The Ultimate Guide to Detoxing Your Life
Hey Hey hey! I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for a REALLLLLY long time, but I’ve been so intimidated by the amount of information I wanted to offer, that I’ve just been putting it off! I feel like this one stop shop for all things safe home and health is so needed though, so here I am, tackling it for the greater good!
I wanted to get this Ultimate Guide to Detoxing Your Life out and into your hot little hands during the month of January because I feel like so many people are focused and ready to make positive and impactful changes going into the New Year. I would love this to be a checklist that you guys can refer back to over and over in your quest to switch to safer in all areas of life. My goal here is to provide 29 days worth of small swaps you can make in your home that will work towards creating an environment that supports optimal health. What I DON’T want you to feel is overwhelmed! There are several ways to tackle this checklist that can make the process of switching to safer doable, budget friendly, and tailored to you.
1) First, check over the list and cross out the things that you’re ALREADY doing and then give yourself a giant pat on the back for being ahead of the game!
2) After you’ve identified the things you’re already doing, start looking at some of the swaps you can make to create the biggest impact on your health.
3) You can tackle these one of three ways, all at once in one fell swoop (if budget allows), daily for the next month, or you can look more long term and choose 1-2 things a month that you want to prioritize and then budget for that accordingly! It doesn’t have to be all or nothing!
I am going to try and keep this list more bulleted and to the point, meaning we won’t DEEP dive into each concept too much, but be on the lookout for more individual blog posts expanding on each swap that will provide more research, reasoning, and descriptions. Here, I will also try and provide several options of varying quality and budget to adjust for your unique needs! Without further ado, let’s dive into The Ultimate Guide to Detoxing Your Life!
BUDGET: Ok, I chose this one first because one of the most toxic things we can have in our home is a strained relationship with our finances. Plus, if you want to truly make these swaps, budgeting for them is HUGE. BUDGET doesn’t have to be a four letter word. Having your money work for you, and you telling it where to go can be one of the most freeing decisions you can ever make! Here are some resources I love for budgeting:
Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey: This is the book Tim made me read when we first got married that got me on board with budgeting. We still follow many of Dave’s principles now, 8 years later!
You Need a Budget: You can absolutely use old fashioned Excel spreadsheets (we did for 8 years!) but we recently started using this app for online budgeting. I’ve tried A LOT of online budgeting software and this is my favorite as it works similarly to the envelope system Dave talks about!
Modern Mamas Podcast Budget Episode: Checkout Episode#45 where I chat with Stephanie Cahill (budget queen!) all about how we prioritize spending in our homes!
SKINCARE: Ok, by now you know that I’m PASSIONATE AF about switching to safer skincare products. The reason why this is at the top of the list is because women use approximately 12products A DAY, (Men use 6 and teens use 17) thereby exposing herself to on average, 168 chemicals daily. The effects of toxins are cumulative as well as immediate. We’re looking at 61, 320 potential cumulative chemical exposures in a year as a woman. I don’t know about you, but that is a major motivator for switching to safer! Here are my top choices for safer skincare.
Beautycounter: I love these products so much and believe in their mission so much that I joined as a consultant. There is literally no other company out there adhering to the standards and testing they do!
Primally Pure: I love the price point of Primally Pure products. I love that they’re a small business impacting the marketplace! (use the code JESS10 for 10% off your first purchase!)
HOME CLEANING: Unfortunately, most conventional home cleaning products are loaded with potential toxins, and greenwashing abounds in the marketplace (making you as a consumer think that you’re purchasing a “clean” product, when in reality it’s not). Again, because we use these cleaners daily, I think this is a great place to make an immediate impact. Here are my favorite brandsL
Branch Basics: Hands down my favorite cleaner because IT WORKS, and you use one concentrate to create multiple products for your home including all-purpose, glass and windows, bathroom, hand soap, etc.
Better Life: I recently found this brand when I ran out of Branch Basics and needed cleaner STAT. It works well, and is super budget friendly!
Reusable Paper Towels: Snag these too and replace 6 months worth of paper towels in your home!
Meet Earthly: These not yet water wipes ARE SO GOOD. I also happen to adore the woman who started this company!
ORAL CARE: We’ve tried many different brands of tooth care products, and here are some of our favorites:
Dr. Brite: We love this brand of EWG Verified tooth products. The kids Love the Berrylicious flavor of toothpaste and mouth spray, and Tim and I love the Mint and Activated Charcoal! They also make They make mouthwash, whitening pens, mouth spray and more!
Bamboo Toothbrushes: Less plastic, less waste, and these come in adult and children sizes. Our kids love them!
Electric Toothbrush: Both Tim and I prefer electric toothbrushes, and while I realize these are not necessarily environmentally friendly, I love that they last forever, and we aren’t constantly buying new brushes.
Floss: Did you know most conventional flosses are coated in chemicals that have been proven to be toxic to human health? I sure didn’t. Floss was the last thing on my list to go, and this is the one we love! I also love this floss for a more budget friendly option.
CLEAN WATER: I recently discovered just how impactful cleaning up my drinking, cooking, and bathing water could be by checking out the ratings of our local tap water. Here are some of my favorite products:
Large Water Filter: Get $20 off using this link!
BODY CARE: These items include things like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion - items that can make a big impact on your health when switched!
Beautycounter: I use the Daily Line for both shampoo and conditioner, as well as their body lotions (my favorites are the Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Body Lotion and the Melting Body Balm).
Dr. Bronners: While I love Beautycounter’s body wash, I actually use Dr. Bronners pretty much exclusively. It is so budget friendly, and can be used for so many different things!
Primally Pure: I LOVE their body butters for a cost friendly option! (use the code JESS10 for 10% off your first purchase)
PLANTS: One way to not only beautify your space, but to help remove environmental toxins from your air is through the addition of plants! NASA did a study and found that “in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of removing toxicagents such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from the air.” If you’re a self proclaimed black thumb, don’t worry there are plants that even you might not be able to kill!
The Sill: I got my first ever gifted plant in the mail through a company called The Sill. If you really want to invest in plants, they have monthly subscriptions as well!
Amazon: Believe it or not you can buy plants through Amazon now. I can’t speak to the quality because I haven’t yet, but they’re there! This bundle of air cleaning plants is highly reviewed! I also love these modern plant stands, and have been eyeing this chic hanging baskets too!
Support Local: Find a local plant nursery and speak to a professional about your needs!
Some of my favorite house plants that also clean the air include: English Ivy, Philodendrons, Dracaena, and Aloe Vera. You can refer to the NASA study to find out what plants filter what, and their toxicity to animals.
MAKEUP: Another really important swap to decrease your exposure to environmental toxins is the makeup that you’re wearing. One of the reasons I recommend this being one of your FIRST and primary swaps is because of the fact that makeup is a product that sits on our skin for typically 8 hours a day or more. In that time, we continue to absorb the ingredients used in our products - meaning if the ingredients are potentially hazardous, we have a higher chance of absorbing them into our bloodstream. I have really only one brand that I prefer for makeup simply due to the fact that they are the ONLY brand I know not only excluding toxic ingredients, but testing MULTIPLE times for unintentional toxins like heavy metals.
Beautycounter: I use almost exclusively all Beautycounter makeup except for my preferred mascara for when I want a more dramatic eye.
The best bang for your budget buck will always be the Flawless in Five which is a discounted bundle of 6 makeup products that are worn together for a complete look that takes 5 minutes or less.
AIR QUALITY: There are so many ways to keep your indoor air quality clean, and there are going to be more than one way listed throughout this guide BECAUSE, did you know that “Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.” (EPA, 2018). We get these pollutants from off gassing of furniture and household items, cleaners, VOCs from paint and similar compounds, pets, mold, and so much more. One of the simplest and most aesthetically pleasing ways to help cleanse your air (besides plants!) are through the addition of:
Himalayan Salt Lamps: There are tons of claims about what salt lamps can and can’t do, but based off my research, they can be one small part of your overall air cleansing routine. They have been shown to attract some pollutants in the air through their ability to draw water molecules in. This can be useful in allergenic homes! I also really love their soft, pink glow during the night and mornings.
Purifying Charcoal Bags: These little bags are filled with activated charcoal, and help to soak up toxins, odors, and other potential air pollution in your home! We 4-5 throughout our house at all times! Remember to set them out in the sun at least once a month, to recharge!
Rain-soaked air: Nothing beats the ability of the air after a fresh rainstorm to cleanse and purify your air though! Throwing open those windows after a storm will do wonders for air purification, and bonus, it’s FREE!
NAIL POLISH: While nail polish wouldn’t be my first priority in terms of safer swaps, it is on my list because in truth, the toxins used in most conventional polishes can and are absorbed through the nail, not to mention they can seriously affect our indoor air quality! There are so many great polish options out there that are free of ingredients like: formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, camphor, Dibutyl Phthalate, triphenylphosphate, and more. Here are some of my favorite safer swaps:
Cote’: I love these colors, and I love that my local spa carries Cote for safer mani/pedi option!
Zoya: These colors are super vibrant and there are so many choices! Bonus for being super affordable and Amazon Prime ready.
Dazzle Dry: I haven’t yet tried Dazzle Dry, but I’ve heard amazing things about this polish!
AIR FRESHNER: I’ve always loved a good Glade Plug-In, until I realized that the term “fragrance” can house 100s of toxic chemicals without the responsibility of disclosing what they are to the public. Because of “trade secret” loopholes, companies are under no obligation to tell you what they’re using to make a scent - which means there could be more chemicals than we can actually read on the bottle. Because of this, fragrance is one of the #1 ingredients I avoid in my products when I can! Here are some of my favorite alternatives to air fresheners:
Essential Oils: I love love love diffusing essential oils all day every day in our house! I use Young Living or Doterra when I do, and I’m absolutely obsessed with this beautiful stone diffuser that was gifted to me! (Note: I am not affiliated with YL or Doterra, just love the oils!)
Carpet Freshner: I love love this brand of safer carpet deodorizer (a must for us because we have two giant dogs!).
Homemade Carpet Freshener: Go budget friendly by adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil to baking soda for a fast and effective way to freshen carpets!
KIDS & BABIES: One of the first statistics that I ever heard about then toxins in our personal care products affected me so profoundly that I instantly went out and bought safer kiddo stuff. Studies have found that up to 208 environmental toxins have been found in the cord blood of newborn babies. 208. In babies that have spent their whole lives inside their mother’s wombs! What this tells us is that the products that we use on ourselves affect not only us, but our children as well. And as they continue to grow, they can be even more sensitive to the effects of these chemicals that we are as adults!
Kid’s Line: The shampoo, conditioner and body wash in this set is my absolute favorite. It’s so incredibly gentle, and works so well - our kids love it!
Baby Products: We used this wash, and especially the Daily Balm every single day when Camille was a baby, and she never had a diaper rash! I will shout the praises of this baby line forever!
SOCIAL MEDIA DETOX: I recently went rogue and did a three day phone detox over Christmas that both terrified and excited me. I deleted Voxer, email and Instagram for three whole days (my time suck trifecta) and you know what happened? The world did NOT in fact end. It actually went right on spinning and I realized I had SO MUCH time! My goal for 2020 is to find and seek as many ways as possible to detach from my phone. Here are some of the things I’m doing and the resources I’m referring to to help me:
How to make your iPhone work for you: My husband Tim and I are working our way through this super helpful blog post that is a list of ways to configure your phone to increase productivity, focus, and foster a more positive relationship with your technology. I LOVE the recommendations here!
Kindle Paperwhite: With all my new found free time, I’ve been reading fiction books like a maniac! I LOVE reading, but what inevitably happens is that because I read books on my phone, I’ll find myself getting on social media, checking email, etc. more often just because I have my phone out and open. I invested in a Kindle as a way to detach from my phone and leave it in another room at night when I do most of my reading.
Alarm clock: I almost always use my phone for my alarm clock, so it’s literally the last thing I look at before bed. I’d recommend going analog with a good ol’ fashioned alarm clock, or using a device like your Fitbit to wake you instead of your phone.
DRY SHAMPOO: If you haven’t gotten on board the dry shampoo train, I’m not sure how you’re living life! I first discovered dry shampoo as a new mama, who, let’s be honest, didn’t shower out of necessity because I really felt like I never had time to shower! The result was greasy hair that ended up in a ponytail or bun more often than not. Enter the gift of dry shampoo, and now, even when I have more time to shower, I’ve also discovered that using dry shampoo on a regular basis extends my length of time between hair washes - which is awesome! The downside is that there are lots of dry shampoo options out there that have loads of fragrance, use aerosol, and have other ingredients questionable for your health. Here is my #1 go to dry shampoo that I love:
Primally Pure Dry Shampoo for Dark Locks: I love that his dry shampoo is made of safer ingredients, doesn’t leave my brown hair white, and really really WORKS. They also have one for light locks too! You can use the code JESS10 for 10% off your first order too!
CANDLES: Oh man, DO I MISS CANDLES. I used to have every Yankee candle ever made burning all over my house like a candle happy shrine to candles. Remember that little thing about fragrance I mentioned above? Artificial fragrances which are primarily used in conventional candles contain 100s (or more) of potentially harmful ingredients….that you’re burning and releasing into your indoor air. Not to mention some of the waxes used in conventional candles can be questionable too! “Paraffin candles are made from non-renewable wax created as a byproduct of petroleum, coal, or oil shale. They are highly refined and contains chemicals such as benzene and toluene.” What to look for in safer candles include those made with soy, coconut, or beeswax (bonus points for beeswax as it can actually help purify your air!) and scented with 100% essential oils. Here are some of the candles I’ve heard great things about:
Fontana Candle Co. - Bonus points for using Beeswax!
MEN: Believe it or not, the men in your life are desperately in need of safer products too! A recent times article spoke about the fact that 90% of men’s sperm today are showing signs of being misshapen with two heads or tails, that sperm count has dramatically decreased in the last 75 years, and even when sperm count is ok, the quality and ability to swim is severely impaired. (Source) If you’re like me, your husband supports your non-toxic product choices but just doesn’t necessarily care about what he’s using on his own body. When we (Beautycounter) launched the Counterman line in 2019, the game changed! We found a way to offer budget friendly, quality, and safer products to the men in our lives. Maybe you’ve checked all of these other boxes, but the dudes in your life are still using their Irish Spring and Head N’ Shoulders….below is my FAVORITE mens line for a quick, budget friendly overhaul for your dudes. We have everything from basics, to beards, to shaving essentials.
LAUNDRY: I have searched far and wide for a safer laundry alternative that cleans and doesn’t leave my laundry smelling like old wet feet. Seriously. This was almost the hardest swap for me to make because I just LOVED my Gain Hawaiian scent SO DANG MUCH. I’ve finally found a safer alternative that has a light, naturally based scent that gets the job done. I feel like a broken record, but ditching fragrance and toxic ingredients in laundry products can be huge, especially if you’ve ever experienced any sort of contact dermatitis (potentially from fragrance and chemicals still lingering on your clothes!)
Laundry Detergent: This is my favorite powdered laundry option.
Wool Dryer Balls: Replace your fabric sheets with wool dryer balls scented with a few drops of your favorite essential oils.
Stain Remover: This stain remover got chili stains out of my favorite grey sweater recently and I’m hooked!
COOKING PANS: There’s been a ton of research coming out recently about the toxic effects of things like Teflon (PTFE), PFOA, and aluminum, especially when used in cookware. So many non-stick cooking options use these chemicals as coating for their cookware, but what we don’t realize is that we continually are getting exposed to the chemicals used, especially when we’re heating our foods at high temperatures. I love ceramic coated pans, but be warned that they typically don’t last a long time and can become easily scratched, so make sure you’re using soft cooking utensils as much as possible (food grade silicone). There’s still a lot of research to be done, but here are the pans I’m currently loving:
Green Pans: higher end version of the Green Life pans below.
Green Life: I love these because you can find them on Amazon, they’re cost friendly.
Cast Iron: This brand is my go-to for cast iron products!
DEODORANT: If I had to suggest one swap to make RIGHT now, I’d probably suggest switching out your conventional deodorant brand for something safer. Here’s why: We detox through our sweat. When we use things like anti-perspirants, we are blocking one of our body’s major detox pathways. Sweating, while kind of annoying sometimes is in fact a very natural and needed process! Our underarms are also so incredibly close to some major lymph system parts. When we use toxic ingredients so close to important detox systems, we are impeding our body’s natural detox processes and actually absorbing even more readily really concerning ingredients like: aluminum, phthalates, parabes, fragrance, and more. I have tried many many natural deodorants in my quest for safer and here’s what I’ve learned. Because of the baking soda used in natural deodorants, some people can develop a rash when using safer. If that happens, seek a brand that uses low levels of baking soda. This is one area that I have found that cheaper doesn’t always work…I am obsessed with the following deodorants (they work, don’t give me a rash, smell amazing, and even Tim found one he likes!):
My favorite deodorant - we use the subscription to get free shipping! (You can also use the code JESS10 for 10% off your first order!)
Tim’s favorite deodorant - manly enough for the men in your life!
FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS: You’ve probably heard by now that plastic and food might not be a good combination, especially when heating your food IN said plastic. Loads of plastic based food containers today contain the chemical BPA, which has been shown to be toxic to human health. Lots of companies are coming out with BPA-free plastics, BUT you may also want to be careful with these. Some BPA alternatives are actually shown to be even MORE hazardous to health. So what should we look for? I like to use glass or food grade silicone based food containers when I can! Don’t get me wrong, we’re far from perfect, but here are the food storage containers we have and love:
FEMININE PRODUCTS: This admittedly has taken me SUCH A LONG time to transition. I’ve struggled so much with finding the right products for my cycle, and in 2020 I’m committed to switching to a menstrual cup because I’ve heard SO MANY GOOD things about the menstrual cups positive impact on decreasing symptoms, flow, pain, and the environmental impact. If you’re not into exploring menstrual cups, one thing I’d be on the lookout for are tampons and pads that are organic and lack fragrance. Our vaginal walls are INCREDIBLY absorbent, meaning the chemicals used in coating tampons and pads are quickly and efficiently absorbed into our bodies through our vaginal walls. Non-organic cotton is heavily sprayed with pesticides, and fragranced products are coated with up to 100s of chemicals that are undisclosed. I would definitely consider finding safer alternatives that are organic and unscented if possible! In the meantime, while I continue my search for the best menstrual cup (I used this quiz to find my best menstrual cup fit), here are my favorite safer feminine products:
PLASTIC BAGS: Man, this was such a hard one for me, but slowly and surely we’ve started transitioning all of our single use plastics out of our home. The hardest thing to go was the Ziploc bags we used for food storage, snacks, and using plastic bags at the grocery store! The problem is plastic (like we’ve touched on before) can contain tons of harmful chemicals (like BPA) that can leach into food. Not only that, but the average American uses 500 ziploc bags A YEAR. FIVE HUNDRED. Most of those bags are used once and then tossed, filling up landfills, leaching into the ground and groundwater, and filling our oceans. It may seem cheaper in the long run to keep buying a box of plastic baggies that (a family of four will blow through 2,000 in a year), but a safer, more earth friendly, and cost effective option would be to take that money you’d spend in a year and invest in high quality, food grade silicone reusable bags. We have also done this with our grocery shopping bags, and our produce bags too. See my favorites below:
Stasher Bags - food grade silicone ziploc bag replacements
Reusable Produce Bags - these not only hold the produce, but keep them fresher, longer!
PLASTIC STRAWS: It’s estimated that we use over 500 million plastic straws every day….EVERY DAY. I think I’ve already harped enough on why plastic and food and drink don’t mix (think toxins leaching) but the other side of single use plastic straws has to do with their environmental impact. Plastic straws oftentimes fall through typical recycle sorting machinery and do NOT get recycled properly. Aside from that, tons of plastic straws end up in our oceans through litter, human error, and more….these straws degrade down to micro plastics that get eaten by marine life like baby sea turtles, resulting oftentimes in death. Most of us do not need a straw in our beverages, but if you want/need one, here are some of my favorite safer options:
WiFi: I love what wifi allows us to do. I can work from my computer, my phone, watch Netflix and stay connected 24-7…BUT, there’s ample research out there that the EMF radiation associated with WiFi might be potentially harmful to our long term health. Apparently there are also EMF sensitive individuals who are even more sensitive to it’s effects. Many people caution the use of WiFi in or near bedrooms (especially children) and the effects of EMF on sleep quality. So how do we help lessen the impact? One easy fix is to leave your phone and any WiFi ready device out of your room at night (refer to above links for my favorite analog alarm clock!). The other is investing in a WiFi timer to turn your WiFi signal off at night when you’re sleeping. Here’s the remote timer I’ve heard great things about:
Indoor Outlet Control - You just tap your wifi outlet off at night, and then restart it again in the morning!
MATTRESS & SHEETS: We spend something like 1/3 of our lives in bed. The way that mattresses are typically made involve questionable components, and toxic ingredients like formaldehyde and serious flame retardants. To be fair, we have yet to transition our mattress to safer because it is such a big investment. It’s currently on our plan for 2020 (we’re putting money in a savings fund for one every month and hoping to pull the trigger NEXT Black Friday!). If you can’t afford a new mattress, look for an organic non-toxic mattress topper and organic sheets if possible. Here are some of my favorite brands for safer mattresses and sheets:
PERFUME: Man, I use to miss perfume so so so much. My favorite scent was Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf and I would drench myself in that stuff I loved it so much. As I got deeper and deeper into a more non-toxic lifestyle and discovered just how questionable artificial fragrance was in terms of health impact - I reluctantly ditched my Flowerbomb and thought I would just go without forever…until…I first discovered the power of essential oils! I chat more in depth about those earlier when talking about diffusing, but you can also use essential oils in a base of some sort of carrier oil for a safer perfume hack! BUT I’ve also discovered TWO brands that are making safer perfume options if you just love the idea of a signature scent! See my top two options for safer perfume below:
Phlur - I currently use Moab and LOVE IT. It’s spicy, and different, and smells so so so dang good! You can use this link to get $5 off your first order!
Henry Rose - this is a line created by Michelle Pfeiffer (yes, Catwoman!) and is currently the only line that is EWG verified! You can also use this link to get $5 off your first order!
CLOTHING: This is one area of interest that I am just now dipping my toe into! I’m a self proclaimed lover of Target and Old Navy, and would probably buy EVERYTHING there if I could, but here’s what I’ve noticed over the years….the quality and durability of what I would call “fast fashion” has declined significantly. I would buy a top I’d love, only to find that within a few months it was frayed, stained, or just not holding it’s shape well. So of course, I’d toss it or donate it, and on to the next thing. What I’ve recently learned is that fast fashion is filling our landfills at an alarming rate. We are so focused on consumerism, and budget friendly items (don’t get me wrong, I love a good cheap sale!) that when we purchase something with little to no monetary value in our eyes, it’s SO EASY TO DISCARD IT when it no longer serves our purpose. Not to mention that lots of fabrics used have potentially toxic ingredients, or are heavily sprayed chemically. My quest in 2020? Buy more pieces I LOVE, that are of higher quality, from companies that are doing well while doing good. I want staple pieces I can keep for years. And while that might mean more upfront costs, it also means I will need to delay gratification as I budget for those items. Here are some of the companies I’m loving and lusting after right now:
Pact Organic Clothing: I absolutely LOVE this line for everyday staples. I recently took part in their Black Friday sales and my favorites are their organic boy shorts, bralettes, their robes, hoodies, pocket leggings, and lounge shirts! I also love their kids line of clothing as well!
Everlane - I haven’t purchased from Everlane yet, but I have been eying some of their staple pieces as splurges!
Marine Layer - I haven’t purchased anything from here yet, but this is another brand I am eying as well!
Allbirds - Love this brand of sustainable shoes! Made from sustainable ingredients with ethical practices, they are super cute and comfy.
Rothy’s - I haven’t purchased these yet, but I’m eying both the flats and the high tops for work related events! These are washable and made from recycled water bottles which is really cool! You can use this link to get $20 off your first order!
THRIFTING - I have really grown to love a good thrift excursion or consignment shop sweep for our clothing - especially for kiddos clothing! They grow so so fast that it feels crazy to spend lots of money on clothes for kids. I love walking into a consignment store and finding gently used items that can be worn again and again by our children!
MEDITATION: I was recently chatting with Tim about a book by Tim Ferriss called “Tools of Titans”. In this book, the other Tim (Tim Ferriss) interviews loads of successful people to try and figure out what they have in common. One of the main things they pretty much all shared was the fact that they meditated. Meditation is something I’ve had an on again off again relationship with, but I find that when I am truly practicing it consistently, my life changes. Meditation is on this list because it’s a way to DETOX YOUR MIND. Our mind is so incredibly powerful, and it can work for us or against us. Some of us (raises hand) need to learn to practice the art of just BEING as well. If you’re like me, you’ve tried all the apps, all the different ways, and yet nothing is sticking…my meditation life changed when we had Arden Martin on to talk about meditation with us on the podcast. I learned it doesn’t have to be complicated, and that changed everything. If you’re an app kinda person, here are some of the top meditation apps I’ve seen:
Expectful - This is a meditation app specifically for fertility, pregnancy, and parenthood.
RUGS: This is one I’m adding to the list because we spend so much time on our rugs that I had to start doing some research about what we rolling around on! Turns out, rugs can contain some bad mamma jammas when it comes to fibers and chemicals used. Polypropylene, flame retardants, stain resistant sprays, and chemical sprays are some of the worst offenders found in rugs! Also note, that a good quality non-toxic rug can be tricky to locate, as well as a hefty investment! If you can’t find a truly non-toxic rug that fits in your price range, make sure to try and let it off-gas outside, preferably in the sun for as long as you can! You can listen to our podcast with Anne Garland about creating a non-toxic home for help in this arena! With that said, here are some of my favorite rug options:
So this is it!! The end of the road my friends! While this list doesn’t cover EVERYTHING, I hope it gives you a great starting place to make small swaps over time. When in doubt, repeat after me, “do the best you can with what you have, where you’re at.” That’s all we can do! If I had to prioritize making safer swaps, here’s what I’d do:
Swap out products that sit on your body for long periods of time or cover larger areas of skin.
Make switches as you run out of your old conventional products.
Cut articial fragrance - this simple act will have a huge impact on health!
Tell me, what do you plan on swapping out first my friends?!!
