When it comes to toxins, our food is not the only area to pay close attention. Many of our household products are pretty toxic. And on top of that, there's not much regulation like there is with food. Many advocates of these products claim that minimal exposure to the chemicals is not dangerous. But what if you use 10 products a day that all have minimal amounts of toxins? And you use those 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. That could be a problem.
Bath & Beauty Products
Many bath & beauty products contain carcinogens & they aren't always listed on the label. And just because children's bath products say "gentle or mild" does not mean it is true. Many of the ingredients in our bath products can cause numerous health problems, including skin allergies, cancer & hormone disruption. One year ago, Sydney developed a horrible rash all over her body. I took her to two pediatricians & two dermatologists and none of them could explain it to me. One doctor told me she must have been bitten by a bug. Seriously? I may never know exactly what caused her rash & it did go away after several months. But in all my online searches for answers, I found a world of information about chemicals in our bath products that I never realized existed.
Since that experience, I have thrown out a lot of our old bath products and replaced them with safer alternatives. Again, it's more expensive. But it seems that being cheap is what has led to a lot of our health problems in this country. I like Burt's Bees lip balm & Pomegranate & Soy shampoo & conditioner. I also use Tom's of Maine toothpaste, mouthwash & deodorant. J.R. Watkins lemon cream lotion is to die for! There are many other great products out there to choose from. I really like Yes to Cucumbers color care shampoo & conditioner. I shop at Target & there is an entire aisle devoted to these products. You have choices! You can also find more affordable products that are better alternatives, just read the labels.
Skin Deep Cosmetic Database is a great source for researching toxins in our everyday products. You can look up a specific product and clearly see if it's a hazard to your health, based on their ranking system.
I try to avoid these dangerous ingredients:
Parabens (methyl, propyl, butyl, ethyl, isobutyl & isopropyl)
BHT
Formaldehyde
Artificial fragrances & dyes
Petroleum (Petrolatum)
Pthalates
Sodium Lauryl Sulfates & Sodium Laureth Sulfates (SLS)
I will say that I have had a flare up of adult acne (yay me!) & natural products don't cut it when you're dealing with that. So unfortunately, I have no choice but to use strong chemicals on my face. And yes, I color my hair & use anti-aging eye cream. I am a WOMAN after all! For me, it's all about balance. I figure if I use non-toxic soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotion, deodorant, toothpaste, mouthwash & lip balm...what's a little hair dye every few months. Okay, who am I kidding, I'm the girl that waits 5 months until my roots look trashy. So my point is this - just switching a few products that you use daily could have a big impact on your health.
Cleaning Products
I use white distilled vinegar for most of my cleaning. It's non-toxic, kills bacteria & germs & is CHEAP! I buy a box of 2 1-gallon containers for just a few dollars at Sam's. I keep vinegar in a spray bottle to clean all my counter tops & cabinets. I also use it to clean out my oven, microwave, refrigerator, showers, bathtubs, toilets & hard wood floors. It also works great in cleaning windows & mirrors. Vinegar is perfect getting of rid tough calcium deposits like in your shower head. Just pour some vinegar in a dish & soak your shower head & kitchen spray nosil over night. I'll talk more one day about all the great uses for vinegar. That's a blog post all in itself!
I recently bought Seventh Generation dish soap, surface cleaner & laundry soap. I have been happy with all of them. They seem to be a great company that really cares about the environment. Their products aren't much more expensive than the toxic versions they sit next to at the stores. For 50 cents more, I'll take my products without carcinogens, please.
Plastics
We keep hearing more & more about the dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA) in our plastics. Now lets stop and think a minute about everything in our lives that is made out of plastic. Hmmmm. BPA is a chemical used to produce most of our plastics. In studies, traces of BPA have been found in the blood, urine & breast milk of humans. So we know it passes through our system. BPA has been linked to cancer & obesity, two of our biggest epidemics in America. What I find most alarming about BPA is that it seems to mimic our hormones, which can lead to numerous health problems, including infertility & early puberty.
BPA can be found in:
- the lining of canned foods
- baby bottles
- water bottles
- milk containers
- plastic food storage containers
I'm no scientist or doctor, but common sense says that the information out there is alarming. It would be impossible to avoid plastics completely. But I have started in the kitchen. I am in the process of replacing all my plastic food containers with glass ones. I threw out all of our plastic plates. I'm trying to replace the kids' cups with better alternatives. This one gets tricky since I have a two year old boy who probably wouldn't do well with a GLASS full of liquid. I am considering buying these. Pottery Barn Kids claim that all their new table top items are BPA free. There are a lot of companies now making BPA free plastics.
The bottom line is this: minimal exposure to toxins may be safe. But in one day, we use:
- shampoo & conditioner
- soap
- lotion
- deodorant
- hairspray
- make up
- toothpaste
- water bottles
- plastic plates
- baggies, plastic wrap & storage containers
- toys that our kids play with
- and the list goes on and on and on
That's not minimal. Just by switching half of your daily products to a safer version, you could dramatically change the course of your life. Don't let government regulation & standards decide what is safe for you and your family. Decide for yourself. It's your life. It's your choice.
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