There are certain apps you can download right to your phone that will deliver a wealth of knowledge at your finger tips. This is a GREAT resource to use. I can talk (or write) to you all day about different things to look out for but until you see them for yourself the impact isn’t as great. My belief is everything in moderation. If you can slowly start changing over to less toxic products, hopefully the impact on you and your family’s health will be worth the effort.
When it comes to cosmetics, skin care, and household cleaners the amount of chemicals and toxins either absorbed into your skin or inhaled into your lungs are easy to identify. Look back through your entire day. Start with your routine upon waking. Did you shower, use toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, shaving cream, body lotion, face lotion, makeup (concealer, foundation, mascara, eye shadow, eye liner, bronzer, blush), perfume, and more? Every morning you probably use close to 15 products that are absorbed directly into your skin, and inhaled into your lungs and it’s not even 10 AM yet. If you start making small steps to cleaner choices with your skin care and beauty products alone, you can make a positive impact on your health.
Now think of your household items – cleaners, laundry detergent, fabric softener, air fresheners, floor cleaners/polish, liquid dish soap, dishwashing tablets, hand soap, stain removers, bleach, furniture polish, etc. All of these products can produce toxic off-gases and can be stronger when combined. Researchers have found the air inside your home can be 3 to 5 times more polluted than outside your home. Researchers also say it take a mere 26 seconds for chemical toxins to enter our blood stream by absorbing through the bottoms of bare feet. This especially spoke to me when our kids were babies crawling around on our hardwood floors all day every day.
Not only are there toxins blatantly obvious when you look around your house, some items are not so obvious. Furniture, flooring, carpeting, animal dander, dust, HVAC ducts. All of these contribute to air pollution in your home. There isn’t much you can do about your flooring, and pressed wood used to build your home but if you fix the obvious ones then obviously you will lessen the overall pollution indoors.
My purpose of writing this isn’t to make you feel guilty or upset but instead to make you aware. Awareness is key to help correct the small things you can and help improve the quality of your lifestyle. I’ve said this before and I’m going to say it again. Our bodies are designed to remove the toxins we are exposed to. The key is to help our bodies not become over burdened so most toxins can flush out and not accumulate.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP
The Environmental Working Group is an American activist group that specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of agricultural subsidies, toxic chemicals, drinking water pollutants and corporate accountability. EWG is also a non-profit organization and is an excellent tool to research, educate, and find awareness. You can research water qualities, cosmetics, household cleaners, and even food. It gives items a rating of 0-10, 10 being the worst and most hazardous to your health. Their website has in-depth information while the app is a handy tool to use while you are shopping and want to find out if a specific item is safe. https://www.ewg.org/
THINK DIRTY
Another great app is Think Dirty. It delivers the same type of information as the EWG app and delivers in a similar way. It rates products on a scale of 0-10 and again 10 being the worst but also allows you to scan the bar code instead of searching by name. Not all products will be found so you can then provide Think Dirty with the product details to allow them to add the item into their database. There is also an option to add items into “My Bathroom Shelf”, “Dirty Products”, and “Clean Products” for a quick reference of what you use and a reminder for what products you have searched that are “dirty” and which items are “clean”. https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/
Passionately Holistic 
Leave a comment