Detox

Last year I began a more rigorous effort to detox our lives and do even more to reduce our waste/protect the environment. It is daunting to see the deep dive of things to change in one’s life once you get started down this path. From toothpaste and lotions, to food & food storage, light bulbs, cordless phones, everything, really, needs to change.

I started by removing cordless phones from the house last spring to reduce our exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and it went on from there. Bye-bye wireless computer mice, headphones and, just sayin’ “no,” to any new—unnecessary—devices that I was considering, for example the iRobot Roomba sweeper sounded great, but I’ve crossed that one off the list. And sorry Alexa, no can do. I’ll turn on the music myself, thanks.

Next to go were the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) that have Mercury in them and also emit EMFs. If one of these twisty bulbs breaks in your house it’s recommended that you leave the house for 30 minutes to avoid breathing in the toxic vapors. What?! The Environmental Protection Agency offers instructions on how to deal with a broken CFL and I’ll tell ya, I’m not liking the sound of any of this, so out they went, too. I’m back to traditional incandescent bulbs that are not as energy efficient, true, but we use low wattage as much as possible and lights out when we leave a room.

And the list goes on, below are a few other detox adjustments I’ve made during 2018. The main point here is do what works for you. Do your own research to decide what you are willing to believe, accept, and apply to your life. Don’t expect bottles of product to warn you that its contents may be dangerous to your health, your skin, linked to disease, etc.  You have to look this stuff up yourself. As I tell my daughter all the time, we have to be our own Super Heros. Companies are not going to offer this stuff up. They want to sell you their products.

MY DETOX REPLACEMENTS

Plastics containers

I removed all plastic containers in the kitchen, so our food is stored (fridge, freezer, cupboard) exclusively in glass or stainless steel. No more plastics containers; they’re okay for storing none food items, but I gave them the pink slip for use in the kitchen.

Plastic wrap

Is on the way out at our house! I’ve replaced plastic bags/wraps with paper and wax paper bags primarily. I bought a roll of butcher paper and tape and use that to wrap food, too. I am hoping that soon no more plastic bags are used in our kitchen (or to line trash) and any plastic-like bags are made of plants and are biodegradable.

Straws

Since we like to use straws, I bought J. and I stainless steel and silicon straws that we wash and reuse. We take them with us. We say no to straws in restaurants. No way!

Antiperspirant vs Deodorant

Deodorant wins! Why? I don’t want the aluminum that antiperspirants contain to help plug our pores so we don’t sweat as much. Come on, sweating is good! Skin needs to breathe—push the bad stuff out, bring the good stuff in. And there are two main health issues usually cited when talking about aluminum fears: breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. You’ll have to read up on this and come to your own conclusions, but I’d looked into it myself and would rather not increase my chances of developing either of those diseases for the sake of dry underarms.

I use any deodorant like Tom’s of Maine that uses naturally derived ingredients. At first when I made the switch from antiperspirant to deodorant I developed a rash and learned it was from sweating and my skin rubbing together. Makes sense. So I added powder (I use a mix of organic corn starch and baking soda and dab it on with a big fat make-up brush after applying the deodorant. Works perfectly well. No rash, dry underarms, it’s all good.

Toothpaste

We are fluoride-free now. Enough of that f stuff. It’s controversial. Studies show that fluoride accumulates in the body, may damage the brain, affect thyroid function, lower IQ, and may be responsible for other health problems as well, and get this: studies show it does not help prevent tooth decay. Do your research on this one, too, and come to your own conclusions, but as far as I am concerned, it’s nothing I want in our lives.

iPhone

I bought “Safesleeve” cases for our phones. These offer radiation protection from cell phones, tablets, and laptops. They’re great and give peace of mind.

Nail polish

Not just nail polish, have you ever looked closely at the list of ingredients in all of your toiletries, lotions and shampoo for starters. You’ll find long lists of who knows what? Look up those ingredients and I guarantee you will be surprised at what you find. As for nail polish, I’ve switched to a vegan/cruelty free product. I take my bottles to the nail salon, too.

Vegan/Cruelty free

Ahhh I seek out, promote, praise and Tweet about vegan and cruelty-free products and restaurants that make patrons ask for straws, by the way. Fortunately, and yahoo! vegan and cruelty-free products are becoming easier and very convenient to find. The make-up brand I’ve switched to? Urban Decay—love the stuff and love to know that none of it was sprayed in the eyes of rabbits or other animals to determine it was safe for humans. Ask at the make up counter if the line is cruelty free. Get that out there! If some companies can produce make up cruelty free, why can’t they all? Right?

And here is something that struck me as very off-putting. I bought the Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder that says “Pure Cornstarch” on front of the container to avoid talc, which led me to believe the bottle contained pure cornstarch, nothing else. Not so. Look on the back and you’ll find there are in fact other ingredients in there, too. I felt deceived. Maybe there is pure cornstarch in the bottle but not mentioning the other ingredients and claiming “Pure Cornstarch” is false advertising in my book. And by the way, what is in “fragrance?” That ingredient usually stands alone as this is all you need to know about that, but there’s stuff in fragrance, what is it?

Read up, detox, and be your own Super Hero! You only have one body …and we only have one planet.

—SBM