First post in awhile, I know! I’ve actually written down a few blog topics to keep me going, so hopefully it won’t be whole seasons in between posts going forward. The won’t all be on this topic so if this post bores you then just wait for the next one and it might be better =o) To entertain you between paragraphs, I’ve inserted random pictures for your viewing pleasure…I personally don’t follow blogs that don’t have pictures in them. But I’m too lazy to find applicable pictures and make sure to put in where I found them so I’m not stealing, so you get my own pictures instead.
Min and Harvey being cozy
So my first post after a nice long break is about something new I’m trying: Getting rid of chemicals, preservatives and toxins in my house! I hadn’t really thought about it before, but apparently some of the things we eat and use in our homes are really dangerous! Some foods have more chemicals than actual food in them, and some of things we put on our bodies can be just as harmful. I’ve been trying to buy organic produce, cut out preservatives and chemicals in our food and just eat better in general. But I didn’t think much about the other things in my home that could be dangerous.
My mom and I!
This blog post is what got me going on this: Identifying and Avoiding Toxins in Beauty and Personal Care Products It was a guest post from a blog I’d been following which I’ve really enjoyed called Keeper of the Home You should check them both out, they have great tips and ideas! Another great blog I’ve found is Crunchy Betty that has fun homemade recipes and ideas to try.
One hungry niece
So I started reading about how harmful some of the chemicals in my shampoo, conditioner, face wash, etc. can be and it got me thinking. Now if the only solution was to stop using all beauty products altogether, I wouldn’t be so excited. But, the blogs above have some really cool, all natural (and coincidentally very thrifty) alternatives that I’ve slowly been incorporating. And the best part is, they have been working just as well as or sometimes even better than the store bought stuff I’ve spent hundreds of dollars on in the past.
Min being adorably cute
Some of the things I’ve tried making homemade so far are facial cleanser, shampoo & conditioner (still in a transition period with the conditioner, but really liking the shampoo), deoderant (I was a big nay-sayer on this one at first but I like it a lot now), laundry soap and house cleaner. I am just really excited about trying these things out because they are super cheap to make, super easy to make, and they work really well! Plus I know that I am not inhaling, ingesting, or absorbing harmful chemicals which makes me smile!
I wish I was there now!
And belive me, I am not at the forefront of this movement toward the natural. There are so many sites out there with information on this topic! One other thing I did was go to the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database and look up some of the products I use to see what their danger level is. I was pretty shocked! The site will tell you what danger level the product is (from 0-10) and what the specific ingredients are and how they can be harmful. I actually just got through purging all my beauty products (which I may regret later) but I figured I would be more inclined to make and use a natural version of something if I didn’t have the old one still sitting around.
Actually I just wish it was as warm here as it was in this picture
So that concludes my post. I encourage you to visit the sites I’ve linked above and check it out for yourself! And hope you enjoyed the photos (the last two are there because I am sooooo excited for summer to be here!)
