Did you know… you could have hidden chemicals lurking in your home that you’ve never really thought about?
First, we use products on our bodies, in our homes, and around our families every day. We absorb some substances through our skin and breathe others into our lungs. I didn’t realize that environmental factors were so important for our wellness until I got diagnosed with cancer for the second time. This is so important that I feel called to get on my soap-box to alert others.
Keep reading to learn some easy tips on how to make sure your products are good for your family.
Secondly, while not every chemical is harmful, the sheer number of ingredients we encounter every day is worth paying attention to. Think about how many personal-care products you use before you even leave the house—soap, shampoo, skincare, makeup and hair products. Each one can contain numerous ingredients.
“Knowledge is the antidote to fear.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yes, there can be some concerning ingredients in the products we use every day. 🫣 But I don’t believe we need to live in fear. I believe we just need knowledge and awareness.
Thirdly, when we know what’s in the products we’re using—and understand what those ingredients may do—we have the power to make informed choices. We can choose to keep using a product or we can choose to make a change.
Why This is Important to Me
In light of my second cancer diagnosis in 2011, I honestly couldn’t understand why this kept happening to me and I sure didn’t want a third. So, I began researching and started reading labels.
Although it seemed I spent FOREVER standing in store aisles, scanning ingredient lists trying to figure out if I should put this in my cart or not, I was beginning to become empowered. 💪 Of course, I couldn’t control everything that I could be exposed with—but I could control what I chose to bring into my home and put on my body. One of the first things we did was to clean up our laundry and household cleaners, then toiletries, and decided to purchase our meat from a butcher instead of the grocery store.
In view of what I went through, I want you to be Empowered as well. Take control of our health.
Why We Can’t Trust What’s on the Shelves
You’d think that the agency’s in charge of keeping us safe are actually doing their jobs. However, when the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was passed in 1976, it was supposed to start protecting consumers, but unfortunately approximately 62,000 existing chemicals were grandfathered into the system – WITHOUT being tested. They could remain on the store shelves and continue to be sold without manufacturers having to generate and disclose extensive hazard information for each chemical.
Furthermore, the U.S. regulatory system has historically had significant gaps in chemical safety data. The TSCA literature documents the limitations surrounding the large number of existing chemicals when the law was enacted.
In addition, a historical analysis cited in the Congressional Record reported that the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reviewed a list of 2,983 chemicals used in cosmetics and identified 884 that had been reported to the government as toxic substances.
Last, but not least, then there’s one ingredient label word that may seem innocent, but truly deserves a closer look:
FRAGRANCE IS NOT YOUR FRIEND
Of course we all want our homes to smell wonderful. Certain aromas can bring back memories, create a sense of comfort, or simply make a space feel fresh and inviting. But the word “fragrance” on an ingredient label can represent a complex mixture of ingredients, and companies may not be required to disclose every individual component of a fragrance mixture because of trade-secret protections.
That means you may not know exactly what you’re getting.
Some fragrance ingredients can be associated with problems such as skin irritation, headaches, respiratory irritation, or allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. They also emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into your home.
Before I knew better, I used to be BIG on using candles, plug-ins, and wax melts to scent my home. Plus, I always ran to the mall when the big sale on scented pump soaps and lotions was released. Now I use naturally scented lotions and soaps and always have my diffuser humming with quality essential oils instead.
So I encourage you to become a label reader. Look beyond the pretty packaging and marketing claims.
What About the Air Quality in Your Home?
Unfortunately, the products we use can also affect the air we breathe. They don’t merely absorb into your skin, they also out-gas into the air in your homes.
According to the American Lung Association, some household cleaning products can release substances that may contribute to problems such as eye and throat irritation, headaches, allergic reactions, and respiratory symptoms. And because many of us spend a significant amount of time indoors, the products we use in our homes are worth considering.
Is someone in your household is sensitive to fragrances or experiences respiratory irritation? If so, pay close attention to this.
Don’t Be Fooled by Marketing
As a result of learning all of these things, I started making different choices at the stores. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of being the gatekeeper of my home. Then, to my dismay, I discovered something else:
Not everything marketed as “green,” “natural,” or “clean” is necessarily what it appears to be.
Green washing is when marketing makes a product appear more environmentally friendly, natural, or “better” than its ingredients or practices actually support. Words on their label like these can sound reassuring:
- Natural
- Plant-based
- Plant-derived
- Botanical
- Earth-friendly
- Gentle
- Green
- Fragrance-free
- Free & Clear
But here’s the important part: A marketing claim on a label is not the same thing as an ingredient list. “Natural” doesn’t automatically mean safe, and “synthetic” doesn’t automatically mean dangerous. That’s why I encourage people to look past the front of the package and actually investigate what’s inside. Read that ingredient label.
Why Cleaning Things Up Matters
‘But, I only use a little bit of this and a little big of that’, you may say. Well, those little bits add up and accumulate in and gum up your system. We’re exposed to so many different substances from many different sources throughout our lives.
Consider this – some chemicals can:
- ☢️ Persist in the body or environment
- ☢️ Interact with other substances
- ☢️ Affect people differently depending on their individual circumstances (elderly, pregnant)
- ☢️ Have different effects at different levels of exposure
That doesn’t mean every exposure will cause harm. It means it’s reasonable to ask: Can I reduce some of the unnecessary exposures in my own home?
For me, the answer was yes. And I started with small changes.
Go Slow
In conclusion, please don’t look around your house and think: “Oh my goodness! Now I have to throw everything away!” 😳 – that’s not what I’m suggesting.
Start small. Become curious. Read your labels. Research the products you use most often. And replace things gradually as they run out. Let’s keep it simple and start with a small challenge. Just focus on these three areas of your home:
- 🧺 Your laundry room
- 🧽 Under your kitchen sink
- 🛁 Your bathroom
With this in mind, pull out a few products and actually read the ingredient labels. Then research the ingredients. You can use resources such as the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to learn more. Knowledge is power. You don’t have to become an ingredient expert overnight. You simply have to start paying attention.
- Household Cleaners: EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning
- Personal Care Products: EWG Skin Deep Database
You Are the Boss of Your Home
Knowing that I can’t control everything I’m exposed to—One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned on my own wellness journey is this: I can make thoughtful choices about what I allow into my home.
And so can you. You have the freedom to learn. You have the freedom to ask questions. You have the freedom to make different choices. And you don’t have to make all those changes at once.
Things to Start
- Read your ingredient labels
- Check your products on the Environmental Working Group apps
- If you don’t like what you see – make changes
- Look for healthier alternatives, The EWG has clean product listings you can search as well.
- Start with one product. Then another. Small changes can add up.
- Don’t stop until you’re happy with what you are using
That’s what I did. And now, I want to help and encourage you do the same. Let me know how your 3 area challenge goes and what you discover.
Want to learn about safer alternatives?
Click here to get my FREE Guide to Toxin-Free Living.
Let me know what you think of the information by commenting below or reach out to me with any questions 💚 Have you made similar changes?
