It can be difficult to start using natural care. The hidden side effects of many products we use leads many to search for better cleaners, lotions, and soaps. Eventually, you ask yourself the following questions: What really works? Where can I buy it? How can I make this less expensive?

We’re elated you’re choosing to care for [...]]]>  

It can be difficult to start using natural care. The hidden side effects of many products we use leads many to search for better cleaners, lotions, and soaps. Eventually, you ask yourself the following questions: What really works? Where can I buy it? How can I make this less expensive?

We’re elated you’re choosing to care for yourself safely, and hope this makes it as easy as possible! These products work well and should get well on your way to natural- ness.

Here’s to happier baths & brighter lives!

Toothpaste & Mouthwash

Soap & Skin Care

With soaps, you want to keep ingredients few and free from irritants. With Lotions, stay away from parabens and any ingredients you don’t recognize.

Shampoo 

Laundry

Household Cleaning

People don’t want to smell. This is perfectly acceptable. People don’t poison in their armpits either. As many are beginning to realize, mainstream deodorant is packed with drawbacks. Aside from them not working well, they can assault your health and throw your body’s systems off considerably. Is there a need to keep paying for [...]]]>

People don’t want to smell. This is perfectly acceptable. People don’t poison in their armpits either. As many are beginning to realize, mainstream deodorant is packed with drawbacks. Aside from them not working well, they can assault your health and throw your body’s systems off considerably. Is there a need to keep paying for polluted products that only half get the job done?

This simple, inexpensive recipe deactivates odor well enough to contend with even the super sweaty conditions of the Black Rock City dessert!

Paste
2 tbsp Baking Soda
2 tbsp arrowroot or tapioca
2 big tbsp coconut oil

Get Fancy
1/2 tbsp Frankincense powder
1/2 tbs Bentonite or other Clay (incredible absorption capabilities)
cpl drops Neem, Tea Tree, Other Essential Oils (antibacterial preferred)

For hard deodorant add 1/2 tbsp cocoa butter + 1/2 tbsp beeswax. Melt with coconut oil and cool.
For lotion deodorant add aloe juice or witchhazel, + olive oil (will separate a bit)

Thanks to the folks at Camp DIY  for this gifted formula. Here’s more about the science of sweat and skin:
“Body Odor comes from an acid loving bacteria. Our sweat (and skin) is a little acidic naturally. You can beat body odor bacteria by raising the alkaline level on your skin. Everyone is different, so you need to adjust your recipe and the baking soda ratio to suit your skin’s alkaline tolerance”– Nice Camp DIY Lady

Spray

Products

if you aren’t up to making your own deodorant yet, here are some brands we recommend

Photo from FamilySponge.com

How important is what we place on our skin? As many people begin taking care in the sort of food they put in their body, it serves just as much purpose to examine what they put on it as well.

In a society struggling with cancer, allergies, and illness, we often overlook products as [...]]]>  

How important is what we place on our skin? As many people begin taking care in the sort of food they put in their body, it serves just as much purpose to examine what they put on it as well.

In a society struggling with cancer, allergies, and illness, we often overlook products as a potential cause. Things absorbed by the skin head straight to the bloodstream. If foreign,  things we place our skin, scalps, and invite to our nostrils send our systems into chemical chaos, giving us a head start on illness unbeknownst to us.

Here is a guide to ditching the dangers & embracing what’s beneficial.

What To Avoid


Anything you can’t pronounce or produce.
If you can’t pronounce it, and you can’t make it yourself without a lab, leave it alone. Soap, lotion, detergent, whatever,  it should contain less than 10 easily recognizable ingredients.

Defining Natural
When manufacturers recognize growing interest in natural products, they can take advantage of those too lazy, confused, or under informed to make genuinely beneficial choices. Adding something “positive” to a laundry list of suspicious ingredients does not mitigate its negative effects.

Don’t be fooled by companies throwing words like “natural” “organic” “extract” “with shea,” “cocoa butter,” and “jojoba” on labels.


If the ingredients list doesn’t pass the test, avoid the product.

Anything that makes you feel weird
We often mistake irritation we encounter in cleaning “the cost of getting things clean.” Not so. Irritation in your nostrils, eyes, and skin are signals from your body to use something else.

Don’t use products that leave your skin, hair, etc. feeling anything less than amazing.

               The Story of Stuff provides an excellent, short view of how what we use affects us.

These Label Ingredients

Parabens

Label Names: “Propylparaben” “Methylparaben” Ethylparaben”

Found in: Hair Products, Skin Products, Foods, Moisturizers… everything.

A preservative & carcinogen widely linked to breast cancer. Awareness about the ingredient has lead some major manufacturers to shy away from it. It contains disruptive absorbed directly through your skin pores; its prevalence in so many products facilitates large deposits of the disrupter in the body over time, preparing a cozy home for cancer.

Phlathates

Label Names: DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate) DEP (diethyl phthalate)  DEHP (di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate BzBP (benzylbutyl phthalate) DMP (dimethyl phthalate)

Found in: plastics, nail polish, toys, fragrance, air fresheners, vinyl, recycle code 3 and 7 plastic containers

Phlathates are known “endocrine disrupters,” or hormone imitators. They have been proven to cause reproductive and neurological damage. They are also known to lower sperm count and are suspected as the cause for the great decline in male fertility since the 40s, this agent is also responsible for cases of baby boys growing breasts.

BPA (Bisphenol A)

Found in: plastics, food packaging containers, bottles, etc.

BPA has similar effects to DBP, resulting in heart disease, diabetes, liver abnormalities, and brain & hormone development problems in fetuses/ children. What makes BPA different?

BPA can be seen as the hefty cost of doing business with plastic. Plastic is derived from the same oil that we put in our gas tanks, making it intrinsically toxic. Because so much of our day to day surroundings now hold plastic, avoiding it proves to be a true challenge, but its nothing the GOYS can’t subdue! Steer clear by avoiding plastic wherever you can. Buy things that come in glass.

Use metal containers, glass jars, mason jars and used glass bottles (olive oil, etc.) to store your liquid and dry goods. If it comes in a plastic container, transfer it to a safe one when you get home. Use alternative bio plastics such as potato ‘plastic’, which is made from potatoes alone.

Other harmful agents: Fluoride, Sodium Lauryl/ Laureth Sulfates

How to Avoid It

One Pollutant at A Time
I began my better ingredient journey with one simple ingredient: parabens. When I learned this ingredient was cancerous, I searched all of my body products, giving away anything that included it. You might begin your journey in a similar fashion: learn about and eliminate one major ingredient at a time.

Nasty ingredients hang together. Most products that hold one a major pollutant hold many lesser known harmful ingredients.  Targeting one doesn’t put you in the clear, but it does rid a number of suspects, giving you a great start & putting you in a much better place.

The blindspot in ingredient hunting.  As ingredients become consumer watch words, companies simply present slightly different chemicals that are just as harmful. The point here is not to make you a paranoid ingredient hunter. The goal is to make you a conscious consumer who can recognize what’s good for them and what isn’t. Why freak yourself out about what products have, when you could just grab products with ingredients you know to be good? It’s less stressful and more effective.

Elimination.
Once you’ve taken your first major step toward product improvement, take the next and eliminate all of the  sub-par products in your household by buying and/ or making a whole new set.

Simplify.
Its easier to improve 5 products than 25. Bring your household’s body product collection to include only the basics. Keep only 1-2 sorts of toothpaste, bath soap, shampoo, lotion, deodorant, lip balm, etc. around.

What to Use Instead

Suggestion One: Do It Yourself. It is inexpensive & easy once you get the hang of it.

Suggestion Two: Buy Better Stuff. This Post features great contaminant-free products that work well, their price, and where to get them.

Home
Laundry: Trader Joe’s Laundry. 24 loads, $4.7
Detergent: Meyers Ultra Concentrated $16 (lasts.)
Bleach: BioKleen Oxygen Bleach

Body
Toothpaste: Trader Joe’s Fennel, Propolis, & Myrrh $2 Flouride Free!
Soap: Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Oil Soap $2 
Many Options on the market for soap, lots of handmade companies
Lotion: Coconut Oil, Pure Cocoa Butter, Nubian Heritage Lotion
Deoderant: Chlorophyll, DIY Deoderant

If you have any questions about switching, feel free to let us know!

Good Related Reads
Female Infants Growing Breasts- Huffington Post

Many of us have heard the concept, “mind over matter.” The idea that the mind has power over physical events isn’t new. Lost campers have gone weeks without food out of sheer determination. Petite mothers have lifted cars to [...]]]>  

Often uttered, but rarely explained is the phrase,
“thought is the cause of it all.“

Many of us have heard the concept, “mind over matter.” The idea that the mind has power over physical events isn’t new. Lost campers have gone weeks without food out of sheer determination. Petite mothers have lifted cars to save their baby in rushes of adrenaline– but the grey space that remains between believing this and experiencing this lies in one question–  how far does this go?

How is it so, and how is it significant in our daily lives?
Here’s an introduction to the connection between thought and reality.

Mind Equals Matter.

First 

Thought is the most powerful thing there is.

Just as sound can be measured in wave forms, thoughts are waves as well.

Don’t think so? How else are MRIs able to measure brain activity? Scientists pinpoint which processes are housed in particular parts of the brain by seeing which sections “light up”  during monitoring.

“PET Scan” Photo: Reigh LeBlanc via Compfight cc

They are able to do because thought is energy. The energy of thought takes the form of electricity in our brain and body. Thoughts can be gathered by machines, but they are certainly able to be picked up by people as well.

Signals radiate throughout us, shaping the way we see things, how we act, and even impacting us physically. Thoughts can even create disease if negative signals become ingrained over time– but it doesn’t stop there.

The entire universe is energy.

We are like energetic radio stations, broadcasting our thoughts out constantly. Each thought we have, be it about our future, circumstances, or whatever, is broadcasted as a sort of request to the universe. Don’t think you can ever live your dream? The universe says “okay” and sends just what you expect.

If we want something, and hold negative expectations at some level of our mind or another, we send mixed messages which get in our own way. In this way, our thoughts bring back to us what we put out, for better or worse.

Explanation & Illustration

An easy way to experience this is to start asking for it to be shown to you. You can say to yourself quietly, “please show me how my thoughts affect my reality” and it is likely events will start to occur which make this clear to you. These events which show a link between the mind and the experience are called “Synchronicity.” They are becoming very common in the lives of many.

A series of experiments were done which explored the impact of thought on physical matter. “The Rice Experiment” is an experiment in which positive or negative intentions are either taped, or spoken to different jars of rice. The jars treated nicely ferment pleasantly, while the mistreated jars begin to rot.

This Will Save Humanity

The way our thoughts work is an intricate network of settings that form according to our individual and collective experience over time. In a way, it is very much like the programming which creates the operating system of phones or computers. In the programming lies the limitations or potential of any system; i.e, the OS of a present day Mac is more advanced than a ’96 windows.

Similarly, as humans learn to change their thought systems at a fundamental level, they will become capable of experiencing a higher reality. They will have new abilities and their world will have less pain in it, as they as they creators of their world have less pain in them. It is this idea that is central to the planetary ascension happening presently.

It is very vital that every person understand and learn to apply elevated thought systems in themselves, so that we can “graduate” to lives not weighed down by all the negative stuff. Simply, switch thoughts based on fear to thoughts based on love.

We are moving from systems focused on the separateness of things to systems based on the oneness of things

Related Concepts

Gain further understanding of how this works, and its role in your everyday life.

Cause & Effect with the basic understanding that every cause has an effect, we can begin to look for and clearly see, the effects of all the causes. It follows that every thought is a cause, which has an effect. If they were “nothing” as many of us have believed, they would not bear any results. We wouldn’t feel them or be able to see them. When we get this, we’ll begin evaluating the true effects of our thoughts.

Thought and Disease When we think, we send signals to different parts of our body ( a simple example is your heart beating faster when you are nervous). This is evidence that thought manifest physical chemicals.  In knowing this, it can become clear to us how malignant thought patterns can manifest as disease.

In a book listing underlying thoughts which bring diseases, Louise Hay explores how every ailment- from colds, to cuts, to cancer- is linked to a thought pattern.

Great Resources

A Course In Miracles 
Bringers of the Dawn

Read More About Thoughts & Health
-You will find it very difficult to understand, or get life and what it brings until we can understand where reality comes from and how it is formed.
-While holding this mindset, we oft find ourselves confused
-Physical Reality is not formed by physical forces, but supernatural ones
Peace. Team GOYS

If you think salad is boring, its because you haven’t had a good one!
Low quality lettuce, soggy tomatoes, and drab ingredients are some faux- pas which make the best dish on earth, uninspiring.

Fear not! This post delivers the secrets [...]]]>

Most people don’t know what it takes to make amazing salad.

If you think salad is boring, its because you haven’t had a good one!
Low quality lettuce, soggy tomatoes, and drab ingredients are some faux- pas which make the best dish on earth, uninspiring.

Fear not! This post delivers the secrets to make salad great! Use them, and your greens will never fall short of amazing.  This is invaluable for people embracing a raw, vegan, or vegetarian diet.  If you eat this once a day, you’ll feel like you have super powers. Seriously. Eat On!

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The Basics

These are the basic elements of a great salad. If you have nothing else, these fundamentals will keep you happy. High quality ingredients are the most important factor! Get organic, local, and ripe whenever you can- It makes all the difference. 

Organic Kale, be sure to chop into small pieces for max absorption! Dino kale works well.
Tomato
Organic Avocado
Lemon
A Good Oil  Oils add flavor and help the body digest. Cold pressed Olive Oil works best, but you can use Hemp, Flax, Sesame, or  Coconut oils as well. Not vegetable oil!

Himalayan Rock, Indian Black, or Celtic Sea Salt

Extras

Get Creative! These ingredients help kick it up a notch.

Herbs & Spices Cumin, Dill, Cilantro, Chipotle, and Onion Powder are some favorites! Fresh herbs taste best.
Spinach and/or Salad greens Olivia’s Organics is a good choice
Organic Mushrooms try crimini or portabello. you can marinate them in olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper before hand for added delicious flavor
Field Roast Sausage, heated & crumbled. This soy-free vegan Sausage is one of the healthiest and best tasting on the market. The ‘Mexican Chipotle’ flavor takes the cake!
A scoop of Hummus this sprouted cilantro hummus tastes really great
Quinoa, Pine nuts, Sunflower Seeds, Hemp Seeds, and/or Raisins
Sprouted Nuts or Sprouted Trail Mix

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