TOXIC FREE HOME & PERSONAL CARE
Last week I talked about nourishment and how it was the first lifestyle change that my family and I made to achieve more vitality and energy. I also listed foods to eat more of and food to eat less of (and even better to avoid). If you haven’t read HOW MY NECK PAIN HAS DIMINISHED (part 1) or HOW MY NECK PAIN HAS DIMISHED (part 2) yet, I recommend that you read it.
This week I would like to share with you the second lifestyle change we initiated and have strengthened over time. I’m talking about creating a toxic free home and personal care. Maybe to your surprise, you’re more likely to absorb unwanted and harmful chemicals through your skin and airways than what you eat.
The reason is that our digestive system is more robust and equipped to handle and eliminate harming chemicals before they reach your blood in contrast to your skin.
Traditionally, toxins in the air and environment were extremely low and the highest risk to be exposed to toxins was through plants and fungus consumed, which is why our skin and airways haven’t developed to handle toxins.
A great way to make the decision whether to apply anything to your skin is to ask yourself if you would eat it. Of course there’s oils that you don’t want to consume in large amounts that are great for your skin. In generally think of using more these; coconut oil, cacao butter, shea butter, bees wax, argan oil, aloe vera, natural soaps and therapeutic grade essential oils.
Firstly, I recommend that you replace perfumes, cologne, scented candles and air fresheners with therapeutic and food grade essential oils applied to your body or diffused in the air because these products are ridden with harmful ingredients and many of them will not be listed on the bottle or jar. If you want to learn more about this, I highly recommend that you check out Laura Trotta’s post and podcast about the health and environmental impacts of wearing perfumes.
Another way to reduce harmful chemicals in your environment is to ditch conventional cleaning products for natural alternatives but be aware that many products claiming they’re natural and friendly to the environment still contain ingredients that are harmful to your health and the environment. Again it’s often products that you already have in your kitchen that’s healthy to use for cleaning; like vinegar, lemon, sea salt, baking soda and essential oils. Other products that I tend to use are natural soaps, castile soap, citric acid and microfibre cloths.
Below, I’ve listed recommended ingredients and products to avoid and my favourite essential oils for personal care and cleaning.
MORE (PERSONAL CARE):
DIY/ homemade personal care products
Coconut oil
Cacao, shea butter and mango butter etc.
Bees wax
Extra virgin olive oil, almond oil etc.
Argan oil
Aloe vera gel (pure)
Honey
Essential oils (therapeutic & food grade)
Natural soap
Castile soap (bar or liquid)
Epsom salts
Magnesium chloride flakes or oil
Natural oral health
Organic tampons, pads or menstrual cup
LESS/ AVOID (PERSONAL CARE):
Antibacterial gel and soaps
Personal care products derived from petroleum
Perfumes and cologne
Non-organic cotton products
MORE (CLEANING):
DIY/ homemade cleaning products
Vinegar
Lemon juice
Essential oils (food grade)
Pure soaps
Castile soap (bar or liquid)
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Washing soda (sodium carbonate)
Citric acid
Sea salt
Glycerine
3% hydrogen peroxide
Microfibre cloths
Soap nuts
Cleaning products truly free from harmful chemicals
Indoor pot plants
Daily aerate by opening windows/doors
LESS/ AVOID (CLEANING):
Air fresheners
Scented candles
Conventional cleaning products
Bleach
Bring outdoor shoes into your home
ESSENTIAL OIL
My favourite essential oils for personal care is: lavender, frankincense, rosemary, peppermint, myrrh, ylang ylang, geranium, bergamot, cypress, wild orange and your favourite smelling oil for a perfume blend.
My most used essential oils for cleaning are: lemon, clove bud, eucalyptus, lavender, orange, tea tree (melaleuca) and doTERRA’s On Guard blend.
I use doTERRA essential oils because they’re food and therapeutic grade essential oils and the plants are grown in a region in which they’re indigenous and where the plants have grown naturally for thousands of years, creating the nutritive soil conditions, air quality, weather/moisture etc. These conditions as well as the extraction process are reflected in the quality of the essential oils.
You can order doTERRA essential oils HERE and they’ll be send directly to you. Or even better, if you want to buy the oils at wholesale price (25% of retail price), you can enroll with your own account HERE. There is no monthly order required, no contracts or lock in and it can be cancelled any time.
Check out REMARKABLY SOFTER SKIN, INSTANTLY to read more about natural skin health
Check out Laura Trotta’s post and podcast about THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF WEARING PERFUME
Stay tuned for PART 4 & PART 5
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