Homemade coconut oil deodorant!

On my last post I mentioned I was adding a new tool to my detox protocol.  Oil pulling with coconut oil.  So far so good!  People are commenting on how much whiter my teeth are even!
I wanted to give kudos to coconut oil in general.  It is a fantastic moisturizer and lip balm - it smells, feels and hydrates wonderfully!  The other day I paid big $ for Moroccan oil for my hair - coconut oil works just as well for much less.
I found this fantastic other beauty/hygiene recipe I'll share with you in just a moment.  I have been to Target and Walgreens on the search for deodorant.  Not anti-perspirant but just deodorant - besides the crystal (which is so pricey and hard to find) I've used Toms which is also hard to find outside a healthfood store.   Even speedstick and some of the teen versions used to be made as just a deodorant without the anti-perspirant (aluminum chloride) - but there wasn't any whatsoever on the shelves.  I even checked with the pharmacist at Target and they don't sell anything without aluminum chloride for the main brands. 
So I found this fun little project that is easy to make!  With - you guessed it - coconut oil.  Aaaahhhh fresh from the tropics!  ENJOY!

5 Tbsp. of Coconut Oil
 1/4 – 3/8 cup of Baking Soda
 1/4 – 3/8 cup of Cornstarch
 Essential oils (optional)
Here’s what you do:
1. Empty out your deodorant containers (if this is the way you want to store it). I twisted the deodorant all the way to the top and then scraped it off with a knife. It came off very easily. Then screw the plastic part back down.


2. Put the Baking Soda and Cornstarch (or Arrowroot) in a bowl and mix. Then add the coconut oil and any essential oils that you want to go in there. I used Rose scented oil, but I don’t think I used enough because I can’t smell the rose at all.


3. Mix thoroughly until it becomes a paste. You can add more baking soda and cornstarch in equal amounts if it doesn’t seem thick enough to you.

4. Using a spoon or spatula, put the coconut oil mixture into the empty deodorant cases. Clean off the rims (they will get messy as you can see in the picture below) and then put the lids back on to store. I totally expected it to only make enough for those two travel size cases, but I ended up having to get another trial sized container and two full-size containers to hold it all!  This should last us for a LONG time!

5. Apply like you would any deodorant.

Oil Pulling for DETOX

Since last week I've added a new simple regimen to my daily detox routine.  Oil pulling.  It's a centuries old technique and considered to be rooted in Ayurvedic medicine.  (Ayurvedic is ancient Hindu art of medicine and prolonging life).  I opted for coconut oil as I feel it is the most pleasant.  Plus of all the research on oils, heating them causing toxicity, etc. coconut oil is THE one to use - not just for oil pulling but for everything.  I've done many liver and gallbladder flushes where you have to drink loads of olive oil and I pretty much gag at the sight and smell of it.  Grapeseed not too bad but overall I'm sticking with coconut.  Must be my deep love of the tropics.
So twice a day I take about a tsp or two of coconut oil by mouth.  If you keep oil at room temp it might be in liquid state but I chill mine because I like it more that way.  Once it warms in your mouth and mixes with your saliva it liquifies anyway.  It's hard not to swallow -but you swish around your mouth for at least 5 to 15 minutes.  Then spit it out (not in sink or potty as it could clog plumbing).  You do not swallow it.  Why?  Well... it's pulling toxins from your body. 
When I was young, my parents took me to a Chinese herbalist in Calgary and the first thing he looked at was my tongue to get an idea of what was going on internally.  Kinda weird to a kid.  But your mouth is full of germs and your tongue also has meridian points that link to organs throughout body - it is believed that it not only pulls germs from immediate surfaces of mouth but pulls from throughout the body's organ systems as well. 
I've had major dental issues over the last several years and my kids keep me at arm's length because my breath is so "nasty".  So... this morning after several days of pulling I noticed that my breath is not as offensive.  Good sign that the toxins are not lingering!
Anything that will ease the burden on the immune system I am all for.  Oil pulling also helps with:

• Whiter teeth
• Healthy gums
• Clear sinuses
• Decrease in allergy symptoms, asthma & PMS symptoms
• Increase in energy
• Better sleep
• Clearer skin
• Regulated menstrual cycles

Energizing & YUMMY green smoothie recipe!

Wanted to share this fantastic smoothie recipe from my sweet friend Sarah who had her blender revved up making it happen this morning. It is rich in minerals and phyto-nutrients -this will provide you with antioxidants, boost your immune system, and provide anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and cellular repair.
Here ya go:

My green smoothie...not just tolerable this morning...yummy. Two cups spinach, one apple, 1/2 cup apple juice, 1 cucumber, 1/4 avocado, 1 frozen banana, fresh ginger and lemon juice. Next time I will add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Yay me. 5 fruit and veggie servings down for the day. Any more are just a bonus.

Thanks Sarah! You are right! YAY YOU!!!

Feel the fear & do it anyway.

I actually have a book entitled this. Great book. It's also a popular saying I've heard many motivational speakers use. But I think it struck me in an entirely new way this morning.
I was visiting this morning with my core group of girlfriends and was sharing how one of our beloved chicks was facing a doctor's appointment this morning with a lot of dread and anxiety concerning her health condition and having more tests. I called her last night to check in and prayed for her. She was trying so hard not to be afraid. She felt so bad she was in fear. Oftentimes the fear of the fear and the shame associated with having it (we're supposed to be all faith filled and positive, right?) causes it to grow and get more locked in.
On the heels of Easter (being yesterday - in Canada today is Easter Monday) - we think of Christ being raised from the dead. But what about when Jesus knew his time on earth was coming to an end and he had to face the cross? He asked God to not have to face it - he was so emotionally stressed his body sweat blood.
Fear is an emotion - probably one we hate ... and fear... the most. But it's part of how we're made. If we can accept the fact that we'll have fear - even if it seems inappropriate - or even misplaced (sometimes the symptoms of a panic attack come long after the onset or reason for the fear experience) - it often resolves on its own. The body mind connection will have to process it somehow. Give yourself grace and love yourself. Talk to yourself like you are your own best friend. Show compassion and tell yourself it's okay to feel like a big baby now and then. It's amazing how treating yourself this way will allow for the fear experience to lessen and perhaps resolve. But if you have to face something - know that you are not alone - allow for the strength of others to help you along. You will do great!

Crush your cold!

Here's a quick & easy - (I never said tasty!) - cold remedy.
Take fresh crushed garlic and ginger juice (buy the root and run it through juicer) 1 teaspoon 2 times daily for 3 days. See if that doesn't crush your cold!! Happy Valentines Day! May you and those you love be healthy and fit!

Fresh revelation for your Monday morning!

Happy & Healthy Monday! I will get back to Loving your Liver in my next post. I just had to share the core of what The Detox Diva and MarlyJones.com is all about. It's all summed up in what I read late last night that allowed me one of the best night's sleep in a long while. I so excited I had to share!

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard - things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. This is the Apostle Paul sharing how to live in his writings in Galations 5, Message.

Now. Breathe in. Breathe out. Absorb what you just read. Have a blessed day - full of love.

So how's your liver doing these days?

Allergies? Fatigue? Indigestion? Actually I could go on and on. When your liver is congested (yes not just your sinuses get stuffy) all sorts of symptoms will emerge as your body is crying out for a little help. Detox baby! I know...how weird am I that I get excited over cleansing and crowned myself The Detox Diva?
But seriously friends-- to release toxins from the body (physically and emotionally) brings such freedom and wellness to your life! Over the next few posts I am going to talk/explain about liver detoxification & how this works on a physical level, how to prepare your body and support it with nutrition and supplementation, as well as discuss the emotional attributes - which are very fascinating!
First up I'm going to outline just a teeny bit of what your liver does for you.

Your liver:

• Processes toxins
• Destroys bacteria
• Creates cholesterol & even alcohol (yup)
  
• Produces blood proteins
• Manufactures materials needed for clotting blood
• Produces antioxidants
• Controls blood sugar levels
• Stores vitamins
• Produces bile
• Stores a multitude of nutrients & toxins to feed & protect the body

You gotta love your liver. Giving it a little help now and then through a detoxification program is key to keeping it happy. Next up I will intro you to Detox - Phase 1.