 Have you ever walked past a Bath & Body Works? Or one of those candle stores? Oh the smells! They might make you feel happy, relaxed, sexy, sleepy, or even overwhelmed. Many people, on the other hand, can get a headache, feel nauseous, etc. I used to wonder why that was. Well, now I know that not only are those smells overwhelming their senses, triggering toxic overload symptoms, and altering brain chemistry, but they are also affecting hormones! Artificial fragrances and aromas affect all of us, whether we notice or not!
There are ingredients in synthetic fragrances called PHTHALATES. Phthalates are associated with causing cancer, are known endocrine disruptors and are also thought to cause reprouctive issues. What does this mean? EARLY PUBERTY IN GIRLS LOW SPERM COUNT IN MALES REPRODUCTIVE EFFECTS IN DEVELOPING FETUS Basically, they are mimicking Estrogen in the body. We all have Estrogen in some amount, but when your body thinks it has too much, due to the synthetic mimicking, it will not produce the amounts we actually need... THUS THE IMBALANCE. Now, our hormones are responsible for so much in our bodies! This includes responses to stress and injury, growth and development, absorption of nutrients, energy metabolism, water and electrolyte balance, reproduction, birth, and lactation. These are all crucial things!!! There is another Estrogen-mimicking chemical in household and personal products called Triclosan. This happens to be in most anti-bacterial items like soaps, hand sanitizers, makeup, toothpaste, deodorant... but we'll get into all of those things next week. So, here's the deal. Anything with synthetic fragrances is problematic for your sake, but also for the sake of your kids. As an adult, you've already gone through puberty. You've already developed your own endocrine system. So, damage can still be done, in the case of causing cancer or causing hormone imbalances, but not as great as it could to a baby in utero whose endocrine system is being formed or to our little ones who have not yet hit puberty. Personally, I do not have any desire to have my children begin to go through puberty any earlier than necessary. Think about the other possible effects though... your sons, who have not yet reproduced... if they are exposed to enough endocrine disruptors, this could mean potential infertility. I don't know about you mommas, but I want grandbabies some day. I've compiled a list of a few great links for you to look through. This is just the beginning of information you could read on this subject! So, gather up the Glade, the Febreze & the Germ X... and toss 'em! Your future grandchildren will thank you! http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2014/08/expert-panel-confirms-fragrance-ingredient-can-cause-cancer http://www.drfranklipman.com/15-ways-to-reduce-endocrine-disruptor-exposure-in-your-house/ http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15808/how-endocrine-disruptors-seriously-mess-with-your-health.html http://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/ http://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2012/05/new-york-times-kristof-lays-out-case-against-endocrine-disruptors http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-11127/why-everyone-should-care-about-endocrine-disruptors.html https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/the-addictive-power-of-toxic-perfumes-and-colognes/ https://draxe.com/dangers-synthetic-scents/
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 There are several great cleaner options on the market, and of course we think doTERRA's is the best, but if you're really wanting to save a penny AND use the very cleanest ingredients possible (can't get much cleaner than water!) then perhaps DIY is the route for you! These recipes involve doTERRA Essential Oils, meaning they are CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade, tested beyond industry standards and safe for the whole family! There are so many great DIY cleaners. I'm going to highlight my favorite recipe at the bottom, but there are a few links you should definitely know about... First of all, everyone needs an awesome multi-purpose cleaner. You can make your own using this recipe: https://doterra.com/US/en/blog/diy-all-purpose-spray Another favorite, is using Arborvitae and Lemon essential oils as a wood polish. You just put a couple drops of each on a rag to clean and polish your wood furniture! doTERRA has put together some great recipes and ideas on their BLOG: https://doterra.com/US/en/brochures-magazines-doterra-living-spring-2016-make-over-your-cleaning-routine My personal favorite recipe though, is this Soft Scrub Cleaner! Cleaning the bathroom is not fun for most of us, especially when you have four boys like me! Haha! Soft Scrub for Bath, Tile, and Toilet Make in small batches and store in an airtight container. This is enough for two to four applications. This soft scrub is excellent for getting rid of soap scum, removing stains, and brightening your tile and toilet. To use, just apply and let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then scrub. Once done scrubbing, take a wet cloth and wipe clean. Ingredients: 3/4 rounded cup baking soda 1/4 cup liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's, look for unscented) 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon vinegar 5-10 drops Lemon essential oil TIP: This scrub is also great to use to help clean your kitchen sink, refrigerator, or tile floors. Directions:
  There are some great brands out there as far as cleaning products go. Personally, I trust the Seventh Generation brand. They are pretty up front and their products are rated well on the EWG site for toxic ingredients. Another option I LOVE (and I actually combine with my doTERRA Essential Oils and products) is Norwex. If you do not do Norwex yet, check it out. I have to mention though, that my favorite pre-made cleaner is doTERRA's OnGuard CLEANING CONCENTRATE! It is pretty life-changing. Sometimes life gets busy and this stuff is EASY! One bottle is only $19.33 at retail prices (if you want it at wholesale, only $14.50, check out the "Connect" tab to join our oily family!). Since it is a concentrate, one bottle fills 18, 16-oz spray bottles! EIGHTEEN! At the wholesale cost, that's 80 cents per spray bottle! It is made with the proprietary doTERRA On Guard Protective Blend of Wild Orange, Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus, and Rosemary. And since it's doTERRA, we can rest assured that it meets the CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® standard. This cleaner is pure, effective, and safe for the whole family! It smells delicious, too! doTERRA On Guard® Cleaner Concentrate is extremely versatile as a cleaner... hard surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom, or anywhere stand no chance against yucky germs and grime. We've even used it in our mop water with our Norwex mop. And when diluted as directed, it is safe to use on natural wood and stone surfaces. If you are concerned about using this on your marble or granite, feel free to try a small test spot first to set your fears aside.  Check out this link below to learn more about this awesome product! And visit our "Connect" tab above to learn about how you can order.
https://doterra.com/US/en/p/onguard-cleaner-concentrate  When I was a kid, we all had to clean every Saturday. My jobs were to vacuum, dust and clean the kids bathroom. I always got a headache after I was done. Every time. Now, I had a few other bad habits as a kid that contributed to my headaches, BUT the point is, I would immediately get one after doing my weekly cleaning chores. Why is this? Two words. TOXIC OVERLOAD Here's the deal. All mainstream cleaning products have chemicals. Too many chemicals in the air and on our bodies can create toxic overload in our system. This includes things that TOUCH our bodies. This includes things that touch our food, which then enters our bodies. This includes things that get used on surfaces and are then active on those surfaces, which we then touch. Get the picture? Chemicals might be in small amounts in ONE cleaner, but the likelihood that we will only encounter that one product in a 24 hour period is very unlikely. Take the chemical chlorine for example. Chlorine is in some cleaners as a bleach. It is used in city water filtration (we'll talk about water in a couple weeks). It is also used to bleach paper towels and toilet paper. It is also used in many laundry detergents, which leave residue on our clothing. It is not *as* toxic when touched. It *only* causes skin and minor eye or lung irritation. That's all... BUT did you know that it can reach highly toxic levels when combined with ammonia? So, if you mix chlorine bleach with another cleaner, even hours apart, they could combine to create a toxic gas that you the breathe in. An even more likely situation, especially if you have children, is this... Let's say you clean your bathroom, toilet included, with a cleaner with chlorine in it. Then, your child uses the restroom. Their urine has ammonia in it. Because it's urine. At this point the chemicals mix & create a gas. If even just for that moment, your child has breathed in a toxic gas. But what if they then do not flush the toilet? Because they are kids. Those chemicals create a toxic gas and continue to release that in the air. So, what? What is the big deal about chemicals? Well, like I said. It's not just one. We are exposed to a large amount of chemicals on a daily basis. Triclosan Chlorine Formaldehyde Ammonia Sodium Laurel Sulfates Phthalates Benzene Chloroform DEGBE DEGME Diethanolamine (DEA) Triethanolamine (TEA) The list could go on and on. Among these are skin, eye, and lung irritants. However, also among these are known carcinogens, ingredients that are linked to cancer. Also ingredients linked to asthma, allergies, and some that are considered neuro-toxins. Another concern is fragrances. We will get into this later in the week, but unfortunately there are not regulations in place for cleaning products in the US. Companies are NOT REQUIRED to list ingredients. These same companies also frequently list unknown or dangerous ingredients as "fragrance". Artificial fragrances are hormone disruptors. Like I said, there will be a full-day devoted to fragrances and air fresheners later in the week. For now, the point is that we just do not know everything that is in these products. I got rid of mainstream cleaners several years ago, but as I was typing this up, I had my husband dig under our kitchen sink to see if there was anything left under there. Way in the back, he found a bottle of carpet cleaner from when we steam cleaned our carpets about 2 years ago and an almost empty bottle of windex. NEITHER had any ingredients listed on them. The windex said "contains ammonia" & the carpet cleaner had a huge warning about not drinking it due to health hazards... Yet it's safe to pour into our carpet and drive in with steam? Personally, I would like to avoid all of these things. I cannot control the toxins my children & I are exposed to when we leave our home, so my goal is to reduce the amount of toxins INSIDE the home. Check out the links below & be on the lookout for some great brand recommendations and DIY cleaning recipes coming later today! https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/how-toxic-are-your-household-cleaning-supplies
http://healthychild.org/5-secrets-conventional-cleaning-product-makers-dont-want-you-to-know/ http://toxicfreekidsblog.org/2011/03/what%e2%80%99s-wrong-with-chlorine-bleach/ http://www.mamashealth.com/doc/cleanprod.asp http://toxicfreekidsblog.org/2014/04/toxic-free-spring-cleaning-tips-childrens-cancer-recovery-foundation/ http://ezinearticles.com/?Paper-Towels---Effect-on-the-Environment&id=4612910  When friends and family come to me asking about how our family does things, I'm always so honored. Honestly, we are still learning. Everyday. I'm not doing all that I can or want to yet. I'm on a journey just like all of you are. I am constantly reevaluating and readjusting, adding in new things when I'm ready to. I know what I did with our family when we began our journey, but I also got input from my own crunchy friends. I polled a natural moms group I am a part of to ask them what areas they started on when they began their "road to natural living". The main areas that these mamas mentioned were
The words natural... Or crunchy... Or granola... Do these make you nervous? They shouldn't. Becoming more natural doesn't mean you have to start wearing long skirts, live in a commune, or quit drinking coffee. Thank God! Here's what the definition is: nat·u·ral ˈnaCH(ə)rəl/ adjective
We also have to remember though, that often these things are linked. We don't always see a huge difference right away, but the more you stick with it, the more you start to realize how far you've come. It's like taking a picture with your camera on a tripod... Imagine a tripod an inch from the ground. It won't work very well! You don't get the optimum performance if it's so short! You'll get a great view of the grass, some bugs and maybe a flower or two, but imagine what would change if the tripod were taller. It's like every good choice we make gives that tripod more height. Every wise choice we make, give us better "performance" in our bodies, in our minds, and in our emotions. But what if we are only doing 1 thing and never grow more than that... then one leg of the tripod will grow taller, while the others remain an inch tall. If one leg is shorter or longer than the others, we don't always see the desired results. It's all about balance! I have broken it down into 4 main categories: 1. Household Products 2. Personal Products 3. Wellness, Sickness & Medications 4. Food  In the next few days & weeks we are going to learn about how to take baby steps. You might be starting from the beginning or you might be a pro... BUT we all have something we can do to grow. None of us are perfect. I'm looking forward to growing with you all. I can't wait to share with you, learning more natural, healthy ways to live. XOXO Kourtney |
Kourtney OwensI am a mommy of SEVEN (yes 7) beautiful kids! They are amazing, wonderful, hilarious & the greatest babies I could ask for! I am married to my best friend & high school sweetheart, Michael. Categories
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I love to craft. I love to decorate. I am passionate about natural living & natural birthing. Sometimes I write stuff. I plan parties like my life depended on it. My favorite color is pink. My house is definitely NOT taupe. I typically cannot keep plants alive. I am only allowed to have dogs as pets because all others tend to have the same end result as the plants. Luckily my track record with kids is pretty good! Also, I drink a lot of coffee. And I really like tacos. |
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