I was wondering how my fellow raw fooders went about there other duties of the day besides eating.

What do you do when it comes to brushing your teeth?

What kind of products do you use when taking a shower?

I have been developing lots of tooth problems and my skin and lips are very dry. I just was wondering how you keep up with these kinds of things.

I use bicarb or vanilla toothpaste (lush)..if I have it..

Shower with water.. special occasion..olive oil soap maybe..but usually just water!.. I dont stink anymore like I did on a SAD diet!!

what about your hair, you don't wash it? I was thinking about that today while I was showering, I should just not use anything and see what happens. I take really hot showers too, i wonder if that contributes to my dry skin.

certainly the hot showers will dry your skin out, your hair too. i recently did a non-hairwashing experiment for a while (two months, truth be told. i figured i had to actually give it a good go) and it was gross. my scalp likes to be clean, it gets a coating of yuck on it that doesn't rinse away with water. not only that, i have curly locks and bits of fluff and other junk get stuck in there and won't come out, even with brushing which is hard to do with my hair in the first place without conditioner.
i use an organic set from the health food store for my hair and add a few drops of rosemary oil to clean my scalp.
my face wants to be washed as well, i tried washing it with only water too and i break out which i am not really all that prone too. the dirty hair encourages breakouts as well for me.
baking soda is an excellent scrub, bentonite clay makes a terrific mask, ground oatmeal mixed with water, aloe juice and a drop of vit e is a great face wash. the foam from wheatgrass juice is a nice face mask too.
the OCM or oil cleansing method is a terrific way to wash your face. it's good for all skin types and keeps your face and lips very moisturized. google that and you will come up with a ton of info.
after the shower when you are still damp is a good time to rub some oil into your skin. jojoba is the best, it's very close to our natural sebum, but a combination of oils is nice too. sweet almond, apricot kernel, cocoa butter, shea butter, vit e, avocado oil, wheatgerm oil, some nice smelling essential oils. you can carry a vial of oil around to rub on your lips but i think eating enough essential fatty acids and drinking plenty of liquid is the best way to keep yourself hydrated. i stopped using lipbalm and my lips don't get dry anymore, i think it was interfering with them taking care of themselves.

i don't use deodorant, i don't smell like anything usually. if i need something a drop or two of diluted essential oil or a sprinkle of baking soda rubbed on or both is more than sufficient.

as for toothpaste, i am using the regular garbage. i made my own, i used glycerine free soap, i used neem etc etc and we both got terrible cavities. whatever is said about flouride (and i certainly don't think it should be in drinking water) i am one who has found topical flouride to keep tooth decay at bay. i'm always searching for a better way but am unwilling to experiment with my family's teeth again. my little boy had EIGHT cavities and had to be put to sleep to deal with them all. that is a stress i will gladly trade for a little colgate.

I use Morroco Method products for hair care:
[www.morroccomethod.com]

Aquasana Shower Power:
[www.aquasana.com]

Pangea Organics bar soap:
[www.pangeaorganics.com]

and RoseHip oil for my dry skin (while showering):
[www.newdirectionsaromatics.com]


My skin is very sensitive and these products have really helped me

[www.youtube.com]

i use any non flouride natural toothpaste: jason, kiss my face are favs.

for soap i use jason body wash-its good stuff and goes a long way and very gentle.

and shampoo i like giovani products the best, good organic stuff

you might not be getting enough oil in your diet(since your developing dryness)
the best oils are hemp, udo's blend(balanced in omega 3+6) coconut, you want to add 1-3 tablespoons a day to your diet. udo's research has shown in studies with athletes that just adding good oils to your diet can increase stamina and strength and did even better up to 4 tablespoons.




Tickets On Sale Now for only $250 until December 31st![www.rawspiritfest.com]

What an amazingly beautiful 2007 celebration, Thanks to You! Announcement: The 2008 Festival is happening at The Radisson Poco Diablo Resort in Spectacular Sedona, Arizona, September 12th - 14th 2008. Stay for a week if you can.

In 2008, we will return to the remarkable Radisson Resort, located amidst trees and ponds on verdant lawns beneath Sedona, Arizona's famous Red Rocks. Raw Spirit Festival celebrates organic raw vegan foods, world class music, spirituality, inspirational education, eco-sustainable solutions, healthy living and peace on Earth.

Come discover ancient wisdom and the latest findings from the greatest minds in healthy eco-living. Benefits include: Educational Vendor Booths, Outdoor and Indoor Stages, Ongoing Workshops, Sacred Exercise Area, Food Demos, Childrens' Programs, Music, Dancing, Leadership Sharing Circle, Nature Trails, Fantastic Foods and Fabulous Friends! Organic Raw Vegan Meals included. Accommodations are not included.

The City of Sedona deems our venue's maximum capacity to be 5,000. Therefore, the Raw Spirit Festival Will Sell Out! Already hundreds have confirmed, and virtually all of the 2500 participants from 2007 are returning. Places can only be reserved for participants via the RawSpirit.com's Registration Page. New and old Sponsors, Vendors, and Performers are also invited to apply on line.

RAW SPIRIT FESTIVAL
[www.rawspiritfest.com]

Brush teeth wish brush & water.

Products I use when taking a shower: Washcloth.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I brush my teeth with water only, and shower with water only.

As for teeth problems, are you eating a lot of fat? This could cause issues.

Hey everyone!
I have ben reading this thread and a question popped in my head...

Why don't you use toothpaste? Don't you need to kill the bacteria and germs in and around your mouth especially in the morning when they have been multipling through the night??

Besides water only for hair, teeth and shower I'll add water and razor only to shaving also. Don't know if I'm lucky in this respect or not, but it works for me.

ksandberg2002 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey everyone!
> I have ben reading this thread and a question
> popped in my head...
>
> Why don't you use toothpaste? Don't you need to
> kill the bacteria and germs in and around your
> mouth especially in the morning when they have
> been multipling through the night??


I was thinking the same thing. You can't just brush your teeth with brush and water...thats just a rinse. I mean I could be wrong...

For My Health The Fruit Company Fruit Baskets

I dont have any problem with just water brushing...

Thanks for all the feedback. I definitely will have to experiment with different stuff. I was eating a lot of fat Bryan, but now I'm trying to cut down. Right now I'm sticking to strict 80/10/10, but if my candida doesn't go away I'm going to have to give up the fruit. I'm just going to try different stuff!

I will start today with the just water stuff, and see how it works. I'm hoping it does because thats a great way to save a little extra money.

No problems here....for many many years. Now when I ate cooked foods....I had problems! LOL.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Corizza: Great thread! I've been having skin (especially face & scalp) and lip issues as well, and it's been driving me crazy - and I highly doubt that insufficient fat in my diet is the culprit. I also have sensitive skin and am chemically sensitive,so the list of what I can use is quite limited...

Flex4Life: Thanks for providing that link to Morroco Method; looks like great stuff and just ordered two of their products, and I am so hoping they'll help in this detox stage I'm in. I need my great skin back, but without chemical means - this was an answer to my cries for help!

I guess I'm "bad" because I use all the conventional stuff like Colgate and VO5. But most of what I use besides the few times of year I have to buy is scavanged from evictions that I clean up after. Yay for free stuff!! I usually only have to buy shampoo and body wash 2 or 3 times a year because of that! Someday I'd like to move into more eco-friendly products... mainly ones that are not tested on animals... but one step at a time!

-Angie

I like to use a water pik to keep my gums really strong and remove anything that might get stuck in there.

Jason Powersmile toothpaste. It's VERY pepperminty!

A Nature's Gate shampoo to wash my hair, Aubrey to condition my hair and wash my face, and an Aubrey moisturizer.

Almond NANAK on my lips.

For body soap, my favorite soap is Sage, distributed by European Soaps. It has an absolutely wonderful smell. It's also grainy, so it's good for taking off the really sticky dried up dirt that I tend to get all over me sometimes. My friend knows how much I like it, so she gives it to me for free all the time (she's very sweet!).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2007 06:13AM by suncloud.

hey there friends...heres a mini mama rant for ya! in joy!

after some time ive tried many products. ive been a living foodist for a couple of years and now i only use a natural bristle tooth brush and filtered water.
FLUORIDE is straight up POISON. check it out...theres research that dates waaaay back when to prove it.

this thread found me curious about baking soda earlier today since im currently enjoying juicing some veggies and wondering if i would use aything to help remove the vibrant veggie colors a lil quicker.

O! use a stainless steel tongue brush...DO IT! i do every day! in the am right when i wake up and at night as part of my amylove routine. you'll see all kinds of junk come off that tongue and itll help keep your mouth FRESH. thats right!

our mouth is our fuse box to our entire body and therefore what ever we expose our precious gums and pearly whites to goes directly into our beautiful bodies. for real.

our skin is our largest/exposed organ. if you wouldnt put it in your mouth and swallow well then dont put it on your skin. i know this may seeeeeem like a tough idea to digest in the beginning but it all gets EASIER and more SIMPLIFIED at your own rate...degenerative or REgenerative...hey! we have a CHOICE

BE PATIENT my dear friends. our bodies need time to eliminate all the crap weve exposed it to in the past. we first have to STOP DEGENERATING to then START REGENERATING...our bodies are miraculous. double true.

i recently went to OHI [optimal health institute]in san diego for a week. they have a lil store there [just give a call] and have info on healthy hygiene if they dont have it stock just ask for the brand and ...well hey youre already online ...so jus do a little google on the names of products they give ya. theres a body scrub and face scrub material made from organic fiber and its not harsh at all just wet it.

keep in mind not everyone knows everything[including stores/raw gurus/your mom lol]. thats why we have each other. if it seems fitting to you now...ride with it. if not, do some homework when youre ready and youll find what you need.
also this is one of the best raw sites ever www.rawfoodnetwork.com

get your healthy on,
amyruth



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/01/2008 10:41PM by amyruth.

Most important thing for my skin and hair is to use a good Shower Filter!

I dry skin brush and then use just water to shower. Use organic shampoo about once a week, the other days I just use water on it.

I pour some Hydrogen Peroxide on my toothbrush and brush with that. Keeps my teeth very white. I switch this up with Gum Joy oil if I want some minty fresh flavor. I've never had any cavities. I think flossing is just as important, though. My teeth don't feel clean until I've flossed before bed.

Other than that I just use water and coconut oil or olive oil to moisturize in the winter. I alternate among these two plus MSM lotion on body and face.

I wash my face with the filtered water once a day in the morning when I shower. I feel like if I wash it at night in the sink with the unfiltered water it's texture gets worse (chlorine). Good quality raw coconut oil my skin just soaks up after about 10 minutes leaving it not oily at all. I also use a Sea Mud or French Green clay mask once a week and Simply Divine Botanicals Peel Me a Papaya mask to exfoliate once a week, too.

I love my bathroom/shower skincare stuff!!!

I don't use anything. I let it use me, if it must.

Take what you need. Please leave the rest. Get greedy.....and I may have to veracify you. ;~)

I prefer to veracify women, BTW. ()

[www.oneillpaul.com-a.googlepages.com]

Never heard the word "veracify" ...can't find the definition anywhere...

Enlightenment Now...could you enlighten me soon on what this word means...even, and especially if, you made it up?

Aloha

When I take a shower, I prefer to use the essential oils, saliva and love of a beautiful woman to clean me. This is honesty. Edit or re-file this message if you have to, but there is a reason cats groom each other best. There is a reason that two perfect human beings look so vibrant. Let go and let it in.

With love,
Paul

[www.oneillpaul.com-a.googlepages.com]

I'm slowly phasing out uneccessary bathroom products.

My mouth has been getting cleaner on the raw, but I'm a little nervous to dump the natural, fluoride-free toothpaste. Especially if I mono and get the fuzzy tongue... I still need something to scrub in there!

I'm 100% fine without mouthwash.

I used to use a natural face cleaner. I ditched that.

I use organic shampoos. I work in a very smelly, SAD restaurant (ha, ha...). The smell has ruined my good winter coat. The smell also definitely gets into my hair. I'm still hesitant to part with shampoo.

I have a big mineral salt stick for deodorant. It worked nicely before I was raw at all. I apply less frequently than I did in the past (several times/day). Maybe I can quit that soon.

I use olive oil for my skin, nothing else. I used to use organic moisturizers, but those are very irritating to me now. I have a huge bottle of oil in the washroom, and most people who come over get very strange thoughts that have nothing to do with moisturizing the skin.

I've been lazy, but I used to make lip balm with beeswax and essential oil, and it kept my lips VERY nice.

I tried coconut oil on my skin but it didn't completely sink in and my friend asked why my arm was slimy! It wasn't actually slimy, just moist, but I haven't used it since.

I liked everyone's suggestions, I'm always looking for more natural ways... For now this is what I do... (until I can become more raw like most of you)

Shower - a natural, usually homemade bar soap in the shower - lots of people make them around here - I usually find it at the Farmer's Market. Whole Foods also has a glycerin bar soap that I tried once or twice.

Shampoo - Avalon Organics (although I'm not sure the ingredients are actually organic despite the name).

Toothpaste - I love Peelu, although it now has a couple ingredients I'm not crazy about.

Floss - Tom's of Maine naturally waxed. I could never get in the habit until I discovered Tom's.

Face - Aubrey's or other organic wash. I actually forked out the money to try a brand made from fruit juices (Juice Beauty). It works really well but is too expensive. Maybe I'll make my own juice-wash.

Moisturizer - Dr. Bronners/Sundog Magic, or Zum, or Aubrey's.
Shikai Jojoba Dry Skin Therapy works really really well but it does have a couple chemical sounding things in it and I don't think it's organic. Maybe I'll give coconut oil or Shea butter another try. Definitely need something that works well this time of year.

MSM lotion - that reminds me, I used to use that but can't find it around here anymore... liked it because it didn't contain any chemicals.

Natalia Rose, in her book, recommends Simply Divine, Repechage, and Bee Yummy skin care lines (because they are chemical free.)

Gotta love this thread-
we're all so different-
i see some people doing what i do, and others finding other things that work for them.

i'm with the water only crowd in theory-
especially for my hair

i did a no washing experiment while pregnant with my first, and my hair LOVED IT. it became very vibrant, full-bodied, curly and i got a lot of compliments. i then would wash occasionally with castile soap (once every couple of months) for over a year. Then i went back to shampoo and conditioner this christmas. not good. my hair became limp, brittle and dry. it's taken since christmas for my hair to recover, and now it's getting back to it's more strong self. i had to add some olive oil, lavender oil, coconut oil, etc to get back some shine and strength. i don't make a lot of oils (and i'm the first to confess to a high-fat diet and currently pregnancy hormones galore), so greasy scalp is NEVER an issue. i don't think i've ever had that.

as for my skin, i wash my pits with locally made soap sometimes, usually when hormones make smells that bother me. but usually just water. i do moisturize my swelling belly with a combination of cocoa butter, coconut oil, and olive oil that i make myself. only because it itches, and mostly i can get my husband and son to help me out, which i love. for my face, i do occasional tea-tree oil and olive oil combos, but not often.

teeth- i haven't used fluoride in years. my husband first reacted horribly to the shift to non-fluoridated toothpast, but he's lost his sensitive teeth and swears that our diet has healed his teeth more than fluoride ever did. now he emails our town water to see if they will consider removing fluoride! my son has amazing teeth, and i haven't had any new cavities (and i wonder if my old ones would have healed had i not had them filled). my husband has NO cavities. i use tom's of maine for my family, oil-pulling and flossing for myself, and occasional salt/baking soda/tea tree oil combos if i want to whiten.

i have to say, the bathroom really doesn't get as dirty as when i go home and see all the products my sisters/parents use, and the soap scum and all that stuff that they have to clean. i'm not coating my skin with that stuff!!! and my hair and skin is clearer and smoother than most of my family. they accuse me of getting the good genes......? ;]

peace-