I just got back from holiday and wanted to share something with you.

About a year ago I threw away all my personal care products which contained any suspect chemicals at all. Instead of having face cream and seperate body cream I made my own. One item, 3 ingredients, easy peasy.

So just before I went on holiday I made a batch to take with me, and then promptly forgot it.

What a dilemma!

I went to a well known shop at the airport to see what I could find that had little or no nasties in it.

Now your laughing right, because you know….

I haven’t been in a shop like that looking for products for years and had forgotten what an utterly ridiculous and overwhelming array of chemical concoctions awaits us there.

As I stood there hopefully scanning the shelves I wondered how on earth anyone can choose, and then I realised you can’t, right?

We are chosen.

The only way I reckon you could decide which face or body cream is the ”one“ for you is because the advertisers on TV or in women’s magazines have got to you, and you believe them.

Or, someone has recommended the item, but how did they decide?

So back at the shelves what did I do?

I noticed a very small jar of coconut oil and for a moment considered It. But honestly it was the size of a bed and breakfast jam pot. One application and it would be empty.

How did this play out?

Well the little store on the corner of where we were staying had a big jar of coconut oil and that is what I used all week on face and body and all was well.

Now, it doesn’t soak in like other creams but that’s because they have special chemicals to make them do that, so you have to be patient or apply less, but it does the job. It also comes in a glass jar, so no nasty plastic as well as no nasty chemicals. What’s not to like?

We live surrounded by a chemical soup these days so why add more directly absorbed through your skin? Our bodies have enough to deal with.

Yes it takes a paradigm shift to let go of what you might believe about the products you use, and yes it means you have to alter you behaviour slightly but if we mean to change the world this is exactly what needs to happen and not just at the level of personal care products.

Everyone one of us who says no to this stuff is helping us make the shift from this crazy chemical consuming bonanza to a life sustaining world for all.

Are you in?

Make Your Own

I don’t believe in trying to reinvent the wheel so for those of you interested in making your own here is a link to the recipe I used.

Vital Mind Reset – DIY Personal Care Recipes

This link includes recipes for other products too!

I did however find that the lotion recipe Kelly Brogan suggests was very hard, probably because I live in a cold climate, therefore I have added olive oil or almond oil to make it softer, the choice is yours. I also haven’t always had cocoa butter or shea butter so I just use what I have, this recipe is very forgiving.

Remember when making these shifts it may feel odd to begin with, that’s because you are leaving the land of the comfortable known stuff behind and it can take a little while to feel at home in the new place, with new products.

Don’t give up!

“People underestimate their capacity for change. There is never a right time to do a difficult thing.”

John Porter