Cleaning the grout in the shower is NOT one of my favourite house-keeping activities. I have to admit, the space between our shower tiles was getting quite dark and dirty. I knew the only way I would be motivated to do something about it was to find a great all-natural DIY recipe.

When it comes to DIY recipes, I have strict boundaries. We are a busy family of 5 plus one crazy, lovable cat. Any recipe I use must:

• Require minimal ingredients (2 – 5 maximum)
• Contain easy-to-find ingredients
• Be super quick to make

And this particular recipe checked off all the boxes!

Watch the video or read on below… For live videos and to be part of the discussion on natural living, join The Non-Toxic Living Collective.

Natural DIY grout cleaner recipe

• 2 cups baking soda
• 1 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 20 drops lemon essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a glass bowl. Apply the paste to dirty grout. Leave for 15 minutes then clean using an old toothbrush or grout brush.

You can play with the baking soda and hydrogen peroxide proportions. This particular recipe makes a watery paste so if you notice it doesn’t stick, reduce the peroxide or add more baking soda. Be careful not to make it too dry! Otherwise, the paste will flake off.

Tip: if your shower is how mine was and there’s A LOT of dirty grout to clean, take on a little at a time. I set a goal for myself to tackle it all over 5 days. I set a reminder in my phone so I wouldn’t forget. This reduced the overwhelm and gave me quick wins, which kept me motivated.

Enjoy!

M.

Start implementing this homemade product into your natural lifestyle by joining the next Non-Toxic Living Challenge! Learn more.

The post How to make natural DIY grout cleaner appeared first on Rustik Health.

The other day, I read a quote about “romanticizing your life” and I completely fell in love with this concept. It encouraged us to find excitement, fun and all-around joy in the simple, mundane aspects of our life.

I fell in love with the concept because it’s what I preach and teach about the non-toxic lifestyle. I just never had such a beautiful label for it. Your success in transitioning to a healthier way of living will be influenced by your ability to find joy in using cleaner + greener products for your body and home.

Every time you exfoliate with your coconut salt scrub, take a moment to recognize the nourishment you are providing to your body – free from any synthetic chemical that could disrupt the functioning of your cells and endocrine system. Every time you spray that essential oil + vinegar mixture onto your counters, feel the satisfaction of knowing there’s no harm being done to yourself or the earth – in fact, you are getting side health benefits!

I recently shared in my social media stories how I like to turn making the bed into a more enjoyable chore by spraying my linens with a non-toxic DIY linen spray. This is just one of the super simple ways you can romanticize your non-toxic lifestyle. This is how I do it.

This idea is so much easier to implement in your life once you master your health, mindset and habits. I support you through this with Lead Your Health and Mastering Emotional Intelligence for Health.

Non-toxic DIY linen spray recipe

• Take a 4 oz stainless steel spray bottle
• Add 15 drops of high-quality essential oils
• Fill with water

I go crazy spraying the pillows, sheets and comforter with this non-toxic DIY linen spray. I even open the closet and spray our clothes. And I feel gosh, darn amazing and powerful doing it. I actually look forward to making the bed in the morning!

My favourite essential oil mixture is 5 drops of a citrus oil, 5 drops of a flower oil and 5 drops of a mint oil. The citrus provides a fresh scent, the flower smell is romantic and the mint is energizing.

This non-toxic DIY linen spray lasts me a couple of weeks and I have just as much fun coming up with a new scent combination.

How do you romanticize your non-toxic lifestyle?

M.

Get my top 5 non-toxic living tips.

Join the conversation in the The Health + Mindset Collective group.

The post Non-toxic DIY linen spray and romanticizing your lifestyle appeared first on Rustik Health.

I was that girl that used to shave her legs dry. Creepy, huh?

I wasn’t intentionally being non-toxic then. I just couldn’t be bothered to even put shaving cream on my legs! Nowadays, I’m much more mindful of my skin

Here’s an amazing self-care protocol for your legs and feet: apply the bergamot foot mask in the bath. While the mask is setting on your feet, use the DIY natural shaving cream to shave your legs. Once complete, wash off the foot mask and apply the serum to both legs feet.

(Be careful getting out of the bath, and make sure to put on socks or slippers. Your feet will be slippery!)

DIY Natural Shaving Cream

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup shea butter
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup fractionated coconut oil
• 5 drops each:
  • sandalwood essential oil
  • peppermint essential oil
  • tea tree essential oil

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients except for essential oils in double boiler.
2. Once melted, remove from heat and let sit three minutes.
3. Add essential oils and stir until combined. 
4. Let shaving cream rest until hard. Tip: You can put it in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process.
5. Using hand or stand mixer, whip shaving cream until light and fluffy.
6. Place in container of choice.

(Source)

Razor Relief Serum

Ingredients

• ½ cup fractionated coconut oil
• ¼ cup rosewater
• 5 drops each:
  • frankincense essential oil
  • lavender essential oil
  • tea tree essential oil
  • helichrysum essential oil
  • myrrh essential oil

Instructions

1. Place fractionated coconut oil and rosewater in glass spray or pump bottle. 
2. Add essential oils and shake.
3. To use, spray directly on skin or place two to three pumps in palms and rub on affected skin.

(Source)

Bergamot Foot Mask

Ingredients

• ½ cup organic Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons organic raw honey
• 2 squirts of fractionated coconut oil
• 1 stalk organic celery
• 6 drops bergamot essential oil

Instructions

1. Grate stalk of celery and drain excess moisture in strainer or with paper towel.
2. Add celery and remaining ingredients to food processor or blender.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Ready a wet washcloth or sit by tub.
5. Apply mask immediately to entire foot with fingers or brush.
6. Let sit 15–20 minutes while enjoying mask’s cooling sensation and the calming effects of bergamot essential oil.
7. Rinse off and enjoy your nourished and moisturized feet.

(Source)

While you’re at it, revamp your whole bath routine to the non-toxic lifestyle. Here are my non-toxic bath tips.

Enjoy!

M.

Get my top 5 non-toxic living tips.

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

The post Natural shaving cream and foot mask appeared first on Rustik Health.

Since going no ‘poo several years ago, I do tend to notice a lot more buildup and flake on my scalp. For one, I go 7 days or more without washing it… so I guess that should come as no surprise.

I also don’t do the no ‘poo method perfectly. Apparently, one of the steps in between washes is to pull the oils from the scalp all the way down your locks every night. This also helps moisturize your hair completely naturally. I’m just way too lazy to do this!

All this being said, through my obsessive research on acidosis and detoxification, I’ve learned that this crud on my head could actually be my body’s attempt to eliminate bad stuff from my body. Specifically, metabolic waste and toxins that are accumulating in my head. Yikes!

I like to take a holistic approach to everything so, on top of tweaking my food choices to address what may be going on in my body, I’ve been doing this non-toxic DIY scalp buildup recipe (source: doTERRA website).

Hair buildup recipe

• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar or regular white vinegar (I haven’t tried ACV yet)
• 8 TBSP purified water
• 8 drops rosemary essential oil (some claim this oil can also stimulate hair growth!)
• 6 drops of lemon essential oil (great cleansing and dissolving oil)
• 4 drops of grapefruit essential oil (also great for cleansing and dissolving)

Mix everything together, apply to scalp and leave on for 20 minutes.

The first time I made this recipe, I mixed it all together in a glass measuring cup and poured it on my head. It was a bit awkward and a lot never ended up even making it on my head so the next time I used this handy applicator.

Also, the first time I did it, I left it on for more than 20 minutes and my scalp started itching. Make sure you apply this when you are sure to be able to hop in the shower after 20 minutes!

On top of removing buildup, this recipe will make your hair super shiny and silky!

I hope this helps you in figuring out how to remove hair buildup. Enjoy

M.

Get my top 5 non-toxic living tips.

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

The post How to remove hair buildup | No ‘poo non-toxic lifestyle tips appeared first on Rustik Health.