Tag Archives: baking soda

DIY: Herbal Tooth Powder Without Baking Soda

Here’s one recipe for herbal tooth powder without any added baking soda. Since I ran out of my last tooth powder then now I decided to make a new one without baking soda because it is said to damage the tooth enamel when using long term. I’m not saying I won’t use baking soda ever again in a tooth powder, just a short break once in a while is a good thought : )

So here’s what you’ll need to make my herbal tooth powder: 2 tablespoons of whole dried stevia leaves, 2 tablespoons of whole dried peppermint leaves, 2 tablespoons of whole dried sage leaves, 1 tablespoon of neem powder (or 2 tablespoons of whole dried neem leaves) and 4 tablespoons of Bentonite clay.


Grind the herbs with mortar and pestle first:

And then add the neem powder and Bentonite clay and stir:

 

I chose exactly those herbs because the stevia gives the tooth powder a mildly sweet taste and also helps to improve dental health thanks to its antibacterial properties. The peppermint freshens the breath and also has strong antibacterial and antiviral properties. Sage is said to act as teeth whitener and cleaner plus it helps to keep your gums healthy. Neem powder helps to prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay. And I added the Bentonite clay because it mildly polishes and re-mineralizes the teeth.

 

May 27, 2012Permalink 1 Comment

How To Unclog Drains The Easy And Natural Way

This is pretty popular method for opening up clogged drains without harsh and expensive chemicals so you might have heard of it already but just in case I’ll post it here as well as a reminder : ) It’s so easy that at first I couldn’t believe that it would work but there’s one key ingredient that makes it happen and that’s boiling hot water. Using just baking soda and vinegar doesn’t have the same effect, you also need to add boiling water.

So if you have any clogged drains then first pour about 5-8 tablespoons of baking soda into the drain, don’t worry if it all won’t go down, it’s gonna work anyway. Then pour about 1 or 2 cups of white vinegar on top of the baking soda, wait a few minutes and enjoy the bubbling reaction and then pour full kettle (about 1 liter) of boiling water down the drain as well. Should work like magic and if it doesn’t then you probably have some more serious problem in your drains because so far this method has worked every time I’ve used it : )

April 22, 2012Permalink 1 Comment

DIY: Tooth Powder With Whitening Effect

The idea to make my own tooth powder originates from here but I adjusted the recipe a bit and added one more whitening ingredient besides baking soda (actually you can skip baking soda altogether because in the long run it’s not very good idea to use it daily because it can damage the tooth enamel) and didn’t add the myrrh gum powder at all right now because it’s not very wise to use it during pregnancy.


So to make my version of the tooth powder you’ll need to take about 2 tablespoons of full dried stevia leaves. Grind them well with mortar and pestle:

If you have a fine powder of the stevia leaves then add about 8 tablets (or open up 8 capsules) of activated charcoal and grind some more:

Then add about 2 tablespoons of baking soda (if using), 2 tablespoons of Bentonite clay (French green clay would work fine as well), 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder and 1 tablespoon of clove powder. Stir it all well and you’ll have your own tooth powder which leaves your mouth really fresh tasting and smelling (thanks to stevia and cinnamon) and your teeth pearly white (thanks to baking soda and activated charcoal)

 

April 15, 2012Permalink 2 Comments

Clay And Lemon Juice Mixture As A Natural Shampoo

Recently I ran out of my shampoo bar and didn’t buy a new one because for a while already I’ve been wanting to try out something even more natural, as I am constantly trying to reduce the number of “products” in my home. I knew that baking soda can be used as a shampoo but I had already tried it a few times and it didn’t suit me too well so I kept on searching for other alternatives until I heard from someone that clay can be used as a shampoo. And it did sound logical to me because clay does draw out oils and impurities from the hair and scalp and at the same time gives back minerals for healthy hair growth. After all, there are so many clay-based shampoos out there as well. So I gave it a try, but using just pure clay powder didn’t really leave me with as squeaky clean hair as I would’ve wanted and the research continued. Until I learned that some people also use lemon juice as hair wash and that’s when I came up with the idea to combine the clay powder and lemon juice together to make my shampoo. And it worked! The mixture left my hair as clean as I had expected and also no conditioner is needed after shampooing as the hair is really easily manageable after washing.

Note that if you try to convert to using clay and lemon juice shampoo after years of using conventional shampoos then the first times probably won’t be too satisfying as the hair and scalp need to adjust to the lack of chemicals but don’t give up and be patient cos when your hair is cleansed of the chemical residue then you will start seeing the benefits that the clay and lemon juice have in store for your hair. Lemon juice also works as a mild bleach so after using it for a while you can expect to have some highlights : )

So which clay to use? Right now I’m using French green clay powder but I think that Rhassoul and Bentonite clay would also work well. You can also dig and dry your own clay if you can find it. I know people who dig clay from the bottom of a lake for example and use that as a shampoo and also I know that people have dug red clay from the seaside in Ibiza while vacationing and brought it along so be creative and don’t restrict yourself to only buying naturally occurring ingredients : )


So what I do to make the shampoo is take about 3 tablespoons of the clay powder (I have quite fine shoulder length hair so if you have thicker or longer hair then feel free to use more powder):

Squeeze juice from half a lemon onto the powder:

Give it a stir and you should have a thick and even a bit foamy mixture:

If needed then add more lemon juice or clay powder : ) Then add it to wet hair like you normally would while shampooing and you can even leave it on for few minutes before rinsing.

 

April 10, 2012Permalink 4 Comments

Simple Teeth Whitening Remedies That You Can Make And Use At Home

If you want more natural options for whitening your teeth than the ones sold in stores or used by dentists then you can easily whiten your teeth at home as well if you happen to have activated charcoal, lemon and soda.

The simplest remedy is to use just activated charcoal for whitening your teeth. All you need is either tablets or capsules of activated charcoal. If using tablets then you can just rub the tablets onto your teeth until they dissolve and then keep on rubbing your teeth with either your finger or toothbrush. If you have capsules of activated charcoal then open one capsule and pour the charcoal powder onto your toothbrush and start brushing your teeth. No need to worry about the color either as it will all come off while rinsing your mouth leaving you with whiter teeth.


The other remedy for teeth whitening is made by mixing about 1 or 2 teaspoons of baking soda with fresh lemon juice.

When mixing the two then you should end up with something that resembles toothpaste

Now add some paste to your toothbrush and rub your teeth for about 5 minutes. You can add more paste to your toothbrush while brushing to use up all the paste. This mixture will leave your gums tingling a bit (or a lot, depending how sensitive you are) but don’t give up before at least 5 minutes of brushing. The tingling will pass soon after you have finished brushing and rinsed your mouth.

April 3, 2012Permalink 2 Comments

Baking Soda As A Deodorant

I’m sure almost everyone knows by now that baking soda makes a really good household cleaning product, but turns out it’s also an excellent choice as a personal hygiene product. For example it makes a really really good deodorant.

The way I found out about it was quite accidental. I had been looking for the perfect natural deodorant for a while already, but none sold in eco-shops ever worked as I expected, so I had chosen out a few DIY deodorant recipes to try out but it happened so that when I ran out of my conventional deodorant and hadn’t had time to make my own yet then I needed something to try, fast. And I remembered reading somewhere that baking soda makes a good alternative for deodorant, so I gave it a try and have been using just baking soda as a deodorant ever since because it really works! So what I usually do is that after a shower I take about half a teaspoon of baking soda and use my fingers to rub it on and that’s it. You can rub it on either wet or dry skin, however you prefer.

It doesn’t prevent sweating completely (and you don’t really want that anyway, right) but it sure does prevent the smell for up to 24 hours. So next time you’re in need of a quick deodorant fix then give baking soda a try. Also it helps you save money on store-sold deodorants and all the ingredients that are usually required in DIY deodorant recipes : )

March 29, 2012Permalink 2 Comments