BETTER HOUSEHOLD AND PERSONAL CARE CHOICES
You need to be aware of what you are putting on your skin, it’s living organ that soaks up everything you put on it. When it comes to personal care nothing should go on your skin except what you can put in your mouth. Certain things when rubbed on the bottoms of your feet are immediately tasted, this is how fast it absorbs. This is why essential oils work so well. They can be rubbed on the skin and go directly to the source, like peppermint rubbed on the abdomen to alleviate upset stomach, wintergreen on sore muscles ben gay and icy hot work under these principles.
Think about all the products you put on your skin. Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, hair spray, make up, lotion and pain relieving creams. How many chemicals are in them? Most of your soaps, shampoos and toothpastes and even make up contain sodium laurel sulfates (SLS). It is a surfactant which means it is used to break down and clean slippery grease havens like pavement and car parts. Yes, the same harsh chemical used in industrial cleaning is being used in your mouth, armpits and hair. No wonder you get so fresh and clean! Read the labels, can you understand the names of the ingredients or even pronounce some of them? If you can’t then you are putting toxic chemicals on the largest organ of your body. Many contain parabens, petroleum by products, aluminum and lead. These toxins accumulate in the body and are known as disrupters. They disrupt the normal functioning of the body. The more you can eliminate toxins from your body the healthier you will be. Nowadays, the market is bursting with tons of new products that are safer than your average choices that don’t contain toxic chemicals. If you are really brave, you could make your own shampoo, toothpaste or other skincare products, many are fairly simple to make.
What about antibacterial agents that seem to be in everything nowadays? Triclosane is a bactericide in many products now because of everyone’s fear of bacteria. It has been linked to heart, muscle and Skelton problems like heart failure. It also affects hormones and the thyroid and like many other chemicals it first started out a s a pesticide and then the FDA said it was ok to use in all these other products that are used on our bodies. We need a certain amount of bacteria to help us build up our immune system. I have eliminated most chemicals in my personal care products. I have found that shampoo can be as simple as a tbsp. of baking soda in a bottle with water for shampoo and vinegar for crème rinse. Deodorant made from coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch is all I use now and it works better than any other I have ever tried. Toothpaste can be made from baking soda, eggshells, and coconut oil, and cocoa, shea and almond oils are all nice alternatives to lotion.
So what about your cleaning products? Lets take Household Cleaners It is not realized how many toxins that are being placed in our environment unknowingly by us thinking we are adding to a cleaner environment. Everyday cleaners found on the shelves of grocery stores are full of petrochemicals that are hazardous to our health. When you clean with them, they get into the air and are sucked into the air vents which keep releasing the toxic fumes out creating all kinds of respiratory problems. Many cleaners just take a small handful of simple, frugal ingredients.
Take a spray cleaner for your kitchen counters for example, every time you clean, not only do the chemicals get released into the air but also leave a residue on the table (even though you wiped it up) where food is prepared and then eaten.
Alternatives: Seventh Generation or Dr. Bronner’s products are great. You can even make your own multi-purpose cleaner. A simple all purpose cleaner that repurposes your citrus peels is just vinegar and citrus peels. Place them in a jar with a lid with vinegar and just keep adding till it is full. Let it sit for a couple weeks and strain. Put in a spray bottle. The vinegar smell dissipates when dry and a nice citrus smell is left. Vinegar is a antibacterial and a lot healthier for you than the alternatives.
Borax and baking soda work just as well as ajax without any chemicals and if you put some baking soda in the toilet bowl and follow with some vinegar you get wonderful results. I have cats that love to drink the cool water from the bowl so I do not want to add any poisons to it, not to mention how it affects the septic tank.
Wood products can be cleaned and polished easily with a combo of vinegar, water, and olive oil. And floor cleaner is made easily with alcohol, vinegar, water and castile soap.
Laundry detergent is also as simple as Borax, washing soda and castile soap, the old recipe called for fels napa but I prefer the castile, it is liquid and I think works better and also smells better. Remember these clothes are worn against your skin, many allergies are from the dyes and perfumes in our products.
Thieves, that works so well as a hand sanitizer is also an excellent cleaning product that is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-infectious
Air fresheners are one of the worst offenders, Have you ever wondered what exactly makes the smelly candle smell? I love the smell of candles The problem with these is that gingerbread lemon candle or the holiday spice isn’t really ginger, lemon and cinnamon but are dangerous benzene chemicals that have serious side effect, including death. Think about this, most of the people you know either use a car air freshener, febreze, smelly soaps, shampoos and other fragrant items that actually contain harmful chemicals. How many people do you know with headaches, sinus problems or digestive issues? What if they removed the benzenes from their life? Fragrance is listed by ewg.org’s skin deep website as to cause skin infections, respiratory problems and reproductive issues. Soy candles are a good alternative or instead try a few drops of your favorite oil in a spray bottle with water, same effect, not toxic.
Believe it or not, thousands of people each year suffer from mold toxicity annually in the United States. Most importantly, the majority of these people don’t even know that they are sick from mold. They often suffer from alternating bouts of fatigue, asthma, allergies, itchy eyes, skin irritation and headaches. The symptoms do not always come up simultaneously so one might think "I haven’t been to lucky with health this year" when the truth is….they have MOLD in their home or even school. No alternatives to mold here. A few ways to clean mold are to use apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil. The best way is to just throw out whatever has mold
Pesticides are another major problem and are spayed to remove or kill lurking pests, so it is obvious they are toxic and can have harmful reactions in our bodies. There are a number of effects pesticides can have on your body including: reproductive disruptions, they are carcinogenic which means they are cancer causing, and the are immuno suppressive, among other problems.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has listed the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetables that can be bought either conventional or organic. Alternatives: Always take your shoes off when you come into your home so you don’t spread poison to your carpet and floors. Try your best to buy organic. If you are on a smaller budget, at least make sure you buy the Clean 15! (And whatever you buy, wash it well!) There are also many alternatives to pesticides in the home and garden, a whole nother topic
There is a huge attack on food makers to increase quality in our world today. the demand for quality chemical free food is on the rise. We often tend to skip over ingredients because it sounds healthy but a lot of the time, that is all it is: a healthy word or sound. Just because it says blueberry muffins, doesn’t even mean it has blueberries. Look for: hydrogenated oils, words with numbers like Polysorbate 8O, MSG, aspartame, sucralose, hydrolyzed yeast extract and Red 40. Read labels. That doesn’t mean check the salt and fat content. What are the ingredients? Always shop in the horseshoe: Try to avoid going down middle aisles at the grocery, that is where the pre-packaged junk resides. Eat vegetables and fruits as much as you can. Also, be aware of hormones and antibiotics in your meats.
After years of dominating our cabinets, we have come to realize that storing in plastics can truly cause health problems including hormonal changes in male children and diabetes. Simply do not buy plastics with number 3, 6 or 7. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are better. I’m sure you’ve heard of BPA or bis-phenol-A.The EWG states "Trace BPA exposure has been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and trigger a wide variety of disorders, including chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy." So we need to be mindful and cautious about using plastics, especially since everything comes packages in plastic. Good Alternatives: Glass. Glass storage containers are making a comeback. Minimalization is key here. We have come too far that we can not avoid plastic. You can minimize exposure by spending $50 on glass containers at a Walmart. NEVER put plastic in the microwave! The bad chemicals are release when heated and go directly into the food you eat. Stainless steel containers for water instead of plastic water bottles is also a good change.
People love non-stick pots and pans, they’re easy to cook with, especially clean, but cookware like Aluminum pans and Teflon contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA.) which can lead to infertility, cause cancer and other health issues. PFOA is a dangerous chemical that releases toxins once heated so you want to avoid non-stick cookware! Good Alternatives: Stainless Steel, Ceramic, Cast Iron, Stoneware and Glass.
Really all that needs to be done is to be more proactive in your choices for a healthier lifestyle.
You need to be aware of what you are putting on your skin, it’s living organ that soaks up everything you put on it. When it comes to personal care nothing should go on your skin except what you can put in your mouth. Certain things when rubbed on the bottoms of your feet are immediately tasted, this is how fast it absorbs. This is why essential oils work so well. They can be rubbed on the skin and go directly to the source, like peppermint rubbed on the abdomen to alleviate upset stomach, wintergreen on sore muscles ben gay and icy hot work under these principles.
Think about all the products you put on your skin. Shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, hair spray, make up, lotion and pain relieving creams. How many chemicals are in them? Most of your soaps, shampoos and toothpastes and even make up contain sodium laurel sulfates (SLS). It is a surfactant which means it is used to break down and clean slippery grease havens like pavement and car parts. Yes, the same harsh chemical used in industrial cleaning is being used in your mouth, armpits and hair. No wonder you get so fresh and clean! Read the labels, can you understand the names of the ingredients or even pronounce some of them? If you can’t then you are putting toxic chemicals on the largest organ of your body. Many contain parabens, petroleum by products, aluminum and lead. These toxins accumulate in the body and are known as disrupters. They disrupt the normal functioning of the body. The more you can eliminate toxins from your body the healthier you will be. Nowadays, the market is bursting with tons of new products that are safer than your average choices that don’t contain toxic chemicals. If you are really brave, you could make your own shampoo, toothpaste or other skincare products, many are fairly simple to make.
What about antibacterial agents that seem to be in everything nowadays? Triclosane is a bactericide in many products now because of everyone’s fear of bacteria. It has been linked to heart, muscle and Skelton problems like heart failure. It also affects hormones and the thyroid and like many other chemicals it first started out a s a pesticide and then the FDA said it was ok to use in all these other products that are used on our bodies. We need a certain amount of bacteria to help us build up our immune system. I have eliminated most chemicals in my personal care products. I have found that shampoo can be as simple as a tbsp. of baking soda in a bottle with water for shampoo and vinegar for crème rinse. Deodorant made from coconut oil, baking soda, and cornstarch is all I use now and it works better than any other I have ever tried. Toothpaste can be made from baking soda, eggshells, and coconut oil, and cocoa, shea and almond oils are all nice alternatives to lotion.
So what about your cleaning products? Lets take Household Cleaners It is not realized how many toxins that are being placed in our environment unknowingly by us thinking we are adding to a cleaner environment. Everyday cleaners found on the shelves of grocery stores are full of petrochemicals that are hazardous to our health. When you clean with them, they get into the air and are sucked into the air vents which keep releasing the toxic fumes out creating all kinds of respiratory problems. Many cleaners just take a small handful of simple, frugal ingredients.
Take a spray cleaner for your kitchen counters for example, every time you clean, not only do the chemicals get released into the air but also leave a residue on the table (even though you wiped it up) where food is prepared and then eaten.
Alternatives: Seventh Generation or Dr. Bronner’s products are great. You can even make your own multi-purpose cleaner. A simple all purpose cleaner that repurposes your citrus peels is just vinegar and citrus peels. Place them in a jar with a lid with vinegar and just keep adding till it is full. Let it sit for a couple weeks and strain. Put in a spray bottle. The vinegar smell dissipates when dry and a nice citrus smell is left. Vinegar is a antibacterial and a lot healthier for you than the alternatives.
Borax and baking soda work just as well as ajax without any chemicals and if you put some baking soda in the toilet bowl and follow with some vinegar you get wonderful results. I have cats that love to drink the cool water from the bowl so I do not want to add any poisons to it, not to mention how it affects the septic tank.
Wood products can be cleaned and polished easily with a combo of vinegar, water, and olive oil. And floor cleaner is made easily with alcohol, vinegar, water and castile soap.
Laundry detergent is also as simple as Borax, washing soda and castile soap, the old recipe called for fels napa but I prefer the castile, it is liquid and I think works better and also smells better. Remember these clothes are worn against your skin, many allergies are from the dyes and perfumes in our products.
Thieves, that works so well as a hand sanitizer is also an excellent cleaning product that is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and anti-infectious
Air fresheners are one of the worst offenders, Have you ever wondered what exactly makes the smelly candle smell? I love the smell of candles The problem with these is that gingerbread lemon candle or the holiday spice isn’t really ginger, lemon and cinnamon but are dangerous benzene chemicals that have serious side effect, including death. Think about this, most of the people you know either use a car air freshener, febreze, smelly soaps, shampoos and other fragrant items that actually contain harmful chemicals. How many people do you know with headaches, sinus problems or digestive issues? What if they removed the benzenes from their life? Fragrance is listed by ewg.org’s skin deep website as to cause skin infections, respiratory problems and reproductive issues. Soy candles are a good alternative or instead try a few drops of your favorite oil in a spray bottle with water, same effect, not toxic.
Believe it or not, thousands of people each year suffer from mold toxicity annually in the United States. Most importantly, the majority of these people don’t even know that they are sick from mold. They often suffer from alternating bouts of fatigue, asthma, allergies, itchy eyes, skin irritation and headaches. The symptoms do not always come up simultaneously so one might think "I haven’t been to lucky with health this year" when the truth is….they have MOLD in their home or even school. No alternatives to mold here. A few ways to clean mold are to use apple cider vinegar or tea tree oil. The best way is to just throw out whatever has mold
Pesticides are another major problem and are spayed to remove or kill lurking pests, so it is obvious they are toxic and can have harmful reactions in our bodies. There are a number of effects pesticides can have on your body including: reproductive disruptions, they are carcinogenic which means they are cancer causing, and the are immuno suppressive, among other problems.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has listed the Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen fruits and vegetables that can be bought either conventional or organic. Alternatives: Always take your shoes off when you come into your home so you don’t spread poison to your carpet and floors. Try your best to buy organic. If you are on a smaller budget, at least make sure you buy the Clean 15! (And whatever you buy, wash it well!) There are also many alternatives to pesticides in the home and garden, a whole nother topic
There is a huge attack on food makers to increase quality in our world today. the demand for quality chemical free food is on the rise. We often tend to skip over ingredients because it sounds healthy but a lot of the time, that is all it is: a healthy word or sound. Just because it says blueberry muffins, doesn’t even mean it has blueberries. Look for: hydrogenated oils, words with numbers like Polysorbate 8O, MSG, aspartame, sucralose, hydrolyzed yeast extract and Red 40. Read labels. That doesn’t mean check the salt and fat content. What are the ingredients? Always shop in the horseshoe: Try to avoid going down middle aisles at the grocery, that is where the pre-packaged junk resides. Eat vegetables and fruits as much as you can. Also, be aware of hormones and antibiotics in your meats.
After years of dominating our cabinets, we have come to realize that storing in plastics can truly cause health problems including hormonal changes in male children and diabetes. Simply do not buy plastics with number 3, 6 or 7. Numbers 1, 2, 4 and 5 are better. I’m sure you’ve heard of BPA or bis-phenol-A.The EWG states "Trace BPA exposure has been shown to disrupt the endocrine system and trigger a wide variety of disorders, including chromosomal and reproductive system abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer, cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty, obesity and resistance to chemotherapy." So we need to be mindful and cautious about using plastics, especially since everything comes packages in plastic. Good Alternatives: Glass. Glass storage containers are making a comeback. Minimalization is key here. We have come too far that we can not avoid plastic. You can minimize exposure by spending $50 on glass containers at a Walmart. NEVER put plastic in the microwave! The bad chemicals are release when heated and go directly into the food you eat. Stainless steel containers for water instead of plastic water bottles is also a good change.
People love non-stick pots and pans, they’re easy to cook with, especially clean, but cookware like Aluminum pans and Teflon contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA.) which can lead to infertility, cause cancer and other health issues. PFOA is a dangerous chemical that releases toxins once heated so you want to avoid non-stick cookware! Good Alternatives: Stainless Steel, Ceramic, Cast Iron, Stoneware and Glass.
Really all that needs to be done is to be more proactive in your choices for a healthier lifestyle.