Baking soda is not just for baking. Have you ever heard of washing your hair with a little baking soda and then rinsing it with cider vinegar? Here are 10 ways you can care for your home and body with Baking Soda.

1. Exfoliate your skin - Baking soda is a good way to remove dead skin cells from your face and body for an all over glow. A word of caution: If you use it on your face be gentle; as with any exfoliating scrub.

2. Deodorize your sinks and keep them free flowing - Pour a little baking soda down the drain, let it sit for about 5 minutes and run hot water for another 2 or 3 minutes for a fresh smelling good running sink. Do this once per week.

3. Brush your teeth - Baking soda is an excellent whitener and mouth freshener. Gargle with 1/2 tsp. baking soda in 1/2 glass of water. Freshens and cleans your mouth.

4. You can use baking soda to put out both grease and electrical fires as well fires on clothing, fuel, wood, upholstery and rugs.

5. If you have a kitty like me then I am sure you want the freshest smelling litter box. Who wants a smelly house. Add baking soda to the litter when you clean and it will keep the odor away.

6. You can apply soda directly to insect bites, rashes and poison ivy to relieve discomfort. Make a paste with water.

When most people think of essential oils, they think aromatherapy. While these oils are great for healing through diffusion and smell, they are just was good for cleaning the home and using on the body.

I think that every home should have tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, wild oregano, lavender, peppermint, garlic, thyme and sage essential oils. Of course there are hundreds to choose from and a number of ways to to use them, but the ones I have just listed can go a long way. From getting rid of bugs to calming nausea these oils are a home’s best friends.

Most of these oils can be found in your local health food store but make sure they are the purest on the market. We will discuss what to look for in essentials oils at a later date. For now let’s keep focused.

Each one, with the exception of peppermint oil, is anti-biotic and they are all antiseptics which means bacteria must flee in the presence of this elite group.

Lavender is not just for calming but it is also good to get rid of the creepy crawlies in your home. Simply soak a ribbon with the oil and place it near a window, in your closet, or in the cracks and crevices where most bugs find their way into your home. In my home we use a combination of filtered water, tea tree and wild oregano oil as a powerful disinfectant; especially for the bathroom. Garlic and oregano oils are both great for warding off colds at the first sign of sniffles; and tea tree oil is good for tooth aches, just don’t swallow it.

Before you put that foundation or lipstick on your face,take a moment to take a look at the ingredients label. You?ll probably find that there are many words you can?t identify and most likely won’t be able to pronounce. Most people think that ingredients have to be safe and helpful to be included in personal care and beauty products, but there is very little regulation in this area.

So how do you look great without endangering yourself and your skin?

Try natural cosmetics for a safer way to look your best.

It is estimated that up to 60 percent of the products you put on your skin are absorbed and eventually reach the bloodstream. This becomes a scary statistic when you consider that most traditional beauty products contain chemicals that are not only toxic to humans but are also carcinogens. With regular use, your body absorbs these artificial additives which can make you sick. When your body is sick, the appearance of your skin suffers; you look less healthy and radiant. By using natural products, you are reducing the risk of this occurring. Keep in mind that not all natural ingredients are safe, so there is still a risk, it is simply smaller.

Just because a cosmetic product says it?s natural or organic, doesn?t mean it has all natural ingredients. Since there aren?t regulations on natural beauty products, many ?natural? products will contain one or two natural ingredients and all the other dangerous chemicals that traditional products have. There are several organizations that certify organic body products, but a good way to be sure all the ingredients are natural is to look at the label. If you can?t pronounce something, it?s probably not natural.