The bathroom is loaded with TONS of potentially harmful ingredients.
Here are a few to watch out for in your personal care products…
- Formaldehyde - This is a preservative that is often seen in lotions, cosmetics, and baby wipes. It’s a known carcinogen and can cause skin and respiratory irritations.
- Phthalates - These are a group of chemicals found in personal care products and many plastics and vinyls. They can affect your endocrine system, reproductive health, and even potentially cause cancer.
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - These are surfactants commonly used as an emulsifying cleaning agent in household cleaning products (laundry detergents, spray cleaners, and dishwasher detergents). In other words they keep things mixed up and help them create lather. Oftentimes they are synthetically derived and have the potential to cause skin irritation.
- Ethanolamines (MEA, DEA, and TEA) - These are found in many household and personal care products and have been linked to organ system toxicity, bioaccumulation, and even cancer.
A way to protect your family is by getting these items from a trusted source. I have several items that I use daily to protect my family.
If you find yourself always feeling “off”, it could be what you are putting on your body along with what you are eating.
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Besides things getting a little disorganized in our pantry from time to time, we need to be checking the labels and make sure our pantry helps bring our family nutrition and not create unwanted health issues.
According to the CDC, “Most Americans… do not have a healthy diet. Fewer than 1 in 10 adults and adolescents eat enough fruits and vegetables, and 9 in 10 Americans aged 2 years or older consume more than the recommended amount of sodium. In addition, 6 in 10 young people aged 2 to 19 years and 5 in 10 adults consume a sugary drink on a given day. Processed foods and sugary drinks add unneeded sodium, saturated fats, and sugar to many diets, increasing the risk of chronic diseases.” Ahh! We definitely don’t want that. (Source: https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/nutrition.htm )
So what should you be considering when you look at labels?
- types of fats
- added sugars
- length of ingredient list
- sodium level
- added dyes
- calories per serving
If you find yourself always feeling “off”, consider what you are putting in your body for fuel.
If you love this info, you’ll LOVE my webinar: 4 Easy Steps to get off the Miserable Health Hamster Wheel”
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The kitchen is a place where the family gathers. The kitchen is also a place where a lot of people store household cleaners, soaps, and potentially dangerous chemicals. Have you ever looked at what ingredients are lurking on those labels? Sadly many of them - even the “green” products - contain ingredients you do NOT want in your house or anywhere near your family. Let’s take a look at a few…
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) - These are surfactants commonly used as an emulsifying cleaning agent in household cleaning products (laundry detergents, spray cleaners, and dishwasher detergents). In other words they keep things mixed up and help them create lather. Oftentimes they are synthetically derived and have the potential to cause skin irritation.
- Triclosan - This is found in many antibacterial soaps, hand sanitizers, and detergents as well as some toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, plastics, and more. It can affect the thyroid and endocrine system and was recently banned by the FDA to be used in “antiseptic washes” but can still be found in some other products like toothpaste, cosmetics, and even clothing, kitchenware, furniture, and toys.
- Fragrance - The word “fragrance” can appear on a label and contain an enormous list of ingredients that a company is not required to disclose, as it is considered a ‘trade secret.’ That means a product could contain some awful ingredients and the consumer wouldn’t even know! These chemicals could be linked to cancer, reproductive and developmental toxicity, allergies and sensitivities. Why take the risk?
A way to protect your family is by getting these items from a trusted source. I have several items that I use daily to protect my family and I’m happy to share my source. ( I can also help you get a great deal on them)
Thieves Household Cleaner is a plant-based, ultra-concentrated cleaner that can be used on virtually every surface of your home… bathrooms, kitchens, cabinets, counters, floors, furniture, toys, carpets, mirrors, glass, wood, walls, and more! It’s created with naturally occurring surfactants derived from coconut and sugars, so you get a powerful clean without harmful, abrasive chemicals. It’s pet-safe, kid-safe, and even septic-safe!
Thieves Dish Soap is a plant-based solution, infused with Jade Lemon and Bergamot essential oils as well as the Thieves blend. It contains no sulfates, dyes, formaldehyde, phosphates, or synthetic perfumes and uses natural grease-cutting agents, leaving dishes sparkling clean with no residue. Your hands will also thank you for using such a gentle formula.
Thieves Fruit and Veggie Soak and Thieves Fruit and Veggie Spray- both have the same base formula and come packed with essentials oils that get the job done. The soak comes in a small jug; you simply add a little to a basin of water, soak, rinse, and enjoy eating your fruits and vegetables as nature intended. The spray can be used to give your produce a quick spritz before rinsing and enjoying!
If you love this info, you’ll LOVE my guide 7 Reasons to Ditch Candles!
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Our homes should be a place where we feel safe, a place where we can go to take refuge from the world around us. The products we bring into our homes should not threaten that safety, but sadly, some of them do. Did you know “poisoning” makes the Top 10 List of Safety Hazards in the home? That includes medications, paint, household cleaners, personal care products, and laundry products. Check out this stat from the National Home Security Alliance. “Accidents in the home claim 18,000 lives each year in America alone. It also accounts for 21 million medical visits annually, which costs a staggering $220 billion a year.” (Source: https://staysafe.org/safety-at-home-10-common-safety-hazards-around-the-house/)
Second to “falls”, poisoning is a leading cause of fatalities in homes in the US - 5,000 deaths a year to be exact. And it’s not just household cleaners that are to blame for chemical exposure. Did you know that MANY personal care products we allow in our homes contain known carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting chemicals? That means an increased risk for cancer, developmental malformations, interference with reproduction, and disturbances in the immune and nervous system function. That doesn’t sound good at all. However, there are many things we can do to mitigate our exposure in our homes.
Today I’ll tackle the dangers in your Living room! Now, you may be thinking to yourself - what could possibly be dangerous in a living room? A living room is where your family gathers so we typically want it to smell nice and have a sense of comfort and coziness present. Most people seek to achieve that by using candles, air fresheners, plug-ins, and fabric sprays. As easy as those sound to use, they can be potentially harmful to our health.
Synthetically-fragranced products emit a range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Breathing VOCs can cause eye, nose and throat irritation as well as difficulty breathing and nausea, even damage to the central nervous system and other organs. Some VOCs can even cause cancer. Yikes! (Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5093181/ )
So what can you use to replace ALL those? A diffuser, high-quality essential oils, and a spray bottle will do the trick!
Diffusing vaporizes essential oils and gets them into the air so that we can breathe them in.
Diffusing also purifies the air, makes your home smell good without harsh chemicals, and helps get those awesome oils into your lungs and to your brains. Simply add your essential oils drops to your diffuser, add water to the fill line, and start diffusing. Some of my favorite oils to use in my home are Citrus Fresh, Thieves, Lemon, Peppermint, Purification, Christmas Spirit, and Grapefruit! Try some of these recipes in your diffuser or use them to create an easy “Room Spray” using a small spray bottle, distilled water, and a splash of witch hazel. Adjust the amount of essential oils to your liking and get creative with it.
Fresh Air
- 4 drops Tangerine
- 2 drops Tea Tree
- 2 drops Lemon
Cozy Home
- 4 drops Lemon
- 4 drops Orange
- 4 drops Peppermint
- 4 drops Rosemary
Happy Room
- 3 drops Citrus Fresh
- 3 drops Peppermint
- 3 drops Thieves
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Many people think of hair loss as a male problem, but it also affects at least a third of women. But unlike men, women typically experience thinning hair without going bald, and there can be a number of different underlying causes for the problem.
“Some are associated with inflammation in the body. Some are female-pattern hair loss,” says Dr. Deborah Scott, assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Hair Loss Clinic at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. But the good news is that in many cases this hair loss can be stabilized with treatment, and it may be reversible. When it’s not, there are a number of new cosmetic approaches that can help.
Understanding hair loss
The first step in dealing with thinning hair is determining what’s happening inside your body that is causing those extra strands to cling to your shoulders and your brush. Some hair loss is normal. Everyone loses hair as part of the hair’s natural growth cycle, which occurs in three stages:
- The anagen stage refers to when a hair strand is actively growing. This stage can last anywhere from two to eight years.
- The catagen stage is a short transition phase that lasts up to three weeks. At this point the hair has stopped growing and is preparing to shed.
- The telogen stage is the part of the hair cycle when the hair is expelled from the follicle (the structure that produces and holds the hair). After the hair sheds, the follicle then stays dormant, typically for around three months, before a new hair starts to sprout.
Normal hair loss is highly individual. Most people have a sense of how much hair is normal for them to lose. If you suddenly notice more hair than usual falling out, you’re shedding clumps of hair, or your hair seems to be visibly thinning, it may be a sign that something is amiss, says Dr. Scott.
Underlying causes for hair loss
Numerous problems can trigger female hair loss. Some are external, such as taking certain medications, frequently wearing hairstyles that pull the hair too tight, or even a stressful event such as surgery. In other cases, thinning hair is triggered by something going on inside the body — for instance, a thyroid problem, a shift in hormones, a recent pregnancy, or an inflammatory condition.
Hair loss may also be genetic. The most common genetic condition is known as female-pattern hair loss, or androgenic alopecia. Women with this condition might notice a widening of the part at the top of the head, often beginning when a woman is in her 40s or 50s. You might experience this if you inherit certain genes from one or both parents. Hormonal shifts that occur during menopause may also spur it.
Another trigger for hair loss in women is an inflammatory condition affecting the scalp. That might be eczema, psoriasis, or a condition called frontal fibrosing alopecia, which typically causes scarring and hair loss — sometimes permanent — at the front of the scalp above the forehead.
Other common causes of hair loss include overuse of damaging hair products, or tools such as dryers and other devices that heat the hair. Underlying illness, autoimmune conditions such as lupus, nutritional deficiencies, or hormonal imbalances may also cause hair to shed.
Medications to treat hair loss
Treatment depends on the underlying cause, says Dr. Scott. Sometimes simply addressing a medical condition prompting hair loss will be enough for the hair to regrow. In other instances, a woman might consider a medication like minoxidil (Rogaine), which helps with certain types of hair loss, or another treatment to replace or regrow lost hair.
A newer option being used to treat hair loss is platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. For this treatment, the doctor draws your blood, divides it into its separate components, recombines the blood fluid (plasma) with a high concentration of platelets (structures in the blood that help with clotting, among other functions), and introduces the resulting preparation back into the scalp.
“The science on this isn’t totally worked out. We still don’t completely understand the mechanism behind PRP, but growth factors contained in platelets can stimulate regeneration of hair follicles and other tissues as well,” says Dr. Scott.
In addition, low-level LED laser lights have been found to be helpful in regrowing hair in some cases. It’s likely that even more treatments will be developed in the near future.
Cosmetic options for hair loss
When medical treatments fall short, women can also consider cosmetic options to make up for lost hair, such as wearing a wig. At the other end of the spectrum is hair transplantation, a surgical procedure that moves active follicles from the back of the scalp to areas where the hair is thinning. Once transplanted, the hair grows normally.
Hair transplantation is typically performed as an outpatient surgical procedure. In appropriate patients, it can be extremely successful, but it won’t work for everyone, says Dr. Scott. One drawback is the expense: it can cost thousands of dollars and is not covered by insurance. The procedure also requires recovery time. And it may not be appropriate for women who have diffuse thinning across the whole scalp. It’s more effective in treating smaller, more defined areas of balding.
Natural options for hair loss
Sulfur has been proven to lengthen the growing phase of your hair. A longer growing phase (before resting and shedding) means longer hair. Lastly, sulfur also has been linked to treating, relieving, and decreasing the occurrences of psoriasis, dandruff, eczema, and folliculitis.
MSM is known as a sulfur-rich compound with anti-inflammatory properties. There’s also some inconclusive research on its effectiveness with hair growth and retention.
According to research, MSM sulfur can form bonds essential to strengthening hair and influencing hair growth. One study tested the effect of MSM and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (MAP) on hair growth and alopecia treatment. The test was performed on mice. Researchers applied varying percentages of MAP and MSM solutions to their backs. This study concluded that hair growth depended on how much MSM was applied in conjunction with MAP.
MSM is also available in a powder that can be added to hair conditioner.
However, since this supplement is still being researched for its hair-growth effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t offer a recommended dosage of MSM.
Prior to including this compound in your daily routine or incorporating supplements into your diet, discuss risks and intake recommendations with your doctor.
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