How to "Clean Up" Your Household & Personal Care Products Without Stress
Clean skincare? Makeup? Non-toxic cleaners & candles? Why does it matter? With the growing "clean" and "non-toxic" trends, maybe you've had this question cross your mind. Clean sounds better, right? But what does it even mean and why does it matter to think about the ingredients you're putting on your skin and using in your home?I remember when I was first introduced to the concept of "clean" with regards to things like skincare and cleaning products. I was listening to a podcast and they were talking about ways to clean up the products you use in your home. Things like household cleaners, candles, and of course skincare products and makeup.All of a sudden, I felt a wave of overwhelm crash over me.Where do I start? What does it mean if I've been using "unclean" products for years? How am I going to afford switching all of my products to "clean" ones?If you've felt this, you're not alone!What I didn't know at the time was that switching to "clean" products does NOT have to be overwhelming. I repeat...it does NOT have to be overwhelming. Nor does it have to be something that you freak out about, lay awake at night anxious about, or obsess over.The key...there is such a thing as being able to practice wellness without obsessing.So first off, my guess would be that you have some knowledge of why clean and non-toxic products are important to think about. But in case you're not sure, let's talk about it.
WHY "CLEAN" PRODUCTS? AND WHAT DOES "CLEAN" REALLY MEAN?
If you were to look at most products on the shelves these days, you'll notice they have a ton of ingredients and a lot of them are so far from anything you or I could understand. But more than that, most products contain ingredients that are either likely or well known to be harmful. Endocrine-disrupting ingredients, ingredients that have a likely link to cancer and allergies, all reside inside most products you'd buy at the store.When I first learned about the beauty and personal care products, which is where I was first informed about the ingredients in both these products as well as household products, the fact that most surprised me was that there hasn't been a law regarding ingredients in personal care products since the 1930's. If you think about how much has changed in the way we do life since then, the number of other ingredients that have been experimented with and discovered, the fact that nothing has changed in legislation to protect consumers for over 90 years is quite disturbing. To add to that, the European Union bans 1,200 ingredients that are either known to be harmful or even potentially harmful, while the U.S. only bans 30. It's quite crazy to think about.But thankfully, companies are recognizing the need for cleaner and safer products. And when I say "clean" I'm talking about products that don't have these known harmful ingredients like parabens, phthalates, pesticides, PCB's, plastics, and more that I couldn't even begin to name. Companies like Beautycounter, Burt's Bees, The Honest Company, Seventh Generation, and Branch Basics to name a few of my favorites, are leading the way in the clean beauty & cleaning product realm.
OK, SO I WANT TO SWITCH MY PRODUCTS...WHERE DO I START?
When I first learned these statistics and facts, of course I couldn't unlearn them. But I also know myself and I know that I can have the tendency to freak out about information like this and let it bring unnecessary anxiety into my life. So I wanted to be very careful in how I approached this process of cleaning up my products and do it in a way that wasn't stressful and didn't invoke unnecessary anxiety. Because the truth is, stress is also harmful to our bodies. And then second, it's important to think of your life as a whole.So, I took things slow. I slowly transitioned products I used both on my skin and in our home. I'll share a few tips for best products to start with. But also, I knew that in order to stay sane with making these changes I would want to find a select few companies that I could trust and keep things simple by just shopping these companies. For example, I use Beautycounter for most of my personal care and makeup products. For one, I know how rigorous they are with testing and ensuring that the ingredients in their products are as safe as possible. And then second, I tried them and they worked just as well as some high-end products I'd used in the past that weren't as strict with their ingredients. I also only use Branch Basics for our cleaning products. They make it super simple with only one concentrate solution for every single cleaning product you would need. And, I'd tried other "clean" and "non-toxic" brands in the past and Branch Basics out-performed every single one by a landslide! I mentioned other brands that I like such as The Honest Company, Seventh Generation, & Burt's Bees above, but there are definitely more which you can find using the EWG's (environmental working group) website.
HOW TO NOT BREAK THE BANK WITH SWITCHING TO CLEAN PRODUCTS
If you're already feeling overwhelmed thinking about switching all of your products and already thinking about the money it's going to take, don't worry. As I mentioned earlier, you don't have to do everything at once. In fact, I wouldn't recommend doing everything at once because it just isn't financially wise for most people.Start small. And start with products you use every day as well as products you use on large surfaces of your body. I first started switching my makeup over by getting a set from Beautycounter called their "Flawless in Five" set because makeup is something I wear most days. Maybe you also think about switching the body lotion you use since you use it all over as well as because it's something that sits on your skin all day. So think about those things for you. What do you use every day? And what do you use all over your body or something that sits on your skin all day.Take baby steps. And don't stress about the products you currently have. The thing to think about is the little changes you're making. Again, all of this is about approaching health and wellness from a place free of stress, guilt, overwhelm, or obsession. Just like with food, our culture has the tendency to use "fear-mongering" tactics instead of a calm and gentle approach to education. My goal is to empower you, not shame you or stress you out. I hope that's what you feel, that you can take a deep breath and know that it doesn't have to be stressful to switch to cleaner products.What questions do you have about any of this? I'd love to hear your experience with switching to cleaner products if you've already done some things. Did you learn anything or come away with a new perspective? Also, full disclosure I partner with Beautycounter as a safer-beauty advocate and would be more than happy to help you switch over products in a way that is non-stressful and budget-friendly. You can shop through me HERE.