Detoxify Your Body (Or the Kind of Foods Yogis Rub on their Bodies)

Ahimsa Living Yoga

sarah jamieson yoga

Have you done crazy things to detoxify your body?

When I hear about people doing a detox, it strikes me that they are often doing somewhat extreme and out of the ordinary things – like barely eating or only drinking lemon water or taking copious amounts of supplements. I’m curious about approaching detox in a less drastic and more maintainable way – simply by decreasing my exposure to toxins.

One way to significantly cut down on your exposure to toxins is to use toxin-free body-care and home-care products. A great rule of thumb is to avoid putting anything on your body that you wouldn’t put in your mouth. Last month, I wrote a post on Why Yogis Hug Trees and Rub Food on their Bodies, so this post – looking at the types of food that yogis might want to rub on their bodies – feels like an appropriate follow up.

Here are some of my favourite homemade – and toxin-free – recipes for body care:

 

Simple Skin Moisturizer

  • coconut oil

Rub it on your skin like you would any other skin moisturizing product. Your skin will likely seem a little oily at first, but the oiliness quickly fades.

Homemade Deodorant

  •   3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • ¼ cup baking soda

I got this recipe from another yogi, and she had suggested 6 Tbsp Coconut Oil, ¼ cup baking soda, and ¼ cup cornstarch, but I’ve been avoiding corn, so I decided to cut it out of the recipe. Coconut oil and baking soda has been working great for me so far.

Baking Soda Shampoo

  • 2 Tbsp baking soda
  • ½ – 1 Tbsp water

Mix water and baking soda in a small bowl and take it into the shower with you. Work the baking soda paste into your hair, and rinse and condition as usual. It took me a few washes to get used to shampooing with baking soda, but from the very beginning I noticed a “cleaner than usual” feel to my hair.

Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioner

  • 2 cups water
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 5 drops tea tree essential oil

I mix these ingredients in a spray bottle and keep them in the shower. Apple cider vinegar makes my hair really soft, and this mixture is supposed to be fantastic for decreasing dandruff.

Moisturizing Conditioner

  • ½ Avocado
  • Juice from half a lemon

Mix the avocado and lemon into a paste. Massage the paste into your scalp and rub it through hair. Leave on for 15-20 minutes and then rinse, shampoo and condition as normal. It didn’t happen to me, but I’ve been warned that lemon juice may lighten hair. If you don’t want to risk lighter hair, I would avoid this recipe.

Oily Hair Spruce Up

  • corn starch

If you hair is oily and you are running short on time to wash your hair or you just don’t want wet hair, sprinkle a little corn starch in your hair. As you first start to sprinkle, it looks like your hair is greying, but after brushing your hair a few times, the corn starch doesn’t show up and your hair will look less oily.

Here are some of my favourite homemade – and toxin-free – recipes for home care:

Window & Glass Cleaner

  • 1 part white vinegar
  • 1 part water

Works way better than any window cleaning product I have ever purchased.

Homemade Hand Love

This one isn’t food, but it is easy and awesome!

  • Add 1 part castile soap to 3 parts water.

I use Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castile soap, but you can get all different kinds of scents and you could add essential oils if you like. Add the mixture to a container with a pump.

Multipurpose Cleaner

In a 700ml container, add:

  • 250ml water
  • 150ml white vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp. castile soap
  • 10 drops tea tree oil
  • And, then fill the rest of the container up with water.

I recommend adding some water first because straight vinegar and castile soap react with each other. The castile soap solidifies a bit and turns white. It’s not a big deal because it settles back to a clear liquid, but it does take a couple days to “unreact”, so I like to avoid it in the first place.

Clean the Kitchen Sink

  • Baking Soda

Sprinkle baking soda in the sink and scrub. Works wonders!

These home made body and home care products are some simple ways that I keep toxins out of my body, my home, and our environment. They are a great way to practice ahimsa, the yogic practice of non-harming.

Do you have any favourite homemade recipes? Post them as a comment below – I would love to try them out!

Namaste,

Sarah