Your skin absorbs whatever you put on it and it reaches your bloodstream in just 26 seconds!!! What?!
If that doesn't frighten you, I'm not sure what will...
Did you know that it is not required by law to disclose individual ingredients used to produce a scent on the packaging? This means that harmful chemicals are omitted and you never know what you are applying to smell “clean”. The skin is the largest tissue of the human body, what you apply to it should concern you. For me that also means what I let my kid apply, concerns me too!
The Challenge
For the next 3 weeks, we will be looking in our homes for these toxic chemicals that are free ranging in our homes- from the bathroom to the kitchen cabinets and even sitting on your counters delivering your senses a wonderful aroma that could be harming your littles.
We challenge you this week to take a good hard look at all the things in your bathroom you use every day, those things you use to clean your skin and make you smell nice, they may be causing you and your family harm.
Join the challenge for FREE!
Week One: Bath and Body
On the bottle (or box) where the ingredients are listed you may see “fragrance” ingredients.
The company does NOT have to inform you of what chemicals they mixed together to give you said “fragrance”.
This means there allergens and possible carcinogens not disclosed on many of the leading soaps we buy for ourselves and our families. Fragrance (as an ingredient) is defined as a combination of nearly 3,000 fragrant ingredients that is added to most personal care products to mask odor and add scent.
Let's talk Soaps
Other toxins you may see on the list of ingredients include phthalates, alcohol, and sodium laureate sulfate, “all natural fragrance” which is also known as parfum.
Common Dirty Ingredients
Phthalates, as mentioned above in the toxins section, is actually a chemical compound used in making plastic. Phthalates are readily absorbed into the human body and are converted quickly to their respective metabolites. Unlike some chemicals, they tend to pass out of the body quickly in urine and feces. Phthalates can interact with each other and increase the exposure effect. Alcohol as most of you know is a skin irritant and increases dryness, absorbing the moisture your skin needs to stay healthy and look young. Sodium Laureate Sulfate is an inexpensive and effective foaming agent, aka bubble maker. It may be contaminated with ethylene oxide and the IARC ( International Agency for Research on Cancer) considers ethylene oxide a KNOWN carcinogen. This is the stuff that makes a soap burn if you get it in your eyes by accident, or your kids get it in theirs. Last, but certainly not least, I want to touch on when the label reads “all natural fragrances”. Most of the time these fragrances are actually Parfum. The word "parfum" on the product label represents an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate. Diethyl phthalate (DEP): DEP is an irritant of eyes, skin and the respiratory tract. It is a potential endocrine disruptor and has been linked to reproductive and nervous system toxicity.
How to Read Product Labels
Ingredients are labeled in order of the highest quantity of ingredients first. So, the first 3-5 ingredients are the ones you want to really dig into.Here are some good tips to start with.
Save this to your phone and as start your Ditch and Switch Lifestyle, start looking for these ingredients and avoid them.
I know it seems overwhelming at first, but we are here to offer you guidance to help you navigate this journey!
I know this is a lot of information, but no one expects you to detoxify your home in a day.
We, as a nation and generation, have been living this way for years. We have been living based on convenience and taught that the convenient method is “better”. I remember hearing “you pay for convenience” growing up and just assuming that it was so. For so long I’ve believed that the bath and body industry is regulated close enough that they can’t lie about things like “all natural” and “clean”. When, in reality, without digging into it for yourself, you may never know.
We can make small changes every day that greatly impact our quality of life, and I hope you’ll take these steps with me. I know my first step is ditching the soap I have been using for my baby. The mom guilt is real, but I am making a change and I know there is grace.
Last, I just want to share one more thought with you, my husband asked me what I was working on so I described to him all I was learning as I researched for this blog, and I told him what was in the soap we use for our daughter. His response was, “We used that stuff and we’re ok,” he meant that to make me feel better about the fact that I gave our daughter 2 baths yesterday, #toddlermom, using the soap I was complaining about, but I can’t help to think how scary that cycle is. How easy it is to believe that because we’re “ok” now, it is ok to continue to make the same decision for future generations. I reminded him, like I hope I am reminding you, these formulas for fragrances and soaps have definitely changed over the past 20+ years. The industry can more easily access different chemical compounds and cheaper manufacturers these days. Along with, just because I don’t physically see the effects,yet, doesn’t mean they won’t present themselves over time. I am not willing to risk it any longer.
Are you ready to ditch and switch?!
Simple Swaps
Here are a few of the simple swaps that Young Living offers:
Charcoal Bar Soap, Thieves Foaming Hand Soap, Thieves Cleansing Soap, Sacred Mountain Moisturizing Soap, Lavender-Oatmeal Bar Soap, Morning Start Bath & Shower Gel, and more!
In the Young Living personal care line, you will find all the ingredients listed and nothing denoted simply as “fragrant”. Also, you will see that there is still a soap for every skin type. My excuse for so long has been, “I can’t use an oil based cleanser because I have oily skin”, which is such a misconception. For example: The unique benefits of charcoal soap make it an especially suitable face soap for combination, oily, or acne-prone skin to help maintain a clear, healthy-looking complexion.
Shop clean products from the Young Living Personal Care Line
Kid and Babes Approved
There's even lines for both babies and kids that are a safe choice.
Join Us
Show us what's first to switch for you! Use the hashtag and us in your photos #JPFDitchandSwitch on social media.
Schedule
Week 1: Bath and Body {Sept. 9-14}
Monday: Young Living Simple Swaps- Bath Soap
Tuesday: DIY Bath Bombs with Lauren + Young Living Simple Swaps Bath Bombs
Wednesday: Young Living Simple Swaps- Lotion and Body butter
Thursday: DIY Lip Balm with Lauren + Young Living Simple Swaps Lip Balms
Saturday: DIY Fall Sugar Scrub Virtual Workshop {get your kit here}
Week 2: Household Cleaners {Sept. 16-21}
Blog with info coming Sept. 16th
Week 3: Home Fragrances {Sept. 23-28}
Blog with info coming Sept. 23rd
Want to learn more about oils?
JPF Oils Made Simple Club
Join our oily community, where I'll take you on an exclusive journey of learning about all the essentials of an oily life.
Includes:
💧 Samples of each of the 12 oils in the Premium Starter Kit
✨ DIY Materials for Starter Units
✨ Thieves household cleaner sample
✨ Exclusive self-paced course with how-to's for benefits and oil uses
✨ Regular DIY recipes, blogs and free resources
✨ First look and dibs in our virtual DIY Workshops
*This community is only available for non-young living members.
Become a JPF Oils Made Simple Member for just $25 today!
Happy Switching,
Kenzie and Lauren
References: Young Living, SafeCosmetics.org, IARC.org, and womensvoices.org