10 Ways You Can Use Lemon Juice Instead of Toxic Chemicals for Health, Cleaning and Beauty

Contrary to all those catchy commercials, you don't need to use expensive products and toxic chemicals to clean your home, ease a cough, or soften your skin. Lemon juice can replace countless bottles of overpriced chemicals for a fraction of the cost. And I definitely rest easier using food-based products instead of exposing myself, my family and my pets to potentially irritating and toxic substances.

10 Creative Ways to Use Lemon Juice

1. Deodorize and Disinfect Your Kitchen

Surfaces like refrigerator shelves, counter tops and cutting boards need to be clean, but I can't imagine using harsh chemicals where I prepare and store food. Lemon juice is perfect for disinfecting all of these surfaces without leaving behind a toxic residue. It also removes unpleasant stains and odors, so my kitchen is fresh and clean.

 

2. Remove Grease and Grime

Lemon juice can power through grease and grime throughout the home. I use a mixture of lemon juice and salt to scrub away grease build-up in the kitchen or other work areas. Lemon juice can also help remove grease stains from clothing (but don't use on silks or other delicate fabrics).

 

3. Tone and Brighten Your Skin

Lemon juice is an astringent, which makes it perfect for treating blemishes and preventing break-outs. It also softens the skin, and over time can lighten scars and dark spots. Mix one part lemon juice with three parts water (or witch hazel) to use as a brightening toner for your skin after cleansing.

 

4. Aid Digestion and Detox

Adding a little fresh lemon juice to your water during meals can aid digestion. Drinking a glass of lemon water first thing in the morning is said to have a cleansing and energizing effect on the system (some even say it helps you lose weight!).

 

5. Soothe a Cough or Sore Throat

Stir together equal amounts of raw honey and fresh lemon juice. Take a spoonful as needed to ease coughing or treat a sore throat. I love this because it's so kid-friendly and it really helps! You can also stir the mixture in with warm water or herbal tea to ease cold symptoms. Buy quality raw honey online here.

 

6. Clean and Deodorize Your Toilet

Yes, the toilet can be icky. But that doesn't mean you have to use heavy chemicals to get your toilet bowl clean and sparkling. Instead, use a mixture of borax powder and lemon juice to get your toilet looking (and smelling!) like new.

 

7. Soften and Clean Your Hands

Lemon juice can remove stains and odors from your hands. It also softens and brightens the skin. (For really soft hands, try this Homemade Lemon Hand Scrub Recipe.)

 

8. Get Beautiful Sun-Kissed Highlights in Your Hair

Highlights in a box may sound convenient, but in reality hair color can irritate your scalp, damage your hair, and may not even come out looking natural. Save your money (and your hair) by using lemon juice instead! Simply spritz your hair with lemon juice before you go out in the sun. You can repeat as needed to get the level of highlights you want. As a side bonus, lemon juice rinses away build-up and gives your hair a beautiful shine.

 

9. Get Glass Sparkling Clean

Use one part lemon juice with ten parts water to clean windows, mirrors, coffee pots and more. Simply give the surface a light spray and wipe away with a microfiber cloth.

 

10. Remove Tarnish Naturally

Make a paste with lemon juice and salt. Apply the mixture to tarnished copper, chrome or brass. Let it sit for about ten minutes, then rinse and buff to a shine.

Do you have any tips or tricks for using lemon juice around the house? Share them in the comments below!

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How to Make Homemade Bug Repellent

During the warm months, my mission is simple: avoid bug bites whenever possible. And living in the humid south makes this a challenge. When I was a kid, it meant spraying liberal quantities of OFF bug repellent all over myself. It was greasy and smelled gross, but it was the only way I knew to combat the plague of mosquitoes that seemed view my legs as an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Of course, as I got older it began to dawn on me that drenching myself in chemicals may not be the wisest choice. And when I had my own kids who loved to play outside during the summer evenings, finding a natural way to repel bugs became a top priority.

I was delighted when I realized I could make my own homemade insect repellent. I made some right away, and the whole family noticed a remarkable decrease in mosquito bites when we started using it. My kids always remind me to spray them before they go outside!


How to Make Homemade Bug Repellent

Natural insect repellent is incredibly easy to make at home. It requires just two simple steps:

Step 1: Choose Your Essential Oils

Essential oils are the active ingredients in homemade bug repellent. The right essential oils will have bugs running (or flying) in the opposite direction. You'll need a total of about 40-50 drops of essential oils per 8 ounces of bug repellent. You can use one kind of essential oil, or mix and match. The oils you want to use in homemade bug repellent are any of the following:

• Rosemary
• Citronella
• Clove
• Geranium
• Lavender
• Eucalyptus
• Cedar
• Mint
• Lemongrass
• Basil
• Thyme

Step 2: Choose Your Base

You can choose to make your homemade insect repellent water or oil-based.

For oil-based bug repellent: Simply mix 40-50 drops of essential oils into 8 oz. of your favorite carrier oil (mine is obviously coconut oil!). Store in a small glass jar or tub. This mixture is quite effective  and can be dabbed lightly on wrists, inside the arm, behind the knees and around the ankles to keep those bugs at a distance.

For water-based bug repellent spray: Essential oils don't mix well with water, so you'll need to use witch hazel or rubbing alcohol (vodka can be used as a natural alternative) as an emulsifier. Use about 2-4 ounces of witch hazel or alcohol in an 8-oz. spray bottle, then fill the rest with pure water and 40-50 drops of essential oils.

Have you given up commercial chemical bug sprays? What kind of natural solutions have you tried for bugs and insects? Have you had any success keeping the bugs away? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below!

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How to Brush Your Teeth for Gum Health: The Bass Brushing Technique

Recently I shared a list of natural toothpaste alternatives, but did you know that how you brush your teeth can be just as important as what you use on your toothbrush? In fact, the type of brush you use plays an important role as well! 

Today Will and Susan Revak from OraWellness share instructions for the Bass brushing technique, an important step in reducing gum disease, improving oral health and protecting tooth enamel.

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Why is addressing gum disease important?

The grim facts speak for themselves:

• Over 90% of adults have some active form of gum disease at age 30. 
• And gum disease isn't just isolated to adulthood--a whopping 65% of 15 year olds already show signs of active gum disease! 

Given these statistics, we consider gum disease the elephant in the living room. Mainstream dentistry has by and large dropped the ball on gum disease and has chosen to focus on tooth decay and the drill, fill and bill business model.

What starts as a little tenderness and swelling between molars turns to gums bleeding when flossing and chronic bad breath, then leads to receding gums and loose teeth, and eventually causes adult tooth loss.

Unfortunately, gum disease isn't just about chronic bad breath and bleeding gums. Besides being the #1 cause of adult tooth loss, research clearly demonstrates a link between active gum disease and the main diseases in our society. Regardless of whether we are talking about arthritis, heart disease or diabetes, research has found links how the "bad bugs" in our mouths contribute to suppressing immunity and the breakdown of the system, resulting in disease. And rightfully so! If you think about it, gum disease is a rampant bacterial infection that has direct access to the whole body via the bloodstream!

While we can't only brush our teeth to create optimal health, we can support greater immunological health by effectively lowering the incidence of bad bugs in our mouths and the risk of rampant bacterial invasion of the body with specific oral hygiene habits.

Clues from history...

Dr. C. C. Bass (photo credit)

Thankfully, we can look back in history to find evidence unvarnished by greed or political agendas of how to address gum disease. Like other notable figures in health history such as Weston A Price, Max Gerson, and Edward and May Mellanby, we have Dr. Charles C. Bass to bring light on the subject of gum disease.

To help place him in history, Dr. Bass was the youngest person to become a dean of a medical school and the first person to carry a microscope west of the Mississippi River.

Dr. Bass was diagnosed with advanced gum disease and instructed by his dentist to have all of his teeth extracted. Dr. Bass had already discovered many parasites using his microscope, so rather than take his dentist's advice, Dr. Bass put his skills toward figuring out what was causing the destruction in his mouth.

Using his microscope, he easily identified the same '"bad bugs" that plague most mouths today. He then set out to figure out a technique that would help to disrupt and remove the bad bugs from his mouth. Through extensive trial and error he created a toothbrush and technique that effectively disrupt and remove the bacteria from the teeth and gums.

As an example of history, Dr. Bass died an old man with all his natural teeth in his mouth. So, given the diagnosis from his dentist, Dr. Bass must have done something right!


Why the Bass Brushing Technique Works

The Bass brushing technique works because the focus is on disrupting and removing the bacteria that accumulate along and under the gum line and between the teeth. Created by extensive trial and error, the Bass brushing technique is very effective at reducing gum disease when used properly.

To be able to effectively use the technique, we must understand that the "bad bugs" related to gum disease organize along and under the gum line, especially between the molars. So, our focus has to be to gently wiggle bristles down into these areas to break up the bacteria's colonization efforts.

Unfortunately, signs of early gum disease are swollen, red, tender gums. Without conscious awareness that these are signs of gum disease, most people avoid brushing the infected area due to discomfort around the swollen gums, which allows the infection to continue unhindered. 


The Right Tool for the Job

What we have from Dr. Bass' life are the Bass toothbrush and the Bass brushing technique. The Bass toothbrush differs from most toothbrushes in two ways:

First, the bristles are more spaced out and there are fewer bristles in the brush head. What Dr. Bass found was most toothbrushes had too many bristles to effectively wiggle between the teeth and down into the gum line. So, he created a brush with much fewer bristles to be able to get down where the bad bugs thrive to disrupt and remove the bacteria. The same is true today as most conventional toothbrushes have too many bristles to effectively use the Bass brushing technique.

The second way the Bass toothbrush differs from other toothbrushes is the bristle tips on the Bass brush are rounded, polished and very smooth. See the photos below to compare the rounded bristle tips of the Bass toothbrush and the jagged, rough cut bristle tips of many other toothbrush bristles.

Left: rounded, polished bristle tips of the Bass toothbrush

Right: jagged, rough cut bristles of other toothbrushes

Instructions for The Bass Brushing Technique

First, hold the toothbrush gently! We like to joke, we're not cleaning a grout line! So, rather than hold the toothbrush like a scrub brush, hold it gently so your arm can relax and apply the small movements required for the Bass brushing technique.

Here's how to brush:

• Hold the brush at the commonly recognized 45 degree angle to the tooth and gum line. 
• The main difference in the Bass technique is how small the movements are. The Bass brushing technique uses very small lateral strokes along the gum line. 
• It's almost like you aren't "brushing" your teeth. Rather, you place the toothbrush at a spot along the gum line and gently wiggle using very small, fine back-and-forth motions to get the bristles down between the teeth and under the gum line. 
• Count to 5, then move to the next place with your brush and repeat. 
• The small motion takes practice, but in time, you will be amazed at how much healthier your gums will feel!

Your Teeth Will Thank You Too!

Another big problem with conventional brushing methods is that they damage the protective outer layer (enamel) of your teeth:

• Research has shown that many folks brush their teeth too hard and damage their enamel. 
• Many toothbrushes have rough cut bristles (rather than the rounded tip bristles on the Bass brushes) that can scratch enamel and irritate gum tissue. 
• In fact, a main cause of receding gums is brushing the sensitive gum tissue too hard--with a toothbrush with rough cut bristles! 
• Many name brand toothpastes use hydrated silica as an abrasive which has been shown to etch teeth and damage enamel.

Putting these all together creates a situation where many people may be doing more harm than good when brushing!

So, rather than dragging your toothbrush over the surface of the teeth, try out the Bass technique and see how it feels!

You can watch the instructional video showing the Bass brushing technique below to get a clearer picture of how you should be brushing:







Check out more video tutorials about oral and holistic health here.

About the authors:

Will and Susan Revak are the founders of OraWellness. They began their journey to creating greater oral health in their own lives over 15 years ago. Check out Susan's story of how she reversed the damage of advanced gum disease.

OraWellness offers tools and educational products to help you take control of your oral health using organic ingredients and inexpensive natural solutions. Chronic bad breath, bleeding gums, and other signs of oral imbalance can be a thing of the past. Whether you are looking for gentle, effective daily care or a complete solution to effectively address oral imbalances (even advanced gum disease!), OraWellness can help. Learn more at www.OraWellness.com.

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Elizabeth's thoughts: I've been using the Bass brushing technique for the past few months, and I am always surprised at how the gentle wiggling motion leaves my teeth feeling so smooth and clean. And I spent all those years thinking I had to scrub my teeth to death to get them clean! Now I realize the gentler method is not only more effective, but protects my teeth and gums in the long run.

What do you think? If you have any thoughts or questions, comment below!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

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Exploring the Root Causes of Acne

There comes a point when you've tried every single over-the-counter product you could find in your battle against the dreaded blight of acne... and yet still the battle rages on. You may have even crossed over to more natural methods of skincare like the honey face mask, homemade toner and coconut oil. And while these certainly help (I know from experience!), they fail to do one important thing: address the root causes of acne.

For a few, cleansing methods alone are enough to eradicate acne. But for the rest of us, there is something going on under the surface that is causing acne to rear its ugly head.

They say beauty isn't just skin deep. Well, neither is your acne.

Getting down to the root of the issue isn't easy. For one thing, we're all different. What causes my acne may have nothing to do with yours. It's all about how our bodies function as individuals. Still, while there are many factors that may be contributing to your acne, they all boil down to four simple categories:

1. Gut Health


2. Stress


3. Toxins


4. Hormonal Imbalance

Keep in mind that these can be tied together (and usually are). Stress can cause hormonal imbalances, poor gut health can cause toxins to build up, toxic overload can cause stress, etc. It's all just one big cycle of cause and effect. Because of this, you may have to address all four of these root issues to truly achieve clear skin (and excellent health). But many of you may experience dramatic results simply by identifying the one factor that's at the bottom of everything and addressing it accordingly.

Let's delve a little deeper into these four categories:

1. Gut Health

I put this one first for a reason--mainly because the condition of your gut affects your entire body far more than most of us realize. Balancing gut flora and rebuilding the strength of your gut lining is imperative to good health. An unhealthy gut system can contribute to toxic overload, hormonal imbalances and stress--gut health is truly the foundation of your overall health and well being.

Acne may actually be one of the first problems to surface when something in your gut isn't functioning properly. Better to catch this one early on than to wait until even more devastating symptoms arise. Simple ways to improve your gut health include eating probiotic foods like raw milk yogurt, taking herbal bitters to improve digestion, and having at least one cup of bone broth every day. Others find they experience more healing when they cut out more difficult to digest foods such as dairy and grains.

If you find yourself facing food intolerances, consider doing the GAPS diet or the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) in order to restore gut health and reverse food sensitivities. These are strict diets, but they are also only temporary and can be extremely effective at repairing a damaged gut.

2. Stress

Stress is a common root cause of acne because it raises adrenaline and cortisol levels. When these stress hormones are chronically elevated, certain health issues begin to crop up. Acne is just one of them (others include back pain, irritability, headaches, insomnia and more--read more about high cortisol here).

For me, a telltale sign of stress-induced acne is--for lack of a better term--bacne. I only experience breakouts on my back and shoulders when stress is the issue. Fortunately I rarely experience this anymore, most likely because I've put a lot of effort into learning to manage my stressors and deal with them in a more positive way. I've also taken up a few positive habits like yoga practice and getting plenty of quality sleep.

Read more about how to reduce stress or learn more about the effect of stress on the body.

3. Toxins

Let's face it: in many ways our world is more toxic than ever. Some suggest that when our systems are overloaded with toxins (think chemical dyes, pesticides, synthetic hormones, fluoride, chlorine, etc.), the body has trouble processing and eliminating all of them. This overload ends up manifesting itself as clogged pores and acne. If you are sensitive to certain chemicals, this may be doubly true. Melissa from The Cellulite Investigation has written extensively about her experience with fluoroderma and acne. For her, exposure to fluoride guarantees cystic acne breakouts. Read more about her thoughts on fluoroderma and acne here.

Whether you are sensitive to specific chemicals or just suffer from general toxic overload, practicing some simple detoxification methods may prove to be very helpful. Try things like dry brushing your skin, drinking a glass of warm lemon water first thing in the morning, oil pulling, taking Epsom salt baths, or rebounding.

4. Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal imbalance is another common underlying cause of acne, but unfortunately conventional medicine offers only one solution: birth control pills. Not my cup of tea!

But hormonal imbalances is last on my list simply because restoring gut health, managing stress and detoxing can all help balance your hormones. But for some, hormones are truly the root cause of their acne, and in that case it's an appropriate place to focus your efforts. I always recommend natural remedies for balancing hormones first and foremost. For instance, many people experience positive results with raw maca powder or vitex (chaste berry extract), both of which are well known for their ability to naturally balance hormones.

Elevated levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) may also contribute to your acne, especially if you experience mostly cystic acne along your jawline and chin. Herbs that balance DHT levels include saw palmetto extract and spearmint tea.

Managing blood sugar and insulin levels is also a key in balancing your hormones. Balanced, real food meals are the best way to get your blood sugar under control. Include some protein and fat with your carbs (specific amounts will vary based on your individual metabolism), and eat smaller meals to avoid drastic upswings in your blood sugar and insulin levels. Some people find specific foods trigger a blood sugar roller coaster. Refined white flour and white sugar seem to be the most common culprits.

If you suspect hormonal imbalance to be the root cause of your acne, then getting a hormone profile test may be needed to determine where you should focus your efforts and if bioidentical hormone replacement is necessary in your particular case.

Try to remember the bigger picture when figuring out the root causes of your acne. Addressing the above issues may not solve your acne woes overnight. It takes time to heal. Impatience will only conjure up feelings of stress--which we know does nothing to improve your complexion! So think long term and make healing your acne just as much about healing your body as a whole. That's when the real benefits happen.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday.

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The Best Homemade Toner for Acne Prone Skin

A homemade toner for acne prone skin should be two things: simple and economical. No long list of required ingredients, and no sourcing ingredients all over town (or all over the internet!). And of course, it needs to be effective for problematic, blemish-prone skin. Luckily, all of these requirements are fulfilled easily by two simple ingredients: green tea and apple cider vinegar. (See below for the recipe.)


Why not use commercial toner?

More often than not, commercial toners contain ingredients that irritate the skin and disrupt its natural balance. These ingredients include things like propylene glycol, harsh exfoliating acids, alcohol, mineral oil, glycerin, fragrance, and dyes. And if you're lucky enough to find a quality toner that doesn't contain unwanted chemicals, you'll usually find a hefty price tag attached.

Personally, I don't feel like you need to sacrifice quality or hard-earned cash for something like facial toner. Instead, get the best of both worlds by making your own homemade toner.


Two Important Ingredients for Homemade Toner

My experiments with homemade toner led me to two primary ingredients: fresh green tea and raw apple cider vinegar.

Why green tea?

Green tea has strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that repair skin damage and reduce redness. I personally notice a decrease in inflammation within minutes of applying green tea to my skin. As a bonus: the antioxidants in green tea may also fight the aging process. So banish blemishes and wrinkles in one fell swoop!

Why raw apple cider vinegar?

Apple cider vinegar helps restore the natural pH balance of your skin. Healthy skin is protected by what is called the acid mantle, a natural barrier that guards against pathogenic bacteria. In her book The Truth About Beauty, Kat James says this about the acid mantle:

"It can easily be obliterated by skin products that contain detergents, soaps, or antiseptics, and in many women--and even teens!--it is never given the change to recover or perform its intended function. Its absence inevitably leads to skin problems that can only be controlled but never resolved until we restore the acid mantle."

Homemade Toner for Acne Recipe

3/4 cup strong green tea
1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar

That's it! Simply pour the green tea and apple cider vinegar into a glass bottle or jar with a lid. Use a cotton ball to apply toner after cleansing or as often as desired. Store this toner in the refrigerator--it should keep for a week or two this way.

Looking for a quality source of green tea leaves? Check out my Resources page.

While these two ingredients alone are enough to make a spectacular homemade toner, you can also experiment with adding things like:

• Orange essential oil (astringent, oil-reducing, stimulates collagen production).

• Lavender essential oil (antimicrobial, soothing, anti-inflammatory).

• Lemon juice (brightening, toning, helps reduce red marks).

• Aloe vera juice (anti-inflammatory, soothing, healing).

Have any other suggestions for homemade toner ingredients? Share your insights in the comments below!


Read more!

You may be interesting in trying out more natural skincare for acne:

• Coconut Oil for Clear Skin

• Raw Honey Mask for Acne
  

Also, check out this post: Exploring the Root Causes of Acne

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

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Coconut Oil for Acne

Coconut oil for acne was at the top of my list of posts to write about getting clear skin. While I don't agree with outright food worship, I have to admit that coconut oil deserves a lot of the attention it gets. When it comes to promoting clear, healthy skin, coconut oil is definitely just what the doctor (dermatologist?) should be ordering. You can use coconut oil for acne in two primary ways:

How to Use Coconut Oil for Acne

1. In Your Body

Coconut oil is brimming with medium chain fatty acids like lauric acid and caprylic acid which are metabolized into potent antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal agents in the body. These work to fight some of the underlying causes of acne such as candida overgrowth, autoimmunity and inflammation.

Recently I've been considering the times I've had exceptionally clear skin during the past few years, and one factor that keeps popping up is that whenever I had really clear skin I was also eating a lot of coconut oil at the time. I'm still not sure whether or not eating more coconut oil is a determining factor in my acne, but it's certainly worth experimenting with.

And so I've renewed my commitment to eat at least three tablespoons of coconut oil every day, the minimum amount recommended by Bruce Fife in The Coconut Oil Miracle, as well as Mary Enig and Sally Fallon in Eat Fat, Lose Fat.


2. On Your Body

I know what you're thinking: Coconut oil on your skin? Won't it make you break out?!? ...At one point in time I too was terrified of putting anything oily on my skin. Using coconut oil for acne sounded ludicrous.

I figured that acne is caused by oil so the best thing to do is kill it with dryness. Well, you know what's worse than acne? Acne and dry skin at the same time! (And let me tell you it's no picnic trying to apply makeup to dry, flaky skin.)

My exploration in the world of real food and natural living led me to realize that oil is not your skin's enemy. After reading what Kat James had to say in her book The Truth About Beauty, I was struck by the realization that I had been stripping my skin of everything it needed to protect and replenish itself. I was punishing my skin for having acne, and it was most definitely backfiring on me.

So I've tried to use gentler methods for cleansing, toning and moisturizing my face. Coconut oil is a regular part of my regimen. And believe me, my skin is oh so grateful.

Why is coconut oil good for your skin? The same antibacterial and antifungal properties in coconut oil that work wonders in your body can do the same on your skin as well. It is far more gentle than chemical antibacterial agents and yet surprisingly effective for many people. Because it consists primarily of short and medium chain fatty acids, coconut oil is also absorbed easily through the skin and provides moisture without leaving your skin feeling greasy.

Tip: If you are left feeling like an oil slick after applying coconut oil, consider scaling back on the amount you use. A very small amount goes a long way. I get much better results working a small amount into my skin rather than slathering it on too liberally.

There is always a jar of coconut oil in my bathroom now (I use it for oil pulling too). I don't personally use it on my face every single day, but whenever my skin feels the need, I reach for my jar of coconut oil without hesitation. It has yet to produce anything but positive benefits for my skin. 

For a trustworthy source of high quality coconut oil, check out the marketplace!

Do you use coconut oil for acne? How has it benefited your body and your skin? Share your thoughts and tips below in the comments!

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday.

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Raw Honey Mask for Acne

The best face mask for acne can't be purchased at a pricey department store. In fact, it only contains one ingredient and it's probably already in your pantry! It's one of my personal favorites: the raw honey face mask.

Raw honey has been prized for its healing properties since ancient times--it was even used like a modern-day antibiotic ointment on burns and scrapes. The raw honey mask for acne is an excellent alternative to conventional acne treatments that often do little more than make your skin dry and scaly. Raw honey, on the other hand, softens the skin and gives it a natural glow. Over time, honey's natural antibacterial properties can help prevent breakouts, but you will notice a difference in the suppleness of your skin right away!


Instructions for a Raw Honey Face Mask

One of the reasons I think honey makes the best face mask for acne is that it's so simple:

1. Use about one teaspoon of high quality raw honey.
2. Gently spread it over the entire face.
3. Leave the honey face mask on for about 15-60 minutes.
4. Rinse with lukewarm or cool water and pat face dry.

Tip: Don't be tempted to use too much honey. About one teaspoon is plenty. Any more than that and you'll be dripping honey all over the place! I had a problem with dripping at first, but once I cut back on the amount of honey I used, the problem resolved itself. Not to mention that it's a little more economical that way, too!

Question: What honey is best for a honey face mask?

Answer: Any honey will do, but I highly recommend using raw, unfiltered honey for your face mask because it retains more of the potent healing properties. I can even tell the difference between raw honey brands I use for my honey mask. A high quality local raw honey made my skin glow in a way I didn't notice with the other raw honey I tried. You can find a great source of high quality raw honey here on my Resources page.

Have you tried the raw honey mask for acne? What did you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

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12 Natural Toothpaste Alternatives

Natural toothpaste alternatives are all the rage these days. So, what's wrong with toothpaste? Well, like most commercial health and beauty products on the market, toothpaste has been industrialized over the years. Here are just a few of the questionable ingredients commonly found in commercial toothpastes:

Fluoride. While fluoride is supposedly the ingredient that prevents cavities, it doesn't do that job very well and can actually be very toxic to the body. In fact, if you suffer from acne outbreaks around the mouth and chin area, fluoride toothpaste may be the cause! (If you haven't already, check out The Case Against Fluoride and The Fluoride Deception for more information.) Fluoride-free toothpastes are becoming more common, but unfortunately it's not the only ingredient in toothpaste you should be avoiding.

Titanium dioxide. There are some concerns that titanium dioxide is carcinogenic. The biggest problem is that nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide can be absorbed through the mouth and may cause toxic damage in the cells of the body.

Glycerin. This is found in almost every toothpaste on the market (even the natural ones). Glycerin helps give toothpaste its pasty texture and keeps it from drying out. But it can also leave a coating on your teeth that prevents them from remineralizing.

Sodium lauryl sulfate. It gives you the foamy cleaning action we all expect from toothpaste, but sodium lauryl sulfate is also a strong chemical surfactant that doesn't belong in our bodies.

Artificial sweeteners. I don't know about you, but I generally avoid chemical sweeteners like sorbitol and saccharin. Unfortunately, these are commonly used in commercial toothpaste to make them taste sweet.

So, what are some natural toothpaste alternatives? I asked you on The Nourished Life Facebook Fan Page what you use instead of commercial toothpaste. And as I expected, you all gave some great responses--so many that I really couldn't list them all! But here are twelve ideas to get you started:

1. Sea Salt

How much more natural can you get than brushing your teeth with salt from the sea? It's easy, too: just dab your toothbrush in sea salt and brush away as usual. Concerned about abrasion? Me, too. You can also dissolve the salt in water first and then dip your brush in the saltwater before brushing.


2. Baking Soda

This has got to be one of the most popular toothpaste alternatives. Like sea salt, you can just dip your toothbrush in baking soda and brush like normal. Or you can dissolve it in water first and use the brine for brushing (just like the sea salt). A lot of people use baking soda as a base for homemade tooth powder. You mix it with a few drops of peppermint essential oil and stevia to give your mouth a minty fresh feel.


3. Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is known for keeping teeth clean and white, and many people use it instead of toothpaste. Jessica on Facebook suggests, "Dip your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide and then in a 50/50 mixture of baking soda and fine sea salt." The only potential problem with hydrogen peroxide is if you have amalgam fillings: peroxide may leach mercury from your fillings.


4. Herbal Tooth Powders

Herbal tooth powders can be used in place of toothpaste. They do a good job of cleaning, and the herbal ingredients can also help ease inflammation, pain and infection throughout the mouth.

 
5. Dry Brushing

It doesn't get much more simple than this. Tired of looking for a natural toothpaste alternative? According to some, there's no need to use anything at all: dry brushing does the job. But while it does seem to work well enough, there's no minty mouth feel (like we're all used to, of course) and might feel a little strange.


6. Brush with Pure Water

If dry brushing doesn't quite cut it for you, try brushing with pure water. This also works surprisingly well for clearing debris from the teeth, but you still don't get that minty mouth feel.


7. All Natural Soap

Yes, you can brush your teeth with soap. I've tried this one a few times, and while it does work, it also tastes pretty, well, soapy. Not exactly the experience I was looking for personally. But if you decide to try it, trying a natural soap like castile soap and then add peppermint oil for flavor.


8. Tooth Soap

For those who aren't keen on using actual soap in their mouths, there are quite a lot of brands of specially designed tooth soaps on the market. Just try to find one without additives.


9. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is another great natural toothpaste alternative. Its antifungal and antibacterial properties come in handy for mouth cleaning. Coconut oil can be used alone and combined with other ingredients listed here (like baking soda and essential oils). For a great source of quality coconut oil, check out the marketplace!


10. Oral Irrigation (Waterpik)

Getting a Waterpik has been on my to-do list ever since I read Cure Tooth Decay by Rami Nagel. But I don't have one yet, so I can't speak from personal experience about using one. According to user reports, however, this little device can work some wonders cleaning teeth and gums. Some say the results are nothing short of miraculous. Rami Nagel suggests in his book that you use salt water for oral irrigation, which can enhance the benefits.


11. Essential Oils

These can be bought at a local health food store or from a reputable online store like iHerb.com. Check out this post for some great recipes for homemade tooth powder, mouthwash and more using essential oils.

You can also find an excellent essential oil formula for brushing here at Ora Wellness.

Sometimes I just use a drop or two of peppermint oil on my dampened toothbrush if I want a quick and easy way to get my mouth feeling clean and minty fresh.


12. Oil Pulling

Never heard of it? Here's a post that explains what oil pulling is and how to do it. Basically you swish about one tablespoon of oil (I use coconut oil) for several minutes. Then brush with plain water or use one of the methods listed above. Trust me, your teeth have never felt this clean!

Want to learn how to brush your teeth? Check out this post about the Bass brushing technique! 


Need to source some of these natural ingredients? Check out the marketplace!

Do you have a favorite natural toothpaste alternative? Please share in the comment section below!

This post is part of Fight Back Friday and Real Food Wednesday.





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Book Review: Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel

Tooth decay has become an accepted norm in our culture. Sure, we fluoridate our water, scrub our teeth with plastic bristles and dutifully have our teeth scraped with metal objects a couple times every year. But for all our effort, tooth decay remains an ever present part of our lives. While modern dentistry preaches prevention, the underlying policy is to drill and fill the imperfections in our teeth. Above all, the word "cure" is never used in conjunction with subjects like cavities, gingivitis and other dental woes.

Until now. Ramiel Nagel takes the daring leap from drilling to curing in his book Cure Tooth Decay. To be perfectly honest, before hearing about this book I never even considered the idea that tooth decay could be reversed. I was so swamped by cultural bias that I assumed cavities could only be prevented by brushing, flossing, and staying away from sweets. And if that didn't work (as it often doesn't) then it was time to drill those poor teeth to oblivion. But according to Rami, this system of dental care fails at every level:

"Modern dentistry is a profound failure. The enormity of suffering and disease caused by dentistry is so massive that it is beyond comprehension."

"High speed drilling creates high friction and raises the temperature of the tooth nerve, causing irreversible nerve damage in 60% of cases."

Nagel goes into depth about why and how modern dentistry has failed us. For not only are their treatments ineffective (some might even call them cruel), but the focus is never on the right thing: preventing and healing tooth decay. He also addresses several of the common myths about tooth decay (such as food on teeth causing cavities).

A Comprehensive Guide to Tooth Decay

I was floored by the amount of information contained in Cure Tooth Decay. I honestly did not expect to learn so much about what makes teeth healthy and why tooth decay happens. I was also surprised how little I really knew about dental health. Reading about the process of how teeth remineralize was absolutely fascinating.

For years, dentists have been treating teeth as if they are separate from the rest of the body. And perhaps this is the greatest mistake concerning the health of our teeth and gums.

Nutrient Density and Tooth Decay

As we know from the work of Weston A. Price (detailed in Nutrition and Physical Degeneration), tooth decay was far less rampant in traditional cultures who consumed their ancestral diet than it was in modern society. Price took the information he gathered from traveling the world and applied it to his patients when he got home. 

It's interesting to note that Price did not put his patients on traditional diet. Instead, he applied the principles of traditional diets by adding a few key nutrient dense foods to their diets. This had a marvelous effect on their general health as well as the health of their teeth.

In Cure Tooth Decay, Nagel outlines these same principles and gives specific tips for supplying the body with the nutrients it needs to remineralize teeth. Some of these key nutrients include vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin K2 (what Price refers to as Activator X), and important minerals like calcium, phosphorous, and trace minerals as well. 

Nagel suggests specific foods that can help supply these nutrients (grass-fed dairy, pastured eggs, bone broth, liver and seafood top the list, of course) and also outlines which foods may be causing problems with nutrient absorption. Following in Price's footsteps, he emphasizes the benefits of supplementing with high quality cod liver oil and butter oil.

"If you have tooth decay, you are presumably deficient in vitamins A and D."

  

Metabolic Function and Tooth Decay

"A malfunctioning thyroid gland also plays a role in producing tooth decay and gum disease because the thyroid plays a role in maintaining blood calcium levels."

I was impressed when Nagel brought metabolic function into the picture. He touched on how overall metabolic health (such as thyroid and pituitary function) can affect how the body regulates where minerals are deposited. A poor metabolism may very well lead to tooth decay and gum disease.

Obey Nature, Heal Tooth Decay

"All you need to do to heal cavities is understand Nature's rules for health, and then follow them. When you follow these rules, the built-in ability for your teeth to heal will take over."

Nagel goes into great detail in Cure Tooth Decay about all of the ways our diet can affect the health of our teeth and gums. He offers plenty of practical and specific directions for healing tooth decay.

But he does manage to avoid sounding preachy and rigid in his suggestions. While he admits that those with extensive tooth damage will probably need to follow the stricter approach, he fully embraces the idea that you should do what works and what feels right for you as an individual. He also offers meal ideas and suggestions for eating out. He even provides details for a "One-Amazing-Meal-A-Day" protocol that can be really helpful for those need a stepping stone into the world of nourishing food.


Final Thoughts on Cure Tooth Decay

There is honestly so much good information packed in this book that it's impossible for me to even come close to summarizing it in a blog post. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow I'm going to think of a hundred things I forgot to mention. Here's some more topics Nagel covers in Cure Tooth Decay:

• Weston A. Price's original tooth decay curing protocol
• How teeth remineralize
• Blood sugar regulation and tooth decay
• Why healthy gums matter (and how to heal your gums)
• What causes plaque and calculus deposits
• Toxicity of mercury fillings and fluoride treatments
• Safe filling materials
• How to find a good dentist
• How your dental palate affects your health
• Alternatives to braces
• Safe tooth whitening
• Healing your children's teeth (from infants to older children)

Read more reviews of Cure Tooth Decay here. Or you can check out the official Cure Tooth Decay web site at www.curetoothdecay.com. If you're looking for sources for the nutrient dense foods and supplements that can help cure tooth decay, check out my resources page.

Want more book reviews? Check out my other reviews below:

• Fat Politics by J. Eric Oliver
• Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride
• The Coconut Miracle by Bruce Fife
• The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean
• The Detox Book by Bruce Fife
• The Gabriel Method by Jon Gabriel
• Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
• Adrenal Fatigue by James Wilson
• The Schwarzbein Principle (the entire series) by Diana Schwarzbein
• The Mood Cure by Julia Ross
• Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Mary Enig and Sally Fallon

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday and Fight Back Friday.

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