Non-toxic (& Money-saving) Lifestyle

Our world is becoming increasingly more toxic. Practically everything we eat, drink, breathe, wear, drive, or touch is tainted with chemicals and toxins of some kind. 

Research shows that even babies are now born "pre-polluted" with upwards of 200 known toxins. 

In such a toxic environment, we must be proactive about limiting our toxic exposure wherever we can. The human body can only keep up with detoxing a portion of the hazardous chemicals most people are exposed to daily. If we don't adapt a non-toxic lifestyle, our bodies will eventually pay the price. 

The positive side to this, is that living a non-toxic lifestyle is also a money-saving lifestyle. =) I began this lifestyle because I had to in order to survive, but now that I've learned how valuable it is, I don't plan on ever going back to "normal" living. 

For living non-toxic and saving money, here's a list of products I don't buy or use:

- numerous cleaning products - (I use baking soda and vinegar for all cleaning needs)

- hairspray/gel/mouse - (I use an organic shampoo, nothing else needed)

- air fresheners/scented candles - (setting out a plate of baking soda for a half hour will absorb odors in a room, no need to add toxic smells instead)

- perfume/cologne 

- make-up - (ok, I realize not everyone finds this optional, but for me right now, it works)

- lotions/body spray - (organic coconut oil is a healthy, natural moisturizer)

- fabric softener - (we use Charlie's soap and avoid dangerous fabric softener like the plague)

- nail polish/remover 

- anti-bacterial soaps or products (using plain soap & water is just as effective and much less toxic)

(I also try never to buy anything made in China, as those products are highly toxic for some reason.)

Well, that's the 'short' list of products I don't need to buy. My home environment is healthier and my bills are less. =) 

The products listed above are loaded with carcinogens (cancer-causing), neurotoxins (toxic to the brain), hormone-disruptors, and more. Just because they are sold in stores does NOT mean they are safe for the human body. 

"On the whole, there's no pre-market safety testing required for the chemicals that go into personal care products like your body wash and moisturizer. Washington allows the cosmetics industry to self-police their ingredients' safety through its industry-funded Cosmetics Ingredients Review panel, and, as you'd expect, they're pretty lenient on themselves.

In 36 years, this industry panel has only rejected 11 ingredients as unsafe for cosmetics. Compare that to the European Union, which has banned more than a thousand chemicals in cosmetics.

Our research at EWG has found some alarming toxic chemicals, including hormone disruptors and carcinogens, in products that people use every day." -Ken Cook (President, Environmental Working Group) ewg.org

I know making lifestyle changes is never easy, but for the sake of your health (or your loved ones who may be ignorant of these details), please consider what changes you can make or who you can pass this information along to. You'll be glad you made the effort to eliminate toxins in your home, and hopefully even save some money along the way.