Bath & Body
Many herbs are excellent for the skin, hair, eyes and teeth. You can create your own bath and body products with a selection of herbal preparations to enhance and beautify yourself naturally. If you're making a lotion, shampoo or toner using herbs, the easiest method is to buy a pure product that is free of fragrance, color and additives and customize it to your needs. A plain lanolin cream, baby shampoo or witch-hazel toner can be used as a base and you can add fresh herbs, as a decoction, infusion, or as an essential oil.
Bath, Body and Beauty products
• Avoid using antibacterial soaps. Antibacterial agents, while not directly harmful to you, contribute to the growing problem we face when bacteria mutate to strains that are more drug-resistant. Hand washing with any soap is still vital to maintaining good health.
• Purchase a mercury-free fever thermometer. Broken mercury fever thermometers can be a source of toxic mercury levels in your home and discarded products containing mercury contribute to higher levels in the environment. Consult your county house-hold hazardous waste program manager to learn where to take your old thermometer.
• Use eye drops, contact lens solutions, and nasal sprays and drops that are free of Thimerosal or other mercury-containing preservatives.
• Look for unscented versions and natural dyes in bath and body products to avoid potential allergic reactions.
Teeth
Most toothpastes are not fit to be swallowed. Look closely at the packaging and you will see that they tell you to avoid swallowing it. This is especially dangerous for children who can't spit well and like the taste of toothpaste. Most toothpastes contain fluoride, which in large doses can cause serious problems.
Teeth can be cleaned by rubbing the inside of a banana peal, a cut strawberry or sage leaf over them. You can also dip your toothbrush in baking soda and brush.
Chemical Free is Better and Cheaper
You can make your own chemical free bath and body products for a fraction of the price you pay at the store.
There are no legal standards whatsoever for “natural” or “organic” personal care products sold in the United States. This needs to change. Visit the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics at safecosmetics.org to get involved in the effort to give the beauty industry a safety makeover. In the meantime, the best bet is to choose products certified by the USDA National Organic Program, or use the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database at safecosmetics.org and choose products that are not flagged as potentially dangerous.
Personal Care Products
Try these economical, non-toxic recipes for everyday products.
100% Pure Unrefined Organic Raw SHEA BUTTER - (1 Pound) from the nut of the African Ghana Shea Tree