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We all know that we are surrounded by toxins in our daily lives and environments and that they are bad for our health as well as the health of the planet. Today, we are more exposed to toxins than ever before, due to pollution, pesticides and other chemicals we come into contact with regularly.
Whilst we can’t avoid all of these chemicals in our lives, some of them we can control and limit our exposure to, especially in our own homes. Many of us are now a lot more mindful about what we put into our bodies, as well as what we use on our skin and use in our households but if you’re not sure where to start then these simple ideas for switching to using more natural products will hopefully help.
We don’t often consider which household cleaners we use to keep our houses clean, so long as it works and it doesn’t cause any skin irritation. However, cleaning products are often full of chemicals and so using healthier alternatives, such as non-toxic cleaners, can help you completely erase the harshness of these chemicals on your skin plus reduce the amount of toxins you breathe in.
Switching to more natural household products is a great place to start; apple cider vinegar makes a great natural, antibacterial cleaner and baking soda is great for limescale build-up in the bathroom.
Everything that we put onto our skin is absorbed by our bodies, and so making a switch to more natural products means we are absorbing fewer chemicals on a daily basis which is, of course, better for our health.
Not only that, but traditional beauty products often contain parabens, artificial fragrances, alcohols and synthetic foaming agents, such as SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulfate) which can aggravate our skin and make it more sensitive or cause reactions, whereas natural products can actually calm sensitive skin and make it healthier.
Natural formulas are now more effective than ever and so making the switch doesn’t mean sacrificing the benefits of great skincare and beauty products, which is why, as Amanda Jo, Organic Bunny says, more and more of us are making the switch to more natural beauty products.
Plus natural skincare and other beauty products are also better for the environment too, giving us even more reasons to switch!
Our duvets are often made from artificial materials, so it can be a healthier option to switch to natural duvets. These can lessen irritation on your skin, and utilise all of the advantages of feathers. If you think about it, bird feathers are evolved over millennia to create a waterproof material impervious to cold. Not only that, but they can be much softer than the artificial counterpart.
The best part about these is that they are breathable while still retaining warmth. This can come in perfectly useful during the winter, especially when having trouble regulating your temperature in the cold. We’ve all had that issue of getting the balance of our bed blankets just right, and these natural bed duvets help subvert that immediately. This is especially useful if sleeping next to a partner, and having to contend with body heat.
Switching to organic foods can offer a big boost to a person’s overall health levels. While on the surface it may seem that you’re paying a premium for food that tastes similarly and cooks in the same way, choosing organic food will massively decrease the number of pesticides and chemicals you are ingesting.
However, this can obviously signify a large jump in your overall food budget, and not everyone can afford that. Still, you needn’t achieve a 100% organic rate in your diet. It’s all about reduction, and getting the best quality food where you can. Selecting a couple of your most commonly eaten vegetables and solely choosing organic options can help in the first instance. Eggs can be a good and less expensive switch to make, as well as swapping pasteurised milk to organic raw milk which is becoming more and more easily available.
The best way to become more connected with nature, over and above any other methodology, is to simply get outside. We often switch everything in our homes to let nature in, and then drive to work and back, and stay in at the weekends. Make hiking part of your schedule, organise weekly trips to the local park or nature reserve, and learn more about your surroundings.
You could even consider volunteering for the local conservation effort once a month or attending a beekeeping sanctuary with your friends. Nature has a wealth of benefits, and many fantastic people are fighting for its preservation. Connect to the core of where you come from, and you’ll likely feel the benefits.
Starting to use more natural products in our homes and daily lives can be quite simple to do and can really make a difference to our overall health, wellbeing, as well as being so beneficial for the environment and our planet.
This is a collaborative post.
Welcome to Birds and Lilies! I'm Lou: mother, blogger and freelance writer. This is my lifestyle blog, where I talk about motherhood, infertility and IVF, beauty, my love for food and wine, as well as my thoughts about stuff, and our real-life and travel adventures.
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