{whole body}::oil cleansing method

I was blessed with pretty good skin. I think there were a couple of months back in 7th grade, before I cared enough to have a good skin care regimen, that I broke out around menses (which my husband now lovingly refers to as "shark week"). Other than that...my skin was always pretty good. However, around ages 25-27, things started to go awry.

Acne has still never been an issue...but, peaches and cream I am not. Certainly, there are hormone and health issues that have contributed to the problem...but, drab does not even begin to describe my the lack of luster on my face. Not to mention, the added porous enormoucus that is the bane of my T-zone. Bonus.

I long ago stopped using commercial skin products...maybe as long as 9 years ago. That certainly helped, and there is one product that I will never again go without. However, none of them actually changed the landscape and structure of my skin.

Enter: Crunchy Betty.

This chic's blog has changed my life. Her rockin' wit and tireless pursuit of natural skin care have contributed to my daily life in a wonderful way. Not only do I no longer spend extra money on skincare products (even organic, the integrity of which, is now called heavily into question), I hardly spend any money at all. Not only that...but, my skin is glowing, again!

The biggest contributor to my improving skin, is The Oil Cleansing Method. I literally had NO IDEA, that this option existed. I was definitely skeptical, because well...who ever heard of rubbing oil all over your face, in order to clean your pores?! But, trust me when I say...you'll wonder what in the world you were ever thinking, stripping your face of all of it's benefits...every night and every morning, since you were 9! The first time I did it...my skin looked like it did when I was 16 years old. I could NOT believe it.

{oil cleansing players...Castor oil $6.99, and Sweet Almond Oil $4.59 @ Vitamin Shoppe}

{I use a 70/30 ratio of sweet almond/castor oils, respectively, and then put it in a cute bottle, just to up the feel-good ante. I've had this bottle for almost 2 months...and, it came from the 2 bottles above. Do your own math.}

I love every second of oil cleansing. It is so meditative...so centering. It's good for circulation...and spending 5 minutes, every other day, concentrating on taking care of myself. I highly recommend it.

{just a glimpse of my ever-expanding homemade skincare shelf}

By the way... I highly suggest reading the link about Oil Cleansing Method. I will go into the endless benefits of castor oil, at some point...but, I'm just too lazy, today. However, if you read the link, you will get a jist;)

NO CHEMICALS = HAPPY:)

Sustainable Beauty: Homemade Deodorant

*Let me begin, by addressing the issue of antiperspirant. Think for a moment, if you will, about the term antiperspirant. Literally...it is to stop. sweat. That's all fine and well, if you think of things in terms of our over-marketed society. However, if you think of the implications of how our bodies are created to operate...that's a very dangerous thing. Sweating is our most valuable detoxification tool, and to block that process is to keep those toxins swimming around in your body. If you are a woman (or, increasingly, just a human being), then not allowing the natural detoxification process to occur, especially in the underarm region, then you are keeping those toxins in and around your breast tissue. Bad. idea.

So...now that we have that taken care of...

...about 5 or 6 years ago, I stopped using antiperspirant, for the specific reasons I just addressed. However, I TOTALLY get the whole B.O. issue. Don't get me wrong...I may be a hippie at heart, but I certainly don't want to smell like one. Soooo...I began using deodorants that I found at Whole Foods and other stores like that, and they worked fine for years. I always made sure that I was purchasing "aluminum-free" deodorants, that didn't contain parabens and other harmful ingredients.

There were a couple of problems, though. First and foremost...those deodorants aren't cheap! I mean, they are certainly worth paying for, if your only other option is an antiperspirant...but, if you're on a family budget, it can be painful to pass that thing over the scanner.

Second problem...one day toward the end of our trip...
my deodorant stopped working!

...dun, dun, duuuuun...

I kid you not! This was no ordinary problem...ladies and gentlemen...I STANK. I literally couldn't stand myself on some days.

I was fairly annoyed, because I really liked what I'd been using, and I was NOT going to go back to that stuff that begins with an S and ends in a CRET...because, for pete's sake...I don't need to give my body any more reason than it already has. Little did I know...it would be the best thing that has ever happened to my armpits:)

Enter: homemade deodorant!!!

What you need:
1/3 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
1/3 cup baking soda
5-6 tablespoons coconut oil
few drops of lavender or tea tree oil (optional)
container of your choice (you can even re-use an empty deodorant stick)

First, measure your baking soda and cornstarch/arrowroot powder into your bowl.
Add the coconut oil one tablespoon at a time, until your mixture is the desired consistency.
I placed a few drops of a lavender/tea tree oil in the mixture.
(It should be very similar to store-bought)
Place in your old stick dispenser, or put into a small jar.

Voila!! Deodorant:)

I use a round cosmetics sponge for application. However, it still gets on my fingers somewhat, so you could easily skip that step and save yourself some time:)

The Consumer Report:
I've been using this deodorant for about a month, now. There is absolutely no smell...nada, zip, zilch, nyet...we're talking completely neutralized odor zone under those arms! I absolutely love everything about it...it's easy, it's cheap, it's quick, I know EXACTLY what's in it, it absolutely works, and I used the lavender/tea tree oil, and it smells wonderful!

Bonus: My underarms are softer, because of the coconut oil:)

Sustainable Beauty: My New Love

Well, since it's Saturday, why don't you have breakfast, drink your morning cup of coffee, and then take the grounds you just used to brew that coffee...

...and make a face scrub!!!

I have to tell you...I giggled with delight when I read about this on Crunchy Betty. This chick rocks my world:)

In all seriousness, I am at extremely high risks for breast cancer. If there is a risk factor, I have it to an extreme degree. Regardless, I want to end the industrial wasting away of my body. So, to that end, I am doing everything I can to rid my life of anything I can't make myself. This is actually a tough one for me...because I'm a cosmetics junkie. It's weird, because I don't wear makeup every day, and I don't put much effort into getting ready...but, I could wander around Ulta for days. It's getting easier to envision, but I hold onto the hope that I'll most likely never give up my Bare Minerals, i.e. have a reason to go to Ulta, occasionally:)

So, coffee on your face. What a concept. I'm pretty much tired all the time, so this was extra intriguing to me. The wet grounds, when mixed with a tablespoon of honey, and a teaspoon of cocoa powder...and, you have an amazing facial scrub! I applied it to my face, and between the smell and the exfoliation properties of the coffee, and the moisturizing affects of the honey...even though I looked like this, for a few minutes...

...my face felt amazing afterward. A bonus?...I used the leftovers in the shower, as a "perk you up" body scrub!

I'll let you in on a little secret...I loved it so much that I have done it twice since. One more thing...it didn't cost me a thing!

Red Rover, Red Rover...Kick Big Industry Over

So much of what prompted the beginning of the Whole Family Project, is that I'm scared. I'm scared for myself. I am worried about breast cancer, I'm worried about heart disease, hypertension, and high blood pressure, and I'm worried about diabetes. I'm not worried in a hypochondriac sort of way...I'm worried because I display signs of all of these things. Every point on the list of breast cancer risks...I have every single one of them...to a severe degree.

Luckily, I'm blessed enough to have had a peek behind the curtain, so I know enough to know that I don't need to see it the way "they" want me to. However, one of my main priorities is to find a way to nip all that may or may not be going on, in my body, in the bud. So...one part of my strategy is to get my body & hair care products in line. I've been off of parabens and aluminum for several years, now...but, this video opened my eyes to a host of other problematic chemicals.

We can only educate one another about these issues. Big Chem, Big Food, Big "M", Big Industry...they certainly aren't going to tell us. In fact...a good thing to do, is to check into what Europe is doing with their safety standards. They tend to have a much deeper respect for their citizens' health across the pond. That being said...we also have the unique ability to change things in a big way, in our country...because, we hold the money, and that's what "they're" after. We can, for all intensive purposes, "cut them off", to get what we want. We just have to do the monumental task of getting the word out, and changing some minds.

It's a tough job...but, I'm starting to really like doing it:)