Last month we confronted the risks of typical household cleaners and how we can “clean” up our housecleaning habits. Let’s get personal this month. Personal care products ;)
Your skin is your largest organ, one that covers your entire body. Ever wondered how safe the products that you are putting on your skin actually are? The average person applies 300 chemicals to their body every single day, and 100 of those chemicals before breakfast! Most are from four things-soap, makeup, shampoo and hair care. We are literally poisoning yourselves every day with stuff we can't even pronounce in our shampoo, lotion, makeup and more. Due to trademark regulations, companies can hide 100s of chemicals behind the word “fragrance”. Health and safety data only exists for 15% of all the chemicals out there, even though so many are known to cause asthma or endocrine disruptions.
Essential oils are a better way. They are totally chemical free, steam distilled or cold pressed from pure plants. There's nothing in them but that one oil, whether it is lemon, tangerine, lavender, frankincense, or others. There are over a million uses for essential oils-cleaning supplies, personal care products like lotions, face wash and deodorant, in the diffuser, oil-infused nutritional supplements. If you wear perfume, find an essential oil you love and use that as your perfume! My daily perfume recipe = 10mL Roller bottle + 20 drops Joy + 15 drops Frankincense + 15 drops Orange + Carrier Oil. Happiness in a bottle!
If you have an iPhone download the app "Think Dirty" (it's free!) and go score one of the products that you use on your skin daily. If you don't have an iPhone/iPad, look for your product at Environmental Working Group's (EWG) Skin Deep cosmetics database or download the 'EWG's Healthy Living App' - it's also free!