I recently returned from Young Living’s 2017 Convention “Fulfill Your Destiny” in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was extremely informative, enlightening and loads of fun! I couldn’t soak up the information fast enough. One of the talks I attended (Chemical Free Home) inspired me to write this piece. Some of the content are notes/slides I took down from the speaker and some I gathered from my own research. I hope this will help you to understand the urgency of moving away from conventional off-the-shelf products to plant-based products.
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Fragrance is the new second-hand smoke. It is insidious and pervasive (like cheap perfume!). Like the frog-in-the-pot parable, many of us will not notice the danger until it’s too late. What you put on your body or inhale into your body is as important as your diet and exercise routine.
If you’re using scented candles, dryer sheets, fragranced sprays, air fresheners, perfume, scented hand and body wash, conventional household cleaning products then you are practically exposed and awash in fragrances 24 hours a day! It is absorbed through our skin and into our blood stream, settling in our organs and accumulating over time.
Fragrances (and parfum) are made up of hundreds of synthetic chemicals – many of which are endocrine disruptors. Thousands of scientific peer review studies have linked these chemicals to diabetes, obesity, liver and breast cancer, hormone disruption affecting fertility and development, ADD/ADHD and Autism, asthma, allergies, and so many other health issues/disorders.
A few links to scientific backed evidence of chemicals found in cosmetics and the effect on humans –
Lotion ingredient paraben may be more potent carcinogen than thought
http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/8473
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21790316
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4524022/
Just because it’s sold in a shop does not make it safe! Fragrance secrecy exists because there is a giant loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973. Companies are required to list cosmetics ingredients on the labels but exempts fragrance! As a result, there is no way for a consumer to know what ingredients are really present – hundreds maybe thousands of endocrine disruptors!
The European Union has banned over 1,300 ingredients from cosmetic products alone, while the FDA has only banned or restricted 11. The US works by the premise innocent until proven guilty. Personally, I don’t want myself or my family to be the guinea pig. Do you?
There are currently around 80,000 chemicals that exist on the market. Only the first 90 have been tested and removed. It will take literally decades to test them all!
Women use on average 12 products every day. It adds up over time. This is what we term bioaccumulation. You’re fine until one day something suddenly happens….
Did you know that the chemical DDT is still found in Americans’ blood after it was banned 40 years ago?! Seriously!
What can we do then?
You can’t do better unless you know better! Become aware. Focus on the chemicals you can control such as body lotion, toothpaste, deodorant, bath/shower gel, shampoo, household cleaners.
The Dirty Dozen – Avoid at ALL cost. Use the Think Dirty App to become aware of which products are dirty. Use the EWG website to educate yourself on products and ingredients.
Take note of what you use frequently and replace those products first. Choose 3 this month. Replace those first. Repeat this every month. Start with the kids. Take a look at Young Living’s Kidscents or Seedlings baby range of products.
Conventional synthetic-laden cleaners make indoor air 5-7x worse than outdoor air! In fact 80% of pollution we’re exposed to comes from INSIDE our homes!
Just removing all products with fragrance as an ingredient will immediately improve air quality in your home. Take charge of your family’s health and wellbeing – ditch and switch!
We use the Thieves plant-based oil-infused household cleaner and product range. Free from toxic chemicals, it keeps my family safe and gives me complete peace of mind. Who has time to read all those labels out there?! Go with a company you can trust.
Did you know that absorption in your mouth is way faster than through the skin?! You want to be sure to use a toothpaste that is free from fluoride, dyes, synthetic perfumes and SLS!
Make sure you wash your produce well! The speaker shared with us a story about a truck driver. He shared how he transported animal manure on his truck followed by fresh produce immediately after without cleaning or disinfecting the truck in between! Yikes!
Will changing out my cleaners to a plant based cleaner make a difference? YES YES YES!
A study was conducted on people who switched out personal care products for 3 days. In that time they found a 30-40% drop in the chemicals found in their body!
After 1 year on plant-based products like the Thieves range, I know you will have a huge change in your health as a result.
Wishing you a healthy, happy, blissful life!
Love,
Audrey