My All Natural Tub Scrub Can Beat Up Your Synthetic Scrub!!!

As I move along in my journey to a cleaner, healthier, more natural life, I'm finding that it's not as hard as I thought it would be to start transitioning to all natural EVERYTHING. Even though I'm a do-it-all-in-one-shot kind of gal, I have given myself permission to chill the hell out and just take it one step at a time.

Last week our bathroom really started to bug me. It's a small space and we only have one, which means all our toiletries, cleaning supplies, and personal care items make their home there. In piles. Huge, chemically piles. Our tiny medicine cabinet was over-run with old prescriptions my husband never needs now that he's a non-smoker. The door barely shut most days, as the facial creams, eye-shadows, and blackhead remover strips peeked around the corner to remind me just how cluttered our bathroom really was. (By the way...have you ever read the label on those blackhead remover strips? It's pretty much a paraben party. I'd rather be ugly.)

I finally got to a point where I literally thought out loud, " When do we ever use this junk? It's not even GOOD for us!" And that's when everything in the medicine cabinet found a new home: the trash. After that I cleared out the shelf above the toilet and the wicker basket on the floor. Pretty  much everything went. WHEW...ok.

Now what?

I'd not only thrown away all our chemical-laden personal care products, but virtually all of the bathroom cleaning products as well. As I surveyed the landscape of my freshly de-cluttered bathroom one thing became painfully clear: this place was funky. Annnnd now I have nothing to clean it with.

Google search. (Can I just say that mom blogs are the bomb? I have discovered more useful parenting tips, home remedies and all natural personal care and cleaning recipes from these sites than any other place on the web. Women are awesome. We're runnin' this.)

I came across keeperofthehome.org ,which led me to liverenewed.com ,which introduced me to the a Tub Scrub recipe that I tweaked a bit and then put to the test....hardcore. As I said, the bathroom was a raunchy mess (see the picture below for proof), but this super simple to make, incredibly easy to use scrub knocked the job out in less than 10 minutes.

Check it out:

Tub Scrub Recipe
3/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup castile soap ( I used Dr. Bronner's liquid peppermint soap)
1tbsp water ( I just used good ol' tap water)
10 drops of Tea Tree Oil (Verefina of course)

Put the baking soda, castile soap, and water in a bowl and mix well with a fork. Add the tea tree oil in one drop at a time while folding the mixture with said fork. Place in airtight container. Use within a few days because it sounds like the mixture can dry out quickly.

I used the entire batch on my gnarly bath tub/shower, it seemed like just enough to me. Take a looksy at the fabulous results!

Sadly, the "before" doesn't give you the full impact of how bad the tub had gotten... It's really quite sad, but you get the idea.

Anyway, I am SOLD on this scrub. It was easy to  make and use, super effective and so safe and natural I was scooping it out of the container with my bare hands. It  left the bathroom smelling fantabulous and I was pretty dern proud of myself for takin' care of business with a totally natural, 100% safe scrub.

Try it. You won't regret it! It's easy, super cheap to make and ( especially if you've got kids) will put your mind at ease knowing that it's all natural.

You can grab the Dr. Bronners and the baking soda from a place like Trader Joes, but be sure to get your essential oils from a high quality, reputable source ( like Verefina) to ensure that you are getting true, 100% pure essential Tea Tree Oil. Go ahead and click on the link above to order your essential oils online. And, if you haven't already, read my blog on Tea  Tree Oil and take note of the tips for purchasing high quality oils.

Try it and let me know how you like it in the comment section below!

There will be plenty more experimenting like this as the summer unfolds, so be sure to follow me on Blogger so we can test out these crunchy mom recipes together!

Until next time :)

Tea Tree Oil: Your New BFF

Most of us who have ever set foot inside a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe's have, at least, heard of tea tree oil.  It's in TJ's all natural shampoo and I can't imagine that Whole Foods doesn't just sell the straight essential oil.

With homeopathic medicines and do-it-yourself remedies gaining popularity ( and for good reason if you ask me), this once unknown wonder oil is quickly becoming a household name.

Because of its incredible anti-fungal, antibacterial and even antiviral properties, tea tree oil has a plethora of uses. It has proven effective on everything from acne, to controlling mold, athlete's foot and head lice. You can even use it as an all purpose cleaner. It's really quite amazing. And the best part is, a little goes a long way: one or two drops on a cotton ball for acne, one drop and one tea spoon of olive oil for earaches, 15 drops in a quart of water for bug repellent...you get the idea!

The reason essential oils are so powerful is due to the way they are processed. Tea tree oil, for example, packs it's hard-core punch thanks to a process called steam distillation, which enables the super powers of the Melaleuca alternifolia plant to come shining through. A tiny bottle of the stuff can last for ages, because essential oils are the "Mighty Mouse" of the natural remedies world.

If you are interested in "getting into" essential oils there are a few things to consider before diving head first into a tiny bottle of nature's finest.

1) Be on the look out for essential oils in DARK BOTTLES. They are your friends. Oils in lightly tinted, or clear bottles tend not to be pure essential oils. The pure stuff does best in a cozy, dark bottle, no light peeking in. This helps maintain the quality of the oil and keeps its potency longer.

2) Avoid purchasing oils that market themselves as "fragrance" or "perfume" oils...not the same as ESSENTIAL OILS. You want the pure natural stuff that doesn't have any chemical additives (which is what you'll get with a "fragrance oil").

3) Do your research: read up on how to use an essential oil ( tea tree or otherwise) and learn if they require  dilution in carrier oils ( such as fractionated coconut oil ) for use. Check out The Directory of Essential Oils by Wanda Seller.

There's a lot more to learn, not only about tea tree oil, but  about essential oils in general and I have only scratched the surface of the top layer of the surface, but I think it's important for each of us to know what healing remedies are available to use courtesy of Mother Nature.

As I learn more I will share it with you, of course, but in the meantime, do your research and I'll continue to do mine.

I am happy to be in a position to be using a few essential oils in our home now for cleaning as well as skincare. I recommend Verefina's line of essential oils available at my website below. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at back2naturekate@gmail.com.

Until next time, my dears!


Get your essential oils here: katew.verefina.net

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is not Your Friend

A quick note to my dear readers. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate is NOT your friend.

Never heard of it? You are better acquainted than you realize. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) is found in almost all personal care products that foam. Think SHAMPOO!!  FOAMING HANDSOAP! TOOTHPASTE!! Etc.

The foam that makes me feel like my shampoo is working or that I'm doing a particularly good job brushing my teeth has a major dark side. The foam in my personal care product is almost always produced with the help of the chemical criminal called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a compond that has links from everything from skin irritation to cancer. Ummm...yikes.

I am speculating here, but if I am washing my hair several times a week, brushing my teeth several times a day and washing my hands sometimes multiple times an hour (I have an infant at home), how much exposure do I have to something that dangerous? A LOT. Of course I'm not saying that this creepy toxin in my personal care items is going to make me sick over night, but the thought of letting 10, 20 or more years pass using the same shampoo or toothpaste suddenly doesn't seem like a good idea.

So what's a mama to do?

Research. Find alternatives. Share the good news.

We make the market. If we don't buy it, they won't sell it.

Read your labels. And put the crap back on the shelf. Our husbands and our kids deserve better.

WE deserve better.

It irritates me beyond all telling that we are constantly being sold products that do more harm than good, that are loaded with chemicals that harm rather than heal. We are literally paying for poison.

If we spend our money on products and foods that are pure, whole and REAL we can literally change the market for the better.

Here is a link to an interesting article about SLS. I like it because it is honest, not sensationalized or too far "off the deep end." Read it, share it, comment below.

Dr. Mercola & SLS 

Get natural personal care products with NO SLS here: katew.verefina.net

It's worth it. You deserve it.