That's Impossible!!! A Toxin Free Deodorant that Actually Works!

My husband is a good sport.  I have made difficult situations, like remodeling after a flood, more challenging because I checked all materials for toxins and pressed for healthier options.  This slowed down the process considerably and he loves to cross items off his "to do" list quickly.  He has been, in his own words, a "late adopter" of many of my green ideas. He is now, however, my biggest supporter in our journey to make our house healthy and safe for our family.  But sometimes he still thinks I am a bit crazy...

The following example of one of my weird ideas is shared with his full permission:)

A long time ago a friend told me about the dangers of regular deodorant/antiperspirant.  I shrugged it off and thought it might be true but I wasn't willing to stink.  I felt this way for many years.

As we started to clean up our home for the kids, I became careful about what soaps and shampoos we used for them.  I started thinking about the deodorant thing and thought I'd better figure this out now so we'd be ready when the kids needed deodorant.  I probably bought ten different health food store "natural" deodorants.  I would go on iherb and read all the reviews, pick the most popular ones, and try them out myself.  Nothing worked!!!  The Crystal worked for a while and then stopped.  I gave up and went back to my trusty "Secret". 

My husband is the most consistent exerciser I have ever known.  He goes to the gym numerous times, every week, as long as I've known him.  He runs in the morning before work.  He also regularly goes on very challenging mountain bike rides lasting hours, with friends, for "fun".  He has always showered twice a day because he stinks after workouts.  He sweats A LOT which is great for detoxifying.  But he needed to buy those REALLY toxic, clinical deodorants to keep from stinking--and even those didn't work so well.  His exercise shirts were hard to launder so they'd smell fresh.  I tried adding vinegar and baking soda to the load.  I'd rewash his shirts a few times.  I was bummed because I couldn't get the sweat smell out of his shirts--ever.

So back to my deodorant quest...I found a make your own recipe that people said worked well.  It was coconut oil based so it was liquid most of the year (coconut oil melts as the weather gets warm) but I would apply it to my underarm with my finger and I was surprised to find it WORKED!  My husband delighted in trying to catch me "stinking" but the new deodorant always worked.  He wouldn't try it, however, because he didn't think it would work for him and all the hard core exercising he does.

One day we were on vacation and he realized he had forgotten his deodorant.  He was going to have to use my homemade deodorant and we were at a theme park all day in the heat.  He was worried!  I was excited!!!  I was hoping it would work and we could throw out the toxic, expensive deodorant he was using that wasn't even working well. 

You can probably guess it worked amazingly well for him!!  No odor after a two hour bike ride in the summer!!  No more stains on his white undershirts.  No more odors on any shirts.  No smell at all--ever!  This deodorant is so amazing that he wants us to sell it:)  Because it really doesn't make sense that there are all these companies making deodorant that doesn't work well, is full of chemicals, and costs lots of money.  And this one works perfectly and is super cheap and easy to make!

Since his conversion, I now am using an even better recipe that works just as well but has some beeswax in it so it stays solid in all temperatures.  I just mix it, cook it, and pour it in an old deodorant bottle---I have tons of them from my days of trying out all the natural ones.

This recipe is adapted from Keeper of the Home and found here.  I omitted the Castor oil in her recipe because I like the texture better without.  I don't use lavender or tea tree oil in mine because of this study showing a link between both and the growth of breasts in boys.  Further study showed the two essential oils mimic the actions of estrogen in the body.  I think it is best to leave them out if there may be a problem with the oils, especially when they are placed so close to the breast tissue.

Here is the recipe with a picture of the ingredients:

I added the following to a saucepan, stirred to combine, and "cooked" over low heat:

5 Tablespoons of coconut oil, 1/4 cup of arrowroot powder, 1/4 cup of aluminum free baking soda, 2 heaping Tablespoons of beeswax pellets--(shown below), and 16 drops of an essential oil to scent (if desired)  Check this list for essential oils to avoid due to their ability to exaggerate hormonal issues.

Heat until the beeswax pellets melt, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Pour into two empty, clean deodorant containers like the one pictured below.  I twisted it so the base was all the way at the bottom and ready to receive the liquid deodorant.  This starts to harden right away so you have to work quickly.

Cools completely within a few hours and is ready to use.  Makes 2 containers of deodorant.

Some additional tips...

1.  At the beginning, I needed to wipe this off at night with water so my body could take a break from the abrasiveness of the baking soda in the recipe.  I just put coconut oil on the area over night to soothe.

2.  Some people have a week or so "adjustment period" when starting this.  This is supposed to be your body adjusting to being without the chemicals in the deodorant you used before.  My husband and I did not and were "stink free" right away.

3. You don't need to use much at all.  I place the container to my underarm, twisted up to reveal just a bit of the deodorant, and let it soften a second from my body temperature.  Then I lightly cover the area, without tugging or rubbing as baking soda is abrasive.


Let me know if you try this and how it works for you!!  I hope it ends up being a great improvement over your present situation:)
Moneysaver:  I purchased the arrowroot powder inexpensively on Amazon, the beeswax and baking soda from iherb, and the coconut oil from Trader Joe's.  There is a bit of an investment upfront if you don't have the items already, but the deodorant ends up costing just a few cents to make each time.  If you live near me, I'll happily make you some if you give me an empty container.  Then you can try it first, without purchasing the ingredients.

Green Cleaning For the Home...More Effective Than Chemicals!

I remember clearly an interaction I had with a lady, in line at the grocery store, even though it happened over six years ago.  I can still see the entire scene in my mind--it was that upsetting to me at the time.

It was late for me to be out shopping, maybe 7:30 in the evening, and Tim was watching the kids.  I was absolutely exhausted and overwhelmed, as I usually was at this stage in our lives, but we needed baby food so I went out.  I decided to buy in bulk because I wanted to avoid another night time shopping trip, and this particular store gave a 10% discount when you bought a whole flat of something.  I had a ton of organic baby jars on the counter, all single ingredient versions due to my daughter's extensive allergies.  The lady behind me started studying my purchases.  Then she couldn't help herself:..

"You know you can make your own baby food at home?"  she asked. 

I told her I did know that with a smile.

"It is super easy and so much healthier!" she continued. 

Now I gave her a nod and tried not to start crying in front of her.  I paid for my food and cried my way to the car.  Then I cried the whole way home. 

My kids, and their intense, unique needs due to illness, meant that I could not make one more thing from scratch.  Regardless of how easy it was or how healthy it was.  At this point, I had a twice monthly cleaning service and my mom helped me by making some of the more time intensive items we needed like wild duck, bone broth, and buffalo casserole.  I purchased my green cleaning supplies online and bought baby food in jars.  We used Seventh Generation disposable diapers and wipes.  I, myself, was eating far too much fast food as I drove the kids from doctor appt. to doctor appt. while devoting my energy toward my children's diets instead.  We were doing what we could do, based on what we knew, what we could afford, and what we had the time and energy to accomplish. 

But I still let myself feel guilty when I had interactions like the one above.  I wish I would have let it roll off my back.  Jarred, organic baby food was fine!  We were in a very intensive, exhausting season and we didn't have the ability to do everything "right".  So we just did the best we could at the time.

I write all that to say if you don't want to make your cleaners from scratch that is fine!  I am just offering what we have found to work at our house, is safe for the littles in the house, and saves us money.  There are, however, plenty of of non toxic, green cleaners that you can purchase easily at Walmart or Target.  Making your own cleaners might not make sense for you right now.

But if you want to...

Here is what we use:

Windows

My husband is very excited about this window cleaner recipe we found online.  I'm sorry I can't remember where it is from.  The key to the recipe is the corn starch which I've read it used by professional window washers.  You do have to rub it in a bit but the result is better than Windex!

You start with warm water, vinegar, corn starch, rubbing alcohol, and a spray bottle.  I use my old cleaner bottles, well washed, instead of buying new spray bottles.

Add one Tablespoon of corn starch to two cups of very warm water.  (I doubled the recipe in the pictures so that is why the measurements are different).

Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved.  This is the most important step!

Add 1/4 cup of vinegar.

Add 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol.  I may try cheap vodka next time instead.

Stir and pour into a spray bottle.


All Purpose Cleaner 

I use this on counter tops, sinks, and any surfaces I need to clean.  This recipe was given to me by my friend, Melissa.  It was originally called a floor cleaner (the recipe was on a bottle she bought from Crate and Barrel) but we have both had success using it all over the house!

The ingredients to gather are dishwashing liquid, borax, and vinegar.

Add 1/2 tsp. of borax to two cups of very warm water.  Stir it until it is completely dissolved.  This is the most important step.

Add a splash of vinegar.

Add 1/2 tsp. of dishwashing liquid and stir.

Pour into a spray bottle.  So easy a child could make it:)

Floors

We have no carpet in our house.  Just a few wool area rugs and a few areas with Flor carpet tiles.  The rest of our house is tile or hardwood.  When people call the house and speak with me they often ask if I am in the bathroom or comment on how loud the kids are due to the echoing from lack of carpet.  I guess this should be embarrassing?  Anyway, our favorite method to clean our floors is to use the Shark Steam Mop.

First Tim vacuums the floors and then he uses the steam mop.  My lovely husband does our floors every week and it takes a couple of hours.  He is a BLESSING!!!  With only water, the floors feel soft and clean and are sanitized as well!  We love this mop!  We purchased it at Costco.

Toilets

This is very easy!  Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of vinegar into the toilet bowl.  Let it soak as long as you can and then scrub.  My friend, Melissa, has added fresh lemon juice to treat stubborn stains with success too.

I spray the rest of the toilet with the All Purpose Cleaner above and wipe down with a rag.  For a smelly bathroom (boy bathroom) I spray vinegar on the toilet's surface and the floor below to take care of any urine smell.  For a really bad toilet, I'd use a paste of baking soda and lemon juice along the caulking (the meeting place of the toilet base and the flooring).  This area seems to absorb smells and this will neutralize the smells.  I found this idea here.

Scrubbing Paste

The stain cleaner/ scrubbing paste my husband made here is great!  It needs to be made on the spot, however, as there is power in the reaction between the baking soda and vinegar.  When we've used it later, after it was stored, it is not as effective.

Another scrubbing paste I keep under the sink, is the following:

Add 1/2 cup of liquid laundry soap to a mixing bowl (I use whatever "green" soap is available at Costco.

Add 1/2 cups of baking soda (I used 1 1/2 cups) and mix until you get a frosting consistency as shown above.

Add 10 drops of Tea Tree Oil.  This serves as a natural disinfectant.  Mix again!

Pour into sealable tub and use when needed.  I found this recipe here at Keeper of the Home.  She has wonderful, natural living posts about food, gardening, and health care.


Disinfecting

Virginia Polytech. Institute found in their study that spraying from a  bottle of vinegar (white or apple cider) followed by spraying from a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide killed virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E.coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces.  This made it more effective than bleach!
Remember to keep the peroxide in the dark bottle to protect the peroxide--just add a nozzle to the top.


Wow, that was a long post!!  I am going to start experimenting with a stain fighter for clothes and will post about that if it is as effective as the Zout I continue to use.  I haven't found anything more effective than Zout yet and will continue to look until I do.  That is what is next for me regarding cleaners.

Next up for the blog is my husband's absolute favorite green thing I've made to date.  He keeps wanting me to sell it but I am going to give you the recipe and directions here...soon!


Moneysaver:  Use old spray bottles from store bought cleaners (well washed) to fill with your homemade ones.  I buy vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, and hydrogen peroxide at Costco. 

Preventing and Healing Urinary Tract Infections Naturally

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My honeymoon in Maui was absolutely amazing!  We swam, snorkeled, saw the sights, and I often wondered aloud why I had to keep going to the bathroom.  Turns out I had my first UTI (Urinary Tract Infection).  What I will share with you today I have learned by trial and error over the course of the past 10 years.  I hope it helps someone avoid the pain and discomfort of chronic UTIs!  They are a huge waste of time, money, and energy.
My first stop for treatment was the traditional doctor I was seeing at the time.  She gave me an antibiotic and sent me on my way.  I was back two weeks later as I never really felt relief from my symptoms.  Long story short, she prescribed a low dose of antibiotics to be taken each time I had intercourse.  I didn't want to be on antibiotics all the time but I didn't know there were any alternatives--except drinking cranberry juice.  In time it was obvious the cranberry juice was not working either.  I have now since learned that drinking cranberry juice is a waste of time and money.  There is too much sugar and not enough cranberry to make any difference--and the sugar can make the problem worse!  Taking a cranberry supplement is much more effective.

Here is the protocol I have developed to keep myself free from UTIs:

Take one or two Cranactin tablets at bedtime each night.  This is to promote health in the urinary tract.

Dissolve a teaspoon or two of D-Mannose in water and drink right after intercourse.  D-Mannose is a completely safe glyconutrient, a healthy natural sugar, and is without side effects.  It attaches to e. coli, which is responsible for up to 90% of UTIs, and prevents it from attaching to the bladder wall.  Instead, the e. coli and D-Mannose leave the body together in the urine.  Read the reviews about D-Mannose from the link above and you will be blown away by how effective it is and how much it helps so many!

Repeat the D-Mannose and Cranactin amounts above every 12 hours for the next 24 hours.

Some people who suffer from chronic UTIs because of MS, chronic constipation, or spinal injures may need to take D-Mannose daily to stay UTI free.


That is it!  The above works as long as my body is not completely exhausted.  If that is the case, however, I can still treat the developing UTI without antibiotics.  It will take about 24 hours of rest and the following the protocol below.  Unfortunately, I had the opportunity to try this out again very recently and I was symptom free within 24 hours!  Here is the UTI protocol:

Take two Cranactin capsules followed by one teaspoon of D-Mannose powder in a glass of water.  Do not eat or drink anything for one hour and do not go to the bathroom.  This will allow the D-Mannose to have time to attach to all the problematic e. coli in the body.

Repeat the D-Mannose powder in water as described above (not eating, drinking, or urinating for an hour after taking) three more times spaced throughout the day.  Rest and drink lots of water.  If I have Pyridium in the house I will also take that for pain. 

I repeat the 4 doses of D-Mannose, along with two Cranactin pills, the next day also.  If the UTI symptoms do not subside within 48 hours, I would go to the doctor. The UTI you have may not be from e. coli which would make it unresponsive to D-Mannose.

If the UTI symptoms do go away within 48 hours, I would take one teaspoon of D-Mannose powder per day, for a few days, to keep the body healthy.


The last time I had a UTI was a time I was so busy I was unable to take the time to rest and fight the infection at home with supplements.  I had too many responsibilities I could not get out of so I reluctantly went to the doctor.  This urgent care doctor, not my regular wellness doctor, embraces alternative methods in his practice.  He listened to me as I described the protocol I had developed to stay UTI free and he got really excited.  He went to the computer to see what he had prescribed to treat my last UTI and he couldn't find a record in the computer.  I had been able to use the above protocol successfully for so long that my last UTI related visit was not in their records!  I was excited too...as excited as a person can get who is in a whole lotta pain.

This protocol is the most important thing I do for my body to promote health and wellness.  If I was following a traditional medicine protocol for UTIs, I would be on antibiotics constantly.  I want to be able to use an antibiotic only when I really have to have it so my body will be responsive to the necessary antibiotic and my gut will stay full of healthy, beneficial bacteria.  There is so much research out there to show the importance of a health gut.  Did you know that about 70% of the body's immune system is found in the gut?  In addition, the health of the gut is expressed in our skin (eczema) and our mood (depression, anxiety)?  Avoiding antibiotic use, unless unavoidably necessary, is an important part in keeping our guts, and ultimately our bodies, healthy and happy.
Moneysaver:  I purchase D-Mannose from iherb and I purchase Cranactin from Amazon.  These places have the best prices I've found.

I am not a doctor.  I am only sharing my personal experience and what has worked for me.  Please discuss health care decisions with your doctor before trying a new regimen.