the good stuff

You know that I went through and purged my beauty products for all things toxins. And truthfully I took two things out of the bad pile to keep (mousse and conditioner). Now I'd like to share the good natural bathroom products that we use every day and I'd love to hear what your favorite natural products are.

I have to apologize in advance to those readers who do not have access to a Trader Joe's, you may just want to quit reading right now. We buy many of our products from them, they are so good about making their own cheaper brand. If you do have a TJ's in your area go there, check out the prices and thank me! I'm sure there are many amazing products out there to spend your money on. But I try to do everything on the cheap since I stay at home and we live on one income.

First of all toothpaste, Trader Joe's (see, I told you you'd be mad) makes an excellent natural toothpaste. I didn't like the taste at first, but now I'm used to it.

deo- I make my own and it works better than anything I've ever tried. Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with 1/4 cup baking soda, add coconut oil to desired consistency and a few drops of essential oil like lavendar. Take a deep breath and savor the freshness, ahhhh...

face lotion- tried Trader Joe's and not a fan, I don't want an SPF with Oxybenzone in it on my face all day. Sometimes I use Jojoba oil, sometimes I use Aveeno, sometimes I use nothing. I would love to hear what you are using. I bought an Avalon Organics lavendar scented face lotion and it was heaven, I felt like I had been to the spa every time I use it. But it's pricey- at Whole Foods it was $18 for a small jar!

body lotion- my whole family uses plain old olive oil, while your skin is still wet from the shower/bath. It's like a little massage. I'm going to put vanilla essential oil in it for a natural bug repellent during the summer.

shampoo and conditioner- from Trader Joe's again, they have an awesome line of tea tree oil products and I think they're around $3 a bottle, come on now, it's practically robbery.

soap- we use a TJ bar soap made of oatmeal and honey, it's awsome and just $2 for 2 bars.

So, what do you use? Anyone else <3ing TJ's as much as me?

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No more hives

I'm so happy to report that our little guy is feeling better. It's amazing how fast babies recover- today he woke up almost all cleared up. Our little trooper couldn't wait til 8am to tell us that he was OK, he thought 4am was a more appropriate wake up time. My wonderful husband stayed up with him so I could get some much needed sleep. I just can't be mad at him when he was so sick the last two days. He got extra cuddles and nursies all day. We're still not sure what was the cause of the reaction. It could have been some peanut sauce I ate earlier in the week in chicken lettuce wraps. But it could also have been a million other things. We'll just be happy that he's OK and be more careful about peanuts in his and my diet.  Thank you for the kind words and advice and offers for help. It's nice to know so many people care about our little family ;)

Hives!

This is what I woke up to this morning. Hives! All over my beautiful baby's body. I was so scared for him. I first put him in the bath with some oatmeal. Then took him to our pediatrition when they opened. Actually, the first person I called was my Mom, or Dr. Momma (she's not a real doctor but she may as well be with as much natural healing reading that she does!) She was so helpful and reassuring, thank you Mom. Our Dr. prescribed Benadryl for the itching and homeopathic drops for whatever was giving him the reaction. I've been racking my brain thinking about what it could be and I still don't know. The weirdest part of all of it is that when I leave him with my husband and leave the room all of the hives go away.  We don't know if it's the timing of the Benadryl or something about me that's setting him off. It's a horrible feeling that I may be causing my baby to feel like that. I tried putting breastmilk on him, by taking some I had frozen and putting it in a syringe then squirting it on his skin- it got everywhere! But he smelled so good and milky. He didn't want to eat or drink anything but he would still nurse. It made me SO thankful that we're still nursing.

I'm really giving myself a guilt trip because I've been trying to eliminate toxins from our home and use more natural products and he still had a reaction. To what?! I guess we'll find out if it happens again. I should be glad that it's not more serious and that he's strong enough to recover. I'll keep you updated on his progress.