YA GOTTA PICK YOUR POISON

If you’ve read my 'about me' you already have an understanding of how I’ve come to be chemical-free, and I'm hoping my story has triggered an interest in you to learn more about the toxic load that burdens your body.

Calculating Your Chemical Consumption

A great place to start in eliminating toxins from your life is to consider the plethora of products you're using daily in your body care routine.

Studies show that the average women bombards their body with over 168 chemicals on any given day — most of which are applied within the first hour of waking! Statistically, women use an average of 12 products in their morning routine. Teenage girls use 17. And men, evidently, use eight.

These numbers are staggering on their own — but are all the more so, since they only consider the chemical load coming from the external application of poisonous products. Add to this the endless list of ‘other’ toxins (from processed foods, off-gassing cars, furniture, synthetically manufactured clothing, plastics, polluted water, air, toxic relationships, and, and, and) and, well, damn us to hell, eh?

Is It Really Any Wonder Why Many Of Us Feel Sick And Sad?

Invisible toxins infiltrate our lives on every level and negatively affect a bevy of our bodily functions -- thanks to non-existent guidelines in the industry of "beauty." Most laws regulating the business of body care and cosmetics, here in the United States, are outdated and overlooked -- while our neighboring European countries (across the board) appear to have long been banning the majority of "toxic" ingredients that we continue to commonly consume here in the U.S. -- seemingly without question. Why is that?

The burden of these chemicals can take its toll in various forms, causing cancer, asthma, skin irritations, allergic reactions, hormone disruptors (oh boy!) and more, with the majority of the chemicals in our cosmetics coming from petrochemicals, which are essentially "a slew of known toxins," according to the Huffington Post, most of which can actually be found on the Environmental Protection Agency's "hazardous waste" list. Yep. Yuck.

The "International Fragrance Association" of Belgium attests that many of the ingredients used in personal care products are harmful -- and synthetic fragrances are showing to be some of the worst! The IFRA promotes 'consumer safety' and 'choice' through an authorized and restricted use of chemicals.

Shouting Our Warnings!

The little coal-mine canary in me never ceases to shout my warnings, but a lot of my effort, unfortunately, falls upon deaf ears.

One of my favorite people in the world is very natural in almost every aspect of her life, but, by golly, she loves her damn dryer sheets — which are, by the way, one of the most toxic products you could ever use! This woman is intelligent, extensively educated, and a hippie (of sorts) who marches to the beat of her own drum. But she has unabashedly fallen prey to the marketing ploys of dryer sheet manufacturers — hook, line, and sinker. Her psyche and olfactory senses have been conditioned to believe that her linens are not properly laundered unless they “smell” clean. Just the image of lavender branches on a box of dryer sheets makes her believe these are good for her. And natural, real lavender is good! But synthetically fabricated lavender is not good. In fact, it's very harmful.

Many companies "greenwash" their products, and many unsuspecting consumers fall prey.

Several years back, one of the mainstream morning talk shows produced a two-week long segment on the hazards of dryer sheets. I was optimistic that this information would, at long last, reach the masses and things would finally change.

But nothing changed. Most people, my beautiful pal included, turned a blind eye to this information, as many still do - and today things are even worse.

Dryer sheets are carcinogenic. And the evidence supporting this claim was spread widely across mainstream media, reaching millions of households for multiple days in a row, but their efforts, alas, like mine, were futile.

Stop Using Dryer Sheets Immediately!

Along with getting rid of body care products that contain chemicals, dumping your dryer sheets is a necessary starting point for drastically, yes, drastically, reducing your toxic load.

One of my all-time favorite "natural" health advocates, Dr. Axe, states that “a chemical cocktail is cooked into dryer sheets."

Excuse me?

Oh, science. You do have a dark side, don't you?

And don’t think for one second that these off-gassing chemical cocktails are concentrated merely within the privacy of your own abode, adversely affecting only you and your home's occupants (got pets?). They're not. The volatile compounds found in dryer sheets are dispersed into the outside environment as well, via dryer vents. And they are, without a doubt, toxic to all the wildlife outside as well!

If You Believe Any of This, You Know it Doesn't Stop Here

Dryer sheets, new cars, carpets, cosmetics, synthetic fragrances, cigarette smoke, exhaust fumes, faux flooring — it’s all the same, especially to me. And without my diligent and deliberate avoidance of these chemicals, I’d be doomed.

You ever hear the expression, “you are what you eat?”

Well, it’s true; we are what we eat — but we are also what we breathe, smell, hear, see, and so on.

Acting as our first line of defense to harmful external substances, our skin protects us from toxins, aids in regulating our temperature, functions as a cellular storehouse, produces hormones, and more! Our skin is, in fact, our body's largest organ! Sadly, while trying to protect us, our skin absorbs everything it comes in contact with, and it promptly and efficiently transports whatever the substance is directly into our bloodstream and cells.

We’ve been utilizing topical medications for a good long while now for just this reason — because our skin is so awesome at absorption. It is, hands down, one of the greatest methods for delivering various medications into the body, as it absorbs every single thing it comes into contact with — including the harmful chemicals found in the many cosmetic products that we generously slather over our bodies every day.

What We Put ON Our Bodies is Every Bit as Important as What We Put IN Our Bodies

Do you read product ingredient lists and pay attention to what you’re putting ON your body? I hope so. If not, please do.

While reading product ingredient lists, you will inevitably stumble upon words you’ve never heard before and likely can’t even pronounce. When this occurs, head on over to another great website, operated by The Environmental Working Group. Here you'll find a vast array of support in your quest for cleaner products.

In my desire to learn more about the prevalence of the detrimental chemicals commonly found in everyday consumables, I have relied heavily on the information provided by this impressive non-profit organization.

On their website, you will find an extensive library of research on products, individual chemicals, corporations, genetically modified foods, and more.

One of my all-time favorite divisions of EWG is Skin Deep. On Skin Deep, you can type in the name of a product (of hundreds, if not thousands of products!) to determine their health and hazard rating. Hallelujah! And, of course, they have an app now too!

Obviously, housing a database including every single body product produced in the U.S. would be, well, an insurmountable feat. So, no, not every product on the market has been researched by The Environment Working Group, obviously. But, if you can't find a specific product of concern, you can always search their site for each individual ingredient in that product to learn more about it that way; this will require a little legwork on your part, but I assure you, the knowledge you acquire will be well worth time spent.

EWG Is An Invaluable Resource In My Quest For Cleaner Living

I began my journey in toxic-free living, coincidentally, around the same time as EWG's conception. I can't imagine my journey without them. And I'm confident their research efforts will benefit you in a big way as well.

Being chemically-sensitive sucks. There’s really no two ways around it. It has made my life unbearably difficult at times -- especially for my friends and family (bless them all). But as with anything in life that’s difficult to navigate, every experience affords us an opportunity to learn and grow.

I have learned so much over the last thirty years about chemicals and living toxic-free, and I honestly feel more blessed than cursed by the circumstances that have led me here: to the land of plenty -- living more simply, with less, and in alignment with Nature.

Have you ever experienced chemical sensitivities? To what degree, may I ask? And have your sensitivities adversely affected your life and/or your loved ones?

I’d love to connect with you—to hear your personal stories and learn how you (or a loved one) are surviving Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. After decades of living with this condition, I’ve come to see it as an uncomfortable but powerful invitation to question what we’re all unconsciously consuming in our fast-moving, modern world.

Always wishing you wellness.