If you haven’t already, be sure to check out this post, where I share my 8 BIG GOALS for these 43 days.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a HUGE fan of Liz Wolfe at CaveGirlEats.  Her opinion that not putting chemicals on your outsides is just as important as not putting chemicals on your insides resonates with me, and I’m ready to give it a go!  Most of what I’ve learned about skin care has come from http://cavegirleats.com/bodycare/… so go check that out for yourself to see what we’re trying to AVOID in some of today’s product ingredients!

Also, check out her podcast interview with Bill and Haley of PrimalPalate!  She talks a lot about her body care ideas, and it’s just a fun conversation on which to eavesdrop.

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Skincare

This is a little scary for me, because I’m big on anti-aging skin care.  In fact, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I used to be a Mary Kay Sales Director… I sold skincare for a living, and I even earned a free car and had over 40 women on my team (I quit for a number of reasons that I won’t go into here).  I love Mary Kay products to this day, and I have seen great results from their products.  However, I am not too proud to admit that they might not be the best ingredients to put on my skin every single day.

Looking at the labels on all my [many] bottles of products, Mary Kay and otherwise, I have been pretty shocked by the huge array of ingredients.  Everything from dies and alcohol to sodium chloride and methychloroisothiazolinone was present in these bottles!  Yikes!  So I’m testing a new, natural method, and we’ll see how it goes!  By the way, check out this website to evaluate your personal skincare items.

So what will my new skin care routine look like?  Take a look at the chemical-freeness… 🙂

1. First and foremost, Green Pastures’ Fermented Cod Liver Oil / Butter Oil Blend.  Read all you need right here (thanks, Liz!).  Everything she says is true… my own skin is also looking better than EVER since starting this supplement.   I’ll share more about it when I talk about my supplements on Tuesday… stay tuned!

2. The Oil Cleansing Method.  What is it?  Read the details here.  Did you know that if you use chemicals to remove oils from your skin, your body will overcompensate and send more oil to provide necessary moisture?  It’s true!  Want to hear another little-known fact?  Here you go: oil dissolves oil.  WHA???  I love how this website states it: “Your skin naturally produces oil because it needs it. It is not a malicious force to be reckoned with; it is there for the benefit of your skin, allowing your largest organ to function properly. It is naturally occurring. Not only does your natural oil help lubricate, it also heals, protects, and moisturizes your skin so that it may function properly. Properly functioning skin is beautiful, clear, and glowing. Learning to work with your skin, not against it, will save you tremendously.”

Here’s what I do (adapted from CaveGirlEats):  First, get your water heated, gather a few washcloths, and get your oil blend (I use 20% Castor Oil and 80% Grapeseed Oil).  Next, pour about a quarter-size portion of oil into your hands, and rub together to warm.  Massage the blend onto your face… it won’t burn your eyes, and is great at removing eye makeup too!  Massage firmly, concentrating on the problem-areams that need to be “dissolved.”  Finally, get your washcloth VERY warm (it should not burn you, but it should be warm enough to open your pores and dissolve oils).  Place it on your face, and hold it there.  This is my favorite part… breathe deeply and enjoy the steam!  Wipe your face gently, rinse well, and don’t scrub!  You may want to do the steam process a few more times to ensure removal of all oils.

To quote the above website again, “This deep cleansing method should be done regularly, but not too frequently. You’ll know if you’re deep cleansing too frequently by the dryness that your skin will exhibit. Don’t be surprised if you find you’ve unblocked an oil flow for the first few days. Once you remove the plugs from your pores, they will begin functioning properly again. Perfect skin won’t happen overnight and while it should take a few massages to achieve your goal, you should notice a huge difference in your skin after the first deep cleansing massage. Give your skin a few days to adjust and adapt to being clean and clear of blockages; understand that the new oil coming from your skin is actually a good sign and will balance out very shortly. You’ll find redness and irritation subsiding. You’ll find your skin losing that “congested,” and thick feeling.”

Sounds great to me!

For moisture, I pat on a little Jojoba Oil after I cleanse.  Love it!

Right now I’m only doing this process in the evenings, and just splashing some warm water on my face to freshen me up in the mornings.  So far I haven’t seen a huge difference in my skin – positive or negative – but I’ll keep you posted!

Note: I found all the oils in the skincare section of Whole Foods. 

Body Care

 Deodorant:  There are lots of aluminum-free options out there, including “Tom’s of Maine, Aluminum-Free,” which works pretty well!  But I wanted to do something even more natural, so I gave the Tropical Traditions roll-on a try.  After testing it for two weeks, I’m not very impressed.  I’m not a super-sweaty, smelly person (in fact, I’m pretty cold-natured, and I smell pretty dang good!), but this deodorant definitely does not last as long as I’d like.  It smells wonderful, and keeps you fresh for a few hours, but after that, prepare to stink.  Sorry, but those are the facts (at least for me).

Now I’m trying Liz’s suggestion: a swipe of coconut oil followed by a dash of baking soda.  I hope that works better!  I’m kinda missing my aluminum-filled deo right about now!

Body: I love taking a warm bath.  It’s an amazing stress-reliever, and just a chance to sit still and be quiet!  And while I used to be a big bubble-bath girl, I have learned to appreciate the pure comfort of epsom salts.  They have some brands available that are already scented with essential oils (lavender and eucalyptus are my current favorites!), or you can crush some lavender herbs into your bath, and enjoy the relaxing scent.

Epsom salts relieve tired, strained muscles naturally, they are high in magnesium, and they have some detoxifying properties – how cool is that?  Read more about the benefits of epsom salts here.

For body moisturization, I love Moksa Organics (see my review of their products here).  Everything is all natural, and the body butters are fantastic!

For soap, Liz recommends Granny’s Lye Soap.  I’ve yet to find any, so right now I’m using Dove’s unscented bar.  But I’m on the hunt for some lye!

Oral Care

Another recommendation from Liz!  Have you heard of OraWellness?  I’m not going to go into a ton of detail on this one, but go check out this website to watch videos and learn more about their Brush Blend.  Check out Liz’s experience with it here.  My husband and I have been using it for the last 3-4 weeks, and I love it!  The ingredients are: organic and wildcrafted essential oils (cinnamon, peppermint, spearmint, clove, myrrh, and manuka) in a base of organic almond oil.

It was a little tough to get used to not having the pasty lather when brushing our teeth, but we’ve gotten used to that, and our teeth feel cleaner.  I also feel like my mouth is fresher in general.  I’ve been using the little toothbrush that they recommend, and it really does make brushing easier.

(Go check out the ingredients in your toothpaste right now!  You won’t believe all the crazy ingredients!)

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That’s it for now!  As I said, I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how things go…  It’s really fun to experiment with this stuff!

Let me know if you try any of these ideas, and how you do!

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HUGE THANKS to Liz of CaveGirlEats for inspiring me to step out of my comfort zone and give this a try.  And thanks for all the wonderful information!  I’ve spent an unspeakable number of hours on your site… but not in a weird, stalker-way, so no worries. 😉