Homemade Deodorant: Friend or Foe?

Middle of summer. Great time to throw off the balance and try a new deodorant, isn't it? 

 I'll admit, I had qualms about trying to make my own deodorant. Won't it irritate my skin? How effective can this be? I sweat a lot, you know; what's wrong again with antiperspirants? The fact is, I've been hearing rumblings about how unhealthy antiperspirants are for a while now. And I've always hesitated to apply it more than once a day, after a shower or shave, or before bed.

While the researchers at the National Cancer Institute and The American Cancer Society agree that antiperspirants are non-carcinogenic (don't cause cancer), they also have no problems stating the fact that the aluminum used creates a "temporary" plug in the sweat glands under the arm. Isn't sweat, in moderation, through the armpits good for detox though? And these groups also make note of the connection of using antiperspirants after shaving (and starting this habit before the age of 16) may or may not be linked to breast cancer later in life. Both these fundamental scientists groups mention that parabens used as a preservative in deodorants and antiperspirants do build up in breast tissue and may or may not contribute to breast cancer. This sounds like there is still enough "what ifs" out there to question commercial antiperspirant use.

What Its Like To Be A Student Midwife - Part 1

I haven't blogged about my education and current course of training yet so I thought today would be a great place to start. After graduating high school through home school, and completing a year at Bible/missionary college, I have taken the plunge to learning the skills of a traditional midwife. No, I don't paint the pregnant woman's stomach, sing kum-ba-yah or any other hippy dippy voo doo type of thing. And no, I don't wear scrubs and go from room to room on the maternity ward of some big hospital monitoring blood pressure. Instead, I got to make a drawing today!

Drawing by Me!

What's a midwife? And what's a student midwife? And why did I did draw this today? And what is it a picture of? You may have many questions. Here, let me answer some for you.

Mouth Health Revisited

Like I've said before, I haven't used commercial toothpaste in over 2 months, instead I get rid of bacteria through an ancient therapy called oil pulling (read my post here). However, I quickly became aware of the fact that coconut oil isn't the only thing that my mouth needs. Using just the oil pulling technique left me waking up with dry mouth. And I really began missing that peppermint fresh taste first thing in the morning or before bed after a salty snack. Enter an all natural tooth soap made by US company Rose of Sharon Acres. Ever wondered what kind of tooth cleaning options are out there besides sweetened and abrasive toothpaste?

Photo credit goes to Rose of Sharon Acres

Meet Tooth Chips Spritz - Liquid Soap for Your Pearly Whites with Neem Bark.What's it like? Let me tell you.

This is What Happens When I Read...

This may seem a bit out of place with the flow of the rest of my blog, but hear me out. I just finished a book. And, as is usually the case with me whenever I finish reading a book, I am filled with passion for whatever cause the book elevated. Thus, this blog is now becoming the means by which I can share this passion with others. You're welcome. :)

The book I finished is called One Glorious Ambition: The Compassionate Crusade of Dorothea Dix by Jane Kirkpatrick (WaterBrook Press, 2013). Miss Dix never married. Which is the reason I chose this book to read out of the 30-some others lining various shelves, dresser drawers and boxes in my possession. I am getting rather tired of flighty, overly dramatic, unrealistically romantic, airhead fiction readers dominating the book world today. One Glorious Ambition is unlike anything I have ever read before. It is a historically accurate fictional portrayal of the life of Dorothea L. Dix, a female reformer for the rights of moral treatment for the "indigent insane", living in the late 1800s. Remarkable! She remained a proper New England lady all the while she campaigned in Congress and traveled the country, writing surveys and depictions of inhumane treatment of those relieved of their reason. Her hands on approach was revolutionary and awe-inspiring. Astounding! She even continued her life's work in Scotland and parts of Europe. Incredible!

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a change of pace, something to make them stop and think, or a reason to sit and contemplate their purpose in life. Miss Dix overcame bleak beginnings to live with purpose. She truly is an incredible woman worthy of study, and Jane Kirkpatrick's novel is wonderfully written and a great place to start.

Homemade Pore Strips: Does it Work??

You can call me a skeptic if you want, but I just don't believe everything I find on the internet. Especially now that I am interested in homemade, natural, cleaner, green products and treatments. Enter the Homemade Pore Strip.

Product I LOVE: KinderHaven Farm Goat Milk Soap

There is nothing else better on the beauty product market than natural, nourishing, great-smelling, US made goat milk soap made by KinderHaven Farms. Plus, I've known this family forever so that makes it that much better.

Visit their website here

Why goat milk soap? No harsh chemicals; cleans better than regular body wash style products; instead of drying out skin, goat milk soap will literally nourish your skin. I had dreadfully dried out, cracked, and peeling skin on the bottom of my feet. After switching to my now favorite jasmine vanilla goat milk bar soap from KinderHaven Farms the skin on my feet is actually healing, not just kind of softening a little, after each shower. It has also greatly reduced the amount of body acne I had on my chest, shoulders, and back. I use it to wash my face also and my T-zone, combination oily skin has become wonderfully balanced.

One bar costs $4.95 (plus shipping and handling) and the soaps come in a wide variety of fragrances, like Emerald Tweed and Tanzanian Clove for men or Sun-kissed Currant and Lilac for women. There are even herbal choices like Lavender Oatmeal and Olive & Green Tea. The main ingredients are palm & coconut oils; goat milk & water; sodium hydroxide; olive, rice bran, soy & sunflower oils, flax seed & palm kernel oils; unrefined shea butter, silk fibers. If you keep the bar soap out of your shower and/or on a wooden soap dish it will last longer without washing away.

Buy this awesome soap here

How I Use It:

1. In the shower, lather the bar soap with a wet loofah. 
2. The soap makes a luxurious, soft, foamy lather.
3. It smells great.
4. May need to re-lather halfway through the shower.
5. Can also be used on face, in hair, or as a shaving lather.

 Love this stuff! Check out the website for more great products made by KinderHaven Farm!

Before You Get Rid of Shampoo...

I started my no poo transformation close to three weeks ago. That means I haven't used any natural oil stripping shampoos and hydration overkill conditioners in my hair. At all. And to be honest, I'm starting to miss it. I really liked not having to think about what I was going to wash my hair with or what the harsh ingredients in my favorite shampoo were doing to the longevity and overall health of my hair. Life was simpler a month ago. It was wash, rinse, repeat. 

Jam Day on the Homefront

Know what's amazing? Strawberries. Know what's better than strawberries? Picking them yourself. Know what's better than picking strawberries? Turning them into jam. Know what's better than homemade strawberry jam? NOTHING. Or heaven. One of those. If there is strawberry jam made by angels in heaven than yes, heaven is the only thing better than homemade strawberry jam. 

No More TOOTHPASTE?!?!?

That's right, you read it first here. I haven't used commercially made toothpaste for over a month. And let me tell you, it has been wonderful. 

As you can see, we have one main jar for the family and each member has their own small container. 

 A while ago my mother had shared with me some information about what is actually inside a tube of toothpaste and, being an independent and slightly impetuous teenager, I brushed it aside saying, "If it makes my breath fresh and teeth white then I am fine with it." Basically what I was really declaring was that what I don't know won't hurt me so don't talk to me about it. 

Of course my mother is right. Duh! A truly harmful chemical called sodium lauryl sulphate is used in just about every toothpaste... as well as shampoos, detergents, etc. (Since this post is not about SLS exclusively, you can check out this website for full disclosure on the stuff). What else is in toothpaste that I am on a revolt against? Sweeteners. Most toothpastes have aspartame (which is a banned substance in most countries outside of the US) or sodium saccharin (commonly known as Sweet n' Low) to make the paste taste good. Everyone knows what sweeteners do to your teeth so why was I rubbing it all over the inside of my mouth?