DIY Toothpaste with Baking Soda and Bentonite Clay

I am going to confess something that might sound a little strange. The truth is that I brush my teeth with dirt. Okaaaaay, technically, it's not dirt-- it's clay, but dirt sounds way more dramatic. {Scarlett O'Hara inspired swoon}

If you are blog follower of mine then you might not be too shocked to see that I am playing with dirt like substances... in my mouth. After all, you know I'm a little naturalistic crazy. But seriously, trust me, brushing your teeth with dirt is kind of amazing so don't write it off just yet!

I knew I had to over haul my home care products after I saw this article.

But this is why you should think about using bentonite clay in particular: 

• It's all natural and that is AWESOME. 
• Clay absorbs the bad stuff and removes it from your body. It's actually nature's detox agent. People (and animals) ingest clay for an internal cleanse.
• It actually enhanced gum repair 
• Also, using clay will also decreased cavities by increasing the remineralizing of the teeth. 

Clay can do all of those things because it is jam packed full of nutrients and negatively charged ions that truly clean your teeth.

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Drinking Dirt: Bentonite Clay Detox

Since it's February, you might expect that I'm going to post about romance or how to knit a scarf or maybe even something football related, but I'm not doing that. We are going in a totally different direction! I'm going to talk about dirt and poop. Woohoo!!! Excited, right?! It's so much better than love and stuff. Ew.

So, I drink dirt. I just love saying that. People never know if I'm serious or if I'm using my "special" sense of humor on them. I'm definitely serious. But it's a special kind of dirt called Bentonite Clay.

Not only is it a great detox, but it's also helped with IBS symptoms.

Why I Drink Dirt
1) It's Natural
Bentonite Clay is one of the most powerful substances Mother Nature has given us.

Have you ever watched those wildlife documentaries and seen the animals shamelessly eating dirt? They are actually eating clay. They instinctually know that clay will help with digestion and elimination of toxins. It's programmed into their behavior and I bet that at one time in history it was our instinct to eat dirt, too. But I bet that some jerk-face decided that it was "uncivilized" to eat dirt and everyone else was like "Yay! Woo!! Civilized people! No dirt!!" so we stopped.

I bet it happened just like that.

2) Detox
This isn't just any dirt. Bentonite clay that can produce a negative electric charge once it's hydrated which helps to pull heavy metals, toxins and radioactive material out of your body and into your poop which then goes into the toilet thus exiting your holy vessel. It's pretty awesome.

However-- this is super important-- don't let your clay come in contact with metal. The negative ions will absorb the ions from the metal and then a) the clay loses some of it's pull b) you are drinking some metals which will bind to the clay and be excreted, but still-- you are ingesting metal. No thank you.

It's similar to eating Wheaties apparently. Watch this YouTube Video. It's about cereal and a magnet and what happens when they collide! It's slightly disturbing so watch at your own risk (especially if you like Wheaties). Also, it's a good reason to go buy some clay.

If that doesn't freak you out, then you can look at this article which shows you 32 surprising sources of toxic heavy metals.

3) Help certain ailments

Clay has been researched through evidence based studies and definitely seems promising, but it hasn't been researched for all it's potential yet. We are seeing more people with different ailments claiming that bentonite clay has helped their symptoms or even recovery from their illness.

Bentonite Clay could be beneficial with health concerns like the following:

• Supports digestion
• Supports healthy skin 
• Help boost up the immune system
• Cleanse the liver, colon and skin
• Help provide some trace minerals that humans can sometimes lack in their diets
• Improves symptoms of dehydration
• Aids in the absorption of nutrients
• Helps support healthy gut flora
• Supports parasite removal from the gut
• Help to to correct the imbalances in bacteria of the GI tract

People who should NOT take clay:

• Iron absorption issues -- you may need blood monitoring.
• High blood pressure
• Check with your doctor if you are taking prescription medications to make sure it will not interfere with their absorption. ALWAYS take medication and vitamins either 30 minutes before or 2 hours after you ingest clay. 
• If you have concerns, always check with your doctor. 

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DIY Deodorant with Bentonite Clay & Coconut Oil

This is how I imagine myself:  {zombie walk, grunts} MUST MAKE STUFF BETTER!!

So, lately (in my endless quest to make stuff better) I've been using a lot of clay. I make things from clay so I thought "Why not put clay on my pits?"

If we're going to be honest, I was actually thinking about bathing in clay (which is an actual thing,
people), but that's when it occurred to me that my original DIY deodorant doesn't exactly make all the sweat go away-- just the smell.  And then this this thought just popped into my head: "OMG. I bet clay would make the sweat go away!" I'm not going to say the obvious because I'm humble, but if you want to comment on how brilliant I am then there is a comment section below. {bats eyes humbly}

Here is some good information about bentonite clay if you're interested in reading about it: Bentonite Clay Info.

Anyways, so I decided to toss a little bit of clay in my existing deodorant recipe. It was AWESOME.
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Clarifying Bentonite Clay Facial Mask

Do you have a skin goal? Maybe enlarged pores? Wrinkles? Would you like to have tighter skin? Of course, everyone does! Well, you're lucky because I have a fantastic solution for you!!

I have found that bentonite clay is a fabulous natural way to my improve skin! Now, you may think, "What a minute-- isn't that dirt?!" Sort of. It's super special dirt from God. Bentonite clay is pretty much His gift to us!

So please, don't go outside and just smear mud on your face. It has to be quality bentonite clay!

I buy loose clay and add water (or rose water) to make a fantastic mask, and I've bought a pre-packaged facial mask like this one from Redmond Clay. It's literally just clay and water, no chemicals no preservatives!

The Facial Mud claims to do the following:

• Clarify your skin
• Remove excess oil
• Shrink appearance of pores
• Draw out toxins
• Tone skin
• Remove impurities
• Deep cleanse your skin. 

It is safe for all skin types and it's so simple to use.

Essential Oils For Added Benefits
If you want added benefit you can even add a couple of drops of essential oils such as lavender to help combat bumps and smooth scars. Personally I love Frankincense because of it's ability to support healthy skin.

Make sure you know which essential oils to use because some may cause thicker hair growth or increase hair growth and I don't think you want that on your face!

If you'd like to join my Natural Living Support Group on Facebook please fill out this form!

How To Use It
If you are using powdered clay, use 3-4 tsp, add 2-3 drops of essential oil (optional) and enough water (or rose water) to make it like a paste. If you are using the Facial Mud, then just add 2-3 drops to the clay.

Apply the wet clay and let it dry for any time between 10-25 minutes (the more sensitive your skin- the less time is recommended).

You may experience some redness after the mask simply because of the process to draw out the impurities (aka pore gunk). I washed the clay off my face at the 15 minute mark and the first thing I noticed was how tight my skin felt. It wasn't uncomfortably tight, but rather pleasantly firm as if gravity has been reversed. Yay!!

The second thing I noticed was how soft my skin felt to the touch. I couldn't stop touching it! 

My skin is a little red after the mask, but I have very sensitive skin so I'm happy with that. It fades pretty quickly!

The first time I did this I noticed that my old facial scars were a bit more visible than usual, but slowly it faded and my skin looked back to normal. If you're worried about that, then you can always do it before bed! However, it really does make a difference in the long run! For me I've seen smaller pore sizes, tighter skin, less blemishes, and reduced wrinkles. 

If you're interested in the Facial Mud you can buy it here: Facial Mud Hydrated Clay 4 Ounces or the Powdered Clay: Redmond Clay
Rose Water: Eau de Rose du Maroc Distillate Water

Essential Oils: I recommend this brand 

If you've tried clay before I'd love to hear your experiences!

Questions? 
If you'd like to join my Natural Living Support Group on Facebook please fill out this form or you can read DIY Beauty Basics 101

Disclaimer: Redmond clay provided the clay for this review, but it is only because I told them how much I loooovvvee their products and I wanted to write a bunch of posts. So, yeah, I loved them before they gave me free stuff. Now I love them more. 

The links for products are affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from anything purchased which I recommend. I am a Young Living distributor so I earn a commission from products sold. If you are interested in getting 24% off your order-- please email me. There is a gimmick, but it's actually a cool gimmick. I swear.

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