PreGAPS part three

Just received my large free jar of coconut oil from Tropical Traditions.  Along with organic tomato paste and some all natural deodorant.

One of the things I've been doing over that last several months is trying to reduce my exposure to toxins.  I figure if I'm having to get weekly IVs of glutathione so my body can rid itself of toxins maybe it is a good idea not to come in to contact with toxins in the first place.  I already ate organic and drank filtered water so that rules out those sources but I was still using dishwasher detergent, shampoo, soap and deodorant.

Last month I went "poo-less", as it is commonly known in the blogsphere.  I'm now using a mixture of 1T of baking soda to 1c of warm water instead of shampoo and 1T of organic vinegar to 1C of warm water instead of conditioner.  It works AWESOME!!!  My hair is soft, easy to comb out, full of natural curls, and much less oily than it used to be.  My scalp is also less itchy.  I thought my head had gotten greasier over the years.  Now I think the shampoos have become less effective.  I would shower every morning and look like a greaseball by the end of work and I was at a desk or lab bench most of the time.  Now my hair stays clean for 2-3 days.  Woohoo!!

I've also been on a quest to find some natural deodorant.  I just can't go deodorant free.  I stink.  Particularly with the hot flashes I've been experiencing lately.  I bought a solid but the scent was too overpowering.  I just got a new roll on today from Tropical Traditions.  The scent is a bit strong at first but it quickly calms down to the tolerable range.  Now I have to see if it works all day.  It has coconut oil, baking soda, essential oils and a few other innocuous ingredients in it.  A vast improvement over the chemical laden antiperspirant I was using.

Since I don't wear makeup that isn't an issue.  I already use an organic fluoride free toothpaste.  All I'm left with now is soap and moisturizer that I need to find replacements for.  BTW, toxins are readily absorbed through the skin which is why I'm worried about this stuff.

As far as the dishes go, the soap is highly caustic and quite nasty to ingest.  Hubs always uses too much of it and my glass would always have a ring of soap bubbles in it when I filled it up with water to drink.  Hence, when I use regular dishwasher soap I run the dishwasher a second time on a short cycle with no soap.  This rinses off the dishes.  I could (but haven't yet) put vinegar in the rinse dispenser which will also help rinse the excess soap off.  I was using Biokleen soap which was awesome.  It left the dishes squeaky clean without any soap residue without having to run the dishwasher twice.  When I ran out hubs went back to the regular crap.  I need to buy some more of the good stuff.  It even comes in a scent free version.

We are still using old school Tide for our laundry.  I'm just not that worried about my clothes.  I should be but I'm focusing my energy on cooking.  I have found recipes to make your own laundry detergent but I don't have the energy to make the stuff even though it is pretty easy.  I did buy the borax for it but still have to find the washing soda.  Maybe I'll have my kid grate up the bar of fels naptha I have hanging around in the laundry room.

I've also been trying to stay away from inhaling stuff.  This can be difficult since hubs is a gearhead at heart and is always out in the garage building cars.  This means all sorts of airborn nasties floating back into the house such as gasoline or paint fumes.  Ugh.  He makes fun of me now but I don't care.  I'm trying to reduce my toxic load so that my body doesn't have to work so hard.

While I have been having detox baths with either epsom salts or baking soda about once a week, the GAPS diet calls for a nightly detox bath and rotates through a series of bath additions: epsom salts, baking soda, apple cider vinegar and seaweed powder.  I have to order the powder still.

In general things are buzzing along.  Prep is well underway.  I have a second source for beef bones and tallow and I'm going to comparison shop with Whole Foods tomorrow since they are a tad expensive.  $5/lb for bones is a bit excessive.  They should run about $2.