Tooth Powder-Final

Tooth Powder

After trying so many different toothpastes of the D.I.Y. variety I have finally put together one I like and that works for me!

I've used coconut oil mixed with baking soda, coconut oils mixed with activated charcoal, soap mixed with activated charcoal and peppermint oil. I also tried herb powder combinations twice.

I'm always looking for that "perfect" paste or powder! There have been drawbacks to every one I tried. The coconut oil styles have a bad habit of sticking to the sink so this means lots of extra cleaning. The ones with activated charcoal in them really were great except for that issue. 

Activated charcoal is great for whitening teeth and keeping the bacteria out. Soap was an awesome toothpaste-it foamed and made the teeth feel great! Problem? Well for one, taste was an issue but when I mixed it with peppermint drops it wasn't too bad. Main problem? Glycerin, it makes things stick to your teeth. It actually puts a film on your teeth that can keep them from accessing nutrients! Boo! Keep glycerin out of your combinations if you want a healthy mouth! 

Here is my final herbal tooth powder:

• 3 T. magnesium, calcium carbonate & zinc (powdered together)
• 2 t. Activated Charcoal
• 1 t. Baking Soda
• 1 t. Sea Salt
• 1 t. Ground Cloves or 20 drops Clove Oil
• 1 t. Calendula infused Sesame Oil
• a few drops of extract made from: Burdock Root,  Nettle Root,  Marshmallow Root and Yarrow
• a few drops of Rose Hips Extract
• 10-20 drops Peppermint Oil
• Stevia powder to taste

I mortar-pestled the ingredients and that's it- tooth powder! Place in glass jar (s). This is enough to last 6 months to a year depending on how much you use. A little goes a loooong way!

To use: Simply pour out a small amount into the cap, your hand, or the sink to rub your wet brush into. Brush 2 minutes and rinse well! Follow with your tongue scraper. Don't have one? Get one! It really helps keep the bacteria that accumulates off the back of the throat. That in turn keeps you from getting sore throats, colds etc. Try it-it works!

Note: Don't stick the brush into the container or you can contaminate the powder with fecal matter. Don't believe me?  Check this out: mythbusters ! You will be shocked! Unless you use an ultraviolet light or food grade bleach or some other thing like a zapper or silver-you use a contaminated toothbrush everyday. Yep! Yucky but true.


This tooth powder so far has worked really well. No sink mess, tastes nice, leaves my mouth clean feeling and I know I've fed my teeth with all the good nutrients of the ingredients. I'm not real great at "selfies" but here goes:

 My recent dental appointment I was complimented on my teeth! Very little tartar build up. No cavities. My teeth feel strong and my gums never bleed when I floss. All in all I'm very happy with my powder. I've even started to like the taste of clove! ;)

I started this because the DIY toothpastes I tried were messing up my sink! I'd quit toothpaste a while back due to all the SLS, fluoride, glycerin and cancer causing toxins in them. Finding a simple replacement turned into a 3 year long quest!

In 1994 I read Hulda Clark's "Cure for All Cancers" and have followed her guidelines for years. Her instructions for teeth are here: Dr. Hulda Clark's Mouth Care Instructions.  Some great advice! You can get food grade peroxide at most health food stores or there is a peroxy product made for braces wearers that works really great too!  One dentist I went to recommended rinsing with betadine but I couldn't quite wrap my mind around that one! Powder is still the best solution I've found for me.

My daughter sent me several links for all kinds of companies who make "all natural toothpastes". Some were really interesting! Like the Earth Paste for example, but at $4.95 a 4 oz tube it seems like a very expensive proposition to me! I even ran across a goat milk farm (toothpowder) that makes a tooth powder very similar to mine! Really cool! I put mine together researching what would help my teeth. It never dawned on me to try to find a powder for teeth other than the old Pepsodent! But now I know if I ever want to be lazy I can order something! :) I recently found a few more:

 dirty-mouth-primal-toothpowder
detox-tooth-powder
all-natural-tooth-powder
the-dirt-trace-mineral-tooth-powder

Seems like everyone is getting into the powder idea! Meanwhile I wish you the very best on your journey to healthy teeth and a clean mouth!

God bless you and yours!

Marla Riedling

MJR Soaps

Sun Tan Oil

Hi again,

Last year I posted a sun block lotion and powder. This season I have been using a mix of oils and only using the block when I plan to be outside a long time.

The SPF rating is a measure of "how long a sunscreen remains effective on the skin."^[19] The effectiveness of a sunblock can be determined "by multiplying the SPF factor by the length of time it takes for him or her to suffer a burn without sunscreen." [20]

Mathematically, the SPF is calculated from measured data as

where  is the solar irradiance spectrum,  the erythemal action spectrum, and  the monochromatic protection factor, all functions of the wavelength . The MPF is roughly the inverse of the transmittance at a given wavelength.

The above means that the SPF is not simply the inverse of the transmittance in the UV-B region. If that were true, then applying two layers of SPF 5 sunscreen would be equivalent to SPF 25 (5 times 5). The actual combined SPF is always lower than the square of the single-layer SPF.

Most oils have different degrees of protection. (COLD PRESSED ALL NATURAL OILS WILL HAVE HIGHER SPF PROTECTION THAT THEIR PROCESSED COUNTERPARTS)

The following is a partial list of some organic oils and their properties:

Oil	SPF
Raspberry Seed Oil	28 to 50
Carrot Seed Oil	38 to 40
Argan Oil	30
Wheat Germ Oil	20
Avocado Oil	4 to 15
Soybean	10
Peppermint Essential Oil	7
Macadamia Nut	6
Coconut Oil	2 to 8
Lavender Essential Oil	6
Sesame Seed Oil	6
Aloe Vera Oil	6
Almond Oil	5
Shea Butter	4
Jojoba	4
Grape Seed Oil	4
Hemp Oil	4
Olive Oil	2 to 8

The other thing to consider is the water resistant qualities of the oils you use, for example argan and sesame both soak right into the skin, they have a very fast absorption rate while coconut oil and shea butter take a while to absorb. You can also add beeswax or floral wax to make your formula more waterproof. It's all up to you!

I put together a small bottle of potent oils to use when I want to tan but not burn.

I used:

• 2 parts coconut oil

• 1 part argon oil 

• 1 part red raspberry seed oil

Melt the oils together stirring them into one another. Pour into a serum container. A little goes a long way! About a 30 SPF.

You can also add a scent to it if you want. I didn't because we have too many bugs around here! If I add a sweet scent I know I'd be a target for every bee and wasp in the area! :) I thought about adding an essential oil from the mint family to repel the bugs but this round I left mine unscented. Try some and see! It works really well for about 1-2 hours, then it needs to be reapplied. I gave mine a good work out this weekend at the amusement park!

Happy sunning!!!

Marla Riedling

MJR Soaps

Working with hemp oil and milk soaps

 June already! Where does the time go?

It's been a while since I posted! In May I made 2 soaps and they just finished curing and I'll be putting them up for sale shortly. The first is a new batch of soap I sell a lot of, it contains hemp oil & hemp milk; the second one is an even bigger seller-Citrus Melon Hemp Milk Soap. I really like the skin benefits of hemp! All the hand lotions I've made lately are either goats milk or hemp milk lotions. So soothing and healing to the skin! I love my hemp milk & oil!

Here's a post from Collective Evolution about hemp milk:

The hemp plant, including it’s seeds, offer a powerful punch when it comes to nutrition. In a single 8-ounce glass of hemp milk you can find the following nutrients:

900 mg Omega-3 Fatty Acid
2800 mg Omega-6 Fatty Acid
All 10 Essential Amino Acids
4 grams of Digestible Protein
46% of RDA of Calcium
0% Cholesterol
Potassium
Phosphorous
Riboflavin
Vitamin A
Vitamin E
Vitamin B12
Folic Acid
Vitamin D
Magnesium
Iron
Zinc

And more…

From that stacked list we can see that hemp milk is a great source of nutritious protein and is capable of delivering the tough to find amino acid, GLA. Hemp milk is rich in protein and contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, vitamins A, E, B-12 and folic acid, and is rich in magnesium, potassium, iron and magnesium. All essential nutrients for a healthy diet and immune system.

Notable Benefits

• Strengthened Immune System
• Clear, Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails
• Strong, Healthy Heart
• Increased Mental Capacity
• Hemp has anti-inflammatory agents and improves circulation.

Truly some amazing stuff!

Charcoal Mint Eucalyptus Soap

Sean Killeen came up with the best idea for a my charcoal soap challenge. He suggested charcoal mint soap.  I added eucalyptus to it also. Here is the soap being made, unmolded and cut. Sean chose a piece of this new soap after it finishes curing. Congratulations Sean!

DIY Natural Deodorant

Natural Deodorant

Top Fill Style from an old "Degree" container

Making natural deodorant is easy! Deodorant lets you sweat but keeps the bacteria from forming and causing you to stink.You can use various ingredients to do the job and not worry about the dangerous additives of antiperspirants, such as  aluminum. I have tried using baking soda and other ingredients, but this is the combination that works the best for me.

First you need a container, if you have an old antiperspirant tube you may wash it thoroughly and re-purpose it for your recipe. If it is a bottom fill style you will remove the plug from the bottom and put tape across the top to keep it from running out as the bottom fill style needs to be done upside down. I prefer my top fill! You simply pour it in and let it harden! Lots easier. Any type of small container is fine, you need to determine how much you will need to make based on the size of your container.

The ingredients I use are:

• Zinc Oxide Powder
• Coconut oil (or any hard butter such as Cocoa, Mango, Tucuma, Kokum, Cupuacu, or Sal) 
• Beeswax or Floral Wax
• A few drops of T-50 E
• Optional: essential oils and/or fragrance oils

Example: For a 3 oz container I use 2 oz butter, .25 oz beeswax, 2 T Zinc Oxide Powder, a few drops of T-50 E, lavender, rosemary and lemongrass essential oil

Directions:

Using a small enamel or glass saucepan and melt your butter and wax, add in the zinc powder mixing it in thoroughly, add  the T-50 E, add your optional EO's and FO's. Your mixture should be white and fairly runny. Pour into your container. Place in fridge for a while until cooled and hard.

Note: If you're using a top fill container set it on a plate or in a bowl just in case it leaks so you won't have a mess to clean in the fridge!

To use: 

Place a small amount under the arms or any place you have problems with bacteria causing odors.

It lasts for 2-4 days depending on how vigorous you are and how much you sweat. I wash my underarms at night with water and it keeps right on working!

So there you have it, it's simple but effective. I've used this for several years, before that I used Lavilin which works quite well but is a bit expensive. The rest of the natural stuff out there I wasn't interested in because the ingredients were things I can't use (like baking soda). I also tried the crystal salts-they seemed like they worked but just didn't last once the sweating started! For many years I used zinc oxide cream but once I realized it is in a petroleum base,  I knew I needed to stop putting petroleum on my underarms! That's how I came up with this combination. I took the ingredient from the zinc oxide that worked for me and put it in a harmless base! I only have to make a new batch 1-2 times a year and it works fantastic! I made up several and sold them at my last craft show! I got these white top fill containers very inexpensively from CPS ( http://www.containerandpackaging.com/ ) Louisville, KY. Try making some and get away from aluminum-some day you will wish you had!

Take care and talk to you soon!

Marla Riedling
MJR Soaps

Deodorant

Charcoal Soap

Hi all,

I'm down to 2 bars on charcoal soap and want to make a new batch. First things first, what should I do?

1. 1 color-black no scent?
2. 1 color-black and a scent?
3. 2 color swirled with a scent?

This was my previous batch-charcoal and pomegranate.

Here are the Essential Oils and Scents I have on hand:

Essential Oils		Fragrance Oils
Amris		Almond
Bay Rum		Cinnamon
Cajeput		Autumn Song
Cedarwood Himalaya		Baby Powder
Cinnamon		Black Cherry
Clove Bud		Bubble Gum
Eucalyptus		Chocolate
Frankincense		Holiday Spic
Rose Geranium		Cinnamon Bun
Java Citronella		Citrus
Lavender		Citrus Twist
Lemongrass		Cool Water
Orange		Cotton Candy
Peppermint		Cucumber Melon
Grapefruit		Fresh Linen
Rosemary		Heaven Scent
Tea Tree		Hot Apple Pie
Turmeric		Jamaican Fruit
Vanilla		Jasmine
Wintergreen		Juniper Sage
		Lemon Sugar
		Lilac and Lilies
		Lime Margarita
		Spell
		Mango Martini
		Mayan Gold
		Myrrh
		Neroli
		Ocean Breeze
		Peach
		Pecan Pie
		Peppermint
		Perfect Melody
		Plumeria
		Pomegranate
		Sandalwood
		Sea Fresh
		Sex on the Beach
		Smooth Roast
		Starburst
		Stormy Nights
		Strawberry Delight
		Vanilla Cream
		Vanilla Lace
		Violet Waterfall

Any input would be appreciated! The person who submits the best idea will receive a free soap of their choice along with my thanks. Please comment below with your ideas.

Thank you so much for the assistance!

God Bless,

Marla Riedling

MJR Soaps

Soaping for 2013

What I learned in 2013

• Etsy is a not a good place to sell soap, it is very difficult because there are so many selling it!
• I sell more soap by word of mouth and in person
• Farmer's Markets and festivals are good places to sell soap
• Ebay is a great place to sell soap
• Don't trust the U.S.P.S.- check the tracking!

I have too many varieties of soap and too much soap in inventory, so unfortunately I am not making any new soaps right now. My inventory needs to go down. It's amazing to me, last year I was frantic to get an inventory built up. I think I did too good of a job! At last count I still have 289 full size soaps. (This doesn't include all my small hearts or squares.)

An associate of mine asked me about making 5000+ bars a month for them and at this time I had to decline. I honestly don't have the room to do it!

So here I sit, not making soap. I miss it so much! Sniffle sniffle.

If I can find a way to sell soap and reduce inventory then I can make some new soap, oh how happy I will be! :)

Meanwhile, I can say I am selling soap. Just not humongous quantities. It's more like 20 this week and 3 next week... it comes and goes! At holiday time I made 3 batches that are nearly gone. And I made more of a type I already had (Almond Goats Milk) and a new goats milk (Mayan Gold Goats Milk) to replace another type I ran out of. (Caramel Latte' Goats Milk)

How about you? How is your business going? Successful and busy? Or slow and steady?

I'm praying to do well in 2014 and build my business bigger!

Have a great day!

Marla

MJR Soaps