Did you know that many of the products used in United States are actually banned by the European Union? In cosmetics alone, the European Union has banned or restricted more than 1,300 chemicals while the US has a list of only 13 restricted chemicals (read more here). This fact alone should make you aware of the need to be diligent in the products you choose and eliminate toxic products.
Choosing non-toxic products seems to be all the rage right now. Maybe it has been a hot topic for a while, but I have joined the conversation more and more over the last few years. There are so many reasons to change out common products for those less toxic, but today I am sharing my top 5 reasons for switching to less-toxic / non-toxic products.
I feel like I should add a disclaimer here, before we begin: I am not an expert!! I am still continually learning and exploring the “art” or non-toxic living. That being the case, I do hope that my journey can inspire and guide yours if you too are new to this world of non-toxic living.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way, let’s dive in and explore my top 5 reasons to eliminate toxic products!!
Top 5 Reasons I Eliminated Toxic Products
1) Hormone Health
Did you know that there are many toxins around us in a normal day that can actually disrupt our hormones? These chemicals are called endocrine disruptors and can cause things such as birth defects, problems with development, reproductive health, brain function and immunity.
Not only are these toxins in many popular products, most people are unaware of the potential damage they are causing when using them. Often found in plastics, the lining in metal cans, flame retardants, pesticides, cosmetics, even food and toys.
Even low doses of these endocrine disruptors can have lasting impacts on hormone health. On top of that, these hormone disruptors can cause lasting changes to unborn children and their hormonal health.
2) Cleaner Air
According to the EPA, the typical American home has air contaminant levels that are 2 to 5 times greater than outdoor air. That’s crazy!! This means that these products we use in our homes are changing and contaminating the air in our homes.
Some of the products that are contaminating the air in our homes are:
- Household Cleaning Products: these products, while meant to clean our homes, actually release noxious fumes that remain in the air, land on surfaces and stay in our living spaces.
- Air Fresheners: sure, they may be intended to make the air smell pretty. However, they are filling the air in our homes with chemicals and making it harmful to breath in.
- Off-gassing: things within our homes that are made from toxic chemicals actually release toxins into the air.
I don’t know about you, but I hate the thought that my family is literally breathing in these harmful toxins.
3) Healthier Skin
Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? Because it is an organ, this means that things on the skin are absorbed into the skin and can then enter the bloodstream. On top of that, many products claim to lead to clearer, brighter, even healthier skin. However, they are actually causing damage and worse skin health.
Things such as shampoo, deodorant, nail polish, makeup, even moisturizers and washes, are some examples of these products. These products often contain toxins that lead to worse skin conditions. Consider makeup, for example, these products are designed to cover-up the areas of our faces we wished looked different. However, in the process, they often cause worse acne, blemishes, even allergic reactions. This then leads us to thinking we need to find a product to “fix” the new issue, but never really find the solution so we continue to buy all the products in hopes that our skin heals. The cycle continues and we continue to be “sick”.
I am not saying that all makeup or health and beauty care products are bad. Far from it! In fact, I love a good skin care routine and makeup-done look. I just think that we have been sold lies about our skincare products and are being served poor quality products because they are cheaper and deemed “normal”.
4) More Nutritious Food
When we think about non-toxic living, we often think of cleaning and beauty products. However, there are just as many harmful toxins (if not more!) in the foods we eat. There can be both direct (artificially added ingredients) and indirect (things such as pesticides and packaging) chemical toxins.
While I am not a fan of restricting foods, I do think there is benefit in trying to focus your eating attention on whole, unprocessed foods. I also like to use the EWG’s Dirty Dozen when considering which foods to buy organic. Some areas to look out for toxins include:
- Pesticides & herbicides: these products leach into the foods we eat and no amount of washing can actually get ride of them
- Hormones: any hormones fed to animals can end up in the meat and other animal products we eat.
- Artificial ingredients: many of the ingredients in our packaged foods sound more like a chemistry experiment than actual food. Even though our government says they are safe, there are numerous studies showing a link between the consumption of these products, cancer and endocrine disruption.
- Product packaging: while not something we think of very often, the packing that our products come in can pose a health risk too. Things such as BPA in the lining of cans and plastics is something to look out for.
5) Safer Environment
In addition our personal health and wellbeing, we also need to be aware of the health of our environment. Many of the products we use and consume have lasting impacts on our environment. These products may seem to simply disappear when we throw out the empty bottles or rinse them down the drain. However, many of these products never actually go away, they are the opposite of biodegradable.
This means that there are numerous ways we are impacted by non-biodegradable products and toxic chemicals. Things such as gasses released by landfills, toxins in the soil of farms, contaminated water, and many other contributors, play a role in making our environment unsafe.
Will you Eliminate Toxic Products Now?
Now do I think you should go out and go crazy with buying new products and spend all of your money on organic produce?? Absolutely not. I think it is important to be aware of these harmful chemicals and the impact they play in our every day lives. This will allow us to make wiser choices when it is time to purchase new products.
I hope that these top 5 reasons to eliminate toxic products have informed you to make changes in what products you use. Have you made the switch to non-toxic products? What motivated your decision? I’d love to hear about your journey in eliminating toxic products!
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