather all the products you use every day. With the ideas you researched choose one or two things to make and replace each week. Keep in mind some items may require specialty ingredients. Plan ahead and make purchases accordingly. Try to choose recipes that incorporate some of the same ingredients versus ones that would require purchasing a new set of ingredients. This will help keep it from becoming too expensive. Good places for ingredients and supplies are Amazon.com, Mountain Rose Herbs, TKBTrading, and Specialty Bottle.

3. Make

Making your own stuff is quite fun, fulfilling, and actually not all that time consuming, especially once you get the hang of things. If you stager what you make, things shouldn’t run out at the same time, which will make it easier for you to manage keeping up with making you own things. And if something doesn’t work for you, look for something else. There are many different ways to do/make one thing.

4. Keep Going

After you’ve replaced the items you use daily, move on to things you use less frequently and branch out from personal care products to things like cleaning products and health care.

But you say what if I don’t want to make my own stuff?

I suggest making your own stuff for two reasons. One, because it’s cheaper in the long run, much cheaper. Two, because I still spot supposedly safe alternatives that contain questionable ingredients. The easiest way, I feel, to know you are using safe products is to make them yourself. You know everything in them is safe.

If you still want to purchase your products, I suggest visiting a local natural foods store. We have Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Mom’s Organic Market, and The Natural Market in our area, all which are chain stores, so check to see if you have one of them, or another store locally. They all carry products that will probably be much safer than what you were previously using.

It’s really not that hard. Start small and roll with it. That’s how I got going. Before you know it you’ll be well on your way to a much healthier you!

Easy, Cheap, and All-Natural Eye Make-up Remover

I few months ago I posted about my homemade eye make-up removing wipes. Over all I’ve like them, however I wanted a more liquid version and something that would be a little more portable (versus having to remember to pack a few wipes).

This recipe works great and is super cheap and easy. It requires only three items. And no measuring.

You’ll need olive oil, witch hazel, and a container to put it in. (Yes, that’s a coffee mate container holding my olive oil.)

*Few notes:

-Interesting article on the quality of olive oils on the market

-A lot of people use baby oil, which is mineral oil. I do NOT recommend it!

-Witch hazel can be found at places like Wal-Mart. Look in the area where you would find rubbing alcohol, usually on the isle with the band-aids. 

Now that that’s cleared up we can get down to business – making your eye make-up remover. Ready?

Fill your bottle with one part olive oil and two parts witch hazel.

Now shake and use. (You’ll need to shake before each use since it does separate.)

*Note: Less is more! You don’t need much to clean your make-up off. Too much and you’ll end up with really greasy eyes. 

Yes, it really is that easy. And considering you most likely have olive oil already on hand and witch hazel is a whopping $2 a bottle, it’s super cheap too.

Pair it with some cut up fleece squares that you can wash and reuse and you’ll be well on your way to being a little more crunchy!

“What’s in Your Facial Wash?”

Just like the barbaric vikings in the Capital One commercials ask “what’s in your wallet?” have you ever stopped and asked yourself, what’s in your facial wash?

About two months ago I stumbled upon this blog. If you are trying to go all natural, this is pretty much the holy grail. It’s a lot to work through, but it’s chocked full of amazingly valuable information that your mama or grandma probably didn’t even know about.

It took me a little while to work up the, erm, courage, I guess, to try this new facial regimen, but I’ve fallen in love and am now attempting to convert everyone who will listen. My skin has never felt to amazing, or looked so good. There is also the added benefit that I’m not scrubbing my face with toxic, harmful, and potentially, cancer causing chemicals.

* Yes, I researched this. I looked up the ingredients in Clinique Liquid Facial Soap (a supposedly popular choice according to my searches). The first ingredient listed is purified water. Um, okay. Why would I pay $15 for a little bottle of something that consists mainly of water? Second ingredient, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), which is often used as a engine degreaser. It surrounds hair follicles and can prevent hair from growing as well as make hair fall out. It keeps children’s eye from developing properly. If used in toothpaste it will weaken enamel and cause cavities. SLS is considered very abrasive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies it as a probable human carcinogen and it is classified in the state of California to cause cancer.

Awesome-sauce. If that doesn’t make you go running, I don’t know what will. 

There were three other ingredients listed that are harmful and/or are known or probable carcinogens. I also checked my bottle of Mary Kay Velocity facial wash and again, first ingredient water, next two, probable carcinogens. 

Sweet… I’m going to officially start freaking out now. And we wonder why cancer is on the rise. Sheesh! 

So what do I wash my face with?

Honey.

Yes, I said honey. You know, that stuff that comes from bees. Often used to sweeten tea or added to toast or biscuits. Yes, that stuff.

Turns out, it incredibly beneficial to your skin too. No harmful chemicals needed.

Honey is antibacterial and antimicrobial. A.K.A. it says adios to anything trying to create pimples in on your skin. I’ve seen a great improvement in how much clearer my complexion looks. I haven’t really battled acne for a while now, but overall I just feel like my skin looks better.

Honey is drying, yet moisturizing. This is probably my number one reason for loving washing my face with honey. Honey will slightly dry your skin, which will help dwindle down a pimple’s hopes of thriving. It’s also moisturizing, in a good way. I’ve always had this dry/oily skin battle going on. My skin is more on the oily side, however, especially in the winter, it feels dried out, especially on my forehead. I would smear layers and layers of moisturizer on my face, only to still have dry, flaky patches. Why? Probably because those moisterizers just sat on top of my skin and did nothing more than clog up my pores. Honey actually sinks into the skin and gives it true moisture. The issue of dry patches is completely gone, and I find I need to little to no moisturizer now.

It also has awesome enzymes (great for anti-aging), is great for all skin types, and has healing qualities as well (probably one reason why my skin looks better too).

I mean really, what can beat that?

Um, nothing.

Now I do like to pair my honey with my friend baking soda. (Which you saw in the picture at the beginning of the post and probably wondered how it would come into play.) Baking soda makes a great microdermabrasion, for cheap! And to think I used to pay Mary Kay thirty-something-dollars for a microdermabrasion full of chemicals?! Seriously, my skin feels better after my cheap-o baking soda scrub than the expensive, bad-for-ya one.

So here’s what my facial regimen looks like right now.

*If you need help selecting honey to use visit the Crunchy Betty site for a guide on selecting your honey. I’ve been using the “no-no” store bought honey so far, but I’m going to be looking for a local, organic supplier of raw honey soon.

Everyday, twice a day, my face gets washed with honey. I prefer to dampen my face ever so slightly, then with dry hands, massage a bit of honey (about a teaspoon amount) into my skin for 1-2 minutes. Then I rinse it off with warm water and I’m done. If I feel like I need to moisturize I use a tiny amount of the Melaleuca Co.’s Renew lotion with a little extra melaleuca oil added. Most the time, I don’t feel I need to though.

*I don’t use a lot of heavy make-up on my skin, just a light brushing of mineral powder foundation. Because of this, I just use honey to wash it off. If you use heavier foundations on your face, you’ll want to follow below to remove it. Mix it on a washcloth and use that to wash your face.

If I am taking a shower, then I replace one of those plain honey washes with a honey and baking soda wash. I mix in a little bit of baking soda in with my honey and mix it into a thick paste in a little bowl (condiment cups work great). I rub this into my face and then let my face soak in all it’s goodness while I shampoo, shave, etc. Then I gently scrub for 2-3 minutes in a circular motion and rinse.

Try it and tell me your skin doesn’t feel amazing after that! No really, I dare you to toss all your store bought cleansers in the trash and go for it. You probably won’t even have to go out and buy anything. It’s probably in your kitchen right now.

So go do it and no longer fear what’s in your facial wash.

*This post could also be titled “the post in which I use a lot of asterisks with italics.” 

Edited to add: I washed my face with a commercial cleanser the other day. My skin felt like it was burning and also felt super dry afterwards. I had to moisturize. Now that’s saying something.