I'm fresh off of Kelly Brogan's "A Mind of Your Own" and Josh Axe's "Eat Dirt." So, I'm in detox mode. However, the whole "you need to buy an organic mattress" thing is a bit hard to swallow financially. I'll have to wait on that one.
Here are the top 8 compounds to avoid in your cosmetics, household products, personal hygiene products, and more.
1. Parabens. Sadly, this was in all of the cosmetics I was using. It can also be found in some biopsied breast cancer tumors. So, there's that.
2. Sodium Laureth/Lauryl Sulfate. Again, in all of my lotions and hair products. Luckily not linked to cancer yet, but still nasty in many other ways.
3. Phosphates and Phthalates. I am a sucker for that distinct Moroccanoil fragrance. It's intoxicating. It might take me a while to phase this one out, but unfortunately synthetic fragrances have the potential to mimic hormones, thus altering them.
4. Chlorines. The same chemical used to clean the kiddie pool is used in your tampons. They can also be laced with pesticides. Yikes.
5. BPA. I feel like the danger of this one is pretty well-known, but it's still in many plastics.
6. Petroleum. It's just not optimal.
7. Talc. You guys, this stuff is in BABY POWDER. Some of us have been exposed to this since birth. Scary considering there are multiple lawsuits against J&J for its talcum being carcinogenic.
8. Hexavalent Chromium. Poor Erin Brockovich. All that work she did, and there is still contaminated groundwater in so many cities.
Don't feel you have throw out everything and go into the red to replace it all. Do it little by little. When you finish up your current bottle of shampoo, consider replacing it with something from the Honest Company. (Yes, the Jessica Alba company. Yes, she's still hot.) They have a longer list of health-harming chemicals here.
Other ways to detox your home include: using a HEPA air filter, using water filters instead of tap water, and having lots of live plants around your home.
I used to be quite naive. I used to think, "Why would a company put something in a product that could be harmful?" And the reality is, lots of companies put chemicals into their products because it's beneficial for their bottom line. We can blame The Man for this.
But also, companies do this because we keep buying their products. We can blame ourselves for this.
By getting rid of any offending chemicals, we get one step closer to mental health recovery.
