Boy, am I in a detox kind of mood. Sometimes, when you open your eyes to one thing, it can be like a cascading slide of dominoes – you start to see the world differently and start having new realizations daily. In other words, you truly have “light bulb” moments.
After finishing my two week Be Well cleanse, I started thinking more and more about the things around me that aren’t so healthy. Chemicals with which to clean – in both the household and whole body arenas – are everywhere. Like, ev-er-y-where.
I have started a chemical peel around our house, but not in the traditional dermatological sense that many of us experience to try and rid us of our acne-scarred youth. This time, I’m peeling all the chemicals OUT of our lives.
What you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body, and I don’t know really what took me so long to connect these dots as diligently as I’m now doing. I have been buying some Seventh Generation cleaners for years, but, we still have plenty of chemical-laden cleaners in our house. We also have all the usual suspects – shampoos with parabens, metal-containing deodorant, toothpaste with fluoride (not good for you, no matter what anyone says).
So, in my ever-expanding quest to clean up our lives, I’m making some changes (for myself to start – 2Chili will eventually come along for the ride).
Things that are out – and this is just a start! If you have suggestions for quality products that you like, please leave them in the comments for all to benefit.
- Deodorant with aluminum. Here is a good article on why deodorant/anti-perspirant with aluminum is bad. You are basically applying heavy metals directly into your body! Be careful in choosing a deodorant, as even some “natural” brands have it. I looked at the back of a Tom’s of Maine deodorant and the main ingredient was aluminum chlorohydrate. It may be “natural,” but it is by no means “healthy.” I opted for one from EarthScience called Rosemary Mint. For what it’s worth, I picked this up at our local FredMeyer, which is a chain grocery store type place.
- Toothpaste with fluoride, artificial colors, sodium laurel sulfate, or parabens. To just boil it down, those items are bad, bad, bad. The brand I found that both works and doesn’t contain any of these items is Jason Powersmile. It has a pleasant taste and I don’t have to worry about accidentally swallowing toxins.
- Traditional Dryer sheets. Did you know most dryer sheets include a list of toxic chemicals, including chloroform? Yikes. For now, I bought a box of Seventh Generation dryer sheets, but I am iffy on its first ingredient, “Di-(palm carboxyethyl) hydroxyethyl methyl-ammonium methyl sulfates,” which seems to be non-carcinogenic and biodegradeable, but I would like to find a better solution than this even, so if you have one, let me know!
- Shampoos with Parabens. Shampoos have lots of not-so-great things in them, including parabens, and the omnipresent foaming agent, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, which is a xenoestrogen. I am really trying to get all synthetic estrogen out of my life – it’s conducive to hypothyroid conditions – and there are so many xenoestrogens in our daily, modern lives. I am really still researching this category, but for now picked up some Yes To Carrots cucumber shampoo and conditioner.
- Bath soap. The soap we were using – Zest for what it’s worth – is packed with all kinds of chemicals and food dyes, as well as perfumes. So, to replace it, I settled on Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap. Here is a little side-by-side ingredient comparison:
| ZestFragrance(s)/perfume Tetrasodium EDTA, Pentasodium pentetate, Chromium trihydroxide, FD&C Green #3, D&C Red #33, Tetrasodium etidronate, FD&C Red #4 (CI 14700), Sodium chloride, Water, FD&C (or D&C) Yellow #1, Sodium tallowate, Titanium dioxide, Coconut fatty acids, Sodium cocoate, Palm kernel ac, Sodium cocoglyceryl ether sulfonate, Magnesium cocoate, Palm kernelate | Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Castille Organic coconut oil, organic palm oil, sodium hydroxide, water, mentha arvensis, organic olive oil, organic hemp oil, organic jojoba oil, organic peppermint oil, salt, citric acid and tocopherol. |
This really is a partial list of the great chemical clean out of 2012 around our house, and it will continue for some time, as you just can’t do it all at once and stay sane. Big change requires lots of little steps. We already use Seventh Generation laundry and dishwashing soaps, but I will continue to research and refine our selections, especially as we continue to remodel our house and start having finished rooms that we need to clean!
What are your thoughts? Do you go out of your way to find natural products, or stick with the status quo?
View Comments (16)
I loooove Dr. Bronners. If you have a Whole Foods nearby there is a great natural moisturizing shampoo that only has 6 ingredients in it. 3 of which are from coconuts. It’s called Everyday Coconut. It’s Certified Fair Trade and is about $9 for a huge bottle with a pump at WF. Let us know how the Earth Science deodorant works out. I’ve tried so many other deodorant options and they just don’t keep the sweat or odor away like the chemical ones but I really want to switch!
Thanks for the tip, Elliot. I love all things coconut so I will definitely try out the Everyday Coconut shampoo – awesome!
So far, I like the Earth Science deodorant, but I’m not a super heavy sweater to begin with. It has been working for me!
Try a Washington State based company- available in Whole Foods and by mail order.
Thanks Roxanne, I definitely will check them out – I love to support local Washington State companies.
I also love Dr Bronner’s too. I use their bar soap in the shower, and I keep a huge bottle of their liquid soap in my cupboard.
I fill all our soap dispensers with it, along with lots and lots of water, it’s super concentrated, so you don’t need to use it “straight”- one large bottle lasts fora long time. And even when the dispenser volume gets low, I add more water just to stretch it a little further.
I find my hands don’t get as dry when I use this. There’s no drying chemicals like regular liquid soap, and ugh. no gross ‘fragrances’
I tried to switch to natural deodorant, and I bought Kiss My Face brand. It seemed to work okay in the summer/warmer months, but then I started to feel like I was getting smellier (and I’m not a heavy sweater ether, Angela) so alas, I found a stray Sure in my closet, and I started using that.
I haven’t given up on the natural stuff, and I might just try switching between the two brands for a bit.
Good tip on the Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap, thanks Debbie! Interesting that the Kiss my Face worked okay in the summer months – when you’d think it may not work as well…!
I think it’s just the added layers of clothes in winter.
And also it could be two other things.
Could be my body got too used to it, and it just didn’t work anymore, OR I admit I was sometimes lax and forgot to apply it some mornings. LOL. Hmm, ya think that could be a good reason?
I am definitely going to try it again.
Also, I wanted to mention toothpaste. I’ve been using natural brands for awhile (although DH went back to white colgate) but I also use plain baking soda in between using the commercial natural toothpaste. I just kind of switch it up, depending on my mood.
I keep a little plastic container of baking soda in the bathroom….BUT now I’m hearing that baking soda can contain aluminum, so I might end up buying some Bob’s Red Mill brand which is aluminum free.
I tell ya, it’s always something!
Ha, yes, applying it probably does make a difference!
When I was a kid we sometimes brushed with baking soda – I have been thinking about that lately! Some people don’t like the “taste,” but I kind of do! I think you’re right – Bob’s Red Mill is a great way to go. It’s always something!
I know there are recipes online that include BS as well as hydrogen peroxide. I suppose someday I will look into it.
I still have a full tube of Natural Dentist plus half tube of trader joe’s. when I’m out, maybe I’ll look into making my own.
Baking Soda taste doesn’t bother me either, and yes, I remember using it as a child too! ha! You just jogged a memory for me!
So, how is that deodorant working for you, and all the other products you’re using?
Now that the warmer weather is here, I can start using the natural deodorant or actually I use nothing sometimes.
I did end up buying some Bob’s baking soda for baking and for my teeth. I feel better about that.
I was reminded of the “EWG skin deep” web site the other day, and wanted to post it here as well. so many so called natural brands are not rated well, which is a good thing to know.
Anyway, I wanted to just touch base and see if you still like your new natural choices?
For the most part, everything is working pretty well, except for maybe the deodorant. It works fine for most things, but, ironically, now that we have had a couple really hot days (80+), I find it doesn’t work as well on those days. So, I have to have some backup “real stuff” when it’s going to be hot. But, I love the toothpaste and mouthwash I settled on from Jason brand.
Thanks for the link to the Skin Deep site – I am going to go through it and see how my choices stack up, and will share the link in this week’s Friday links.
Have a good week!
Oh darn, that’s too bad about the deodorant.
Funny, I read somewhere recently that coconut oil works as deodorant as well….
I have to look up some stuff on the database too.
PLUS some products alter their ingredients, and the database has to keep up with any ingredient changes.
I know we’ve talked about Avalon Organics and how disappointing it is that they’re owned by Hain. I looked up their products on the list, and it’s funny that they had older formulas that rated much better. It’s so sneaky how they buy up these small companies then slowly alter the formulas so they aren’t quite as ‘natural’ as before, so they can make larger profits.
I’m going to check out the Jason brand for next time I need products.
Ohmygosh, Debbie, don’t get me started! The same thing happens with food companies when small little organic companies get bought up by the larger companies. (Lara Bar, Horizon Organic, etc., etc.) Minor changes here and there equate to a different product!!
I have heard coconut oil can work as a deodorant, which makes sense since its an anti-fungal. Haven’t tried it though. I think you can mix it up with some essential oils and a few other household things and fair pretty well. Hmmm, a test for the future.
As far as fabric softner, you can use white vinegar in your rinse cycle and it works just as good! It breaks down the soap left over for fluffier towels and comfier clothes! try it! and its only 2 bucks for a HUGE thing!
I am struggling extremly hard with hypothyroidism and am relieved to see that i can do more than just pop a pill everyday. I have gone almsot completly gluten free and dairy free and its giving me better energy, but weightloss is still s huge struggle.
Hi Merideth,
That is a great tip, thank you! I love white vinegar for so many cleaning applications.
I think weight loss can be a struggle for anyone, hypothyroid or not. It is so much easier to gain weight than lose weight! When I broke my knee last summer, I slowly saw 5 or 6 pounds creep on from reduced activity. As much as it’s a pain, I started weighing everything I was eating and realized I was overdoing it on food for my activity level. It absolutely stunk to get those few pounds back off (and, I am still working on the last pound or two). So, all that to say, keep on keeping on — you are doing the right things!