Back in November I made my own toothpaste. I gave five of the six jars away to my friends and family and the general consensus was it sucked (no offense, Marnie!) The ingredients were expensive and hard to find, nobody liked the taste, and the process was a little too labor intensive. Plus the jar I used vs. traditional tubes was no contest. You needed a spoon to scoop the toothpaste out as my aunt pointed out the grossness of dipping your toothpaste in the jar day after day you were probably sure to catch something worse than cavities. It's worth every penny you will spend on the high-dollar natural toothpaste, I promise.
Not one to be easily deterred, I hippied onward. I'd heard about washing your hair with baking soda and vinegar and figured this would be cheap and more easily accomplished. Negative. My hair was dry and crunchy, like hay, and since I need to look very clean for work everyday I couldn't wait for the transition period to pass. I tried it for about two weeks before I gave up for fear of being talked about in the office. It was cheap, yes! It took some planning for mixing the ingredients and then storing them. If I worked at home I'd definitely stick it out and try again. Since then I've decided to do the next best thing- buy quality, natural products like Yes to Carrots shampoo and conditioner . I'm really enjoying this although it is pricey. The Environmental Working Group gives it a 2 which is pretty close to perfect. I buy Yes to Carrots at Target so it is easily accessible for me, plus the bottles are #2 plastic which my nearby recycle bin accepts.
The EWG has become a go-to website for me. I like checking out the ratings on the things I use, but the hunt for safer products in my local stores isn't as much fun yet. Currently, I'm cruising every sunblock aisle in every store I visit in search of Badger sunscreen. No luck yet, but I hear Walgreens carries it.
Next on the list, shortly after the hair fiasco, was when I tried the Oil Cleansing Method. Much like the no-poo, I'd heard a lot about OCM in blog circles on the Internet. I wouldn't call this a complete fail because I liked it. Washing my face with oil did make my skin smooth and soft, but it did nothing to help my blemishes. My aunt and cousin said I was a nut when I told them I cleaned my face with oil. It does sound a little silly, but it makes sense to me. It wasn't too terribly expensive because a little goes a long way or hard to mix up, although your kitchen does get a little greasy in the process. I've got plenty of leftover castor oil if you're in the mood to try it. (That stuff is hard to find!)
One thing I'm pretty sure I'm not going to try is homemade deodorant. I'm just not. I've tried Tom's of Maine, but clearly it's for people who live in Maine! because it does not work in the Sweaty South. I smell like a man! --My uncle to be exact! I may try Arm & Hammer next.
What about you? Do you try weird stuff? Have any favorite natural products?
