The skin is our largest organ. I don't know the exact number, but I have read that somewhere around up to 50% of what we put on our skin ends up in our system. That amount is shocking, but honestly for me even if you said 10% that would be a huge deal. That means 10% of all chemicals that are TOXIC to ingest are getting into our system when used topically. I don't know about you, but that terrifies me. It's no wonder that the rate of Cancer is growing because we are surrounded by toxic substances. It takes such a huge effort to eat clean, that sometimes we forget we also have to get clean with our personal care items as well. If we want to get well and most importantly STAY well, we have to be diligent in all aspects of our health. This means doing a complete overhaul of all personal care products and making sure that they are indeed safe to be used.
Over the course of the last 2 years I have made a total switch to all natural, toxic chemical free products in every single aspect of my life. This includes all house cleaning supplies, detergents, makeup, lotions, deodorants, etc. I am going to do a 2-3 part series that includes Body Care, Makeup and Home Cleaning items in an effort to hopefully help some of you guys. Making the switch for me was slow because I had to experiment with a ton of stuff. Just because something is natural does not mean it should slack on quality. I wanted my product switch to be one that was seamless, and although it took a while I have a standard go to routine with a lot of options for amazing stuff. I will be posting this here, but also I will create a new page tab up top called "My Favorite Products" and it will be there easy to access (so you don't always have to come find the posts). I will be posting the series over the course of a couple of weeks, since its so tedious to put it all together and I don't always have tons of energy. But I will do my best to get them all up back to back.
But before I go, I wanted to mention the most important part of this whole post, and that's sharing with you one of my favorite websites that helped me on the quest to go toxin free. It's called the EWG Skin Deep Database. This is by far the most comprehensive and amazing database (with almost 70,000 products) to check the safety of any personal care item. You can search by product name or brand and it will give you a rating from 1-10 as to how big of a hazard it is. The best part is you can also search specific ingredients and it will rate the ingredient as well, AND tell you what the ingredient is known for.
Over the course of the last 2 years I have made a total switch to all natural, toxic chemical free products in every single aspect of my life. This includes all house cleaning supplies, detergents, makeup, lotions, deodorants, etc. I am going to do a 2-3 part series that includes Body Care, Makeup and Home Cleaning items in an effort to hopefully help some of you guys. Making the switch for me was slow because I had to experiment with a ton of stuff. Just because something is natural does not mean it should slack on quality. I wanted my product switch to be one that was seamless, and although it took a while I have a standard go to routine with a lot of options for amazing stuff. I will be posting this here, but also I will create a new page tab up top called "My Favorite Products" and it will be there easy to access (so you don't always have to come find the posts). I will be posting the series over the course of a couple of weeks, since its so tedious to put it all together and I don't always have tons of energy. But I will do my best to get them all up back to back.
But before I go, I wanted to mention the most important part of this whole post, and that's sharing with you one of my favorite websites that helped me on the quest to go toxin free. It's called the EWG Skin Deep Database. This is by far the most comprehensive and amazing database (with almost 70,000 products) to check the safety of any personal care item. You can search by product name or brand and it will give you a rating from 1-10 as to how big of a hazard it is. The best part is you can also search specific ingredients and it will rate the ingredient as well, AND tell you what the ingredient is known for.
As you can see, you do NOT want to touch something with Propylparaben in it, as it's rated a 10 for the reasons listed above. This is just an example of how the Database works. It's truly an amazing thing to consult. Although not every single product is in it, I have found about 80-90% of the Brands are. And if they are not they I simply search the ingredients I am unsure of to see if they are toxic.
As far as what rating you decide is good for you, that is a personal choice. I know some people say "I will be okay with anything 4 or below." Other people only feel safe in the Low category of 1-2. I personally have gotten down to all skin care products being a 1-2 because it just worked out that the stuff I loved the most were also the best for me. So, a total win-win.
The biggest thing you learn when you begin to cross check your items on the EWG Skin Database is that you can no longer shop at places like Walgreens or CVS. It just isn't realistic, because even stuff like Neutrogena or Aveeno have a 7-8 rating on most their products. It's frustrating that it's the case, but I hope that with more of an awareness of these toxic chemicals that those big companies will be forced to make changes. If we all stop buying them and instead buy the organic natural stuff then eventually they will have to change. Aveda took out Parabens from their products once they realized how many people were leaving due to that. I believe that change starts with us, and I'm hopeful that this cross checking won't have to be permanent. However, for now it's the very best option there is.
So your first assignment if you are reading this is to head over to the Database and test out some of the stuff in your bathroom cabinets and showers. Do they pass the toxicity test or not? As soon as you have a grasp on what needs to be reformed you can put together a list of items needed. And in the coming days and weeks I will post about my tried and true favorites and also where you can find them.
Let's detoxify our skin!
xoxo,
Christina
As far as what rating you decide is good for you, that is a personal choice. I know some people say "I will be okay with anything 4 or below." Other people only feel safe in the Low category of 1-2. I personally have gotten down to all skin care products being a 1-2 because it just worked out that the stuff I loved the most were also the best for me. So, a total win-win.
The biggest thing you learn when you begin to cross check your items on the EWG Skin Database is that you can no longer shop at places like Walgreens or CVS. It just isn't realistic, because even stuff like Neutrogena or Aveeno have a 7-8 rating on most their products. It's frustrating that it's the case, but I hope that with more of an awareness of these toxic chemicals that those big companies will be forced to make changes. If we all stop buying them and instead buy the organic natural stuff then eventually they will have to change. Aveda took out Parabens from their products once they realized how many people were leaving due to that. I believe that change starts with us, and I'm hopeful that this cross checking won't have to be permanent. However, for now it's the very best option there is.
So your first assignment if you are reading this is to head over to the Database and test out some of the stuff in your bathroom cabinets and showers. Do they pass the toxicity test or not? As soon as you have a grasp on what needs to be reformed you can put together a list of items needed. And in the coming days and weeks I will post about my tried and true favorites and also where you can find them.
Let's detoxify our skin!
xoxo,
Christina
RSS Feed