Your Health and the Environment

I believe most of us are committed to good health and have daily activities and routines we follow to help support our health. We exercise, take natural supplements, drink a high-protein smoothie, drink water, wear sunscreen...the list goes on! 

All these small steps taken day in and day out lead to a stronger and healthier YOU!

While all of those things are an excellent way to be healthy, I want to be sure you aren’t missing an important part of the health puzzle by being exposed to chemicals in your environment.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tracks more than 84,000 chemicals used in commerce.  These chemicals, have worked their way into our everyday lives. Now, no matter how clean you try to live, it is impossible to escape exposure from these chemicals that may put an amazingly heavy burden on our liver and other detoxification pathways in our bodies. Chemicals are found in the food we eat, clothes we wear, personal care products we use, and even the very products that we use to keep our homes clean and safe.

Take a look at the chemicals found in common household cleaners:

Name	Found in	Potentially harmful effects
Phthalates	Solvents used to make fragrances	Endocrine disrupters: Men with high levels of phthalates in their blood have reduced sperm counts.
Perchloroethylene(PERC)	Dry-cleaning solution, spot removers, carpet cleaners	The EPA classifies PERC as a possible carcinogen and has ordered a phase-out of the chemical by 2020.
Triclosan	An antibacterial found in dishwashing detergents and hand soaps	Leads to drug-resistant bacteria and is a possible hormone disrupter.
2-Butoxyethanol	Mostly found in window cleaners, is responsible for the sweet smell	General irritant when inhaled, at high levels can damage lungs, liver, and kidneys
Ammonia	Found in many cleaning products	When inhaled, it can irritate the lungs and potentially worsen asthma.
Chlorine	Another ubiquitous chemical, found in toilet bowl cleaner, mildew removers, laundry products, and even tap water	Chlorine is very reactive and irritates skin and lungs. It may disrupt the thyroid.

While it can be daunting to think that we are surrounded by so many chemicals, the good news is that there are fantastic natural choices that will do the job these chemicals do just as well without exposing you and your family to potentially harmful fumes, solvents, and toxins.

Be sure you only have safe, green cleaners under your sink and in your laundry. Choosing green cleaners means that you are doing the best for your health, the environment, and your family’s well-being! My family exclusively uses Shaklee green cleaners...they're safe, nontoxic, they work and are saving us a ton of money!

What is your favorite green cleaning tip?

Thank you to Dr. Jamie McManus for contributing much of this information!

What's in My Hair Styling Products? | Reading Labels

If you read my Facebook posts, you may have seen a post a few days back about the ingredient DMDM Hydantoin that's found in a lot of your everyday products like your hair care and body care products.
What is it?
According to wikipedia:

DMDM hydantoin is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative with the trade name Glydant. DMDM hydantoin is an organic compound belonging to a class of compounds known ashydantoins. It is used in the cosmetics industry and found in products like shampoos, hair conditioners, hair gels and skin care products.^[1][2]

DMDM hydantoin works as a preservative because the released formaldehyde makes the environment less favorable to the microorganisms.

So basically, DMDM hydantoin is a form of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can hide in your products under other names, such as: diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, and sodium hydroxylmethylglycinate.

Why do I take issue with this? I don't want any type of formaldehyde on my skin or anyone else in my family. Plus, while I know these types of ingredients are cost effective to the manufacturers, I really believe continued use over long periods of time can and will have an effect on our overall health.

While purchasing safer, more natural products seems more expensive today, I believe on down the road you might prevent future doctor visits, illnesses, a general feeling of 'yuck' by switching. Just my two cents!

OK, so after finding out about DMDM hydantoin, I went on a search through our home to see if we had any products that contained it. I was CERTAIN that we didn't.  (I know our cleaning products don't have this chemical in them; we use the best and safest!)

Boy, was I wrong!

Here's what I found. These are the hair styling products in our home that contain DMDM hydantoin.

Ugh. Time to get busy on our mission of eliminating ALL potentially toxic products in our home!

Question for you: What hair products do you use that are safe and natural? I'd love to have some recommendations!!

Note: I'm not a scientist, nor am I an expert in the chemicals field. I'm just a wife and mom on a continual search to replace potentially hazardous products in our home with safer, natural, effective alternatives. If I have written something that's in accurate, please feel free to start a discussion below!

How to Clean Your Cast Iron Sink in 2 Minutes, 35 Seconds!

We have this great cast iron sink in our laundry room. It's huge and we use it a lot for...well, for just about anything!
Lately, I've gotten the craft bug so I've been doing a lot of creating around the house. If you know me, when the creativity strikes, I just do it. I usually don't have a plan or a space...I just start working. 
Which leads to frequent messes. Well, my latest creative project made a huge mess in our sink. I'm talking glitter, spray adhesive, and black acrylic paint. Yikes!

I tried just rinsing the sink out with hot water, but that didn't help. At all. So I called in the big guns. Yep, you guessed it! My absolute favorite scrubbing paste: Scour Off!

I knew it was going to work in a super short period of time and I wanted to show you how quickly I got all the grime out of this sink...without having to scrub until my arm fell off and without having to use harsh chemicals! I was able to get that sink clean and sparkly in 2 minutes, 35 Seconds! Woo-hoo!

I just LOVE this stuff! Just like the entire Get Clean product line, Scour Off is safe, nontoxic, and it works! Plus, it's a HUGE money saver!
Order here and let me know how you like it! PS: Sign up for a LIFETIME membership and get 15% off retail, plus loads of other goodies!

Helpful Cleaners Cost Comparison

Hi there!
I wanted to share with you a great cost comparison for household cleaners. Some folks have a hard time swallowing the Get Clean Starter Kit at $99 (member price). I get it. It's a lot to fork out all at once. I was skeptical at first too. 

But after doing research, I found the cost savings over time are FANTASTIC! Do you want to spend up to $3000 per year just to keep your home clean? Or does about $100 sound more reasonable??
I took a chance on Shaklee's Get Clean line and our family hasn't looked back since! Not only have we SAVED a ton of money on cleaners, but we're using SAFE and NONTOXIC cleaners, too! No need to worry about calling Poison Control if one of our boys or pets gets into the cleaners.
Plus, they work and, a big deal for me...there are no perfumes or fragrances!

Click to see this wonderful Get Clean Cost Comparison sheet of our Get Clean line versus other household cleaners.
Are you surprised at how much it REALLY costs to use the brands from your local stores? And do you know what's really in those cleaners?? You can be assured that Shaklee's Get Clean line is safe, nontoxic, and natural!

31 Days of Healthy Living | Day 8

Hello! 
Today, I'm going to let you in on my secret to getting our sinks, tubs, and floors super clean. It's safe, natural, nontoxic, has no fumes or odors. It's Shaklee's Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste. Once you try this amazing scouring product, you will never go back to Comet, Ajax, Soft Scrub, or any other toxic and dangerous cleanser! This stuff WORKS!
We use Scour Off to get the grime out of our sinks, get ring around the tub out of the boys tub, get crayon off ceramic tile, easily clean pots and pans...really the uses of Scour Off are endless! 
Scour Off is a paste, so there are no dust clouds, no gross fumes, you don't have to clear out the house to use it. It's made from cherry pits (abrasive), and other natural mineral and biodegradable cleaning agents. No chlorine, no bleach, no dyes!
Check out some of the ways we use it in our home!

31 Days of Healthy Living | Day 1

My husband and I decided to make a healthy change in our lives back in 2012 and we haven't looked back since! Sharing our new found healthy lifestyle is a passion for both of us. I hope you enjoy this post...check back daily for updates!

Welcome to Day 1 of my Healthy Living Series! 
Today, I'm sharing with you my absolute favorite cleaning product; one I use exclusively for our home: Shaklee Basic H2 Organic Cleaning Concentrate! I use it to clean counters, dust furniture, clean windows and mirrors, mop floors, clean bathrooms, wash my dogs (YES!), rinse off vegetables, and so much more!
Not only is it versatile, but it's the cheapest, and safest cleaner you can find. And don't let me forget...it WORKS! (It's even cheaper than white vinegar, plus it doesn't stink!)

Some of the most questionable chemicals used in household products are ammonia, chlorine bleach, phenol, butyl cellosolve, and formaldehyde - DANGEROUS! Basic H is NONTOXIC and SAFE for your family!

Important Things to Remember!

• Basic H is the most economical cleaner you can buy. One quart makes 192 gallons of cleaning solution by following directions.
• Just 1/4 teaspoon of the concentrate makes a full 16oz bottle of cleaner! 
• DO NOT USE MORE THAN RECOMMENDED! A little goes a long way! Save $$!
• Basic H contains no acids, no alkalis, no kerosene or solvent, and has no offensive or detergent odor.
• Basic H has pH factor of 6.5, right in the range of human skin.
• Basic H makes water many times wetter.
• Basic H is a fantastically versatile cleaner. The successor is soap!

I just know once you try it, you're going to love it! All of my wonderful clients RAVE about Basic H...they haven't turned back to their toxic cleaners at all! Get some today!

Keeping Kids Healthy | Back to School Tips

It seems like most families in states around us have already started school. Here in north Texas school doesn't start until next week, and our boys start preschool in September! Now is the time to get organized for our kids health for this school year! If you're like me, an ideal school year would involve no sick days, no tummy aches, no runny noses...could we just keep them in a sterile little bubble? Here are a few of my best tips for starting the school year off happy and healthy!
Eat Clean and Healthy! When our boys (and us parents too!) are eating clean with minimal junk food, their little bodies don't have to work as hard to stay healthy. We juice almost daily, we offer fresh fruits and vegetables at every meal and for most snacks, and we eat fish and chicken a few times per week for proteins. 
Here are some of our favorite clean eating recipes: Juice recipes Grilled Veggie Tacos Homemade Honey Wheat Bread Grilled Fish Tacos Eggplant Caponata
Pop Those Multivitamins! Even though we strive to get the most nutrients we can through food, it's just not enough...for various reasons. We can't always afford to buy organic but we do the best we can. To supplement the nutritional gaps, we started the whole family on a great natural vitamin and supplement regimen about a year ago. I partner with the number one natural nutrition company, so naturally I recommend their vitamins, but it's really more than that. We've been really healthy since starting this regimen and being consistent about it. This past winter was our least sick winter on record! We had ZERO sick visits to the doctor for the entire family for NINE MONTHS! Woot!
Here's what the boys take daily. In fact, they call me out if I get distracted and forget!

• VitaLea OceanWonders for their multivitamin
• Chewable Vitamin C for added immunity
• Optiflora Probiotic to keep their stomachs in tip top shape

You can read about what's in our natural medicine cabinet here.
Keep Germs Away! This goes without saying, but since our kids are going to be around other kids and in more germy places, remind them to wash their hands with soap frequently! And do it at home too! Sometimes it's not possible to wash hands, so keeping a safe, nontoxic hand sanitizer with you (and even in the kids backpacks) is a good idea. Our favorite it Young Living's Thieves. 
Another thing I do to help keep the bacteria and germs at bay is to apply Thieves essential oil to the bottoms of the boys feet before they head off to school, playdates, or places like a bounce house. It smells just like the Thieves hand sanitizer. Yum!

Get Some Zzzz's! I don't know about you, but I feel so much better when I'm well rested and have had enough sleep at night. We are pretty structured when it comes to sleep for our kids...they're both in bed by 8pm every night. Our boys need their 10-11 hours of sleep. When they don't get it, they're overly tired and their little bodies have a harder time fighting off the germs! 
I'd love to hear what you do to help keep your kids healthy through the school year and answer any questions you may have!
Join my Facebook group page today!

Do You Clean? | Check Out this Product!

School is almost back in session here in Texas! I don't know about you, but when we have upcoming changes to our routine, I get the cleaning bug. I want everything to be bright, shiny and clean when we start back up to preschool this year!

So today I'm going to share with you my absolute favorite cleaning product; one I use exclusively for our home: Basic H Organic Cleaning Concentrate.  I've talked about it before, but friends, I just can't talk enough about it! It is so versatile!

I use it to clean counters, dust furniture, clean windows and mirrors, mop floors, clean bathrooms, wash my dogs (YES!), rinse off vegetables, and so much more!

Not only is it versatile, but it's the cheapest, and safest cleaner you can find. And don't let me forget...it WORKS! (It's even cheaper than white vinegar, plus it doesn't stink!)

Here is a fantastic list of ways you can use this organic, nontoxic, safe, effective Shaklee cleaner in your home!

• Dishes: 1/2 teaspoon in the dishpan. Fill with dishes and let stand for a few minutes to loosen food.
• Automatic dishwashers: Use Shaklee Dishwasher Concentrate
• Spot Remover: Apply Basic H directly on the spotted area. Use a toothbrush or finger to rub in. Wipe off with a damp cloth or rinse. Great for coffee, lipstick, ink, or grass removal!
• Cleaning Hands: Put a few drops in your hand and rub thoroughly with a bit of water. Rinse as usual. Great for removing tobacco stains, onion, and garlic!
• Gum: Use full strength
• Ironing: A few drops in your iron will help prevent rusty water from coming out of the steamer.

Other Important Things to Remember!

• Basic H is the most economical cleaner you can buy. One quart makes 192 gallons of cleaning solution by following directions.
• DO NOT USE MORE THAN RECOMMENDED! A little goes a long way! Save $$!
• Basic H contains no acids, no alkalis, no kerosene or solvent, and has no offensive or detergent odor.
• Basic H has pH factor of 6.5, right in the range of human skin.
• Basic H makes water many times wetter.
• Basic H is a fantastically versatile cleaner. The successor is soap!
• Basic H does not hinder bacterial action of septic tanks or cesspools.
• In extremely stubborn areas of grease or stains, use Shaklee’s Scour Off scouring cleaner. (It lasts forever and smells like cherries!!)

I recommend starting with our 

• Get Clean Starter Kit (regular or unscented)
• Scour Off (did I mention it smells like cherries??)
• Basic G (germicide - not mentioned in this post, but it's going to replace all your toxic bleaches!)

SHOP HERE!

I want to be honest, I am not trying to sell you these products just to make a buck. I believe in Shaklee's Get Clean line and doing what's right for my family and for our environment! Using natural, nontoxic, fragrance free products that WORK and don't have HARSH CHEMICALS around my kids is the right thing to do! (Hint: if you like your cleaners to have a fragrance, a few drops of essential oils can do that!)

Not only is the Get Clean line natural and safe...the products actually WORK! I mean it! I would not spend this much time on a post for something that doesn't work! BONUS: they save you money too!

If you're not a member already, I encourage you to join my Member Team! You have the option to earn free product within your first 30 days of membership, have online support, join a community of likeminded friends, get member only specials and get your home and family HEALTHIER! 

Join me in the mission to create healthier, happier lives! Thank you!!

Green Your Life | Easy Ways to Do It!

Did you have a great weekend? We sure did!

Earth Day was in April, but I figure, why not try to be Earth conscious all year long? It's our only home and it's important to take care of it!

When I talk about going green, some people have responded to me with anxiety. I know where they're coming from! When you see a list of all the things you could/should/would do, it can be totally overwhelming! We are not a perfectly green family...far from it. But, we've taken a lot of steps to try to be greener and help keep our planet healthy. We have oodles of room to improve, but small steps are better than no steps!

Today, I wanted to share with you our list of things we do as a family to be green!

Replace toxic cleaners. When we got serious about this, we started by replacing all of our home cleaners (all purpose, toilet bowl cleaners, glass cleaners, etc) with natural, non-toxic, all-purpose cleaner. As you know, we use Shaklee's Basic H as our go to for cleaning just about everything in our home! Really!

This one product can:

• Be the replacement for ALL of your toxic household cleaners
• Can clean everything and the kitchen sink
• Eliminate amonnia-based window cleaners
• Remove the impossible...think crayons, gum, markers
• Cuts grease with ease
• Does odd jobs
• Is a perfect camping companion
• Saves money
• Is easy on the planet
• And puts less in landfills!

Clean up your laundry with a natural non-toxic detergent. By using a non-toxic detergent and fabric softener, I don't have to worry about my family going to sleep on sheets that have leftover perfumes and who-knows-what in them from being 'cleaned!' I've never been much of a perfume fan anyway, so this detergent is perfect for us!





Read your beauty product labels. After we got the cleaning and laundry products squared away, I moved on to our bathroom and started reading the labels on the kids soaps and shampoos. Once again, I was sold by the labels saying 'natural' on them. Upon closer look, I found out that Johnson & Johnson owns Aveeno. No bueno for this momma. So I got their soaps and shampoos replaced and started on ours.

We've been pleased with Burt's Bees products and the Shaklee Enfuselle Line! I use Burt's Bees Radiance for my facial cleanser and daily moisturizer and Shaklee Enfuselle for my night cream. We both use Tom's deodorants.




Use cloth dish rags and cloth napkins.  We started using cloth dish rags and cloth napkins about five years ago and haven't looked back. Honestly, I started using them because I was sick of spending so much money on paper towels...I wasn't even concerned about the environment. I have a basket under the kitchen sink with a giant stack of dish rags. Luckily, our laundry room is just off the kitchen so it's super easy for me to toss the dirty towels right into the laundry basket! We still use paper towels but not near as much as we could.

Eliminate plastic containers and use glass. We're working on this. We have two young boys and concrete and tile floors through out the house. We're still a mostly plastic storage family, so it's a work in progress.

Less bottled water. We don't buy bottled water. We have filtered water and tons of reusable water bottles that we use every single day. Just as with the paper towel thing, I was too cheap to keep buying bottled water and wanted to save money. So I'm doing that, plus helping to keep waste down. There are a ton of great water bottle options out there! We have bunch of these Contigo bottles. I know they're plastic, but I don't like to drink water out of stainless steel.

Reusable grocery bags. I use these about 90% of the time when shopping. I've noticed the grocery clerks are able to pack a lot more in them than the plastic bags, and they're so much easier to carry, especially when you've got a toddler in your arms! Just be sure to wash your bags regularly because they can get some funky germs in them! See how I do it here.







Recycle! This probably goes without saying. If you live in an area that has a recycling program, it's really very easy to do it and get in the recycle habit! Pretty much anything you use can be recycled. Just take a look at your areas requirements! We have a special recycle bucket in our laundry room where all our paper, junk mail, boxes, glass bottles, and any other recyclable go. About 2-3 times per week, I dump it in our outside bin.

And that, my friends, is how we're working towards being a greener family! I know we can do better, but we're taking small steps all the time to lead a greener, cleaner life!

What things does your family do to be green?

Have you joined my Facebook and Twitter community yet? I'd love to connect with you!

Do You Experience these Signs?

I'm passionate about removing toxins from homes. Toxins are primarily found in your home cleaning products; the bleaches, the 409's, the stainless steel cleaners, the laundry detergents, the dish soaps.

Many, many of your everyday home cleaners are dangerous chemicals in them. When it comes to home cleaning products, you really have little to go on beyond the warning labels the manufacturer is required to use. DANGER, WARNING, and POISON just give you a general idea of the seriousness of the unknown substances in the product. And those warnings apply only to a products immediate health effects, they don't say what can happen to your health after using them for a long period of time.

Scary.

I've compiled a list of things you might experience with your everyday home cleaners. If you experience these things, I encourage you to consider switching to non-toxic home cleaners. If not for YOUR health's sake, but for the sake of your FAMILY!

You should consider switching to non-toxic cleaners if you experience:

• Headaches during or after use
• Burning eyes
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Burning skin from contact with cleaners
• You freak out when your kids even look at the bottle of cleaner

You have a choice! You can get your home clean and not kill yourself at the same time! It's true!

And you know what? It doesn't have to be expensive!

Now there are many non-toxic cleaner recipes floating around, which are fantastic. They are made of your everyday ingredients: white vinegar, baking soda, and the like. All are non-toxic and all get your home clean! If you're interested in making your own (and you have the time!), then this is a fantastic way to start getting the poison out of your home!

In our home, we've completely Shaklee-ized our lives. You can check every cabinet in our home and you'll only find the Get Clean Line. It's wonderful! Shaklee's Get Clean line is SAFE, GREEN, and it WORKS! Read more about the Shaklee Difference here.


I've written several posts about getting toxin out of the home and you can view them below:

Green Cleaning Saves Money!

The Real Dirt on Clean!

How I Clean Quickly Without Toxins


And I have a secret for you...making your own cleaners may not be as cost effective as you think!

Cost Comparison: Vinegar vs Shaklee

Do you use non-toxic cleaners in your home? If not, are you willing to try them? I'd love your feedback!

Join me on the Healthy Life, Happy Life Facebook community!

Getting Our Pots and Pans CLEAN

As you may know (since I complain about it in just about every post), I hate doing the dishes. I especially do not like scrubbing pots and pans that have yuck all over them.

Well, Shaklee's Scour Off have definitely helped eliminate the frustration and the yuck of scrubbing our pots and pans.

You see, my sweet husband is a fantastic cook. Lucky me! However, he's not always the best as cleaning up after himself. Sigh.

Quite often, there are pots and pans with stuck on stuff, grease, and what have you sitting on the counter just calling my name.

Enter Scour Off.

Do you see the mess on that pan? Gross.

All I do to get it off, quickly and easily, is get a very wet sponge, a dab (less is more!) of Scour Off and start rubbing in on the pan. The key is a little Scour Off and quite a bit of water. As with all of Shaklee's cleaning products, it's concentrated and you don't need a whole lot to get the job done.

What I L-O-V-E about Scour Off is that it's non-toxic, so my kids can help clean. That's my four year old's hand you see in the picture. I also love the fact that a little goes a long way, and that is smells good! No fumes, no chemical smells. In fact, it's made with cherry pits, so it smells like cherries!

Our home has been Shaklee-ized for almost a year and we couldn't be happier! Shaklee's non-toxic cleaners are wonderful; they work and their saving us money!

Join me on Facebook and Twitter! I love connecting with my bloggy friends!

The Real Dirt on Clean - A Basic H Giveaway!

Are you living in a healthy home?
You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you've just cleaned house? Sorry to spoil it, but you may have just made your home dirtier.

Think of it this way. You wouldn't let your kids play with toxic
chemicals, so why would you let the baby crawl over a floor that's just been wiped with them? That's much more dangerous than the orange juice that was just there.

How dangerous? Just take a look at these statistics.

• Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home.
• Common bleach is the #1 household chemical involved in poisoning.
  
• Organic pollutants, found in many common cleaners and even air fresheners, are 2 to 5 times higher inside your home than out.
  
• A person who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale three times the "acute one-hour exposure limit" for glycol ether-containing products set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
  
• Common cleaners give off fumes that have been linked to increasing the risk of your kids developing asthma, the most common serious chronic childhood disease.
  
• 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children under five have increased more than 160% from 1980 – 1994.
• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food or air.
• If your home is anything like the average U.S. home, you generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste). 

Get Those Toxins Out of Your Home!

There are alternatives for these dangerous chemicals and cleaners. Shaklee Get Clean  is a wonderful product line that contains nothing harmful or dangerous. From Basic H to Fresh Laundry, these products not only clean well, they are concentrated down so you only need a little to clean a lot. So as you get the toxins out of your home with Shaklee's Get Clean Line , you save money...and lots of it. 

For example: 

• Shaklee's Laundry detergent....just 1 ounce does one load.
• Our BasicH.....just 1/4 tsp added to 16 ounces of water makes a great all purpose cleaner...for only 3 cents per bottle!
• Basic H for window cleaner .....just 2 drops added to 16 ounces of water makes a great window cleaner....for less than 1 cent per bottle!

And Now for the Giveaway!

Five lucky winners will receive a free sample of Basic H! This tiny packet really packs a punch! You will be able to make two 16oz bottles of cleaner! You're going to save money and the environment with the wonderful product!

Follow the rules below to enter! And be sure to check out my store and let me know which Shaklee products interest you the most! Shaklee- Healthy Life, Happy Life

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deodorant Must-Know's

So, if you're like me and are fairly new to the green living, getting toxins out of your life adventure, then you might not know about what yucky things are in your...deodorant.

Yes, that stuff that keeps you from being stinky when you sweat perspire.

There is information all over the Internet about the chemicals that are in your regular old Dove, Secret, Arrid, etc. And that information isn't really comforting to me. Some of these ingredients have been proven to cause cancer. Sigh. Again, with the cancer causing ingredients that seem to be in EVERYTHING.

I myself was an avid Dove user. It worked on my sweating perspiration, plus it smelled nice. Not overwhelming, but enough to make me think it's doing it's job.

Then, I read through this list of ingredients that are in your typical antiperspirant.

1. Aluminum- absorbed through the skin and accumulates in the body. That can't be good, right?
2. Parabens- (methyl, ethyl, propyl, benzyl and butyl) - are all derived from toluene a toxic petrochemical derivitive. Toluene is toxic if swallowed or inhaled and is harmful for the skin. Since '00, 13 research studies have shown that various types of parabens act like estrogen in animals and tissue cultures. It's also known to drive the growth of cancerous cells. What the ...?? Evil, evil parabens!
3. Triclosan- a skin irritant. It is stored in body fat and classified as a pesticide by the FDA. Lovely.
4. Talc- classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
5. Propylene glycol- May cause delayed allergic reactions. It's been said that it is neurotoxin and can cause liver or kidney damage. The FDA has not fully investigated these claims. Good ol FDA on our side!
6. Silica- a skin irritant. 
7. Steareth-n- a known human carcinogen.

Isn't this information so reassuring scary to think about? I mean, most of our deodorants have these ingredients in them. And for what? So we can smell nice? Um, no thanks. 

So, I tossed my Dove and went searching for an alternative that did not have those nasty ingredients. There are quite a few out there. I chose Tom's of Maine as my first go around for all natural, non-toxic deodorant. I've been pleased so far. It works well, smells nice, and I'm confident that I'm not putting nasty chemicals (at least from deodorant) into my body. 

If this list of ingredients makes you want to try something a little healthier for your body, make sure you look for antiperspirants that contain ingredients like vegetable glycerin, bioflavinoids and lichen, herbs or herb extracts, de-ionized or distilled water, green tea, aloe vera, baking soda, and essential oils.

What do you think? Is this list of dangerous ingredients scary to you or do you think I'm being a little paranoid? Have you switched your brands? 


Disclaimer: Tom's of Maine did not ask me to mention them in this post. 

Fooled by Labels Again!

 As my husband and I are becoming more aware of what's in our foods and other products, like lotions, other toiletries, medicines, etc, I've become increasingly annoyed at how much garbage is in everything!

OK, so I'm probably several years late joining the non-toxic, chemical free train, but better late than never, right?

I try to carefully read labels and not buy products that have...well ingredients that don't add value to the product.

And I just don't get why companies put ingredients in their products that have been proven harmful or unnecessary. I was reading the label on our Johnson and Johnson baby wash and there are parabens and, wait for it, Red 40 in there. Seriously? Dye in body wash for kids? It's SOAP for crying out loud. It goes directly from the bottle to my hand to my child's body.  It doesn't need to be colorful.

I have purchased J&J for four years because I assumed it was kid-safe, healthy, etc.  I mean, it's tear free, it's specifically for kids, so it must be ok, right?  Fooled by the label! 

I bought some Musselmans Natural Applesauce a few weeks ago, again thinking, "It's Musselmans, it's natural, it's healthy, it's fine." Upon reading the ingredients, I saw that HFCS is added to the applesauce. What? Come ON! Applesauce is sweet already, it doesn't need to taste like candy people! Why is this unnecessary ingredient added to my child's food? Fooled by the label! 

So now I'm on a mission to check labels in our home and get rid of the items that have junk in them. It's going to be a lot of tossing, I'm sure. It's going to be a frustrating process...that's a fact. I can only imagine how many items I have in our home that fooled me by their labels.

So tell me, have you been fooled by labels? Please tell me I'm not the only one?

A Few of My Favorite Things - Skin Care

Disclaimer: I am not paid to review these products. I buy them with my own money and have chosen to review them myself. If you'd like me to review your products, then please contact me!

Since my family has joined the green living, get the processed junk out of our homes, being more aware of what we're consuming revolution, I've switched my skin care products from effective, less expensive, but has junk in it, to effective, a little more pricey, but worth every penny not to have the junk in it.

Here are a few of my new favorite skin care products! 

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes 

L-O-V-E these! See, I'm really lazy when it comes to washing my face at night. After I brush my teeth, I just want to fall into bed because I'm so exhausted. I've been searching for a great wipe that works well and doesn't have parabens, petrolatum, and all that other funk in it. These are fantastic! They smell good, they work, and they are all natural. Another plus is they don't break the bank.





Burt's Bees Radiance Day Lotion

This stuff is awesome! I'd been using Oil of Olay since I was 15 and it worked well, but it has the junk in it. So I tried BB's a few months ago and have been so happy about it. It doesn't break out my face, I can tell it has SPF in it when I miss a spot on my neck, and it's at a great price point. I heart Burt's Bees!






Enfuselle Hydrating Moisture

Of course, you know there had to be a Shaklee product in there :) My sister in-law is actually the one that got me on this moisturizer. It's wonderful, smooth, doesn't clog pores, etc. It's perfect for all seasons and for all skin types. I'm anxious to try the entire line of our Enfuselle products!


So you might be wondering where I'm getting all this information about the 'junk' and 'funk' in various products. Trust me, I'm not just pulling things out of the air. There's a ton of research out there about what we are actually putting on our skin. The site I refer to a lot for information is EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. 
 
Skin Deep contains information and online safety assessments for:
75,125 products | 2,966 brands | 260,676,188 searches since 2004


It's helpful and a little overwhelming at the same time. There's a lot of information on the site. Check it out if you ever want to know what's in your cosmetics!

I hope you found this helpful! Tell me, what are you favorite skin care products?

How I Clean Quickly and WITHOUT Toxins!

We are in the process of Shaklee-izing our home; in a nutshell, getting rid of all the toxic cleaners that we've been using for years. I'm talking about your 409's, bleaches, Lysol's, Clorox Wipes, etc. Why? Well, toxins are in all of these name brand cleaning products. 

 

Toxins = bad, bad, bad. They absorb into your skin, you can inhale them, you have to worry about your kiddos ingesting them on accident. Need I go on?

You may be thinking, green cleaning products = expensive or doesn't work. So not true with my Shaklee Get Clean products!

 

I have to admit, I was very overwhelmed at what to get when I started our Shaklee-izing journey. With the help of a friend, I decided to get the Get Clean Starter Kit. It has everything I need to get my entire home clean and toxin-free. I've been suggesting this to all my family and friends when they decide to join us on this clean, green adventure. Not one person has said they wish they hadn't chosen the Starter Kit. 

 

But I digress...

Here's the low down on the cost of the Get Clean line. One 16 oz bottle of Basic H Organic Concentrate costs $12.15. One 16 oz bottle of Mrs. Meyers Countertop Spray costs about $5.  What's the difference? That 16 oz of Basic H is going to make up to 48 GALLONS of all purpose cleaner! To get 48 gallons of Mrs. Meyers, you'd have to spend over $1900! That is crazy expensive!

Now about the thought that green cleaning products don't work. Not true. At least not with the Get Clean line. My husband (skeptic extroidinaire) has been very impressed with the quality of these products. I've even heard him recommend them to his co-workers! The Get Clean line really does work. And it doesn't take extra scrubbing to get it to work...it just does!

Let me give you a show and tell of how I quickly and greenly (is that a word??) clean our bathrooms. These products are so easy to use, that I just spray and wipe, spray and wipe!

Here's what I use every time.

• Basic H for the mirrors and the chrome faucets. This stuff works! No streaks! Just mix 2 drops of the concentrate into a 16 oz bottle. It only costs $.02 per 16 oz. Yep, that's pennies!
• With that, I use the Microfiber Window Cloth on the mirrors and chrome. It is wonderful. No streaks and I don't waste expensive paper towels! Woot!
• Scour Off is for the tub. I may or may not use it...depends on how much dirt my boys leave in there!  Scour off takes of rust, mold, hard water build up, and it smells like cherries!
• Basic G for all of the surfaces like the counters, the tile in the tub, and the toilet. It replaces bleach products and works so.much.better. For starters, it's not going to fry your nose hairs from the smell. Plus, it kills over 40 microbes that just lurk in homes. Just like Basic H, it's economical. One quart makes 64 gallons!
• Nature Bright Laundry Booster and Stain Remover. What? Laundry booster in the bathroom? Oh, yes. This handy dandy stuff cleans the commode. Leaves it sparkling white!  Just flush, add 2 scoops of Nature Bright, spray a little Basic G in there, give it a swirl with the brush, and flush again! 

 

And here are some before and after pics. 

SPOTTY

SPARKLY

SPOTTY

CRYSTAL CLEAR!

 I hope you found this helpful. Please visit my Shaklee site to see the products I mentioned!