No, this is not a pitch for some illicit drug. By now you should have me figured out. I’m the fanatic searching for all things healthy and “natural”. That amazing white powder I’m referring to is none other than baking soda, aka sodium bicarbonate.
While growing up the only use I was aware of for baking soda was to add to cakes and cookies to make sure those sugary treats rose properly. As I grew older, I discovered how easy it was to substitute baking soda, vinegar and liquid Castille soap for most harsh cleaning products being mass-produced today. Baking soda’s list of cleaning benefits are extensive, from scrubbing porcelain, chrome and tile, to eliminating odors in the frig and cleaning your oven.
Other benefits, used under a doctor’s care, are treating colds, flu, sore throats, bladder infections, heartburn and indigestion, kidney stone treatment, to name just a few. There have been a host of books written on baking soda uses, as well as a plethora of websites touting its benefits.
Always on the hunt for more “natural” products (and I use that term loosely as it has many meanings, depending on who is using it), I came upon a recipe for healthy homemade deodorant that costs pennies to make and has very few ingredients. And guess what, I can pronounce each and every one of them. I used a recipe that includes baking soda, coconut oil (yet another use for this great oil), arrowroot powder (very much like cornstarch and can be purchased at a Whole Foods store or the like), and essential oil. I like both lemongrass or calendula for my deodorant. I had used Tom’s deodorant at $5-6 a pop and liked it but who doesn’t want to save money. It took me just a few minutes to make and a little goes a long way. Bear in mind that it’s runnier than the solids you might buy at the store so just rub a little in and you’re good to go. And no, I’m not walkin’ around stinkin’ up the place either! Seriously, this is one of those products where I believe it pays to spend a little more for something healthy (something without aluminum), given studies done on how aluminum is linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s; or make your own with clean ingredients. Gotta love how easy it is!
Another product that I have gone out of my way to spend more money on is toothpaste. Be very scared when you start reading the ingredient list off of many brands of toothpaste, if you can find more than a cryptic list at all. Here again, you can make your own healthier version for pennies, even doing as little as brushing with baking soda alone, or you could do something more like this. I love the clean feel of my teeth after brushing!
Having heard on the news the other night that on average a person is exposed to 120 chemicals (oh my) each day by way of swallowing or absorbing through the skin, I am convinced that a more natural approach is healthier and, that amazing white powder, baking soda, sure is tops on the list for clean livin’!
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Paint Your Landscape 
Good info, Lu. I can’t even count the number of blouses I ruined during my lifetime, using deoderants that contained aluminum. Next time I go to the store, coconut oil, baking soda, and essnetial oil are on my shopping list.
You go girl!
I have always found lots of uses for baking soda, an amazing product. I may have to try the deodorant recipe.
Hopefully you will like it as well as I do.
Just bought 2 containers of deoderant and must use those first, but after that will go el naturale.
I’m really liking the deodorant. You might want to give it a shot!
Of course the title caught my eye and, as I read, I learned so much. I’ve used baking soda for cleaning, in the frig and baking but did not know of all of the other uses. Amazing!! Absolutely love your blog and your wonderful writing style. BTW, the last picture of the chair in the garden….is that near where you are staying at the moment? So pretty and inviting! Love and miss you both!!
Thanks Les! I am having so much fun making healthier products and saving money in the process. The chair in the herb garden is not from here. Ironically it is from your neck of the woods – Wisconsin. Looking forward to your book!
I love posts like this – such great ideas. We have become so conned by marketing to believe our medicine chests should be full of 500 products when a few simple ones like this suffice…great ideas.
Thanks!