Healthy at Home: My Product Recommendations

Making the decision to create a healthy home is not easy.  But it is just as important as deciding to eat healthier.  Our skin is our largest organ, and what goes on our skin also goes into our body.

Being that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS for short, I have to be super careful when it comes to things that disrupt hormones.  I've shared previously that the things that I specifically look for when choosing products are parabens and fragrance (or parfum).  These are found in the ingredients of a product and both are endocrine disrupters.

According to livescience.com, "The endocrine system is the collection of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, sexual function, reproduction, sleep, and mood, among other things."

Mayo Clinic states that "The endocrine system is made up of the pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, adrenal glands, pancreas, ovaries (in females) and testicles (in males)."

Our hormones help regulate our bodies.  So if they are out of whack, our body can't function properly or optimally.  Being aware of this, I decided to make the switch with all of my beauty products, household cleaners, and other products.  While I am still on this journey to discovering safer products, I do want to share what I've found so far.

I switched my hand soap first.  I have had trouble finding gentle soaps that don't make my hands peel, crack, and hurt.  So I gave this foaming hand soap a try from Young Living.  It was the first soap that I could get away with washing my hands multiple times a day and I still had my skin intact.

This made me want to try the other products from the Thieves line from Young Living.  I now use their household cleaner for everything! Their dish soap is amazing, and I love their fruit and veggie soak.  They also have hand purifier that I can safely use as well.  I am very happy to have found these products.



When it came to oral health, I wanted to try their toothpaste and mouth wash as well.  Making the switch to healthier toothpaste was different.  It doesn't foam up like "regular" toothpaste, but it still made my mouth feel squeaky clean!

I also like the toothpaste from Dr. Bronner's as well.



When it came to my hair, I knew that I needed to switch products.  But I needed to find products that I knew I liked.  So I tested several brands out before sticking with one.  The brand that I like the most is Acure.

I stood in my grocery store for a half an hour one day and scanned each product using my app.  I wanted something that I could trust.  And this brand has lived up to my expectations.

I use their shampoo and conditioner, their body wash, and their makeup remover wipes!



When it came to facial cleansers and lotions, I knew I wanted to try their line as well.  I ended up loving their products.

I love their body lotion, facial cleansing crème, facial toner, night cream, and day cream.



I know that I can trust the Acure brand for my needs, and I'm glad to have found something that I can fully recommend to you!  These products range from 0 to 3 on the Think Dirty app, and I am comfortable with that rating.

Last, but not least, I did change my chapstick and pain cream as well.  I love the Cool Azul pain relief cream, and it really helps when I have a flare up in my back.  The Deep Relief roll on helps when I get a headache, and the chapstick comes in different scents, but they're all amazing.



I sure hope that this post can help you make an informed decision when you're shopping for products.  If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!  

Healthy at Home: 3 Helpful Apps

I had a lot to learn as I started this new process.  There was a whole new list of ingredients to learn...and lots of names that I couldn't even pronounce.  So if anything, I needed something to make this transition a little bit easier.

I found three different apps that helped me make some of the decisions on what should stay and what should go.  I downloaded these, so that I could scan the items in my house (and in the store) so that I could make an informed decision.

Here they are:

 

The Think Dirty app is one of my favorites when it comes to helping me decide on which products I should purchase or get rid of.  Think Dirty commits to helping consumers identify risks associated with personal care products they use on a daily basis.  Think Dirty has a blog and online shop, but in my own opinion, I feel that their app is easier to use.
  

 

The next app that I really like to use is EWG's Healthy Living app.  EWG stands for Environmental Working Group.  They exist to empower people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. The EWG has a very nice, user-friendly website as well where you can find lots of helpful information regarding the products we use everyday.  They also have a database with products that are EWG approved and also give you a link to order them!

   

The third app that I like is called the Good Guide.  It's my least favorite of all of the apps listed, but it's very simple to use.  Their mission is to provide consumers with the information they need to make better shopping decisions.  As with each of the previous apps, there is a scan feature which makes it easy to scan UPC codes.  They also have a blog online, however, I have never used that feature.    

Each of these apps give a product rating and lists any reason why you should give concern to it.  In the event that the product gets a bad rating, they also give out cleaner options to replace the product with.  That is the feature that I love the most.  It basically decides for you whether you should get rid of it or not.

Download them today!  Then tell a friend about them! :)

Healthy at Home: Where Do I Start?

When starting down this new road of cleaner household products, I honestly had no clue where I needed to start.  It was all very overwhelming to me, and I kept putting it all off because I was questioning, "Where the heck do I start?"

 Last Spring, I attended an online seminar regarding PCOS.  One of the workshops was on the body products that we use, and I remembered hearing something about parabens being harmful to girls with PCOS.  So that's exactly where I started.  I started researching parabens.  I mean, what exactly are parabens?!  I had no idea.

Basically, they're preservatives that are used to prevent bacteria and mold growth.  That could be a good thing, but they are also endocrine disruptors.  They're most commonly found in shampoo, conditioner, face wash, body wash, body lotion, and foundation.

Um...endocrine disruptors?? I do NOT need anymore of those!  I have enough things disrupting my already-out-of-whack hormones.  I didn't need anymore help in this area.   So I immediately went to my bathroom and found everything that had parabens in the ingredients list and put it in a pile.  I knew that I had to get rid of those.

From there, I found the other ingredients that may be an endocrine disrupter:  BHA and BHT, Ethanolamines (MEA/DEA/TEA), Oxybenzone, Phthalates (DBP, DEHP, DEP and others), and Fragrance.

To be completely honest, the two groups that I found the most items in were parabens and fragrance.  There were a couple of items that did not list the ingredients on the bottles, and their website didn't list them either.  If I couldn't find that information easily accessible, then I threw it out.  I wasn't going to chance it.

 

I really couldn't believe how many products I was throwing out.  But when it came down to it, I couldn't believe how many products had toxins in them.  That's exactly what parabens are....toxins! I needed to get rid of them so that my endocrine system could get a break and {hopefully} function normally.

I'm sure you're wondering what I have replaced all these items with.  I am slowly replacing them, and I'll be sharing those items in a different post.

How many of these things do you have in your home?  Will you get rid of them and replace them with healthier options?

Healthy at Home

Health is a journey, not a destination.   Every day I have to choose healthier options over unhealthy ones.  Every day I have to choose to be better than I was yesterday.  So when I learn new information and knowledge, I have to either choose to act on it or not.

 At age 15, I was officially diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, abbreviated PCOS.  I was given very little information about the diagnosis, but it gave me reason why I had very irregular periods and it was perhaps the reason why I got my first period at age 9. The doctor basically told me that I could go on birth control to regulate my cycle or do nothing at all.  We (my parents and I) chose to do nothing at that time.

I didn't know a whole lot about PCOS, and neither did the doctor.  Unfortunately, doctors still don't know much.  A lot of times, I feel way more knowledgeable about my diagnosis than they do, because I've since chosen to educate myself as much as possible.

Here's what I do know:  PCOS is an endocrine disorder.  That basically means my hormones are all out of whack.  So that means I need to get my hormones in check for my body to be able to perform optimally.  My journey to healthier living started a little over four years ago.  I knew that in order for me to get my hormones in check, that required healthier eating and more physical activity.

I've learned what foods I can eat to feel my best.  I've learned to read labels on the foods that I choose to purchase.  I've learned what my body doesn't like.  When it comes to nutrition, I have the knowledge to make those every day decisions.  But things still haven't been completely in check for me.  So I started to question.  What if I could do more?

In my nutrition certification course, I have learned a lot about the human body.  One of the things I've learned is that our skin is the largest organ.  Have you ever thought about that?  Sure, our skin makes us look pretty...would you want to see humans without skin on?  Ick!  Not me.  So if our skin is the largest organ of the body, don't I want to treat it with kindness as well?

This is where my health journey has taken another step.  I have heard for many years that cleaning supplies, bath and body products, and everyday things we use in our homes can be toxic to our environment.  At the time that I had heard these things, I wasn't ready to do anything about it.

But now...after I've educated myself on my own diagnosis, learned about our organ system, and listened to experts talk about the things in our products and how they can interrupt our body systems...now I'm ready.

Over the next few days, I will be sharing with you what I have done in my own home to get rid of the toxins.  I'll be sharing exactly what I've been looking at and the processes I've taken to get my skin healthy, which in turn affects the rest of my body.

If you have questions along the way, please ask!  I may not have all the answers because I'm certainly in the thick of it and still learning, but I will absolutely try my best to help you!

When You're Empty

The last three weeks have taken a toll on me.  My husband has been sick with a mystery illness, which has led to a lot of appointments and tests.  He doesn't "do" doctors, so I have felt the need to be strong for him, to have all the questions ready, and to hold his hand while he's going through it all.  Not only that, I have a business to run, and I have to take care of myself as well. I have been giving it all that I have. It has made me tired--physically, mentally, and emotionally.  I go to bed each night, and as soon as my head hits the pillow, I'm out.  The next thing I know, the alarm goes off and the cycle starts over again.

This past week, I really thought that I had burnout from life, but today, I realized that it's not burnout at all. I still have passion within me. I still love what I do.  I still love to serve others.  It's just that my fire is dim.  I'm empty. I've given all I have, and I haven't taken time to be filled up. Sure, I sit and read my Bible daily--but have I been in His presence long enough to hear what He's saying to me? Unfortunately, no.

I picked up a new book to read this week. It was God using another person to speak into my life. He does that, you know. 😉  I sat down to read this morning, and everything that was written in that chapter was written especially for me.

"How dangerous it is when our souls are grasping for God but we're too distracted flirting with the world to notice."

Ugh. Yes...my souls longs for Him, but it hasn't been still long enough.

"Indeed, the world entices your flesh but never embraces your soul. All the while, the only love caring enough to embrace us and complete enough to fill us, waits. 

He waits every day with every answer we need, every comfort we crave, every affection we're desperate for, while we look everywhere else but Him."

I am a go-go-go type of person. I'm pretty sure I learned that from my parents. 😉 Growing up, we weren't allowed to have down time. If I were caught reading a book in the middle of the day, there was a 99% chance that I would be going with Dad to work on the farm. But because of that mentality, I learned work ethic.  I am a hard worker.  I don't just do things halfway.  I'm an all or nothing kind of girl.

So these last few weeks, I have literally given it my all.  I have given so much that I haven't taken the time to be filled.  Unfortunately, you cannot pour into others when your cup is empty.  In my "job," and I say that lightly because I don't think of it as a job, I have to constantly be encouraging and supporting others.  I have to pour into them...that's how you invest and build relationships.  But I haven't been able to do that well.  Because I am empty.

Over the next few days, I'm going to do as God commands:

"He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'"  Psalm 46:10

I am going to be still in His presence because I know that it's difficult for me.  I'm going to be still because I know that He not only honors hard work, but He also honors that quiet time.  I am going to be still so that He can pour into me, so that I in turn can pour into others.



I think the biggest thing I took away from today's reading of Uninvited was this:

"Fullness comes to us when we remember to be with Him before going out to serve Him.  He wants our hearts to be in alignment with Him before our hands set about doing today's assignment for Him."

Yes, even when we're trying to share Jesus with others, we can be drained.  We have to have that fullness that only HE can give.  If you're feeling empty today, I pray that you will take some time to rest in Him.  Be still.  Listen to what He has to say to you.  Only then will you be filled and full.