i've used cane sugar with honey before or coffee grinds (is that what they're called?) with honey. they are both good scrubs but i only use them on occassion.

My flatmate had this stuff which was fairly much just sea salt and various olive and herb oils, had her skin in great condition!

olive oil is a good way to wash. apply to skin and wash with washcloth. Then rinse. Leaves skin clean and soft. A friend of mine made ground up oatmeal and lavender, which is a great scrub. Simple and cheap!

I am allergic to most everything so I use baking soda for body, hair cleaning kitchen stuff etc etc along with vinegar rinses
I bought a plastic bottle at the store that looks much like a shampoo bottle, I fill it with baking soda and water, I like mine thick so it reminds me of liquid soap. I use on hair and body, I then have another bottle that I keep apple cidar vinegar in and add water for a conditioner. works great for me. on the acv I use just a few drops and fill with water, you will need to play with it and see what is best for you.
I got the idea from others on this site. they are all so helpful. Sometimes I just rinse my hair really really well with water and that is all I need. depends on how dirty I get lol which is not much.
I also use baking soda for laundry soap and fill the fabric softner ball with vinegar. works great but then I dont do anything to get real dirty.

My son-in-law uses baking soda for bathing and clothes when he goes hunting so that the animals cant smell him LOL.

Blue Eyes-The last sentence in your post isn't funny.

I'm a non-honey vegan, so I'm wondering, should I put sugar, baking soda, and ground oatmeal in the olive oil, would that work?

I think you can leave out the baking soda and use oatmeal (grind some of it up so it's not ALL huge chunks), mix with olive oil and maybe some essential oil like lavender or tea tree. A lot of people using baking soda as a deodorant but it seems a bit harsh for an all-over body wash.

I use baking soda as an exfolliant- works great on the face.

There are some great websites out thee for natural soaps and cleaners

Basic Shampoo for Normal Hair
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup water
* 1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap
* 1/2 tsp light vegetable oil

Moisturizing Shampoo for Dry or Damaged Hair
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup liquid Castile Soap
* 1/4 cup aloe vera gel
* 1 tsp glycerin
* 1/4 tsp light vegetable oil

Sugar-And-Spice Scrub

This facial scrub really is as good as it smells -- good for your skin, that is!
Ingredients

* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
* 1/2 cup sweet almond oil
* 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 1 Tbsp ground oatmeal
* 1 tsp nutmeg

Oatmeal Exfoliating Scrub

A quick and easy exfoliator for beauty emergencies!
Ingredients

* 2 heaped tsp fine oatmeal
* 1 tsp baking soda
BASIC SOAP MIXTURE

The basic recipe
is used throughout, with various ingredients added. Once you have had some practice, you can create your own combinations using this recipe :

· 375g caustic soda

· 1 kg water

· 750g coconut oil

· 1,2 kg vegetable shortening

· 750g olive oil

http://millersoap.com/soapallveg.html

I've been using baking soda exclusively as an all over body wash for about 15 months, and have not found it harsh at all. I'm soon to be 64 and many of my peers find their skin thinning and more sensitive now. They are amazed at the smooth texture of mine. I occasionally use brown sugar as a face scrub. For a hair, face and body rinse I use diluted white vinegar. Olive oil or coconut oil / butter works great as a moisturizer.

The closer one is to 100% raw the less one needs to be concerned about deodorant. I scrub my pits with baking soda, rinse with water, then douse with a couple of splashes of vinegar and water. On the rare occasions when I feel a need for a traditional deodorant, I use a salt crystal.

I also use vinegar as a softening agent in the laundry.

There have been a number of threads on this and other related subjects in the past. Here's the link to a broad assortment: http://www.goneraw.com/search/node/type:forum deodorant %2...

Leafygreen sorry I only meant it as an example you don't stink anymore.
I come from a long Line of hunters and so I forget that others would be upset by the reference
And My family is not going to give up meat just because I tell them to.

I have used the baking soda all over for at least a year and a half has not been harsh all all. So glad it was recommend to me.

emtdmom - You are probably the one that told me quite a lot of it!!!!!! You have been an inspiration and I thank you!

Blue Eyes, it's my pleasure to share what works for me. That's the beauty of this community.

Speaking of sharing, I haven't seen any updates to your "on the road" status. I just checked your "Raw on the Road" thread. I'm just curious to know if you are still on the road, and if so, how things are going. Maybe you can update that thread for us.

Sorry for hijacking this thread. Just wanted to make that contact.

emtdmom - I have not been doing well on raw lately and extremely regretting it (cold storage problems) , we are changing to our own truck instead of company one so I will be free to do what I want to it to make it more raw workable. Will update when I get back on track, Thanks! Hoping getting back to this site will help the transition back easier! Need the community spirit.

Hey, I found that the only oil i have right now is an olive/canola blend. Is canola okay for my skin or wll it clog up my pores?

Thanks! I made the sugar-and-spice scrub today, but since I didn't have nutmeg, I substituted asian 5-spice. Made it smell nice and licoricey.

I still want to know if it would be okay to put this mixture into my olive oil-canola oil blend. Does canola clog pores?

I don't need shampoo or hair rinses since I keep my head shaved! I guess what I should be looking for is a better shave gel, or perhaps shaving cream substitute. I currently use Aveeno shave gel which is made with oatmeal, but it doesn't have an ingredients label on it so there's no way of knowing if there's anything harmful or toxic. Maybe I can find out by Googling or contacting Aveeno directly.

I made an exfoliate with coconut oil, raw honey, and raw almonds, I just ground them in my vitamix, until almost smooth. The almonds offer a great exfoliating scrub and the honey and oil moisturize!!

jakkrabbit, i've used olive oil on my whole body and my skin was very smooth. the best oils for your body and face (in my opinion) are coconut oil, jojoba oil, and tea tree oil (use for pimples).

All of which I don't have/can't afford right now! Will hopefully be getting some pure olive oil soon though. Right now like i said all i have in the house is the olive / canola oil blend, and I just want to make sure the canola part won't clog my pores or anything. But, I've never heard of anyone using canola oil for their skin so I don't think I'll try it. Seems to me it would just be greasy and icky. Coconut oil sounds so heavenly, wish I could afford it...

corecries - just wanted to say thanks again for the exfolient recipe! I've been using it exclusively in the shower now and it's been great. It's already lasted for two weeks, and I think I have enough left for one or two more so that recipe makes about a month's worth. It's so nice to know I'm not putting toxins and carcinogens into my skin, plus it smells better than anything else I've ever used! I made some for my sister too.

When you are able to purchase your oils and such for culinary and for cleaning, beauty stuff, check out www.mountainroseherbs.com Even with shipping, I find them a great deal more reasonable than the health food store. I love to search around on their site and in their catalog. Research aloe vera for dietary, hygiene, beauty, first aid, etc. Get yourself a big plant or buy a jug of the stuff.