Unfortunately, toxic chemicals in everyday products are nothing new. However, you may be surprised at just how many toxic chemicals are in items that you may not even realize, like food packaging, cosmetic products, and possibly even your drinking water!
These harmful chemicals can cause a variety of illnesses and adverse health effects, which is bad news if you are working to cleanse your body with natural, organic foods!
These chemicals also get into your body and suppress your natural beauty, leading to premature aging, dull or clogged skin, and even serious illness.
Thankfully though, there are safer alternatives that don’t include these toxic substances, many of which are all-natural!
Let’s look at five major sources of unhealthy chemical exposure, and the safer alternatives you can use for each of them.
Everyone wants a clean house, but if you’re using conventional household cleaning products, you could be ingesting dangerous chemicals through your skin, mucous membranes, and respiratory system.
While many commercial cleaners contain dangerous ingredients, some of the most hazardous chemicals include:
These are just a few of the many hazards associated with conventional household cleaning products.
Instead of exposing yourself and your family to the toxic effects of the above, I recommend choosing natural cleaning products.
There are many available today at even regular drug stores that have green labels or are plant-based.
If you have children or babies, using natural cleaning products is particularly critical, as their bodies and DNA are even more susceptible to damage from these chemicals.
Some of the most powerful and effective cleaning products come straight from nature.
These natural alternatives are a much safer choice than regular cleaning products- here are just a few of them.
Many of the products made to help us feel beautiful may be sabotaging your natural beauty!
Beauty products applied directly on your skin absorb toxic chemicals from them.
The ingredients in many beauty projects can also accelerate free radicals, cause respiratory damage, and have other aging and health effects.
Some to watch for include:
Other skincare products such as cleansers, lotions, and many others contain harmful chemicals like petroleum distillates, preservatives, artificial colors, mineral oil and fragrances.
These chemicals can accelerate aging, discolor your skin, and block beauty from the inside.
Read your labels carefully, and select all-natural, organic lines of products. I created a line of clean beauty skincare products because I want to know what I’m putting on my skin is helping to nourish and improve my skin health, not cause premature aging!
Just like with cleaning products, many of your favorite beauty products have better natural alternatives. Some of these include:
Adequate sun protection is a must for healthy skin, so this one just seems unfair.
Many experts tell us to apply sunscreen to protect our skin and prevent cancer and aging, yet sunscreen can actually accelerate aging and increase cancer risk!
Fear of skin cancer has led to the daily application of dangerous sunscreen products. Many lotions and other beauty products contain chemical sunscreens that aren’t great for your skin.
Sunscreen not only blocks your skin’s ability to absorb vitamin D from sunlight, which is essential for good health, but it also contains numerous toxic ingredients that serve as hormone disrupters and carcinogens while accelerating the formation of free radicals. All of this can lead to premature skin aging.
Dangerous ingredients in sunscreen can include:
Unfortunately, there aren’t any natural solutions that are comparable to a good sunscreen. Instead, wear sun-resistant clothing and hats to minimize sun exposure.
There are also many natural sunscreens on the market- I recommend Kinfield’s Sunscreen! You can use my code “Kimberly15” and get 15% off! Look for chemical-free (or free-er I should say), high-quality sunscreens where titanium dioxide is the active ingredient.
Plastic water bottles, no matter how recyclable, are just not good for you.
Made from petroleum distillates, plastics contain chemicals that leech into the water inside your bottles and can cause neurological disorders, hormone disruption, and cancer, among other illnesses.
Hormone disruption, also known as endocrine disruption, is of particular concern in premature aging.
Instead, choose a glass or stainless steel water bottle instead of a plastic one.
Also, get yourself a good water filter that you can use to fill and refill your bottles for as long as they last.
Perfumes and colognes contain fragrances with chemicals that can cause everything from respiratory distress to hyperpigmentation. No wonder so many people get a headache from strong perfumes (including me)!
My feel good skincare line is scented only with natural ingredients. No perfumes are added!
Perfumes look so pretty in fancy bottles, but perfume is so toxic! It gets sprayed right on the skin and pulse points and is absorbed right into the bloodstream, distributing the chemicals throughout the body. Scary.
Instead, try using essential oil as a fragrance. Just combine 2 tablespoons of a carrier oil like olive oil, jojoba oil, or coconut oil, plus 30-40 drops of your essential oil of choice and 4 tablespoons of vodka.
Yes, really! This natural perfume is hydrating and easily absorbed into your skin.
Of course, there are also many natural perfume and cologne brands out there. Sally B’s carries a few great solid fragrances (I like Just B).
Natural perfumes don’t last as long as regular perfumes, but I keep one in my purse and re-apply more often. At least they are all-natural and non-toxic while smelling great!
Common household products are designed to make our lives easier and more comfortable, but toxic chemicals in everyday products are exposing us to so many potential health issues!
Thankfully, there are so many natural alternatives to all kinds of products, so you never have to expose yourself or your family to those harmful chemicals ever again.
In good health,
“Para-Aminobenzoic Acid: Medlineplus Medical Encyclopedia.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002518.htm
