Toxin-less: Absorption

There are three ways in which we get exposed to toxic chemicals, and absorption is one of them. This is anything that touches the scalp or skin. What obviously comes to mind is personal care products, shampoo, lotions, creams and serums. But also clothing, blankets, pillows, sheets, water, and ensuring each touch point is organic or clean is essential in maintaining good health. Our skin and especially scalp is incredibly porous meaning absorbable, ever try using hot water to open your pores and cold water to close them? Ever wonder why when you swim in a pool you have to pee every 10 minutes? For example, thinking again about our toxic load and touch points. If you sleep wearing lycra and spandex, use non-organic sheets you are absorbing the chemicals used to make those fabrics throughout the night. Then you wake up and wash your face with unfiltered bathroom sink water (has fluoride and chlorine in it), you use a face wash with parabens and fragrance, then a serum with parabens and fragrance, then a moisturizer with parabens and fragrance then a sunscreen with benzene, you have just absorbed 100 toxic chemicals in the first 10 minutes of waking.

There is a truly great resource from the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit organization, that third party tests products and rates their safety. They do this for food and cleaning products as well. It’s called Healthy Living, it’s an app on your phone that lets you scan or look up a product. It will tell you if that product is a cancer risk, endocrine risk or allergen risk and give you a score. Now the key to toxin-less living is balance. If you absolutely love and cannot give up your favorite moisturizer that has parabens, phthalates and fragrance, by all means use it, because bringing joy is also a key to healthy living, but lower your load in other areas.

Here are some tips to managing your Absorption:

• If you can, ensure sheets and pajamas are made of 100% GOT certified cotton, these are free of chemicals that can get absorbed into the skin. And eventually move towards natural fabrics for all clothing such as 100% cotton, wool, silk, linen

• Attempt to switch your laundry detergent to a clean brand, you can find clean brands on the Healthy Living app or in my Safer Swaps section

• Start to switch your personal care products to a cleaner brand, to make it easier use sites like Goop, Citrene, Crudo and The Detox Market which restrict over 1,500 toxic chemicals from the brands they carry, so you know anything they sell is clean. Or use the Healthy Living app, or check out my Safer Swaps section

• Make your own hands soap which is free of parabens, phthalates and fragrance:

  • In a foaming dispenser

  • Fill ¾ with cool water

  • Add the remaining ¼ with Dr. Bronners Castille soap  - do not shake, gently swirl

  • Optional: add a few drops of essential oil, or used an essential oil scented Castille soap

• Invest in a whole house water filter or shower and bath tub filters - especially with hot baths, our pores are open and we sit in the water for extended time, absorbing chlorine, fluoride and any other toxins in the water - you can find brands in my Safer Swaps section