The Products I use

I mentioned back in one of my first couple of posts that I cleaned out my cabinets and freed myself from all mass marketed synthetic chemical laden products. My first step was personal care because I put those products directly on my skin or into my body. I threw out my shampoo and conditioner because they contain Sodum Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a detergent that is so harsh, it is used to clean garage floors. This chemical is absorbed into the liver and over time accumulates in our bodies. It has been linked to cancer in very large quantities. But ask yourself, how many times do you wash your hair and how many other products contain this chemical and in combination with all the other synthetic chemicals in our personal care products what kind of "synergies" are these chemicals creating in your body? SLS is contained in various soaps, toothpastes, shampoos and conditioners. It helps these products foam, giving the user the sense that its working!! I switched to Shi Kai products that do not contain SLS and they have a nice line of shampoos, conditioners and creams. I use the Shi Kai Borage cream on my boys for their dry skin.

I got rid of my soap and switched to a glycerin bar or a natural hand made soap cut directly from a large block. Again, this was done to avoid the SLS. My toothpaste also went in the garbage and I currently use an SLS free, flouride free toothpaste made by Nautre's Gate. It contains essential oils which smell and taste great. I have also used Young Living's Theives toothpaste which I love just as much.

Deoderant/Antiperspirant contains aluminum. This is a heavy metal which is also being linked to neurological damage in humans. By applying antiperspirant directly after shaving the underarm area causes the aluminum to be absorbed more quickly through the broken skin. Every application day after day builds up the amount of aluminum in your body. The funny thing is that the big names in deoderant are coming out with "clinical strength" antiperspriants which contain higher levels of aluminum. I think I saw one with 19% aluminum in it! This is startling to me and not something I would put on my body. I use Naturally Fresh Crystal deoderant which completley does the job. Trust me, I used to use one of those strong brands and Naturally Fresh really holds up just as well. I also feel better knowing that those heavy metals are not being absorbed into my body anymore.

For my boys, I use California Baby products for the bath and a body cream for moisturizing. This is in conjunction with the Shi Kai Borage cream.

For Household Care, I started using Method Products. They are free from toxic chemicals and also good to the environment. I use their dish liquid, stainless steel cleaner, and counter wipes and spray. I love their Basil scent. Mrs. Meyers is another good brand for household cleaning products. I use Treewax for wood floor cleaning and 7th Generation for laundry detergent, especially since my boys were becoming irritated from the other mainstream brand I was using. I think the fragrances were too harsh on their skin. I stopped the exterminator from spraying the inside of the house because I had no idea what chemicals were in his pesticide. The names were too large to pronounce and I felt it was safer to just have him spray outside since my boys are all over the house touching everything on the floor.

I also found a great website that lists thousands of common personal care products and ranks them based on safety. If they contain toxic chemicals, the site tells you which ones and how they are linked to disease in the human body or lab animals. The site is http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ and I suggest checking it out. It can be an eye opener, especially for baby products.