At my weekly visit to the local farmers market yesterday, I stocked up on some natural, organic home cleaning and skincare products. It inspired me to write this post to share how important it is to reduce the toxic load on our bodies.
I’m sure you have heard me banging on about my obsession with natural, non-toxic interior design (in every single blog post!) – This is because I am trying to reduce the toxic load on my body. The furniture and finishes we surround ourselves with have a massive impact on our health.. As do our personal care products, cleaning products, and the food we ingest.
What is Toxic Load?
Toxic load refers to the amount of toxins that build up in your body as you absorb, inhale or ingest them. The higher the toxic load, the harder the body has to work to try to remove (or detox) these harmful substances from your system.
Toxins are poisons found to be damaging to our bodies – heavy metals (mercury, lead), pesticides, fertilisers, mould, plastic ingredients, phthalates, formaldehyde and BPA.
The higher your toxic load, the more susceptible you are to related health problems such as endocrine (hormone) disruption, liver damage, headaches, fatigue, and respiratory disease.
In this highly synthetic age, we are exposed to a heap of environmental toxins in our day to day lives: agricultural pesticides, artificial fragrances, synthetic cleaning products, chemicals in our food and water, air pollution from vehicles, factories, incineration.
Many of these are beyond our control, but what is within our control, is what we surround ourselves within our homes, the produce we choose to eat, what we wash our clothes in, and what we apply to our skin.
Natural Personal Care Products
What you put on your skin ultimately ends up coursing through your bloodstream. To reduce your toxic load, try to stick to natural, ideally organic, personal care products including body moisturiser, facial serum, cleanser, make-up, body wash, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner and sunscreen.
It is most important to focus on natural ingredients for products that you directly apply to your skin and don’t wash off (moisturisers, serums, deodorant, make-up) or products that you soak in (bubble bath).
Products that you apply but wash off (shower gel and shampoo) are not absorbed by the body quite as much – but don’t forget about the aquatic life that could be harmed when it washes down the drain to the waterways!
Nature is full of natural moisturising oils – avocado, jojoba, coconut, almond oil and shea butter, to name a few. I wouldn’t know where to start in mixing these myself, so I generally buy my skincare products from natural and sustainable companies such as:
- Content Beauty
- Green People
- Ethical Superstore
- Evolution Organics
- Reuzi
- Natural Collection
- Big Green Smile
- Or as in the case of my purchases yesterday morning: A Green Way
What to Look Out for on Personal Care Product Labels
- Check labels to see if you recognise all the ingredients listed and if so, you’re good to go! These will include things like fruit and nut oils and botanical extracts.
- Do not be duped with claims such as ‘made with plant extracts’ or ‘made with organic jojoba oil’. With this wording, products can appear to be fully natural or organic, when, in fact, the natural/organic portion makes up a tiny percentage of the ingredient list.
- Search for labels that clearly state that the product is 100% natural, and ideally organic too.
- Stay away from products containing Petroleum or Parrafin as these are petro-chemical derived.
- Steer clear of anything with Fragrance or Parfum listed – it may add a lovely scent, but it is a cocktail of mystery ingredients and is a word that hides hundreds of harmful chemicals behind it. Natural products will get their scent from healthy plant sources only. If wearing actual perfume, spray it on your clothes rather than your skin.
Natural Home Cleaning Products
A good friend of mine introduced me to natural cleaning products a few years ago. She made up a gorgeous box of natural cleaners for me – some handmade and some store-bought. I thought it was the most thoughtful gift, and have since completely switched over to natural cleaners.
I can’t even walk down the cleaning aisle in the supermarket these days – Now that I know the toxicity of those products, I am hyper-aware of it, and the smell is enough to make me gag.
To reduce your toxic load, I would recommend stocking up on some basic natural ingredients if you would like to make your own cleaning products:
- Vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Baking soda
- Castille soap (a plant-based soap)
- Essential oils
In varying combinations, these ingredients are amazing for tackling any cleaning job in your home from glass cleaner, to washing detergent to multi-purpose spray.
For an easier life, purchase ready-made natural cleaning products from your local market, re-fill shop or sustainable online store:
Organic Food
To reduce your toxic load from food, the ideal scenario is to consume only organic produce grown without pesticides, insecticides, or other chemicals. This is more difficult than it sounds due to availability, budget or other restraints.
I would recommend looking at the helpful guides from the EWG (Environmental Working Group).
The Dirty Dozen
This list names the 12 foods most pesticide-laden foods on the market. If possible, it is most important to choose organic when shopping for these items in particular:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes*
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
*Anyone know of a decent organic wine?!
The Clean Fifteen
This list outlines the foods that typically contain a lower amount of pesticides. And so, it is less harmful to choose non-organic versions of food from this list:
- Avocado
- Sweetcorn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Frozen Peas
- Aubergine
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Cantaloupe
- Broccoli
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Honeydew Melon
- Kiwi
Both the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen are US lists, but this EU report on pesticide residue in food shows a strong correlation.
Natural, Non-Toxic Interior Design
We spend a huge amount of time in our homes – now more than ever before! Our homes should be a safe haven that improve our health and wellbeing, rather than the opposite.
To reduce toxic load from your immediate environment at home, it is incredibly important to be mindful when choosing flooring, paint, furniture, lighting and soft furnishings.
Use Natural Materials for Your Home Furnishing & Decor
Natural materials are always best. Synthetic home finishes like conventional paint, or foam (in sofas and mattresses), for example, can ‘off-gas’ invisible fumes (VOCs) which raise your toxic load as you breathe them in.
Your walls and ceilings make up the largest surface area in your home, meaning the paint you choose has one of the biggest impacts on indoor air quality. Unlike conventional paint (acrylic or vinyl), natural paint is made from pure and natural ingredients (the clue is in the name) and it will not pollute the air in your home.
Natural Paint Vs. Conventional Decorative Paint – What’s the Difference?
It is also possible to absorb harmful toxins by touching synthetic wax or oil finishes on wood surfaces. As a healthier alternative with no toxins, I recommend using completely natural wax or oil finishes made from pure ingredients.
Create a toxin-free bedroom
Most importantly, take particular care in choosing natural materials for your bedroom. This is the place where your body should heal and re-charge as you sleep.
You can reduce your toxic load by choosing organic bedding (linen is best), an organic mattress, and decorate with natural paint.
For more detailed advice on how to choose non-toxic finishes for good air quality in your home, go to this blog post: Simple Steps to Detoxify the Air in Your Home for Better Health
For more tips on choosing healthy (and sustainable!) products, have a read of this post: 14 Easy Swaps for a Greener and Cleaner Life
Be sure to follow along on my Instagram @jadehaveninteriors x
Hi Shauna very enlightening post. I have used the vinegar , bread soda lemon recipe for cleaning, but during this pandemic Iv gone back to bleach. Dose it help to wash apples and other fruits. As you know the kids here eat lots of fruit. I’m going to go to the farmers market some time when we’re allowed travel. Thank you for your inspiration
Aw thanks a mill, Doreen!! This article from National Geographic might be of interest- It is about how soap is actually preferable to bleach in cleaning against the Coronavirus! But use whatever you are comfortable with. 🙂 Washing apples etc will definitely help – Some chemicals do permeate the skin, but the nutritional benefit outweighs the negative effects of pesticide residue. Hopefully we can go to the farmer’s market together once you are allowed to travel this far! X