Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop website

Just had a little read over Gwyneth's posts and this resonated a lot of the reasons why I've changed  a lot of things in my life recently and it just motivates even more to keep going with it.
Love the fact that she strives to keep herself and her family healthy while letting us in on the good stuff too!

Arm pit detox!

Yipppppeeeeeeeeeeeee  my Calcium Bentonite Fine powder arrived this morning. So this is my new DIY tester for the week.

After making my own natural deodorant my underarms were quite sensitive to the bread soda and it left a bit of a rash. I stopped using it but was quite disappointed about the fail because other natural deodorants are very expensive and actually not as effective. 

I did some more research from my favorite Wellness Mama and on her blog she had gone through the need for an underarm detox before using the natural deodorant. 
She found that doing an underarm detox once a week while transitioning into the natural deodorant phase was very important.

Conventional deodorants and anti-perspirants contain a variety of chemicals and additives. It takes something un-natural to block the body’s natural ability to sweat, and the chemical list in some deodorants is impressive:

• Aluminum- some evidence links aluminum to cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease
• Phthalates- Endocrine disruptors often also found in plastic that can cause hormone imbalance and even infertility (especially in med)
• Propylene glycol- common name: antifreeze. It is a hotly debated additive in personal care products but the Environmental Working Group reports that it carries a moderate risk of immunotoxicity and allergies.
• Formaldehyde-  a known carcinigen… guess it kills the germs though.
• Parabens- Another hormone disruptor and parabens have been found in biopsied tissue with breast cancer
• Antibacterial Substances- I talked about these before but they are endocrine disruptors and can negatively affect the immune system

Why is this a big deal? Ever gotten sick and had a lump in your neck or armpit? That is a lymph node and they are a major part of your immune system. Putting endocrine disruption chemicals directly on top of them is a great way to screw up your hormones and suppress immune function.

The skin is the body’s largest organ and what touches our skin can easily enter our bloodstream. With skyrocketing rates of breast cancer, it would seem prudent to avoid.

 A great advantage to doing an armpit detox, besides that it helps speed up the natural deodorant adjustment period, is that it might help pull some of these chemicals out of the skin and tissue of the armpits. This can be especially helpful after years of conventional deodorant use.these chemicals until further research is done.

FYI - I have taken Kourtney Kardashian's natural deodorant recipe and just added a little bit more cornflour to decrease the irritation risks and it has worked so far!

Kourtney's Deodorant

I climbed a mountain in Kerry over the weekend and it worked perfectly :) Nothing like a two hour trek to test the waters eh? :D

Soap Nuts - My new natural way of clothes washing

I have recently thrown out all of my washing detergent to be replaced with soaps nuts. These originate from Nepal and India and have saved me a lot of money, along with losing the nasty chemicals from mainstream detergents!

Soap nuts are found in both the eastern and western hemispheres, but are native to India and Nepal. They have recently become a popular environmentally friendly alternative to chemical detergent, and are a gentle option for those with allergies to chemicals in regular detergents. They have traditionally been used as an expectorant, and in Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for eczema and psoriasis. Soap nuts contain saponin, a natural detergent. The soap nut shell absorbs water and releases the saponins which circulate as a natural surfactant in the wash water, freeing dirt, grime, and oils from clothing.

These were recommend to me by Wellness Mama and i haven't looked back since.

When washing a heavy load (which let's face it always is), put around five to six soap nuts into the muslin bag and pop it into the load.
That batch of nuts can be reused for four or five washes after the first load which is why they are so economical. You will know when to use fresh ones when the nuts go a lighter color.

Extra Tip: Hold onto your old soap nuts and you can make a hand-wash out of these!

I like to add in a little bit of essential oil, like Eucalyptus and Lemon oil with my washes in replacement of the fabric softeners - they give a lovely sent to the wash.

Fact: Lemon essential oil is very good for removing stains - just rub it onto the stain before the wash.
Fact: Eucalyptus oil acts as an antibacterial agent and is very good when washing your towels or tea-towels!

Where to buy these soap nuts?

I purchased my 1Kg bag off this Irish website called Purchase.ie for €12.95 and it's still going strong!
Two muslins bags come with this purchase.

http://purchase.ie/soap-nuts

Now I have just come across this tip from this website which I will be trying;

I find the best way to use the soapnuts is to make up a liquid detergent. 1 handful in a litre of water, and boil for 10 mins (or just leave on the stove overnight) It has to be stored in the fridge. I then use this as laundry and dishwashing detergent. I bag of nuts lasts me  for 6 months. Massive savings and eco too 

Happy saving and washing!

Natural Eye Cream

I'm back from a little sabbatical (I'm was researching!!!) and I've found a great way to make your very own eye cream.

Simple out - give it a go!

I would recommend using an old lip balm container to store - I have an old Burt Bees' which I'm going to use;

• 1/2 cup Organic coconut oil (Coconut Oil acts as a moisturizer, antibiotic, multivitamin, multi-nutrient and antioxidant.)
• 6-8 Vitamin E capsules (Vitamin E Oil is a strong antioxidant that prevents premature aging and promotes healing.)
• Pin to poke holes in Vitamin E capsules
• Small microwavable bowl for microwaving or small sauce pan for melting on stovetop
• Small container (to store cream in)

Happy DIYing! 

Toodles,

xxx