Natural Skin Care 30 Day Challenge

I have been reading a lot about different ways to make my own natural skin care products.  After watching the documentary, Chemerical by Andrew Nisker (trailer here), I was motivated to find ways to cut the toxins from not just my house (which I was already doing) but also my body.

I have my reservations to be quite honest.  I mean washing my hair with coconut milk?  My face with olive oil? My teeth with baking soda?  Yuck!  The thought is not that enticing to me.  BUT the idea of NOT using the unnecessary chemicals and toxin on my skin IS enticing.

Three things I have learned from this informative documentary:

• Today we are exposed to over 72,000 chemicals per year
• Stay at home moms/dads (and work at home parents) are 54% more likely to have cancer
• Indoor air quality can be anywhere from 10-50 times worse than outdoors

Since body products are absorbed straight into the skin, I figure it might be important to start examining what I put on my body and my kids bodies.  I've decided to do a 30 day trial of all natural products.  A week would be too short to see results and I'm not sure I am ready to commit to 60 or 90 days so a month it is.  Starting, well yesterday, I will only be using natural products to wash my face, my body, my hair, and my teeth.  No body sprays, no tanning lotion, no cosmetics (except those I make).  Will it be a challenge?  For sure!!

The goal is two fold.  1) To prove to myself whether switching to natural products is feasible and affordable.  2) To see what using natural products does to my skin, hair, and teeth.  Is it better, worse, or the same as using commercial products?

In the next few days I will be posting the recipes for each new product set I'm using and I will update those posts with results and musings as I continue to use them.  You can check back on this post and use the links below or just scroll on the side to view the various items. (The links will appear as I get them uploaded.)

Hair Care
Homemade Lotions and Deodorant
Hand and Body Wash
Natural Facial Skin Care
Homemade Makeup
A Natural Smile