By Abby Jones
This world we live in can be a maze of information, this is right, that’s wrong; this is good, that’s bad; have more of this, less of that… it feels almost impossible to feel good about the actions we DO take when we can finally work out which action to take! BUT I believe exactly that: we need to feel good about any actions we take, small or large that lead us to living a better, healthier, and more inspired life.
While we cannot avoid every chemical in this world, we can make a conscious effort to choose to use some things over others, therefore reducing our toxic load over time, both environmentally and personally.
There are natural or naturally derived alternatives to most of your everyday skincare, cosmetic, beauty and cleaning products, and they largely can be found for a reasonable price.
If you swap one or two products out at a time you’ll be less toxic faster than you realise! Choose to swap out your moisturizer this month, and your soap the next… whatever works for your family. This is a great place to start in swapping your synthetic products for something non-toxic or natural:
- Anything you spray – perfume, deodorant, hairspray. As a spray they are widely-dispersed and easily inhaled.
- That one thing you apply most to the largest area of skin, (could be your soap, or moisturizer). By swapping out something you apply all over, you have eliminated the absorption of potential toxins everywhere, in one fell swoop!
- Things that go near the lips (lipstick, makeup, processed food, toothpaste). You end up eating them as a result, so let’s just not. Pretty logical.
Why Bother?
I know right, who cares? Does it really matter? Is it that big of a deal?
It certainly can make a difference to allergies, irritations, the way we feel, our mood, and have effects we probably don’t consider when we are surrounded by chemicals for long periods. Also, illnesses can be revealed from long-term exposure in some cases so the risks of exposure are not always known upfront. In the case of the synthetic term ‘fragrance’: this term can be used in place of over 500 chemicals which don’t have to be disclosed, and which have been thought to cause disruption to hormone function, skin issues, allergies, and so on. The choice is always up to the individual about whether to choose natural or synthetic, but I guess it could be argued why expose yourself to such things if you don’t absolutely have to..? So if natural is an option, and you can readily and easily make the choice without a science degree to work it out, then make that choice! It’s good for you and good for the environment.
