Why I Don't Use Deoderant or Shampoo or Laundry Detergent or....

Fighting cancer is more than eating a cancer-fighting diet...it also includes eliminating or avoiding outside toxins.  So many of the products we use daily contain toxic or carcinogenic substances, and I have taken steps to avoid some of them.  It's just not possible to avoid all environmental toxins, but I am doing what I can right now.

Our skin is the largest organ of the body, and it absorbs everything we put on it. 

• Deodorant--Antiperspirants contain aluminum which is a known carcinogen.  I have known this for a long time, and I have tried "natural" deodorants in the past, but they never seemed to work very well.  My breast cancer diagnosis motivated me to look into it again, and I found something very interesting.  I came across a blog post in which the author experienced the same problems with natural deodorants "not working."  She ended up solving that problem by detoxing her armpits.  After she detoxed, the natural deodorants worked!  The pores in our arm pits get clogged with build up and residue from dirt, sweat, deodorant, soap, lotion, etc., and the pores need to be cleansed and opened up.  She described the process and her experiences in detail, so I decided to give it a try.  I jumped right in, and stopped using deodorant--cold turkey during summer!  To my amazement, I had no bad odor at all for a few days...but then it hit--whew!  Actually, it wasn't any worse than I expected, but no one likes smelling their own body odor.  It was like after a couple days, all the gunk built up in the pores of my pits started to release and come out.  To combat the smell, I simply washed my arm pits with soap and water as often as necessary.  After several days, it got better--way better!--and then I noticed that there wasn't any odor at all anymore.  I was very surprised!  Obviously, I did have body odor after exercising heavily, working up a sweat, or going too long without showering, but other than those expected situations, I did not have daily body odor.  So I have continued not using deodorant of any kind.  I have noticed that occasionally I experience arm pit odor, but I suspect it is occurring when I wear certain fabrics and/or at a certain point of my menstrual cycle, so I am monitoring it to determine if that is actually the case.  I have seen a couple "recipes" for homemade natural deodorants, and I plan to try them soon.
• Shampoo/conditioner/body soap--Conventional hair and body products are full of harmful chemicals.  There are an abundance of "natural" products out there, so with a little research, you could find whatever you like and works for you.  I found lots of local people who make natural soaps and body butters just by attending local farmer's markets and craft sales.  I buy my soap from a friend of mine, and I use it head-to-toe as my shampoo and body soap.  I don't use conditioner at all.  I also avoid hair gels and hair spray except for on rare occasion.
• Body lotion--There are numerous natural body butters available for purchase or recipes for them that you can make at home.  I have used a couple different kinds of body butter made with goat milk and avocado, and I really liked them all.  Coconut oil is a great product that has many, many uses including as an ingredient in hair and body products.  I use straight coconut oil as an eye makeup remover (I haven't given up my eyeliner and mascara yet :)  ) and a facial moisturizer.  (I also use it many ways nutritionally in my diet, but that's another topic.)
• Showerhead filter--Chlorine is very toxic, so bathing or showering in chlorinated water (not to mention drinking it!) has long term negative effects on the body--again the largest organ, your skin, is absorbing it daily.  I bought a chlorine-removing showerhead water filter to avoid the chlorine exposure.
• Laundry detergent/softener--Laundry detergents and softeners also contain many harmful, toxic ingredients.  We launder our clothes and linens with these chemicals and the clothing and linens are against our skin 24/7.  I now use "soap nuts" instead of laundry detergent.  Soap nuts are a nut from an African tree that contain saponin (have you ever heard the term "saponified"?) which is a 100% natural soap.  Four to six soap nuts are placed in a little drawstring muslin bag and thrown right in the washing machine.  I use vinegar as a softener, and wool dryer balls in the dryer instead of liquid softener or softener sheets.  All of our laundry appears to be just as clean as it ever was, and these natural alternatives are significantly less expensive!
• Cleaning products--These are full of toxic chemicals!  I have been using a 50/50 mix of water and hydrogen peroxide for almost all my cleaning.  I also use vinegar quite often.  I know there are lots of other natural ingredients and recipes used for cleaning as well.

Many people have no idea how big an impact oral hygiene and dental procedures have on overall health.

• Flouride, although purported to "strengthen teeth and fight tooth decay", is actually a toxic poison to be avoided.  For years we have used fluoride-free toothpaste, and our dentist office knows to use fluoride-free pumice when polishing our teeth.
• I have recently learned about "oil pulling" to help fight cavities.  I use coconut oil, and swish and squish it around in my mouth, "pulling" it between all my teeth for 10-20 minutes before spitting it out.  This simple practice helps get rid of bacteria and food particles, etc., between teeth.  I like the clean feeling of my mouth after doing it.
• Silver amalgam fillings are the most common type of fillings used for cavities.  These fillings are actually composed of about 50% mercury!  That mercury is constantly leaching into the body and contaminating it.  Although they cost more, I have had the dentist use composite fillings lately. 
• Through my research, I have also learned what a large part diet plays in preventing and healing cavities.  Diet can actually cause decayed areas in teeth to remineralize and heal, stronger than ever.

Consuming foods that are organic and uncontaminated by pesticides and other toxins is very important, but attention should also be given to the materials we use to store and cook our food.

• Plastic--Most people are now aware of the harmful chemicals in plastics that can leach into food and beverages.  Buying BPA free plastics is good, but there are still other harmful chemicals in plastics, so avoiding plastic for food and beverages is best.  Alternatives include glass, stainless steel, and ceramic.  I use glass as often as I can for food storage and eating/drinking.  I have looked into stainless steel containers, but they are pretty pricey.  I would like to replace all the plastic containers in our house, but that will be a long process.
• Aluminum/non-stick cookware--Cooking with aluminum non-stick pots and pans is hazardous due to the aluminum content and because the non-stick coatings break down over time and flake off into the food and are ingested.  Safe alternatives are glass, stainless steel, high quality ceramic, and cast iron.
• Microwaves--Using microwaves to cook or reheat food involves a couple of problems.  First, if plastic containers are microwaved, the harmful chemicals are leached into the food.  Secondly, the process of microwaving changes the molecular structure of the food, destroying nutrients and creating carcinogenic compounds.  A toaster oven or toaster/convection oven work great for reheating leftovers and are a much healthier alternative to microwaves.  Plus, there's the old-fashioned way of just using the stovetop.  I stopped using a microwave after my cancer diagnosis, and I have not missed it!  I have found that heating or reheating my food on the stove really doesn't take long at all.  I think we have been spoiled by our "instant" society.