Since beginning our health journey and incorporating fresh foods into our diet, I have become intrigued with non-toxic alternatives for personal care products. The average adult woman uses 12 products each day. This amounts to more than 500 chemicals in various forms applied each day. Is it possible to nourish our skin, face, and hair without adding to the toxic load?
Two years ago I challenged myself, "If I can’t eat it, I won't use it." What if I eliminated all of my beloved toxic products? My self-imposed plan has led to a rewarding lifestyle. I now have thicker, shinier hair, smoother skin, and healthier gums and teeth.
The bright, colorful, alluring labels of store-bought personal care products promise rapid wrinkle repair, luminescent skin, and smooth, silky hair. Washing away the flakiness on our scalp is somehow supposed to wash away our cares.
What do these products contain? Triclosan. Retinyl palmitate. Parabens. What are these? Petroleum-derived chemicals. Surely it's a stretch to say we're unknowingly putting gasoline on our face every morning, but are these chemicals safe? Are we paying a price for our "ageless skin"?
Natural alternatives abound. Here's a small sample.
Avocado: Avocados contain sterolins, proteins proven to reduce the appearance of age spots and sun damage. The oil derived from avocados helps slow down the inevitable loss of collagen that occurs with age.
Eggs: Egg yolks are high in lecithin and protein, both of which do wonders for your skin. For a simple hair treatment, whisk together two egg yolks and apply to dry scalp for an hour each week. Watch the luster and shine return.
Green Juice/Apple Juice: Fruits and vegetables offer vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants like bioflavonoids, as well as beneficial fruit acids. Freeze a portion of your juice in ice cube trays and use one cube daily as a skin toner.
When we embrace the fullness of farm-fresh ingredients for personal care, we no longer need the questionable products. More often than not the products lose their promise and allure.
Overwhelmed by the idea? Start small. How about a simple avocado face mask?
Recipe:
1 ripe avocado
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. coconut or olive oil
1 tbsp. organic honey (warmed if needed)
Peel the avocado and cut it into pieces. Mash with the honey and the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth and creamy paste.
Apply to face and neck, staying away from eye area. Leave on for 20-30 minutes. Rinse with warm and then cold water. Wipe dry and feel the difference!
More than 10,000 ingredients are used in personal care products. The United States cosmetic industry is valued at more than $50 billion and remains virtually unregulated. According to the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and its partnering organization, the Environmental Working Group:
One in five personal care products contain chemicals linked to cancer, 80 percent contain ingredients that commonly contain hazardous impurities, and 56 percent contain penetration enhancers that help deliver ingredients deeper into the skin.
To find out what's in the products you use, take a tour of EWG's Skin Deep Database.
Even the products sold in health food stores aren't necessarily pure and natural. Examples of brands with strict integrity include Aubrey Organics, Waleda, Autumn Harp, and Organic Essence.
But the good news is that with a few supplies and a little creativity, you can make your own personal care products. The possibilities are endless!
Supplies include:
Glass or plastic spray bottles (available online or previously used, emptied, and cleaned well)
Mason jars in all sizes (if using plastic tops, have a grease pencil on hand to label)
Liquid Castile soap
Glycerin
Raw apple cider vinegar
Herbs such as nettles, birch, comfrey, lavender
Essential oils such as lavender, plumeria, tea tree, lemongrass
Rhassoul clay
Recipes Shampoo:
Rhassoul clay is known historically to cleanse the hair and body. The clay binds with toxins, oils, and dirt and washes them away. Rhassoul clay is best used as a paste. Apply paste to wet hair, comb through, and rinse. Comb through again. Follow with a vinegar rinse. Rhassoul clay can be purchased at Mountain Rose Herbs. For other specific ideas on incorporating rhassoul clay into your hair and skin routine, see this website.
Soap nuts may be purchased and decocted to form a liquid soap suitable for shampoo. NaturOli is one source for purchasing soap nuts. To decoct, place a heaping handful of soap nuts in 4 c. water. Bring to boil and simmer for one hour. Place in mason jar or plastic bottle. Shake well before using. Store in refrigerator. Replace once a week.
Basic shampoo:
10 oz. water or herbal water *
1-2 oz. liquid Castile soap
1 tsp. glycerin
20-35 drops essential oil (tea tree oil can be effective for itchy scalp)
If using plain water, place all ingredients in a mason jar and shake to blend. Shampoo as usual.
* To make herbal water:
Choose an herb such as birch, nettles, comfrey, or lavender. Place a handful of herbs in a mason jar. Cover with 2-4 cups boiling water. Cover and let steep for a minimum of 4 hours. Strain.
Add 3-6 drops grapefruit seed extract to preserve for several weeks, or store in refrigerator.
The key to soft, clean hair is to restore the hair to its normal pH of 5.5 after washing. This can be done by exfoliating with coffee grounds, using Queen of Hungary water (see below) or plain raw apple cider vinegar as a rinse. Lemon juice can also be used. If using rhassoul clay, nothing else may be needed.
Skin Care:
The key to healthy, vibrant skin is a healthy diet full of nutritious whole foods and essential fatty acids. (EFAs are of particular importance when eczema and hair loss are involved.)
To treat the skin externally, three steps are required: cleansing, toning, and moisturizing. As with our hair, it is important to restore our skin to its natural pH of 5.5 after cleansing.
Cleansers:
Decocted soap nuts (see above). Best stored in refrigerator. Replace weekly.
Cleansing water. Mix 1/2 tsp. liquid Castile soap with 1 c. water in a mason jar. Shake before using. Stores indefinitely.
Gentled soap:
1 oz. grated Castile soap
3/4 c. distilled water
1/4 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. glycerin
5-10 drops essential oil such as rosemary or lavender
For dry skin, add 2 tsp. avocado oil.
Place Castile soap in water overnight to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Dab with washcloth and wash as usual. Rinse with warm water.
Toners:
Witch hazel extract. This can be made by infusing witch hazel leaves (see above directions for herbal water).
Raw apple cider vinegar is an excellent toner.
Herbal astringent formula. Combine 1 c. herbal water (see above) with 2 tbsp. glycerin (or less) and 1/3 tsp. grapefruit seed extract. Shake and apply. Can be stored safely for several weeks or refrigerated longer.
Queen of Hungary water. This is a more elaborate toner, easy to make and full of medicinal qualities. This recipe is adapted from the book Better Basics for the Home:
6 small handfuls lemon balm
5 small handfuls calendula flowers
4 small handfuls rose petals
3 small handfuls comfrey
1 small handful rosemary, lemon peel, and sage
(Don’t worry if you don’t have all of these herbs; feel free to use what you have.)
Place herbs in a gallon glass jar. (You can halve this recipe for a 1/2 gallon jar.) Cover the herbs completely in raw organic apple cider vinegar. Screw on lid tightly. Let sit for 4-6 weeks. Shake the jar several times a week.
Strain the mixture. Combine remaining liquid with equal parts witch hazel extract. Rose water may also be used.
Dab on face and massage into skin. Queen of Hungary water also makes an excellent rinse for hair. Can be stored indefinitely.
Moisturizers:
Homemade cream kefir mixed with lavender makes an excellent moisturizer. Kefir, as with any soured milk product, is loaded with lactic acid, which is one of the alpha hydroxy acids. AHAs stimulate collagen production, which makes the skin more elastic and appear more youthful.
Cream kefir can be made by blending 1/4 c. homemade kefir and 2 c. raw or store-bought cream (avoid ultra-pasteurized). Allow to ferment for 24-48 hours, stirring several times. To learn more about kefir, see these previous posts on the Health Benefits of Kefir and How to Make Dairy Kefir.
Basic moisturizer. Combine 1/2 c. aloe vera gel with 1/8 c. glycerin. Stir to blend. Dampen face and massage onto skin. Stores for several months.
1 tsp. plumeria flower essence (can use lavender essential oil)
Combine in bowl, stir vigorously to blend. Dab on fingers and massage into face. Keeps for 6 months refrigerated.
Deodorant:
Baking soda is an excellent odor neutralizer. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda onto a damp washcloth and pat on the body. Make a baking soda spray by blending 3 tsp. baking soda with 1 c. water in a spray bottle. Add tea tree oil for added protection.
Queen of Hungary water (see above) can be applied with a cotton ball or spray bottle.
For recipes including a liquid deodorant spray using zinc oxide and an herbal stick deodorant, see this website.
Tooth Care:
There are a myriad of ways to clean our teeth. Baking soda, coconut oil, bentonite clay, and peelu are a few of the ingredients used in natural toothpaste.
1 drop peppermint, spearmint, sweet orange, clove, or cinnamon bark essential oil
A few drops tap water
Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix them thoroughly with a toothbrush, your finger, or a small spoon until a smooth, thick paste forms. The paste shouldn't be too runny; it has to stay on your toothbrush. Dip your toothbrush into the paste and use as you would regular commercial toothpaste.
Lip Balm:
Lip balm is simple to make with a double boiler or fondue maker. A standard recipe uses carrier oil and beeswax. A few examples can be found at this website.
momsAWARE offers a specially formulated lip balm with natural, healing ingredients. Visit our Online Store to find out more.
Transitioning to all-natural personal care products is a process. Allow yourself to make changes slowly. As you try one recipe, or choose a healthier product, you’ll enjoy a new sense of empowerment. You may just find a new glow on your skin and shine in your hair!
Below: A look at some of the ingredients and recipes outlined above, including a demonstration on making Queen of Hungary water.
June 2000 Chris, myself and our 8 children move from a small 1800-square-foot home in suburban Chicago to an expansive, relatively new 5500-square-foot home in Monument, Colorado. We choose Colorado for its beauty and close proximity to Chris’ writing colleagues... (read more)
You suspect mold in your home. Someone in your family has symptoms that baffle doctors. Where do you start? Here are some suggestions.
About Andrea Fabry
I am a former journalist and the mother of nine children ranging in age from 28 to 12. My husband Chris, myself, and our children find ourselves in the desert of Arizona attempting to rebuild our health and our lives following a massive toxic mold exposure. The organization momsAWARE comes out of this crisis as a means to help educate and empower others on the subject of environmental health. Our family has also launched a natural line of personal care products called Just So, available at our Online Store.
Just So Natural Products
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Things I Have Learned Along The Way
Horopito, Olive Leaf Extract, Pau d'arco, Garlic, and Grapefruit Seed Extract are a few of the natural antifungals.
The importance of mold remediation is talked about in the Old Testament. It is clear in Leviticus 14 that mold is hazardous
Add borax and/or white vinegar and/or baking soda to your laundry. These are all excellent antifungal agents.
Chlorine bleach will not kill the toxins produced by mold. In fact, the chlorine makes the toxins more lipid soluble. The toxins then penetrate the skin more readily.
Ventilate your home whenever possible. If you have an opportunity to open a window even for an hour it is healthy. Stagnant air is like stagnant water.
In 1999 the Mayo Clinic released a study implicating fungus as the primary cause of chronic sinus infections. 96% of those studied showed high counts of mold spores in their nasal passages.
