If you’ve been thinking about switching to non-toxic products, but you don’t know where do I begin, this is the post for you!
The whole non toxic world can be a bit overwhelming, so since I’ve been living a non toxic life for about a year now, I though I would give you some of my tips to make the transition easier! I am, by no means an expert, I’m just giving you some tips that worked for me! What a better time to make the switch to non toxic products than the start of the new year!
Let me start off by saying that every single product that I used prior to switching was labeled an 8 or higher on the Think Dirty app (more on that later), so I was in a pretty toxic spot! It is also completely unrealistic to throw every single toxic item you have in your home in the garbage and start fresh. This lifestyle takes time and if you do it little by little, it won’t seem as hard! I started slowly switching things over about a year and a half ago, and although there are still some things that I haven’t given up yet, I’m 90% non toxic and loving it! I feel better about the products that I bring into my home and i’ve noticed that my husband and I get less headaches, and just feel healthier since switching!
I started thinking about what’s in the products I use after my nutri bullet exploded on me and I was left to clean vegan cheese sauce off the ceiling, walls, TV, computer, inside the chandeliers…. it was a total disaster. BUT I was cleaning it all with Lysol wipes and after I was done cleaning (it took about 3 days and we’re STILL finding splatters 2 years later…), my hands BURNED for a couple days! I knew you had to wash your hands after using these types of wipes, but I figured it was still ok to use since it is being sold to us.
So I started using “cleaner, more natural” (at least that’s what the packaging made me believe) products like Mrs. Meyers, and Method etc. thinking I was doing SO much better for myself, because, again, why would they be sold to us if they were bad for us!? When my husband and I moved into our apartment, we started burning candles- had those suckers going ALL THE TIME! My husband kept saying he was getting headaches from them and he felt like he had a coating on his tongue.. So we switched to “cleaner, more natural” soy candles from, you guessed it, Mrs. Meyers! Soon after we started burning candles, my friend- who was also an avid candle burner, shared an article with me about the dangers of candles…
THEN I saw an article about products banned in the European Union vs products banned in the US and that was my ah-ha moment. 1300+ chemicals are banned in the EU. The US, we banned less than 30. WHAT?!
The worst offender of the toxic world is FRAGRANCE. It is an umbrella term for chemical cocktail that does not have to be disclosed. Watch the documentary Stink on Netflix and prepared to be amazed, or disgusted… and that brings us to..
TIP #1: Stop buying/Ditch anything with the term Fragrance/Parfum.
Fragrances are made in a lab and combine all different chemicals to make something smell good. Shockingly enough, a lot of these chemicals have not been tested to determine if they are safe, and the types of chemicals used to create that scent, legally, do not have to be disclosed.
Why do I care??
Well, fragrance is actually one of the biggest endocrine/hormone disruptors! If your hormones aren’t in check or your having issues with that time of the month, (I’m not a doctor) but MAYBE it could be your body reacting to the fragrances that you’re coming into contact with every single day! (Again, not a doctor). I’m not saying that’s the end all be all solution to anything, but it could play a role and it’s definitely something to think about! I personally have not had any issues with this, but I have heard some CRAZY stories about what ditching and switching can do for a woman’s hormones!
Tip #2: How do I know what products are bad, and what products are safe to use?? My favorite resource currently is the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep Database. They have a website and an app and I use both regularly.
When I first started thinking about ditching my products, I downloaded the Think Dirty app, and BOY was I in for a treat haha. They rate their products on a scale from 0-10 (0 being cleanest, 10 being most toxic) and you can search or scan your product to see where it falls on the scale. Like I said earlier, all of my products were rated an 8 or higher. I no longer use this app because it has been rumored that they got bought out by a big name company and all of the ratings have changed in favor of that big company.
The EWG app is a great resource, and you are able to search and scan products just like he Think Dirty app, but the only issue that I have is that they don’t have as big a database a Think Dirty. They have a huge selection of “EWG Verified” products that they suggest, though! You can even search EWG Verified on Amazon and get tons of pages of non toxic product. Most, if not all, of Beautycounters products are also EWG Verified. You can search single ingredients as well if you’re not sure of something, which is a great feature if you want to check a product out for yourself.
Another resource that I have been following on Instagram for a while is @MadeSafeHQ . They have a ton of safe product recommendations and give you a lot of information about certain ingredients and why they’re bad for you. They also have a verification system that companies can strive for.
So to make it easier for you, when you are trying to go thru your products or buy new clean products, check if the product has fragrance in it, then check for any EWG Verified or MadeSafe label, which would let you know that it’s a safe non toxic product!
Tip #3: Come up with a plan!
Like I said earlier, switching out your products takes TIME! It took me a good 6-12 months to get to where I am now! When I finished up a product, I bought a cleaner one. It also didn’t help that I had JUST bought Costco sized versions of all the toxic products! You could also go month by month and switch out one product or a group of products one month at a time.
I follow lots of accounts on Instagram that promote clean products and I did a ton of research on non toxic brands that I could try! It’s all about trail and error when it comes to this lifestyle, so following accounts and people you trust will just make it a little easier.
TAKE NOTE: you have to be careful within a brand that all the products are non toxic. For example, I have used 2 different Acure shampoos, one had fragrance, the other was clean, so it’s always important to read the labels!
Some of my favorite brands are: Juice Organics, Acure, Beautycounter, W3ll P3ople, 100% pure, Mineral Fusion, Puracy, Primally Pure, Young Living, Hynt Beauty, Dr. Bronners
I hope this post was helpful!
