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The Baby Steps series is SO popular, I decided to do all of the kitchen posts on Saturdays, and do the other series on Tuesdays instead of doing zhealth News Tuesdays! So on the next several Tuesdays, look for posts on personal care, the medicine cabinet, green cleaning, and possibly more. What else would you like to see?
Here are the first three baby steps in personal care:
1) Replace toothpaste with a fluoride-free version (especially for kids)
2) Replace deodorant with aluminum-free version or abandon it
3) Switch to natural facial cleanser
Why those?
Fluoride is dangerous to your health, especially if swallowed (and especially for kids!!). It is not necessary to help your teeth. Many natural toothpastes are made without it. Some of these can be found for about the same price as the typical national brands, so it's not an expensive switch. It's not a big change in your routine, either, so it's an easy first step.
Deodorant (specifically antiperspirant) is dangerous because of the aluminum. The aluminum (which your body does not ever need) blocks your sweat glands. This is how your body cools off and releases toxins. If it cannot detox, then these toxins build up in the lymph nodes (as does the aluminum). For this reason, antiperspirant has been said to cause breast cancer. Your body needs to be able to release these toxins. So, it is better to use a simple, non-aluminum deodorant that helps mask odors, or really, nothing at all. This may be a big idea to swallow (most natural deodorant brands do still contain aluminum, by the way), but it is a really, really important one. Decreasing and eventually eliminating your exposure to heavy metals is critical to gaining optimal health. Cost remains minimal here, and the overall savings on health care could be huge!
Natural facial cleanser is an easy switch. You're looking for something that doesn't contain sodium lauryl sulfate, polysorbate-80, or any of the other dangerous chemicals. Castile-soap based cleansers are a great option (that is, only vegetable oils in the soap, essential oils for fragrance are okay too). There are several great options out there, which actually work better. I've found that using a natural cleanser has eliminated my need for additional facial stuff (masks, pimple cream, etc.) and my skin is much smoother and less red. Cost is minimal here too (and cheaper if you don't need to buy the extra stuff!) and a very simple change.
What are your top 3 steps, if you have already made changes? Can you make these changes work in your routine?
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Tuesday, February 23, 2010
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Kate-
ReplyDeleteI'm very concerned about the link you said exists between breast cancer and anti-perspirant. Could you please tell your source?
thanks!
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI first heard about it from my chiropractor and since then from several other doctors. Here is a link to a study that was done: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/09/20/does-your-antiperspirant-cause-breast-cancer.aspx
I checked the link, and Dr, Mercola didn't have any sources (the study he references was never published). Do you have anything else? I'd like to be able to discuss it with my doctor, and an unpublished study really doesn't give me anything to talk with her about.
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Linda
I switched from a face cleanser to using the oil cleanse method over a year ago and never looked back. My skin looks and feels great and even if I use organic castor oil and olive oil the cost is still way below what I would be paying for a cleanser.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started to go "natural", I wanted to change everything right away. However, that proved to be, at best, difficult because there was so much to change!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I looked at what I was using on my body and changed these things: my shampoo and conditioner to a more natural formula, body wash and face wash to castile soap (Dr. Bronner's has lots of great scents!) and water mixed together (some olive oil added to the body wash to help add moisture), a more natural face/body moisturizer, and I quit using make up (although I didn't use that much to begin with, and will still use a tiny bit on special occasions.)
I am working on the toothpaste right now, and the deodorant one is a hard one. I can certainly tell when I don't use it!
Hey, I'm sure you are familiar with it, but cosmeticdatabase.com has been a big help for me to research what I'm using and what I can use that's better.