So, flashback to 2008, and I didn’t know anything about harmful skin care ingredients. Learning how to treat my cancer naturally really gave me a crash course in junky beauty and hygiene products and the chemicals that make them harmful. I was working incredibly hard eating a cancer-combatting diet, implementing a detox strategy, and changing my lifestyle, so it didn’t make sense to continue to use carcinogenic chemicals on my skin. Creating a non-toxic shower experience became an absolute priority.

The most common offenders such as “sodium laurel/ laureth sulfate”, “propylene glycol,” or anything ending in the word “-paraben” are in the majority of commonly store bought products. Not only are these ingredients harmful to you, but they are washed into our water supply with little concern for the generational impact that could have. I quickly learned that when it comes to detoxifying my body, less ingredients = way more.

My Non-Toxic Shower: Soaps, Shampoo, and Shave

Originally posted November 1, 2013, updated January 2019

Over the next few posts, I’ll introduce you to products I used while treating my cancer and also a few products I discovered along the way that I like even better or just found to work better for my busy life as a mom.

Know that healing is a JOURNEY. I did not start doing this all in one day, but I was VERY INTENTIONAL about doing everything I could to help my body reverse what CAUSED my cancer in the first place. Yes, eventually you need to leave the chemicals behind, but take it one product at a time. You can start by using the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep archives to check your commonly used products’ levels of toxicity. Go HERE and enter in the name of your product. Green is good and the lower the number, the better.

Other posts in this series:

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: Lotions, Deodorant, Make-Up, and More!

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: THE SALON POST: Nail Polish and Hair Color

My Non-Toxic Shower: Soaps, Shampoo, and Shave

Face Wash: 

For the longest time I would simply use the Oil Cleansing method to remove the day from my face, but today I use Annmarie Aloe-Herb Cleanser. the 100mL bottle last me 5-6 months used once daily in shower. I use Annmarie Skincare for all things face and anti-aging.

Shampoo/ Conditioner:

1. “No ‘Poo” (baking soda and white or apple cider vinegar method) This method would hands down be the least toxic method of cleaning your hair (and also the cheapest!) “No Pooing” was total weirdness for me until my hair started to look AMAZING a few weeks after starting. I noticeably received hair compliments then that I don’t get now that I’ve stopped. You can click on my friend Brittany’s blog, The Pistachio Project for the complete rundown on how to do this. There are also some GREAT YouTube videos on how to apply it. If you’re doing it correctly, your hair will NOT smell like vinegar once it is dry. I eventually switched back to regular shampoo and conditioner, but my hair looked REALLY good while I used the “No ‘Poo” method, and if it weren’t for it being so long now, I would still be “no poo-ing.”

2. Hugo Naturals Volumizing Shampoo Vanilla-Sweet Orange: I really like this shampoo for my long, frizzy hair. The other more natural shampoos I tried didn’t cut it for me and made my hair smell like patchouli-enriched hippie locks. It is a fabulous 1 / 10 in toxicity on the EWG’s Skin Deep rating scale. It’s accompanying conditioner is also safe and smells yummy.

3. Andalou Shampoo and Conditioner: this combo also works great and is low on the EWG scale.

4. My favorite shampoo for my oldest daughter’s long, curly “Rapunzel” hair is Nature’s Baby Organic Tangerine-Vanilla. 1 /10 on Skin Deep rating scale. I also use it to bathe both of my children. We detangle with Shea Moisture Coconut detangler spray after using one of the conditioners above.

Soap:

1. I have used Grandpa’s Oatmeal Soap for YEARS now and have never switched. It doesn’t dry out my skin in the winter which I love and has a low rating on the Skin Deep rating scale.

2. While healing from cancer, you can use Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Castile Soap for almost anything. 1/ 10 on the Skin Deep rating scale.

Shaving Cream:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kiss My Face Shaving Lotion. It has a moderate rating on the EWG’s Skin Deep rating scale, but I still think it’s much better than other naturally-leaning shaving products I have tried. Simply using a non-toxic conditioner on your legs or face works as well.

Shower Water Filter:

I have written about the topic of chemicals and pharmaceuticals in our water a few years ago, so make sure to read that article here if you drink or shower in water. (: The shower filter we use is very moderately priced. You can find the model we use HERE.

In the future I am planning on changing over to a Berkey shower filter since its filters last MUCH longer.

And check out the other posts in this series:

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: Lotions, Deodorant, Make-Up, and More!

The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: THE SALON POST: Nail Polish and Hair Color

You can also see my other Beauty and Hygiene recommendations HERE and read about how I clean my home using only non-toxic ingredients HERE.

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The post My Non-Toxic Shower: Soaps, Shampoo, and Shave appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

Welcome to my updated review of Truly Free (formerly “My Green Fills”) nontoxic laundry detergent.

I am updating this post after FIVE YEARS of using Truly Free, and I’m happy to say that with years now of baby and kid-stained shirts and smoothie and grease splashes of my own, I am even more grateful for a nontoxic, natural laundry detergent that works!

I remember the first time I switched to “natural” laundry detergent in 2008, shortly after my cancer diagnosis. It seemed pretty decent and not much different than my old Tide or Gain (except a lot less toxic!) Then I had kids and…YAH. This is where my “natural” laundry detergent was put to the test.

At first, I doubted myself at times- that perhaps I just forgot to put the detergent in the washing machine?? That’s how little of a difference the detergent made on my baby’s stains! It had nothing on diaper blowouts and dried, day old spit up. Onesie after onesie was ruined, even after pretreating it.

And over the years it had just gotten worse and more frustrating as my kids grew and stains became more fierce.

Thankfully, with Truly Free I’ve finally found a non-toxic laundry system that works, and I’m going to talk a little about that today.

Review of Truly Free Laundry Detergent: How I Started Using Truly Free

(Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Visit here for complete disclosure.)

We met Stephen Ezell, the CEO and co-founder of Truly Free: Natural, Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent, when my husband’s film company began some awesome work with the Hope 4 Cancer clinic in Mexico to produce a few small films telling the stories of several of their patients.

One day I walked into our bedroom (with a basket full of clean laundry to fold, funny enough) where Kevin was on a business call with Stephen. Kevin had me say a quick hello to Stephen, and the three of us ended up chatting for a while. Kevin mentioned to me that Stephen’s other company, Truly Free, produced small batch, non-toxic and eco-friendly laundry detergent. I could be embellishing this- but I swear I remember snarkily saying “and it works???!”

Stephen laughed and casually said to me that he would send me some samples, and two days later we got them and tried them out! Here’s what I thought about it and my extremely honest review- because after FIVE years, I still really, really love Truly Free and have my subscription box set to every three months.

Who Started Truly Free?

In 1982, Ruth Smith- formulator of the original My Green Fills product, started making her own natural, hypoallergenic laundry detergent to help her children who suffered from severe skin allergies and used it for over 30 years!

In 2012, Stephen Ezell joined the company as CEO and created the easy, subscription based, eco-friendly laundry supply system that Truly Free is today.

What Makes Truly Free Different?

You already know about Truly Free being completely non-toxic and environmentally friendly, but the main standout to me is that you only ever need ONE laundry detergent container. After that you buy biodegradable paper-based refill packets of the powder concentration and then mix it with warm water and shake to blend.

See my (semi-outdated) Youtube video here for a complete demo of how Truly Free (My Green Fills) works and my favorite tips and tricks!

Truly Free doesn’t even *technically* make a “laundry detergent” or “soap.” They prefer to say “laundry wash” as detergents are filled with toxic fillers, preservatives, perfumes, and dyes, and fillers that stay on your clothes. Their Laundry Wash simply does what it says- gently washes through your clothes without leaving anything behind.

Their Laundry Rinse functions similarly to a fabric softener without leaving chemicals behind on your clothes.

How Does Truly Free Laundry Wash Work?

To get started with Truly Free you need to set up your initial subscription. You then set up a frequency that you want to receive your order. (I get the Buy 5+ items option and set my frequency to every 3 months.) If you buy 5+ items at a time, you get each item at 40% off. This is how I am able to get all of my non-toxic laundry products for a family of 7 for under $15 monthly.

Also- it is super easy to change your subscription order in your account, and if you forget to pause an order or forget to change an order, customer service is extremely accommodating.

With your initial order you will receive your Truly Free containers (choose Laundry Wash only or Laundry Wash + Rinse.) After this purchase you won’t ever purchase another container again and will only receive packets of the powdered detergent that you will mix with warm water in the same container over and over again.

No more giant laundry detergent containers in the landfills or recycling bin. No more lugging giant containers of laundry detergent from Costco each month.

Note: For my family of seven, I purchase 3 Laundry Wash, 2 Laundry Rinse, and 1 Enzyme Stain Remover every three months. I also occasionally purchase the Stain Stick and Drier Angels + refills with my order.

Try Truly Free today and get free laundry wash for LIFE + FREE SHIPPING!

What is Truly Free Laundry Wash Made Of?

Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium Salt, Sodium Carbonate, Polyacrylic Acid Sodium Salt, Signature Scent Blend of Essential Oils (including: ORANGE OIL, LIME OIL, FIR NEEDLE OIL, CLOVE LEAF OIL, LAVANDIN ABRAILI OIL, EUCALYPTUS OIL), Plant-Based Surfactants [Sodium Cocoate].

See the Products Page to read all of the ingredients for each product and check out the starter kits to choose from.

My Before and Afters: Does Truly Free Work As Well As Tide or Gain?

YES. Absolutely. I will say for stubborn stains it is important to use a pre-treatment of a small bit of detergent and the Truly Free Non-toxic Stain Stick along with the Enzyme Stain Remover and it has been amazing.

One major perk is that because it is a natural product, you don’t need to immediately wash your clothes after pretreating the stain. You can just throw it in the hamper after using the stain stick and wash the next time you do laundry!

Here are few before and afters of my kids’ most recent attempts to ruin their clothes. I used the Laundry Wash, Rinse, and the Enzyme Stain Remover along with the Stain Stick. Most of these stains have been on these clothes for hours or possibly even weeks!

A few of the pictures I forgot to take before pretreating them so they are wet.

Chocolate and tomato sauce…the ultimate test. Perfectly clean outcome.

Blueberries. Yikes.

Perfectly clean.

Blueberry smoothie discovered three days later in the hamper.

Practically gone. Ran through one more time with the Enzyme Stain Remover and it’s gone.

An old sticker. Perfect. The circle you see is the graphic on the other side of the shirt.

How Much Does Truly Free Laundry Products Cost?

Anywhere from $20-35 to get started. Shipping is ALWAYS FREE! Yeah!

If you have active messy children, I definitely recommend the adding the enzyme stain remover and stain to your first order, which will last for MONTHS (and years for the stain stick.)

After your initial subscription you may want to adjust your next order to only get the Laundry Wash, Rinse, and Enzyme Stain Remover every 3 months for an HE Washer.

One container of Laundry Wash has lasts me about a month for my family of 7 (make sure to only use 1/3 – 1/2 a cap depending on the load size.)

How Do the Products Smell?

I was a bit concerned about ANY scent on my clothes because I haven’t had scented laundry detergent since 2008! When I first got our Truly Free order five years ago, I thought that there was a pretty strong but pleasant smell. After washing, the scent is very subtle and I really love it. If you are sensitive to smell, go for the Unscented Laundry Wash as your scent choice when ordering, but like I said, I actually really like the scented.

How Do I Cancel or Change My Subscription?

Log in anytime to your Truly Free account to change or cancel your subscription. They also have phone and email options.

What Other Products Does Truly Free Offer?

Truly Free has some really fun and quality products for all cleaning purposes! Here are the ones I have tried:

Laundry Wash – serves as the laundry “detergent”. Comes in scented or unscented.

Laundry Rinse- serves as a fabric “softener.” Comes in scented or unscented.

Enzyme Stain Remover- works on stains without harming your clothes.

Non-Toxic Stain Stick– a MUST HAVE if you have kids! Works for pretreating stains.

Dryer Angel – handmade with love by women around the world. This serves to add extra scent (using essential oils) to your clothes and significantly reduces static cling.

Oxyboost Powder- super concentrated hydrogen peroxide, bleach free color brightener. Can also be used for cleaning tile, bathtubs, toilets, removes soil with power of oxygen.

Essential Oils- I have the set of 5 and I really love diffusing these blends. They are very affordable and have great scents.

(Truly Free also has Sunscreen and Bug Spray but I have yet to try it.)

Cleaning Caddy– I love this product! It includes a medley of all of their cleaning products. Right now you can get it for only $49 + free shipping. You will be set for a year with cleaning products. Refills can be added to your subscription box each month. It includes: 2-pack everyday cleaner + bottle, 2-pack heavy degreaser + bottle, 2-pack bathroom cleaner + bottle, 2-pack glass cleaner + bottle, 2-pack stain and odor remover + bottle, and space refresher + bottle. all come in the cutest little caddy, too. Check out what it all looks like HERE.

My Thoughts:

Starting with my initial impromptu chat with their CEO, Stephen Ezell to when I mixed my first container, the experience with Truly was fantastic. It actually has made doing laundry feel different and enjoyable.

Pros:

• I love Truly Free’s focus on the no-waste model and reducing plastics significantly.
• I love that they empower women in struggling communities around the world by working with them to produce Truly Free products.
• I love that my clothes smell fresh, are free of fillers and dyes and are thoroughly cleaned without leaving residue behind.
• I love that I can pretreat clothes easily without having to immediately launder.
• I love that because Truly Free is a subscription, and I never have to think about laundry detergent at the store or lug a heavy container home.

Cons:

I had to dig deep for cons, so here it goes:

• If you don’t like subscriptions or having credit cards on file in an online account, you may not like Truly Free.
• It might take you a few months to figure out how much laundry wash and rinse you need every month and you might order too little or too much. (You just adjust this in your account.)
• The scent might be too strong for some people. Order unscented to be safe if you are sensitive to smells.

I hope you all give Truly Free a try. It is definitely worth seeing if you like it! It may even make a great Christmas present for the right person.

Try Truly Free and get free refills for life + FREE SHIPPING!

-Cortney 

The post Review of Truly Free Non-Toxic Laundry Detergent (Five Year Update) appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

Before you dive into reading this post, make sure to check out the last two posts in this series, The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom: Shower Products and Facial/ Skin Products. Here you’ll find a great overview of what skin, beauty or hygiene products I used while healing my cancer naturally and continue to use today. In this post I will talk about some of the best nontoxic and less toxic options for hair color and nail polish for cancer patients.

Also, my A-Z Natural Healing Handbook is my  book with all things non-toxic living and natural remedies including how I overhauled my home of chemicals after cancer at 26 and natural remedies for over 100 ailments I’ve used for my family!

Nail Polish/ Acrylic and Gel Nails

Would you be super surprised here if I told you that nail polish, nail polish remover, along with gel nails and acrylic nails were extremely toxic? Probably not. Even if you just simply skim through the U.S Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA’s) warnings for nail salon workers, you would see a list of the serious health issues these products can cause:

• Acetone (nail polish remover): headaches; dizziness; and irritated eyes, skin, and throat.

• Acetonitrile (fingernail glue remover): irritated nose and throat; breathing problems; nausea; vomiting; weakness; and exhaustion.

• Butyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover): headaches and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat

• Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), (nail polish): nausea and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat. Long-term exposures to high concentrations may cause other serious effects.

• Ethyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover, fingernail glue): irritated eyes, stomach, skin, nose, mouth, and throat; high levels can cause fainting.

• Ethyl methacrylate (EMA), (artificial nail liquid): asthma; irritated eyes, skin, nose, and mouth; difficulty concentrating. Exposures while pregnant may affect your child.

• Formaldehyde (nail polish, nail hardener): difficulty breathing, including coughing, asthma-like attacks, and wheezing; allergic reactions; irritated eyes, skin, and throat. Formaldehyde can cause cancer.

• Isopropyl acetate (nail polish, nail polish remover): sleepiness, and irritated eyes, nose, and throat.

• Methacrylic acid (nail primer): skin burns and irritated eyes, skin, nose, mouth, and throat. At higher concentrations, this chemical can cause difficulty breathing.

• Methyl methacrylate (MMA), (artificial nail products, though banned for use in many states): asthma; irritated eyes, skin, nose, and mouth; difficulty concentrating; loss of smell.

• Quaternary ammonium compounds (disinfectants): irritated skin and nose and may cause asthma.

• Toluene (nail polish, fingernail glue): dry or cracked skin; headaches, dizziness, and numbness; irritated eyes, nose, throat, and lungs; damage to liver and kidneys; and harm to unborn children during pregnancy.

When I was treating my cancer naturally back in 2008-2009, I didn’t step foot in a nail salon. Now you can see why. Even today when I very rarely get my nails done, my body is so shocked by the toxic overload that I usually leave with a headache and post-nasal drip from overly active mucous response to flush the chemicals out of my system.

If you have cancer, skip the nail salon and try to skip nail polish altogether. Especially skip acrylic and gel nails. There is a reason that once you choose to remove them, your nail beds are stripped of their vitality and are paper thin and flaking off (see ingredients above not to mention you deprive your nails of oxygen.)

Nowadays if I paint my nails (usually my toes only,) I use Manucurist LED Gel Nail Polish which is free of formaldehyde, toluene and camphor and all of the harmful chemicals above. They are certified in the EU where these chemicals are banned. (I have a discount code too for 15% off! Use code cortneynails. They have several different lines (and one for kids, too,) but I find the LED gel “Green Flash” line stays on the longest!

For a quicker purchase there are other lower toxicity brands at Whole Foods or other natural foods stores that you can check out (and they usually have a decent return policy if you don’t like them.) When you’re ready to remove the polish this acetone-free nail polish remover works great.

Pacifica brand nail polish is also high-quality and less toxic and Ella+ Mila is a brand I have used for my kids.

Hair Color/ Dyes

This was by far the hardest thing for me to give up while I was healing my cancer with natural therapies. What kept me motivated was reading studies linking lymphoma with excessive chemical exposure (and a really cute haircut too.) I knew that there was no way getting around going blond without exposure to ammonia to bleach the hair, so coloring was a no-go for me for almost a year.

Shortly after being declared in remission, I decided on the middle ground of partial highlights to give my hair the blond, sun kissed look without exposing my scalp to chemicals. Note that even highlights have some risk involved. You are still inhaling the off-gassing of the hair color chemicals, but a well ventilated room or a fan nearby can reduce this. Tell your colorist your circumstances and ask to place a fan near you as he/she works on your hair. You can also cover your face with a rag or mask.

Here are some great, SAFER options for hair color:

Organic Hair Salons: With the popularizing of natural beauty products, there are now more accessible organic hair color salons. Typically organic hair color is going to be more expensive than a standard coloring, but your health of course is so worth 30 more bucks. These salons are typically using hair color that bleaches the hair with a hydrogen-peroxide base instead of an ammonia or bleach base which is much MUCH better for the hair and your internal environment. I found an organic hair salon in my area by a quick google search: “organic hair color + (my city) Atlanta”. Aviary Salon is very popular in Atlanta and provides organic hair color services and a rockin’ haircut too. Ask for salons that use O&M products or Oway which are free of ammonia and many other toxic hair color chemicals.

Aveda Products: I think Aveda products are a nice middle ground for people wanting to do better for their bodies and who don’t have an organic salon in their area. Aveda salons are also located EVERYWHERE so they are easy to access and are moderately affordable. I also like that their products are free of parabens, phthalates, and sodium lauryl sulfate. What would be a best bet would be using an Aveda hair color (which still uses ammonia but is a better quality product), but use Balayage techniques (see below) to reduce exposure to the skin and how often you need to get your hair colored.

Balayage Highlights: My favorite and most time and cost efficient way to get my hair colored is by getting Balayage highlights. You can see this French technique in the picture above. It uses the same chemicals as standard salon hair color, but it is applied away from the scalp with a paintbrush. Your hair grows out more naturally without leaving a “line” where new hair grows out. It is more expensive than other highlighting techniques such as foiling because they last longer and and take longer to apply in some cases. Here’s my favorite Atlanta salon, Siggers Hairdressers that specializes in Balayage (and even teaches it there) where I go to get my hair colored every 4-6 months (reducing my exposure to these chemicals.) A google search in your area for “balayage + your city” should give you some options.

More Natural Home Coloring: If you are dying your hair a darker color, you have much more non-toxic options in natural hair dyes. The Detoxinista did a great post on Henna hair dyes HERE. There are also tons of boxed varieties at Whole Foods or online. Just make sure to check the ingredients first. The EWG’s Skin Deep website has a listing of hair dyes from most natural to horrible…and most of them were REALLY horrible. Check those out HERE and search for your at-home hair dye.

HairPrint Hair Color Restoration: 

Unlike chemical hair dyes that use ammonia, peroxide, and synthetic pigments, HairPrint restores your hair’s natural color using a botanical-based formula that mimics the way your hair originally produced melanin. It’s not a dye—it is color technology that works with your body, not against it.

Hairprint works best for those with dark brown to black hair and is especially ideal for covering gray hair without damaging the hair shaft or irritating the scalp. Instead of coating the hair in artificial color, Hairprint rebuilds the hair’s natural pigment structure, resulting in stronger, shinier, and healthier hair over time. It’s a favorite among those embracing a more natural, low-tox lifestyle. Check out Hair Print HERE.

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The post Less Toxic Hair Color and Nail Polish for Cancer Patients appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

In my previous post in this series, I created a great run-down of all of the products I use in the shower that are incredibly safe for those of you healing from cancer and concerned about detox. I also suggested that you check your current products for toxicity and safety on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep rating system.

On to today’s post where we’ll conquer a boatload of hygiene and beauty products you typically use (and leave) on your face and skin.

MY CANCER FIGHTING SKIN AND FACIAL PRODUCTS:

Face Wash: Hands down, my favorite way to cleanse my face is the Oil Cleansing Method. I wrote an entire blog post about that several years ago, but the science behind it is solid. Typically, using a store bought face wash strips your face’s natural oil, leading to overproduction of your body’s natural oils to compensate. The cleansing oil (I use castor and olive oils) dissolves excess facial oil, but it won’t overstrip your skin of its moisture. You finish by steaming your face with a warm cloth. This is easily my favorite part of my nightly cleansing routine. As a bonus, it also takes off my makeup.

Make-Up: After over 5 years of using Bare Minerals line of makeup, I still love it and for the price and its low ratings (remember low is good!) on the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep rating scale. I continue to stand behind it for a budget-friendly more natural makeup. There are many more expensive alternatives, such as Dr. Hauschka, but it’s obnoxiously expensive. My daily Bare Minerals favorites: Faux Tan Bronzer, Definition Curling Mascara, Daily Foundation, Eye Shadow.  You can purchase Bare Minerals makeup at your local mall and more readily at Ulta stores.

Toothpaste: Jason’s Powersmile Whitening Toothpaste. With a 1/ 10 on the Skin Deep rating scale, you can’t do better for the price. I also like how it whitens my green tea stained teeth. See the benefits of green tea for cancer HERE.

Lotion: For the price, I like Avalon Aloe Unscented Lotion. A 2 / 10 on the Skin Deep rating scale , it comes in a giant bottle that lasts forever and the ingredients are pretty basic and natural. I also use this on my face as a foundation primer because it isn’t too greasy.

Deodorant: I love my Homemade Coconut Oil Deodorant. Read my post about it and understand my love for this deodorant. I have gotten more people hooked on this than on Phonics. Ok, bad teacher joke! Who got it? (:

Hand Soap: I LOVE homemade vanilla foaming soap (pictured above) made with Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Castile Soap. I empty out an old foaming soap container and then add about 1/4 cup Dr. Bronners, 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and then fill to the top with water. We walk around sniffing our hands in our house…and that doesn’t include huffing yucky chemicals.

Cleaning Retainers and Mouth Guards: I use warm water with 8 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract. This disinfects and gets any odor out and is WAY healthier than a store-bought denture cleaner.

Contact Lens Solution: I disinfect and soak my lenses with cleanser that does NOT use thimerosal or formaldehyde and then rinse with SALINE solution. Clear Care is one of these options and is hydrogen peroxide based. I use Sensitive Eyes saline solution to wash my lenses.

Sunscreen: We use Alba Botanical Natural Emollient Sunscreen. It’s affordable compared to most non-toxic sunscreens and WORKS! For my daughters, we use Alba Kids. Both are 2/ 10 on the Skin Deep rating scale. The only downfall might be that they can get a little pasty if you lather on too thick. I don’t get too bothered by this and don’t have to worry about the sun or chemicals causing cancer.

Blemish Care/ Facial Clay Mask: I rarely use this, but if I get a small blemish, I use Evan Healey Green Tea Mask (I bought it as Whole Foods about 5 years ago and still have half the jar!) Let it sit on the affected area overnight and wash off with a warm wash cloth.

***One way that you can help support Green Drink Diaries and also get $10 off some of these products is to order from Vitacost.com through this link HERE. I order from Vitacost.com every month. I LOVE Vitacost because it leans WAY towards the natural side of the product spectrum AND it has reviews and product information right on the product page. All orders over $49 include free shipping.***

The post The Ultimate Cancer Fighting Bathroom Series: Lotions, Deodorant, Make-Up, and More! appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

There are so many different varieties of natural and organic beauty and hygiene products out there, but when you are diagnosed with cancer it is essential to make sure you’re keeping the bad stuff off of your skin and ultimately out of your blood system.

The most concerning of all of these products to me and to many others out there is DEODORANT. Why? Because conventional deodorant is incredibly invasive and toxic. But why are most natural deodorants so disappointing in their performance? I have used many, MANY varieties. I won’t name brands here, but TRUST me when I say I have tried 10 different brands that I can remember and many others that I’m sure were forgettable. AND many of these products were EXPENSIVE!!!! I am so happy to write about my soul-mate of deodorant today. The search is over. I have found THE ONE.

I first off want to thank Brittany at The Pistachio Project for the base of this recipe. She turned me onto this along with the rest of the “Crunchy Mamas” group at Babycenter.com who have raved about it. I didn’t make it for the longest time because we didn’t keep corn starch in our house and “I didn’t have the time.” I didn’t know what I was missing out on or how easy it was.

I’m glad I took the 5 minutes to make it. Seriously- it took 5 minutes once I ventured into it. I mixed in a medium sized bowl:

1/8 – 1/4 cup baking soda

1/8 – 1/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup coconut oil

Directions: Mix the dry ingredients first and then add the oil. Store in a sealed container at room temperature.

It will have a pasty consistency if mixed properly and will vary depending on the oil’s temperature. Right now it is 77 in my house and the mixture is a little bit more oily than it was when I made it with oil that was solid from being in a cold grocery store. When purchasing the ingredients, I would double check that the baking soda does not have added aluminum and that the corn starch is organic since most corn Americans consume IS genetically modified, or has had its genes altered in a lab. Organic coconut oil is best but you will be fine with regular- as in at least it’s a better alternative to store bought deodorant.

My Experience:

I found it very simple to keep the mixture in a small container such as a baby food jar or even a small plastic food storage container. I stir it with my finger and whatever has stuck to my finger I use to smear one side on one armpit and the other armpit with the other side of my finger. You can then either rub in the rest of the coconut oil on your hands to moisturize (although it is a little gritty- maybe you could use as an exfoliant??) You could also just wash your hands with mild soap.

I absolutely LOVE this deodorant. A week has past since I first used it and I have found nothing wrong with it. Coconut Oil should last up to two years and the other two ingredients have shelf lives to at least one year.

Pros:

• It is completely non-toxic. You could eat it…if you needed to.
• It WORKS. I put it on after I shower in the morning and the next morning after my workout I still don’t smell- from the application of it 24 hours before!
• You might think that it stains your clothes but it doesn’t. I would use the exact amount I specify and rub it in well. Let it sit for a few minutes before putting a shirt on.
• It still allows you to sweat, but the baking soda and cornstarch absorb enough that you don’t look like a sweaty mess in your pits. Sweat helps detoxify your lymph system and rid your body of the bad stuff. Antiperspirants in store-bought deodorants stop this natural process from happening.
• It works for women and men- my husband has also been using it and it works just as well for him!
• It has not caused me irritation even after shaving.
• It’s CHEAP- I paid $ .49, $.99 and $7.99 for the ingredients which will make (by my estimation) over a year’s supply of deodorant for my husband and me.

Please let me know your feedback or any variations ya’ll try! I think you might find THE ONE with this recipe, too!

 Helpful Links:

Breast Cancer and Antiperspirants (National Cancer Institute)

Aluminum in Deodorant (Natural News)

Cancer and Deodorant  (Dr. Mercola: must register to read this article)

The post Homemade Coconut Oil Deodorant appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.

My entire life I have had ups and downs with my skin. Mostly downs. Recently however, I believe I have found the magic solution to help keep my skin looking its best. Believe it or not, you need to fight OIL with OIL!

(Update 2016: I have been using OCM for 5 years now and it is still AMAZING. Now into my mid-30’s and three kids later, my skin still feels like it’s at its best.)

The Oil-Cleansing Method

By using the right kinds of oils, you can actually cleanse your skin of oil, dirt, and bacteria. Castor oil is a fabulous cleansing oil. Olive oil works more as a moisturizer. To try this method of cleansing you will need a small container (I used a baby jar at first and then bought a $1.00 3-ounce squeeze container at Target), castor oil (I bought at Whole Foods in the make-up area for $9.99), extra virgin olive oil, warm to hot water, and a washcloth. I love these organic cotton washcloths.

(Picture courtesy of www.insonnetskitchen.com)

To try the Oil-Cleansing Method follow these simple steps:

1. Mix the oils in the container. At first I used 30% castor oil, 70% EVOO. I used this for 10 days and found that it made my skin too oily and led to breakouts. The more oily your skin is, you’ll want to use more castor oil than EVOO. Play around with the ratios until you find the right one for you! MY magic mixture is about 80% castor oil, 20% EVOO. I’ve been using this for 3 weeks now and LOVE my skin!

2. Pour about a quarter size amount into your palm and rub in hands. Rub into face gently in a circular motion removing all make-up and dirt.  Do this for about a minute. It will take everything off easily!

3. Soak wash cloth with warm-hot water. Bring to face and allow to sit until washcloth cools off. This will draw up dirt and bacteria out of your pores. Add hot water to the washcloth again and let sit on other half of your face. Re-wet one more time and gently bathe all around your face to remove any excess oil.

4. Pat dry!

I hope you enjoy using the “Oil Cleansing Method” as much as I do! My sister has also been trying it and without even knowing she was doing it,  I noticed something was different about her skin. If cleansing with the oil  mixture doesn’t work out the first time, keep trying. Remember to use more castor oil if it leaves your face feeling too greasy. Add more EVOO if you’re feeling too dry! You can also experiment with other oils such as jojoba or almond oils.

The post How Do I Use the Oil-Cleansing Method? appeared first on Anti-Cancer Mom.