Five Ways to Use One Bar of Soap

It's easier than you think to create your own natural products. This week I offer five suggestions for transforming one bar of castile soap into something useful around your home. Castile is a natural version of the synthetic soaps readily available in stores.  Where can you find castile soap?

Just So natural products offers an all-natural, chemical-free Coconut Castile soap. This recipe uses the same oils that we use in our kitchen, since I don't like to put anything on my skin that I can't consume. (View our Signature Coconut Castile soap here. We also offer this soap in grated form available here.)

Other sources for castile soap include Kirk's and Dr. Bronner's.

1. Powdered Laundry Soap

1 c. washing soda
1 c. borax
4 oz. grated castile soap
Combine and use 1-2 tablespoons per load. For more specific details, see momsAWARE's article, Homemade Laundry Soap.



2. Liquid Laundry Soap

Add warm water to 1-2 tbsp. powdered laundry soap and stir before adding to the washer, or make the liquid recipe found in momsAWARE's  Homemade Laundry Soap article.

3. Liquid Castile Soap

Grate 4 oz. bar of castile soap and combine with 4 c. hot water. Stir until soap pieces dissolve. Optional: add 2 tbsp. vegetable glycerin (available at health food stores or online).

Transfer to glass jar and cover. This liquid soap can be used in numerous recipes, including those on this list.

This version of liquid castile soap will be cloudy and will need to be shaken periodically. This is purely aesthetic and perfectly normal. (True liquid castile soap traditionally uses potassium hydroxide rather than sodium hydroxide, which mixes without clouding.)

4. Dish Soap

1 c. liquid castile soap (see recipe #3)
1 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tbsp. washing soda (to thicken mixture)
5 drops tea tree oil or essential oil of choice (optional)
5 drops grapefruit seed extract for added disinfection (optional)
Combine in liquid soap dispenser. Dilute if desired.

Soft Scrubber

1/4 - 1/2 c. liquid castile soap (see recipe #3)
1 c. baking soda
5 drops tea tree oil or essential oil(s) of choice

Combine in bottle and shake. Add enough water to make a thick liquid paste. Apply to sponge or directly to surface and wipe with damp cloth or sponge. Rinse with water.

Another option? Sprinkle baking soda over surface. Follow this with a light distribution of liquid castile soap. I use this method as I find it much simpler. Either way - it's extremely effective.

Interested in more ways to use 1 bar of soap? Check out momsAWARE's 12 Things to Do with One Bar of Soap.

This post shared at Natural Living Monday.

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5 Ways to Moisturize Your Skin Naturally

Wondering how to keep you skin soft this winter without the use of harsh chemicals? First check out your skin type. See this article for more.

These 5 alternatives are affordable, effective and 100% natural!

1. Dry Skin Brushing

I rank this as number one when it comes to maintaining soft skin. It is simple, cheap, and effective. I began dry skin brushing initially to boost my lymphatic system and circulation. I was shocked by the skin softening effect. Never has my skin been softer. For more on the overall health benefits, as well as brushing methods, see my article, The Benefits of  Dry Skin Brushing.

2. Butters

Butters are plant based fatty oils. Generally found in solid form, these emollients include mango butter, cocoa butter, avocado butter and shea butter. When purchased from a reliable supplier you can be assured that these are naturally derived with no additives. Butters offer add protection since they are not as easily absorbed as semi-fatty oils. Mountain Rose Herbs offers an excellent selection of butters.

3. Oils

Popular skin softening oils include olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, castor oil, sunflower oil, apricot kernel oil, as well as avocado oil. Look for organic, so as to ensure no chemicals are used during the extraction process. Wondering about the difference between cold-pressed, expeller pressed and other oil terminology? Mountain Rose Herbs offers an excellent explanation. Semi-fatty oils are more easily absorbed than butters. The amount of residue will vary depending on your skin type. Safflower oil is the driest of the oils and absorbed most rapidly.

4. Waxes

Beeswax and jojoba fall under this category. Jojoba is generally purchased as an oil, but is technically a wax. It contains myristic acid which is similar in composition to human skin. Jojoba traps water inside the skin without clogging pores which makes it an excellent moisturizer for those with acne or inflamed skin conditions. Beeswax is not absorbed by the skin but creates a nice layer of protection. It must be heated and therefore is often used in combination with oils and butters.

5. A Combination of Oils and Butters

This is a great option because it allows you to tailor the recipe to suit your skin type. If using coconut oil, the addition of butter stabilizes the consistency of the oil rendering it consistent in warmer temperatures. One of my favorite blends combines coconut oil, jojoba oil, plum kernel oil and shea butter. View the recipe here.

Finding the right natural moisturizer may take some trial and error - but the efforts are well worth it. Your skin and your immune system will thank you!

This post shared at Wellness Wednesdays.
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School Environmental Policy

Imagine a school with a chemical-free, fragrance-free policy. One with a strong stand on the issue of water damage. One which makes the connection between a child's ability to learn and the indoor air environment. A school which forbids the use of toxic markers.

Sound implausible?

Several schools have emerged. One in Glendale, Arizona. Challenge Charter School is a K-6 school with the following environmental policy:

Chemicals and chemically-laden material will be considered toxic and not allowed or used on site until proven safe. Biological contaminants, such as bacteria and mold, will be considered hazardous and, therefore, abated. Indoor air quality, along with other environmental factors in and around the school, affects the health, performance and productivity of all occupants. Children are more susceptible to environmental hazards, and the biochemistry of each person is unique. Accordingly, the Environmental Health Policy must be inclusive to ensure the provision of an optimum school environment that is healthful for all occupants and conducive to the learning needs of all students.

1. Pesticides and their use are prohibited on school premises. A system of integrated pest management shall be employed to monitor, prevent, suppress and eliminate pests without using any pesticides.
2. Smoking of tobacco is prohibited on campus. Signs prohibiting smoking shall be placed at the main entrances of the school building.
3. Cleaning and maintenance of the school and furnishings is to be done using safer, non-toxic products that are least odorous (e.g. baking soda, vinegar, Bon-Ami, borax, Basic H and I). A solution of water and up to 10% chlorine bleach may be used for disinfecting purposes.
4. Use of aerosol sprays is prohibited inside the school.
5. Soap, toilet paper and tissue must be fragrance-free. Use of conventional air fresheners and aromatic deodorizers is prohibited.
6. All school and art supplies must be non-toxic and fragrance-free. No scented stickers, permanent markers, or other solvent-based products are to be brought or used on campus. Correction fluid may not be used in classrooms or other areas when students are present.
7. Science experiments requiring chemicals, or using any odorous materials, shall be restricted to a designated area adequate exhaust ventilation. Alternatives for chemistry class and other lab activities will be made available upon parent request to any students with allergies and/or chemical sensitivities.
8. Use of perfume, cologne and other scented personal products (e.g. hair care products, soaps, lotions, deodorants) is prohibited inside the school building. Signs to this effect shall be posted outside the entrance doors. Anyone wearing fragrance products is prohibited from entering the school beyond the front office reception area.
   
   • Any occupant who noticeably smells of fragrance, smoke or other chemical odors is to be sent to the front office reception area where appropriate action(s) will be taken to remedy the situation.
   • In the case of students, parents will be notified and summoned to school if a scented personal product must be removed from a child’s body. The student may not return to the classroom or regular education environment until the fragrance or chemical odor has been removed.
9. Any questionable items are to be sent to the school office for assessment.
10. The chemical composition of new furnishings, supplies (e.g. paints, adhesives, caulking compounds) and construction materials shall be carefully considered before purchases are made. Donated items must be carefully screened. Safe sealers may be applied on plywood and other furnishings to minimize the outgassing of chemicals (e.g. formaldehyde, organic hydrocarbons).
11. To control the presence of chalk dust and minimize its accumulation, blackboards are to be cleaned only with a damp cloth while students are not present. Only white chalk may be used in classrooms. Blackboards and chalk may be replaced with white boards and odorless, water-based markers.
12. When purchasing textbooks and other books, preference will be giving to those that have soy ink print on acid-free paper, and older, used books. If new and odorous, books can be spread open and baked at 100 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five hours and then aired out. This procedure helps diminish odors of ink and paper chemicals. Use photocopies, as opposed to dittos, whenever possible.
13. Controlled ventilation with exhaust fans will be installed in all specially designated rooms that house printing, copying and lamination equipment.
14. Routine vacuuming of the carpet shall be done either before or after regular school hours when classes are not in session. Until HEPA and/or Nilfisk GS 90 Allergy Vacuums can be acquired by the school, donated vacuuming equipment will have to be used and retrofitted with more efficient dust bags to best prevent the transferring of particulates into the air.
15. The heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems shall be properly maintained, serviced and upgraded in accordance with the Indoor Air Quality Management Plan. modifications will include retrofitting the systems with high efficient filters or comparable filtrations.
16. Installation, use and maintenance of air purifiers shall be done according to the specifications described in the Air quality Management Plan.
17. Educational programs for students, parents and staff will be provided so that the whole school community becomes more aware of environmentally-related health, behavioral and learning problems.
18. In-service training of teachers will include instruction on:
• how to recognize environmentally-related health, behavioral and learning problems in children;
• identifying potential causes of environmentally triggered illness (ETI) in relation to symptoms and learning disabilities;
• prevention and management of ETI, and accommodating the special needs of any affected individuals, using a multi-disciplinary team approach.

Just like their name, CCS offers a challenge to schools, churches, colleges, and all of those connected with public buildings to take environmental issues seriously. To read more about Challenge Charter School, click here.

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Fragrance the New Second-Hand Smoke?

The City of Detroit has been ordered to enact a new policy on fragrances, following a lawsuit by employee Susan McBride.

McBride issued a complaint requesting her superiors take action regarding a co-worker's perfume. McBride claimed the smell made it difficult for her to breath. When managers did nothing to address the situation, McBride sued under the Americans with Disabilities Act and won. She was awarded $100,000 and the city agreed to adopt a fragrance-free policy.

The city will post a notice on bulletin boards announcing, "Our goal is to be sensitive to employees with perfume and chemical sensitivities."

Further, the city will be asking employees to refrain from wearing scented products, including but not limited to colognes, after-shave lotions, perfumes, deodorants, body/face lotions, hair sprays or similar products.

I like commentator Danny Seo's perspective on this story:

While many of us are rolling our eyes over the insanity of this lawsuit, we shouldn't. According to New York magazine, a survey revealed that 74% of women have an allergic reaction to fragrance at least once in their lifetime. And it's easy to understand why: the volatile organic compounds (or VOC's) emitted by fragrance products can contribute to poor indoor air quality and are associated with a variety of adverse health effects, just like McBride's shortness of breath and overall sense of feeling ill. Just think about the last time you shared an elevator with someone reeking of perfume and covered your nose with your sleeve, or held your breath walking past an Abercrombie & Fitch store where employees are required to spray the store's signature scent into the air every 30 minutes.

Instead of banning fragrance altogether, the lesson we can learn from this lawsuit is simple: we need to learn the proper do's and don'ts when it comes to using scented products. Just as much as you wouldn't blow cigarette smoke into someone's face if you're a smoker, you shouldn't dose yourself with excessive fragrance.

TIP 1: LESS IS MOREMany people reapply fragrance throughout the day for two reasons: the scent changes throughout the day as the top, middle and bottom notes evaporate and because the wearer grows accustomed to the overall scent which the brain filters out as a background scent. While you may no longer smell your perfume, others around you will register the scent as a strong smell. Reapplying perfume only makes it more pungent.

The other problem with fragrances is a chemical called diethyl phthalate, or DEP, which is added to help dissipate perfume further. When you spray the perfume and breathe it in, it goes through your respiratory system and into your lungs. DEP has been found to be a possible cause of reproductive and developmental disorders, cancer, organ damage, childhood asthma, and allergies. Spraying perfume around others can unintentionally release DEP into the air and make others around you sick.

The solution is to wear less and apply at home. Choosing a solid perfume in a wax base is a good alternative since you can enjoy your favorite scent, but control the application by applying it directly to the skin. And a new fragrance trend is to look for USDA certified organic perfumes, which must contain at least 95% organic ingredients and no more than 5% proven safe ingredients that are also free of harsh artificial scents, DEP or other carcinogenic chemicals.

TIP 2: STOP SMELLING APRIL FRESH
Clean clothes should smell like absolutely nothing, not like a field of lavender flowers. If you're clothes are coming out of the dryer smelling sweetly scented, there's a very good chance you've been overdosing your clothes. I've been working closely with the eco-friendly cleaning company Method for years as a consultant. This year, they launched a new product called Method Laundry in response to the detergent industry's guilty secret: consumers have no idea how much detergent to use to wash their clothes. A study conducted by Method showed that 53% of consumers "eyeball" it when pouring detergent and many consumers felt using a little bit extra detergent got clothes cleaner. Why is this bad? Because our washing machines are more efficient today and detergents are becoming more concentrated, a film of soap is often left on our clothes. Since detergent is designed to attract dirt, wearing overdosed clothing actually makes what you wear dirtier, quicker. Throughout the day, your overdosed clothes become a pungent mix of fragrance, odors and grime.

The solution is to use the right amount of detergent. Use a Sharpie to mark the inside of the detergent cap fill line; it's usually about ½ the cap. Or try Method Laundry's new product, which is 8X concentrated and uses a pumping system (like handsoap) to only deliver precise doses. Whatever you choose, just use less soap.

TIP 3: STOP "FEBREZ-ING"
Have you ever ridden in a car oversaturated with the strong smell fragrance from those rearview mirror air fresheners? Or walked into a bathroom that was recently sprayed to mask the, um, lingering odor inside? Not only are these nauseating, but they can be incredibly unhealthy for you, too.

The problem with air fresheners---sprays, plug-ins and solids---is that they do nothing to actually address the cause of the odor. Instead, they cover them up with a chemical cocktail of artificial fragrances and oils that simply "coat" the inside of your nose or impair your olfactory senses so you simply cannot smell the offending odor.

The problem? Covering many of these odors prevents you from getting to the real root of the problem, which could be a mold or mildew infestation or something hidden that's rotting away.

Because our homes and office buildings are more energy efficient today, that means less outdoor air has as chance to get indoors. Over time, chemicals, odors and stale air builds up, which leads people to perfume the air with sprays and plug-ins. If you are able to, I suggest opening a window in the front and back of your workspace or home on a nice breezy day. This will cross-ventilate the entire space and safely flush out all of the toxins to create a clean, fresh space.

The other alternative is to look at naturally detoxifying products that kill or absorb odor-causing bacteria. One idea that goes back thousands of years is bamboo charcoal, which features millions of tiny holes that suck in excess moisture and odors. The small square packets of bamboo charcoal can be placed discreetly throughout any room to detoxify the air. New compact fluorescent lightbulbs from a company called Ionic Bulb also shows promise. The energy efficient CFL bulbs with ionic technology emits negative ions when lit that attaches to airborne pollutants to neutralize them.

TIP 4: BAN TOXIC PESTICIDES
Outside of perfumes and air fresheners, one comment I haven't read about the Detroit lawsuit is the use of indoor pesticides. If there's anything that's going to create an unhealthy work environment, it's insect control sprays. Pesticides are a tricky double-edged sword: yes, we know these sprays can create an unhealthy environment, but we also don't want our office or home crawling with ants, cockroaches and other insects.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that 75% of US households use at least one pesticide and that some 79,000 children were involved in common household pesticide poisonings or exposures. The problem with pesticides is that they are a mixture of both active and inert ingredients; the active agents designed to kill targeted insects, and the inert ones used as a carrying agent to disperse the insecticide. Ironically, it's the inert ingredients that are not toxic to the pests, but are harmful to us.

The EPA also reports conventional insecticides increase the VOC levels in the home and release airborne toxins from both the active and inert ingredients that can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat; damage to the central nervous system; and headaches, dizziness and nausea amongst a host of other ailments.

One company that is addressing the dangers of insecticides is EcoSmart, which studied the natural defense mechanisms found in plants that naturally repel insects. They discovered certain plants in nature are completely protected from invasive insects and mimicked the essential oil blends found in these plants to create the first all-organic insecticide line. EcoSmart uses a patented blend of both active and inert organic ingredients that kill and repel targeted insects, but are so safe, you could actually eat them. Now if EcoSmart would only create a room spray, perfume and plug-in, maybe we can find peace in the city of Detroit.

To read Danny Seo's complete commentary, see this article.

An example of a compelling school policy on fragrance-free products is the Crescent School scented product and allergen notice. Collegiate Crescent is a 7-12 public school in Newfoundland.

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