Hello!
Have you heard of Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea)? I have done some research on what I can use to thicken sauces without necessarily using flour all the time. Whenever I eat flour (especially in bread) I feel so bloated and I am hungry after a short while again. So I try to replace flour wherever I can. You can use it instead of cornstarch (which is just way to processed) too. It can also be used for jellies, puddings etc. The suggested use for Arrowroot is for cosmetics and food and it comes in the form of a white powder. You can see the original root depicted above. Why the name Arrowroot? I had to look this up myself. It is called Arrowroot because it was once used to treat those people who were injured from poisoned arrows.
Besides cooking, Arrowroot can be used for body powders, as deodorant, dry shampoos and many more cosmetic products that you can make yourself. I will share two products that I make and use here.
To start: What kind of deodorant do you use? I hope you heard of the dangerous ingredients that are in most common deodorants that you can purchase in any drugstore. To name a few: Parabens, Aluminum compounds (which should make you sweat less or not at all. However, you are supposed to sweat and Aluminum can promote the growth of breast cancer cells!), Silica, Talc, Triclosan, Propylene Glycol, Steareth-n, Fragrances that cause allergies, skin irritations etc. Look at the “inactive” ingredients for “Solid Secret Deodorant”. Most of these ingredients you cannot even pronounce.
I will most likely write an article just on these harmful deodorants and ingredients alone because I have done so much research and there is a lot to share if you are interested. Here is a great link for you to watch. It is in German only and I have not found too much information about how bad most of the deodorants are here in the U.S. If you have any questions, also regarding this video, let me know!
So of course, I don’t use any of those deodorants. I also stay away from so-called ‘organic’ ones because there is still so much garbage in them. I make my own. Here is my recipe:
You will need 3 ingredients and nothing else:
1/4 cup Coconut Oil
1/4 cup Baking Soda (I use Arms& Hammer)
1/4 cup Arrowroot powder
Mix it all together and put into little glass container. Done! To mix it up easier, melt the coconut oil.
Now simply apply a small amount under your armpits. Wait a bit and then put your clothing on.
The second beauty product I would like to share is “Dry Shampoo”. I have tried so many and they are all loaded with chemicals and made my head itch like crazy. Have you heard of the company LUSH? They actually make a dry shampoo that is pretty decent and that I would recommend as well. The link is here. This one does not work too well with dark hair; however, for blond hair it is perfect! I prefer making my own dry shampoo. Dry shampoos are great if you want don’t want to wash your hair that often. I wash my hair once a week and it is healthier than ever. When my hair starts getting a little oily by day 4-5, I apply some of my dry shampoo and it helps absorb the oil and the hair looks great again. The most important thing is that you don’t want to strip your hair of its natural oils. I will let you know right away that it is not an easy transition if you have used regular shampoos ore conditioners for a long time. I recommend that you switch to organic shampoos before you start dry shampoos.
My hair is dark and very long by now (not washing your hair that often lets it grow faster, too!) So I was in search for the perfect homemade dry shampoo for dark hair for the longest time. I also don’t like beauty products with too much smell. I like neutral smells the most! I love that I can have whatever scent I want – simply by adding essential oils. No chemicals, my friends!
Here are the ingredients you will need:
2 Tbsp raw cacao powder
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp Arrowroot powder
Optional: 5 drops of essential oil, I love Lavender or anything citrus
For light hair: Same ingredients minus Cacao powder! Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Now add the essential oils. I would wait a bit and let it all sit for 2o minutes if you add essential oil. Now fill your dry shampoo into a clean glass container. To apply, take a fluffy make-up brush and tap down your main part-line and then take your fingers and massage the powder into your hair roots. Go on to different hair sections wherever you hair is greasy. If you are new to dry shampoo, add small parts of the powder to your hair to experiment a bit. 🙂 Once you are done, take a comb and brush your hair out evenly to remove excess powder. Done! Late for work and no time to wash your hair? Keep a little container of dry shampoo at hand! Your dry shampoo will keep for months if you keep it in a sealed glass container.
Thank you for reading my blog.
