Natural Body and Home Care

I’m a little late to this party, but I am finally starting to look at seriously changing many of my body care habits to be more natural and less toxic. I’ve realized this was important for quite some time, but have given myself a break on the topic because dealing with sourcing, cooking, and managing my food was enough for me to handle. Although I feel like I’m pretty good in the kitchen and pretty well versed in the food department, it does still get a little overwhelming sometimes. It took time to get familiar and comfortable with all the “strange” ingredients this lifestyle introduces (things like coconut and almond flours, arrowroot powder, apple cider vinegar, ghee, I could go on…) and slowly start accumulating them. I wasn’t ready to jump in on the natural body care stuff as well, at least not at first when I wasn’t quite sure I’d like the results and didn’t want to waste money on stuff that would just sit around.

But now, I’m ready. I think. Inspired by Easy Paleo’s post about how she’s starting this process, I’m about to embark on trying out some new products and/or recipes. I will make sure to keep you posted on how it goes. Here’s the list of things I’m going to try over the next few weeks. Please note that I haven’t moved on to hair products just yet (baby steps!) and still am using my Deva Curl products, which don’t seem to be too incredibly toxic according to Safe Cosmetics, at least. I’m not even going to mention my hair color – I tried to wean myself off that habit with disastrous results. I realize it’s not all or nothing and my hair color habit probably won’t knock me dead any time soon and does not undo any other positive changes I decide to make. Any attempt at reducing my exposure to toxins is probably worthwhile (I hope!) I’d also like to get into using more natural homecare products as well. I’ll list the ones I already use or plan to try below, too, but I have a lot more room to grow there as well. Any suggestions you all have in this department are welcome!

Body Care Products/Ideas

• Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil Blend (Used this for months already – body care from the inside-out!)
• Oil Cleansing Method (I’m going to try this out just with coconut oil because I have it on hand before trying out the caster oil/grape seed oil blend)
• Grandma's Lye Soap (just ordered this)
• Natural Deodorant (I will mix some the second, easier recipe up tonight since I have the stuff on hand)
• OraWellness Brushing Blend, Toothbrush, and Tongue Scraper (ordered these online today for a total of about $35 with shipping)
• Epsom Salts in the Bath (very relaxing – love this!)
• Natural Beach Waves Spray (Mine didn’t turn out that great – I used too much conditioner. Will try again)
• Primal Life Organics (I think I'll probably start with the Primal Face and Body Package - I'll see how my attempts at making my own deoterant and using the oil cleansing method go first)

Home Care Products/Ideas

• Vinegar and Baking Soda to clean (used both in the shower with a wash cloth and it worked well!)
• Vinegar with water as a glass cleaner (tried this in the past and it works)
• Tropical Traditions Dish Washer Detergent (I’ve been meaning to try this – will order next time I run out)
• Seventh Generation Laundry Liquid  (not up for making my own)
• Dish Soap (I’ve used this for awhile – it is effective and smells good)

If you're looking for good info on this topic, definitely check out Cavegirl Eats and Wellness Mama - both have tons of great resources, recipes, etc.