Completed: 60 Days Without Soap

Goodbye lather, goodbye fresh herbal bars, goodbye liquid goop...goodbye forever? After I read Courtney Pool's tips and practices for gorgeous skin I recognized the truth by practicing the majority of the list. I also realized there were a couple I haven't tried. If something triggers my interest I am almost always willing to try it. So I decided to choose one challenge which didn't require a lot from me. That challenge was to go 30 days without soap in the shower. At the 30 day mark I felt there was a lot more in the process and I wanted to keep going.

I read other websites about those who decided to go without soap. Many of them concluded they could tell no difference if they used soap or not. The vast majority of people who stopped using soap stopped using it as a life choice. If most people could tell no difference if they used soap or not--why are we Americans so hung up on soap? I, like many others, still use soap for certain parts and always my hands. I have taken some castile soap to work to share, though I would rather go without washing than use that pink stuff which stains the sink.

At home, for my face I follow the Oil Cleanse Method outlined by the magnificent Nadine Artemis. Nadine's method can be found here. When I am not exhausted I use an Oil Cleanse Method for my body (at other times I scrub down with water and a nylon body scrubber from the International market). My body Oil Cleanse Method is as follows:

1.) Liquid




2.) Wash cloth
 
3.) Coconut Oil



4.) Essential Oil



Essentially I take the washcloth spritz it with a hydrosol, rub in some coconut oil, and drip a few drops of essential oil onto the coconut oil. I rub the oils together and rub into my skin in the same way I use the dry skin brush. I start at the left foot and make my way to the left hip. Then the right leg. Then I start at the left wrist and work my way to the shoulder. Then the right arm. I scrub all parts of my back that I can reach (I'm getting pretty flexible) then I work the front side ending with large clockwise circles over my abdomen. I leave the oil on as long as I can before using the nylon scrubby with filtered shower water to remove excess coconut oil.

The results? My skin is in remarkably better condition. My skin stays moist a lot longer. When I used soap my skin seemed to pucker up and not be as healthy of a color. Because my skin is so dry the oil cleansing method is my first choice and the water-only shower works, but it's not as beneficial to my skin. As a result of this experiment I do not see myself using soap in the shower anymore. Well, unless on travel when I collect the hotel soaps which I give to the homeless.

Despite being uber conscientious of chemicals in my home I have become even more conscientious of the soap in my house. I was stunned when I read the ingredients on my Seventh Generation Free and Clear dish soap and found Sodium Lauryl Sulfate! I appreciate their products, especially as they were the first in mainstream stores however I am not willing to knowingly use unnecessary chemicals anymore. Now I am using castile soap to wash dishes and some laundry. 

Purging Plastic

I dislike throwing around statistics, especially when it comes to plastic. I believe any plastic in my body is wrong and I want it out. The biggest problem with this is I keep finding new ways plastic is encroaching my personal space. So I was grateful to find a way to dissolve plastic toxins from my body.

I have been experimenting with organic or wild-crafted therapeutic grade essential oils for two months. After watching Cancer is Curable Now and hearing how plastic gums up our system I was grateful for having used essential oils in aromatherapy and external body elixirs. Essential oils must be respected and treated as strong medicine, because they are.  As Dr. Francisco Contreras mentioned in the Healing Cancer World Summit mentioned in an earlier post, whether or not it (medicine) is venom is determined by the dosage.

I struggle with finding and using a great diffuser. I've tried the candle burning diffuser, the electric diffuser but I face the same issue: I must closely monitor the water level holding the essential oil. I have found a new diffuser I think will work great. I am a huge fan of Himalayan Rock Salt lamps for the negative ions it emits to clean and purify the air near me. Now, it seems one will also release the fragrant healing power of plants. I love when I discover new ways to practice two or more healing practices in one.

Self-Dentistry

My recent visit to the dentist was a wake up call to take better care of my teeth and gums. When I told the dental team I wanted to remove my amalgams for better health they were surprised.  The dentist said I was 1 in 100. Surprisingly I felt hope--that is a pretty high number of educated health nuts taking action!

A week or two before the removal I started to get serious about my daily dental health care. I am still fiddling with it, but for the most part I do this:

First thing in the morning I swish cold-pressed organic sesame oil with organic drops of tea tree oil and essential oil of lemon for 20 minutes. Not only is it refreshing, it is my understanding oil swishing pulls toxins and unhealthy bacteria from the mouth. I have done it irregularly in the past, but it is one habit I will establish before I start my second Juice Feast.

I then follow the swish with an ionic brushing using a clay based concoction, scraping my tongue, flossing, and rubbing essential oils into my gums.  Sometime this winter, I will return to the biodental clinic for a good, healthy cleaning and then comfortably step back on the path of a much more educated and disciplined form of self-dentistry.