Living Clean Pt. 5 - Cleaning & Around the house

Here we are, the last post in the Living Clean Series. Are you ready?! 

Cleaning our home is a bit of an obsession for me. Sad, I know. But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I'm crazy about cleanliness, and there is no better moment than the moment you've just finished cleaning the house top to bottom and it smells heavenly and you can make yourself a tea and watch Netflix. Or, more likely in this house, Bubble Guppies.

Until recently, I made a moderate attempt to be 'green' with cleaning. We do have a kid, after all. So I added Method to my cleaning arsenal, because I didn't really know any other brands. I didn't, however, remove my beloved Comet, or Windex, or Fantastic. Or my yummy smelling Pledge. 

Just like the whole makeup and body care stuff, I had no clue this stuff was all so bad. I was actively polluting the air in our home week after week. I won't reiterate all the reasons these cleaners are so bad for you, but this is a great article summing up the basics. 

Continuing on with my living clean mission, I got rid of all that stuff. All of it. And my research started. I've made a lot of changes, and cleaning my house is even more fun for me now (see how weird I am?) and I'm happy knowing that the air is no longer being filled with harmful chemicals. And, having my little one help out with chores is now totally ok!



Here are some of the changes I've made:

Cleaners

I had a cleaner for everything. Like ten different products for each type of surface that I would lug around (and waste money on). After researching lot of brands, including the safer versions, I decided that I would be most comfortable making my own cleaner.  To be honest,I've never had an interest in homemade cleaners. I just prefer the smell of fake lemon to real lemon I guess? Well, my whole outlook is different now, so I went on a mission to find a good recipe for an all purpose cleaner.

After trying many, I've tweaked the ingredients to my liking, and I thought I would share the recipe here. This is now what I use on everything in our house from counters to mirrors to faucets.



Here's how you make it:

2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar
10 or so drops of lemon essential oil

A lot of recipes call for more vinegar, but it's too strong for me. Although, you only smell the vinegar when you first spray, and just the lemon smell lingers once its dry. Still, I decreased the vinegar just a bit. I've been using this for weeks and its the BEST! I used an old method spray bottle for it (soaked it for a bit in water with some baking soda to freshen it up) and its working perfectly. Shake it up a bit before you spray to ensure your lemon essential oil is well distributed. 

To clean our floors, I have been using the Reveal Mop for ages now and I love it. I ended up recycling and replacing the cleaner bottle (no amount of soaking with baking soda or vinegar could clean the chemical cleaner smell) and made my own cleaner concoction. I fill the bottle about half way with water, then I add 1/8 cup vinegar, about 10 drops of lemon essential oil, and 1/2 a teaspoon of dish soap (more on that below), and fill the rest of the way with water. Give it a gentle shake and it's ready to go.

To clean sinks, toilets, and tubs, I use straight baking soda. That stuff is amazing. It gets rid of crayon from our coffee table, cleans label residue from surfaces (no more goo gone), and it is perfect on gross fridge handles. I've heard that it's great to clean your sink with half a lemon sprinkled with baking soda for a fresh scent, I'm going to try that soon!

I used to make my own Febreze using water, baking soda and fabric softener, but that doesn't fit with this whole natural movement, so I'm in the process of making an all natural version. I'll definitely share once I've figured it out!

Air Fresheners

Those Glade plugins are not your friend. They are loaded with chemicals that we're intentionally filling our air with 24/7! Pretty much all air 'fresheners' fall in this category...not natural at all and filled with toxins. Gross.

On cleaning days, I like to have the whole house smelling fresh and yummy, and my new homemade cleaners help, but they are subtle. Then I discovered simmer pots! So, I do this weekly now to make the whole house smell great!

First, as I'm cleaning I open the windows to bring some fresh air in. This is really key, especially during times when it's not warm out and the windows are shut all the time. On warmer days we can leave them open all day, but even on chilly days it's important to get a little burst of fresh air indoors. 

In addition to the lovely fresh air, this is a great trick to get your home smelling great. Once I'm done my cleaning I put the following in a small pot filled about halfway with water:

1 sliced lemon
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp rosemary

Bring this to a boil, then reduce and simmer on low for as long as you like. Make sure you don't let the pot dry out! Top it up with water as needed. (If you do happen to let it dry, as I did once - oops! - soak it for a while then scrub with baking soda. This will only work if you don't have a non-stick pot). 

There are many variations of simmer pot recipes (like cinnamon sticks with sliced oranges and cloves, and many others). Take a look on pinterest and you'll find tons.

Cloths versus paper towels

I grabbed a pack of microfibre clothes to try. People rave about these, and I go through a lot of paper towels when I clean. This week I tried one, and I used just one to clean my entire house! It was like MAGIC. So now I can toss it I'm the laundry and save my paper towels for special occasions (ha ha). I'm also trying in general to be more mindful of my paper towel usage, as this is a major issue environmentally. For example, after Ben is done a meal, I always wash his fave with a wash cloth. Now, after I've washed his face, I rinse the cloth and wipe his high chair and the table with the same cloth, then toss it in the laundry. Why not, right?

Doing the dishes

Our dishwasher broke a while back and we haven't bothered getting it looked at, so I've been hand washing for a while. I always hand washed Ben's dishes anyway so it will always be part of the routine. I bought Dish It Out! Liquid dish soap and I LOVE IT!! Smells so fresh and points for a cute bottle. This is what I use in our floor cleaner (above) and it totally adds to the whole lemony smell. (I bought it on iHerb, which I've bought several things through now! They have a great selection). To note, many 'green' dish washing liquids aren't actually all that green. This one scores an A on EWG, so I'm happy with that!)

If you use a dishwasher, take a look on EWG at the options and see what is available. 

Lets talk about sponges. People are always worried about the bacteria that accumulates in a sponge after you've been using it for a while...but, did you know that almost all sponges come drenched in chemicals that are made to fend off that bacteria? Um, GROSS. It's actually very hard to find sponges free of this stuff. There are some safer versions like these ones, but I decided to opt out all together. I bought crocheted cotton scrubbies on Etsy and they work perfectly! And I can just toss them in the laundry each week. Easy peasy.

Laundry

Both laundry detergent and dryer sheets are pretty full of chemicals, and the safer ones are pricey! Not to mention hard to find. So I decided to a) stop using dryer sheets all together and b) make my own laundry soap. Ok, I'm officially granola. 



There are a billion homemade laundry soap recipes on Pinterest, so take a look. I didn't want to use Borax (personally I think that's better suited for cleaning toilets and such) so I experimented with a borax free version, and this one is great!

You need:

1 bar of soap (I used Kiss My Face Olive Oil and Honey)
2 cups of washing soda 
1/4 cup baking soda 

I used my food processor to grind the soap down to tiny little bits, added the washing soda and baking soda and kept blending until it was as fine as I could get it. Use 1 or 2 tablespoons of this per load. 

The next time I make a batch of this, I'm going to use Dr. Bronner's Lavender soap, as this seems to be a popular one to use for this. But, if it's not any different, I'll stick with the Kiss My Face because it's easier to find in stores and it's cheaper, yay!

I stored mine in this old mason jar that has been lying around here for ages, that now finally has a purpose. At first I tried just tossing this in the washing machine, over my laundry, and washing in cold water. Ya, that didn't work. I try to only wash in cold water, so I came up with a solution that takes me just a minute. I put a tbsp of this in a little container with super hot water and shake it up as I'm gathering my laundry, then I just pour it in like a liquid! 

Note: if you like your clothes to reek of meadows, this is not for you. There really isn't much scent left behind, but your clothes are clean and free of those nasty toxins, so get over your meadows. 

Not using dryer sheets has been totally fine, I actually don't see a difference. Some people swear by adding a 1/4 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle, but I just didn't bother and it was fine. Yay! 

Hand Soap 

I grabbed some Mrs. Meyer's hand soaps, but I'm not convinced of their safety. They seem safe, but they list fragrance as an ingredient  which is an issue because any number of chemicals can be hidden behind that. According to their website they are free of phthalates, so I feel less worried...but I'm still looking for a better option. I do however adore the cute packaging. I'm a sucker. Your safest bet is really using all natural bar soaps, most of them score very well on EWG, they are cheap and they last forever. 

So that's the big list! There are many, many more changes I would like to make in our home and life, but I'm starting here, and I feel so excited about everything I've learned recently. I'm going to always try to be aware of this stuff, and make changes that I can in time. I may not be able to put solar panels on our house (one day?) but I can certainly switch to energy efficient bulbs and invest in a water filter pitcher instead of constantly buying bottled water. Baby steps! 

Please do share any other tips you have about making your life a little greener, I'd love more ideas!! And if you make even one tiny change as a result of this Living Clean Series, then I'm happy. That was the whole point :)

Living Clean Pt. 4 - Makeup

Finding good, well-priced, clean makeup is tough, and this is probably going to be an ongoing search. Most days I don't wear any makeup, but I like to have a few basics for when we have plans and I like to actually put five or so minutes into my face. This is what I'm starting with, and if anyone has any other great suggestions please let me know!

Physician's Formula Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara - EWG Rating 1 - This was my first makeup purchase, because mascara is kind of my top priority when it comes to makeup. This one is amazing! Now, this is a plus for me, but to some it might be a negative - it washes off SO easily, it basically melts as soon as water touches it. I love this feature, because I hate scrubbing my eyes or using eye makeup remover, so this made me fall in love. But, if you usually prefer a more waterproof mascara, you might not love this one as much.

Sappho Cosmetics Foundation - EWG Rating 2 - I ordered a sample of this (discovered this brand through David Suzucki's website) and its incredible foundation. I rarely wear foundation, so this sample will last me a while, probably at least 5 applications, and then I think I will splurge for the full size. It's undetectable on the skin, which I've never been able to find. And the colours are lovely. 

100% Pure Cheek Tint in Pink Grapefruit - (Not listed on EWG, but gets a 10 on Good Guide - the best score - and is recommended by Adria Vasil, Ecoholic author. That along with the ingredient list made me think it was ok.) - Cutest little blush ever. I was pretty addicted to my Mac Pink Swoon, but I actually love this more! This is my first time ever using a blush stick and it's so much more natural looking. Hooked.

Physicians Formula 100% Organic Bronzer - EWG Rating 2 - I don't wear bronzer that often but it's nice to have for the summer months since I do my best not to get a tan. This one is very light and natural. 

Juice Beauty Alicia Silverstone Lipstick - Not listed on EWG, but I went through the ingredients and feel ok with them. For years now my go to lipstick was Mac Cream Cup. It was the perfect nude. Like, perfect. So finding a similar shade that was natural and chemical free was really important, and really tough. But, this shade is so perfect it's crazy. And the packaging couldn't be any prettier.

Beauty Without Cruelty Concealor - EWG Rating 1 - Concealer is pretty crucial for me thanks to my paper thin pale skin and lack of sleep most nights. I've never found the perfect concealor, and this one is good, not perfect, but I'm ok with it.

Physician's Formula Organic Wear Eyeliner - EWG Rating 0 - A simple, black liner, nothing fancy. And nothing gross in the ingredient list.

A note on powder - I had a tough time finding one that I could easily get that wasn't too pricey and that was a 0, but I kept seeing Coastal Classics listed, and I took a look at their ingredients. I also stumbled upon a TON of DIYs for powder on Pinterest, something I NEVER would have thought of trying to make. Just seems kind of gross. BUT. I tried it. And honestly, it's just as good as my old trusty BareMinerals (which gets a whopping 7 on EWG, yikes!) So, I've been using it for weeks and I think I'm set! I'm still going to try to perfect it a bit, and I'll share it if/when it's just right!

That's about all I've looked into as far as makeup goes. I'll leave you with this great photo breaking down some of the scary things found in our beauty products. CRAZY, right?



Image via Delicious Wife

Next up in this series, the last post, will be about cleaning products and other little around the house changes we've made. 

Living Clean Pt. 3 - Bath / Body

Once I got Ben figured out, I started looking at my lotions and bath products. Vaseline, Olay, Body Shop. Good grief. Not pretty EWG scores or ingredients. Like, really a scary amount of toxins that could lead to serious serious stuff. So I kept on with my living clean mission.

One of the best places to start is with body lotions because your body absorbs SO much of it. I use body lotion head to toe daily, so it was my first priority, and I had to find some better options. SO. First stop, Badger again!

I know, I know, this is starting to look like a Badger commercial. (Promise that other products will be mentioned, many others!) I wanted to see a lot of zeros on EWG, and I had to find things that I could get easily that weren't going to cost me a million dollars, and that didn't smell like hippies. Again, sorry hippies, I'm one of you now! But, after comparing many products out there against Badger, they just couldn't be beat. And now that I've been using it, I LOOOOOVE their whole product line. 

Here are some amazing options from them:

Badger Rose Geranium Soap - EWG Rating 0 - Doesn't dry your skin at all. I think people shy away from bar soaps but they are the BEST as long as you get a good one, and I love this one so much. My face soap was Dove Unscented for YEARS and I never thought I would find one I liked as much, until this one. I actually am not usually into anything that's rose-smelling, but this smells like heaven. 

Badger Damascus Rose Antioxidant Oil - EWG Rating 0 - Use this at night like a moisturizer. If you're not used to oils it probably seems weird, but it's much better for your skin than any lotion (which is just loaded with water that evaporates, making you feel the need to reapply). If you're nervous, try using it at night only and see what you think. If you do a bit of research you'll see that many people love the switch, including people with oily, acne prone skin. I use one little squirt of this then apply lightly to my face and neck, and my skin drinks it right up. 

Badger SPF 16 Rose Face Oil - EWG Rating 1 - This is your new day lotion, which is much more lotion-y than the antioxidant oil and is so great on the skin. Daily SPFs (and all sunscreens, actually) have this sort of gross chemical smell that has always bothered me (even long before I knew about the dangers of those chemicals), but not this one. It's a safe, nutrient packed oil that is AMAZING for your skin!

Badger Damascus Rose Beauty Balm - EWG Rating 2 - Perfect as an eye cream or for a deep moisterizing treatment now and then. 

Badger Vanilla Orchid Antioxident Body Oil - EWG Rating 1 - So heavenly. Absorbs very quickly, and makes skin feel so soft. LOVE this. Next time I order some Badger stuff I'm going to go with the rose option for the essential oils that fragrance this body oil. I went with this one to give me some variety (and just in case I wasn't into the rose smell that was already in so much of the other products) but it turns out that the rose scent is much nicer than I thought it would be, and I'm hooked. But this one is lovely too.

Badger Vanilla Coconut Everyday Moisturizer - EWG Rating 0 - perfect to keep in your bag for your hands. Such a cute little tin too!

Badger Lip Balm - EWG rating 0 - I loved this little four pack, because I need to have lip balms everywhere. I used to keep Lipsmackers all over the place. EWG Rates them  between 4 and 7. YIKES! Never again!!! These balms are perfect and they really soften your lips. 

One of the first all natural things that I picked up that has now become a daily staple is Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil. I'm about four years late to the Coconut Oil party but luckily I discovered it now. This stuff is incredible! I've used it as a full body lotion, a face lotion, a defrizzer, for little dry patches on Ben...the list goes on. I'll never be without it again!

I'm still very into homemade beauty products...I've been using a homemade toner that I'm still perfecting, which I'll be sure to share here once it's ready! I'm also planning on making a really great foot balm and more spa type treatments. Fun!!

Ok, let's move on to hair. It's easy to think that hair doesn't really matter because it's 'dead' and doesn't really absorb shampoo, so why does it matter? Well, your scalp is very porous, so that shampoo is soaking right into it. And in the broader, greener sense of things, chemical-filled shampoo is being washed down the drain and ends up in our drinking water and oceans. So ya. It matters.

I remember buying organic shampoo years ago on the suggestion of someone and I HATED IT. It smelled like oregano and it didn't lather and I cried tears of joy when I washed the smell out with my trusted Herbal Essences Coconuty smelling shampoo.  

Well, times have really changed and the options are so much better!!! 

Hugo Naturals Smoothing and Defining Coconut Shampoo and Conditioner - EWG Rating 0 - YUM. This smells awesome. And it's sudsy and wonderful. I'll never go back.

The whole Hugo line is great so take a look and see which one is best for your hair type. 

As far as stylers go, I'm still on the hunt for a natural hairspray. This is proving to be the most tough search. If anyone knows of any, please let me know!

Deodorant was a tough one. A lot of them are awful. Tom's makes a nice smelling one (Long Lasting Beautiful Earth), but after a couple of weeks it started to irritate my skin, and I didn't find it to be all that long lasting. I'm going to try Soapwalla, which might seem strange to some as it's a lotion, but to me it seems quite decadent and feminine compared to the usual sticks. Not to mention it gets a 0 on EWG and people RAVE about this, it has a total cult following. I also love Hugo Natural's Vanilla and Sweet Orange Essential Mist (EWG Rating 0) as a very light fragrance for everyday. 

Ok, what's left? Oh. TEETH. We use Tom's Whole Care Flouride Toothpaste. I'm nervous to go flouride-free, though there seems to be many reason's to do just that. I'm still at the beginning of this whole journey, so I'll have to do more research on that topic for sure. 

SO. I think that takes care of everything shower/bath/body/ related as far as my changes have gone. These product ideas are just what I am trying out and they are only scratching the surface of what's available. If you would like some more ideas, I really recommend grabbing a copy of this book:



I brought this copy home from the library the other day and devoured it. Next on my reading list are Ecoholic Home and the original Ecoholic.

Next up in this series...makeup! 

P.S. Happy Earth Day! :)

Living Clean Pt. 2 - Baby

Ben. This is where it all began. My quest to detox our home all started with baby sunscreen, and next thing you know I was tossing every product from our bathroom (into the recycling bin of course!)

I want to make sure I squeeze this in somewhere. A lot of people (myself included) have said to themselves "We grew up using this old stuff and we're fine, it's probably all ok!". Not true. In the chemical world, thousands and thousands of new chemicals are created every year. So the Johnson's and Johnson's shampoo of our childhood is nothing like the the one shelves today. And, look around, we're not that fine. A lot of people aren't well at all. But, I digress...

I searched through many baby products, and there are lots of great choices out there if you look for them. I really, really recommend that you look up each and every product on EWG's Skin Deep and don't settle for anything higher than a 2. Not just the brand, but the actual product itself. 

After a lot of research, I decided to go with Badger for Ben's bath and body products. Do you know this company? They make some seriously wonderful products for the whole family (more on stuff for us grownups coming soon). Fun fact - Badger allows new Moms to bring their babies to work for the first six months after they are born, allowing for hours of baby care time each day, in order to facilitate the bond between Mom and baby. AMAZING. Apart from being such a cool company, their ingredients are perfect. This is what we are using now for Ben:

(Yay! Fun lists of products! This is more like it...)

Badger Chamomile and Calendula Soap - EWG Rating 0 - Lovely delicate soap that can also be used on baby's hair. 

Badger Baby Oil - EWG Rating 0 - This stuff absorbs SO quickly (you can slip pjs on within minutes) and it's so gentle. There is a very delicate smell that comes from the essential oils used (which is the ONLY place any sort of fragrance should ever come from). Love this stuff.

Badger Baby Balm - EWG Rating 0 - Great for little extra dry patches of ezcema or on diaper rash. 

Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen - EWG Rating 1 - A completely safe sunscreen for baby. I'm actually going to use this too. 

Desert Essence Organic Diaper Cream - EWG Rating 1 - A great little tube to carry around with out (I much prefer this to the Penaten tin) and it's free of all the scary stuff.

Note: I love using Badger soap for Ben's hair, but another great product out there is Baby Hugo's Chamomile and Vanilla Shampoo and Bodywash - EWG Rating 1

I had a tough time finding a good place to order this stuff online where I could get delivery to Canada at a good rate, and I ended up going with Uncommon Scents. If you're in the US you'll have a much easier time, and can order from Badger directly. 

Next up in this series...bath and body stuff for us grownups! 

Living Clean Pt. 1 - Who really cares anyway?

In this post I'm going to talk a bit about why this stuff matters. This is the post to ignore if you just want some ideas of what to buy (which is coming next), or if you've been thinking this way for years and you can't believe someone is JUST figuring this out (guilty, sigh). Believe me, I'll understand. But I want to write this out because in a short period of time it's become really important to me, and I would love it if anyone else decided to make some of these changes too.

I want to make our home as safe as possible for this beautiful boy of mine to grow up in. Bottom line. And so I have major changes to make. I'm starting by figuring out if the products we use in our homes and on our bodies are 'safe' or not. But what does that mean, and how do we find out, and how unsafe are we talking? (And whyyyyy didn't this all register when I was pregnant? Sad face...)

Very simply put, bath and body products, hair products, etc. are all things that are absorbed into our skin. Unlike food, which is filtered in our bodies, these products go directly into our blood stream. Those chemicals are going straight in too, and they build up over time. The fewer we're exposed to, the better. We're less likely to get sick, and that sounds good to me. And it's especially important for babies and kids. Their tender skin drinks it all up and they are even more susceptible to things than we are. Safe is the only way. So, how do we find safe things?

There are many, many factors to consider when it comes to this. You can't trust things like 'all natural' or other such claims. You can't walk in to Whole Foods or Goodness Me and assume everything in there is ok. In fact, my new theory is to trust nothing and always check before I but anything, period. What we need to check are the ingredients, and I know, that sounds like the least fun thing ever. But there are websites that have made this a thousand times easier for us, so we don't really have an excuse anymore.

One of the best and most trusted sites is the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep. This website allows you to search for products and provides you with a safety 'score'. This site isn't perfect, but it's pretty great. I find myself using this along with GoodGuide, and making my decision based on both, though I tend to trust EWG more as they seem to be harder on products. And I will not buy something if I can't find it on these sites unless I'm confident about every single ingredient. It's just not worth the risk.

On EWG you want products that score between 0 and 2, and on Good Guide you want anything above 8. If you'd rather just use one website, that's totally ok. I'm using them both just to cross reference, because I'm crazy(?) but it takes two seconds and I feel better doing it.

As far as specifics, there are some major ingredient no-nos that you should never accept in any products. EWG has a great pocket guide that outlines what to steer clear of. There is also a great list on Ecoholic. And if you want more details on why we need to avoid this stuff, look towards the bottom of this page. 

A good place to start is with your current products, search them and see if they're ok. Maybe you're way on top of this. Or maybe you're like me and you've used scary stuff without knowing it. Once you know what changes you need to make, you can begin, and you can go slow. Replace each when you run out with a safer option. That doesn't sound so awful, does it?

If you want to start a journey to a greener life in more ways than just these few areas, I saw this list today and thought it was pretty great. I decided to start nice and slow with the things I'll mention over the next few posts, but I'm not stopping there.

Anyway, in my next post I will list some products that I've found to use on Ben and for us too that have great scores and wonderful ingredients. It's actually been really fun researching this stuff, and I've discovered some great companies! 

And just to note - none of this will be sponsored. I know people are very leery about things they read on blogs because we're all huge sell-outs but rest assured, no ones giving me a penny to write any of my ramblings. I'm not even close to being that cool. 

One last thing...if you've been reading this blog for a while, I want to say that products I've mentioned in the past were never thought of in this regard, so please search them on EWG if you use them (as I've been doing) and only use what you're comfortable with. 

Living Clean - An introduction

For days (weeks?) I've been very preoccupied with something and I thought it was about time I share. Here's how is started.

A few weeks ago I was reading through blogs and noticed a few mentions of 'safe' sunscreen and baby products. I see this all the time but I've never really paid close attention to this kind of stuff. Why? I don't know. I'm a Mom, I'm supposed to be paying attention. I never did before.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I've had a bit of a love affair with chemicals, without realizing it. I loved having a house that smelled like a fake tropical rainforest. I liked Body Shop lotions and Maybelline mascara. I thought buying Method was doing the right thing. I didn't read labels. I didn't think anything of it. 

Also, I have to further admit that I've never been into what I used to consider hippie organic stuff (hearing myself say that now makes me cringe at my own stupidity). I was pretty sure that all natural body products all reared of patchouli and were ten times the amount of regular products. I actually kind of used to roll my eyes at stuff like this, because I didn't know any better. I'm an idiot. 

But anyway, as I was saying, after seeing those few posts I thought, ok, maybe I need to look into this stuff. Is Ben's sunscreen safe? Is my lipstick safe? Why are people making their own laundry soap? And why are chemicals so bad anyway, surely if they're sold in stores they're safe, right? 

WELL.

You guys. Most of the products in stores are bad. Like, really bad. I didn't know! I have vaguely heard about parabens over the years and, again, never really looked into what the fuss was all about. And I thought seeing 'fragrance' on a label was totally normal and ok. DEAR GOD. It's a big deal people. Huge. 

So, I won't go into all the sordid details. I don't want to turn my blog into a terrifying encyclopedia of cosmetic and cleaning product chemical horror stories. But, I started researching and to this day I haven't stopped. I started looking up the safety of products we were using and it's snowballed...and now I feel like I'm awake to it all, but I mean this in a GOOD way. 

It's been tough to know that I've made such poor choices when it comes to the products my family use, simply because I didn't make an effort to look into the details. I've learned my lesson, and I immediately began to make changes once I realized what was going on.

It's overwhelming, this sort of thing, and I think that's why people don't want to get started because they think about the research and who has time for that? There's so much to worry about anyway, and really does it all matter?

Yes it does. Every tiny little change helps. And making our own home a safer place is such a good place to start!

Here's what I'm thinking. I'm going to do a little mini-series over the next while about how I'm making our home a little greener and chemical-free. Nothing too crazy, but I will share my initial changes in terms of bath/baby/body care, cosmetics, and cleaning products for the home. Those are the categories I'm starting with and I thought if anyone out there is interested, maybe you can make some changes too!

Stay tuned for the first post!

Simple DIY Exfoliating Foot Scrub Recipe - Brown Sugar, Baking Soda and Olive Oil

A while back I shared this DIY Exfoliating Baking Soda Face Mask Recipe, and I thought I would come up with a little follow up. I'm hoping to do a few more of these as well!

This foot scrub is SO easy to whip up before a bath or shower, and you probably have everything you need in your pantry already. Perfect!

Mix together 1 tablespoon each of brown sugar, baking soda and olive oil. Use the scrub on your feet, knees, elbows, or any other rough areas, and rinse off well. For even better results, use an acrylic foot file on your heels before you step in to the shower (on dry feet). This one is the BEST. After your feet are nice and dry, finish off with a really thick foot lotion (I love this one) and that's it!

Update - DIY Baking Soda Face Mask

I've had some emails in the past while about this mask, including some great feedback and questions, so I thought I would post a little update with a few more notes.

Just as a reminder, here is the mask recipe and how to from the original post:

• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 2 teaspoons of water

That's it. Mix it together in a little bowl until a nice thick paste forms. This will give you enough to cover your face, neck, chest and the top of your hands.

Starting with clean skin, cover each area slowly using a GENTLE circular motion (it may not seem like it, but this is exfoliating your skin majorly, so go easy, you'll feel it after). I LOVED the texture of this, it felt like velvet. 

Leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes, and gently rinse away. After your skin will feel a bit tingle, and it will be in need of some moisture. Slather on your face lotion (I like Aveda's Botanical Kinetics™ Hydrating Lotion) and that's it!

Now for my update! I have been using this mask about once a month, and I am loving the results. Here are some notes on how I've been using it:

• With occasional use, I feel like my pores look better. You can't ever shrink them, but you can keep them clean, and this does that for me.
• I feel like I can go a little lighter with my daily routine now. I wash my face morning and night (I use Dove Sensitive skin bar soap with the Olay Cleansing Brush, and I LOVE them both). I also use day and night cream, but I don't really worry about anything else. 
• I do NOT have perfect skin, but I do feel like using this routine makes my skin look  as good as it can. In the past I have tried every face product you can buy, and I don't bother with new ones anymore.
• If I didn't stress it enough in the initial post, you really need to be gentle. This feels deceivingly smooth, but in actuality it's really taking off that dead skin. If you scrub too hard, you will feel very sensitive afterwards.
• I actually have sensitive skin, and this works for me, but I'm careful to be gentle and I always follow up with a healthy dose of moisturiser. 
• This is best used every few weeks, not every day! This is a special treatment, and you have to find what works best for your skin. Some people may be able to do this weekly, and some may not be able to use it at all. Be careful and don't overdue it!
• Using it on your hands is really amazing. I mentioned that initially but I can't stress it enough. Us ladies are tough on our hands with the dishes and cleaning, so give this a try. In fact, you can probably use this more frequently on just your hands. Here's the best way - make this mask and work it over your hands for a good couple of minutes. Follow up with a really heavy hand cream (I like this one) and them slip on some moisture gloves. I like to do this right before bed and it's amazing!

Ok, I hope that answers all of the questions I've received! I'm planning another DIY beauty treatment that's pretty awesome too, hoping to have it up soon!

Simple DIY Exfoliating Baking Soda Face Mask Recipe

I'm trying to take better care of my skin these days, as I mentioned in this post. I actually think I'm too late, sleepless nights have aged me a good decade, but better late than never.

One thing that I NEVER use are face masks. I never thought they really did anything, I never had time, yadda yadda yadda. 

Not too long ago I started looking into them, and found a million recipes online. I like the idea of there being just a few ingredients, and better yet, ingredients I already have. I also didn't like the idea of using honey or egg or anything gross and sticky. Ew.

So, I experimented a little, and came up with the most simple recipe ever, and the results were AMAZING. Here's all you need.

Exfoliating Baking Soda Face Mask Recipe:

• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 2 teaspoons of water

That's it. Mix it together in a little bowl until a nice thick paste forms. This will give you enough to cover your face, neck, chest and the top of your hands.

Starting with clean skin, cover each area slowly using a GENTLE circular motion (it may not seem like it, but this is exfoliating your skin majorly, so go easy, you'll feel it after). I LOVED the texture of this, it felt like velvet. 

Leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes, and gently rinse away. After your skin will feel a bit tingle, and it will be in need of some moisture. Slather on your face lotion (I like Aveda's Botanical Kinetics™ Hydrating Lotion) and that's it!

If you have extra time, try mixing up a bigger batch (just triple the recipe) and use it all over. It's like a spa in a box of Arm and Hammer. Bam.