Home Made Laundry Detergent with Castile Soap

Have you ever made your own laundry detergent?  It is super easy to do, and is a much healthier alternative not only for you, but for the environment as well.  Not to mention the cost savings.  It comes out to about .02 per load.

You may wonder how making your own laundry detergent could be healthier than the store bought brands.  So since you asked, I'll tell you.

For starters, the synthetic fragrances are usually petroleum based, and are known endocrine disruptors.  That means they can mess with your hormones.  I don't know about you, but I can be hormonal enough without any help from my laundry detergent!

Then there is the endless list of chemical names that even I, who started out as a chemistry major, have a hard time pronouncing.  Suffice it to say that most of them contain warnings about their adverse effects.

Since it would be impossible too time consuming to list every ingredient in every brand of laundry detergent and the potential dangers of them,  I'll let you research the brand that you use.  You can go to www.goodguide.com and type in the laundry products you use.  Good Guide has done all the dirty work for us, and not only will you be able to see the potential health risks associated with the product you search, you will also be able to see if the company that makes it is environmentally friendly.

Go ahead and check out your brand of detergent.  I'll wait for ya...







Ok.  So now that you know how harmful your detergent is, let's get started on how to make your own healthier alternative.

You will need borax, super washing soda (not baking soda), and a bar of pure castile soap (and a 5 gallon bucket and an empty laundry detergent container).  I used Dr. Bronner's unscented bar soap, but you could use any scent that suits your fancy.  I will urge you not to use Fels-Naptha bar soap since it is a petroleum product.  Most of the other home made recipes call for this soap, and I used it for my first batch, but then discovered what it is made out of.  The castile detergent works just as well, and is not petroleum based - better for you and the environment!

Grate the bar of soap into a large pan.

Add 4 cups of hot tap water to the grated soap, and heat over medium low heat, stirring until soap is dissolved.

Meanwhile, fill a 5 gallon bucket half full with hot tap water.  Add 1/2 cup borax and 1 cup of washing soda.  Stir until dissolved.

When soap is dissolved, add to bucket, stirring to combine.  Fill bucket to top with more hot tap water.  

Cover bucket with a lid, and let it sit overnight to cool.

In the morning, your detergent will be a thick gelled glob.  You could try to stir it to break it up, but I found the easiest way is to used a grout mixer.  

I got one similar to this one at Home Depot for a few bucks.  Just go slow when you hook it up to your drill or you will have a huge mess (don't ask!).

Then transfer the detergent to your empty cleaned out container, and you are good to go.  I have been using my own home made detergent for almost two years, and it works just as well if not better than the store bought brands I had been using.  This 5 gallon bucket of detergent makes enough detergent for 320 loads, and lasts our family of four an entire year!  And remember...only .02 per load.

Here is the recipe...

Homemade Laundry Detergent with Castile Soap

1/2 c. borax

1 c. super washing soda

1 bar pure castile soap (scented or un- your choice)

5 gallon bucket

empty cleaned out detergent container

1.  Grate soap into large pan.  Add about 4 cups of hot tap water and heat over medium low heat, stirring until all soap is dissolved.

2.  Meanwhile, fill a 5 gallon bucket half way with hot tap water.  Add borax and washing soda, stirring until dissolved.

3.  When soap is dissolved, add to bucket, stirring to combine.  Fill bucket to top with hot tap water.  Cover with a lid, and let sit overnight to cool.

4.  Stir or use grout mixer to break up gel, and transfer to empty detergent container.

5.  Shake before each use.

     For top load washer, use about 1/2 c for a full load

     For front load washer, use about 1/4 c for a full load

I have used homemade detergent in my front load washer for almost two years, and have not had any problems.  It is low sudsing by nature, so it shouldn't be harmful.

If you are nearing the end of your store bought detergent or even if you aren't, I urge you to try making your own.    You can feel good about keeping the plastic container out of the recycle bin, and it really is a healthier alternative for you and the planet!

In Wellness,

K

A New Chapter

On February 1, 2013, I quit my job as an operating room nurse after almost 26 years of working in the field.  I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do, but it didn't take long for me to figure out that I wanted to do something in the holistic field.  Fast forward to today, and I just completed my first two classes toward getting a diploma for Mind/Body Wellness through Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.  I loved my first two classes so much I may go on to get my Associate Degree.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I am going to.  I'm going to be 50 anyway, so why not have two degrees instead of just one?

I start my next two classes tomorrow, and although school has taken up most of my free time, I love what I am learning, and can't wait to share it with all of you.

Just as the ice transforms itself back to water, I am transforming myself into a better person.  The healing I have experienced in the last 5 weeks has been nothing short of incredible, and I'm looking forward to so much more.

In Wellness,
K

GMOs - My Opinion

Until I watched a few movies (Food, Inc., Genetic Roulette), and read a few books (The Omnivore's Dilemma, for one), I didn't realize how much of our food contained GMOs.  What are GMOs, anyway?  And are they something we can be sure are safe to put in our bodies?

What are GMOs?

GMOs = genetically modified organisms.  Wikipedia's definition of a GMO is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.  There are many ways scientists have used genetic modification, but the one that concerns me the most is using bioengineering technology to modify our foods, and that is what I will be discussing today.

GMOs were introduced into agricultural crops (corn, soybeans, and cotton) to make them resistant to herbicides, or in the case of corn, to explode the stomachs of the insects that tried to eat it.  With Round-up Ready soy, the farmer could spray herbicides liberally without any crop loss.  What has happened, is that there are now 'super weeds' that are resistant to the herbicides, so the farmers have to spray even more chemicals on our food.  Have you ever used Round-up?  If you have, you know it kills everything it comes in contact with.  Then ask yourself if you really want to eat soy that has been modified to have the Round-up gene in it.  And the protein that explodes the insect's stomach...what happens when we humans consume it?  No one knows for sure, but it is thought that it could be responsible for making the lining of our intestines 'leaky', thereby letting larger food proteins (that haven't been broken down and digested enough) enter our bloodstream.  This leads to chronic inflammation in our bodies that could be responsible for a host of disease processes and could be the reason why there are so many food allergies today.

How are GMOs harmful?

The bottom line is, we don't know.  But we don't know that they are safe, either.  Sure, the big corporations that support GMOs will tell you that GMO food is safe, but look what happened with hydrogenated oils.  It is the same thing.  More research needs to be done before we will know if they are safe or not.  But until then, my family and I won't be eating them.

What foods contain GMOs?

Since 1996, our food supply has contained increasing amounts of GMOs.  It is to the point now that unless the package says it is certified organic or GMO free, you can pretty much be sure it has GMOs in it.  The three largest GMO crops grown in the US are corn, soybeans, and cotton.  According to the most recent data from the USDA Economic Research Service, in 2012, 88% of the corn, 93% of the soybeans, and 94% of the cotton grown in the United States is genetically modified.  Alfalfa is also a large GMO crop, and although we don't typically consume a lot of alfalfa, dairy cows do.  That means that everything that you can make from cow milk (milk, buttermilk, cream, butter, yogurt, cheese) has the potential to be contaminated with GMOs unless it is organic.

There are hundreds of food additives and ingredients that are made from these three (largely GMO) crops, and you may not even recognize them as corn, soy or cotton when reading the label.  Here are links to lists of ingredients that can be sourced from corn and soy...

Ingredients Derived from Corn

Ingredients Derived from Soy

GMO cotton can be used to make cottonseed oil and cottonseed meal which can be found in flours, bread and candy, can be used as a coloring agent in food products, and cottonseed meal is fed to cattle.  There are also many cosmetic ingredients that are derived from cottonseed oil and soy.

Like I said before, if it is processed and isn't labeled organic or GMO free, it is likely GMO.  Kind of scary, isn't it?

What can you do about GMOs in your food?

My answer is a simple one.  Don't eat it.

With the exception of papayas (80% GMO) and some zucchini (13% GMO in 2005), most fruits and vegetables are GMO free.  If you want to go pesticide free, be sure to buy organic fruits and vegetables.

Buy organic or better yet, pastured meats. (Meats that are labeled organic only mean that the animal was fed organic food, typically grain.  Cows are meant to eat grass, not grain, and chickens are omnivores, they need to eat animal protein, too.)

Since most GMOs are found in processed foods, limit your consumption of them.  If you're like me and my family and can't do without tortilla chips and pretzels, buy organic ones.

Read the label on everything you buy.  If it has more than a few ingredients or ingredients you can't pronounce or know where they come from, skip it.

Fight for labeling foods as GMO.  We have the right to know what we are eating.

Obstacles you will face

If you have kids, they may be the most resistant to your new way of eating.  Mine have pretty much embraced our new food lifestyle, but they will be the first to complain when I refuse to buy Cheerios or Goldfish.  One day my son pronounced that he would no longer be buying school lunches because he knows "what kind of cr*p" they put in them, and the very next day had a meltdown about me not buying Cheerios, whining "Why does everything have to be organic?".  I will say that the complaints become less frequent as time goes on.  They will adjust, but you have to be consistent.

Another obstacle you will face is the price of your grocery bill.  Organic is definitely more expensive, but how can you put a price on your health?  It is worth it in the long run, and if I have to do without a new sweater or pair of shoes, that's ok.  I know I am making a good choice for my family.  Making some of your own foods will help to offset the cost of going organic.  Learn how to make your own bread, mayonnaise, pancakes, and goldfish crackers.  You can make them for a fraction of the cost of buying them. You can also grow your own vegetables or plant a fruit tree.  You don't have to have a big yard to grow vegetables - many of them will grow just fine in containers on your patio.

Eating out is the biggest obstacle I have faced.  I'm not much of a cook (I am getting better at it, though), so we used to eat out at least a couple times a week.  Now we hardly ever eat out.  Home cooked is so much better, and you have control over everything you use to make your meal.  Sitting down at the dinner table at home is much better than at a table in a noisy restaurant, anyway, and compliments to the chef are much more abundant.

Food for thought

Aside from the statistical facts and direct links, the content of this post is my opinion.  I believe it is not safe to eat GMO foods until research proves otherwise.  I encourage you to do your own research and decide whether or not you should eat GMO foods.

If you're still reading, thanks for sticking with me.  I would love to hear what you have to say about GMOs.

In Wellness,
K

Going For a Walk

My husband surprised me yesterday by asking me to take a walk with him at lunch time.  I actually fell out of my chair and 'fainted' on the floor.  No, I didn't really faint, it's a family joke to 'faint' when we don't believe something that someone tells us.  And I couldn't believe he was asking me to take a walk with him.

You see, my husband is not the picture of health.  At all.  He loves junk food and never exercises.  He is overweight and is on medication for high blood pressure and cholesterol.  And he is only 43 years old.  So I was quite shocked that he would even think of taking a walk.

It was a beautiful, sunny but cool, winter day, and there was a bit of a breeze.  It turned out to be a perfect day for a walk.

During our conversation, he said it would be nice to go for a walk together once a week.  I had to laugh, because I was thinking we should walk once a day.  But we'll shoot for once a week (walking together), and see where that takes us.  You have to start somewhere, and walking once a week is better than not doing anything at all.

Baby steps.

Maybe my wellness is rubbing off on him.

What baby steps have you taken to make your life healthier?

Home Made Toothpaste

Home Made Toothpaste

During my search for a chemical free deodorant, I found that many people made their own toothpaste, as well.  I'll admit, I never really read the label on my toothpaste, but I don't have to be a chemist to know that almost everything in it is a synthetic chemical ingredient, most of them questionable for your health.  If you think about all the beauty and body care products you use on a daily basis (cleansers, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, face and eye creams, make up, deodorant, toothpaste, sunscreen), and add them all up, you are putting a boat load of chemicals on, and therefore in, your body.  The repeated exposure is what is concerning to me.  It all adds up, and it can't good for our health.

After all, our ancestors used baking soda for their toothpaste, so why can't we?

Here is how you can make your own toothpaste without all the harmful chemicals...

You will need baking soda, coconut oil, xylitol, and essential oil(s) of your choice.

The players.

Start with two tablespoons of baking soda...

add two tablespoons of coconut oil...

plus one teaspoon xylitol...

and 20 drops essential oil of your choice (I like peppermint).

Stir together until well combined (there may be a few small lumps - that's ok)

Pour into a clean jar, and you are done!


Here's the run down on the ingredients...

• Baking soda -mild abrasive, whitener, and breath freshener
• Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial and acts as a base for the toothpaste
• xylitol is a sweetener derived from corn.  Because it is an alcohol, it cannot be utilized by bacteria, and therefore does not promote tooth decay.  Be wary of recipes that use anything other than xylitol as a sweetener - you could be setting yourself up for a mouthful of cavities.
• Essential oil - antibacterial properties and freshens breath

The recipe...

Home Made Toothpaste
2T baking soda
2T coconut oil
1tsp xylitol (more or less to taste)
20 drops essential oil of choice (peppermint is my fave)

Stir all ingredients until well mixed.  Pour into a clean container.  Use a peanut sized amount to brush teeth.

Keep in mind that coconut oil is solid at room temperature, and as nice as it would be to use, a refillable tube doesn't work with this toothpaste.  Hence the jar.

I hope you enjoy making and using your own home made toothpaste.  You will be doing your body good!

In wellness,
K

Home Made Deodorant

Yep, deodorant.  That is what got me started on my chemical free journey.  I never liked the idea of slathering chemicals in my armpits.  Chemicals that would be absorbed into my skin, and probably head straight for my lymph nodes, causing cancer, Alzheimer's, and messing with my hormones.

So I stopped using it.

Then I lost all my friends.

Just kidding.

But I definitely needed to use something to keep the stench at bay.  So I started my search for home made deodorant online.  Believe me, there are so many recipes for home made deodorant, one could never read them all, so I just picked a simple one and went with it.  I can't even remember the exact recipe now, but it was just coconut oil, baking soda, and essential oils.

And it worked!  I couldn't believe how well it worked.  (Here comes the gross part)  I sniffed my pits a lot those first few days, and then sniffed them again, because I was sure I may have missed something.  I could not detect even a hint of body odor.  I was ecstatic!  I had succeeded in making my own chemical free deodorant, and it was cheap!  No more worries about aluminum in my pits.

Then about a week after using my own deodorant, I noticed a few red bumps under one arm.  A full on rash developed over the next few days, but it was only in one pit.  I was puzzled.  Why only one?  So I asked my trusty friend, Google, about the rash, and discovered that baking soda could be the culprit, as it can be abrasive to delicate pit skin. (I still don't know why the rash was only on one side.)  So I simply added more coconut oil to what I had already made to reduce the ratio of baking soda.  And it worked.  The rash went away, and my pits didn't stink.

For a while.

Then I started to smell myself when I wasn't even sniffing my pits.

I was back on the experimental road to smelling fresh.

I'll spare you the details, but it took a bit of experimenting to come up with something that worked for me, and you may have to try a few different ones before you find the right fit for your pits. You will be doing your body a huge favor though, by not putting all the questionable ingredients found in commercial antiperspirant/deodorants on it.  And you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry already.

Here is the link to the recipe that works for me.  (I used a combination of arrowroot and corn starch, with less baking soda; and lavender and peppermint EOs).  I put mine in a jar and just apply it with my fingertips. This stuff works great, even after going on runs in 95 degree heat, and it lasts a long time, too.

Here's the rundown on the ingredients, and why they are used...

• Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial, and it is a great moisturizer.  Your pits will have never been so soft!
• Arrowroot/corn starch/baking soda all help to absorb perspiration and/or neutralize odor.  Be aware that baking soda and corn starch can be a bit irritating to underarm skin.
• Essential oils (depending on the ones you choose) can be antibacterial, antiviral, and/or anti fungal.  Plus, they make it smell good.  Good choices for deodorant are tea tree, lavender, peppermint, or eucalyptus, or any combination you find pleasing.
• Vitamin E is a natural preservative and has moisturizing and healing properties.

All of the good, and none of the bad.  Try it.  Your pits and lymph nodes will thank you.

Have you ever made your own deodorant?

In wellness,
K

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, Wellness and Health For Life.  (If you're here from my crafty blog, Syzygy of Me, thanks for stopping by.)  This will be my place for sharing my thoughts on the choices we make every day that affect our well being.  Our minds, bodies, and spirits, if you will.  From the food you eat, to the lotion you put on your body, to the way you cope with stress,  I hope I can at least make you aware of the better choices that are available to you, and why it is so important to make those better choices most of the time.

Stay tuned for the straw that broke my camel's back and how it got me started on my chemical free journey.

In wellness,
K