DITCHING AND SWITCHING FOR BEGINNERS
In today’s world, some of the most dangerous things that affect our health are things that we willingly expose ourselves to on the daily, and some of these things might not be what you expect! In fact, you might be completely oblivious (I know that I was!) to the fact that the products we use on ourselves, in our home, on our children, and in our everyday lives, could be the very things that are contributing to why we’re sick, why we have health problems, why we struggle emotionally, and why we are having a million and one other health issues.
In 2012, I became a first time Mom. I did everything the "mainstream" way and used the typical baby products, laundry detergent, soap, and everything else that you find in the store. Why wouldn't I? That's what everyone else was doing! At the time, we were also suffering from several different things that everyone seems to suffer from these days. Anxiety, frequent colds, asthma, a baby with eczema and allergies, headaches and migraines - all things that are considered "normal" today. I may have accepted what I thought was "normal" for myself prior to becoming a Mom, but I would not accept that for my son. I started doing my research, and found that a lot of the products that I was using in my home had ingredients that were directly linked to ALL of the issues that we were suffering from. Not only that, but some of them were also known to cause bigger issues, such as cancer, and almost ALL of them were ILLEGAL in other countries for being KNOWN to cause these issues! I thought to myself "why is this acceptable? Why is being SICK normal? Why are rising cancer rates normal? Why is everyone not questioning this?" I vowed then to do better for my family, and not only just that, but educate others on these things, as well!
So, let's talk a little bit about these problems and how we can fix them. How we can make your home, yourself, and your family healthier!
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Facts about everyday products from the store (just to name a few!)
+ Store bought soaps contain sodium laureth sulfate, a toxic chemical used to remove car grease off of garage floors. This chemical is extremely damaging to the immune system (which makes for a body that gets sick often!), as well as hormonal health (read: infertility issues, miscarriages, heavy or irregular menstruation, acne, unable to lose weight, and other issues.)
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+ Both adult and kid shampoos contain phthalates, a toxic chemical that has been banned in children’s toys, but is still found in body cleansing products. Makes sense, right? It is known to be an endocrine disruptor, and very hard for the body to break down when used consistently during bath time. These toxins build up in the body, and cause lots of issues.
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+ The main ingredient in candles and air freshener sprays is formaldehyde, which is the number one cancer causing chemical, and is what we get embalmed with at the morgue. They say inhaling scents from candles or sprays is the equivalent to inhaling second hand smoke, which is even more dangerous than actually smoking the cigarette itself.
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+ The word "fragrance" or "parfum" on a product masks over 3,000 chemicals behind that one single word. Most of those chemicals are illegal in other countries for being known to cause health issues, like mentioned above. The scariest part: almost all products on the shelf contain fragrance. Baby products, shampoo, body wash, laundry detergent, deodorant, hair spray, hand soap, and much more.
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+ Europe has 1,400 chemicals banned from their personal care products. The United States only has 11. Those are 1,389 chemicals? That's what most people are lathering all over themselves on the daily.
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+ Store bought household cleaning products contain 2-butoxyethanol, which is a toxin known to cause asthma, respiratory damage, and allergies.
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+ Store bought laundry detergents and dryer sheets contain alpha-terpineol and benzyl alcohol, which are all toxic ingredients that cause neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity shows up in the form of anxiety, depression, ADHD, insomnia, and other issues that are directly related to your nervous system. Yes. your laundry detergent can be causing your anxiety, believe it, or not!
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+ The average woman applies over 300 chemicals to their face and skin per day, including talc, bismuth, parabens, lead, mercury, and mineral oil. These chemicals are all found in store bought skin care and makeup products, which are endocrine disrupters (read: hormone issues) and are HIGHLY carcinogenic. They have even been found in tumors.
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Bioaccumulation
When we use these products on ourselves and our children on a daily basis, the toxins build up and accumulate within our bodies – a process called “bioaccumulation.” This means that the more we expose ourselves to these toxins, the harder it is for our bodies to break them down. Because of this build up, it causes both minor and major health issues, that otherwise could be prevented if we simply quit using those toxins. Even if these issues aren’t apparent right now, they will be apparent later on down the road as they continue to build up!
What’s even scarier to know, is that some of the most popular “organic” products can still contain some of the ingredients above. Even if you think you’re making a better decision about going organic instead of conventional, there is still a probability that your organic product is still highly toxic for yourself or your little ones. Don’t believe me? Visit the Environmental Working Group website at ewg.org, plug in the ingredients of your products, and see how high it is rated in toxicity. The results will shock you, and will make you want to throw
those products in the trash!
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No judgement
Now that I’ve effectively freaked you out, let me say that there is absolutely NO JUDGEMENT HERE! Remember, I used to use those products myself ALL of the time, simply because I didn't know any better. Like I said above, it's normal, right? Just like anxiety, being sick, eczema, allergies, asthma, and knowing someone that has cancer. These things are all considered "normal," but they don't have to be. Once I started educating myself on the toxicity of what we were using in our home, and once we ditched and switched over to plant based products, our lives changed, and our family is experiencing the health and wellness that God intended for us to have! One of my favorite mottos is "know better, do better." This simply means that we do the best we can until we KNOW BETTER, and then once we know, we DO BETTER!
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So, what can I use instead?
The only company we trust that has products with NONE of the chemicals listed above, that is even better than the “organic” label, and that only contains the purest of plant based ingredients, is Young Living. While they are an essential oil company, they are also a fully-equipped natural products company. They have supplements, beauty products, household cleaning products, stuff for kids and babies, bath and shower products, oral care, and yes - even makeup! This makes it easy to simply ditch the products you’re currently using, and replace it with something Young Living has instead. It is your one-stop-shop for all things you will need for yourself, for your home, for your children, and for your health! Fun fact: Every single ingredient that Young Living uses is plant based. Not one single ingredient is synthetic, toxic, or chemically derived!
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But isn't it expensive to live healthier?
If this is what you think, then I’m so glad that you are here! Because I will quickly debunk those assumptions by showing you how you’re not only saving money by using Young Living’s plant based products, but you’re saving your health, too. Even if Young Living doesn’t have a product that you’re thinking of that is already pre-made, you can make it yourself using their essential oils, which will save you money and prevent toxin exposure, too! There are SO many DIY recipes available! You'll find lots of them here on our page!
Plus, think about this - what is the cost of tending to the health of yourself and your family? How much money do you spend every month for every doctor visit, OTC meds, or every pharmacy run? Even if you have good insurance, did you have to take off work during those situations? Was it stressful? Did it waste valuable time from actually living a life of wellness and happiness? Let’s start thinking about the VALUE of taking care of your family. Have you ever heard the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?” or how about "You can pay the farmer now, or the doctor later." The point? Living a healthy lifestyle and practicing PREVENTION over TREATMENT, is much, much more valuable.
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In addition to all of that, Young Living products are so much more affordable than people realize! Most of the products are concentrated, so that means that they last a very long time. Let's take the dish soap for example. One bottle actually makes three bottles! The household cleaner? One bottle makes twenty eight large glass bottles of cleaner! Yes, twenty eight! That breaks down cheaper than any toxic chemical cleaner that you could buy!
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Young Living also has other options to make it even more affordable to use healthier products! When you buy a starter kit and become a member, you get a wholesale discount on everything that you purchase from them forever. They also have a fantastic rewards program where you get money back on each order, and more products for free than you could imagine! Being healthier doesn't have to be expensive!
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What do you want to ditch and switch?
As I mentioned before, there are SO many things in your home that chemicals are lurking in! Dish soap, laundry detergent, deodorant, makeup, cleaner, hand soap, shampoo, baby products, vitamins, the list goes on and on... For a ditch and switch checklist,
click here!
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Remember, this doesn't have to be overwhelming!
Simply ditch and switch one thing at a time!