Parabens Are Bad!
When I started on my natural healing journey over a year and a half ago, I started to pay attention to the ingredients in my cosmetic products.
At the time, I was most concerned with eliminating parabens. These chemical disruptors are know to mimic estrogen. Bad news for those of us with endometriosis.
Parabens are easy to spot in the ingredients list of most beauty products since they end in “paraben” preceded by “Methyl”, “Propyl”, “Butyl” and “Ethyl”.
When I really started to pay attention to what I was putting on my body, I was shocked! It is no wonder estrogen dominant issues are spreading – breast cancer and endometriosis included.
There are parabens in everything! Most natural products use “Paraben Free” on their labels, so I started to pay attention and make the switch in small doses.
Wait – All of it is Bad!
Since traveling a bit further on my journey, I’ve shifted my focus to eliminating the amount of toxins in general that enter my system. While my new paraben free products were for the most part natural, and for the most part organic, that extra bit of chemicals at the end of the list started to bother me.
Phtlhalates, petrochemicals, sodium lauryl sulfate, diazolidinyl urea or lodopropynyl butylcarbama, fluroide…oh my! I was willingly putting these things in my hair, on my skin, on my nails, on my clothes…
The skin is the largest organ in the body, yet it is easy to overlook what we are absorbing through it on a daily basis. All these chemicals are collecting in our bodies, in our organs, causing toxic imbalances in the body.
So, I started taking note of everything that touched my skin – the soap I was using in the shower and on my hands throughout the day, shaving cream, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion (including sun tan lotion), makeup, toothpaste, laundry soap, dish soap….and I switched to the most natural products I could find.
Castille Soap is Awesome!
So buying natural products starts to get expensive, so I started to look into cheaper methods. That’s when I came across a blog post for Dr. Bronner’s Castille Soap.
Dr. Bronner’s is essentially a base of organic oils – coconut oil, olive oil and depending on the flavor additional oils like hemp oil, jojoba oil, peppermint oil, almond oil…
I use the almond hemp castille soap on my hands and body and a few drops of the peppermint as a toothpaste. For hand soap I mix about four ounces of the castille soap with four ounces of filtered water. I find it works best in the foaming pumps. I’ve gone so far as to bring my own hand soap with me to the bathroom at work 🙂
Coconut oil is the main ingredient in Dr. Bronner’s. Coconut oil an antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifunal and antibacterial ingredient, and so great for the skin!
Since using it on my face my skin no longer gets dry nor shiny. My hands do not crack like they used to when I was putting different soaps and lotions on them all day.
Eliminating All the Extras
Traveling a bit further down my natural path today, and I’ve found myself eliminating more and more of the products that I used to use.
For the past three weeks I’ve gone ‘no poo (just water) on my hair (more on this to come), have stopped using shaving cream and lotion – the castille soap and enough water during the day keeps my skin hydrated.
I also dry brush my skin each day before getting in the shower to get rid of old skin (and toxins). I’ve switched to Thai Crystal Spray for a deodorant, which is essentially water and salt and have opted out on all nail polish (no cute colored toes this summer).
On the Positive Side?
Eliminating all the toxins that touch my body has helped me get back to a state that my body should be in. I feel lighter, less weighed down by all the products I used to buy and apply to my body. These changes have helped save me time in the morning too – more time for sleep – added bonus! 🙂
Today I opted for no nearly no make-up 🙂 Something I would never have considered in the past, but today my skin is so much clearer, my eyes brighter – that I’m starting to think it unnecessary.
This tells me that I’m finally comfortable in my own skin. I know that this love for myself, this respect for my body has transferred positive effects on my natural healing. Just me. Pure and Simple.
What products have you changed on your natural journey? Any other money saving ideas? Please share your ideas below.
Much LOVE,
