ttc and cutting out chemicals..help!

[vivica2]

hi all!

were pretty healthy here, but i need help to be more so. were trying to make baby #3 and its been 15 months now *sigh* so im tryign to cut all chemicals. 

here's what we do so far:

eat local, organic freerange meat and dairy (pasturized milk) in the summers eat mostly out of our garden. farmers market, no plastic toys/no batteries, glass (no plastic) dishes/food storage. only eat whole grains, and often eat gluten free (no sensitivites). 

and here's where i need help:

shampoo- i have thin, hair. iv used a "shapoo bar" by a local soap maker in town, and it has made my hair huge!!! its great if i put it up, but it get tangly sooooo fast. :( and feels realy...rough) the soap had all oils in it, jojoba, oilive, shae butter etc. any suggestions?

skin care: sunscreen, (burts bees im not a fan of so far, but we use it anyway, id love to find something better) makup, i use arbonne, but im willing to switch. body soap, 

realy the most important on eis shampoo.....

thanks!!! im off to browse your forum now... :)

-viv-

[SamiPolizzi]

Here's what I just posted in another thread regarding shampoo:

I make "shampoo" out of dr. bronners. Here's the recipe:

3 oz dr. bronners

8 oz water, or herbal infusion of your choice (I like to use green tea)

1/4 tsp jojoba oil

25 drops essential oil of your choice

Make sure to shake it before every use as the ingredients will separate. Also, it's going to be liquid, not gel like a regular shampoo, so it's easiest to squirt it directly onto your head, not into your hand.I like to follow it with an ACV rinse. 

As far as sunscreen, if you have a lotion you like, you can just buy zinc oxide and add it to your lotion. 10% zinc oxide = 30 SPF. Otherwise, you can make sunscreen yourself too. Let me know if you'd like the recipe. 

[vivica2]

oh wow! what a good idea about the sunscreen, thanks so much!

and i have been using baking soda and a vinegar rinse and my hair is soooo tangly...so ill se how this works out. thanks!!!

[swd12422]

IDK if you do this already, but another place you need to cut chemicals is feminine products. If you're using disposables, you may want to switch to unbleached, undyed, natural fiber cloth pads. That is one thing that really helped my cycle become more regular.

[bobcat]

(edit, read further down...not same boat, but still some good thoughts) I am in the same boat as you. We want to conceive a year from now, but I know it'll take us a year to replace the things we want to replace (smelly particle board furniture in bedroom, etc), so I am thinking about it now already, and saving up for the changes I want to make.

I have the same problem with some natural shampoos making my hair very tangly. As I see it, one solution is just getting a really good conditioner that detangles. I am currently in the process of finding one. Actually, I found one, but the smell is a little overpowering for me, even though it's completely natural. It is Shikai Color Reflect Daily Moisture Conditioner. They sell it at my Whole Foods, but I get it on www.iherb.com. That detangles. I like that brand. You may want to try some of their Shampoos too. It isn't perfect (homemade), but at least it doesn't have any terrible chemicals in it.....nothing like artificial scents, parabens, etc.

I want nothing to do with artificial scents, because that's phthalates, and that impacts a baby boy's development. (just google phthalates baby boy).

I also want to get a carbon filter for my shower head, because of the chemicals the city uses to treat water (all cities do this) and their byproducts. Anyone know of a good one?

I want natural curtains with no chemicals for my bedroom, because my current ones give off a chemical smell. Again, looking for recommendations?

I will put some plants in my bedroom to improve air quality and suck up chemicals like formaldehyde (plants will do this, esp. certain ones...google it, NASA made a list of top 10 cleaner air plants).

I may wrap my mattress in this mattress cover/wrap that's food grade plastic (good plastic) that seals out the mattress chemicals. I can't find the web address, but if anyone wants it, I'll look for it.

These are moreso things for the baby's safety, not in order to help conception. SORRY, I just re-read your post and realized your goals are a little different than mine, since you are trying to speed conception itself. But some of these chemicals will also impact fertility. My guess is that phthalates do, possibly flame retardants, and BPA of course!!!! BPA is on receipts big time, so wash your hands after touching any receipt, and have your partner do the same!!!! Don't store receipts with you. Also, no canned tomato paste, canned tomatoes, etc. Big no-no. I use pasta sauce in glass jars as a canned tomato substitute. Canned beans=only Eden brand is bpa free. Canned coconut milk=only Native Forest is BPA free.

This is random, but have you tried Pre-Seed? I think that some of those natural lubes may be better than just relying on your own naturalness inside there to carry the sperm. Whatever you do, don't use KY or any typical lubes. I have also heard that you reaching the big O can help, because those muscle contractions down there will push sperm up. Just a few thoughts. I'm not sure how much you're tried in terms of mechanics as opposed to nutrition/avoiding chemicals.