New site design coming Tuesday!

Hi there!  I’m glad you could stop by. Almost two years ago when I began writing about healthy living with essential oils my focus was very specialized. I’ve realized online and in classes I am teaching that there is a need to simplify the information overload in the holistic living community. To complicate matters further, green washing is everywhere. Words like natural, green, clean and even organic are never clear indicators of something truly PURE, unless it is certified organic food. Industries are cluttered with these adjectives and are no guarantee of a product that is safe and pure. I value your time – even though my focus is broadening, I am committed to keeping things simple and straightforward.  Think of PHB as HD for your wellness: you, your home and the earth.  Having a Pure Home and Body means aligning your whole being and continually growing to a better You, mind-body-spirit. Even if you know a bit about healthy living, I know you’ll get a different perspective or ideas about building better, more efficient habits into your life when you read Pure Home and Body, your inspiration for Natural Living.

Pure Home and Body is grounded in:

Simplicity – Being healthy should not have to be complicated.  I’ll help you cut through the clutter of a market saturated with products claiming to be Pure. You’ll find answers that are simple, organized and easy to use.

Truth –My articles are grounded in accuracy and the most current research – no fluff. I will challenge you to look for truth in your world and make decisions based on facts not emotions.  I won’t just be writing about do’s and don’ts of healthy living, I’ll equip you to think for yourselves and have discernment to make the best choices for you and our environment in any situation.

Authenticity – It’s my desire to really make the world a better place for all of us, and we can learn from each other. I am willing to be transparent with what has worked for me and what has not, my struggles and challenges, and I look forward to hearing what works for you. We are all unique beings and my perspective may help you sort through the facts and better apply simple, natural living habits that fit into your life.

Clarity –Pure Home and Body is a place where you can strip away the chaos of life and really think and begin to see where you are headed. You’ll be inspired to take initiative where you can and green up your living. An amazing “side effect” of removing chemicals from your life is clearer thinking and better concentration.

Integrity – Everything I publish and link to on Pure Home and Body will be in alignment with healthy, green, organic living principles. I will never promote or write about anything that is “greenwashed”, something portrayed as “good for you” when it really is not. The things I write about and link to are also those I have direct experience with and believe in.

Wellness – The principles I write about are all grounded in basic foundations of healthy living, many that have stood the test of time. Our culture has distorted the path to health with marketing, over the counter and prescription drugs, misinformation and  greenwashing. The many choices consumers have make things complicated. The whole living habits  you adopt will be more effective when you take time to understand yourself better, listen to your body and trust your intuition.

Direction: Pure Home and Body is your simple guide to finding the resources that will have the biggest impact in your life. Make the most of your time with real green, pure living ideas you can use every day. Because how you live in your home affects everyone – a Pure Home and Body = a Pure and Green Earth!

On March 27, 2012 I checked Amazon’s inventory which included:

• 12,766 body cleansers
• 33,953 shampoos
• 50,111 lotions
• 6,595 toothpastes
• 1,964 sleep aids
• 25,330 perfumes

After diapers, the top selling personal care product (consumable) was whitestrips for whiter teeth.

Body care in the US has gotten pretty complicated.   In 1880 there were only 67 Perfume and toiletry goods.  By 1900 that jumped to over 262 . Most recently, the Cosmetics Ingredient Review Expert Panel has evaluated 2,650 ingredients to date, that is just ingredients, not products!

Taking care of our bodies doesn’t have to be this complicated, in fact, all these products are just adding more chemicals to our environment. Every time we purchase products we are casting a vote for growth in the personal care industry.  Where are you putting your money? You can make this as simple or as complicated as you’d like:  (lotion for your face, body, hands,feet,eyes, sensitive skin, pregnant women, babies, etc). There are plenty of options if you’re looking for hope in a bottle.

We don’t spend a lot on personal care items in our home and we keep it pretty simple. I’m glad I don’t have to think much about what fragrance body wash or lotion to buy.  When you just cover the basics in body care, you don’t need a lot,  it really just comes down to  hair, teeth and skin.

For those who just want to stay clean here are 6 essentials for pure body care. And of course, organic is always best. These have no artificial preservatives or a long list of ingredients that you have to research or be a chemist to understand. You’ll most likely find that looking and feeling healthier is a nice side effect of simplifying your daily routine. These essentials are perfect for everyone, babies to adults and takes the fuss out of deciding what products to buy for every age.

1.  A simple soap – I like a bar soap because it lasts longer and it is less likely to contain odd ingredients to thicken, color and emulsify the mixture. I try to choose artisan soaps for a couple of reasons. The first is most store bought soaps are just detergents, chemical mixtures to suds and foam, not unlike cleaners for clothes and dishes. Most artisan soaps are made with pure oils that nourish your skin.  Other reasons I like to buy Artisan soaps is they can often be bought locally and they are beautiful.  When you buy local you can ask artisans about the ingredients they use. I love anything that is Pure and comes from REAL plants and herbs (I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now)  When I buy soap I want to choose products that are earth friendly and good for my skin.

Artisan soap from Wisconsin

2. Body oil – I only use sesame oil or an Ayurvedic oil blend from Banyon Botanicals. I’ve made my own lotion but didn’t want to worry about shelf life and storing it in my fridge, and who wants to put cold lotion on?  I put my body oil on before I shower (yes, before). Water and soaps strip away moisture from your skin, when you apply the oil (sparingly, not that you are all greased up) before a shower, you protect the skin from drying out before it happens. Just don’t scrub your skin with soap or you’ll wash away all the moisture. For warmer weather, I just use aloe vera, the next ingredient in our pure bathroom.

3. Aloe Vera - this is not to be confused with the gloppy clear gel sold in pharmacy stores for sunburn. These clear gels often have additives, fragrance and even coloring (you’ve probably seen them in varieties of orange or green which is not natural) Read the labels! The only aloe vera I use is from Aubrey Organics, it contains aloe vera and vitamin E to preserve it.  I could use Aloe Vera juice, but I don’t like to put cold things on my body ( unless it’s 90 degrees outside)  And while I use many ingredients for body care from the kitchen (like my sesame or olive oil) I’ve tried the Aloe Vera juice on my skin and it just didn’t feel right (maybe it’s psychological as I remember what happens to spilled juices as they dry and get sticky). I’ve also found Aubrey’s brand to really fit with my needs. I use it as a toner after washing, for sunburn and for itchy skin. It’s really soothing after shaving my legs and cools the skin in hot weather. Aubrey Organics is one company I have found that takes care in preparing and selecting ingredients for their line. Combine aloe vera with lavender oil and the anti-inflammatory effect to any skin (even babies) is magical.

4. Baking Soda – makes a gentle scrub for the skin, It makes a super fine polish for glowing skin when you massage it into wet skin. It makes a soothing soak for the bath tub (awesome cleanser for the tub too, no bleach!) and you can even clean your hair with it. I first read about trading out shampoo for baking soda from Good Girl Gone Green. I have not made this a regular habit, but I do use this method once a week and find it really takes any shampoo residue off my hair and gives a lift to my locks.  If it works well for you, it can be a significant cost savings.

You can brighten finger and toenails with a blend of baking soda and fresh lemon juice, simply dampen fingernails and scrub the surface of your nails with an old toothbrush dipped in the mixture. You can also brush your teeth with baking soda. It’s a bit salty, but I find I really don’t like using traditional toothpastes anymore and the mouthful of suds they generate, it reminds me of the “scrubbing bubbles” in a bathroom cleaner for soap scum (ew!) I’ve even made my own toothpaste which I like. My kids liked tangerine oil in theirs, I opted for peppermint oil.  Baking soda is a must have for any pure bathroom, the uses are endless.

DIY body scrub with baking soda, sea salt or raw sugar

5. Salt – Salt is naturally anti-bacterial so it makes a great addition to a DIY body scrub or toothpaste. It polishes the skin and purifies it at the same time. Toss a handful of coarse sea salt in the tub if you have sore muscles or need to rejuvenate from colds or flu. This tub soak is really therapeutic and will help to gently detoxify your body. If you really want to be restored, add 3-5 drops of therapeutic grade lavender essential oil and use Epsom salts (which aren’t really salts, but I included them here because most people think of them as “salt”) I use Ancient Minerals, which is the most natural form of Epsom salts, most grocery store brands are just manufactured chemicals. The Ancient Minerals brand is high in magnesium and is very soothing to the skin. My youngest had eczema as a baby and soaking in the mineral bath really alleviated the dryness and itching.   You’ll get the most benefit staying in this bath 20-30 minutes, followed by a cool shower. You can enhance the effects when you dry brush the skin before soaking and oiling up your skin after.

6. Castille Soap – Liquid soaps are some of the most toxic body products, anti-bacterial soaps contain ingredients like Triclosan and hormone disrupting fragrance. Dr. Bronners is a brand I found that is purest. I use the Baby Mild Soap for everything: body wash, shampoo for the kids, hand soap and general household cleaning. It’s really versatile and I don’t have a cache of body wash for everyone.  I don’t use the versions with essential oils in them because I can add my own and make my own scent. This simplifies my routine too because I usually buy the biggest bottle and replenish around the house as I need: one bottle, many uses.

You’re probably thinking that shampoo and deodorant would be good additions, and for most people, they are. If you use a deodorant, there are many safe alternatives, make sure you use one that does not contain aluminum. I scheduled my first traditional mammography appointment last summer (which I later changed to Thermography) and was surprised to be given directions to avoid deodorant or anti-antiperspirant 3 days before my exam. This is because the aluminum particles are absorbed into the lymph glands and can appear as “landmarks” on your imaging. I use Young Living’s Mountain Mist deodorant that has 10 different essential oils in it.  I get compliments on it all the time, especially after I teach a yoga class. Students have asked me what oil blend I used in the class and that it smells like a spa – it’s just my sweat, nice benefit from a healthy deodorant.

Before you wash your hair again, watch for an upcoming article on choosing pure shampoo.

Simple Baby & Child Care

Babies are big business, and loving parents want only the best for their newborn bundles of joy. While I don’t want to push my agenda onto anyone, I like to give you information and let your conscience and current circumstances help you make the best decisions in your home at any given moment. I do have one bit of advice to new parents, skip the traditional baby care products and start saving that money for college or some other future investment for your baby.

I’ve used this simple kid care routine for over 15 years and it works nicely for newborn babies up to teenagers. Growing bodies and changing skin requires a bit more strategy (including deeper cleansing and healthy diet for teens, which deserves it’s own post). All I use for the little ones is Castille soap for body and hair, olive oil to moisturize and lavender for any skin issues. None of my kids rarely had diaper rash  except a couple of them  I was nursing, after I ate spaghetti sauce.  Poor things got a burn on their bottom which was remedied pretty quickly with some lavender water I applied every hour, keeping them in dry organic cloth diapers in between (I waited to moisturize with the olive oil until I was sure the skin was healed which was only a couple of hours). Another point to consider, the only time (besides the spaghetti sauce episodes) their bottoms got sore was when traditional baby wipes were used.

Diaper care can be so simple!  I always used soft, organic flannel squares with warm water for when they were tiny, small washcloths with plain water as they got bigger. If you want to DIY wipes, skip all the crazy ingredients. All you need is a high quality lavender essential oil and water. Mix 2-3 drops of lavender essential oil in a cup of 8 oz. of warm water. Mix vigorously and pour quickly over a stack of flannel cloths or thick paper towels (I realize this isn’t the most “green” option, but it is much better than any disposable chemical wipes you’d buy) Store them in an air tight container or even a eco-friendly zippered pouch. Lavender is naturally anti-bacterial and anti-microbial so you don’t need to add any soaps or preservatives.  Keep it simple! These homemade wipes are wonderful for  kids of any age, grown ups too. They make very nice hand and face wipes when you are out around town and can be used to clean soft toys and surfaces that can’t go into the washing machine.

Quality is Essential  Make sure you use a food grade lavender which is the purest grade. There is no regulations in the essential oils industry so a company could fill a bottle labeled 100% essential oil with 5% lavender and 95% synthetic fragrance.  True lavender will heal a 1st or 2nd degree within 5 minutes if applied right away, yes heal. I just used this yesterday when my 12 year old burned the inside of her wrist on steam from a tea kettle – the pain and redness was gone 5 minutes after we applied some cool water, then 2 drops of lavender oil – this is a must for any kitchen!)if you put a synthetic lavender on a burn it can actually make it worse. Only time and experience will tell the purity of an oil . If you purchase ready made bath products for your family, make sure you check www.EWG.org/skindeep first to find the safest products.

Oh, and BTW, the FDA has not evaluated my statements and I cannot make any claims to healing or treating and disease or illness. I’m just sharing with you what has worked for me

There you have it!  6 simple essentials for your Pure Bathroom. What are you using? Do you already use these?

Leave a comment and share how you’ve been inspired,

Thanks

Essential oils and pure, truly natural fragrance are today what organic foods were 25 years ago.  Decades ago, those eating organic foods were thought of as radical, tree-huggers, paying too much for organics for no reason.  A frivolous luxury that wasn’t really necessary.  At least the organic food industry was self-regulated.  Today, the U.S essential oil industry is unregulated – no standards.  A company could include 5% pure essential oil and a chemical filler for the rest and still call it “100% essential oil”.

Greenwashing is when a company uses words like “natural”, “pure” and “green” in products that also contain questionable ingredients, many companies are not even required to disclose all ingredients. For example, one of the most common questions I get is what do I think about Aveda? For a while, it made me uncomfortable to answer specifics about another company’s products because I didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.  But this is not about sharing with you what I “feel”, it’s about facts that are written on product labels.  No one can dispute that.  Unfortunately, there are many who are uninformed about what they are consuming. All you have to do is read the labels on your products , look up a few ingredients at www.EWG.org and you’ll have the answer.

A lot of this is a personal process, and not everyone is ready to let go of products, because they have an emotional connection. Often, love is blind.  It may be just a matter of time before you can open your mind to seeing the truth in the labels, and that’s ok.  I see my site as a place to direct you to resources that will answer your questions. It’s up to you to take action.  I have had my share of personal battles over things I was using, but knew they weren’t the best choices. And I haven’t figured it all out,yet. I am still looking at ways to continue to improve, downsize and remove hidden chemicals in our home.   All that said, when you replace chemicals in your personal and home care products, make sure it is with products of quality.  Otherwise you may just be replacing one inferior product for another. Here are some simple steps to take when you’re ready to minimize your consumption of home and personal care items:

1. Clean out the cabinets – just what do you have lurking under the kitchen sink or in the linen closet?  Toss out anything that is expired, broken or leaking. Start a box of products that you do not use that can be disposed of properly at a local waste management facility. Many communities have special collection sites for toxic cleaners, solvents, prescription and over the counter drugs.  DO NOT dump anything down the drain. Antibiotics, drugs and household chemicals dumped down the drain will eventually enter the water supply.

2.  Take inventory of what you have left and plan on using up and donate unopened products you want to get rid of. Start to research what you will replace.

3.  Be authentic  with yourself.  Why do you love that mango body wash or Brazilian scented room spray (who exactly determined what that smells like, anyway?). Are you drawn to the graphics on the labels or was it an ad that first caught your eye? Marketing giants reach us through our senses and an entire industry is built on the Psychology of Scent. Starbucks isn’t a coffee giant by chance, they serve coffee with atmosphere, including sandalwood infused coffee cup insulators. Sandalwood essential oil is an earthy fragrance that has been used to uplift the senses. It’s also an ingredient in perfumes as a musk-like stimulant. If you want to minimize your consumption,take this critical step to realizing why you purchase products so you won’t be tempted to just replace one chemical cocktail for another. When you see advertising for what it is, you can better understand your true needs and desires and make the best choices for what you really need. You’ll naturally reduce your consumption.

4.  Choose healthy alternatives to chemical products. Better yet,  do without when you can.

5.   Enlist your family. Change is never easy, and may be grounds for a mutiny if you instill too many changes, too quickly, without everyone’s enthusiasm. Use this opportunity to have real conversations about what is important in your family.  Lorilee at Loving Simple Living has some great points on minimalism and it’s dynamic in relationships. She also just released her first book, 3-2-1 Stop. Check it out if the concept of minimalism is new to you.

6.   Enjoy the extra space you have and breathe deeply the purer environment you’ll have by eliminating some more chemicals in your home.

What are you eliminating in your home right now? Has it been easy or difficult? I’d love to hear about what you are discovering!

Watch for my upcoming posts for more simple tips to continue creating a Pure Home and Body.

Lemons

Buying some fresh lemons is a practical, easy way to start living a more pure life. They are packed with vitamin C (2 times more than oranges), potassium and folate to nourish your body even when you apply them to your skin.  Lemons work to gently detoxify your body and they even dissolve petrochemicals. Toxins are stored in your cellulite, so whether you drink the juice in your water or apply to your  skin you’ll help move the junk out of your system. Why add more garbage to your system from hydroquinone or mercury tainted creams on your skin when you have lemons! Any type of lemon will do.  I would only use organic lemons for cooking or body care though, traditional grown lemons are most likely sprayed with fungicides like thiabendazole and gassed with ethylene to speed the ripening process, who wants that on their skin? Yuck! . Meyers lemons will give you more juice than other varieties. Here are 9 of my favorite uses to brighten your skin and your mood:

1.Drink fresh squeezed juice into warm water in the morning to wake your body up. Drink it in cool water in the afternoon to perk you up without caffeine. You’ll also boost your immune system with the vitamin C.
2. Lighten finger and toe nails yellowed by nail polish, squeeze some juice into a teaspoon of baking soda, scrub into nails with an old toothbrush.
3. Add shine to your hair when you rinse. Add the juice of 1 lemon to 2 cups of water and use as your final rinse water.
4. Scent. Lemon blossoms smell exquisite, add a handful of blooms to your bath water to gently scent your skin.
5. Remove dead skin cells and brighten your complexion. At bedtime, use fresh lemon juice as a toner on a damp face after washing, dab on a couple drops of olive or sesame oil.
6. Massage gently areas of cellulite with dried lemon zest or ground almonds, a pinch of sea salt and coconut or sesame oil before showering.
7. Dry up a blemish. Apply pure juice to blemishes, repeat throughout the day to dry it up.
8. Head-off the start of a cold sore, apply fresh lemon juice on location every hour until gone.
9. Polish your skin with fresh squeezed lemon juice, ¼ C organic sugar and ¼ Colive oil. Massage all over and rinse in a gentle shower. Be careful, this might make your tub slippery!

*Lemons do cause photo sensitivity, so don’t apply lemon juice within 24 hours of sun exposure or you’re likely to burn. You can also use food grade lemon essential oil in place of the fresh lemon juice, just make sure the essential oil is organic, food grade is the purest (lemon essential oil is distilled from the rind so any pesticides or fungicides will become highly concentrated). Fresh lemon juice has more active enzymes that will remove dead skin cells to brighten your skin. Lemon essential oil is rich in limonene, found to decrease the incidence of cancer.  You can substitute lemon essential oil for all uses:  1 drop of essential oil, diluted in 1 tsp aloe vera juice or water. Check out this video on 6 of my favorite uses of lemon essential oil.

McCornack, STATUS OF POSTHARVEST FUNGICIDES FOR CITRUS FRUIT1, (229-232).

Therman, Ferrer, Analysis of Postharvest Fungicides and Their Metabolites in Citrus Fruits and Their Juices. www.agilent.com.

I found it interesting that the EWG information did not indicate “LEAD” as a toxin  in the ingredients. This is probably because LEAD is not an individual ingredient, but rather an element of another ingredient, like coloring.  For example, the #7 lipstick with lead was L’Oreal Colour Rich Lipstick, Tickled Pink (Pink) 165. This same L’Oreal lipstick ranks 7 in toxicity on EWG.org (7-10 being the most toxic rating) on EWG, not because of the LEAD (which wasn’t even indicated in the list of ingredients) but because of several other ingredients like BHA, BHT and Fragrance linked with toxic side effects.

If you’re looking to replace your favorite lipstick because it ranked high in lead, no worries! There are plenty of companies creating “healthy lipsticks”. Here are 15 companies I found that have several lipstick products with a 0-1 rating of toxicity on EWG (on a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the most toxic). If you want to guarantee your product is low in toxins, check out www.EWG.org for your specific manufacturer and color. Even though these “Green” companies have many products in the 0-1 category, they might have some colors or cosmetic categories ranking higher in toxic load so it pays to do a little research.

1. Coastal Creations

2. Maia’s Mineral Galaxy

3. Green Beauty

4. Herbal Choice

5. Beauty With A Cause

6. Johnny Concert

7. Zosimos Botanicals

8. Boots

9. Afterglow Cosmetics

10. CARGO

11. Hemp Organics

12. Honeybee Gardens

13. Inika Mineral Lipstick

14. RMS Beauty

15. Cleure

There are so many healthy options in a range of price points, it should be easy to find some natural lip products that fit your budget. Let me know if you’ve used any of these brands and what you think!

When the study was done in 2007, only 3 lipsticks were found to have more than 2.0 ppm of lead with the highest sample having 3.06 ppm.  The study released in December 2011 found 51 samples over 2.00 ppm with the top offenders having over 7.0 ppm and 14 of the the top tainted samples over 3.0 ppm. These results seem to show the problem getting worse, don’t they?  How long do we play Russian roulette waiting for statistics to come in with adverse effects showing the toxicity of lead in lipstick?  I’m providing you with links to the studies, the results and other information so you can see the data yourself and make informed choices. I am taking this information seriously especially for my growing daughters who will soon want to wear make-up and have already been getting “lipstick” type products from friends.

This evidence is pretty compelling, and for me this subject hits too close to home. Last year I was tested for heavy metals and found to have high concentrations of lead in my system. I’ve had friends ask me where my exposure has come from and I honestly don’t know. I did wear lipsticks for years, some of them brands now shown to be high in lead.  I will never know for sure if the lipsticks I used contributed to my high levels, but I am eliminating any possible sources of lead exposure. Lead toxicity mainly happens by ingestion, do you think that some of your lipstick is being ingested if you wear it while eating? I think the answer is obvious if you have less lipstick on after dinner than when you started. And where does the lipstick go after you’ve kissed someone? I’ll be sharing with you some things I’ve learned on my journey to remove the lead and other heavy metals from my system over the coming months. How do you know if you have lead toxicity in your system? Often the symptoms are vague, especially if the exposure is gradual over months or years. Lead has a half life of 30 years once it reaches the bones. The body identifies lead similar to calcium, so if you are deficient at all in calcium (like pregnant and nursing women) your body is more likely to absorb the lead thinking it might be calcium. This also makes the removal tricky because you want to remove the lead without depleting your body of precious calcium. I am not a doctor and not prescribing treatment for heavy metal removal, I just want to be real with you that these studies and the risks of exposure to lead are real. I am also not making any recommendations for removing heavy metals from your system, I’ll just share some of the things I’ve done while working with a holistic medical doctor.

Would you be comfortable using a product on your skin that you knew had lead in the ingredients? What do you think about the FDA holding out on passing any regulations regarding lead and lipstick?  Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime, if you want to make sure that your lip products are safe, check out www.EWG.org/skindeep/