Hi

Ever since going all raw I've been feeling this urge to replace chemical toiletries with natural ones. I read somewhere that you can use clay mixed with baking soda to clean your teeth, but I don't know how effective this is. Does anyone here mix their own toothpaste or make their own shampoo? I'd love to hear your 'recipes'

Thank you

Oh, me too, I want to know also. Plus what do you use for deoderant?

I don't make my own stuff but I use toothsoap for my toothpaste (I order it from Frederic Patenaude's site) and I use the crystal stone for deodorant, which works amazingly.

I use olive oil to moisturize and apple cider vinegar for toner.
I try to use organic shampoos but would love to hear some homemade recipes too.

That's it.

I use the apple cider also for a daily rinse.
Every couple days a mix of baking soda and water.
Over the years I get closer and closer to a water only regimen :O)
I also use distilled water daily which has worked better than anything.
I'm a guy and my hair is pretty long also.

Brushing I have just been using water, sometimes baking soda.

Forgot to add, I use no deodorant.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2007 06:35PM by tanawana.

no deodorant here either. i used to use some baking soda rubbed unto a clean, damp armpit and/or some essential oils but i don't smell anymore, don't know why (doesn't matter what i eat either).

have you heard of [soladey-usa.com] ? ignore the busty lady, the toothbrush is cool. i have one and i like it but i really only use it for when i'll be out of the house. i floss every day, brush my tongue and use paste at home, my teeth suffer when i don't.

a great face wash is a mixture of half castor oil and half olive oil (i actually use jojoba instead of olive), it's called the oil cleansing method [beauty-treatments.suite101.com] and it works amazingly well to detox the skin. even though it's oil it doesn't leave the skin greasy at all, just clean and nicely moisturized. the castor oil is a drawing agent that sucks crap out of your face.
baking soda and water make an excellent scrub for exfoliating.

there was a big crew of people here who stopped washing their hair with anything but water and reported great results (after an initial greasy yuck period), wonder if any of them are still around and still doing it... we'll see who posts.
i think ACV is a great rinse for hair and skin no matter what else you're doing. it's a good ph balancer. rainwater is supposed to be great for hair and so is stale beer. that can't smell so terrific though, ugh.

I don't use deodorant and use a tooth soap. I heard baking soda can be abrasive, so I was afraid to try it. For shampoo, I buy something at Whole Foods.

A crystal stone for deodorant... that is infinitely cool! ) When I read your post, ferg, I thought crystal stone was a brand but then I googled it up and saw that people use actual crystal stones for deodorant. I assume they're man-made from special mineral salts, right? Because if any old crystal stone will do, I will go outside and pick one up right now ha ha.
I live in the northwest of Brazil (Amazon region) in a very small town so I only have access to basic old fashioned products.

As for toothpaste, I found an interesting recipe online. It's by Gail Duff from reader's digest.

Charcoal and Sage tooth cleaner

1 slice of wholemeal bread
2 tsp dried sage
2 drops peppermint oil

Remove the crusts from the bread. Toast the bread until crisp and black on both sides. Leave to cool.
Crush the bread into fine crumbs using a mortar and pestle or a coffee grinder.
Add the sage and peppermint oil and crush everything together.
Keep the mixture in a sterilised pot or jar in the bathroom. To use, moisten your toothbrush with cold water and dip it into the powder. Clean your teeth in the usual way. Rinse with cold water. Use within one month.

She says:
The idea of using a black powder as a tooth cleaner may sound unusual, but charcoal has a very beneficial effect on teeth. When you finally rinse, your teeth will be sparkling clean and your mouth will taste very fresh.


I really want to make this but I'm not sure I can find peppermint oil in the shops. I have a lot of peppermint growing in my backyard though, maybe if I grind that... What do you think?

coco,

I love your face cleanser, it's so simple! I'll try it tomorrow
Just to confirm, castor oil the the oil from the Ricinus communis plant?

I use baking soda on my teeth and underarms; I like plain baking soda better for a deodorant because the crystal gave me welts under my arms. On the odd occasion when I'm wearing my midnight blue sleeveless Christian Dior dress (hahaha) I use a clear roll-on.

I don't believe that the abrasive quality of baking soda is sufficient to be bad for teeth; my teeth are much much better since I've been using it. I also used to use it as an exfoliant for my face, but it's too harsh now that my face isn't so oily.

I have a friend who makes a wonderful home-made shampoo and the main ingredient is an herb called 'soapwort'. The root is preferable, although when she was living in Israel she had to make do with the leaves. I don't know the other ingredients, but I know she got the recipes from a site for long-haired people.

here's the long hair site
[www.forums.longhaircommunity.com]
i have some soapwort root somewhere...

peppermint oil is fairly common, any health food shop should have it.

baking soda i find way too harsh to use on my teeth more than occasionally. but i like it for the skin once or twice a week.

i don't know about different types of castor oil, is there more than one? i mean the same one you'd use for a castor pack during fasting.

there are other things i use on my face. avocado is high in copper, supposed to be great for anti-wrinkling.
green tea is an great anti-oxidant.
oatmeal sooths and softens skin
cucumber soothes and cools
potato reduces dark circles
etc etc etc. i have a ton of books...