Hi friends,

Summer's in full swing here in Vancouver, and we are all sweating more. For those of you who know me well, you know I am a HUGE sweat-er. I'm the gal in HIIT class dripping on the floor, the gal on the dance floor shaking my tail with my friends whose bangs are stuck to her forehead 10 minutes in, and the gal who is begging for someone to turn down the heat. What can I say, I'm a pitta dosha through and through ;) And truthfully, it's been a source of embarrassment for me, almost my whole life. Let's face it, sweating and body odor have become issues in our society to be ashamed of and we go to great lengths to cover it up. We are quick to label people who sweat more than others as somehow unhealthy or out of shape, and many of us are not comfortable around the slightest scent of body odor. Indeed there are medical conditions out there that might be causing excessive sweat and odor, but for the majority of us, it's just our amazing bodies doing its job to cool us down! Sweat itself is virtually odorless to us. However, the bacteria in our skin (which we ALL have!) is particularly attracted to the proteins in our sweat and rapidly multiplies in sweat's presence, and breaks down (eat, digest, expel) these proteins into, shall we say, 'aromatic' acids. So if you need someone to blame, blame your skin bacteria's fatal attraction to your sweat!

For many of us, (ahem, me), the summer months can mean using deodorant a few times a day. If you read either of my previous posts on chemicals in personal hygiene products, you know that commercial deodorant is a frequent offender. It's a great idea to read labels and consider choosing a more natural brand of deodorant, and getting a bit more comfortable with your own natural odors. I've tried a couple of more natural brands out there, starting with the deodorant crystal which works really well. It does need to be wet though, so it can be a difficult option for when you're on the fly. I've also used Kiss My Face's brand (Natural Active Life deodorant stick), which the Environmental Working Group rates as a 3. I like it...but I don't love it and find I have to reapply it a lot. So, I decided to make my own. The following is the recipe I used, which one of our instructor's shared with us. It only takes 10 minutes! Here's what you'll need:

2 tbsp of organic coconut oil (coconut oil has lots of wonderful antimicrobial properties)
* 3-5 tbsp of arrowroot powder** (this measurement is personal preference, I like my deodorant to be less oily, so I recommend starting with 4 and you may wish to add a bit more. If you would prefer it to be a bit oilier, start with 3 tbsp)
* 4 tbsp of baking soda (make sure it's aluminium free!)
* 6 drops of tea tree oil (this is a must! we need its antibacterial and antifungal properties - by the way, it works great on pimples, too!)
* 6-12 drops of your favourite essential oil (this is optional! Some of the essential oils have antibacterial properties as well, such as Lavender)
* a fork for mashing
* a small glass jar or an empty deodorant container (including the little tray that sits in the bottom of the container)

**I got my arrowroot powder from The Soap Dispensary on Main Street. Apparently you can get it in the bulk section at Whole Foods as well, but I love to support local businesses!

Fill a pot with about an inch of water and place on medium heat. Scoop your coconut oil into a glass bowl and set the glass bowl into the pot of hot water. Let the coconut oil melt. Once it's melted, carefully lift the glass bowl out of the pot (it's hot!) and dump your powder in. Add your tea tree oil (and essential oils) and make sure you mix it really well!

From here, it's your choice whether you want to scoop it into a glass jar or reuse an old deodorant container. I understand from other friends who have made this recipe and used a glass jar to store it in, they have to scrape it with their nails or a spoon but then once it's applied to your armpit it melts quickly and easily. If you're using an old deodorant container, make sure the little tray is pushed all the way to the bottom and just pack the mixture in to the top and let it cool. You'll know when it's ready cause it'll be really hard.

So far, it works amazingly well and I'm liking it the most out of any commercial brand I've tried! My only complaint is that it is tending to melt in the warmer temperatures. I have been keeping it in the fridge to help with this, but that's obviously not super convenient. I read on another blog that beeswax is a good ingredient to substitute some of the coconut oil with during the summer months as it will keep the deodorant from melting - so I'll give this a go next time! In the meantime, I can deal with a little inconvenience in exchange for knowing exactly what ingredients my body is absorbing : )

put your best smell forward,
xo

You keep hearing about this weird drink, right? You've probably overheard conversations like "Where'd you get your mother from?" and "I have a scoby hotel right now!" You've probably also heard that fermented foods such as kefir and kimchi are excellent for your digestive health. So, what the heck is all the fuss about, and why should we care?

Despite it's recent resurgence in the west, kombucha originated in China and has actually been around for thousands of years. Brewed from sweetened tea fermented by a colony of bacteria and yeast (known as the 'scoby', or 'mother'), it boasts many health benefits. This is because the fermenting process builds friendly bacteria in the gut, which helps to fight off the growth of harmful yeasts and bacteria. A healthy gut hosts over 100 trillion friendly bacteria which aid in the digestion and absorption of food and maintains a healthy immune system. An unhealthy gut is overrun with the bad guys and is likely to present with digestive issues such as constipation or IBS, skin problems such as psoriasis or eczema, as well as joint problems. Altered behaviour patterns and brain function are also signs of an unhealthy gut. Plenty of factors contribute to unhealthy gut bacteria, such as: antibiotics, over the counter medications such as ibuprofen, chlorine in our tap water, alcohol, cigarettes, junk food and stress. (to read more about this, see my previous post on brain and gut health.)

I know it seems counter-intuitive: it's been drilled into us that yeast and bacteria are bad for us. However, yeast and bacteria are only harmful to us when they are imbalanced. There is such a thing as 'commensal' (or friendly) yeast, an example off which is candida. Candida is friendly in the sense that it lives in all of us in small amounts and aids with digestion; however, when it is overproduced, it can cause major problems. Consuming combative yeasts, such as nutritional yeast, is a great way to prevent an overgrowth of candida. So, given that kombucha is fermented with a bacteria and yeast colony, we want to be sure that we are consuming kombucha that has been brewed from a culture that is candida free, to ensure that we are benefiting from the combative qualities, rather than contributing to an overproduction of the less friendly yeasts and bacteria. There are some brands that will explicitly say on their labels "candida free", so these are the brands to look for. Of course, the safest way is to brew your own. And, here's how you do it!

You'll need:

1. a litre of filtered water
2. four organic black (or green) tea bags (any black or green tea is fine to use, just be careful not to use tea that has any spices in it, as the oils will cause the kombucha to go rancid)
3. a cup of sugar (I use coconut sugar)
4. a scoby (see notes below!)
5. 1/2 a cup of kombucha from a previous batch (don't worry it's your first batch, the scoby will come in a bit of liquid and you can use that)
6. 1L mason jar for the fermenting process
7. a dishcloth and a rubber band
8. 1L airtight glass vessel to store your brewed kombucha in.

A couple of notes about the scoby. I was lucky enough to get one from a friend. You can purchase a scoby from O5Tea on West 4th in Vancouver, an

d they're also a great resource if you have questions about brewing your kombucha. The scoby is probably the grossest ugliest thing you'll ever lay your eyes on - it kind of looks like a giant mushroom/jellyfish. It's the culture that makes all the magic though, so you'll get over it in no time : )

* Boil the litre of water in a large pot. Once boiling, dissolve your cup of sugar.
* Turn the heat off, and put in your tea bags. Brew the tea until it's cool and remove the tea bags.
* Put your scoby in your 1L mason jar adding the 1/2 cup of liquid from a previous batch, and then pour the brewed tea in.
* Cover it with a dish cloth and secure with a rubber band. Place on counter in a cool dry place and try not to move it around. Let it sit for 7-10 days. You'll know it's ready by the slightly sour taste and small amount of fizz. You'll also see that your scoby has started to grow a little mini scoby on top of it. Congratulations, you now have your first resident of your scoby hotel! You can either save it and use it to make subsequent batches, or spread the friendly bacteria love and give it to a friend.
* Carefully pour the liquid into your 1L airtight glass vessel, making sure you reserve a 1/2 a cup of the liquid for your next batch. Take your scoby out and put it in a glass vessel with a bit of liquid in it as well and put it back in the fridge. If you want to infuse your kombucha with any flavours (elderberry, ginger, rosemary), now is the time to do it.
* At this point you can either put the kombucha in the fridge and start consuming it, or keep the kombucha out of the fridge in the airtight vessel and let it sit another 7 days or so which will create more carbonation.

So, drink up and reap the benefits of better digestive health and a stronger immune system! Suddenly that ugly scoby isn't looking so bad, is it? If you've never drank komucha before, I recommend starting off with small amounts and working your way up.

never judge a drink by its scoby,
xo

let's talk about sweat, baby...

sco(o)by dooby doo: the benefits of kombucha