Covenant Natural Health Care

DIY lemon & rosemary bath salt

I found out, a couple of weeks ago, that I am sensitive to essential oils. Really? How could this be? They are natural, yes, but apparently some people, like me, just don't react well to essential oils. Needless to say, I was bummed. Quite a few of my favorite beauty products contain them. So, here I am, learning how to make more beauty products at home from whole ingredients and without essential oils.

Even if you aren't sensitive to essential oils, I think your skin and senses will love this combination of ingredients—most of which you probably have in your kitchen or bathroom cabinets. 

Shopping list:
• 2 Cups epsom salt
• 1 Cup course sea salt
• 1/2 Cup baking soda (aluminum free, if possible)
• 1 Fresh rosemary sprig, the leaves picked off and chopped into small pieces
• The rind of one lemon, grated

Directions: Combine the epsom salt, sea salt, and baking soda in a glass bowl. Mix well. Add in the chopped rosemary and grated lemon rind. Mix well. Store in glass jars until ready to use.

• Double or triple the batch, store in recycled, pretty glass jars and embellish with a pretty ribbon for a delightful Christmas gift (or other special occasion).

• Looking for other gift ideas? How about giving a bottle of homemade vanilla extract?

Benefits of Peppermint

 

Health Benefits:
• Soothes the digestive tract
• Good source of calcium, dietary fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B2, A and C
• The smell of peppermint may invigorate the senses
• Can help relieve respiratory conditions

Use for:
• Food—Add fresh peppermint leaves to a salad
• Tea—Steep leaves in hot water after a meal to help aid digestion
• Bath—Add peppermint oil to a warm bath for a calming soak
• Headache/Migraine Reliever—Put a drop or two of peppermint oil on your finger and rub across your forehead for headache or migraine relief

Recipes:
• Make Your Own Safe, Natural and Healthy Toothpastes and Cleansers
• Peppermint foot scrub
• Iced peppermint tea
• Make your own natural air freshners with essential oils

Peppermint/mint is easy to grow at home. You can buy an organic plant from a local nursery that carries herbs or you can start a plant from seeds. If you're interested in growing your own, you can get more information by clicking here.

Safe alternatives to toxic fragrances in your home

It wasn't long ago that I would constantly keep a candle lit in the house, spray a little air freshner throughout the house, or keep a little fragrance plugin plugged into an outlet. When my husband started the natural, alternative treatment, Nutrition Response Testing, fragrances and a few other chemicals were showing up in his testing as being toxic to his body. When I got tested I found out that I was chemical sensitive too, which explained the recurring headaches and sinus drainage while in places that were heavily scented.

So we stopped burning candles, using perfumes and colognes, and using air freshners with chemicals and synthetic fragrances. We found alternative and natural ways to add fragrance to our home, started using natural laundry detergent, and beauty products without chemicals. I didn't really understand why all this could potentially be harmful to our health until I started to do some research. I gathered some articles that may be helpful to you in deciding the saftey of these products in your home:

• Consumer alert: Popular air fresheners found to contain toxic chemical

• One Out of Five Cosmetics May be Contaminated With Cancer-Causing Impurity

• Women Warned to Avoid Using Perfumes or Fragrance Products During Pregnancy

• Warning: many dryer sheets contain cancer causing chemicals

• Aromatherapy Candles Can Be Dangerous to Your Health

For those of you, like me, who enjoy burning candles, scented laundry and home, here are some safe and natural alternatives:

• Women's Natural Scent More Seductive Than Perfume

• Tips for choosing the right, non-toxic candle for your home

• Homemade Essential Oil and Aromatherapy Fragrances Make Great Gifts

• Making your own household cleaners is simple and easy on the budget

• Skip the dryer sheets and make your own

You can very easily make your home smell like you've been baking all day. Buy some cinnamon sticks and add 1 or 2 to boiling water, turn down the heat to a low heat and let simmer for as long as you desire. Keep an eye on the water level so that it doesn't run dry. I get compliments on how good my house smells every time. It's perfect for a low-cost solution!

natural beauty: part 2

It's hard to believe that beautiful skin can be achieved without the use of expensive beauty products when we are surrounded by a plethora of magazine and TV ads promoting beauty products with flawless, photoshoped skin.

Our skin, I believe, is a reflection of what is going on inside our body. When I went to South Africa in the summer or 2007 for a missions trip, I came back home and started to develop bumps on my skin. I went to several dermatologists and they put me on several prescriptions, including Prednisone. They all got rid of the bumps on my skin ... for a couple weeks, then they returned. I got so fed up with the dermatologists and gave up. When Luke started seeing a naturopath, I decided to as well. Come to find out, I was full of bacteria, which isn't surprising that I picked it up in a poor country. I treated the bacteria with a fish oil supplement and it was gone. For good. But, I never had near-perfect skin. It wasn't until after several months of detoxing and changing to a whole-foods diet and no sugar that I got glowing, soft, near-breakout-free skin.

So it's probably no surprise to you that my number 1 tip to achieve healthy, beautiful skin is a diet rich in hormone/antibiotic free protein, organic vegetables and fruit, no processed foods and no processed sugar. It is not far-fetched to say that we are what we eat.

Tip number 2 is sweat it out! Exercise helps eliminate toxins.

Whatever you do, do not use products with chemicals on your skin, that is tip number 3. Even though labels claim that the product is for sensitive skin, the chemicals will dry out your skin, irritate it further, and potentially cause other health problems when the chemicals get into the bloodstream.

Sleep is tip number 4. Everyone should get an adequate amount of beauty sleep every night. Droopy eyes and dark circles can most-likely be  prevented naturally by getting enough sleep.

Don't stress (says the girl that stresses out easily) is tip number 5! My skin reflects the state of my emotional health. While this may not be true for everyone, stress can cause breakouts and other skin irritations.

These 5 tips I just shared are free and natural. You don't have to buy an expensive cover-up cream/makeup or acne-fighting gel. Our skin may need some support, though, which can be found in natural beauty products. Here's the thing—you have to read every label carefully! When I started to buy natural products, it wasn't until several months later that I really learned that natural doesn't always mean safe. The natural products I was buying still contained harsh chemicals and irritated my skin. It wasn't until Luke and I started seeing Dr. Blanchard that we realized we had petro-chemicals in our body. I was in denial—I bought all-natural products. Sure enough I went home, read the labels carefully and found that I was not as knowledgeable as I thought I was.

Needless to say, I've tried a ton of natural beauty products and am happy to say that I finally found safe, great products for my family. I gladly share them with you ..

Deodorant: Aubrey Organics High E Plus C. This is THE only deodorant that works for Luke and I (we've tried everything under the sun). Side note: If your sweat is leaving stains on your clothes, it is probably from the toxins in your body and the aluminum in your deodorant.

Toner: Thayers Alcohol free rose petal witch hazel toner. Many simple ingredient toners can be made at home, like this apple cider toner.

Moisturizer: Jason's Vitamin E Pure Beauty Oil. You might think this would make skin super oily, but my skin loves it!

Shampoo and Conditioner: Burts Bees Products. While not 100% natural, they are at between 92 and 99 percent natural. This is something my skin and budget can live with.

Chapstick: Burts Bees and Good Fortune

Hand sanitizer: Burts Bees 100% natural

Soap: Good Fortune. Safe and wonderful and supports a good cause.

Body Wash: Dr. Bronners

Body Lotion: Burts Bees

Shave cream: Aubrey Organics Creme de la shave. Luke uses this and likes it.

Aftershave: Burts Bees

There you have it— my top picks for natural beauty. Instead of starting from the outside to cure skin woes, start from the inside with a wholesome diet and detox and work your way out. It is possible to love the skin your in—naturally.

Want to know my secret weapon when it comes to buying safe beauty products and making simple, homemade products? The Green Beauty Guide. I tuck it in my purse and take it with me when I go shopping so that I can read labels and know what the ingredients are. I've also made several of the homemade recipes that are in the book and they are wonderful—good and safe enough to eat, which is exactly the kind of products we should be putting on our skin. The book also recommends safe products for all types of beauty care. This book is a perfect addition to my bookshelf as I learn to create a healthier, safer home for my family.