What do cleaners, food, & skincare have in common? No, this isn’t a “What do sharks & computers have in common” joke. It’s been shown that not only what you eat, but also breathe and put on your skin can affect your hormonal health. Why? Because toxic chemicals in these products get into your body via the lungs and skin can accumulate & cause damage.
As everyone ran out to buy anti-bacterial wipes, we stayed home & used the products we already knew and loved. The risk of harming your hormonal health, to include your immune system, wasn’t worth the risk (read about the problems with them here.)
According to one survey conducted that interviewed 2,000 American women, 43% said hormonal imbalances negatively affected their overall health & well being. And that’s just the ones that know about it! When you begin to look at the ingredients in your products & food, it’s not really surprising. The USA only has 12 ingredients on it’s restricted & banned list combined for cosmetics while the EU has over 1,382 ingredients on their banned list alone.. Ya, read that again. I couldn’t believe it so I looked it up myself. What could your household cleaners be hiding as they’re not even required to list their ingredients on the label? (HINT: some of the chemicals on the FDA’s restricted & banned list.)
Why’s This Matter? 
These ingredients not only cause cancer, asthma, headaches, nausea & other health problems, but they can cause more discreet hormonal problems. A short list of these include:
- brain fog
- mood swings
- weight gain
- fatigue
- depression
- anxiety
- low sex drive
- hot flashes
- acne
- digestive issues
- thyroid disorders
- fertility issues
- and more…
These can cause some big problems that you may have learned to ignore or assume is “normal”. But normal doesn’t = healthy. Neither do the words natural or green on the label.
Ingredients in your products can contain estrogen mimicking chemicals or chemicals that cause harm to your thyroid. When your thyroid is out of whack or you have estrogen like chemicals in your body, they can cause the problems listed above. Considering women put an average of 15 or more products on herself each day in the form of make up, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant, conditioner, etc, these chemicals can really add up!
If you use a website like the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning ensure you check the individual ingredients. For example, I’ve seen essential oils listed with a grade of “B” or “C” due to the fact that, when undiluted, they can cause problems. You can also see that they have rated Aloe Vera (you know, the plant you break apart & spread on burns) as a “C” but when you click on it to read why, it says it has a low concern & doesn’t really have any data supporting why it got such a low grade.
So inform yourself, feel empowered, & do what’s best for you!
What You Can Do
Hop over to a website like the EWG and use their Guide to Healthy Cleaning & Skin Deep Database. But when you use it, ensure you check the individual ingredients. For example, I’ve seen essential oils listed with a grade of “B” or “C” due to the fact that, when undiluted, they can cause problems. You can also see that they have rated Aloe Vera (you know, the plant you break apart & spread on burns) as a “C” but when you click on it to read why, it says it has a low concern & doesn’t really have any data supporting why it got such a low grade.
So inform yourself, feel empowered, & do what’s best for you!
Slowly, we have changed things in our lives. Although it may look like we’ve done a lot, this have been over a period of 6+ years. If you can’t afford to jump in head first, don’t! Slowly swap out the toxic chemicals in your make up/soap/cleaners as you finish using it, buy some stainless steel or glass containers when they go on sale, etc. I’ll link some of my favorite products below!
- Begin swapping your conventional skin care products for natural ones
- Read about 5 ingredients to avoid in your skincare products here.
- Swap plastic food storage containers for glass or stainless steel
- Invest in a Hydroflask or other stainless steel water bottle so you can ditch the plastic ones
- don’t be fooled by “BPA free” plastics, you don’t know their health implications yet
- Use less toxic laundry detergents, cleaners, soap, etc.
- Laundry Detergent we use
- Cleaning products we love (free shipping over $55)
- Soap bars in our shower (J loves Happy Hippy)
- Essential oils we use everyday (they have free shipping!)
- in place of candles or wax melts
- Read your food labels so you fuel your body with nutrient dense foods, not fake toxic ones
- Follow the Clean Fifteen & Dirty Dozen
Baby steps are what create lifestyle changes & make a huge difference on our health & how we feel. If you need some guidance & help cleaning out your pantry, click here to schedule a time to chat with me about my 1-hour Pantry Clean Out service. I offer this via Facetime or Skype to help you ditch the toxins & figure out what you’re lookin’ at when you read a food label!
Wanting more on switching to a toxin free home? Check out my series by clicking here. Also, pin this image for later:
PS. The answer to the joke above is “megabytes”. 😉
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