I'm taking a moment today to share the most impactful simple changes you can do right now to improve your immunity, improve brain function, eliminate breathing issues, allergies and the like by swapping out a couple of household + personal care basics.
You don't even have to leave the house to make it happen!
It's a huge passion of mine (and thankfully my job) to help families optimize their well-being. The lowest hanging fruit to grab first is identifying the quality of your air + environment.
When you think about what you need for basic survival the first few things that probably come to mind are AIR, WATER + FOOD, right?
Air. We breathe in everything that's around us. If you're smelling it, you've inhaled it and you're body is starting to absorb it through your skin, in your lungs, and throughout your body.
Think about that the next time you walk down the laundry/cleaning supply aisle at the grocery store. Its overwhelming + our bodies are NOT meant to absorb those toxic chemicals.
Unfortunately we're not exclusively breathing in the highest quality oxygen and it's more than just the cleaning products at the store that cause problems to our brains + bodies; it's indoor and outdoor pollution, perfumes, disinfecting wipes, bug sprays, manufactured scents (candles, plug-ins, room sprays), hand-sanitizers and so much more.
By loading chemicals onto our bodies each day with scented soaps, lotions, sprays, deodorant, perfumes, scented moisturizers, hair products, dyes, nail polish, toxic make-up, (not to mention injectables!!) we're poisoning ourselves and making it nearly impossible to be truly healthy without any symptoms.
We're forcing our bodies work over-time to try to process so many toxins and ultimately we're recking our hormones, brain function, immunity and fertility.
If this is upsetting you, or causing you to question how all these chemicals are legal and able to be added to so many of our everyday products, I strongly encourage you to learn more about the Personal Care Products Safety Act.
So what do you need to steer clear of to ensure you're not recking your brain, immunity, hormones or fertility?
The first step is to take inventory of what you're using today.
If you're not sure how to pronounce an ingredient you're putting on your skin or use in your home it doesn't 100% mean it's toxic, but it's a good opportunity to rule it out before you blindly slather it directly on your largest organ.
To be sure if your products are safe, check them out on the EWG Skin Deep Directory.
Safe products now contain the EWG Verified mark. What does EWG Verified mean? Do any of your products have the safe EWG mark?
DISCLAIMER: The EWG Skin Deep Directory + EWG Verified mark are fairly new so many products are still in the process of earning their mark or not in their database, yet.
A full how-to detox your home list tells you ingredients to avoid so you don't make the mistake of buying anything else toxic, and shows you how to discard of anything, safely. Hint: Anything with "fragrance" needs to go!
I'm giving you my top recommendations - because I've done the leg work. I've detoxed my entire home + personal care products and I'm only sharing what actually works + what I trust on my own skin and in my home for my family.
PERSONAL CARE:
If you're looking for high-quality sleek makeup + beauty products, stick to BeautyCounter (No I'm not personally affiliated, but I should be after this 😆) They're EWG verified and I can attest that every toxic product I used before was so easy to replace with an even better non-toxic solution from BeautyCounter (from mascara to sunscreen tinted moisturizer).
If you're looking for organic make-up remover, face scrubs, moisturizers + more, try my other obsession; Skinny&Co. They use nothing but 100% pure coconut oil and the highest quality essential oils for their products. All 100% safe and I love the smell and feel of everything they make.
For body wash/soap we never deviate from Dr. Bronner's All-One!
For the best dry-shampoo, face serums and best smelling deodorant, check out Primally Pure. Use code: "wellthier10" for 10% off your entire purchase.
Baby Products? Only HelloBello (Kristen Bell's company) and Skinny&Co. for my little one (soon to be two).
CLEANING PRODUCTS:
If you're ready to keep yourself, your family + pets safe, let's toss out your toxic cleaning supplies + make your home a safe sanctuary so you can breathe deep.
Branch Basics has you're back from laundry, to window cleaner, all-purpose cleaners and so much more! I'm obsessed and because of that obsession I am affiliated. For $10 off, use this link.
If you're questioning if you should really lose the Lysol wipes, bleach or other cancer causing cleaning products under your sink just check out this short video about why Branch Basics was started! You'll never look back. And yes - you should 100% toss them out (responsibly) immediately.
Side Note: Toss out your dryer sheets pronto + grab wool dryer balls (add a few drops of lavender oil or any pure essential oil of your choice to give your clothes an extra smell-good-boost). Dryer sheets are surprisingly one of the more toxic items lurking in your laundry room.
Wanna learn how to simply detox your home (and how to dispose of any chemicals safely)?
A last personal note to any fellow parents raising tiny humans...
Children of all ages, but especially babies + toddlers are still developing their immunity. By surrounding them with toxic sunscreens, bug sprays, disinfectants, cleaning products either at school or at home, you're compromising their health long-term, so I beg you to consider making simple swaps for the longevity of our children's health. Please choose non-toxic products to put on and around children so they're not swimming in toxic soup.
Did you know toxins are transferred to your baby even before birth? The umbilical cord is commonly filled with chemicals. If you want to learn more about this, check out more here.
Wanna catch up on the latest? Check out what's good.
Wanna uplevel your sleep (in the midst of never-ending zoom calls)? Peep this quick read.
Thank you continuing to support + follow along with wellthier wednesday. I'm grateful for you taking a few minutes to focus on your well-being and maybe learn something new that'll provide a massive ROI to your overall health. If you take action on just one of these swaps above, think about how might change? Imagine if you made all of the swaps?! 🤯 (There might one day be a "Last Dance" documentary about you.)
Be sure to thank yourself for taking a moment to focus on your most important asset - you.
Remember: If you can smell it - your brain + body are already absorbing it, so I invite you to pay attention to your home today + the products you put on your body. By just noticing what's safe and healthy and what's not, you'll be able to make better choices for you and your family's well-being.
With love + gratitude,
Laura