Embarking on a cleansing experience means eliminating a plethora of unhealthy foods from your diet. As many people who use the Full Body Cleanse know, the goal is to focus on fresh foods that aid the cleansing process and provide the body with various phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other vitamins & minerals. Diet, while it plays a crucial role in weight loss and achieving a healthier body, is merely one aspect of cleansing.
Cleansing Beyond The Diet
The chemicals in cleaning and beauty products can enter the body via skin absorption or inhalation. Because the average person is accustomed to using these products, he or she may not interpret the side effects of those harmful chemicals in the body as wrong or “out of the norm.” After you cleanse the body, you may notice skin irritation, coughing, or sinus irritations when using commercial cleaning or beauty products. This is why you may want to consider using all-natural alternatives.
Common household cleaners make your living space look clean, but they simultaneously fill the area with chemicals that have caused asthma in children and skin irritations in adults. Indoor air pollution, which ranks high on the list of environmental dangers, is primarily caused by cleaning products. After cleaning with such products post cleanse, you may notice eye irritation, sore throat, runny nose, or headaches. A lot of this has to do with how the government regulates cleaning products.
Cleaning with natural cleaning products may be unfamiliar or different, but so is the thought of completing a Full Body Cleanse. We aren’t saying that you need to trash all of your cleaning and beauty products, but we are suggesting that keeping the body clean and healthy requires a multifaceted approach. Your skin rash or chronic cough may be attributed to your favorite lotion or countertop cleaner. In an effort to expose you to more natural options, here are some of our favorite skin care and cleaning products to incorporate into your new, healthier lifestyle.
DIY Whipped Body Butter
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup each: Shea butter, cocoa butter, virgin coconut oil, and sweet almond oil
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
Instructions:
- In a double boiler or sauce pain over medium-low heat, combine all of the ingredients, except the essential oils. Stir this mixture until it becomes liquid.
- Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool and set. Make sure it is set before completing the next step.
- Add the essential oils and whip with a stand or hand mixer, whipping until you get fluffy peaks. The mixture will not whip if you don’t let it set.
- Spoon this into a glass jar and store in a cool dry place, or in the fridge. Use on dry or cracked skin.
Chemical Free Moisturizer
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup castor oil
- small soft washcloth
- small container for storing oil mixture
Instructions:
- It is recommended that you only apply this mixture once a day before bed to allow the oils to nurture your skin overnight.
- Mix the oils together in a glass jar.
- Pour about one teaspoon of the oil mixture in your hands, rub them together, and apply the mixture all over your face.
- Take the washcloth and run it under hot water. Place this over your face and leave it on until it becomes cool.
- Using the washcloth, wipe your face and then rinse the washcloth off.
- If you feel that your skin is dry, apply a couple drops of olive oil on your skin.
- Store the mixture in a cool, dry place.
Exfoliating Sugar Scrub
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon dried green tea leaves (can be taken from 2-4 tea bags)
- 1 cup organic brown sugar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 10 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions:
- Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Scoop this mixture into an airtight container and then store it in a cool dry place.
- When you want to use this exfoliator, apply about 1 tablespoon to your hands and massage it onto the face/body for 30 seconds. Rinse this from your skin with warm water and pat dry.
Appliance Cleaner
Ingredients:
- 1 part distilled white vinegar
- 1 part water
Instructions:
- In a spray bottle, mix one part distilled white vinegar and 1 part water. Spray on your appliances and wipe away with a microfiber cloth.
Citrusy Dish Soap
Ingredients:
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 5 cups boiling water
- 5 tablespoons liquid castile soap
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
- 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 10 drops tea tree essential oil
Instructions:
- Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water. Add the liquid castile soap and stir until everything is dissolved. Let this cool.
- When the mixture is cooled, stir in the essential oils and pour it into a bottle. It is important to shake well before you use it.
DIY Disinfectant Spray
Ingredients:
- Enough lemon peels to fill up a quart-size mason jar
- Enough distilled white vinegar to fill that mason jar
- A spray bottle
Instructions:
- Fill a quart-size mason jar with lemon peels.
- Fill the jar almost to the brim with distilled white vinegar. Seal the jar and allow it to sit for about one day in a cool dry place.
- Strain the vinegar through fine mesh strainer into another jar or bowl.
- Pour the strained vinegar into a spray bottle, screw the top on, and spray away and start cleaning!
