Whether you’re trying to ditch toxins in your household products or you’re battling eczema and need to find a clean option for hand soap, it can be very difficult to find a budget friendly and truly clean option.
When I first started trying new products that wouldn’t irritate my eczema, I was using Method hand soap. Come to find out, every single one of their options has fragrance in it. That’s your #1 red flag to put it back on the shelf.
Next I was using Seventh Generation Free & Clear. I was able to find it on store shelves, and it seemed to meet my standards. The issue was:
(1) Seventh Generation has been known to “greenwash” which means they make their products appear more clean than they actually are. I do still use Seventh Generation at times but try to find better options where available.
(2) The Free & Clear hand soap doesn’t come in a refill. This isn’t great for sustainability as far as plastic goes, but it also costs more to be buying the smaller size all the time.
I started buying Thieves Foaming Hand Soap which is still my absolute favorite, but we were going through it way too quickly for that to fit into our budget.
“There has to be a way for me to make my own hand soap,” I thought. So I did some research and this is what we’ve been using for going on a year with absolutely no problems:
2 Ingredient DIY Hand Soap
(This is the dispenser I use)
- 2 parts unscented Castile soap (Yes, UNSCENTED matters. This is the cleanest option.) Using the dispenser above I fill to 2 ounces.
- 10 parts water (Using the dispenser above I fill the rest to 12 ounces)
Shake it all up and that’s it! You can also add essential oils for fun, but I’ve found I prefer to leave the oils out and save those for my diffuser.
Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Just a little reminder that when you focus on your health holistically (mind, body, spirit) your weight will take care of itself.
When I began my journey to heal my eczema from the inside out, it was never about losing weight.
But as a result of the new lifestyle I led, I weighed less in my late twenties than I did as a teenager.
Focusing on a number on the scale is a skewed idea of health.
Use the looking glass of how you feel. Clearing your skin. Reducing inflammation. Having more energy. Being in a better mood. NOT having an upset stomach all the time. Giving your body the nutrients it needs to function at its best.
It’s about being the healthiest version of you within every cell of your body.
Food carries information. It tells your body how to feel. Food either fights dis-ease in the body or fuels it - there is no in between.
Eating closest to the source is the easiest way to know you’re eating a healthy diet. You want your food to come from a plant rather than be made in a plant.
It’s not about the low-fat, sugar free or calorie counting.
These are toxic and outdated ways of thinking. Fat doesn’t have to be bad. Sure, an avocado is full of (GOOD) fat, but do you really think fat free, sugar free pudding is a healthier choice?
What about diet soda? “Sugar free” and “no calories,” but is that really the better choice for your body than a nice, big Cobb salad? Or even roasted chicken with quinoa and veggies!
There is no one size fits all diet, but eating plenty of veggies, clean proteins & whole grains will make your body much happier and much less confused than the chemical filled processed foods. That's what keeps it working at its finest and you feeling your best.
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Okay so first let me say that a lot of my morning ritual has completely gone out the window since having a baby and that’s something I need to be okay with right now.
Health is a journey and we do our best in each season of life.
Right now my season of life requires late night and early morning feeding/pumping sessions. Now in order for me to keep my baby safe & not spill breast milk everywhere, I need to stay awake for those sessions.
This has resulted in coffee before protein in the morning and screens up until moments before I go to sleep — things I preach against for the sake of gut health.
Let me tell you from personal experience: your brain does not function properly on insufficient sleep. And your brain and your gut are connected by the vagus nerve which is vital to things like mood, digestion & immunity.
Yesterday morning I drowsily asked my husband to make coffee while I fed the baby. He reluctantly rolled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, he comes in to ask me “what vehicle” I wanted.
Excuse me, what?
I look at him like he’s crazy.
He looks at me like “how on EARTH do you not understand what I’m saying right now.”
“Um… if you mean what VEHICLE would I like my coffee in.. a mug please?”
Then he stomps away saying something about how I asked him to make breakfast and that’s what he was trying to do.
“No, darling. I just asked you to make coffee. I didn’t ask you to make breakfast. You’re not making any sense right now. Can I please just have a cup of coffee?” (Me- desperate for caffeine)
Later that day I reminded him of this silly question he asked me and he was like “yeah I don’t know what that was supposed to mean or where that came from.”
He also proceeded to tell me that when he went out to the kitchen, he got out a platter and some kind of supplement capsule. Which supplement? He had no idea.
Then this morning - after being woken up (too) early by a crying baby - I asked him, “can I have more phone?”
What was I trying to say? Two things: can I have my phone, and can I have more water.
The moral of the story is sleep is important. Your brain CANNOT function properly without it. So get your 8 hours if and when you can, and if you can’t - naps are your friend.
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If you’re not convinced your mind and your gut are at all related, just think of any scenario where you've seen or smelled something that made you sick to your stomach.
My husband is a huge WWII buff, so there I was watching Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf plowing through Germany in a tank. Percy Jackson showed up as a newbie and had to clean the tank out as a sort of initiation. I'll spare you the gory details, but things he saw and smelled in there made him physically ill. It reminded me just how connected the mind is to the digestive system.
That’s just one example of how our minds and guts are constantly communicating with each other. So it makes sense that our mental state can affect our digestive system in other ways too.
Stress, anxiety and depression can all lead to gastrointestinal issues, wreaking havoc on the gut. And what happens when our gut is out of whack? Eczema flare ups. Then we get stressed or anxious about our eczema and it turns into a vicious cycle.
There’s a strong link between the mind and the gut, and it’s important to keep both in balance. Stress-reducing activities like yoga, meditation and deep breathing can help maintain good gut health.
Even more, do you find yourself being negative or complaining a lot? Making the extra effort to see the good in things rather than focusing on the bad can do wonders for your mental health - and therefore, your physical health. You'll be happier, and by extension you'll be healthier!
I challenge you to do ONE thing today that will make you happier, and see how that feels in your body.
Then try it again tomorrow. And the next day. Soon I'll be willing to bet you feel a huge difference.
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You’ve heard the cliche before. Becoming a mother changes you. It’s a cliche for a reason — there’s truth to it.
Having had my son, I know a love I’ve never known before. A love no one can know until they experience it for themselves. I have a responsibility I never had before. A purpose I never felt before.
Despite so much that’s changed, I still love being a health coach — talking about simple changes anyone can make to create real benefit in their life and therefore living a healthier, happier & longer life. Especially talking about naturally and holistically kicking eczema to the curb, since that’s what I struggled with for years.
But it got me thinking about my brand. And it all really started with a blanket I bought for my baby.
When you see the image of sun rays like the one above, what do you think of - a sunrise or a sunset?
When I first bought this blanket for my son, there was never a doubt in my mind it was a sunrise. But then I got thinking it could just as easily be a sunset.
Why did my mind automatically think sunrise when it could just as easily be a sunset? Because of what a sunrise means to me. A sunrise represents a new day, new opportunities, light after dark, fresh starts, endless possibilities, clean slates..
Every day is a new opportunity to make a healthier choice. Just because you fell out of your exercise routine, eating habits, meditation practice, etc. does not mean you can’t jump back in whenever suits you and your season of life. Give yourself grace and be constantly striving for your own personal best.
All that to say: my logo now sports a sunrise. The more I thought about what a sunrise represents, the more I loved it. Waking with the sun, living by the elements, represents a balanced life to me.
I want my clients, followers, friends to feel like optimal health is attainable for them no matter where they are in their journey. If you’re at the beginning or somewhere in the middle, there’s always a new chance for a new goal to be set, but you must also give yourself grace. Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself like you would your best friend.
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here where you'll find a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training and more!
