All Natural Living... Or Trying At Least...

Long ago, (try six months) I tried to switch to an all natural lifestyle. Things were going good until my husband got a promotion and got transferred to another city. Driving back and forth and living in a hotel for four months made it pretty darn difficult. We ate out a lot!!! Way too many trips to Subway!! I literally have over 300 points on my Subway card!! Don't judge!!! It could have been worse!!! ;)

Now that we are officially in our new home and things are starting to get settled, I decided that I needed to get back on track! I want my family to live long, healthy lives and hopefully cutting out all the crap like preservatives and GMO's and all that mess will ensure that goal!

Sooo food is the easy part. Buy organic, read the labels, and all that jazz. Veggies and fruits and say no to processed foods. (Goodbye Oatmeal Creme Pies, sob) The hard part for me is all the other things in life. Toiletries, and cleaners, (Gosh I love Mr. Clean with Febreze!) and all that. I've done lots of "research" on things that were all natural that I could use in place of all the things that I've grown so accustomed to using.

Here are a few things that I've started using instead of the chemical ridden products I used to use:

Vinegar. Vinegar can be used for so much! I use vinegar to clean almost everything nowadays! I mop the floors, clean the garbage disposal and washing machine. I use Apple Cider Vinegar instead of conditioner. Just spray it in and leave it! It won't smell like vinegar when it dries, I promise!

Coconut Oil. I use coconut oil when cooking and I use it as a lotion/moisturizer. You can even use it on your hair! (think hot oil treatment) I got an awesome recipe from one of my fave bloggers for a facial moisturizer. You can get her recipe here. I don't use exactly the same thing but it basically is. So far it has done wonders.

Peppermint Oil. Not only does peppermint oil smell amazing it's got lots of uses! My favorite thing to use it for is spiders. I HATE SPIDERS, but you know what?!?! Spiders hate peppermint! I mix a few drops of peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle. I spray it anywhere and everywhere a spider might be. I especially spray around the windows in my bedroom and all around the bed. The thought of a spider crawling on me while I sleep, well lets just say I've lost many a nights sleep after seeing one of the little buggers!! It also does wonders for migraines!! Here is another post by the same blogger about peppermint oil for headaches.

Witch Hazel. Another one I found online on many different sites! Use witch hazel as an astringent for your face! I've been using this for a couple of weeks now and I haven't had one breakout!! My skin has always been the worst but maybe because I was always using harsh chemicals on it! You can find witch hazel in the aisle with the peroxide and rubbing alcohol. I just buy the cheap kind. No sense in spending 5 bux for the name brand when you can buy the cheap one for 2 bux at Target!!

Castile Soap. This stuff can be used for EVERYTHING!! I've never used any other brand besides Dr. Bronner's but I don't see any reason to switch up something that works so well! Castile soap can be used for everything from a household cleaner to a vegetable wash to dog shampoo!!! There are eight different "flavors" but I looove the peppermint and lavender! Here is a list of uses and dilutions for those uses!

Well those are a few things for now. I don't want you guys to go into all natural overload here!!! Lol!
I haven't managed to go 100% all natural but I'm on a journey!


I would love to hear from you on any natural items you guys use yourselves!! I'm always looking for new things to try!!!