It sounds like a cliche news tease… One I probably would have written myself back in the day: “Is danger lurking in your bathroom drawer? Coming up, killer chemicals are causing cancer!
Meantime, this post is giving you a peek into my own bathroom… Note the dust on certain bottles of perfume for lack of use, LOL!
I like perfumes. They smell great! Sure, those are simplistic statements, but they carry a lot of weight for me — especially considering that I am fully aware that they can be harmful to your health. So, as much as I enjoy the way they smell, I’m choosing not to use these perfumes.
Totally borrowing some facts, because I couldn’t write this any better:
“There’s a dirty little secret the fragrance industry would rather you not know about, however, which is the extreme toxicity of many of these products. Hidden behind their pleasant scents are typically chemicals linked to hormone disruption, reproductive problems, and even cancer.
Many perfumes sold at department stores, big-box retailers, and virtually everywhere else can aptly be described as poison – and this means that you could very well be sacrificing your health by wearing them…” (Click HERE for the source article)
I’ve been having a daily battle with myself, because I just wanna spritz on my Viva La Juicy Couture perfume– but I KNOW BETTER NOW! So I don’t… Parabens and phthalates are bad, mmkay?! Parabens are associated with messed up hormonal production and phthalates are known carcinogens. That’s a fancy way of saying they can cause cancer.
Borrowing words again… “…the vast majority of personal care products – shampoo, lotion, deodorant – contain fragrances of their own.”
Yeah, they do. So what can we do about it??? GO MORE NATURAL!!! I’m not sayin’ “au naturel,” although you can do you however you want… But I’m gonna do me a little more fresh and clean-clean style. 🙂
I purchased this solid perfume at Whole Foods, and it’s a fruity, flirty guava scent made out of coconut and soy wax with essential oils. Speaking of essential oils, I have also made my own blend of “perfume.”
I mix peppermint and lime essential oils, throw in an extra drop or two of lavender, and shake all of that up in a small spray bottle of water. It’s a super-energizing blend that I really love! I spray it on my pulse points just like I used to do with synthetic perfumes.
Last, but certainly not least, I took a good long look at the chemicals in my personal care products, like my deodorant. You can see one has 18%, one has 25% and one has 20% of aluminum. Medical experts are going back and forth about whether or not aluminum is definitively linked to Alzheimer’s or breast cancer, but my question is — why risk it? How about we cut out the aluminum if we have something that works just as well, if not better?!!
I have not blogged about this yet, so this is officially the first time I’m sharing about it– but I’m now part of a growing movement that’s alerting people about the possible dangers of chemicals around our households. In short, I’ve gone TOXIC-FREE in many of my daily choices. I’m a Healthy Home Company representative, because I’ve been using their products for more than half a year now– so I finally stepped up because I BELIEVE IN THIS STUFF, I think it’s important, and I feel like people are looking for easy ways to CUT THE CHEMICALS!
Feel free to surf around and ask me questions about specific products (because I use a ton of them). If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find out for you. 🙂
I’ll write more in the future about other products, but I wanted to start with a simple one that illustrates the beauty of going toxic-free.
This deodorant smells great, and just like every single Healthy Home Company product– it’s toxic free, made with ZERO chemicals. My husband, Nathan, and I have been using it for months. You have to shake it before you use it. Nathan has sensitive skin, and we always had to be careful to choose certain types of deodorant that would not irritate him. He used to get angry red rashes in his armpits… Now, those rashes are HISTORY because of this deodorant. 🙂
Anyway, I just wanted to write all of this because I feel like people think it’s really hard to cut out chemicals. But you can see that I’m choosing options that are simple! Trust me, I’m not one of those crafty, homemaker types. I need things to be quick and easy, and these are definitely good!
yeahhhh.. I've been trying to cut back on some of my "chemical" lotions and soaps. Good reminder to buy organic!
Wow! I hear about this a lot, but I never really take the time to read the labels or be overly concerned..but you're right…we should pay more attention!!!
i'm a super non-perfume type of person – so glad to hear that's making me heather 😉
Thanks for your information Angela! I love perfumes so I can't give them up, but I will try to find that deo you mentioned. I've always heard about deo causing cancer. BTW-I heard on the View the other day or it might have been Kelly and Michael that women should eat mushrooms and sunflowers seeds to help prevent cancer.
Indeed, Constance– I say BABY STEPS 🙂
Agreed, Aubrey… we can start in small ways 🙂