Going Al Natural'
Is switching to natural products worth it? Do you care about the ingredients you are putting on your skin or breathing in? I touched on how much your skin absorbs in Simple changes to maximize your wellness. When I learned this, I started taking a strong look at all the ingredients my family and I use on our bodies and to clean our homes. I have been allergic to fragrance since I was a teen. Which means no perfumes, no scented soaps, no scented laundry soap, no candles, or makeup. If I were somewhere where there was fragrance used, I would turn bright red and get rather puffy. If I put anything on my body, I would break out in hives.
10 years ago, I was invited to a ladies' night out party for doTERRA essential oils. The sales gal opened up my eyes to a whole new world full of natural fragrances. From perfume, and diffusers, to making my cleaning solutions that smelt great. I was hooked. After placing a large order and getting all my goodies I immediately went home and began making all the recipes I was given. I was so enamored by this new way of cleaning and making my home smell great I began my research on Pinterest. I wanted to know all the recipes for these essential oils so I could try new mixtures and create a multitude of ways to use them.
Pinterest is amazing for finding all this information. Be careful of what you do find as the use of essential oils improperly can result in reactions, to you or your pets if you have any. Because I had pinned so many Pins about essential oils my feed began to fill up with other natural cleaning products and recipes. This is where I found that I could make my perfume, room spray, Poo-Pourri, all-purpose cleaning spray, and laundry detergent.
When my husband's business went under and we took a huge financial hit, I needed to find every possible area to cut where I could. We had not only ourselves to feed but 2 other mouths to feed and care for. So, I tried several of the different laundry detergent recipes. After lots of trials and reviews from my husband and me, we landed on
, vinegar, and borax. Some of the other recipes were not strong enough for us to get stains and stink out. This formula is what has been working for us and the best part is it is way cheaper than brand-name detergents.
I make my own perfume and room spray with essential oils.
My home and clothing were being cleaned with all-natural products. My body on the other hand was still being filled with toxins from the beauty products I was using. I thought they were safe because I was not getting reactions from them. I was using all Dove and Oil of Olay products because that is what I have been using since I was a teen after finding out about my fragrance allergy.
I remember one time I went to the tanning salon and got a little too much, so I went to the store and grabbed some Aloe Vera gel. I slathered that shit everywhere to help with the burn. Little did I know that it had fragrance in it. I broke out in such a horrific rash that burned more than my burn and itched like crazy. I ended up having to leave work, calling my sister on the way home explaining how she needed to grab my daughter from daycare because I needed to go home and shower to get everything off and take a crap ton of allergy pills that were going to knock me out.
I showered, scrubbing my body from head to toe to try my best to get everything off me so I could stop itching and burning. After that horrible experience, I called my mother to talk to her about this horrible reaction I had. She informed me that there was probably fragrance in the Aloe Vera gel. From that day forward I have always read the ingredient label.
When I started reading labels, there were so many things that I could not pronounce, and forget even knowing what they are. I was that weirdo in the store aisle googling each ingredient to find out what they are before making a purchase. I would get lots of looks from others because I was taking up a section of the aisle trying to find out all this information. After a million trips to the store and even more google searches, I found almost every single beauty and cleaning product has fragrance in it.
I was so overwhelmed that I resulted in getting unscented baby soap and lotion. I still had issues with shampoo and conditioners. I could use them a couple times but then I would break out in a rash on my scalp. So, I had three different brands of shampoo and conditioner in my shower that I would switch between to combat the reaction. Which wasn't a huge deal till my kids got older and began bathing themselves and needed space in the shower for their own items.
They did not want to use baby products anymore. If you have kids you know, anything that is labeled baby will make them think they are babies. They wanted big kid products. So, I began researching again so I could minimize the amount of shelf space I was utilizing in the shower so they could have big kid body products. When I was talking with a friend about my issues finding stuff, I could use she introduced me to Arbonne.
She gave me a booklet with all their information and the products they make. Again, I was hooked, but could not afford everything that I wanted to try. I hosted my own party, so I could get a shit ton of products for free and severely discounted. I finally had products that were scented that I could use on my body that was not riddled with harsh chemicals and ingredients I understood.
I started with the face and body wash. Over the last 7 years, I have tried their makeup, muscle rub, lotions, drink mixes, shave creams, and most recently shampoo and conditioner. The switch to a natural shampoo and conditioner was not as smooth as the soaps and lotions. I was so used to how my hair operated prior. It took about 2 months to get the best feeling and looking hair I have had ever. It is so soft and full, the curls I developed after having kids can dry naturally tangle free, and bouncy. I do not have to put in any creams, mousse, or gel for them to hold. I can even go a whole week without washing and they still look great.
Because of the results with my hair, I had a deeper want to also start using a natural deodorant and toothpaste. I am currently switching between a patchouli scent I found at public goods and Humble's rose scent for deodorant. I did use bentonite clay on my armpits before starting. I read several articles stating you needed to thoroughly cleanse the toxins out of your pits from the aluminum-filled antiperspirants before switching. I do have a little more perspiration, but I do not stink. The toothpaste I got from public goods is way better than any name brand in my opinion. It cleans so well, keeps my breath fresh, and has a delightful minty flavor.
The best part of all of this is that my family is now transitioning to all-natural body products as well. My husband loves Dr. Squatch soaps and deodorants. He was so impressed by their scents and how well they worked he won't even use anything else now. My two younger children are starting to jump on the bandwagon as well. The last time I had to restock my husband's supply they were along and sniffed several different deodorants for themselves. They also picked out some soaps they would like to try.
Now I am also not wasteful so they do need to use up the products they currently have an abundance of, or at least finish the open ones and we can donate the unopened ones to a shelter or food bank. The reduce, reuse, and recycle mentality is strong in that new generation. Which melts my heart, since I come from a generation that grew up getting soda and milk in glass bottles that you had to turn in to get your deposit back.
If you are thinking about switching but do not know where to start, I have a few tips to share that worked for me and my family. Start with one product at a time.
1. Get yourself some of the cheapest essential oils when you first start out. I do not mean cheap as in it is a shit product, I mean the cheaper-priced oils because they are easily processed into oils. If you have a local health food store start, there. Most of the stuff online is crap. They use great marketing strategies to doop you. These can be used for perfume, room spray, diffusing, to scent homemade dryer sheets or balls, and cleaning sprays.
2. When you run out of a cleaning product replace it with an all-natural one. Several brands make all the different solutions you will need/use, such as window cleaners, all-purpose spray, dish soap, laundry detergent, etc. I prefer Dr. Bronners and Meyers.
3. When you use up a body product switch. You will have some trial-and-error finding what works for your body. I like Dr. Bronner's sugar scrub and bar soap.
4. Create a Pinterest board full of recipes, ideas, and products that you want to try. From essential oil combinations, you can put in a diffuser, room and body sprays, all-purpose sprays, laundry detergent, to natural product brands you may want to try. Be creative, experiment, and find what works for you.
5. Be patient and keep the faith. You do not have to throw out everything you already have and spend a tremendous amount of money replacing it all in one swoop unless that is what you want to do. You haven't died yet from the stuff you currently have in your home and most likely won't drop dead tomorrow.
If you are interested in any of the products, I am currently using just click on their name I linked where you can find them or check your local stores. Good luck on your adventure to whole-body wellness. If you have any questions or want to share what natural products, you are already using send me an email. I would love to hear about it.
💖,
The Wellness Blondie
I would love to know, what do you think?
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