Last year I had decided to slowly eliminate some different toxic house items and replace them with a home made, natural variety instead. It wasn't really a "new years resolution" per say but after some different study and reading on the topic it made me want to try and change in that area of our lives. There were a lot of reserves I had about getting rid of certain things in our home, would the replacements work? Would they be cheaper, or more expensive? Are the items easy to get or must I scour the internet to find a deal on them? It had to be easy, affordable and effective for it to work for this family! As with any new or unfamiliar territory it seemed like it could take years before I could live a life that was free of dirty chemicals and toxins, how could I even begin to eliminate this stuff when it is in everything! Feelings of being completely overwhelmed by the immensity of the project set in and that is when the words of the Lord gave some peace. In the book of Chronicles 28:20 David is speaking to his son Solomon about the work of building the temple of the Lord. This was something that no king had been able to do before because of not having the promised land of Israel secured. Solomon knew that this was going to be an immense project and he had reserve about being the one to build it, but his father spoke these words of encouragement to his son. David also said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished." This is a great reminder for me that when you are setting out to do something that will honor the Lord that we have no need to be discouraged or afraid of what we can't do because God is there to help us accomplish the task. So taking baby steps I decided to start out by getting rid of toothpaste. The reason being if you look on the back of a conventional toothpaste tube you find a warning that says if you accidentally swallow any you should call poison control right away. This doesn't sound like something I want to putting in my mouth every day. Not only that but most have artificial sweeteners in them as well, and there are numerous studies popping up about the dangers of artificial sweeteners. So we started with this toothpaste recipe because I had all the ingredients and could make a batch quick and easy.
- 1/8-1/4 Cup Baking soda (depending on how much polishing you want)
- 1/4 Cup warmed virgin coconut oil
- 20 drops of peppermint, clove, or citrus pure essential oil
- 1/2 tsp hydrogen peroxide (optional)
- Warm up the coconut oil till liquid on stovetop.
- pour on baking soda and essential oil
- Add the hydrogen peroxide to the mix and let firm up
This toothpaste works best in 70 degree temperatures, as more than that and the mix liquifies and when it gets too cold it can be hard to apply to your tooth brush, doable just hard. I feel like it cleans my teeth better than the store bought and whitens them too! It is also made with ingredients that are not too hard to find, are inexpensive and I have on hand. So it meets all my criteria! This gave me the courage to try some other DIY and natural house hold products, that I will be sharing with you this month, on our journey to a less toxic home. I hope that you are blessed and encouraged by the Lord to finish the tasks he has for you this coming year!
The Farmer in the Dell
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