I was sincerely considering writing a full blog post confessing my failure over the weekend, but decided not to give it as much attention.  On this blog, I really want to remain positive and give encouragement to my readers, but I think it’s also important for you to know I’m only human.  I make mistakes.

Great, now I have that Human League song stuck in my head.

“I’m only human
Of flesh and blood I’m made
Human
Born to make mistakes”

I know what you’re thinking.  What did she do?  What could be so bad?

I stumbled.  I gave in to my cravings.  Something I haven’t done in over a year.  I had a Costco frozen chimichanga cooked in the microwave (gasp!) and covered in salsa.  It was SO good!  (Did I say that?)

Yes.  In fact, it was so good, I had another.  (gasp!)

Was It Worth It?

No, and I paid for it dearly.  I woke up in the morning with the rumbly tumblies, which I expected, but then the diarrhea started (sorry to be graphic) and later in the day my hemorrhoids started to hurt.  I immediately got back on the GAPS full diet which calmed my digestive system by the following day.  But the abdominal rumbly tumblies continued for a few days.

Whew!  I’m not doing that again!  I learned my lesson!  Lord willing.

So be advised, friends, it’s not worth it.  Learn from my mistakes instead of learning the hard way.  Just say no!  And I apologize to you, my faithful readers, for giving in to my temptations, and I beg for your forgiveness.  Thank you in advance.

Moving On

On a positive note, I began my preparations for going on the GAPS introduction diet.  At this time, I want to get rid of as many environmental toxins as possible, so I spent a few hours searching for and purchasing natural or organic toiletries and household items.

I replaced my cosmetics a few months ago with organic choices and use Norwex paste and vinegar (not together) for household cleaning.  But I need to replace my dishwasher detergent, dish soap, laundry detergent, hand soap, hand cream and deodorant.

There are two options when it comes to chemical-free household items: purchase them pre-made or make your own.  I don’t have the time or energy to make my own, but when I do I plan to visit Lea at Nourishing Treasures.  Her site has several homemade recipes for deodorant, hand soap, laundry detergent, toothpaste, hand sanitizer and air freshener all in one convenient place.

Because I decided to purchase them pre-made, I visited the lovely Katie at Kitchen Stewardship.  Her website has a comprehensive list of several “green” household products and toiletries, including some reviews and homemade recipes.  I was able to find exactly what I needed in a short time.  Both websites, though, offer great alternative choices for non-toxic household items and toiletries, as well as both pre-made and homemade products.

My Choices

Laundry Detergent – I choose soap nuts from NaturOli.  They are certified organic, 100% natural and are produced, bottled and packaged in the USA.  They were my most expensive purchase at just under $30, including shipping, for 160 loads.  I’m warning you, their website was confusing and not user-friendly for me. This choice will give me enough time to gather ingredients and containers to make my own at a later date and save $$ in the long run.  I will pre-treat stubborn stains with Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator by Biokleen.

Hand Soap – Rose Of Sharon Acres got my vote here!  Another USA business and one of the nicest, gracious, most humble online entities I have ever purchased from.  I’ll be purchasing from them again and hope to become an affiliate on my blog.  I choose their Castile Baby Bar for its mildness and its Skin Deep score of zero.  It is also fragrance-free.

Shampoo – Last week I was doing research on alternative shampoos and discovered the wonders of a shampoo bar.  A couple of months ago, after I quit my job, I tried going “no-poo.”  It was pretty much a disaster, and I’m probably not going to try it again anytime soon.  Rose Of Sharon Acres had a few choices of Sodium Laureth Sulfate-free shampoo bars, and I choose the Lemongrass/Sage bar because I love lemon.  In the fall, I will try the Brunette Espresso bar to enhance my brown tones and make it rich and shiny.  I learned of the dangers of SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) from Lea at Nourishing Treasures.

Hair Conditioner – At this time I plan on using Raw Apple Cider Vinegar as a quick rinse and will apply a small bit of coconut oil on the ends.  I’m crossing my fingers that this works.  If it doesn’t, I’ll be searching for another alternative.

Deodorant – I was not considering replacing this because I almost never use it anymore, but as I was perusing through Rose Of Sharon Acres’ website I found their spray deodorant and decided to try their smallest bottle.  My order arrived today, and I love all the products I chose!

Dish Soap – Mrs. Meyer’s Dish Soap received an “A” on Katie’s website for powering through “serious piles of dishes,” and since I can find it locally, I decided it was a good choice.  I purchased the lemon/verbena dish soap and might try their countertop spray for my kitchen and bathroom.

UPDATE 6/30/2012:   This product gets a thumbs-down from me.  They include a “caution” note on their label that states “Keep out of reach of children and pets,” but their website states their “products are safe to use in the presence of children, pets, and expectant women.”  Um, what?

I also did some research on a few of the ingredients because too many of them look like Sodium Laureth Sulfate, that nasty ingredient I’m trying to avoid.   After researching Lauramine Oxide (an amine), Sodium Coco-Sulfate (this article says it’s safe, but when reading the comments I found a few people who disagreed), and Cocamidopropyl Betaine (read the last paragraph of the update), I made the decision this product should probably not be used by someone who is trying to rid their household of possible toxins, neither will I judge anyone who chooses to use this product.  Because I spent money on it, I plan to use up this bottle and find something else, but wish NaturOli’s products weren’t so expensive.

Hand Cream – I’m excited to try MadeOn Hard Lotion and am considering purchasing their Au Chocolat bar.  They also sell soaps (the Coffee Soap looks interesting!), bug block, lip balm, hair butter for dry hair or hair gel, rash cream (diaper cream?) and even offer a DIY kit for making your own!

Dishwashing Detergent – I choose BioKleen Free and Clear Automatic Dish Powder.  Our family usually doesn’t have a lot of food left on our dishes, and I always pre-soak and pre-rinse my dishes.  It’s a habit I started years ago because I don’t like washing my dishes twice.

My Next Move

Last week I started to stock my freezer in preparation for going on the GAPS intro diet and will share what I am doing in my next post.  I’m hoping this step will make the diet easier to handle and lighten the load since I might have what are called “die-off” symptoms.  These are symptoms that occur when the good bacteria battle with the bad bacteria.  Often, the bad guys leave toxins behind as they die off.  I expect to possibly experience fatigue, pain, weakness and other debilitating symptoms, but am hoping this will clean up my system even more.

Do you use “green” non-toxic personal and household products?  If not, do you want to?  If so, I’d love to hear what works for you, what doesn’t and why.  Please leave me a comment below.  Thank you!

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This post is shared on GAPS Legal Thursdays, Fight Back Friday and Fat Tuesday.