Current Favorite Products

I've been updating this post as I think of things to add to it, and I may continue to update it. These are my current favorite products!

Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques

The whole entire brand. I've written about natural and organic make up before, including Lauren Brooke lip colors (I never finished that post because... fatigue and sickness making me not look camera ready), Mineral Fusion, and MyChelle. MyChelle no longer makes make up. I don't understand why, because they had this awesome foundation cream stick that I loved, but the company decided to focus on skin care instead of cosmetics. Such a disappointment. I switched to Mineral Fusion pressed powder foundation. I like it a lot, but I find it's a bit dry and I broke out to their liquid foundation. I learned that Mineral Fusion is not 100% trustworthy and only some of their products are safe, but the safe products are excellent and I highly recommend. I decided to finally try Lauren Brooke's pressed powder. I'm never going back. It's the bomb! It's not drying, applies really smoothly and evenly, and has this radiance to it that Mineral Fusion didn't give me. I don't feel it on my skin. It looks so natural and feels so natural, but covers the perfect amount and warms up my skin tone nicely. It also neutralizes my undereye bags without concealer! It doesn't hide them like concealer, but it masks the purple color so it looks like I'm not wearing make up or trying to hide them.

I just purchased two new items from them (as in minutes ago, have not arrived yet.) One is their lash conditioner. They sent me a sample of it last time I ordered. I never really thought I wanted a lash conditioner until I tried it, but the sample of it convinced me. It helped tone down my itching and my lashes did act stronger - as in, not falling out at the normal rate. What I would actually like from regular use of it is to regrow lashes. I have a "bald patch" in my lashes that drives me nuts. This conditioner has horsetail in it, and from my understanding, horsetail is the only herb known to create new hair growth (as opposed to helping the hair you already have grow more.)

The other new item I just bought is their creme concealer. I have an issue with eye shadows creasing on me - all brands, doesn't seem to matter if it's powder or liquid. Reviewers said this concealer mixes really well with eye shadow and prevents the creasing. I'm going to test this out and see if it's true! As it is, I tend to wear very light amounts of eye shadow so that when it ends up creasing it's not as obvious. I want to be able to rock a normal layer of eye shadow for hours!

I'm wearing Lauren Brooke Cool 20 Pressed Powder Foundation in this photo (along with Honeybee Garden eye liner, and Mineral Fusion mascara and blush.) I took this on a day when I was feeling badly and tried to get ready for work, so I did my make up, but wasn't strong enough to actually work. I never expected to use the photo, lol, but you can see how it makes my skin look natural with a glow. My chest skin was more pale than normal. I love it!






Biokleen Laundry Powder and Oxygen Bleach Plus

This has been a miracle worker for me! I use the Premium Plus one because it doesn't have corn products in it like the Fragrance Free one does (I'm allergic to corn.) I can use the Fragrance Free liquid from them, but I prefer this powder. It has Zeolite and hydrogen peroxide in it, both of which are excellent ingredients for KILLING perfumes and other fragrances. I might have to wash 2-3 times to get rid of badly contaminated clothing, but the majority of the time one wash is enough to completely remove any trace amounts of fragrances that stick to my clothes. It's awesome!!! It also cleans really well and keeps whites very white. This is the lowest effort most effective laundry product I've ever used.

The oxygen bleach is on the same page I link to. It's like Oxyclean, only with trustworthy ingredients. I use this in toilet tanks and to soak my bath tub with. The toilets have less grime and my tub that is stained a bit brown from using Redmond's Bath Salt Plus turned white. With no scrubbing. :D


This handmade turtle from a Fair Trade store in Minneapolis
...that was on clearance for $4 and I finally found a small succulent for.





Sierra Trading Post

Their website. It's part of the TJMaxx chain of stores, but is for outdoor and recreation enthusiasts. They sell a good variety of organic clothing and eco products. It may not be GOTS certified sweatshop free organic clothing, which is my preference, but I only work 12-16 hours a week. I can't afford my standard unless it's on clearance. I have a small variety of GOTS certified sweat shop clothing in my closet, but it was all purchased on good sales. When I need some article of clothing and I can't find what I need on sale elsewhere, going simply for organic cotton from Sierra Trading Post is amazingly helpful. It's all liquidation, so their selection is constantly changing, but their prices are fantastic. I've bought both organic clothing (brands like Prana, Patagonia, United By Blue, and Adventura) and natural leather with rubber shoes from them at huge savings. I can't rely on them to have what I need, but I've scored great deals from them. And it's excellent for men too! The focus on organic clothing is on women, but they actually have a good variety for men!

The only problem? Their return policy. You'll have to pay to return, which can make returns not worth it on some items. But their prices and discounts make up for it. Just make friends who will buy items that don't fit you.

Choice Mental Focus Tea and Choice Vanilla Roobios Tea

I drink a ton of tea. I can only drink water and tea, no juices or coffee or sodas. I'm limited in which teas I can drink due to medicinal properties of some teas and herbs, but thankfully both of these work for me. I use caffeine sparingly and I plan out when to drink it. I'm sensitive to it, so I have to be careful. Both of these are caffeine free, but work great in the day time! The Mental Focus tea is awesome when I'm wanting to lift brain fog without using caffeine. It really does help! The Vanilla Roobios tea just has this silky smooth dark flavor, and I love dark green and black tea. It's my caffeine-free dark flavor replacement. Sooooooo good!



GoWise USA Blood Pressure Monitor

I have blood pressure issues. I haven't written much about it yet, but I appear to have POTS (doctor tested). POTS is a heart rate issue, but in my case it's a blood pressure issue too. I'll get into this someday when I'm ready to write about the things stressing me out again, lol. Anyway, I bought this last year to monitor myself so I could learn when I was fighting low blood pressure instead of having another issue, like hypoglycemia. It has been really insightful. This monitor uses an arm cuff, which is much more accurate than the write monitors. It's not perfect because it's a machine, which uses averages to calculate. My doctor measures my blood pressure manually and spends a lot more time measuring it to be accurate and see how it fluctuates. This machine won't show fluctuations. But for an at home tool it actually is accurate enough to be helpful. I didn't get excited about it last year because it didn't ever seem to be accurate, but it was my fault. I was measuring incorrectly. I fixed my posture and arm position, which made all the difference in the world!

It does measure heart rate too. I think a normal person could trust the heart rate reading on it, but it doesn't read long enough for someone like me. My heart rate jumps all over the place within seconds. I think it give me an average, like Fitbit does (I'll get into why Fitbit is the wrong tool for people with POTS later.) But what it does tell me is when my resting heart rate is simply too high. Mine is often in the 80's, sometimes in the 90's. That's really not good.






This Shark Vacuum

Vacuuming has always been an issue for me. I get allergy issues if I don't vacuum, but I get allergy issues if I do. It's because the vacuum we had before just kicked up dust and only collected part of it. My husband came to me and said he wanted to get me a better vacuum, but didn't want to get it for me for a holiday or birthday because he didn't want to imply that I'm just an objectified house maid. lol! So he got it for us "for Memorial Day." Ha! He was teasing, because I'm not sensitive about such things, but I enjoyed the laugh.

Anyway, this vacuum sucks! It actually sucks hard without kicking dust up into the air! It has 2 more amps (power) than the last vacuum, and it has a HEPA filter built in to prevent any dust from leaving through the exhaust. It's not only collecting a lot more from our carpet, it's allowing me to vacuum as much as I want without even needing to wear my face mask! All the other features are wonderful on it too, but the fact alone that the suction is powerful and it has a HEPA filter is enough to make me fall in love with it. If you need an allergy friendly vacuum, I highly recommend this one!



This was after a quick vacuum around the upstairs to try out the new vacuum. I had just vacuumed the week prior with the old vacuum. Clearly the old vacuum wasn't picking up very much...



Om Pure Air mask

I've been using Vog Mask, but suddenly I couldn't find their organic cotton version anywhere for sale. My old 2 from them are too worn out and they're not refreshing in the sun. It's hard to breathe through them. So I was forced to find an alternative to buy. I bought this mask, and despite it taking 4 weeks to ship to me, I actually like it better than Vog Mask. It's easier to breathe through it, it fits my face better and seals better, and it's more effective. I think they have a better carbon filter than Vog Mask uses. I'll want to write a full review on this later, so stay tuned for that.





Hemp Organic Life Etsy store

This shop is awesome. All the products are made from organic hemp and linen, and they are high quality. I bought an organic hemp sleeping bag from her to use when I need to travel and sleep in beds that aren't my safe organic latex bed. I bought it as a barrier between me and the bed so I wouldn't have skin contact, at the very least, with the flame retardants, polyester, and other synthetics. I'll review this sleeping bag after traveling with it later this summer, so stay tuned for that, but snuggling with it at home is wonderful! It breathes so well, but also traps in enough body heat to keep me comfortable. The fabric is strong. It's mildly scratchy the same way wool is, but it's softening up with washing. I actually really like that slightly rough texture, I think it feels good on my skin. Anyway, she did a fantastic job with this sleeping bag. She's from the Ukraine, so shipping almost made me cry, but it was so incredibly worth it! You can see how comfortable it is:



She also sent me a free gift of these linen socks, which are so perfect. They're very breathable, but keep me warm. They feel cozy on my skin. These are the best free gift I've received with an order!






Redmond's new Tooth Powder in Black Licorice

So... normally I'm an advocate of making your own toothpaste from scratch in order to save money and save plastic. It's really easy to make with bentonite clay and charcoal. But in this case, Redmond made theirs better than the DIY version. How, you ask? By making it very powdery. It's so much finer than any toothpowder I've made from scratch, and therefore it feels so much softer on the teeth. It brushes better and is much easier to rinse out of my mouth. But the best part? The black licorice flavor. It's awesome. It's so good. I accidently bought the peppermint version and I don't care for the flavor of it.

Also, for those of you who really don't want to do DIY, this is a great option, even though it's in plastic, because the tooth powder lasts about 3x longer than their Earthpaste in the tubes.



Avocado Oil Spray

I'm not sure I have to justify why this is a favorite thing of mine. It's a super healthy fat in spray form without aerosol. I just spray it on salads and it's perfectly evenly distributed on the leafs. I spray it on chicken before it goes on the grill and it means I don't have to massage the chicken with oily hands to get a nice thin coating of oil on it.



Badger Face Oil Set:

Organic oils in a glass pump bottle - they're perfect! I don't react to any of the sets except the Argan oil one, which has orange essential oil in it. I don't do well with citrus oils. They're so gentle, take off make up way better than just coconut oil, and moisturize very well. I wear the face oil under my make up and it doesn't leave me greasy whatsoever. I can't say enough good about this set! My skin looks much more supple with regular use.



Vitamin C and Glutathione IVs (and my Mom.)

I had two of these on my last trip to see my doctor. They made me really nauseous and gave me some nasty headaches. I wanted to throw up, but was made very thirsty from them at the same time. I felt like a trillion micro explosions were happening in my body all at once. Why do I like them so much, then? Because they seriously help a lot after my body calms down from receiving the IV. Better energy, better mood, much less severe reactions to things, better digestion, clearer head and clearer thinking, less overall body pain... they're helpful! But the effect doesn't last long enough. I need to have them done regularly.



Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Soap

This soap is fragrance free, doesn't dry out my skin, is organic and doesn't irritate my skin, and is very travel friendly. I accidently left my container of it in the bathroom where my Chiropractor and Acupuncturist are. As you can see that building stocks heavily scented soaps - it's hard for me to use their bathroom and I need to slip on my mask to go in there (it's a shared building and they don't choose the soap.) My container was mostly full when I left it there, and exactly a week later it was only a quarter full. People were choosing my fragrance free soap over the fake scented cancer causing soap! That gave me a lot of hope for humanity, lol.

I buy the large 32 oz container of it and keep refilling this little one. I keep this small container in my purse so that I have safe soap with me in public.






Wokamon App

I got myself the cheap Fitbit Flex 2 because AT&T was having a special on them. I wish I had researched fitness trackers before impulsively getting it. At the time I didn't think I wanted to spend more for a heart rate monitor, and I was wasn't wrong to think that since Fitbit's heart rate monitoring isn't detailed enough for people with POTS, but some monitoring would be nice. It also doesn't have a GPS, so I can't map my walks with it. I was mostly interested in the sleep tracking feature, but as it turns out, it's not accurate. I think it's sleeping when I'm laying in bed with my eyes open wondering when I'll ever finally drift off to sleep.

But it's not all a disappointment! I know I can't challenge myself to do more exercise with it in my condition, but it's actually been helpful to see how much walking I do on a normal work day vs normal non-work day. I can see how active I really am when I tell my doctor how much exercise I think I'm getting.

The best part? Wokamon and Achievemint, two apps that are weirdly motivating.

Wokamon is the modern day smart phone Tomagachi, lol! You must take care of your monsters by leveling them up with steps from your fitness tracker. When it tells me I only need 156 more steps to level up, I actually want to get up and get those steps in, even when I'm feeling lazy and tired. I am too motivated by reward systems in video games. :) But hey, it's fun and it's working! I might only average 3,000 steps a day (so I can't compete), but my monsters are leveling up!

Achievemint pays you for using a fitness tracker. You can earn up to $10 a month for all the activity you do with your fitness tracker. It's going to end up being more like $10 every 6 months at the rate I earn points, but hey, I'll take the $10 when I finally earn it!




30% Grain White Vinegar

This stuff works amazingly for killing weeds. It burns weeds, but leaves the roots. After the weed shrivels up you'll have to spray again to burn the roots. The fact of the matter is that it's non-toxic and highly effective! That said, it does burn the skin. Cover your skin when applying!

It IS made from corn, but it's non-GMO corn. The company doesn't verify if the corn was sprayed with Round Up or not, but they do claim the corn is non-GMO and Round Up is mainly used on GMOs. It's also just the acid from the corn, so it doesn't seem to cause me allergic issues (I'm allergic to corn.) I'm not consuming it, just spraying it on weeds.


These reusable organic cotton produce bags

I've been using these for years now, but they're still one of my favorite things. They are fantastic for buying fresh produce with because they weigh nothing, they're breathable, and they keep produce fresh and clean. They wash very easily.

But I discovered a new use for them! They're perfect for washing bras in and other delicates in! Instead of a nylon mesh bag designed for bras, I just stick my bra in one of these, tie the top loosely, and throw it in the washer and dryer. My bras are coming out cleaner than when I used the nylon mesh bag, and I'm guessing the cotton allows more soap through. These bags make my life so much easier!


Alaffia Bubble Bath

This bubble bath is by far the best Alaffia product. It bubbles really well, the bubbles last a long time, it's effective soap, and it's great for washing hair with! I like to mix Starwick Botanical's Kelp powder, baking soda (to neutralize chlorine), and this bubble bath together. I'll wash my hair in the bathwater and soak in it for a while. Then I'll even shave my legs in the bathwater. The bubble bath stays soapy enough to keep my legs lubricated enough to shave with. I rinse in the shower after, of course. I don't particularly care for this brand's shampoo or conditioner (I loved them at first, then it started leaving residue in my hair that wouldn't wash out), but this bubble bath couldn't be better!


Mantra Sports Pilates Ring

I had to let this off gas for a while before I could use it - it's not safe right out of the box for MCS people like myself. But after it stopped being smelly I was able to play with it. The reason I like it is because it allows me to use my muscles even when I'm stuck in bed on my back. I just put it between my legs and squeeze. I put it between my ankles and lift it with my legs. I hold it in my hands and squeeze it and pull it apart. The simple resistance it offers helps me a lot when my muscles feel restless but I'm not feeling strong enough to stand up and walk around. There are probably other great similar products, but this is the one I chose and I really like it!



My acupressure mat - I still love this thing so much!!



....And more. I'm forgetting plenty of things I want to share with you, I'm sure of it, but I've been working on this post slowly all day. I'm done. :) I've leaving out obvious things I've already reviewed, such as my new organic latex bed, which I can't say enough good about! Seriously, your bed matters. A lot.

How I Respond to MCS: Before, During, and After.

I have learned that I need to use my sauna and neti pot after ever shift at work. If I do not, I have agitated sleep full of angry and annoying dreams and I wake up feeling exhausted. I have a headache and some pain while at work, but the real reaction tends to be delayed (like many reactions for me) and hits me hours later. Yesterday I did go for a hike through the trees along the river, a little ways outside of town and away from any car exhaust. I was hoping the fresh crisp air would help as much as the sauna, but it didn't. It just left me feeling very exhausted. I'm still very fatigued this morning.

I attended my university's Jazz Band, Vocal Jazz, and Steel Drum Band concert a few days ago because I was craving to do something "normal" with my husband and this sounded like fun. When my husband and I were students, he was in both Jazz Band and Steel Drum band, so it was nice to go to reminisce. It was located at the main concert call downtown, where the local symphony performs. I knew that many ladies wear heavy perfume at those concerts, as they're dressy affairs, and I know that cloth seating tends to absorb perfume. This was not a dressy event, mostly college students in the audience, so I thought there was a chance I could get away with going. Unfortunately, I had heart palpitations the entire time. I could feel something inside my ear twitching every so often too. I wore my ionizer necklace during the concert. It helped some, and I know this because I had to shut it off for the last 15 because the battery was running low, causing it to hum loudly. I developed a headache and some eye pain after I shut it off. Because we got home late, I did not use my sauna. I just took an extra glutathione and NAC, which helped a little. I had agitated sleep that night too. Was it worth going? I'm undecided. It was honestly so nice to feel "normal" and get out of the house with my husband that I think this feeling overshadowed the MCS reactions.

MCS is so frustrating. It hinders my ability to be me - I can't go places I want, I can't do things I want, and I can't spend time with people I can't trust to be safe. My reactions are not as severe as many people with MCS. I survived the concert hall with lots of discomfort, whereas others would be sent to the ER by it. It doesn't mean I'm not hurting, and I don't want to go to places or do things that cause pain.



This is what I've learned to do before, during, and after exposures in order to recover the fastest:

1. Take glutathione and NAC throughout the day every day. I take 1 of each with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I take my Naturopathic doctor's brand, but there are other brands on the market. I can't speak to the quality of these brands, sorry.

2. Take extra glutathione and NAC right before going somewhere risky, like church.

3. Wearing a mask (I use Vog Mask) helps some, but some things that cause reactions still bother my eyes, ears, and skin. They stick to my clothes, hair, and skin. It's best to just avoid. There's no armor that works. But if I need to go somewhere risky, such as on an airplane, wearing a mask does help some. (See my review of my Vog Mask here.)

4. Eat protein and fat every 2 hours. I get hypoglycemic, and I've noticed that keeping my blood sugar as stable as possible helps me avoid feeling faint and overly dizzy during a reaction. I used to get the feeling of very low blood sugar, blood pressure, and faintness fairly often, definitely made a lot worse by reactions, but I haven't experienced this much in the last year.

5. I wash my clothes very often. If I go to a risky place, like church or work, I put the clothes I wore in that place in the laundry as soon as possible. Toxins tend to stick to clothes and I don't want to keep wearing what I was reacting to. (I don't know that I have to say this, but make sure you're using natural plant-based detergent that doesn't cause more clothing toxicity. I really like Biokleen's Free & Clear line, both the powder and liquid.)

6. Getting directly in the shower helps, but I recover much faster and tend to suffer less bad reactions when I use my far infrared sauna often. The more often I use it, the more I can tolerate toxin exposure. I've learned to get in the sauna after each shift at work. I sit in it and sweat for 30-40 minutes, pushing out toxins in my skin and increasing my circulation so my body can clean it self out better, then get right into the shower. I bought a $200 portable sauna on Amazon about 2 years ago. It's made in China, and some people with MCS are likely to react to it. A real, full-sized, wooden sauna is always better (they work better too,) but I have no idea which one on the market is best, safe, most effective, etc - the one I linked to is just an example. But I have no problems with it at this point (when I first bought it I probably reacting constantly and didn't understand that MCS was the problem, so I don't remember how it made me feel when it was new - it was when I first started seeing my doctor who's done so much good for me.)

7. Sometimes I opt to take a hot bath instead. I can add salt, clay, ginger, and other good stuff to detox when I take a hot bath (see previous post for more details on my favorite detox baths.) I make sure the water is as hot as I can stand it so that I sweat a lot. I then take a full shower after my bath.

8. Neti Pot. Seriously: Neti Pot. (The ceramic kind - NOT plastic!) I know many of you that I've talked to are afraid of them. Normally I would accept this and help you find a different solution, but in this case, I'm going to keep pushing it. Use a Neit Pot! They do not hurt, you can breath while using it, and it's a very low cost solution for something that helps so incredibly much! I always use reverse osmosis filtered water that's been slightly warmed on the stove. Do not use tap water - you do not want to pour all sorts of contaminates through your nose, such as live bacteria or organisms that didn't get cleaned out at the water processing plant. Pushing the water through my nasal passages simply helps clean out a lot of crap that I've breathed in. Furthermore, the salt that I add to the water stays in the nasal passages for about 30 minutes afterwords. It soaks up mucus and clumps it up so that I can spit or blow it out. Mucus is what traps toxins, so getting rid of the mucus is very important to detoxing. Yes, the water only flows through the nasal passages, but the salt absorbs mucus from all of the sinuses, even my ears. My Neti Pot is a staple for me!

9. Rest. If I don't give my body rest so that it can recover, repair, and recuperate, my body doesn't let me push forward. I can't simply go back to work the next day. Reactions take a lot of energy, energy that I'm short on anyway (chronic fatigue!) I MUST let my body rest for as long as it takes if I plan to keep moving forward in life. Sometimes I only need half a day. Sometimes I need a few days of doing nothing. I have to listen to my body and do as it says.

10. I have to keep my home as safe as possible at all times. I never bring anything into my living space that's risky for me. I don't invite people over. I use my own cloth shopping bags and wash them regularly so that I'm not bringing home the store's bags that are infused with the smell of the store. I vacuum, sweep, mop, and clean regularly. I run an air purifier regularly. I dust regularly. This is not to say my house looks organized: it's not. I don't spend energy picking up after myself, it's poorly decorated, and sometimes looks like I just don't care. I just focus on keeping the home environment safe enough. I only have so much energy to spend.

11. I do have many houseplants. Mold and fungus has been an occasional problem with them, but I stay proactive with my plants. I keep a close watch for the mold and fungus and clean it out the moment I spot any. Otherwise, they're great. Certain houseplants clean the air. Check out this article for more details.

12. I practice a lot of escapism. Instead of giving in to the feelings of anger, agitation, pain, discomfort, anxiety, depression, and other unpleasantness I experience during reactions and periods of poor health, I try to do something that allows me to mentally escape. I do something really risky: I bring my phone into the bath with me so I can read or watch videos while bathing. I watch Netflix while I use the sauna. The reason for this is that if I don't have a distraction, my thoughts get really anxious and dark, and I feel a lot worse and more fatigued. Negative thoughts take a lot of energy, and often times I don't have enough power over the negative mental feeling. So I distract myself with something until the reaction calms down. I spend a lot of time playing video games, reading easy books and graphic novels, and watching my favorite series. These things occupy my mind, which is a huge blessing.

Note about 12: Lots of people have argued that I should be practicing mindfulness, guided meditation, or prayer instead of using distractions. I'm sorry. These things simply do not work for me. At all. I don't have the energy to control my thoughts - these things take a lot more work and stamina than I have to give. If these things work for you, yes, you're probably going to recover faster employing them. They allow for a deeper rest and a better calm. They train us to have better control over our mental and spiritual states. These things are important! But I'm sorry, they're not enough to combat my anxiety and reaction agitation. I tried praying the rosary while in the sauna during a really nasty reaction once. I was shaking with anxiety and desperate to calm down. The rosary should be very calming, reflective, and meditative - it simply called attention to all my problems that I wanted to share with God. It caused me to think about how hard life is, how much suffering we go through, and how I just wanted to be dead to end the suffering. Prayer is a very powerful thing. I strongly believe in God and I strongly believe in the importance of prayer. But I've learned that my prayer isn't effective during my deep anxiety times - it makes me feel worse. I pray when I'm feeling strong so that I can actually calm my mind enough to listen to God. It's a big reason why I'm struggling so much with church - church causes me to react, and I can't focus or be worshipful when I'm reacting.

13: I take care of my health to the best of my ability. I'm taking a ton of supplements , eating a very strict diet, exercising the best I can, practicing avoidance to the best of my ability, avoiding as much stress as possible, etc. I'm doing what I can to heal my chronic illnesses, weak organs, etc. My issues are my own. You need to learn your body and address your body's needs. The stronger our body's health, the better it can tolerate environmental toxins... or at least recover from reactions.

14. I try to spend plenty of time in nature, in the trees or by the sea, away from car exhaust, cigarette smoke, toxic people, city pollution... you get the idea. Nature is the ultimate air purifier. It's the ultimate stress reliever. It also helps me adjust to the changing seasons better. The more time I spend outside, the less traumatic seasonal changes are for me (despite that winter is horrible anyway.)

(Isn't it just calming thinking about being in nature?)

15. Therapies help. I can't say enough about how much chiropractic, acupuncture, and massage helps me. All of these help the body work optimally, all of which will relieve body tension, stress, and toxin build up.

16. I do use a Himalayan Salt Lamp. This is one of my favorite items to sell at the store I work at. It is not enough on its own to help with a reaction, but it does serve an important role for me. The salt releases negative ions into the air to counter the positive ions. Positive ions are harsh on our bodies: electricity/ lightning, environmental toxins, etc. The negative ions clear the air so our bodies don't have to fight the environment as much. They are very calming. My favorite time to use it is right before bed. I read to the light of it. I feel less agitated around it, which is really important in the process of falling asleep.

The ionizer necklace I use works very similarly: it puts out negative ions near my body to help me breathe a little better. It does help some.

(Note: There's a lot of New Age spirituality tied to them, and this has turned some of my customers off from buying one. I've never used it to call spirits, work magic, fortune telling, etc - I don't believe in this stuff, and the lamp has never drawn me in to any type of witch craft. Keep in mind that you can tie spirituality into any object, such as gemstones and minerals. I don't believe in the spiritual properties of gemstones, but they're really pretty and I wear them. Salt is a natural product of the earth, it was around long before humans even existed.)



I encourage you to share with me what helps you! Leave comments on this blog so others can read them too.

Product Review: Safety Razor

And now for the post that several of you have been requesting for a while: A review of my new safety razor!

Let me begin this post by advising you not to try taking a pack of razor blades for your safety razor through airport security. You can imagine how that went for me. ;)

In looking for ways to reduce my use of plastic, I figured there must be a great solution to disposing my plastic Venus 5 blade razors every few weeks. I'm not the type to wax or have my hair removed with a lazer because both options are expensive and questionable. I've tried the fine sandpaper pads that rub away hair on your skin. They work very well for my upper lip hair, but not so great anywhere else on my body. I knew I needed to stick with shaving. Not knowing much of anything about safety razors, I decided to purchase one anyway.

I went to Amazon.com and searched for one. As it turned out, the price range was huge. I could spend anywhere from $15-200! After some research I found out the more expensive ones were made of true stainless steel. The cheaper ones are made with metals that resemble stainless steel. Knowing how safe, durable, and reliable true stainless steel is, I figured getting one was the way to go. I really couldn't be sure that the cheaper fake stainless steel kinds would stand the test of time. I was also concerned about rust. Well, as it turned out, the reviews on the fake stainless kind were so positive, that I simply couldn't justify spending an extra $80 for true stainless steel. So I ended up getting this one: SimplyBeautiful Double Edge Long Handled Safety Razor - Chrome Finish.



I paid $15 for this, and it's lasted me about 3 months so far. It's heavy and feels very solid. It's not having any trouble with rust yet. It's very easy to safely take apart and put back together. As of right now, I don't see any reason to spend the extra money to get a real stainless steel one. My concern is that this one will break down over time and start to have problems, but only time will tell. If that happens, then I will invest a true stainless steel one.

For another $10 I bought a pack of 100 double edge razor blades. What I'm finding is that I get about 6-7 shaves out of each blade. I could probably risk it and get more shaves per blade, but since the blades are so cheap, I'd rather not risk nicking myself with a well used blade that could have rust I didn't notice. So, I'm essentially spending 10 cents per 6 shaves (not counting the cost of the razor, which will last years and years and years, and it was only $15.) The plastic 5 blade Venus razors I have been using for years cost about $4 per 5-6 shaves. MAJOR SAVINGS!  The safety razor is so much cheaper, uses no plastic whatsoever, and, believe it or not, shaves way better!

Enough about which one I bought. Does it work?

Yes, it works very well IF I'm careful. Careful is the key word here. I cut myself in multiple places the first 7 or 8 times I shaved with it. I was beginning to question if it was the right type of razor for me, but I stuck to my anti-plastic conventions and kept working on mastering my safety razor. With a bit more practice, I started to figure out how to shave without cutting myself. I'll share tips with you later in this post. Once I got the hang of it, I fell in love with it. It shaves closer than the 5 blade Venus razors I was using. This single blade is able to get right on top of the skin and cut as close as possible, whereas I think using 5 blades in the Venus Razors actually kept the blades higher off my skin and caused more irritation. I'm finding that I'm shaving less often and my skin is softer with less redness or bumps, especially in my arm pits!

This is what I've learned in order to avoid cutting myself:

- Always exfoliate the skin first. I use a natural loofah and scrub my legs and arm pits well first. Any loose dead skin can disrupt the blade, pull at your skin, and leave you bleeding.

- Do not dry shave with it. Use a lubricant, whether you prefer soap or shaving lotion. I personally find that my favorite way to shave is in a bubble bath (using the very soft and moisturizing Every Day Shae Bubble Bath.) This lets my pores open up and skin soften. It also allows me to go slow and methodically. This eliminates the need for a longer shower or using messy creams outside of the shower or bath. The bubble bath leaves my skin baby soft too!

- Do not put pressure on the razor! Use the natural weight of the razor against your skin. I do this by holding the end of the handle from the top with my thumb, index, and middle finger. It's hard to create pressure when you're holding the handle gently.

- Go slow and steady, using one long stroke. I got into a bad habit of trying to shave quickly with my Venus razors, getting each stroke done as fast as possible, then going back over the areas that were still fuzzy in small quick strokes. I cannot do that with my safety razor, but I find that I get each stroke right the first time with this razor.

- Always shave against the grain. Sometimes the grain isn't up or down, but it's side to side. I have better luck getting the closest possible shave on my shins by going from side to side. Yes, this takes longer, but it works better for me.

- Use both sides of the blade. I get one stroke per side, then I rinse the blade in the bath water before starting again.

- Take the razor apart after each use. Wipe each part down and let it dry. This not only keeps it clean and sanitary, it also prevents rust (if rust is even an issue - I don't know.)

(Note: It might sound strange that I shave in a bath, because it means I'm sitting in water with tons of small hairs in it. I'm not bothered by this, and I've not noticed that I end up with lots of small hairs on me after my baths. I usually do rinse the soap off of me in the shower after the bath, which would take care of that problem if it exists. Also, and I will write a post about this, I wash my hair in that bubble bath. I find it's more effective than any shampoo I've used. I start my bath by soaking my hair for a while, then I shave without my hair in the water, then I rinse in the shower. It saves water for me, and I get more benefits from getting to soak in the heat.)

Conclusion:
I highly recommend switching to a safety razor! It's substantially cheaper, much more environmentally friendly, much healthier as it's free of synthetic chemicals, and does a much better job! Yes, there is a learning curve, and yes, you can cut yourself much more easily with it. Mastering the razor isn't difficult, and it is worth the benefits.





Bonus Review:
Back to my tip on not trying to travel with the blades for your safety razor.
What are you supposed to do while traveling? Well, in this case, waxing might be the better solution (depending on how long you'll be away.) What I did on my last trip was go to Whole Foods and buy a Preserve brand razor. You can buy these online too. They are made from recycled Stonyfield Yogurt cups. Even though the razor is made from recycled plastic, it's still plastic. There is no guarantee that the razor will get recycled again at your recycling factory. This could easily mean that those Stonyfield cups just take longer to end up in the land fill. Do not be fooled into thinking that recycled plastic is a great alternative to plastic - it's only a slightly better alternative. Thankfully, it's designed so that you get a long life out of the handle by being able to replace the blade heads.

The Preserve razor has 3 blades, and the blade head is very narrow. I found that it worked well for a non-safety razor. It shaves about as close as my Venus razors. It's comfortable to hold and work with, but can hurt if you use too much pressure. Venus blades are padded with Olay moisture strips, these are not. The edge of the blade head hurts if you use too much pressure.

It did the job well enough for me on my last trip. I'm keeping it as my travel razor. The replacement blade heads are cheaper than replacement heads for Venus razors, and since they're just as effective, I might as well save the money!

MCS - Sinus Infection!

Oh. My. Goodness. I never want to go through another sinus infection ever again!

At first, I was really upset. I haven't had any type of cold, hay fever, or flu in well over a year. 2014 was the only year in my whole life that I didn't get sick with some bug. I'm very proud of that, because I as a kid and teenager I got sick all the time. And then I ended up with a sinus infection. No!! Thankfully, this sinus infection may not technically count as a bug. It made me sick, but it isn't a virus or bacterial. It was (and still is) an MCS reaction.

Last Monday (3 days ago) I thought I would be able to handle taking care of a couple important errands. First, I went into Staples to have something printed, but their machine was down. I bought a couple other things I needed, but I started to feel sick pretty quickly. I could smell cleaners though out the aisles, and then my cashier reeked heavily of cigarette smoke. Then I ran across the street to a grocery store I normally never shop at. I didn't notice getting worse in the store, but I wasn't feeling good. I grabbed a few things and got out quickly. My print job wasn't done, so I was forced to go to another store. I went to Office Depot. They took forever, and it was moderately fumey. I felt my anger start to rise, which is a typical allergic reaction for me. I went back to my car, did some breathing exercises to try to calm down, and then made one final very stupid decision. I was right next to Big Lots, and I really needed an extension cord so that I could plug my car in (to keep the engine warm - North Dakota problem.) I should have known better, because Big Lots has always given me problems (so many scented things in their store!) I wrapped my scarf around my face as a filter, ran into the store, grabbed the cord, bought it, and bolted out. I was in there for no more than 3-4 minutes. The scarf didn't work. I could taste a film of chemicals on my tongue. My eyes were burning red and a bit swollen. My heart was palpitating.  I felt completely exhausted. I also felt like the Hulk. My anger was totally out of control, and I had to take time to sit in my car for a while before I drove home because my rage was too strong to be safe to drive. If you knew me when I was a kid, did you ever see me when I had an allergic reaction to something I ate? I didn't just break out. I got angry. Intensely angry. This is not a new issue for me.

When I got home, I felt really congested. 2 hours later my garbage bin was filled with used tissues. I haven't had a congestion problem in over a year! I brushed my teeth and tongue a few times to get that film of chemicals off. I changed my clothes, showered, and drank some calming tea. I didn't calm down until the evening, but my sinuses hurt more and more. The next morning I woke up with a sinus infection. It totally wiped me out. I was completely useless all day Tuesday. I'm still fighting it, but I'm past the fever and have energy back.

Yep, MCS induced sinus infection. No fun! It's scary - I did not know I would get that bad. I never would have imagined I would ever get this type of reaction! I'm even more scared of all the toxins in our world now. This is a really serious problem.

Looking back, I remember all the sinus infections and ear infections I had as a kid. I was always put on antibiotics for them, and they didn't always seem to help. I'm wondering how many of those were reactions to chemical exposures now. I think about all the scented markers, crayons (which are highly toxic,) and various craft supplies (like glue) that we used on a regular basis in my grade school class room. I think about how the janitor would have to come into the classroom during lessons to clean up someone's vomit and he used the "stinky" cleaner (this happened often enough that our class named the cleaner he used because it reeked worse than the vomit did.) I was also in many sports, girl scouts, and summer programs. I was out of the house in public environments very often. I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of those sinus infections were a reaction.

So, where do I go from here? I think step one is to get a mask and/or a nasal filter that I can wear when I need to be in public. I wasn't convinced that I was "bad enough" to need to wear a mask before, but now I am. I'm still researching the best one to buy that fits my lifestyle and needs. I'm leaning towards getting an I Can Breathe mask along with a nasal filter.

How am I treating my sinus infection?

Well, I was short on supplies when it struck. I do not own a netti pot. I was out of saline spray. I cannot tolerate medications (this is nothing new - most cold meds have always given me nasty bloodynoses or anger issues.) I didn't have any menthol rub. But I've been managing.

The first day of the infection my throat was way too swollen up to swallow any pills, but yesterday it opened enough where I was able to take some of my regular supplements. Glutathione works! I doubled the amount I normally take and it reduced the severity of the infection quickly. In the past I've had problems with all the mucus and gunk getting stuck in my sinuses, making it very hard to get out. I haven't had that problem with this infection - it's all pouring out of me (or getting coughed out.) I'm pretty sure the glutathione is helping with that. What also has been helping has been lots of very hot salt baths. I would had added eucalyptus if I had any, but my bottle was dry. Hot showers feel good, but they're not as effective. I've also been putting my face over boiling water and breathing in the steam. This is very helpful at opening up the inflammation and letting loose all the mucus. Finally, I've been making a lemon turmeric ginger tea (half a lemon's juice, a teaspoon of turmeric, and teaspoon of ground ginger mixed into hot water.) It's very soothing!


Allow me to end with a cartoon that isn't exactly related to this post (processed foods are loaded with toxic chemicals though,) but made me laugh pretty hard:

Detox Baths

One of my favorite ways to relax is in the bathtub. The heat is soothing, the water is gentle and fresh, and the additives are very beneficial. There are many recipes out there for detox bath, and some work better than others. I'm just going to share with you my favorites, based on ingredients that are easy to get and use. I'm not going to take a bath that requires a lot of work to prepare.

Keep in mind that tap water can contain toxins such as chlorine, fluoride, prescription drug residue, and heavy metals. Beyond the problem of toxins, tap water can be rough on your skin because chlorine is very drying. I recommend using a water softener to help filter the water. If you're like me and you can't afford one or are unable to install one in your home, I suggest this bath filter. It's been on sale on Amazon for many months now. It isn't perfect, but it does help. Since using it, my bathwater doesn't smell as strongly of chlorine, doesn't leave pink hard water stains in the tub, and doesn't dry out my skin.


Salt and Clay Bath:

This one is easy. I mix a cup of Redmond Bath Salt Plus. in the bathwater and soak for 30+ minutes. It is important to use this in water as warm as you can tolerate it in order to open up your pores and sweat. The site I linked to has sold these on a sale of $10 in the past - very cheap! This container lasts for most of a year.

Benefits:
This is great stuff - the best bath salts I've ever used! It's unrefined salt and clay collected from a dead sea. The heat from the bath opens up your pores and helps you sweat, and the salt collects toxins from your body. The clay and salt are loaded with trace minerals that absorb into your body through your skin. The mineral of note is magnesium, which strengths your bones, calms your muscles, and reduces inflammation. This is my favorite bath for when my muscles are overly tense (to the degree that massage doesn't help enough.)


Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar Bath:

This one is also very easy, but the smell can bother some people. Just pour 2-3 cups of raw, organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in the tub and soak for 20+ minutes. It does not matter what temperature the water is at, but I prefer a nice hot bath. It's very important that it's raw, organic, and unfiltered. The cheap filtered kind was filtered, meaning it has no nutrition left. It is just a flavor. You need the nutrients in the vinegar for this bath to be effective.

I use Bragg's, and buy it in a gallon. I used to be able to buy this for $20, but the price has increased. A cheaper alternative would be to buy the smaller bottles at this discounted price on this discount site.


Benefits:
Apple cider vinegar balances the ph of your skin perfectly. It moisturizes, softens, cleans, kills germs and bad bacteria, heals acne and scars, and feeds your skin necessary nutrients. It is a great hair cleaner and conditioner too! If you don't mind the smell (which will fade soon after the bath,) soak your hair in the water too. Don't rinse! Pat your hair dry with a towel and let it air dry. It strips excess oil from your hair, but doesn't remove the essential oils that keep your hair strong. It makes your hair shine and look much healthier because it provides a lot of nutrients!


Kelp Bath:

Kelp baths are just plain awesome. I add a half cup of organic kelp powder to very hot bathwater and soak for 40+ minutes. This works well, but I've found that I prefer this bath when I add a 1/8th a cup of ginger and cayenne powder. You need to be hot to get the full benefit from the kelp, and the ginger and cayenne create heat. Test the spices on your skin first - they can burn you if they are too strong. You may prefer to just use ginger powder, which is less likely to burn your skin.

If you live along the ocean, the best way to take a kelp bath is to actually go to the beach, find kelp, and bring it home with you. Cut it up and soak with it in the tub. The gels and ooze in the kelp are loaded with essential nutrients, including iodine. The kelp can be reused a couple of times. Though I used to live right along the ocean, I have never tried this method, but it has been recommended to me.

Benefits:
This article explains the benefits in great detail. Kelp is highly concentrated with minerals and nutrients that we need. It's not only soothing and moisturizing, but the salt in the kelp absorbs toxins and our skin drinks in the nutrients, notably potassium and iodine. This is a fantastic bath for sore, aching muscles.


Hydrogen Peroxide Bath:

This is essentially an oxygen bath. Use no more than 3/4ths cup of food grade (35%) hydrogen peroxide or 9 cups of 3% hydrogen peroxide (the common kind in the brown bottles) in warm to hot water. Add a 1/4th a cup (or more) bath salts. Soak for 20+ minutes.

Please please please be careful with hydrogen peroxide. Food grade hydrogen peroxide can burn you skin, bleach your clothes, and lighten your hair color. Do get get it in your eyes! When mixed with the bathwater it's diluted enough so that you'll be able to enjoy the benefits without the harm.

Benefits:
Hydrogen peroxide is powerful stuff. It doesn't absorb toxins from your like salts do, it kills toxins (trying using it on mold and mildew!) It will strip the residue of soap and lotions off your skin. It will kill infections and clean cuts and wounds. It will help bring a lot of oxygen into your skin, which will reduce inflammation and increase circulation.


My favorite mixed bath:
Add 1/2 cup of Redmond Bath Salts plus (or 3/4ths cup regular Epsom salt,) 1/2 cup kelp powder, 1/8th cup ginger powder (fresh grated ginger works best,) and 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar. Rinse off after this bath, especially if you soak your hair. None of the benefits will be as strong as the individual baths, but I find that this bath is very relaxing. It works the fastest for bringing relief to my tense muscles and for reducing general anxiety. This bath makes me sleepy, in a peaceful relaxed way. Soak for 30+ minutes.


During and After the Bath:Stay hydrated!! I recommend drinking ginger lemon tea. It will aid with the detoxing by keeping you warm and cleaning toxins from you from the inside out. Ginger calms the stomach, aids digestion, and helps to "get things moving" in the gut.

Avoid sugar, alcohol, and dairy. They all cause inflammation and make your body acidic, which will undo some of the benefits from the bath.

Stretch your muscles. During the bath, sit up and stretch your legs and arms in the water every so often. Rub a cloth against your skin in circular motions towards your heart. This will help to calm your muscles and increase circulation. After the bath, do some full body stretches to help keep your circulation strong, because your circulation can slow down as you cool off. This also prevents your muscles from going cold and stiff again.



Enjoy!