Throw Away Your Lysol, Herbal Essense, and Dove!

I am going to start the new year right by throwing out all the bad chemicals in my household.

I looked at the ingredients in my foods. The processed foods were loaded with chemical additives, unnatural food coloring, preservatives, and other ingredients I cannot pronounce. Chances are these mysterious ingredients are petroleum-based chemicals made from petroleum oil, which are not intended to be food. I really don't want to eat petroleum oil or their chemicals!

So I continued on to my bathroom, where I inspected ingredients in shampoo, soaps, lotions, toothpastes, make-up, etc. These things I applied to my skin on a daily basis. What was in them? I read the labels and saw petroleum-based products and chemicals once again! I really don't want any of it near my skin. Our skin is filled with pores that soak up what we put on them like sponges.

An ayuvedic cosmetologist once told me that you shouldn't put anything onto your skin that you wouldn't eat. Our skin absorbs everything we put on it, and if we use chemicals we can accumulate them toxins.

Since then, I thrown out hundreds of dollars worth of lotions, cosmetics, and other 'beauty' products. I've switched to healthy organic brands such as Dr. Bonner's and Aubrey Organics (without the added chemicals), and I've even gone so far as to make my own items, like face scrub, hair conditioner, face masks, shampoos, and liquid soaps.

You can find Dr. Bonner's at Payless at Micronesian Mall, Healthy Hearts in Dededo, and ABC stores in Tumon. Aubrey Organic shampoo and conditioners are found at Healthy Hearts and JP Super Store in Tumon.

Here is a recipe for a gentle exfoliating facial scrub:

Organic Oatmeal, ground
Organic Face Soap, like Dr. Bonner's

1. Grind organic oatmeal in a blender until it becomes a fine powder. Place a quarter sized amount of ground oatmeal into the palm of your hand.

2. Add your favorite organic face soap and water to the ground oatmeal until it becomes paste-like. Use it to scrub your face gently using your fingertips.

I find my complexion looks even, less irritated, and matte (oil absorbed, shine reduced!) after using this scrub.

Most recently, I've thrown out many bathroom and kitchen cleaning products. I've switched to using Dr. Bonner's Organic Tea Tree Oil Liquid Soap for bathing as well as cleaning my bathroom and kitchen.

Scrub your Tub with this:

Dr. Bonner's Tea Tree Oil or Peppermint Liquid Soap
Bob's Red Mill Non-Aluminum Baking Soda

I sprinkle the liquid soap and baking soda onto the tub and sink to scrub out the soap scum and hard water residue from mineral deposits. The tea tree oil in the liquid soap kills bacteria, molds, viruses, and other funky things that might be living in your bathroom or kitchen. The liquid soap and baking soda are non-toxic everyday household items that do the job as well as Comet or any other brand.

Happy New Year!