Homemade toothpaste

I am still loving my homemade deodorant. The only hitch is that there is a fine line on our thermostat. The coconut oil becomes completely liquid if we change the thermostat by more than a degree. All of the arrowroot powder and cornstarch settles to the bottom and it does not stay in suspension. It definitely does not work as well if you have to try to mix it on the go each time. That is my only complaint. I love that it doesn’t physically block sweat production, which has a natural cleansing effect.




Before I ever switched to making my own deodorant, I had stopped using commercial toothpaste. My husband cringed! I have a history of horrible dental problems, and Lee was worried I’d be in extreme pain without my sensitive toothpaste. I did try Tom’s of Maine sensitive toothpaste. It was ok, but I hated the metal tube (I know, not very eco friendly of me to prefer a plastic tube). I also tried Kiss My Face aloe toothpaste (uck!!!). Since I wasn’t crazy about either I figured I’d try the old and true baking soda trick with a bit of coconut oil.



It is amazing!! I have zero sensitivity and my teeth feel so clean. I ran out at bedtime recently and forgot to make up another batch so I swiped some of my husbands Arm & Hammer “baking soda” toothpaste (I can almost visually see him cringing as I admit this). It tasted awful since I have gone almost 4 months without commercial toothpaste! The aftertaste was horrible and “artificial sweetener” tasting. Now toothpastes taste way too sweet and foamy to me.



I am so glad to be rid of commercial toothpaste. No more fluoride exposure. No more harmful or toxic chemicals in your mouth (that you can’t pronounce). Look at your tube of toothpaste. I bet it has sodium laurel sulfate (SLS—can be cell damaging), sodium laureth sulfate (known irritant), fluoride (may be linked to cancer, some scientists think it can actually be damaging to teeth, banned from water in many European countries), artificial flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives.



Here’s the recipe:

3 TBS baking soda

2 TBS coconut oil

15-20 drops of essential oil

(My favorite combo so far is 15 drops wintergreen, 5 drops peppermint)

Detergent update

I am slightly disappointed to say that I have switched back to Tide for washing cloth diapers. Rockin Green worked GREAT!!! for a few months. Then we started having ammonia issues, and the diapers have always had residual stains. At first I was obsessed with getting the stains out, which really wasn’t too hard. The sun has amazing cleaning powers. Just a couple of hours drying in the sun and stains are gone! However, the ammonia was started to become a problem. Sometimes Caitlin would get a rash from it. Those pictures of Tide and Rockin Green dissolved in water kept sticking in my head. The main reason Tide shouldn’t be used on cloth diapers is that it’s not a very clean rinsing detergent. It also has enzymes, whiteners, and optical brightners that can be irritating and can also cause buildup on the diapers. Once there is buildup, the diapers have to be stripped (thoroughly cleaned in hot water or dawn). Buildup causes repelling (not absorbing), stink issues, and can be irritating.




Needless to say, I knew we needed to change detergents. Supposedly that is not uncommon to have to switch things up for a lot of detergents. I started seeing more and more cloth diaper fanatics raving about Tide. I read stories of people who had used Tide from the get go and never had any problems. I don’t remember reading anything at all about it causing irritation; only one or two stories of people that had a little buildup over time. Well, I took the plunge and sheepishly admitted to Lee that I was going to try Tide on the cloth diapers. I have still smelled ammonia coming from a few diapers but not EVERY diaper. The most amazing thing is that stains were GONE!! I washed 6 stained diapers, and only 1 had to be line dried. Previously I would have had to line dry at least 4 of the 6.

Ironically, I’ve been using up the Rockin Green on our regular laundry. I still love that it is a clean rinsing detergent. I have read some amazing stories of it getting sweat stains and grease stains out. I have seen pictures of people soaking laundry in it and it pulling all sorts of gunk out. I just don’t think it got the diapers totally clean. It was very effective at first but somewhere it just fizzled. I don’t know if I’ll keep using Tide or try to find a more natural detergent. So far no rashes, no stains, very little ammonia. I am not sure if this is two steps forward, one babystep back, but as long as Caitlin has clean diapers and a soft bottom I am happy

Homemade butter

Do you know how good butter is for you?? It is sooooo much better for you than the low-fat, hydrolyzed, “smart” margarine versions out there. It is a “good fat” NOT a bad fat. It is fats, vitamins, and minerals. Butter is necessary for adrenal and thyroid health. It is beneficial for fungal infections, especially candidiasis. It is also said to possess anti tumor and anti cancer properties. It is beneficial for fighting tooth decay and to promote muscle growth. Butter contains less amounts of lactose so if you are lactose intolerant you may be able to easily consume it. It is proposed that the lecithin in butter is essential for cholesterol metabolism. It contains conjugated linoleic acid, which promotes immunity. It can prevent calcification of the joints and also help the body in absorption of minerals.




Butter contains arachinoic acid, vital for the brain and cell function. It could possibly even be beneficial in preventing GI infections in children. It is rich in vitamin A and D, essential for calcium absorption. Butter contains lots of antioxidants and lecithin, which aids in cholesterol metabolism. The surge of heart disease in the second half of the twentieth century affected butter consumption. A huge increase in the consumption of refined sugar and starch also occurred around the same time as increased incidence of heart disease.

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Making your own butter isn’t necessarily a huge cost savings, but the best part is that you know exactly what goes into it. It takes 1-2 ingredients. That’s it! The only thing you need is heavy (organic) cream…real cream. Not half/half or highly pasteurized whipping cream. The kind I use is 40% heavy cream from a local dairy. The only other ingredient is optional…a nice pinch of salt (sea salt…not refined, iodinated). Some people use a mixer but make sure you have a cover or at least saran wrap over the bowl. I use a quart sized mason jar and pour slightly less than a pint of cream in. You can use a pint but the more room you leave the quicker it goes to butter. If I use the whole pint I have to beg Lee to help. It’s best to use it at room temperature. All you do is shake, and shake, and shake some more. It has taken me anywhere from 5 minutes to what seemed like 20 minutes. Sometimes I’ll shake it for a few minutes, check my email, shake some more. Once it turns to whip cream, I usually ask Lee to shake it for a minute or two. The hardest part is getting the “butter milk” to come out. Once you do it you’ll understand exactly what I mean. It usually feels like you can’t even get the cream to move, and then all of a sudden, the butter and milk separate. Then you’ll start to hear the butter clinking around. At that point I pour the contents into a metal or glass bowl (wait until you have a nice, glob of butter formed). I take a wooden spatula and squish/press the butter to get the rest of the liquid out. Pour all of the liquid off. Keep pressing the butter, then run a little bit of cold water over it to rinse the butter. If you skip this step the remaining milk will cause the butter to go rancid in a few days. Once you’ve rinsed it several times and pressed all of the liquid out, pat it with a towel, and put it in a container. I’ve used glass, plastic, and wax paper. Then make some toast!!

Natural cleaning recipes

What do baking soda, lemon, and vinegar have in common? They are all effective, natural, $cheap$ cleaning ingredients. These common household items work just as well as most of the expensive, noxious cleaning agents on the market…without the health risk and hazard of unnecessary and harmful chemicals.




Baking soda is a non-abrasive cleaner that can be used as a deodorizer, softener, scouring agent, laundry additive. Lemon juice neutralizes hard water deposits, dissolves buildup, and removes tarnish. Vinegar cuts grease, removes mildew, odors, and stains.



All Purpose Surface Cleaner: Mix equal parts white vinegar and salt. Scrub surfaces with a natural cleaning cloth.

All-Purpose Cleaner #2: 2 TBS borax, ¼ cup lemon juice, and 2 cups hot water.



Furniture Polish: Mix 1 cup lemon juice with 1 TBS olive oil and 1 TBS water; lightly apply to furniture using a soft cloth. Let sit for a couple of minutes, then buff.



Glass Cleaner: Combine ¼ cup white vinegar, 1 TBS cornstarch, and 1 qt warm water. Wipe dry with a sheet of crumpled newspaper or a coffee filter.



Tile and Grout Paste: 1 cup water and 3 cups baking soda mixed into a paste. Use a toothbrush to scrub the paste into the grout.



Mold and mildew: 2 tsp tea tree oil and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle.

Mold #2: Mix one part 3% hydrogen peroxide and two parts water in a spray bottle.



Chopping block cleaner: Rub a slice of lemon across to disinfect the surface.



Drain Cleaner: Pour ½ cup baking soda down drain, then ½ cup vinegar. After 15 minutes, pour boiling water to clear the residue. Do not use boiling water with plastic pipes. Do not use after trying a commercial drain opener.



Dishwasher Soap: Mix equal parts of borax and washing soda.



Laundry Detergent: Mix 1 cup Ivory soap (or Fels Naptha soap), ½ cup washing soda, and ½ cup borax. Use 1-2 TBS.



Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Mix ¼ cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour into basin and let it set for a few minutes. Scrub with brush and rinse.

I could take 5 pages to list all of the possible natural cleaning recipes. If these don’t work for you or if you want more just Google natural cleaning recipes. I found 2 pages of just recipes for vinegar alone. I have found that vinegar and baking soda are really all that I need. I still use a commercial natural dish soap, dish detergent, and laundry detergent. There are so many options available to get rid of all of your commercial products, though. Forget worrying about harmful cleaners. These really do work!

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Our cloth diaper picks

, CottI had every intention of being a much better blogger!  I really am going to get back in the swing of things!!  I've even thought about taking a day off work to go sit at Starbucks and just recipe plan and blog.  Funny, Lee isn't going for it!

I had a friend ask about cloth diapers and that was really all the inspiration I needed to get back on my bandwagon (soapbox).  Cloth diapers have become extremely confusing.  Gerber is now the lowest of the lowest and people pay upwards of $30 for a boutique diaper.  It can actually be quite addicting.  Now spraying diapers still isn't my favorite thing, but I will take them over disposable diapers any day (NEVER thought I'd say that).

What I thought I would do is write a little bit about what we decided to use and how we do things.  My favorite hands down is Bum Genius all in ones.  It basically looks just like a disposable and takes the same amount of time or less to use.  The absorbant soaker is sewn into the waterproof layer.  It has velcro tabs which make it a cinch to use.  It is the diaper I usually grab first for overnight.  The only dowside is they really need to be turned inside out before putting them in the dryer so that they dry in a reasonable amount of time.  They are considered one of the most daddy-friendly and easiest to use.  They're pretty thin, too.

My second favorite (and I think Lee's favorite) is the Bum Genius Flip system.  It's either called a hybrid (because it has a disposable insert option) or and all in two (because there are two parts).  It is basically a cover with a glorified insert.  The best part is that it is super thin and you can reuse the cover over and over (until it gets pooped on).  It also has snaps which are much more durable in the long run.  You only need a few covers and a few more inserts.  It is one of the best options that I've found.

Some of the others that I have tried are Ella Bella Bum (pockets, very trim, much lower rise for less bulk), Dypes by Dixon (pocket, MINKY, minky, minky, so soft, fairly trim but bulkier than some of my others), Doodle Dypes (all in 2 but not resusable insert, the insert lays in the diaper but the water proof layer is hidden so can't be reused as a cover, CUTE, cute, cute, but the soaker/insert has to be folded under which just always folded awkward and made it bulkier in the diaper area), BeBe Britches (very similar to Doodle Dypes, super cute, but the soaker was just too big to be folded under).

Some of the favorites that I have read or heard about from others: Fishnoodles, Bottom Bumpers, Rumparooz, Bum Genius 4.0 pockets.

As always, please leave a comment if interested or if you have questions.  I love to talk about cloth diapers and don't always get a chance in "real life."  Most people think I'm crazy (for good reason!).  Off to put some diapers in the dryer...

Organic websites

This is for my dear friend Cheri, who is pregnant with her first baby and asked about organic co-ops.  I came across a few very helpful resources for finding organic and local produce.

Raw milk is illegal in Georgia for human consumption, but here is an excellent website for finding providers:
http://www.realmilk.com/

Another very useful site is:
http://www.localharvest.com/

Ultimately the site I use the most in my area is :

locallygrown.net.

It is the it where I found my local growers group.  Ninety percent of the growers use no chemicals and the weekly pickup is 10-15 minutes from my house.  I even found a group that sells slow-pasteruized, non-homogenzied, organic milk, honey, lots of produce, and grass fed beef.

Lee doesn't even complain anymore when I go to local growers or Eartfare (well, as long as it's not $$$)!!!

Oh, I amost forgot, one of my favoite sites is orangicdeals.blogspot.com.  She has a lot of organic coupons and deals.

Upcoming topics...

One day I'll have posts ready to be posted in advanced!!!  I think I might just take a day off and go up to Starbucks (for that oh so "organic" latte...don't worry, Lee, they're free).

I have so many ideas and think of this blog daily.  Here are some of the things I hope to start working on for you...

"Death by Rubber Duck" book review

Shampoo vs. "No 'Poo"
Cloth diaper ammonia troubles
Homemade natural cleaning recipes

Homemade healthy and beauty recipes (toothpaste is next!)

Food Recipes
Know Your Ingredients quizzes

Organic/Green product reviews (dish soap is next)