Let me ask you this beauties? Are you ready to take the next step in the journey?
When I look back on my own journey, there is another side to detoxing that’s not just your food choices. It is the glorious process of removing chemicals from your pantry, your laundry cupboard and your bathroom vanity. After all, being a conscious beauty is as much about what you put on your skin as the toxins that surround you every day. Whether they be found in your food, your household cleaners or your beauty products.
Unfortunately, our exposure to chemicals and toxins is much more prolific that we are often made aware of, because glamorous marketing has us believing we need something while concealing the real truth about what’s inside. Don’t fear beauties, we are not here for a chemistry or marketing lesson, instead let us look together at what is involved in a typical cupboard detox.
BUT…before we dive into the detoxing do’s and dont’s…I want to share with you some truths about my journey.
For the most part I am pretty strict about what I put on my face, in my mouth or clean my clothes with, but I am by no means perfect. This is the very reason why we stress the word “journey” a lot around the blog. For some the choice is black and white, for others there may be a little trial and error to find out where you stand. That is why you are here today!
In order to make the detox simple we have broken it into the three areas of your home that you have chemical exposure to every day:
The fridge and pantry
- Stage one: The first stage of a detox is typically about knowing what to eliminate followed by what you can have. If you are in a position where you have chosen to be strictly Organic with everything, AWESOME and we love you for that! However, we also love you if you are curious to start eliminating toxins and chemicals but aren’t able to go completely Organic for financial or accessibility reasons. The first step would be to consider the dirty dozen vs. the clean fifteen – the Environmental Working Group. At a minimum choose wisely.
- High quality meat and dairy: Meat and dairy was one of the first areas that I opted for Certified Organic where possible. At a minimum, choose grass fed meat. For fattier cuts of meat or full-cream dairy it is important to aim for Organic as the chemicals are stored in their adipose tissue. Typically conventional meat and dairy are fed antibiotics, hormones and genetically modified grain or corn. Ewwww.
- The economics: I agree, Organic can be out of reach financially for many, but there are a couple of ways to source your produce, meat and dairy more economically. Check out your local farmers markets – you are not only supporting local produce but there’s also not the overheads of a supermarket. Buy seasonally. In today’s abundant world it is hard to know what ‘in season’ means, but you’ll generally find certain fruits and vegetables will be more economical in season. Try an Organic fruit and vegetable delivery, and buy in bulk where possible. Shop at your local food co-op or bulk foods supplier – you will not only be more environmental packaging but you can also buy enough to last more than a week or two!
- Ask questions: If you have a friendly local butcher don’t be afraid to ask them where they source their meat. Look out for certification to be sure you are getting the real deal.
- For a little more info on choosing Organic over conventional foods check out Lizzy’s recent post.
The laundry cupboard
- Similar to our beauty products, washing detergents also contain a number of harmful chemicals from fragrances to SLS, and not to mention being highly toxic for the environment. An alternative to a less toxic commercial brand, you could experiment with making your own with these two recipes from Wellness Mama
- Baking soda is an amazing stain remover for everything from your pots and pans to your bathtub or basin and it works very similar to your bottle of cream cleanser. You just may need a little extra elbow grease!
- Try our DIY bathroom cleaners like Katherine’s ‘tub scrub’, or simply add a few drops of essential oil to vinegar and water in a spray bottle for a great surface cleaner.
- Swap out your toxic anti-bacterial cleaners for oils from nature. Two natural anti-bacterial and stain removing oils that I love are tea tree and eucalyptus oil.
- Add a few drops of Eucalyptus oil in your next load of washing to freshen it up and help remove bacteria (make sure it is the water-soluble variety!)
- If you are looking for inspiration – two of my favourite cleaning brands are Resparkle and Eco Store
Your beauty cabinet
- Want to know the quickest way to detox your beauty cabinet? Open your cupboards and throw anything out that you haven’t used for a whole year, chances are you will never use it!
- Now, if you are really keen, start reading the labels of your products and look out for those ingredients on our most wanted list
- Experiment with natural moisturisers like Coconut Oil, Rose Hip oil or Morrocan Argan Oil
- In my personal experience, buying Organic can be expensive, but when the quality is there, you don’t need as much so it actually lasts a long time!
- Get converted by starting with the basics – your body wash, toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner. It is much easier to find more cost effective options by either buying in bulk or choosing products that work for you and your mate(s).
So beauties, where to now? are you far along the journey – if so we would love for you to share your tips with our friends by commenting below.
Or, if you are new to the journey and simply starting out we would love to hear what is working and what is not. What do you find most difficult about the journey? Hopefully a little detoxing around your household cupboards doesn’t seem too scary now!
