3 Ways I’m Detoxing: a Beginner’s Guide

Have you ever felt like you needed a PhD in chemistry just to pronounce half the stuff we are using these days? From our personal care products, like lotions, shampoos, and conditioners, to the cleaners we use in our home, they are full of eight-syllable unknowns and harsh chemicals. Can this stuff really be any good for us?

Probably not.

So I decided to start a detox. I wanted to try to break my family’s dependence on conventional products and move us toward more natural options. But since change is hard, I wanted to start slow and ensure that what I did stuck. Here are the three things I started with:

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1. Homemade Hair Care. I decided to start with me as the guinea pig since it only seemed fair. Plus, if something went terribly wrong, I wouldn’t have to report to work or school with crunchy, weird hair or an out of control acne attack. The perks of stay-at-home-momdom.

 

Shampoo: A simple recipe of 1 Tbsp. baking soda for each 1 cup of water gives you basic shampoo. I used a repurposed travel shampoo bottle since it was the only thing I could find. After wetting my hair, I squirted it on my scalp as needed and rubbed it in. It felt a little strange after decades of using the thicker, lathering stuff sold in the stores, but not bad. I let it sit for a few minutes and then rinsed it out. I have long, fine hair but I only used it on my scalp since it would filter down to the rest.

I was a little nervous about this since I wasn’t sure if it would react with my highlights or turn my hair crunchy or just not clean it at all. But voila! It worked, my hair is fine, and when it dried, it was the same as it always was. Phew!

(Side note: When using this shampoo with hard water, the results were way different. My hair was somehow dry, oily, and crunchy, all at the same time. It was not a good hair day.)

 

Conditioner: For this, you add 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (I used the Bragg’s brand, the raw kind with “the mother” in it since I always have it on hand) to 1 cup of water. I added this to a squirt bottle from an old travel conditioner I had. I squirted it on the ends of my hair after the shampooing. After a minute, I rinsed it out.

There is a light scent of the vinegar when you have it in your hair but once you rinse it out, there is no smell. I was pleasantly surprised when I was all done to find that my hair smelled like, well, nothing. Now I do miss the nice smell of my old shampoo so I’ve been thinking about adding some essential oils to substitute for that. I read that about 40 drops of oils such as lemon, lavender, rosemary, etc. works per one cup of shampoo. I’ll let you know how it goes when I test it out.

 

2. 

   Homemade Skin Care. This one turned out to be remarkably easy. I’ve heard about coconut oil a lot over the years and even briefly used it on my daughter’s skin when she was a baby. Her skin was extremely dry and this helped a lot. But I bought a little 4 ounce jar from Whole Foods with a really nice vanilla scent.. for 16 bucks! It was great and all, but that was a budget buster.

So when I decided to explore using coconut oil in place of my usual lotions, I needed to find a more economical way. Turns out organic coconut oil is not that expensive. I was able to get Nature’s Way Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, 32-ounce jar off Amazon for about the same price. There are tons of other brands and you can get it at most stores, but this is the one I’ve been using.

And a little goes a long way. A few minutes after application, I’m able to get dressed without any oily residue. Some people may add essential oils for scent, but I like it as is. I’ve spent plenty of money on Bath & Body Works lotions that smell like coconut, so why mess with the real thing?

(Another side note: this stuff can be used for practically anything. Making shampoo, cooking, washing your car. Okay, maybe not the last one but lots of other stuff. So having a tub of it in your house is a good investment.)

 

3. Homemade Cleaners. I am a big believer in strong cleaners. If the smell will wither my nose hairs then that’s the stuff that will de-nastify a toilet. But just as bigger isn’t always better, more toxic doesn’t always equal more clean.

I started by creating a basic all-purpose cleaner. Using an old, clean spray bottle, I added 1/2 cup of water to 1/2 cup of distilled white vinegar. I, then, added about 15 drops of lemon essential oils because, for me, lemon fresh is the epitome of “clean smell.” I use this on all our counters, tables, the baby’s highchair, and any non-wood surface.

I haven’t yet been able to break my dependence on Clorox wipes for cleaning bathrooms and the greasy stove top. But I have hopes. One thing at a time.

What I really love about this is that I can let the kids help clean and not have to worry about the noxious fumes. I no longer have to wash my baby’s highchair tray after cleaning it because I worry about the residue left over. And my hands thank me since all the chemicals were really drying out my skin.  This vinegar mixture makes me a lot more confident about what I’m using.

 

I hope that my attempts at detoxing my house inspire you on your own journey. Whether you’re starting out like me or are already well on your way to Super Green Mama status, please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear about your methods, errors, and successes in the comments. I plan to keep exploring and trying new things that will help me and my family live a more natural and healthy lifestyle. I hope you do, too.

 

Need to turn inspiration into action? Ready, Set, Go!

1. Pick an area of your life that you would like to try a more natural approach.

2. Gather the materials you’ll need. Whether it’s a homemade shampoo or freshly ground peanut butter, you’ll need to prep it before using (or eating).

3. Don’t be afraid to explore different ideas that go against the status quo. And don’t be afraid to fail. A week of crunchy hair is worth it if it shows you where you need to tweak your formula.

 

[Disclaimer: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a commission, at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend anything I haven’t used myself and loved.]