Within the same year as my car accident, I was experiencing chronic eye infections. I tried everything at home to naturally combat them but nothing worked. I eventually would have to go see my family doctor and get a prescription to get rid of these constant eye infections. I'd deal with it, throw out all of my eye makeup and then re-buy all new stuff, but than I'd get hit with another eye infection and have to start the process all over again. I finally decided to start looking into makeup and what was in it and see if maybe there was a link there that I was missing. I found that mascara had a chemical in it that causes eye irritants and can cause other eye stuff, which I thought was so weird since this product is something meant for the eyes. I dug deeper and found a whole bunch of stuff that I would like to share with you.
I came across this Canadian woman, Adria Vasil (https://ecojustice.ca/hear-an-interview-with-ecoholic-author-and-toxics-crusader-adria-vasil/) , she has fought hard for Canada to remove harmful chemicals out of products and to make it so that companies are more transparent with their products. She has two books out as well that are filled with products that she has tested and tips on reusing things and DIY's. I didn't know that makeup and health products are not regulated. Companies can put whatever they want in their products and they don't have to disclose all of the ingredients on the labels. Canada has made some changes but there is still a long way to go.
I have bought loads of products over the years trying to find healthy alternatives that worked for me. It was a tough go in the beginning. I'll be honest, the healthier products do take some time to get used to and not all are equal, but I've come across products that are pretty darn close to what I was used to using before. I've spent a lot of money and time trying to find the right products for me and my family, and so I thought I'd share them with you. Canada has made some changes since I started switching my products over but there are still some things that you should be aware of before purchasing your products.
I use the EWG website ( https://www.ewg.org/) and type in products and it will give you a rating on how safe they are. They also will tell you what is inside the product and what it can potentially do to your body. I also use the app Think Dirty https://www.thinkdirtyapp.com/ . This app allows you to search products too and get ratings on them, explains why they harmful, alternatives that are safer, and you can scan barcodes around your home and when you are downtown to get a quick check on the product.
Here are a list of products that me and my family use and where you can buy them.
Zuzu Luxe Liquid Eyeliner
The ladies at Green Kiss are amazing. They do all of the research, test the products and then sell them at their store. I also love that they are in Victoria, B.C. and you can also purchase from them online. I buy a lot of my products from them.
TOK Beauty Mascara
100% Pure Bronzer
100% Pure Blush
Viva Organics face cleaning products are amazing. They are also Canadian too!
Emani Liquid Foundation
Carina Organics body wash is my favorite. We buy ours from a local health food store, but here is a link to their site. I also absolutely love that they are Canadian and it's made in Vancouver, B.C.
Carina Organics Body Wash in Sweet Pea, Citrus Daily, Pink Grapefruit
Ecover Dishwasher Tablets
Better Life Dishwasher Gel
I know this one will catch you off guard, it did for me too! I've tried loads of different healthy shampoos but I've found them to be very drying and my hair left feeling like straw. OR they are ridiculously expensive for a very small bottle. Herbal Essences has come out with a new product line called Bio Renew and it's got the EWG stamp of approval on it! It also makes my hair feel more normal. Here are some that we like:
My husband was a huge lover of his different chemical filled men's body wash and we've come to the common ground of using Every Man Jack body wash and shampoo for him. Even though the ratings are middle ground with the EWG, I'll take it as a win!
Every Man Jack Cedarwood
In the Bio Renew Herbal Essence line, this particular shampoo and conditioner smells more manly. So I get it for my husband.
David's Toothpaste
Rocky Mountain Soap Company Vanilla Coconut Sunscreen
We use Earth Friendly Ecos Magnolia and Lily laundry detergent. It's another middle ground rating with EWG and eventually I'll be on the hunt for something that suits my family and is even more healthier but for now this is what we use.
My lovely friend, Judi, makes a lot of great products as well. She forages a lot of her ingredients. I absolutely love her lip balms and her Calming Calendula rub, you can use it on burns and also dry irritated skin. I have just recently purchased her Massage oil called In The Meadow and am excited to try it. You can find her on Facebook, her page is called Juniper7 Care Products.
We use castile soap with a foam soap dispenser. You use 1 part castile soap to 4 parts water. It lasts a long time and is a great hand soap! You can use it for multiple things but I haven't jumped into that yet!
We use Green Beaver Zesty Orange Castile soap. Green Beaver is also a Canadian company. We also use the Dr. Bronners brand as well. I bought my soap dispensers from Amazon.
We use Pink Solution as an all purpose cleaner. I use it to clean my toilet and counters. It's also great at getting out stains. It is also a Canadian company and it's made in Vancouver, B.C. You can purchase it at Canadian Tire, Costco, London Drugs and I'm sure a lot more stores.
Deodorant is one that is a tough one. If you are used to using antiperspirants especially. I know that Lush uses a lot of hidden chemicals in their products as well but the one thing that I use of theirs uses very plain ingredients. It is also another middle ground rated product from EWG, but it's a healthier alternative and I love it. It is the Aromaco deodorant.
If you are going to switch and want to try out healthy deodorant these are some things to be aware of. Your body will go through a detox stage, your armpits may get red and itchy bumps, and sometimes you will even get excess sweating. Here are some tips and things to look forward to:
The native brand deodorant has great ratings. I bought my husband the eucalyptus and mint one and it smells so good! He unfortunately couldn't handle the detox stage and I'm still working on him.
From the beginning of our marriage we started using Norwex house cleaning products. It's been 13 years that I've cleaned with their products and I still love them! I am not a rep but have some friends that are. If you are interested, I can hook you up but I will give a quick run down on some of the products that we use on a regular basis. Norwex uses silver and microfiber in their cleaning cloths. Silver naturally kills bacteria. We use the Enviro cloth with just water to wash windows and the window cloth to help dry and make it sparkle. These are also great on stainless steel appliances and faucets. I use my Enviro cloth along with Pink Solution to do a deeper clean on the bathroom and also it's hard for me to let go of the idea of only using JUST the cloth and water for the dirtier things, even though I know it's proven to be safe but my mind needs the soap aspect. The Descaler is great for removing built up grime in the bathroom or faucets. The micro cleaning pad is a healthier alternative to Mr. Clean magic erasers. Netted dish cloths are awesome for scrubbing off hard built up food on dishes. The mop is great too for cleaning your floors. When I worked at the bank, we had a man that would come in that had a lot of hygiene issues and his bodily odor would still linger in the building even after he left. I brought in a mixture of the Odor Eliminator mixed with water in a spray bottle, and within seconds the smell was gone! It works really well for washing the floors and gives a fresh smell and removes smells from shoes, etc. The Spiriponges are great for cleaning flat top stoves. I also love to use the Dusting Mitt it does the job well and quickly. The Mattress Cleaner is great for refreshing your mattress and pillows, couches, and kids stuffed toys. The Body Pack cloths are so great at removing makeup and you just use water. The toothbrushes have silver in them as well and help your teeth feel like you've just got out of the dentist chair every time, another favorite of mine. The Oven and Grill cleaner is great too and you don't get that overwhelming chemical smell like you would from the traditional stuff, it's a much safer alternative. If you are feeling skeptical about the Norwex products, I put these links down for some more added details on it!
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I still had a few cleaning products that I hadn't fully switched over. I looked at the bottle and then checked them out online and found that a lot of them can cause birth defects! Studies have shown that newborns have been found to be born with toxic chemicals in their systems. Here are some articles below.
Women's menstrual products are also a huge issue. Here are some articles on that. A great brand to buy is Natracare.
This past year we have switched over our frying pans. We had bought two other brands that were more "green" and healthy but within a month they were junk. We decided to make the investment into some really good quality pans. I have researched many pans and these were the ones that we decided to go with.
All Clad 2 piece frying pan set
Pyrex Glass Storage with Wood Lids
These beeswax bowl covers are made with organic cotton and they also have this elastic that helps cling tighter to your container. They are also made in BC and are very beautiful to look at!
Waxed Fabric Bowl Covers
This is a great fertilizer and is made from seaweed. It is also made on Vancouver Island.
Liquid Organic Fertilizer/ Soil Enhancer
I have still a lot more things to switch over to be more healthy and it's taken us years to get to the point that we are at now! I think it's super important to keep ourselves informed as to what we are putting into and onto our bodies, because we've only got one body. Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies and it absorbs the good, the bad, and the ugly. I want to make sure that I'm raising my girls with healthy products to keep their bodies, as well as ours, safe and healthy.
Some great documentaries to watch are:
Stink, it was available on Netflix and also on Youtube
Pink Ribbons Inc., on Netflix and on Youtube
If you made it this far, thank you for the taking the time to look into these! I feel very passionate about this and I feel like it's really important to at least have the information and however you choose to live your life, you will at least have that choice to make for yourself and know the full facts. If you are still feeling skeptical, than I encourage you to dig deeper for yourself too.
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