Several years ago, to promote better health and wellness among my family, I started making changes to clean up our home… not from crumbs and cobwebs, but from chemicals.
While it can be overwhelming to try and change old habits and break up with familiar products, I have seen first-hand just how big of an impact clean changes can make on a person’s body and mind.
According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), women use an average of 12 products a day on their bodies, which contain a total of at least 168 different chemicals. I had no idea. I was going through the motions of my daily routine, year after year, and never stopping to think about what was in the products. After I started looking into the ingredients and their impacts on the body, I was shocked and angry but I also felt empowered because now I had useful knowledge.
To jumpstart our health quest, I started cleaning up our bathroom supplies by making 5 quick changes:
- Deodorant – Did you know most deodorants contain aluminum? Aluminum blocks your sweat glands and can cause toxins to build up in your body. I ditched my prescription deodorant with apprehension because I wasn’t sure that I would ever find a natural deodorant that could help me, but I did, and it has been a game-changer. A few of my favorite cleaner options are Schmidt’s, Native, and Primal Life Organics.
- Lotion – I know we all have our favorite scents, but fragrances can be dangerous. The EWG says that most fragrances contain at least 14 chemicals that can disrupt hormones and cause allergic reactions. I started to make my own moisturizer out of olive or almond oil and essential oils. I can customize the scent and it’s simple. When I don’t feel like using oil, a clean and fragrance-free lotion I like is made by Avalon Organics.
- Face wash – I have a rule of thumb that applies to most things: If I can’t pronounce it, I can’t buy it. {*IKEA furniture does not count.} The next time you go to wash your face, read the ingredients on the label. It’s likely you are putting tons of toxins on your face every day. I started by trying different oil-based cleansers that didn’t contain chemicals. I recommend sticking with these, even if you have oily skin. {There’s a science behind it all, but oil cleansers do work for all skin types.} My favorite is Zum Face Wash, grapeseed oil or plain, old magical coconut oil.
- Shampoo & Conditioner – This was a hard one for me. I love the smell of most hair products and my hair is naturally oily, so a good, deep clean is always needed. I got to researching and discovered that besides fragrances, most shampoos contain sodium lauryl sulfate, which can cause irritation to your lungs {among other things} over time. The good news is there are now many quality sulfate-free shampoos on the market. My favorite clean shampoo and conditioner are from John Master’s Organics. If you’re feeling super adventurous, you can try the no-poo method, which I am excited to try soon.
- Dry Shampoo – You know the deal about fragrances, but dry shampoos are also typically in an aerosol can. I hate to be the Debbie Downer, but these are no good. Not only are aerosols damaging to our ozone layer, but they are also damaging to our lungs. Instead, I opt for a fragrance and talc-free organic baby powder. Acure has a great powdered dry shampoo that is scented with oils and not synthetic fragrances.
Chemical and toxin exposure is inevitable and many times, out of our control. However, we can take control of what we put on and in our bodies, and it starts with one clean change at a time.
Tip: If you need help determining which products are safe for your family, you can get the Think Dirty app. The app allows you to scan UPC codes or type in the name of a product to get a hazard score based on the ingredients in the product.
