Bath and Body Cleaning Substitutions

Over the years Americans have gotten used to running to the market or pharmacy to get all the little personal cleaning aides needed. From shampoos to toothpaste to mouth wash to soap and beyond. Often these things are not always earth friendly, they leave footprint in our lives and on our Mother that are not healthy or wise.

In the old days these products were not available, so how did our ancestors survive? They used more earth friendly, often earth provided things to do the same jobs.

Egg Shampoo for Dry Hair: Beat two eggs until frothy and massage well into scalp. Leave on the hair for a few minutes and rinse off with warm water (hot water will cause the eggs to congeal.) To cut the film left from the whole egg shampoo add 2 or 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar to rise water for brunettes or the juice of half a lemon for blonds.

Avocado Deep Conditioner for the Hair: Ingredients: 1 small jar of mayonnaise, 1/2 avocado Directions: Peel avocado and remove pit. Mash avocado then mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with your hands until it's a consistent green color. Smooth into hair. Use shower cap or plastic wrap to seal body heat in. Leave on hair for 20 minutes. For deeper conditioning wrap a hot, damp towel around your head over the plastic, or use a hair dryer set to a low to medium heat setting. Store extra in refrigerator.

Rosemary as a Versatile Hair Aid: Add an infusion of rosemary to the final rinse after a shampoo to prevent oiliness and give a sheen to dark hair. A rosemary rinse also makes hair more manageable and easy to set. It is said to help with dandruff also.

Bath Oils: Turkey-red oil, a derivative of castor oil, acts as an emulsifying agent on other oils so that they do not leave a film of oil on the skin or the bathtub. Mix three parts turkey oil with one part essential oil of your choice and add a few drops to your bath.

Oatmeal scrub: Oatmeal makes an excellent nonalkaline soap substitute. Wrap a handful of dry oatmeal in a wash cloth (a sock can work very well), dampen it, and rub it over your body in place of soap when you shower or bathe. Oatmeal is a soothing, softening cleaner. If your skin is dry, use ground almonds in place of the oatmeal, they are particularly moisturizing.

Honey and Almond Cream: This traditional recipe makes a very moisturizing night cream for dry hands. Melt 2 oz honey in a double boiler and mix in 4 ounces lanolin until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool before stirring in 2 ounces sweet almond oil and a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

Age Spot and Freckle Fading: An old French recipe uses fresh cucumber juice.
Cucumbers are said to be excellent bleaching agents for the skin, and can be used on brown spots. To make a lotion, mix 1 tsp of the cucumber juice with 2 tsps of water. Apply once in the morning and once at night, letting it dry on the skin

In France, a freckle lotion is made from 1 oz. of
powdered alum and 1 oz. of lemon juice in a pint of rose water. Shake well and apply.

In Israel, brown spots are treated with a paste made by mashing 1/3 cup of chickpeas in a little water. Smear on the paste and leave it on until dry and crumbly. Wash completely. You can apply this mixture daily.

Cucumber Facial: Use this facial to soothe and cleanse the skin. Some say cucumbers with lemon juice ease freckles. This recipe is certainly astringent. Cukes also contain a hormone thought to work against wrinkles. For best effect, apply after a shower or facial steaming. Be sure the skin is clean before you apply the mask.

2" chunk fresh cucumber, seeded, and pureed
1 tsp. witch hazel
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg white
1 tbsps. cream or plain yogurt
2 tsps. powdered milk

Lip Butter: 20 ounces Almond Oil1/2 pound Anhydrous Lanolin8 ounces Glycerin3 3/4 ounces Beeswax5-10 drops of Essential Oil

Over low heat, dissolve the lanolin in the almond oil, add the glycerin, and stir until all three are dispersed. Add the finely-chopped beeswax, stirring until just melted, add the essential oil, and pour the salve into containers. Stir the pot frequently and pour as quickly as reasonable. If you take too long the lanolin and glycerin may begin to separate

Athletes Foot Remedies: Rubbing diluted alcohol on the affected area with cotton balls is one of the athletes foot remedies.

Applying aloe vera gel twice daily on the affected areas is one of the other athletes foot remedies. Apple cider vinegar having antifungal properties in one of the other widely used athletes foot remedies. Soaking the feet in a mixture of equal amounts of apple cider vinegar and water for ten minutes daily up to ten days or until symptoms disappear is one of the best athletes foot remedies.

Soaking the feet in a solution of baking soda and water for about 30 minutes daily is one of the other athletes foot remedies. This helps change the pH of the skin. Washing the feet in a mild solution of boric acid is one of the other common athletes foot remedies. Chaparral is one of the other effective athletes foot remedies.

Healing Cracked Heels: Clean and moisturize your feet daily. Before going to bed, soak your feet in warm, soapy water for 15 minutes, wash and dab it dry. Take one teaspoon Vaseline, add lemon juice extracted from one lemon. Rub this mixture on your feet mainly the cracked areas. Let the skin absorb this mixture. Do this daily to get maximum benefits.

Mixture of glycerin and rosewater applied on daily basis helps heal the cracked feet.
Cold Sore Treatment: Lemon balm has been known to have strong anti-viral property. In a recent study, patients blisters went away 5 days quicker than patients that didn’t use lemon balm. Another good homeopathic remedy is peppermint oil. Studies done found that peppermint essential oil was found to enter the skin and have a strong virucidal effect on the virus. It was also found to have a strong effect against certain strains of the virus that have been known to be stronger than other strains. Rhubarb and sage cream has also been found to have powerful effects over cold sores. It has also been found to be one of the most powerful creams out on the market.

Acne Treatment: Steam your face for five to ten minutes to clean the pores with hot infusions of lavender, chamomile, or thyme. Rinse your face with honey water, rosewater, or a dilute infusion of marigold tea to tone and close the pores. Do this every day until the skin starts to heal.

Herbal Gargle for Bad Breath: 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lavender (1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried)1 tablespoon (15 ml) peppermint (1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried)1 cup (250 ml) waterBring the water to a boil. Put the herbs into a clean glass jar. Pour the boiling water over the herbs and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain the solution. Now simply Gargle.