Why I’m Switching to Natural Products & the Ones I Switched Right Away!
This blog is something that I really want to share with you guys and it’s really important that I share this with people who I think want to know this information too! When I really started to dive into the world of health and wellness and all the products we are marketed, I learned two really important things when it comes to what we use in our everyday lives. One, what we think is good for us actually isn’t at all and this doesn’t surprise me anymore, and two, health and wellness isn’t as complicated as we think and we don’t need laundry detergent with 20 some what ingredients to wash our clothes. This actually does way more harm to us than any good! In this blog I want to share where I’m at right now when it comes to the products I recommend switching over and right away! And yes there are probably still products I use that aren’t great for me, like some of the makeup I use and definitely definitely the perfumes I have haha! I seriously do wish to have every product I use to be coming from clean, all natural, sustainable sources and I think it is 100% doable over time! It’s the little changes everyday that make a difference, and it takes time to find new brands you actually love!
I won’t go off on a huge tangent here because everyone can obviously do their own research, but I will start off by saying that so much of what is put in our products, especially when it comes to the ones we are putting directly onto our bodies (eeeek!), is actually really toxic to us. How often are you looking at the ingredient labels on your body wash, laundry detergent, or cleaning supplies, even your food? If this is something you have never thought about you really should! And don’t even get me started on what they put in our food! A lot of ingredients that are put into generic shampoos or conditioners or cleaning products are endocrine disruptors literally messing with your natural hormonal balance, causing inner chaos within your body and you probably think its normal to feel that way because you’ve been using products like this your whole life. You probably aren’t even aware of the lasting impacts these toxic and harmful ingredients have on your energy, and your overall health. I mean do a quick google search and you will see that BHT, a known neurotoxin, is a main ingredient in Febreeze along with 87 others, such as ones that are linked to cancer. So you’re literally marketed a clean and refreshing odourizer on tv, but then are ingesting a neurotoxin in your own home. Hmmmmm I wonder what else they do this with…? It’s just so wrong to me and seems messed up, how is this even allowed to be happening!!! That’s why I’m talking about it! You deserve to be happy and healthy and the products you use, in your own home, should never take that away!
What I have found really helpful when choosing products is just sticking with products that I know I can trust, and I’ll always do my own research if there is something I don’t know! I go by the rule the simpler and cleaner the ingredients the better! I also always reference this list that Living Pretty Naturally created on the main toxic ingredients that are found in a lot of everyday products that you should always try and avoid! Okay so let’s get into the all-natural products I switched right away and what products I am using as of right now!
Products I’ve Switched to All-Natural and Why
Deodorant
Okay, I feel like a lot of people already know this one and natural deodorants are actually very very common and they are a lot of amazing brands out there! The main reason why you want to avoid using any generic deodorant with aluminum is that this acts as an antiperspirant, blocking your sweat pores and ultimately trapping toxins in your body! There have been many many studies done on the links between aluminium and breast cancer, but yet this is sold to us in so many deodorants wtf! Typically with these antiperspirant deodorants also comes along other ingredients that are harmful and unnecessary to be putting on your body such a parabens, so better to just avoid these from the start and stick with something you know is clean and not toxic! Do a quick google search and you will find plenty of aluminum-free and natural deodorants! I have been using Schmidts for a very long time now and I really like it! I have also heard great things about Native, and I also use Salt and Stone as well and really love it!
Skin Care
For me now knowing what I know, the skincare I use must be clean, simple and have all natural ingredients. And ever since I really made these changes my skin and complexion have seriously never been better! Of course, you can buy very high-quality skincare and pay the luxury price (no I’m not talking about 70% of the skincare at Sephora), but it’s definitely not needed in order to have gorgeous glowing skin! But unfortunately, a lot of your typical and generic marketed skin care brands fall under the same category of unnecessary and/or harmful ingredients so again I stay away from pretty much all of this, which meant I had to stop using most of my products haha! I now love to use pure almond oil as my moisturizer, I fill it up in these skin care containers I saved from before and re use them because they are super cute! I have olive oil in one of them too! & home made lip balm! I also love the Purity One-Step Facial Cleanser, it’s amazing! They focus on natural and quality skin care ingredients! My natural skin care holy grails right now are pure almond oil, and Saje Rose Water!
Toothpaste
This one might shock you, but it is such an important one! You may or may not be familiar with fluoride, well I’ll just say right now that despite what you might be told by the dentistry system it’s not doing you, your brain, or your teeth any favours! Fluoride is a main ingredient in most toothpastes, and I’m sure you’re familiar with the whole ‘Fluoride rinse’ at the dentist, ya I opt out of that one. Fluoride is also put into our drinking water…. Oh, but it helps keep your teeth strong and healthy right? No, it actually destroys and blocks your pineal gland that’s located right between the hemispheres of your brain. Your pineal gland is also known as your “third eye”, I find it interesting they try and block this. Here’s the effects of Fluoride on the Pineal Gland! Crazy that we use this product around two times a day, every single day and it’s literally affecting our brain functioning and we aren’t even aware! I urge you to do your own research on this! Our teeth and gums are directly linked to our brain and are incredibly sensitive, so anything we put onto them is getting absorbed right into our brain! It’s scary to think over time what this does to our health. Personally I have no desire to consume fluoride in my water or toothpaste. So that’s why I always go for a natural, fluoride free toothpaste. You can also easily make your own too! I love using Tom’s Natural Fluoride Free Toothepaste or Burts Bee’s Flouride Free!
Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Wash & Soaps
Another one I switched right away was my body wash, shampoo and conditioner, and hand soaps! When we wash our hair our bodies or our hands, the toxins and chemicals in these generically made products get’s absorbed right through our scalp and skin right into our brain, and messes with our hormones and endocrine systems and really just disrupting and stripping our bodies natural state of balance. When our hormones and endocrine systems are not in balance this causes a whole other set of issues, fatigue, stress, gut issues, sleep problems, it’s crazy and most of us don’t even know a huge contributor is the products we are putting on ourselves. I feel so much better in the shower knowing that what I am putting on your head and body isn’t putting me, my body or brain in any harm! It’s such a relieving and refreshing feeling! I used to use Dove body wash or just anyone that smelt good haha until I learned a bit more about their ingredients. Now I’ll use locally made bars of soap from the farmers market, or a natural brand I like and trust! The same goes for hand soap if you buy just any brand from the store more than likely there will be a lengthy ingredient list! My favourite hand soap is from Saje! They smell SO good! But again there are so many options out there for natural soaps etc!
Laundry Detergents
Oh gosh, this is one that I think everyone needs to switch right freaking now if you haven’t all ready! I can’t believe how long I had been using just your typical generic brand of laundry detergent and fabric softener, ugh it makes me sad I used it for so long! The smell of these laundry detergents even gives me chills now because of that fake and toxic fragrance. I can’t stand the smell! These harmful chemical solutions are toxic to us, our pets, and It honestly has a huge impact on your environment. It makes the energy so dense and our clothes become ridden with these toxins and we place them right on our bodies! It’s terrible! But not to worry because you can easily toss these toxins and go for a plant-based, natural laundry solution and trust me you will notice such a difference in how you feel. Just try it! You’re better off wearing your dirty clothes, then ‘clean’ ones washed with chemicals!! There are also a lot of natural laundry solutions you can make at home, vinegar is so great for this as well! You can get plant-based and natural laundry detergents typically at any health market or store and just make sure to do your own research too! My mom even noticed how much different she felt after making this switch!
Cleaning & Household Products
I feel like we all know how harmful certain cleaning products can be, especially after one smell and all of sudden we get a little bit light-headed. I mean that’s not a great sign! A lot of cleaners are highly toxic and very harmful to us even just by breathing in the air after we have used them! I just feel so much better knowing I am using products that are clean and non-toxic, especially if you’re going to be using them all throughout your home and you have kids, pets, and family around. I mean like I pointed out about Febreeze, we have no idea what is even being put in a lot of these marketed cleaners and what makes them so highly toxic, most of us don’t even care or take the time to know. I just know that it doesn’t need to be that complicated and it shouldn’t ever put us at risk. Basic and natural cleaning products are the way to go for me personally! I use a locally made glass and window cleaner to replace windex, natural plant based counter and surface cleaners, essential oil disinfectant sprays, and even baking soda and vinegar are two amazing non toxic products I am always using for cleaning! This includes dish soap as well! You want to make sure your using something clean for this! You can pretty much get your hands on everything you need for a natural product when it comes to cleaning, and you will feel so much better using them too!
Candles & Scents
It was a hard goodbye when I stopped buying my favourite candles because little did I know they were quite literally poisoning the air I was breathing in! Any candle that you are buying from a generic decor store or scent store, is probably going to be made with fake fragrances which are known to be toxic and made with paraffin wax which is also highly toxic being linked to lung disease. Burning paraffin wax releases two very harmful fumes known as toluene and benzene. Reoccurring exposure to this obviously can’t be good for our lungs or respiratory tract, so I try to avoid paraffin wax candles and fake fragrances when looking for scents. Soy wax candles and beeswax candles are the two candles I like to burn, and they are so easy to find! I have so many local soy wax and beeswax candle companies around me so that is where I like to get mine from! I’m someone who loves to have candlelight, so I buy beeswax tea lights! I also started making my own soy wax candles scented with essential oil! Same goes for any fake scent you plug in or diffuse! I love to use my Saje diffusers and essential oils for a refreshing and clean space!
I know this one was a long one so if you made it all the way to the end congratulations haha! I’m so excited to continue on with my holistic health journey and continue to explore new products and brands that share these same values and goals as me! It just feels so much better to me buying and using products that I actually know about, especially when we are putting them directly onto our bodies! How can we not care and not know about this kind of stuff, it’s our health! All I can say is do your own research and try to keep what you use to products you actually know and can trust! I will share along my journey any new products I find that I love, please let me know in the comments your thoughts on this, or any natural products you love and you want to recommend! Talk soon! XX
