Friday 19 October 2012

Why Hydrogen Peroxide is Part of My Daily Routine


The first thing I think of when I hear Hydrogen Peroxide is bleach. And the first thing I picture is white blonde hair and an awful smell. Turns out that peroxide is not only good for dying your hair, but its natural, a medicine, cleaning product, whitener and beauty product. The smell I think I remember was the ammonia used in conjunction with peroxide :p


If you think back to your school days (for some this is longer back than others ;) hydrogen peroxide is H202. So two parts hydrogen and 2 parts oxygen. You may notice another common molecule within the H2O2? I will help you out - its water. Peroxide is water with a bonus oxygen molecule. It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that water and oxygen are the two most vital ingredients to a healthy body. So this is what hydrogen peroxide breaks down into. So entirely natural and a valuable combination. Here's how I use it in my day:
  1. Detox: After my morning yoga or run, I will dry brush and then shower. I use 3% hydrogen peroxide after my shower and spray it on my body. My pores - nice and clear from dry brushing and the shower, absorb oxygen into my system and aid the detox process. This has been amazing for clearing up little lumps on the back of my arms and back and reducing cellulite on my bum and thighs. Hello summer bikini!
  2. Mouthwash: Then I have my green smoothie or oats for breakfast and I go and brush my teeth. Every day I put about 1 tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide in a glass of water and use it as a mouthwash. I wash it around in my mouth and even gargle it for about a minute. Then I take a swish of plain water to wash my mouth out. Every odd day I dip my toothbrush in the bottle and brush my teeth with it (in addition to, not substitute for normal brushing). This  helps kill that bacteria on my brush and whiten my teeth. Since doing this I have reversed a couple of shadows on my teeth and no longer need fillings!
  3. Toner: Next in my routine is my face which I use 3% hydrogen peroxide as my toner before putting coconut oil on to moisturise my face. This has been perfect for clearing up my skin. Any small scratches (my 4month old daughter has nails) appear to heal over night and I rarely get pimples after struggling with bad acne for years.
  4. Tinea: This lovely fungus is one of the perks of being a runner, aka athletes foot. I put a 3%peroxide soaked cotton ball between my toes, it tingles a little, then clears up in a few days.
  5. Hair Dye: I am currently breast feeding so I haven't dyed my hair since before I was pregnant. I am a natural brunette and now we are coming into summer, I have lightened my hair a little to give it a summer glow. I use a spray bottle with 3% peroxide in it, spray through my hair after washing it and brush through. I also spray a coconut oil mix on after so it doesn't dry out too much, though you have probably had higher strengths in your hair than 3% if you have bleached it before ;)
  6. Ears: I have always had ears that get blocked regularly, small holes they say. While I don't do it daily, I use this same 3% H2O2 to clear my ears. This certainly beats the syringe at the docs - which by the way they now make you sign a waiver for because of the risks! I just lie on my side and pop a few drops in my ear and listen to the magic happen (it fizzes as it breaks down the wax).
On a similar note I don't often get colds now and if I do they only last a day or two but whenever I feel myself coming down with something I simply pop some in my ears a couple of times a day and well there results speak for themselves - a cold rarely lasts longer than a couple of days.

Some more obvious uses that aren't neccesarily daily are to clean wounds, a natural household cleaner and to naturally lighten your hair.

I only ever find myself using 3% so its not very strong. It does come in higher percentages so obviously more potent so I wouldn't recommend higher strengths as it can be corrosive and deadly if ingested. Look for food grade as it does not contain stablisers, this usually comes in 35% so you can dilute with water 11/1. Hydrogen peroxide is also used in ozone therapy as a form of alternative medicine used for illnesses such as cancer and aids. So it very powerful stuff, what will you use it for?

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