Five Reasons to Keep Baking Soda in the Bathroom

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 7:00 AM

I love baking soda.  I think my love bloomed very young, when I refused to brush my teeth with actual toothpaste because I hated the taste of it, so I used baking soda instead.  I've also never had a cavity, just sayin'! 

This was one of those embarrassing childhood secrets for a while, until I realized that it's really not *that* weird.  People do brush their teeth with baking soda, usually in addition to toothpaste or even hydrogen peroxide, with their dentists' blessing; it's actually a really great natural whitener.  

But dental hygiene only scrapes the surface of baking soda uses outside of the kitchen.  Here's my top favorite uses for this little $.50 box of magic:

1) Dental

As previously mentioned, baking soda can be used as a natural stain remover for your teeth.  (Please be aware I am not suggesting you replace your regularly used toothpaste with baking soda.)  It's also a great mouthwash.  Seriously, just water and baking soda, and maybe a drop of peppermint if you so desire.  Baking soda is a natural deodorizer for bad breath (and for pretty much anything else in your house that stinks.)  

2) Deodorant 

Speaking of things that stink, did you just realize you ran out of deodorant?  Don't panic.  Baking soda is an AWESOME deodorant.  Pour a generous amount onto the palm of your hand and just pat it on.  If you're feeling extra spunky, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (I like lavender).  I will say one word of warning with this one though: Do not apply baking soda under your arms if you have just shaved and your skin is irritated or you have nicked yourself.  It will burn like a MOFO and you will cry.  Think salt in a wound.  Learn from my mistakes, friends. 

3) Dry Shampoo

Are you part of the I-don't-want-to-wash-my-straightened-hair-again-until-I-absolutely-have-to club?  If so, you've probably purchased a can or two of dry shampoo in your lifetime.  Maybe you've even ventured so far as to use baby powder (a personal travel-favorite of mine).  Well, baking soda will do the trick too.  I mix a batch of my favorite DIY Dry Shampoo recipe to keep in the bathroom, most of which is pure baking soda, but in a pinch the baking soda on it's own will work just fine.  For what it's worth, I have dark hair and I've never had issues with a white, powdery scalp after I've brushed it all through, but if you *are* worried about that you can mix baking soda with cocoa powder to disguise it a bit.

4)Face scrub

Baking soda is hands down my favorite face scrub.  My face gets very, very dry in the winter and after a quick scrub with some baking soda all of that dry skin is gone and my face is as soft as soft can be.  Skip your more expensive scrubs and try this just ONCE, I urge you!  The baking soda can also be mixed with water to form a paste and applied as a mask, or even an overnight spot treatment for zits.

Note: Keep out of eyes!

5) Cleaning

Not quite ready to throw out your Crest white strips, deodorant, dry shampoo, or face scrub?  Baking soda is also a great addition to your supply of cleaning products.  In fact, baking soda and vinegar make a really great team when it comes to scrubbing the toilet and bath tub.  Remember how I said baking soda is a great stain remover for your teeth?  Well it works well on tile and porcelain too.  

In conclusion, I urge you to add this little orange box of love to the shelves of your medicine cabinet.  Don't banish it to the fridge or pantry where it might get used every few months or so for baking.  With so many uses, and at such a cheap price, how could you not be happy about it's endless uses?  

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Oil Cleansing Method

By: Pen-Pal Productions on 10:00 AM

Happy Saturday!  

So, I'm just gonna jump right in and say it: I don't like chemicals.  I don't like not knowing what's in the products that I use.  Does anyone?  This all started with my first pregnancy when I started reading about how everything under the sun is bad for you and your growing baby.  I was a scared first time mom, and thus began my journey for more simplistic methods of staying beautiful.  I've been hooked ever since.

Beauty during pregnancy can be relative.  With my first, I never achieved that "pregnancy glow" everyone speaks of.  On the contrary, my face much more resembled that of a teenage boy hitting puberty.  But "don't touch those harsh cleansers!", they said.  So what's a mama-to-be to do?  Google solutions, obviously!

Since I wasn't working or chasing after a toddler at this time in my life, I had all the time in the world to research safer alternatives to my woes.  Eventually I stumbled across something called the Oil Cleansing Method.  

The idea behind the Oil Cleansing Method is that instead of stripping your skin of it's natural oils, you replace the "dirty", makeup-y, end-of-the-day oil with "clean" oil.  It's said that the oil on your skin works much like breastfeeding, in that it produces what your hormones think it needs.  So, when you using harsh cleansers to achieve clear skin, you're also stripping it of it's natural oils which in turn causes it to produce more oil.  *

*Note: I'm not a dermatologist.  

If you think about it, it makes sense.  Still, I was skeptical at first as it basically goes against everything anyone had ever told me about face cleansing.  My desperation and curiosity, however, outweighed my skepticism and I gave it a shot. 

I used the Oil Cleansing Method for several months.  It was not a miracle, cure-all for acne or scarring or, dare I say, wrinkles.  BUT, it did not make anything any worse, which for me is a pretty good sign.   In fact, I never once broke out from the oils.  I did stop for a while, attempted to go back to a more "normal" routine, but eventually I went back to OCM as I never did find a cleanser and/or moisturizer I liked more.  I've been using it again now for over 2 months and have no plans to stop.

So here's how it works.  You need Castor Oil and one or two "carrier" oils.  A carrier oil is any other oil you choose to use to dilute the Caster Oil (which can actually be quite drying if you use too much).  Carrier oils can be jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed, avocado, sunflower seed, apricot kernel, argan, or tamanu.  I know some people use coconut oil or olive oil but I've read that they can both be comedogenic so I've steered clear from both of them.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some coconut oil, just not for the Oil Cleansing Method.  

My personal mix is about 2tsp Castor Oil, 1tsp Jojoba, and 1 tsp Sweet Almond.  (I'm not standing there measuring it out, I just pour directly from each bottle onto the palm of my hand and guess).  

You also need a soft wash cloth and some hot water.

The first step is to splash some warm water on your face.  Once you've got your preferred oil mixture on your hands, rub your hands together and just go on like your washing your face with any other soap.  You don't need to remove your makeup, the oil will remove it for you, I promise.  Rub it onto your face, really  massage it in there, and then let it sit for a few minutes (in the meantime I floss and brush my teeth).  

Next is the fun part.  Soak your washcloth in hot water, like as hot as you can stand.  Wring it out and then cover your face with the washcloth.  It feels like a spa treatment (says the girl who's never been to the spa).  Hold the washcloth there until it isn't hot anymore, and then gently wipe the oil off of your face.  Rinse the washcloth as needed and continue wiping until the oil, along with any traces of makeup, are gone. 

And that's it! Once you wipe it off, you're done and your face will feel fantastic.  I like to moisturize with sweet almond oil and a drop or two of tea tree oil afterward (totally not necessary, my skin is just extra dry and prone to breakouts).  I also use tea tree oil as a spot treatment as needed.  

Still not convinced?  Here's what I love most about OCM:

1.  It's fast.  Okay, well it *can* be more time consuming for some, but let's be honest.. my night time routine was lengthy before; this is much quicker than any 3-step routine I've used in the past. 

2.  It's cheap.  You buy one bottle of Castor Oil and it will probably last the entire year.  The smaller bottles of carrier oils can vary in price, but a little really goes go a long way and will likely last months at least. 

3.  It's green.  It's natural and I don't have to think twice about what *might* be absorbed into my system immediately after applying.

4.  Instead of washing my hands after, I just rub the rest in and it doubles as a lotion.  It also doubles as Chapstick and/or hair product.

5.  It's completely customizable.  Feeling dry?  Use less Castor Oil.  Too oily?  Use less carrier oil.  Breakouts?  Add a drop or two of tea tree oil.

Anyway, if you're on the fence, just go for it.  Give it two weeks.  If you hate it, who cares, you were probably unhappy with whatever you were using before anyway.  If you love it, well, your'e welcome :)  

-Jenn 

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