Tag: nontoxic

Natural Lice Remedies

Today we are talking about home remedies for lice since this went around our house a while ago! We went out and bought the store-bought lice removal kit right away because we wanted the nit brush that comes inside. But, unfortunately, the shampoo that comes in those kits to get rid of lice are extremely toxic. At the time of the lice outbreak I was pregnant. I am also a lover of all holistic things, so I had to find some natural remedies to use at our house!

The exciting news for me was that our natural nontoxic remedy actually worked better than the shampoo and we never had a reoccurrence. Many other families using the shampoos were dealing with the lice a month later and came over to ask for some of my natural supplies!!

So, let’s get to it.

Supplies:

Apple cider vinegar

Delousing brush

Coconut oil or olive oil

Tea tree essential oil

Lavender essential oil

Peppermint essential oil (if not pregnant)

Rosemary essential oil (if not pregnant)

Apple Cider Vinegar

The first thing I gathered was Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). You can use a diluted solution of half water and half ACV. We poured this over our heads the first night. This helps detach the nits (eggs) that stick to the hairs. Let the ACV dry and then comb it out with the special de-lousing brush. The combing is very important and must be down thoroughly. Go through the hair section by section clipping the rest back out of the way making sure the nits are gone completely. I watched a youTube video on how to do it! My daughter could not go back to school until the nits were completely gone and it took me three hours to comb through her hair!

Coconut Oil Concoction

At nighttime we slept with a coconut oil or olive oil concoction on our hair that will suffocate the lice.

1 cup coconut oil (or more as needed depending on how much hair you have!)

3-4 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

3-4 drops Lavender Essential Oil

3-4 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

3-4 drops Rosemary Essential Oil

Mix the coconut oil with tea tree, lavender, peppermint, and rosemary essential oils. (I left out the peppermint and rosemary oils since I was pregnant and it still worked for me.) Coat your hair with this starting at the roots since this is the most important area. Cover your hair with a shower cap and keep this on your head overnight at least for 8 hours.

We continued this process every other day for a week and then again a week later. Make sure to follow up a week later since the eggs can live for a week and if you miss just 1 you might have to start the process all over again! In addition, we combed for nits every day for about a week.

Lots of Laundry

The other important step is to wash EVERYTHING in your home. I washed linens and pillowcases every morning for the first week. You can also put toys and stuffed animals in a sealed bag and put them away for two weeks. Lice cannot live away from the human host for this long.

Preventative

If you get a note from your child’s school that lice is going around, you can also help prevent your family from getting it. Put a few drops of tea tree oil in your shampoo to use on a daily basis. You can also use the coconut oil concoction occasionally to help prevent a recurrence. And as a bonus your hair will feel amazing!!

So, I hope that this never happens to your family but if it does, now you know that there is a natural remedy that works!

March 20, 2016
My Morning Routine

You do that every morning?!

This is what I hear whenever I share my favorite daily detox tools and personal care products. It sounds like a lot to fit into a morning, but once it becomes a part of your routine it is really very easy! Being able to do two things at the same time such as oil pull while I am taking a shower definitely helps speed up the process. I am always perfecting and changing my routine, but I will share with you what I am currently doing!

My Morning personal care routine & detox tools:

Lemon Elixir

Depending on my mood, I start the day with either warm lemon water (half of a lemon in a full mug of water) or room temperature water from my Berkey. When I drink room temperature water I add a half of lemon and 1 -2 tablespoons of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). This elixir will warm up your digestion to get you ready for your day and also aids in clearing any toxins that your liver has been working to eliminate throughout the night.

Note: Because ACV is a ferment with live bacteria, do not heat the ACV or you may kill the live bacteria – be sure to add it to your room temperature water.

Some people have an aversion to ACV because it makes them feel nauseous. This feeling may go away in a couple of days or it could be a sign that you have a candida or bacterial overgrowth. As always, test what works best for you! If that feeling doesn’t go away or you have a tightness in your chest, ditch the ACV and stick with lemon water. I recommend checking back in every so often to see if you are able to tolerate the ACV

After my lemon elixir, I have some ME time. I try to wake up before my daughter so that I can do some stretching or writing. This is when I do my most creative work, so I avoid checking my email or social media until later in the day!!

Tongue Scraper

Next I head to the bathroom and start with my tongue scraper. I have a Dr. Tung’s Tongue Scraper which is such a good investment in your health at only around $7!

All night long your body is repairing itself and getting rid of toxins. One of the exit routes for these toxins is on your tongue. If you notice that you have a thick yellow or white coating on your tongue, this is a sign that your body is working hard to try and get rid of extra waste. You can help your body out by scraping this film off instead of swallowing it again and having to get rid of it again the next night!

Detoxification support is not the only benefit or tongue scraping. It is also great for oral health since you are removing a significant amount of bacteria that can lead to bad breath and dental issues. In addition, by removing this coating on your tongue you improve your ability to taste food, which makes it more satisfying. By reigniting your taste buds, you eliminate the need to add more sugar, salt and excessive spice to the food to make it more flavorful.

Oil pulling

Next I put one tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth and literally pull it through my teeth. You can start with a few minutes and build up to the recommended 15 – 20 minutes. This is a long time to be oil pulling, so starting small and working up is better than nothing at all!

The antibacterial properties of the oil will pull out bacteria and fungus, alleviating inflammation, congestion and even allergies. It helps with bad breath, bleeding gums, cavities, gingivitis, plaque, sensitive teeth and will make your teeth noticeably whiter. If you’ve ever had any dental work or root canals, this is something you should commit to for at least a month. Make sure you check with your dentist if you have crowns or loose fillings as this can pull them out.

I leave the oil in my mouth and move on to…

Dry Skin Brushing

Dry skin brushing is an amazing detox tool. You can find watch my Periscope on dry skin brushing here (as well as all my other Periscope broadcasts) or read a blog post about How to Dry Skin Brush. There is an in depth, how-to explanation of how to do this.

In general, dry skin brushing is spectacular for losing weight, diminishing cellulite, flushing the lymphatic system and overall boost to your immunity.

You can find a dry skin brush on Amazon or your local health food store.

After I finishing dry brushing, I hop in the shower and continue to oil pull. When I’m done pulling, I spit the oil in the trash – not in the sink – so that I don’t clog the pipes with oil!

Brush my Teeth -The Dirt

I brush my teeth with The Dirt, which is a trace mineral tooth brushing powder. I love this toothpaste (or powder)! My daughter uses the MCT oil toothpaste from the same company which is another option if you can’t get into using powder on your teeth. Most toothpaste (even the “healthy” ones) contain glycerin, fluoride and other chemicals so this is a fabulous alternative. You can get 15% off with this link.

Fatface Skincare

Fatface offers clean skin care products that use healthy fats and organic ingredients. They are chemical and toxic free.

Every day after my shower I use the Myrrhaculous Face Cream but while I am pregnant I use the one without myrrh (you can mark that on your order and they will send you one without myrrh!). After I give my face some love, I also rub Body Butta all over your belly and body. Last winter the Body Butta made all the difference in my skin since, because I HATE dry skin! Last winter was my first winter back East in almost 10 years, and happened to be the longest, driest winter in a while!!! The Body Butta is also fabulous during pregnancy to help keep form getting stretch marks (if you are wondering about other tips for stretch marks, grab my free Holistic Pregnancy Guide) .

Next it is time for my breakfast and my vitamins. That sums up my morning routine. Now I am off to workout with my trainer Jocelyn (well not really off to workout since she comes to me via Skype!). Don’t forget to keep your lymphatic system moving with some daily exercise!!

January 4, 2016
Christmas Gifts for your Holistic Friend

Do you have anyone in your life who embraces a holistic lifestyle? Someone who gets excited about a stainless steel stein that not only keeps your tea hot for 12 hours, but doesn’t leach ANY endocrine disrupting plastic into your drink? For those of us who geek out over healthy gadgets and nontoxic goodies, this is an amazing list of ideas for Christmas presents.

Although my family members might be rolling their eyes when they open their presents, I can’t help but want to keep them around a long time – so nontoxic is what they are getting from me!!!

Water Bottles, Tumblers and Pints oh my!

If you have some family or friends who are the outdoorsy type, the Stainless Steel Vacuum insulated Steins from Healthy Human Life are awesome!!! They come with a carabiner to hook onto your bag and are great for camping, hiking or the beach (for those of you lucky enough to be near one)! The best feature, in my opinion, as we enter the freezing cold winter season is that it keeps hot beverages warm up to 12 hours!! I had a tea in mine a few days ago and forgot about it for about 4 hours. When I opened it up I was amazed that it was piping hot and I actually had to wait to drink it.

Planning a party or camping trip? The Stainless Steel pints are a great upgrade to those red solo cups. But they are not just for adults, I think this is a fabulous gift for children! Since we are a Montessori loving family, we have embraced the idea that kids learn and gain self confidence from being able to independently perform tasks. Having unbreakable pints like these on a shelf or in a drawer that kids can reach to poor their own cup of water not only helps out mom and dad, but gives them great pride. You might think this is a boring gift for a child, but watch them light up when they learn they can now get their own beverage!

Even better, Healthy Human Life is offering 10% off Amazon coupon code (valid until 12/31/15).

You can just use Discount Code: [highlight background_color=”00fff2″ text_color=”000000″]gingnw10 at checkout[/highlight].

Stein link: http://hhl.life/gingnewsteins

20 oz Tumbler link: http://hhl.life/gingnewtums

Pint link: http://hhl.life/gingnewpints

Spiralizer

Have any health conscious, paleo or gluten-free friends in your life? Making zoodles is all the rage right now. Zoodles a.k.a zucchini noodles, are a great substitution in all your favorite pasta dishes without the wheat or gluten. We have zoodles with meat sauce in our house about once a week. I don’t know what I would do without my spiralizer!!

I have the GEFU which works very well and is really sturdy – but at the time of writing this this one was on sale for half the price and looked pretty similar (although I have never personally used it!)

Vitamix – find it here

This would be an amazing gift for someone you REALLY love 🙂 This is definitely not the cheapest item on the list, but I love having an amazing blender on hand for making veggie smoothies (aka: a blended salad), pureed soups, homemade nut butters and nut milks. Something like this is an investment but when you get a good quality blender it will last for years, which ends up being great for your pocketbook as well as the environment. How many times have you bought the cheaper version of something just to throw it away the next year?!

Himalayan Salt Lamp – find it here

By now, most of us natural lifestyle junkies have heard that blue light exposure will hinder melatonin production at night, making it harder for us to fall asleep as well as stay in deep sleep. Upgrading your children’s nightlights or having these around your home for ambience not only supports better sleep and mood but can help you clean up your environment at the same time! My daughter loves hers and so do I!

Berkey Water Filter (for drinking)

If you haven’t heard me talk about how much I love my Berkey than you probably haven’t been around me often, because I LOVE my Berkey. This countertop system has a carbon filters that (according to the Berkey webiste) “remove viruses to purification standards, pathogenic bacteria, cysts and parasites to non-detectable levels, and harmful or unwanted chemicals to below detectable levels”. That is a great benefit of course but a bonus is that the water tastes amazing and quenches my thirst. Since I personally struggled with severe adrenal dysfunction, I am always looking for water that still has it’s natural minerals intact. Restoring my minerals has been very important in recovering my energy and hormone balance. If you have someone in your life who has been trying to make upgrades in their personal and cleaning products, but hasn’t splurged on they water filter, this would be an amazing present for them.

Diffuser & Essential Oils

Who doesn’t like yummy smelling things? There are lots of scented candles and air fresheners that might smell good, but at the same time are sending chemicals and endocrine disruptors into the air. Get the best of both worlds by sending a friend a diffuser and some essential oils. Not only will the essential oils make the room smell amazing but at the same time can help clear the air of fungus and bacteria with a blend like On Guard.

Beeswax Candles

If you are going to give candles as a gift, go for beeswax. Why not use a candle that helps clean the air while your friends or family are using it? Look for 100% pure beeswax on candles, otherwise just “pure” can mean 51%. Beeswax candles release negative ions when it burns which helps neutralize positive ions that suspend pollen, dust, dirt and pollutant in the air. This can help to reduce indoor pollutants and can therefore help reduce asthma, allergies & hay fever

Nontoxic Skincare – Fatface

How many times have you ended up getting a friend or family some random smelly lotion from the mall just because you needed a gift? Well, those are the days of the past for me. If I wouldn’t use it on my own body, I don’t give it as a gift! I personally love Fatface Skincare for all of my nontoxic skincare items. They only use real ingredients that you could actually eat (although maybe you shouldn’t do that!) . They follow a nose to tail philosophy meaning that they believe if you are going to kill an animal to eat the meat, than you should make sure to use every single part of it, including the fat!

I have always gotten great feedback when I have given the Facial Skincare Kit as a present. I cannot get over the change in the way my skin looks and feels since adding Myrrhaculous Face Cream, Body Butta and my favorite, the Fat Stick, into my life. Check out the Fatface Skincare website for all of their amazing products as well as the holiday boxes! These are not only nontoxic, they also smell great and work extremely well unlike some other natural products that I have tried. Your friends will be thanking you!!!

Want more information about nontoxic products that we love? Want more tips and tricks about how to clean up your home environment to be supportive of vibrant health?

Grab the Toxic Home Makeover to give yourself the best Christmas gift of all – the gift of a nontoxic home environment!!!

[image url=”http://gingernewtrition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Toxic-Home-Makeover-Cover-238×300.png” raw=”true” alignment=”center” margin_left=”0″ margin_right=”0″ margin_top=”0″ margin_bottom=”0″ link=”http://healthyhormonesgroup.com/toxichome” target=”_parent” width=”238″ height=”300″]

November 29, 2015
My Favorite Uses for Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint Essential Oils

I started using doTERRA essential oils a few months ago and still continue to be amazed at the number of applications that they have. The Intro Kit, around $26, includes Lemon, Lavender & Peppermint. By far, these are the 3 oils that I use the most.

The essential oils were a savior during our cross country road trip from San Diego to NH. With a 3 yr old in tow, you never know what you might get into! They came in handy for bug bites, sunburns, clogged sinuses and to make lemon water on the go.

Here are my favorite uses for the basics trio:

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Lemon

Warm Lemon Water in the morning. When traveling, carrying a bag of lemons for your morning lemon water is pretty darn inconvenient. Although inconvenient, this is often when we need to support our liver and digestion the most. Add 1-2 drops of Lemon oil to warm water in the morning.

Eradicate Undesirable Smells. Wish your bedroom didn’t smell like the salmon you made for dinner last night? Diffuse Lemon oil to neutralize odors.

Pick-Me-Up. When you lack motivation or energy, try rubbing a drop of Lemon oil on your hands, the back of your neck or even through your hair. You’ll be amazed at the power of the lemony aroma!

All-Purpose Cleaner. Mix 5-6 drops Lemon essential oil with water and vinegar in a spray bottle to cleanse and purify surfaces. Use to clean kitchen counters and stainless steel appliances. For stainless steel, mix Lemon essential oil with olive oil for best results.

Get Rid Of The Sticky Stuff. Lemon essential oil is excellent for removing sticky tree sap, sticker residue and permanent marker. It even gets gum out of hair!

Super Study Powers. Diffuse with Peppermint in the classroom or during homework time to help the kids stay awake and focused.

Preserve the Fruit. Use Lemon essential oil in a spray to keep your cut fruit fresh until serving.

Refresh Bad Smelling Washcloths. When your kitchen washcloths smell foul and could use a boost, add Lemon oil to your detergent, soak overnight, wash, dry and your kitchen will smell so much better!

Nourish Your Leathers & Furniture. Preserve and prevent leather from splitting with a Lemon oil soaked cloth. Also, a few drops of Lemon essential oil combined with a few drops of olive oil makes a great furniture polish.

‘Lemonize’ Your Laundry. Instead of dryer sheets, try adding a few drops of Lemon oil to a damp washcloth in the dryer with the rest of your laundry. Be sure to set the dryer to a low temperature cycle, as high heat will lessen the effects of the oil.

Lavender

Take A Lavender Bath. Drop a few drops of Lavender essential oil along with Epsom salts or magnesium oil to your bath water for an ultra-relaxing experience. This is my favorite use!

Sleeps Best Friend. Rub on the bottoms of the feet for a more restful sleep. A few drops of Lavender placed on a pillow will help a restless toddler (or adult) fall asleep and stay asleep. (Lily’s requests lavender every night!)

Bug Bites. Rub Lavender oil on your bugbites in the evening when they start to itch like crazy. This worked really well for my daughter this summer who was eaten alive in NH!

Quick Fix. Mix three parts fractionated coconut oil with one part Lavender essential oil in a small spray bottle or roll on to help clear up skin irritation associated with chafing. Great for little ones!

Enjoy A Fresh And Clean Mattress. Sprinkle a mixture of 1 cup baking soda and 10 drops of Lavender essential oil over your mattress. Allow the mixture to sit for at least one hour then use the vacuum hose to clean it up. You can combine with drops of Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Clove, or Rosemary as well.

Ouch! That’s Hot! The next time someone doesn’t realize the iron or pan is still hot, apply Lavender oil to the affected area to soothe skin irritation, relieve redness and ease swelling.

Homemade Aftershave. Use after shaving to soothe and soften skin and to lessen the redness and burning caused by razor burn.

Take the “Ouch” Out. One drop of Lavender will help relieve the pain and sensitivity of occasional sore gums, dry or chapped lips, occasional scrapes and abrasions, or after too much sun.

Clear The Mind. Apply Lavender to the temples and back of the neck to lessen the effects of stress and anxiety and to promote mental clarity.

Peppermint

Stuffed up Sinuses. Dilute a drop of Peppermint oil combined with fractionated coconut oil and place under your nose to support open airways and help you breathe easily.

Peppermint Smoothies! Peppermint makes a delicious addition to all things chocolate. I add a drop into a cacao nib smoothie and I feel like I am having a mint chocolate chip milkshake. YUM!

Bad Breath? Use a drop of Peppermint with Lemon in water for a healthy, refreshing mouth rinse. It freshens breath and builds confidence in your close encounters.

Take a Deep Breath. Inhale deeply to invigorate lungs and increase alertness.

Stressed? Apply to neck and forehead with Lavender to relieve tension and pressure.

A Joint Effort. Peppermint is a great way to cool joints without taking an ice bath. It helps to soothe occasional soreness in muscles and joints.

Tummy Calmer. Rub on the stomach or take internally for occasional digestive discomfort.

Out on the Open Road. Don’t fall asleep at the wheel! Inhale Peppermint from a handkerchief or straight from the bottle to perk up on long drives.

Approaching Deadlines Mean Long and Late Hours. Rather than grab a Snickers to revitalize you as you ‘go the extra mile’, deeply inhale Peppermint to feel revitalized and ready to go.

Un-Block Writer’s Block. Peppermint can support blood circulation and leave you feeling rejuvenated to keep those creative juices flowing. Simply spritz peppermint on child’s shirt before study time for improved concentration and alertness.

What else do you use your essential oils for? We LOVE learning new tricks. Share with us!

Check out all the amazing oils available from doTERRA here.

Adapted from: http://www.doterraeveryday.com/150physiciankituses/

September 22, 2014
Homemade Toothpaste

As I have recently been working on a Toxic Home Makeover handout for my clients, I have developed a severe phobia of every single household cleaner and personal care product. The more I research, the worse it gets.

To magnify this phobia, I have a very sensitive daughter who reacts to everything. Long story short, minimizing toxins and chemicals in our life is top on the list right now.

First stop: Toothpaste

Why? Because I was reading the ingredients in the toothpaste that my daughter got from her dentist and saw sodium laurel sulfate. Oh no, the evil SLS. Is it really evil? I don’t know, but after finding some super easy homemade toothpaste recipes, I figured why not use something that is homemade and has 5 basic ingredients, all of which I know what they are!

I remember my grandmother used to brush her teeth daily with baking soda. She just dipped in the box and brushed away! I wish I could be as hardcore as she was, but the taste is a little too much for me.

I slightly adapted this homemade toothpaste from the Wellness Mama recipe (If you don’t follow her, you should. She rocks!) I decided to add xylitol after my holistic dentist was telling me how amazing xylitol is for your teeth, and does just as good of a job as flouride.

It took me a while to get used to the taste, but I was amazed that my teeth felt so much cleaner!

Homemade Peppermint Toothpaste (for me)

¼ cup coconut oil

1 tbs baking soda

1 tsp xylitol

15 drops peppermint (more or less to taste)

5 drops grapefruit seed extract (optional)

1. Start with slightly softened coconut oil (fully melted is a little trickier).

2. Add all ingredients and thoroughly mix. If the oil was liquid, than you will need to keep stirring as it solidifies.

3. Pour into a glass jar (I used an old horseradish jar).

4. If you are sharing, you can use a small spoon to put on your toothbrush, or make each family member their own toothpaste and they can dip right in!

Homemade Kid Toothpaste

The peppermint didn’t go over well with my little munchkin. So for her, we used the same recipe as above, but with DoTERRA On Guard (Wild orange essential oil, combined with clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary ) instead of the peppermint.

This seemed like a perfect choice since cloves relieves sore gums and toothaches, is a deodorizer and anesthetic, and cinnamon is also deodorizing, antiviral, antifungal, and slightly anesthetic. I am sure that orange has amazing benefits as well, but we just really like the smell and taste!

What if your toothpaste is in a hot car for 24 hours and melts into a soupy goo?

Yes, this happened to me and then when it solidified the baking soda and oils had gone to the bottom and the coconut oil was on top. No need to panic, just re-melt and keep stirring as the liquid is solidifying.

What other personal care products do you like to make yourself? Please share your favorite recipes in the comments below!

Want to save this recipe for later? Pin this here!

June 29, 2014