But the last thing I want to be doing is soaking in a bunch of synthetic chemicals that have carcinogenic, neurotoxic or hormorne-disrupting properties. Especially when my pores are wide open from the heat so ensuring I’m taking a non-toxic bath.

Sometimes, I’ll simply take a bath in water (seriously!). Other times, I’ll whip up one of the following recipes.

Espom + baking soda soak

Ingredients

• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 1/4 cup baking soda

Instructions

Mix both ingredients in bath until dissolved

Fizzing bath bombs

Ingredients

• 1 cup citric acid
• 1 cup baking soda
• ½ cup cornstarch
• ½ cup fractionated coconut oil
• 8–10 drops of your favourite essential oil(s)

Instructions

1. Place citric acid, baking soda, cornstarch and oil in a bowl.
2. Add 8–10 drops of the essential oil or blend of choice.
3. Mix well with spoon until soft dough is formed. It should have the consistency of damp sand. Note: If the mixture is too wet, try adding a little more baking soda and cornstarch until consistency is correct. 
4. At this point, you may add food coloring, dried herbs, or flower petals to mixture. 
5. Place mixture in silicone molds. Let sit 24 hours before removing from mold.
6. To use, drop in tub or shower and allow to dissolve.

(Source)

Colourful bath bombs

Ingredients

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup citric acid
• 10–20 drops essential oil of choice
• 100% pure witch hazel in spray bottle
• Mold (Silicone or metal)
• Natural coloring such as Mica

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, combine baking soda and citric acid. 
2. Add ½ teaspoon natural coloring and mix well. 
3. Stir in essential oils. 
4. Spray the entire surface of the mix with witch hazel and mix with hands. Continue to spray and mix rapidly until the mixture holds together. 
5. Quickly press the mixture into desired mold, making sure it is firmly packed. Let mixture set in mold for 20–30 seconds. Gently tap the mold to release bath bombs. 
6. Let dry for 30 minutes or until they are firm and do not fall apart.

(Source)

Essential oil bubble bath

Ingredients

• 1 cup unscented castile soap
• ½ cup vegetable glycerin
• 2 tablespoons water
• 15 drops essential oil(s) 

Instructions

1. Combine castile soap, glycerin, and water into glass bowl.
2. Add essential oils.
3. Stir until well combined.
4. Pour into glass container.
5. To use, add ¼–½ cup of the essential oil bubble bath mixture to warm, running bath water.

(Source)

Soap satchels

Ingredients

• 4 small burlap bags
• 1 natural soap bar of choice, grated
• ¾ cup old-fashioned oats

Instructions

1. Place grated soap and old-fashioned oats into a small bowl and mix until combined.
2. Divide mixture equally into burlap bags.
3. When showering or washing hands, wet the burlap satchel and use as a loofah or hand exfoliator. Add a drop of grapefruit or wild orange for uplifting properties. 

(Source)

Epsom salt bath

Ingredients

• 1 cup Epsom salt
• 1/4 cup fractionated coconut oil
• 10 drops essential oil(s)

Instructions

1. Add essential oils to Epsom salt and fractionated coconut oil and stir together.
2. Draw a warm bath and add ¼–½ cup of the mixture to the tub.

(Source)

For tips on storing your non-toxic bath recipes and other homemade natural DIY products, read this post.

What is your favourite non-toxic bath recipe?

M.

Get my top 5 non-toxic living tips.

Join the conversation in the Non-Toxic Living Collective group.

The post The Non-Toxic Bath | 6 homemade DIY recipes appeared first on Rustik Health.

I could go on at length about why you want to avoid those ingredients but my goal here is to introduce you to new DIY oral care options. My usual protocol goes like this:

1. First thing upon waking, tongue scrape
2. After breakfast, floss
3. Oil pull
4. Brush teeth

Usually in the evening, I will use mouthwash instead of oil pulling. I’ll also go through phases of using activated charcoal when I want to whiten my teeth.

And remember… what you EAT is an important consideration for oral care and it should not be ignored.

Here are some of my favourite non-toxic DIY recipes.

DIY Toothpaste Options

I use a few different types of homemade DIY toothpaste recipes and most are just one ingredient with an added essential oil. There are no specific proportions to these one-ingredient toothpaste recipes… I usually just use enough to cover the bristles and add more if necessary.

1. Coconut oil + 1 drop of pure, therapeutic grade clove and/or tea tree essential oil
2. Baking soda + 1 drop of pure, therapeutic grade tea tree essential oil
3. Activated charcoal (I gently brush enough powder to cover my teeth, leave on 1 – 2 minutes and brush off with water – careful, this gets messy!)

I also keep a jar of re-mineralizing toothpaste on-hand and follow this recipe minus the cinnamon and clove powder.

But even before brushing my teeth, I love to tongue scrape. I made a habit of doing this first thing when I wake up. You can use a tongue scraper tool (pictured above) or simply a spoon.

Patchouli Mouth Rinse

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 drop patchouli essential oil

Instructions

1. Combine baking soda and water in a small cup.
2. Add essential oils and mix well.
3. Swish mixture around in mouth for one minute before spitting into the sink.

(Source)

DIY Breath Spray

Ingredients

• 5 mL glass spray bottle
• 3–5 drops essential oil (try peppermint, spearmint or cinnamon)
• Distilled water

Instructions

1. Place 3–5 drops of essential oil into your spray bottle.
2. Fill the remainder of the bottle with distilled water.
3. Shake well to combine and spritz in mouth for a refreshing burst of flavor.

(Source)

Simple Mouthwash

Ingredients

• 5 drops essential oils (try peppermint, myrrh or cinnamon)
• 1 cup water
• Mason jar

Instructions

1. Add water and essential oil to mason jar.
2. Shake well before each use. Take small sips and swish. Do not swallow.
3. Store in a dark location.

Oil Pulling

My gums love it when I oil pull. I have super sensitive gums and they get irritated quite rapidly if I don’t oil pull for a while. Plus, oil pulling can help whiten your teeth naturally

My favourite is to oil pull for 2 – 3 minutes with castor oil and one drop of an essential oil. Many people use coconut oil but you have to oil pull for much longer – 20 minutes, ideally…

For more information on the benefits of oil pulling, see my dedicated post on this topic.

Non-toxic whitening

Another natural way to whiten your teeth is to use activated charcoal. I simply wet my toothbrush, dab it in the activated charcoal and gently apply the paste to my teeth. I make sure to leave a thick, black coating for a good 3 – 5 minutes before rinsing and brushing out.

Repeat regularly to maintain the whiteness…

Enjoy your new non-toxic oral care routine! Feel free to ask any questions

M.

PS – be part of the non-toxic living conversation… join The Non-Toxic Living Collective Facebook group!

The post Non-toxic oral care appeared first on Rustik Health.

Anyone that know me well knows that I am the worst when it comes to a stuffy, sniffly nose. This past week was terrible, as I caught a bad cold right before the holidays.

A few years back, I caved and decided to try this weird device called a neti pot. I hesitated at first… The process sounded kind of gross. Now after seeing the benefits, and on further thought, I love it and now think it’s kind of gross to not wash your nose. Don’t we wash the rest of ourselves?

Neti pots are used for nasal saline irrigation which basically means you rinse your nose with salt water. Doing so helps thin and flush out mucus (yuck). You can buy a pre-made saline rinse or I started making my own of equal parts pure sea salt and baking soda (1/4 tsp each).

Since introducing more essential oils into my life, I’ve been adding a drop of pure tea tree and/or lavender essential oil to my neti pot rinses every now and then. I have definitely noticed a difference in the effectiveness of the rinses.

Another thing I do to help with the stuffiness and sniffles at night is to put a drop of essential oil on both bottom corners of my pillow (I turn around a lot). I normally use eucalyptus but this time I tried “easy air” and it worked even better for me. In fact, once the aroma wore off, I woke up in the middle of the night all stuffed up. I put a few more drops and fell right back asleep until morning. Easy air also works well in the diffuser.

Obviously, I follow this routine when I am sick. However, I will sometimes do the neti pot as a preventive measure (i.e. after taking a flight or train ride or during allergy season).

Hope this helps!

M.

The post Sniffles and a neti pot appeared first on Rustik Health.

After switching to my DIY deodorant, I then revamped my skin care routine. The title of this post may seem deceiving because there are a lot of products in the picture, but it’s pretty basic. These are just various options I go through.

I started my transition to natural skin care with the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM), which means I washed my face with oil (e.g. coconut, argan, castor, sweet almond oil – or a mixture!). This seemed counter-intuitive (and like an overall bad idea) considering I had oily skin. The first few days were rough – and I did break out – but my skin then regulated itself. On blemishes, I used a mixture of equal parts Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) and water or tea tree essential oil.

Over the years, I gradually moved away from daily OCM and am now mainly washing my face with water. If I wear make-up, exercise heavily or need extra moisturising in the winter, I will use the OCM or wash with diluted Dr. Bronner’s castile soap before going to bed. After washing my face, I moisturise with jojoba oil mixed with a few drop of helichrysum essential oil. Jojoba is currently my favourite oil for the face since it is similar to naturally-occurring sebum and does not clog pores (I’ve used coconut and argan oils in the past). Helichrysum has amazing skin benefits (you can also use frankincense or lavender).

Oh, and the aloe vera plant in the picture is not just decor. I do, every once in a while, clip a piece of it and rub the gel on my face.

About twice a week, I will use witch hazel as a toner on my t-zone. I also try to exfoliate once or twice a week with xylitol (which I grind to a finer texture) or baking soda (rubbing very gently since it can be irritating). I also treat myself to a weekly face mask.

I guess I call this simple because there are no fancy products involved…

To recap, here are the steps:

1. Wash with water (0r natural cleanser)
2. Use toner (witch hazel or rose water is another option) 1  – 2 x per week on t-zone
3. Moisturise with jojoba oil (or argan oil or coconut oil or even aloe vera gel!)
4. Exfoliate 1 – 2 x per week
5. Weekly face mask

Remember, everyone is different… I recommend you test out a few options to see what works best for you. Also, please be patient. Your skin will need a bit of time to adjust to whatever new routine you introduce.

Hope this was helpful!

M.

The post Simple skin care routine appeared first on Rustik Health.

The first step I took as I transitioned towards a natural, chemical-free lifestyle was to stop using store-bought deodorant and start making my own. I’ve been using this recipe for so long now, I honestly don’t even remember how I found it!

It’s only three ingredients and you can customize the scent by using your favorite pure, high quality essential oil* – or a combination!

 Ingredients

1. Baking soda
2. Essential oil* (I’ve used lavender, chamomile, geranium and ylang ylang)
3. Water
4. Glass or stainless steel container

 *optional

 Instructions

Pour a small quantity of baking soda in your palm, about the size of a dime (or more, if necessary). Place one drop of essential oil (or combo) and mix with a sprinkle of water. Rub palms together to make a paste and then rub over armpit area.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36QmpBAzVqA&w=560&h=315]

(Shameless plug: subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this)

As this is not pre-mixed, you don’t have to worry about shelf life. It is good for as long as your baking soda and essential oils are good! I like to put baking soda in a small stainless steel container normally used for spices. This makes it easier to pour in my hand and store with my other self-care products.

Some people might experience irritation from the baking soda. Always test on a small patch of skin before using. I only experience irritation if I shave my armpits right before applying the deodorant. To avoid this, I normally rub a pea-sized amount of coconut oil on my armpits prior to application.

I love this recipe because I never have to “make” or buy pre-made deodorant. I just always make sure to have my favorite essentials oils and some baking soda on hand.

 Enjoy!

 M.

The post Quick and easy natural deodorant appeared first on Rustik Health.