Low Tox Living with The Little Botanist
I remember being a first time mama stocking up on baby products that I thought were natural or organic, trying to do the right thing by my precious bundle soon to come into this world, to only find out a few months into motherhood that those products were not actually what they claimed to be at all. After a little research, I found out that many commercial products on the shelves are “greenwashed” and contain ingredients that that can harm our health and wellness.
I distinctly remember flipping the bottle of my 4 month old sons bath soap to read and check the ingredients, only to discover it contained sodium hydroxymethyl glycinate (linked to allergies & immunotoxicity)and phenoxyethanol (linked to severe eczema, life-threatening allergic reactions & infant oral exposure to phenoxyethanol can acutely affect nervous system function).
What a shock.
I then started learning that the little term “fragrance” (which is in SO many of the products in our home) was actually a term used to hide a number of ingredients that the brand simply does not want you to know about and there are no regulations in place to stop them from doing this. I literally remember walking over and throwing these products in the bin. This is where my low tox journey began with essential oils and young living.
I won’t lie. Initially it felt a little overwhelming to discover that most products I was using in my home were greenwashed and contained fragrance and toxic chemicals and that they contained potentially harmful hormone disruptors which can be found in anything from candles to food containers all the way through to the beauty products we slather on daily. And I was disturbed by the fact that many cleaning products aren’t required to list harmful and dangerous chemicals in their ingredients list.
Month by month I gradually ditched and switched a couple of products at a time with young livings low tox and clean ingredient products and I took solace in that fact that each little nasty I was eliminating was improving my families future and quality of life. Every act a step in the right direction but with no perfect destination because after all, our modern world doesn’t allow for a no tox life. That, right there, is the bit that I fell in love with. Becoming low tox involved a realistic approach to change and an emphasis on less is more.
As a woman, I’d always invested money in my skin care and beauty products.
But many of our beauty products are designed to ensure we keep spending when in reality a few simple creams and lotions can take the place of the 15+ that filled our bathroom vanities. Armed with a drastically reduced arsenal of beauty products I pleasantly discovered that the young living low tox options were not just infinitely lovelier and gave me the peace of mind that I wasn’t slathering myself in chemcials on a daily basis but that they actually can cost far less than their big brand counterparts.
One of the main arguments people have about why they don’t care to reduce toxic ingredients in their life is that it’s too overwhelming. There are too many, so what’s the point.
I’m here to tell you that if you are striving for perfection, you will burn yourself right out. There is almost ZERO way to have non-toxic everything. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take ownership over the things in your household that you do have control over.
I will always argue that stressing yourself out about anything is probably worse for your health than the thing in question.
The idea that “it’s just a little bit…” is an argument with many holes. A little bit of anything from morning to night, day after day, year after year - can tell a vastly different story and studies are often done through a vacuum with one perspective not taking into the type of exposure we actually get.
a few things to ponder:
1- you have so much control to limit toxic exposure, more than you think.
2- I am never about fear here. We are living in this wacky world together, none of us are going to reduce toxic chemicals out of our lives completely. Let’s just do the best we can within our budget and what suits our family best, this can look different for everyone.
3- Focus on the 90 not the 10. Wearing your favorite perfume on a once-a-week date night isn’t as big of a deal as the air freshener spray you douse your house in daily. Pick your battles until they get easier and easier to pick. Because with knowledge usually comes action.
I love sharing and educating on the things I have learned and also being challenged on the things I have yet to do my own research on. I have been so fortunate to have found a company like young living, a one-stop shop if you will, where I can get all of my baby & kids products, cleaning, beauty & personal care products, and essential oils to make some of my own and I don’t have to worry about flipping the labels.
As a movement that seeks to inspire change over the course of a lifetime and generations to come, the benefits are abundant and unrelenting. You truly do get out of it what you put in.
Aside from the obvious physical benefits, the low tox movement has taught me to challenge our existing societal norms. In a busy world where we are tempted to switch to autopilot and believe everything the labels tell us, going low tox has made me a more considerate, passionate and thoughtful human being & mama.
If you’re on the journey or about to take that first step, know that baby steps equal big progress over time and that you will be a chain breaker in your generation for your future generations. And for that, give yourself a pat on the back!
I host monthly online workshops and have whole range of wonderful free education, DIYS and inspo that I’d love to share with you.
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