natural living

DIY Dishwasher Tabs

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Unfortunately, commercial dish detergent is loaded with awful chemicals that coat everything you eat off of. So here is an alternative that you can make right at home and have comfort knowing you aren’t washing your dishes in harmful chemicals!

1 cup baking soda
¼ cup citric acid
1 tbsp On Guard Cleaner Concentrate
5 drops Grapefruit essential oil (or any citrus)

? Directions:

  1. Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix together until the mixture is an even consistency.
  2. Place in silicone molds and let sit for 4 hours.
  3. Remove tabs and store them in an airtight container. Use in place of store-bought tablets!

This is a MAJOR impact DIY and a MAJOR money saver!

Are these types of non-toxic swaps important to you? Would you like to know more about the basic uses of essential oils? Check out this gorgeous ebook!

A Simple Guide to Essential Oils

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I am going to be honest. When I was first using essential oils I was so overwhelmed. I wasn’t sure what did what, if I was going to mess up or if I was going to make a horrible concoction, so I got a great resource book and starting learning. In no time I gained confidence and was able to learn how to use them safely and effectively.

Learning new things is exciting to me and this topic still excites me. When I am helping new people get started I often say, “remember when you had to learn how to cook?? You needed a recipe or cookbook, right?”…..Oils are so similar! We all need the equivalent to the Joy of Cooking when it comes to using essential oils. Here is my fave resource book to learn from.

Grab your resource book and commit to learning 1-2 oils a week! In no time you will be making up remedies, creating fabulous diffuser blends to switch up the mood in your space, tossing together a cool DIY and probably sharing your new knowledge with just about anyone!

If you are not quite sure how to even start using essential oils, check out this gorgeous ebook. It covers the basics and the cool thing is, when you get started I connect you to tons of free education and mentoring in my community and send you an amazing welcome package.

Keep this handy chart because it really can be asa simple as this, too.

Toxin Free Living

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Have you ever thought about all the toxins you come into contact throughout a given day? And I don’t just mean physically. ?

Over the last few years I have learned how to swap out natural things for the common and usually toxin filled things both in my household but also personal care. AND, I have created habits to get rid of emotional toxins, too.

Here is a sampling of what I have done:

?100% cleaning with oils and natural ingredients
?make my own body butter with shea & coconut oil
?a drop of lemon in my water everyday
?probiotics every day
?consume mostly organic foods
?twice yearly cleanse (more to come on that soon)
?wash my produce with lemon EO
?digestive enzymes
?diffusers in almost every room for clean air
?time in nature to re-fuel and connect
?wish angry drivers peace while driving
?limit screen time (what a toxic overload!)
?minimal TV, and never crime or drama
?practice discernment and have boundaries
?only headlines of news to stay informed
?give others the benefit of the doubt
?love as much as I can

Do you have toxins in your life? What can you do to eliminate them?

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Toxins in the Home

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Recent studies point to certain “cleaning” chemicals having a link to asthma and reproductive harm. Children, pregnant women, women trying to get pregnant, and those who already have asthma are especially vulnerable to these chemicals.
Also, certain chemicals may interfere with the development of a child’s neurological, endocrine and immune systems, a pediatric problem that can be detrimental to even their adult lives.
The overuse of disinfectant chemicals in our homes has contributed to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Scientists agree that castille soap and water are effective for most routine cleaning jobs, and research has demonstrated that safer alternatives have disinfectant properties that may be used in place of harsh chemicals.
We know very little about the long-term health impacts of chronic exposure to chemicals in household cleaning products
Ammonia is often included in glass and other hard-surface cleaners and can be irritating to the skin, eyes, throat, and lungs. It can also burn skin, and damage eyes (including blindness) upon contact.
When ammonia enters the body as a result of breathing, swallowing or skin contact, it reacts with water to produce ammonium hydroxide. This chemical is very corrosive and damages cells in the body immediately.
Chlorine bleach is commonly used to treat drinking water, sanitize swimming pools, and to whiten laundry, yet is a known eye, skin, and respiratory irritant.
I clean exclusively with essential oils in my home. I know that I am not just breathing in safe products, but my skin is also not absorbing chemicals.
Be sure to check out some research at www.womensvoices.org.
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Natural laundry

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Did you know that there is no governing agency enforcing transparency when it comes to listing actual ingredients on dryer sheets packaging? Even the harmful chemicals used to create the heavy fragrances don’t need to be listed. I don’t know about you, but this makes me a bit squeamish considering how many harmful chemicals are linked to respiratory issues, cancer, nervous system disorders, and hormone disruptors?
 
I love nice smelling laundry when it comes out the dryer! But I don’t like all the chemicals that are used to make that happen.
 
If you want to reduce your toxic load, do your homework! I encourage you to spend some time researching ewe.org. Of the 45 dryers sheet brand/types listed, 6 had a C rating, 27 had a D rating and 11 had a F rating. For the record, F means highest concern, potentially significant hazards to health or the environment or poor ingredient disclosure.
 
Gross. And yet consumers buy these products every day. There is a much better, and safer way to get soft and amazing smelling clothes and linens!
Get yourself some wool dryer balls and add essential oils! (check out my faves here!) I love lavender with  my sheets, lemon with my towels and something fresh and earthy like mints and cedarwood on my clothes.
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If you are ready, just to learn more about how to use essential oils, check it this free and gorgeous ebook!