In September I grabbed a bundle of 12 oils, a diffuser, a plant based cleaner and some antioxidant samples not really knowing that was the start of my new found love for non toxic living! But there began my wellness journey!
From then on I shared tidbits here and there about what I was doing to ditch and switch toxic products around the apartment! I’ve loved sharing my journey on Instagram, and just updating you along the way of what’s working for me. I wanted to put all my tips into a blog post so we can all share ideas and have this as reference!
Whether you’re hearing about non toxic products for the first time, or you’re wanting to get into it yourself let’s do this thing together!
First, my why. I grabbed oils and sparked my wellness journey because of my skin. My skin journey is nothing new around here, and I spent hours researching the best products/ what to cut out in my diet/ lifestyle changes… you name it. I found a few articles about how toxic beauty products can be, and as women we apply almost 20 toxic chemicals before even lunchtime!? I was shocked. So I started diving deeper and have learned so much along the way.
I’m by no means perfect, and still have a long ways to go. But that’s okay! I still feel confident knowing that I am doing something! Little by little I’m lessening my toxic load, and that’s all I can ask for. Ditching products here and there is 1,000 times better than just feeling overwhelmed and doing nothing about it!
WELLNESS CREW | SPANX LEGGINGS | DENIM JACKET | NECKLACE
HOW TO START THE SWITCH OF A NON TOX LIFESTYLE
ADD HOUSEPLANTS. There’s so much research to show that indoor plants can actually remove major toxins in your home. If you’re someone who kills all their plants don’t worry, there are some that are super easy to take care of! I’ve had a snake plant for two years, and sometimes forget to water it for weeks and it’s still thriving! Some others: spider plant, bamboo palm, devils ivy, peace lily and more.
START WITH DIY’S. All you need for now is baking soda, and vinegar to make a ton of non toxic cleaning products! Start there and then slowly invest in plant based cleaning products!
START WITH THE GREATEST IMPACT. So for me, this was candles and cleaning products. We were burning candles weekly, and of course cleaning the apartment daily! So I knew those little changes would make the greatest impact. I bought oils and a diffuser, and have not burned a candle since! Then my thieves cleaner has since replaced all our household cleaners (windex, lysol wipes, 409 counter spray, carpet cleaner,etc)
SWITCH YOUR LAUNDRY ASAP. Continuing with the greatest impact point… laundry. We all do it weekly, or bi-weekly. Laundy detegent is one of the most harmful products on the market. And think about it, our detergent is on EVERYTHING. The clothes we wear daily, our sheets, our pillowcase, our towels, maybe even our re-usable makeup wipes. Do you see what I’m getting at? Popular detergent brands (yes, even your “clean” precious Dreft) is full of an alarming amount of chemicals that are linked to development and reproductive issues, and a handful of other health issues.
Checkhere to see what your current detergent rates on the toxicity scale.
STOP REPURCHASING. This means instead of reaching for your Dreft detergent at Walmart the next time you’re out, research a better alternative and grab that one! You can start slowly and get a better alternative each time you’re running low on a not so clean product. This is extremely cost effective and not as wasteful!
MAKE A LIST. Keep it on your phone, or an actual notebook somewhere. What items are you using that you want to eventually ditch and switch? That way it’s top of mind and the next time you see an IG ad for a clean beauty company, or Pinterest DIY for a soft scrub you will save it!
DOWNLOAD THE THINK DIRTY APP. This app makes it easy to check products while you’re out shopping to see where they rank! I aim for products with a score of 0-4 on the toxic scale. Also a great tool when you’re just starting to research deeper into the products you already have and what makes them toxic.
BEWARE OF GREENWASHING. This is a marketing tool companies use to lure you into thinking their products are clean. Words like: organic, cruelty free, non GMO, etc. They fill their label with clean keywords so that we don’t think twice about doing our own research! 9/10 times they’re not as clean as they appear. Typically they are still full of chemicals that lead to some major health issues. Some ingredients to look for and stay away from: fragrance, parfum, parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates.
Okay, that’s it for my list of how to get started! I know it can seem super overwhelming at first – but take it day by day! Starting small is at least starting! We all owe it our bodies and our planets to do better!
You look very beautiful in these leggings, Lady.