Since we learned all about how horrible fluoride really is (it's the one and only ingredient in rat poison!) my hunny bunny and I have been making our own toothpaste. It's super easy, and we were both impressed by how white it made our teeth. We are have both smoked on and off for 10 years or more, and the following recipe changed my smile from yellowish to white, while removing 90% of the brown nasty stuff between hunny bunny's teeth. It's been a solid 9 months since either of us has brushed with anything else.
If the baking soda makes your mouth feel dry, drink a big glass of water afterwards, or increase the amount of coconut oil used.
Toothpaste
baking soda
hydrogen peroxide
coconut oil - we use the solid form
a few drops of peppermint oil (optional - I leave it out, but some people may prefer the minty taste)
You can mix all the ingredients together in a food processor if you have one. If you are lazy like me, I keep the baking soda in a glass jar in the bathroom. Dump about a tablespoon in the lid, pour a few drops of peroxide, scoop up some coconut oil on your toothbrush and stir it all together in the lid. Exact amounts aren't so important, just experiment until you find what suits your taste. If you are using this for children who swallow everything, leave out the hydrogen peroxide. Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial so it'll still do the job.
So once your mouth is feeling fresh, now you decide to go chemical free and pamper yourself a little bit with homemade shampoo and sugar scrub. Not only will it save you money, your body won't be absorbing all the icky chemicals from that storebought crap. Think about it. You shower to get clean, get all the dirt and bacteria off yourself, and smell and feel good. Rather than cover your body in chemicals you should be using wholesome ingredients with naturally beneficial properties. Your skin is your largest organ and absorbs what you put on it just the same as if you ate whatever it is. So you don't want to be using poison every day.
Shampoo for Dark Hair
3 ounces liquid castile soap
2 bags black tea
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon olive, sesame, or coconut oil
1 tablespoon rosemary
Boil the water and steep the tea and rosemary in it for a minimum of 30 minutes. You can add the rosemary to a teabell so you don't need to strain it out afterwards. Pour just the liquid into the bottle of your choosing. If you decided on coconut oil you may need to melt it before adding, either way go ahead and dump in the rest of the ingredients and shake well. If you find your hair is 'crunchy' after washing, add more water to the bottle.
My mother used this shampoo and she said it helped cover up her greys and extend how long her dye jobs lasted. Unlike some other homemade shampoos, this recipe will produce suds as you wash. We are all used to our commercial soaps foaming and sudsing, and are conditioned to feel that if it doesn't produce soap bubbles it isn't getting clean. However suds are not an indication of cleaning power. That said, I am calling myself a hypocrite because i like shampoo that lathers, although the lather serves no purpose (it's the castile soap that does it).
Conditioner
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
Mix together and shake before using. It's that easy :)
Sugar Scrub
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Stir the brown sugar and cocoa together, then add the olive oil. Mix in the lemon juice which acts as a natural preservative. This gets messy so definitely use it in the vicinity of the bathtub. You can store this for up to a month.
