Chemical-Free Shampoo & Conditioner Made at Home

Both of my daughters have severe food, environmental, and chemical allergies.  Ingredients found in store bought shampoos and conditioners fall into the no-no category at our house.  After years of trials (without success), we were left with baking soda and safflower oil.  Talk about BAD HAIR DAYS!!

Recently, we were blessed with a friend with a different hair conditioner recipe that transformed our hair!  Even after the baking soda shampoo, this conditioner left our hair clean and soft.  (Yes, I use it too!)  Even better, it doesn't contain chemicals that can be absorbed into our bodies and is easy and inexpensive!

Even if you don't have chemical allergies forcing you to make a lifestyle change, removing unnecessary toxins from your life can make a HUGE impact on your health!

Shampoo  

Dissolve 1tbs. baking soda in 1 cup of warm water.

Massage from scalp to ends.  Rinse.    

Conditioner

Mix 1 tbs. organic apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of warm water.

Massage from scalp to ends.  Comb through hair for extra detangling.

Rinse.                                           

(Amounts can be adjusted according to hair type and length.)     
               

• We still use safflower (or olive) oil, but not on our hair.  It works wonders for your skin.  You can add it to your bath water or apply lightly to skin after a bath or shower!

Mineral Makeup for Sensitive Skin

If you have skin sensitivities, finding the right makeup is a challenge.  I have always had sensitive skin, and now, pre-menopause has made it even more so (rosacea).  Its like the dog chasing it's tail.  I put on make-up to cover the redness, then the make-up irritates my skin making it worse!

After hours and hours of research, I found that mineral makeup is the best choice for me!
This is why:

• Most provide SPF protection.
• Some ingredients actually soothe the skin, rather than irritate it.
• It does not clog pores.

Choosing the right mineral make-up was the next challenge.  I love Bare Escentuals, but it can be costly (Amazon has decent prices).  In looking at alternative brands, I found that ingredient lists vary.  Some less expensive alternatives contain ingredients that could cause problems for people with sensitivities.  Dangers of certain ingredients are debateable.  Most are safe because cosmetic-grade ingredients are used.  However, some of these have been known to cause irritation for some people.  I would think it would be better to avoid as many of those as possible.  Check the labels, ladies!!  Less is more!!

What to avoid:

• Talc (cheap filler)
• Titanium Dioxide (cellular oxidative stress)
• Any ingredient that ends in -paraben
• Bismuth Oxychloride (can cause skin irritation)
• Silica
• Barium Sulfide
• Boron Nitride
• Salicylate (plant allergens)
• Artificial Fragrance
• BHT (preservative)
• Nanoparticles (ingredients that are "micronized" or "nano-" or "micronized" may contain nanoparticles)
• Alumina
  
  

What is generally O.K for those of us with sensitivities:

• Serecite Mica (base) (better if not 1st ingredient)
• Rice Powder (filler)
• Zinc Oxide (sunscreen)
• Iron Oxides (color)

Make Your Own!

I even looked into making my own!  If I had more time on my hands, this would be a great way to customize my makeup for my coloring and skin sensitivities!  There are many recipies out there.  Two blog I follow offer some ( http://www.natural-organic-products-and-recipes.com/organicmakeuprecipes.html ), as well as the book, The Green Beauty Guide, by Julie Gabriel.  Just try to avoid ingredients on my "avoid" list and ALWAYS use cosmetic-grade minerals!

Where can I get the ingredients?

http://www.tkbtrading.com  (they even have kits!)
http://www.pvsoap.com/homepage.htm
Local soap shops

Application: For Best Results

  

Use a primer

Use a Kabuki brush to apply foundation

Do not overdo!  (A little goes a long way!)

Swirl, Tap, Buff (in a circular motion)

Repeat, if needed

Finish with a mineral veil (or rice powder)

We welcome any comments and additional tips!

"Living Without" an Amazing Magazine, and So Much More!

Living Without is a wonderful magazine for people with allergies and food sensitivities that provides information in many areas: recipes, health, resources, ect..  I have my magazines as a permanent part of my 'master binder."   I can honestly say, I read/ use something from this publication every day!

I came across this Gem while at the check-out register at my home away from home, Sprouts Farmers Market (Amazon.com has a far better price!).   This is a resources I wish I had from the beginning of my allergy journey with my girls!  I know you will find countless treasures in Every Single Issue!!!  Their website is:  http://www.livingwithout.com/

It is amazing how resources like this not only give you advice, but make you feel less alone and help you cope with the struggles that come up on a daily basis when dealing with severe allergies (especially in your children).

I remember my first official "allergy breakdown" well.  Although my older daughter's health issues began when she was about 4 weeks old, the "road to the allergis"t seemed like a long one.  I will never forget the first day of allergy testing. Our 3rd child, not yet 2 years old,  had her first  panel of "scratch testing" done.  If that is not traumatic enough (for you and the child), they have you come back over the next few days to measure the reaction sites.

By the end of the series of tests and reactions,  my child was swelling before my eyes.  She tested positive for almost everything!   They gave me a list of prescriptions,  a 3-4 page print out of basic info, and the web address to FAAN ( Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network).

My little one was crying and swollen beyond belief.  I somehow managed to not breakdown until she was safely buckled behind me listening to her favorite c.d., heading for home in the family mini-van. My first stop had to be the market to drop off her perscriptions.  Next, I  attempted to find something for her to eat as we'd missed breakfast & lunch stuck at the doctor's office. 

While standing in line, several people lined up behind us. One women behind us was with her friend who was pregnant.  "Woman A" (as I will call her for lack of profanity) saw my daughter, red and swollen (already completly tramatized!) and instantly  proceeded to make the single greatest scene I have ever had directed toward me.

She loudly proclaimed,  "How could you (pointing at me as dramatically as possible) have no regard for others, by bringing an obviously "Infected" and "Contagious" child out in public!  She drug her pregnant friend down the isle opposite us, still yelling at me, at a level that would ensure everyone withing a city block would hear.  As if my baby (and I) had not been through enough that day!!

This was only the first of ignorant comments I have heard from people who don't know my children's medical conditions and the trials and tribulations we go through just to function safely in public.  It is nice to know that there are others out there who face the same struggles and share advice and information to make the road a little easier to travel.

"Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless."
 Mother Theresa

Today's Spotlight on "Country Save Powdered Laundry Deterent"

For people with severe chemical allergies, laundry detergent can seem like one of the easier hurdles with the wide variety of products out there. There are many that claim to be for sensitive skin and still perform on tough laundry stains. We found a few that worked, but  were 2 or3 times more expensive than the typical laundry detergents.  It seemed worth the extra expense for the reduction in harmful chemicals.

One wonderful da,y I came across Country Save Powdered Laundtry Detergent. It's AMAZING on everything (Clothes, Kitchens, Bathrooms, BBQ's, ect.) !!  The price was resonable and when  one box, lasted me almost a month with a family of 6 and one baby in cloth diapers, plus using it for countlessother jobs, I was stunned! By far the best laundry product I have ever tried, leaves NO detergent residue and clothes are soft coming out of the dryer, plus:

• 100% Phosphate-Free
• Completely Biodegradable                                
• Safe for Septic Tanks
• Ideal for Sensitive Skin
• Fragrance & Dye Free
• No Optical Brighteners
• Cruelty-Free
• No Animal Testing
• No Animal By-Products
• Ultra Concentrated Formula
• Highly Economical

Please visit http://countrysave.com/  for a wealth of information.

Their products can be hard to find.  I have located them at some of the Sprouts Farmers Market. It's the Top Selling detergent on Amazon.com

Cloth Diapers - Go Green!

 

We were amazingly blessed with our 4th child about 4 years into our "allergy" journey with our 3rd. With a total life style transformation prompted by our 3rd childs severe allergies, I decided to use cloth diapers and once again had the realization of "Why did I not do this sooner"! Yes, disposable diapers are the way of the world it seems.  The convenience makes it hard to consider anything else.  A little research convinced me that the new wave of cloth diapers were just about as convenient, TONS cheaper, safer, and much more environmentally friendly!

I was IN! I purchased about 20 AIO (all in one) style cloth diapers, 1 full size wonderbag, 1 small size for diaper bag, and toilet sprayer. That's  it! 

My daughter has just turned 2 and they are in great condition. Could have been used for several more years. No diaper rash ever, No harmful chemical plus the amazing feeling of doing my part for the planet! Wish I had done it for all my children.

Check out these facts!!:

• In 1988, over 18 billion diapers were sold and consumed in the United States that year.⁴ 

• Based on our calculations (listed below under "Cost: National Costs"), we estimate that 27.4 billion disposable diapers are consumed every year in the U.S.¹³

• The instructions on a disposable diaper package advice that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding, yet less than one half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into the sewage system.⁴

• Over 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.⁴
• In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.⁴
• No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.⁵
• Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.⁵
• Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.³
• The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.³
• Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.⁶
• In 1991, an attempt towards recycling disposable diapers was made in the city of Seattle, involving 800 families, 30 day care centers, a hospital and a Seattle-based recycler for a period of one year. The conclusion made by Procter & Gamble was that recycling disposable diapers was not an economically feasible task on any scale.¹⁷
  
  
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Allergy-Free Sugar Cookies from a Box!

Product of the Day: ” Cherrybrook Kitchen” Sugar Cookie Mix

Kid Tested & Mother Approved! In dealing with food allergies, we’ve noticed that nearly everything needs to be made from scratch. It is so nice to find a mix that we can actually use! The cookies come out soft and delicious! We just followed the suggested substitutions on the box and did not alter the baking time.

For more fun, try adding “Enjoy Life” chocolate chunks, or the following allergen-free frosting recipe:
1/2 cup “Spectrum” Organic all vegetable shortening
1/4 cup “Wholesome” sweeteners Organic Powdered Sugar (*corn free)
a touch of “Trader Joe’s” Organic Maple Sugar

Cherrybrook Kitchen’s all-natural baking mixes are peanut free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, kosher and vegan. This particular cookie is also gluten free!

They can be ordered at: www.cherrybrookkitchen.com, found at Trader Joes, or (best price) from Amazon!!

or in bulk:

Our Top 10 Allergy Quotes (hard to find!)

Just thought we’d do something different today and give everyone a few well deserved laughs!!

”I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness”.

- James Thurber

“The difference between an itch and an allergy is about one hundred bucks.”

- Anonymous

“Every season can be allergy season, depending on what you’re allergic to.”

-Clara Chung

“A new study found that a mother’s diet affects her baby’s allergies. Which can only mean one thing: My mom ate cats.”

-Jimmy Fallon

“For everyone calling me anorexic: I have a gluten and lactose allergy. It’s not about weight, it’s about health! Gluten is crapppp anyway!”

-Miley Cyrus

“He said ‘I love you.’ I sneezed and said, ‘Sorry, I’m allergic to bullshit.”

- Unknown

“I got rid of my husband. The cat was allergic.”

-Unknown

“That awkward moment when its Peanut Butter Jelly Time, and you’re allergic to peanut butter.”

-Unknown

“There’s a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So, what’s the problem?”

-Phyllis Diller