To make green toothpastes even sweeter, xylitol, a “tooth friendly” sugar replacement, is added.
Unlike most artificial sweeteners, xylitol can be extracted from corn, birch, raspberries, and plums,
and studies show that it not only strengthens teeth enamel, but also wards off yeast and bacteria
(Edgar 1998). To ease symptoms of canker sores, many toothpastes are now sodium laureth sulfate-
free, with added licorice and aloe. Other excellent green soothers for canker sores include cloves and
myrrh, available in toothpastes by Green People and Tom’s of Maine.
Finding pure, nontoxic toothpaste is easier than you think. JASON Natural Cosmetics PowerSmile
is a brilliant whitening toothpaste without any synthetic junk in it, and Dr. Hauschka Lemon & Salt
Toothpaste is suitable for sensitive teeth or bleeding gums—there’s no menthol or peppermint in it.
Would you like to whiten those choppers but hate to swallow bleach? Try rubbing your teeth with
strawberries (rinse off quickly to avoid enamel decay!) or brush them with a baking soda and salt
mixture. Some people believe that gargling with diluted hydrogen peroxide helps to bleach teeth, but
be extra careful not to overdo it. As we learned earlier, swallowing even weak solution of hydrogen
peroxide can seriously irritate your stomach.
Green Bath Time
Taking a bath is probably the most indulgent beauty treatment. A tranquil, carefully prepared bath
can do wonders for your mood and your skin’s health. I denied myself long bath soaks during my
whole pregnancy, and what a torture it was! I loved being pregnant, but the bath ban was very hard to
tolerate.
Physiologically, the relaxing effects of soaking in water are easy to understand: warm water
suspends your weight, making you feel lighter, and thus helping to relax the muscles. As your blood
vessels dilate from the warmth, your blood pressure drops. Warm water can relax sore and tired
joints and release tension. The warm cocoon feels like a womb, making you feel safe and secure.
While showers can be called the skin’s fast food, a warm bath is definitely on top of the skin’s
comfort foods.
The less expensive your bath product is, the better. One-half cup of olive, sweet almond, or grape
seed oil is much better for your skin than a glittering, bubbling bath bomb made of skin-drying
chemicals and synthetic fragrances. Rose and orange water, Epsom salt, apple cider vinegar, whole-
fat milk, lemon and orange juices, green tea bags—all these kitchen staples can be put to use.
Green Bath Aromatherapy
It couldn’t be easier to go green when you bathe. Instead of detergent-based bath foams, switch to
plain milk, salts, and fragrant oils. Oils will protect skin from dehydration, because long, hot soaks in
the bath or showers can strip natural moisturizing oils from your skin. Wou can buy premixed bath oil
blends based on pure vegetable oils and essential oils. Make sure to check the label for preservatives
and avoid mineral oil, which will wrap your skin in a waterproof film and obstruct your skin’s
perspiration.
Green Tip
Carefully concocted oil compositions may help improve your mood while nourishing your skin as you soak.
By carefully blending gentle essential oils, you can supercharge your bathing ritual. You can create
wonderfully inexpensive and 100 percent green bath salts by adding blends of essential oils to Epsom