Modern Wife

Category: Body

  • Vitamin C Spray for Sun Protection

    Vitamin C Spray for Sun Protection

    Even before the CDC released results of a study linking sunscreen ingredients to hormone disruption and cell damage, Hulda Clark tested and found sunscreen and many other commercial body products to be polluted with toxic chemicals. Not only is sunscreen bad for people, it is also bad for marine life, creating sex change in fish.

    When worn while swimming in a chlorinated pool, sunscreen can cause cytotoxicity (cell death) and a loss of UV protection. Here are the studies that show what happens when sunscreen is exposed to chlorine.

    Believe it or not, the best option for sun protection is as simple as Vitamin C and water.

    Studies show that applying Vitamin C on the skin is effective against photoaging and reversing past sun damage to the skin. Use Vitamin C to protect your skin before sun exposure and as skin care treatment after sun exposure.

    Here is the 2-ingredient recipe:

    Vitamin C Spray

    Ingredients:
    8 oz distilled water
    2 teaspoons Vitamin C Powder
    8 oz HDPE Spray Bottle

    I make a small batch for my family every year. The kids like spraying it in their mouths because of its tangy Vitamin C taste. (It’s food-grade!) This year I thought I’d make it available for anyone who would like one as well. Order Vitamin C Spray at NaturalHealthSupply.com.

    Vitamin C Spray for sun protection at the beach

    Shake and spray on skin as often as you need. Vitamin C in water may turn a dark yellow in time, but it is still as potent as the day it was made.

    It’s not sticky. Skin absorbs it easily. You don’t have to wait until before going outdoors to spray it. Use it everyday to reverse past sun damage, and keep the skin healthy and protected for future sunning.

    More info at:
    How is your Sunscreen like Asbestos?
    The Safe and Skin-Nourishing Sunscreen Alternative

    Enjoy the outdoors this summer!

  • Coconut Oil Toothpaste

    Coconut Oil Toothpaste

    Hulda Clark tested commercially available brands of toothpaste and found every single one of them tainted with toxic chemicals.

    For instance, Colgate’s list of ingredients begins with fluoride, a much-debated chemical added to most water systems in the United States. What’s crazy about this debate is that it’s really like comparing apples to oranges. Let me explain. All published research regarding the benefits of fluoride used naturally occurring calcium fluoride in their studies. What is actually used in water treatment and toothpaste manufacture is hydrofluorosilicic acid, a waste product of the phosphate-fertilizer industry, and known to contain carcinogenic chemicals such as arsenic, beryllium, lead, cadmium, mercury, silicon, and radioactive polonium. You like that glowing smile? It’s radioactive! (Source)

    Next on the list are abrasives: calcium carbonate occurs naturally in aragonite and calcite. Silica gel is a form of silicon dioxide made synthetically from sodium silicate. You’ve seen an iteration of this in little white packets marked “desiccant” and “do not eat.” Aluminum oxide has been found to kill blood vessel cells in the human brain. (Source)

    Sweeteners: Saccharin was found to cause bladder cancer in rats. Sorbitol has a laxative effect in large quantities.

    Sodium lauryl sulfate is added for foaming effect but has been found to cause skin irritation and cell toxicity. (Source)

    Colgate Total and Crest also contains triclosan, an antibacterial agent that has been implicated in the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, hormone disruption, and cancer. (Source)

    Hulda Clark published simple recipes for tooth care in her books. She recommended food-grade hydrogen peroxide as an effective antibacterial that also whitens teeth, but should only be used if you have no metal dentistry. I have no problems there, but my daughter is currently wearing braces.

    I did a lot of research online for homemade toothpaste recipes, and found that they mostly had extra virgin organic coconut oil and baking soda in common. Those two ingredients alone is your basic toothpaste. Coconut oil has excellent antibacterial and tooth whitening properties, while baking soda acts as an abrasive.

    Oregano oil is a powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal, making it effective against periodontal disease. Peppermint oil is effective against bacteria that can cause gum disease.

    Do those ingredients look good to you? All the benefits of toothpaste without the side-effects. Here’s my recipe.

    Coconut Oil Toothpaste

    Ingredients:
    5 teaspoons extra virgin organic coconut oil
    2 teaspoons baking soda
    5 drops peppermint oil
    5 drops oregano oil

    Mix all the ingredients together until well incorporated. You only need a pea-size glob to brush your teeth with.

    Happy brushing!

  • Zinc Oxide for Insect Bites and Skin Blemishes

    Zinc Oxide for Insect Bites and Skin Blemishes

    Zinc Oxide is derived from the rare mineral zincite. It was mentioned as a skin treatment as far back as 500 BC in Ayurvedic texts, and in ancient Greek medical texts in the first century. It can be found as the active ingredient in skin products such as calamine lotion, diaper rash cream, anti-dandruff shampoos and antiseptic ointments.

    Zinc oxide is approved by the FDA for use as a food additive. It has been listed as an ingredient in breakfast cereals as a source for zinc.

    Hulda Clark mentioned using pure Zinc Oxide in her books as a food-grade replacement for commercial deodorant. She pioneered the concept that we should only use skin products that are safe enough to eat. After all, our skin absorbs whatever we apply on it through billions of pores all over our body. Toxic chemicals in body products find their way into the liver and other vital organs, wreaking havoc on our health.

    When I was a new mom looking for a solution to diaper rash, I found that nearly all diaper rash creams list Zinc Oxide as its active ingredient, but the petroleum base it was in made me put that cream back on the shelf.

    It seems counteractive to have a known allergen and skin irritant as the base of an ointment that’s supposed to treat a diaper rash.

    – Zinc Oxide for Diaper Rash:

    So I went back to Hulda Clark‘s recommendation and used pure Zinc Oxide to treat my baby’s diaper rash. It worked overnight! It made me feel at ease knowing I was not exposing my developing child’s immune system to a cocktail of harsh chemicals, whose sole purpose seems to be to prolong shelf life.

    Now that my daughter is grown, we still use Zinc Oxide to treat skin problems such as insect bites, pimples and all kinds of blemishes. When she caught chicken pox, Zinc Oxide kept her itch-free and under control.

    Zinc Oxide, labeled as Deodorant Zinc Oxide at NaturalHealthSupply.com, comes as a pure white powder in a plastic cup. Just add water and shake to make a cream. It’s inexpensive and lasts a long time. The cream dries up after a while, but add a little bit of water, shake and it comes back to being a usable cream.

    Try it and see what pure food-grade Zinc Oxide can do for your skin.

  • Kick the Tick

    Kick the Tick

    Just in time for summer, I found a recipe for repelling ticks and fleas for pets and people.

    Here in Maine, ticks are a big deal. Every year people get lyme disease from catching ticks while spending time in the great outdoors.

    Thanks to my friend, Darcy, for putting a spray bottle of this recipe together for us. Here it is:

    Kick The Tick Spray

    You need:
    1 part water
    2 parts distilled white vinegar
    an HDPE spray bottle

    Ticks hate the smell and taste of vinegar. The basic recipe above is enough to repel ticks from pets and people, but you can add more optional ingredients as I will show you below:

    For pets, you can add almond oil, which contains sulfur, a tick repellent.

    For both pets and people, lemon juice, citrus oil, eucalyptus or peppermint oil also repels fleas while making the spray smell fresher.

    Spray on shoes, clothes, skin and hair before going outdoors. It should be good for four hours. Spray again if spending more time outdoors.

    Spray all over dry pet fur before going outdoors. Take care not to spray eyes, nose, mouth and genitals.

    Enjoy the warm weather, but check for ticks as soon as you get back indoors. Keep a tick removal tool in the first aid kit just in case.

    Have a fantastic weekend!

  • My Daughter’s Homemade Lipbalm

    My Daughter’s Homemade Lipbalm

    I tend to skip the lipbalm. Instead of putting on lipbalm when my lips are dry I just drink more water and eat more hydrating fruits. Most lipbalm is made of petroleum, which is a burden on the immune system and obviously wouldn’t be helping me in the long run.

    Until I tried my daughter’s super awesome lipbalm.

    My daughter made this fantastic lipbalm out of healthy kitchen ingredients:

    2 teaspoons organic virgin coconut oil
    1 teaspoon raw honey
    a few drops vanilla or peppermint extract (optional)

    Ingredients for homemade lipbalm - coconut oil, raw honey and peppermint extract

    Mix them all up and store in a little plastic container. She made one by recycling a used HDPE juice bottle. Another time she upcycled plastic Easter eggs. My kid is amazing!

    If the weather is warm, keep your lipbalm refrigerated when you’re not using it to prevent the coconut oil from liquifying.

    I love my daughter’s lipbalm. I use it all the time. My lips stay soft and moist from the healing powers of coconut oil and raw honey.

  • Wash Your Hands

    It’s only about 3 more months before my husband turns 50 in May. Just late last summer we started a video series called Countdown to 50, in which Jay shares lifestyle tips on good health and longevity. This past month we made a video about a couple of the most overlooked habits that make such a big difference in one’s health. Have a look!

    See also Vodka Sanitizer and 5 Ways to Fight Off Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria.

  • Yogurt Face Mask

    Yogurt Face Mask

    The most fabulous beauty products can be found in our very own kitchen pantries. Michelle Pino, Spa Manager at Skana, a luxury spa in Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, upstate New York, sent me a few recipes for DIY body products we can whip up easily at home. I tried one of them today.

    Moisturizing Yogurt Face Mask

    DIY Moisturizing Face Mask made from yogurt, raw honey and extra virgin olive oil

    Ingredients:
    2 tablespoons organic plain yogurt
    1 tablespoon raw honey
    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

    DIY Moisturizing Face Mask made from yogurt, raw honey and extra virgin olive oil

    Doesn’t it look so pretty in the bowl? After measuring out the ingredients I couldn’t help but stick the spoon into my mouth. Raw honey from a local beehive helps us develop immunity from local allergens. Yum!

    DIY Moisturizing Face Mask made from yogurt, raw honey and extra virgin olive oil

    Whisk the ingredients together.

    Apply the yummy moisturizing face mask all over clean face and neck. Leave the mask on for 10 to 15 minutes. Resist the urge to lick it off your face. Don’t be like me.

    Then rinse. It was still pretty sticky while I was rinsing with water. I had good results with gently dabbing a paper towel on my face to help get rid of the sticky mask. I was fine with leaving a little bit of residue on my face, as long as it wasn’t totally embarrassing to go out in public, or getting it all over pillows and stuff.

    My skin feels fabulous! Thanks, Michelle. Michelle enjoys DIY projects, healthy recipes, exercise, and all things related to skin care. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to contact Michelle via email at michellepino@turningstone.com – tell her you learned about her from Modern Wife.

  • Carrots for Red Highlights in Hair

    Carrots for Red Highlights in Hair

    My husband’s grandmother was an Irish redhead. My husband’s mother had auburn hair. Our daughter’s hair bleached blond under the sun, and darkened as she grew older. She has natural copper  highlights in her hair when the sun hits it. She wanted more of that red to come out. Tonight she showed me a YouTube video of how to use ingredients from our kitchen pantry to enhance the red highlights in her hair. Here’s the video:

    We didn’t have cranberries but we had everything else. So here’s what we whipped up:

    Ingredients:
    3 medium organic carrots, grated
    3 tablespoons organic plain yogurt
    2 tablespoons raw honey

    Other things needed:
    plastic shower cap
    plastic bag to wear over clothing
    paper bag or old newspapers to stand on and catch drippings

    Carrot, Yogurt and Honey brings out red highlights in hair

    Get ready by pulling a plastic bag over clothing and spread paper bag or old newspapers on the floor to catch the drippings. Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Spread all over hair until it is all soaked and caked.

    Carrot, Yogurt and Honey brings out red highlights in hair

    Put a plastic shower cap over head. Let it sit for at least half an hour. Rinse it out in the kitchen sink so the carrot shavings don’t clog your bathroom drain. Jump in the shower and wash/shampoo hair as usual.

    It really works! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Carrots do stain. I’m wondering now if it would be just as effective to juice the carrots and use that instead of grated carrots. It would save us the trouble of picking out little carrot shavings out of hair, which we had to do a lot!

    We’ll try cranberries when they become available in the fall. I bet beets would do the job too.

  • Orange Vinegar Cleaner

    Orange Vinegar Cleaner

    Vinegar is an amazing all-purpose cleaner. It is non-toxic and food-grade, safe for the environment and for the family, even those who have asthma. It’s inexpensive, gentle on hands, and deodorizing. It removes fabric stains, soap scum and mineral buildup. I’ve used it to clean ceramic tile, linoleum, enamel, wood, glass, stainless steel and chrome. The only surface vinegar isn’t recommended for is granite or marble.

    Although the vinegar smell dissipates in minutes, it is really strong while it’s being used. I found many recipes online for making scented vinegar cleaners so I decided to give it a try. It’s really easy!

    Fill a quart-size glass jar with orange peel. Make sure the peels are clean. No need to scrub them or anything; just make sure there are no orange sacs, membranes or seeds getting lost in there. If you don’t have enough to fill a jar yet, freeze it and keep adding to it until it’s packed tight.

    orange peel soaked in vinegar

    When you have enough orange peels to fill the glass jar, pour white distilled vinegar into the jar until it covers the orange peels, not quite to the rim but pretty close. Screw the lid on and store in a cool dark place. I hid mine under the sink. Mark your calendar two weeks from the day the jar was filled.

    After two weeks of soaking orange peel in vinegar, it’s time to get it out. Prepare 3 HDPE 8-oz spray bottles for each quart of vinegar soak you have. Set up a funnel into the first of the spray bottles. Pour the orange vinegar in equal parts into the three spray bottles. Top off with water.

    How to make DIY Orange Vinegar Cleaner

    I added a tiny drop of Orange Extract into each spray bottle to really make the orange scent pop. And voila!

    I made so many of these Orange Vinegar Cleaners that I’m giving away 3 bottles of it to 3 lucky commenters. Just leave a comment below before midnight April 7 to qualify. Good luck!

    More information on Vinegar:
    Vinegar Works Wonders
    1001 Uses for White Distilled Vinegar
    Distilled White Vinegar: A Non-Toxic Cleaner

  • Vodka Sanitizer

    Vodka Sanitizer

    I don’t like hand sanitizer. I see them everywhere. I see them at grocery stores. I see moms whipping them out of their handbags and rubbing their babies’ hands with them. Teachers hand them out to kids in the classroom. I hate it.

    It’s one of those things no one ever needed until just recently. The human race has evolved for centuries, and all of a sudden we’re afraid of a little bacteria. Well, I’m not afraid of a little bacteria. Exposure to a little bit of bacteria here and there helps the immune system develop. I’m a lot more afraid of the chemicals in those hand sanitizers.

    Have you seen the list of ingredients? Isopropanol, propylene glycol, and other variations of these petrochemical solvents. The root prop in the chemical name is a telltale sign that it’s derived from petroleum, carcinogenic and causes a whole slew of diseases. Terrifying. You wouldn’t wash your hands in gasoline, much less wash your baby’s hands with it, would you?

    Triclosan, another one of those horrifying ingredients in hand sanitizers, even creates mutant germs that are resistant to hand sanitizers. Phthalates attacks male fertility and the immune system. Mutant germs, infertility and cancer, anyone?

    An old-fashioned handwash with old-fashioned water is still the best way to keep hands clean. In cases when I’m out and about, and water is far away, I carry an HDPE Spray Bottle of Vodka Sanitizer.

    I buy the biggest cheapest vodka I can find in the grocery store. If the cashier gives you a dirty look, just say you’re throwing a big party then invite her over. Fill an HDPE Spray Bottle with vodka and it’s ready to go with you in your handbag, or under the sink in the kitchen or bathroom.

    High Density Polyethylene HDPEHigh Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is the densest and most stable of all plastic materials. It will keep its chemical composition without reacting to its contents. That’s why milk jugs are made from this translucent milky plastic. The best water containers are made from HDPE.

    I use Vodka Sanitizer to disinfect toilet seats, surfaces and hands. It is food grade alcohol, made from grain, so the human liver can process it better than a synthesized petrochemical.

    I would still use it sparingly on hands, only when absolutely necessary. Keep it away from little children and alcoholic friends. Promise yourself to never ever use commercial hand sanitizers again.

    References:
    Hulda Clark
    What Dangerous Ingredients Are There in Hand Sanitizer? Should I Just Wash My Hands?