switching to non-toxic

A few months ago, I found this youtube channel and she has since become one of my favorite people to watch. She has the most beautiful farmhouse, an amazing garden, an adorable little girl, and a great start to a homestead, which are all things that I would love to be able to have and do one day. She makes videos on all those things, as well as nutrition and non-toxic products. After watching a few of her videos, and doing some of my own research, I started realizing how bad a lot of the things we use in our homes and on our bodies really are for us. Even the things that say they’re “all natural” or “plant based” are still reaking havoc to our body systems because of all the other added chemicals. I’ve been doing a lot of research lately about this and I find it so interesting. I think it’s the science part of it all that makes me want to keep learning more (I’m a nerd when it comes to science haha), but I also want to learn as much as I can about it to know how the things I’m using are affecting my body and to make sure I’m taking good care of myself. In all reality it makes so much sense that all of these synthetic products do more harm than good for us. God made this earth in a way that we could survive and thrive by only using the things He provides for us in nature. A lot of people realize that with food, so they try their best to eat things that aren’t processed or are organic with no preservatives or chemicals, and always try to read the nutrition labels and ingredient lists when buying food. But we should also be doing this with the products we put on our bodies and use in our homes because they affect us just as much as the foods we ingest. 

It’s honestly mind blowing seeing some of the ingredients that are in our products, and also seeing the problems those ingredients can cause. It’s no wonder we have so many problems now that humans 500 years ago didn’t face, or even that people in other countries don’t have still to this day. There’s a lot of common health issues that seem like such hard things to fix- like allergies, migraines, skin issues, and hormonal imbalances- but they may actually just be caused by all the toxic chemicals we are exposed to during the day. Because I love learning about this and think it’s so important for people to be aware of, I want to share today how these things harm us, and how we can start switching to cleaner products. 

fragrance 

Fragrances (or “parfum”) are the worst ingredient for our bodies for multiple reasons. They are made from anywhere between two to hundreds of chemicals to mimic a natural scent. The worst part is that those chemicals don’t legally have to be listed in the ingredients, which is why ingredient lists usually just say “fragrance” or “parfum.” So when you’re using something with fragrance, you really have no idea what’s actually in it. More than 95% of the chemicals in synthetic fragrances are derived from petrochemicals, like benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and phthalates, which are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, nervous system disorders, and allergies. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) found that more than 75% of the chemicals in “fragrance” contain phthalates which have been shown to disrupt hormones, reduce sperm counts and cause reproductive malformation, and have been linked to liver and breast cancer, diabetes, and obesity. 

endocrine disrupters 

Our endocrine system secretes hormones through our blood stream to hormone receptors to signal different tissues and organs telling them what to do, and they are crucial in pretty much everything our body does. But some chemicals are considered to be endocrine disrupters because they can enter our body, block or bind to our hormone receptors, and mimic our natural hormones. This can be extra harmful to organs that are sensitive to hormone production like the female reproductive system, to the immune and neurological systems, and in human development. Some of the worst endocrine disrupters are parabens, triclosan, oxybenzone and octinoxate, glycol, siloxanes, and butylated hydroxytoluene. Parabens are found in many skincare products and were found to be linked to breast cancer in a study by the California Pacific Medical Center in 2011. Triclosan has been found to interfere with the body’s thyroid function and metabolism. Xenoestrogens are a specific type of endocrine disrupter that act as estrogen, which is a crucial hormone in both male and female reproduction, blood clotting, and bone growth. The body has very detailed chemical pathways that usually regulate the amount of hormones produced and released, but when xenoestrogens enter the body through the products we use, they increase the total amount of estrogen in our body and can lead to estrogen dominance, which is very common in women nowadays. They are not biodegradable so they stay in our body inside fat cells. The build up of xenoestrogens can eventually lead to breast, prostate and testicular cancer, obesity, infertility, endometriosis, early onset puberty, miscarriages, and diabetes. 

chronic inflammation

80% of all chronic diseases and premature death are preventable with healthy living. Chronic inflammation is the leading cause of chronic disease in America. These are things like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and allergies. When toxins and chemicals enter our bodies they produce an inflammatory response to protect against this unwelcome substance. Overtime this inflammation can build up which makes it harder to fight off disease and illness. Americans are the least healthy people in the world, which is probably due to all of the toxins and chemicals that are in our products and foods, a lot of which are illegal to use in other countries. This website makes a good point that this could even be why Covid is affecting this country more than we thought it would compared to the rest of the world. Even though we have a better health care system than other countries, we as people aren’t as healthy, which can make the virus affect us more severely. 

carcinogens

Up to 90% of cancer is caused by environmental factors, and a lot of those are found, once again, in the products we use and food we eat. The EU has banned over 1,100 chemicals that were found to be carcinogens in personal care products, but the US has only banned 11. This website has 12 chemicals that should be avoided because of their risk to cause cancer: BHA and BHT, Coal tar dyes, DEA-related ingredients, Dibutyl Phthalates, Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, Parabens, Parfum (there’sthat nasty fragrance again), PEG compounds, Petrolatum, Siloxanes, Sodium laureth sulfate, and Triclosan. 

neurotoxins 

Neurotoxins are chemicals that affect the function of our nervous system. They can cause things like brain damage, muscle tremors, ALS, Parkinson’s Disease, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Dementia. Some of the worst neurotoxins are mercury (found in fish), high fructose corn syrup, copper (found in meat), arsenic (found in chicken), aspartame (found in sugar free and “diet” beverages), MSG (found in salty foods), and aluminum (found in aluminum cans and cookware). If you’re like me you cannot see yourself giving up fish, meat, and chicken, but it is good to be aware of what’s in them so you’re not overloading your system with potentially harmful substances. 

ditching and switching 

You’re probably very overwhelmed and have no idea where to start if you want to be more intentional about paying attention to what’s in the things you use everyday. It doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to cost millions of dollars. What I’m currently doing is using the rest of the conventional products I have, and then as I run out I look for a better and cleaner version. This way you’re not wasting all the money you spent buying those conventional products, and you’d be buying more anyway so you might as well buy something that will be better for your body. I use the Think Dirty app to find products that are clean and safe, and to look at the products I’m currently using. It gives an overall rating, and lists and rates each ingredient. If you click on each ingredient it will also give a little description and explain the rating. It’s really helpful and really convenient. You may be worried that these cleaner products won’t work as well, but trust me when I say they work just as well, if not better! 

what i’m using & plan to use 

• deodorant: Native Deodorant (some have fragrance so just be aware. They’re working on natural fragrance for the ones with synthetic fragrance so hopefully they’ll all be natural soon!)
• makeup: Burt's Bees (foundation, blush, bronzer)
• face wash: Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (This lasts forever because all I do is put a few drops in my hand and then dilute it with some water.)
  
• moisturizer: I made my own with Revive Essential Oils. I put 10 drops of lavender, geranium, patchouli, and cedarwood and filled the rest of the serum bottle up with jojoba oil. Jojoba oil is really good for the skin because it’s very similar to the oil our skin makes. 
• shampoo & conditioner: Shea Moisture Coconut Oil Daily Hydration
• body wash: Shea Moisture Coconut Oil Daily Hydration
• lotion: Shea Moisture Coconut Oil Daily Hydration
  
• laundry detergent: Young Living’s Thieves Laundry Soap. This stuff seems expensive,  but I think it’s worth it for two reasons; 1. laundry detergent is the most toxic product  in our homes, which is a really big problem considering it is on our clothes and will be touching our skin 24/7; and 2. this laundry soap is so concentrated that you can split it up into three bottles, filling the rest up with water, and then can use each bottle for about 50-60 loads. So basically, this one bottle of laundry soap will probably last me about two to three years because I never do more than one load a week. 
• dryer sheets: Wool Dryer Balls. These are also full of so many chemicals, so a better alternative is using wool dryer balls and putting a few drops of essential oils of your choice on them. This is safer for you and also for the environment! 
• cleaner: Thieves Household Cleaner. This one also seems expensive, but it’s also the concentrate so all you need is a cap full in a spray bottle, fill the rest with water, and add any extra essential oils you want. I’m not sure how many cap fulls are in the bottle, but I think it would last a while, just like the laundry soap. 
• dish soap: Thieves Dish Soap (this can also be split into three; add 1 tsp of baking soda, and any extra essential oils you want)
• candles: Candles are basically nothing but fragrance, so a healthier alternative is diffusing essential oils. It’s also a lot cheaper because all you need is a few drops of whichever oil you want to use. There are so many recipe blends on pinterest that I’m sure you’d be able to find a blend that will smell close to your favorite candle. I use Revive Essential Oils and recently became a member of Young Living because they sell so many other clean products and if you sign up for their monthly Essential Rewards program you get points back to use on future orders. Oils are great for making your house smell great, but they also each have so many health benefits (I’ll be making some posts on oils soon!). If you have questions about either of those companies or just oils themselves I would love to help! 
  

I hope that this post gave you a new insight into what’s in the products you use on a daily basis. Most people have no clue because you assume these things wouldn’t be sold if they weren’t safe. That’s what I always thought at least. I encourage you to start being more intentional when buying these things because it could literally save your life!