I feel like I start out every post with… “i’m so excited to talk about this today” but it’s true, you guys. I am trying to share topics and posts that are really important to me and not just throw up content here just because – I hope it’s things that you all resonate with and are able to take and put to use in your own life in some way! I polled this topic on instagram last week and it was a hot one..
So, that being said, I’m so excited to share with you all about the changes I’ve made in my home for more natural and non toxic products. My journey with just overall wellness awareness began back in college when I went through hell trying to figure out what was going on with my body (that’s a post for another day). I made a ton of changes in my diet and it massively impacted me.
Fast forward to a year or so ago, I started to think – “Ok, if I’m so aware/concerned with what I’m putting IN my body, then why am I not more conscious about what’s going ON it?” Our skin is our biggest organ! This means everything we touch, are exposed to, or come in contact with goes into our body in some way, shape, or form.
I think in general there’s a movement (or whatever you want to call it) right now with awareness being brought to products, foods, drinks, etc. that are filled with chemicals.. Take Monsanto for instance. Or the articles that are buzzing with how toxic febreze and candles are. It’s becoming more and more common knowledge – so when I decided to do just a tad of research, I was dumbfounded after my first google search at the results… and that this stuff is even available for us to buy (seriously, what?!)
I will say, though, that a lot of the products we think are “natural” or “organic” or whatever actually aren’t… I discovered this after downloading the Think Dirty app and scanning my everyday household products: Clorox wipes, Mrs. Meyer’s stuff, Method soap, Tide Detergent, even Seventh Generation. Don’t get me wrong – some of these brands are making an effort to be more natural oriented, but they’re still pretty toxic. Scan + see!
But I digress. I’m not here to talk about all the bad stuff per se, but I just want to share with you guys the changes I’ve made in my home to make it as natural as possible, and why I chose to do that! There are alternatives out there, if you just do a little digging, you’ll find them. Lucky for you, I did the digging 😉
1. Cleaners –> Thieves Household Cleaner
I used to have a plethora of cleaners under my sink and the mess under there was real, can anyone else relate? I had a cleaner for anything and everything.. counters, fridge, table, floors, toilets, you name it. I’m all about simplicity and this was not simplicity to me. The other thing that got me was the fumes – I could never clean my bathroom or deep clean my kitchen without flinging open all the windows because I couldn’t breathe. Thankfully, I don’t have asthma or any other respiratory issues, but so many of my friends (and I’m sure many of you do) and I know those fumes affect you even MORE. For me, I would get crazy headaches because it was just too much.
Insert Thieves Cleaner. Literally my life saver. I discovered this about a year ago and it has seriously changed my life. One cleaner does ALL THE THINGSSSS you guys. No more mess under my sink with 75 bottles and things leaking. I use thieves to clean counters, floors, inside my fridge, my dressers, windows, doors, walls.. literally you name it, I clean it with thieves. It is plant based + infused with 100% pure essential oil – aka there’s no chemical fragrance or strong fume/odor that you’d be coughing and dying from. The one 22oz. bottle is a concentrate so it makes 22 individual bottles of cleaner.. also, #moneysaver. I’ve only gone through 2 bottles in the last year. I could go on and on about all the uses for my clear (maybe ill do a separate post about 10 ways to use thieves cleaner or something??…) but bottom line, you need this girlfriend!
2. Laundry Detergent — Thieves Laundry soap
Detergent was honestly something I didn’t think too much about, because I wasn’t coming into direct contact with it or sitting there smelling everything when it was in the wash. But I found out I was so so wrong! A lot of detergents contain dyes, phlathates,……. which are not good for us! When we wash our clothes, the components of said detergents are all over our clothing. Then we turn around and wear that clothing all day long – so where is it sitting? Our skin! Remember what I mentioned before about skin.. so our skin is absorbing all that detergent junk all day long. Woah, I ran as fast as I could and ditched that bright blue concoction right down the drain.
And switched to the Thieves Laundry Soap. Just like the cleaner, it has a fresh clean scent thanks to the essential oils in it. No dyes, phlathates and all of that junk. It’s also highly concentrated so one jug will do 64 loads of laundry… #saywhat. I’ve been using it for a year now and love it. Also, my clothes don’t smell like “fresh summer rain” or whatever either anymore.
3. Plug ins/sprays –> DIY Room Refresh
Oh gosh. Read this article and then you’ll know why I got rid of the Febreze cans (I had one in my kitchen, one in each bathroom, and extras stocked in my laundry room!) and Bath and Body Works wallflowers (had those in my living room, hallway, and bedroom). I actually started to wonder about these when I was having trouble sleeping at night. My wallflower was about 5 feet from my bed and I had massive sleeping issues.. It would take me an hour to get to sleep, when I finally did I couldn’t stay asleep, and I would wake up feeling tired because I was so restless the whole night. After I read that article, I ripped them out of the wall and threw them right out.
Now, I have these room refresh sprays that I DIYed in about 1 minute all over my house.. on my nightstand, on my coffee tables, in the bathrooms.. I spray pillows, throws, my sheets, the air, you name it. Here’s a few combos I love to do for Room Refresh Sprays.
4. Candles —> Diffuser
Okay yikes, guys. This was a hard one for me. I was a candle freak up until last spring (read more about that here). I had candles going 24/7, and a whole shelf in my laundry room filled with new ones ready to go when the old ones burnt down. I mean, how bad can a candle really be right? My experience with candles goes back to right after college when I was living in my grandparents in laws apartment and discovered the walls had this black film all over them. Turns out, it was candle soot covering my ENTIRE apartment and it had to be professionally cleaned. I didn’t even know that was possible! So if that junk was sitting on my walls, furniture, etc.. that meant it was on my clothes, shoes, personal items, and even breathing it in. #what. When I researched candles I discovered that burning a candle for an hour was equivalent to smoking a cigarette. I DONT SMOKE but basically was a chain smoker by default thanks to my candle addiction.
This was a hard habit to break at first. I didn’t want to get rid of candles. I liked that “cozy” feeling (whatever that even means..ha) that candles gave. But I gave it a go and after a few days – literally – I was like whoa, I can do this!
I got a starter kit from Young Living with a diffuser and 11 essential oils. And it was a total game changer. I was obsessed within a day and ordered more. I could make my own blends/scents literally any second.. and then discovered I could use the oils for a million other things than just diffusing. Also, I’ve saved probably hundreds of dollars because I’m not running to B+BW every time there’s a sale and buying $120 worth of candles that burnt out within 3 days.
5. Personal Care Products –> Swap All
A reader actually just asked what I’m using for personal care, body lotion, skincare, makeup, etc. I also swapped the majority of this stuff out as well! The biggest thing is the ingredients + fragrance that are added mainstream products on our shelves. I know there are a ton of good brands out there (like 100% pure, Jane Iredale, and more) but since I’m purchasing a lot of things from Young Living already, I’ve actually just starting using their body lotions, shampoo/conditioner, skincare products, and more.
Some of my favorites from them: lavender mint shampoo + conditioner combo, Mirah Shave oil (for alllll the things!), Genesis Hand + Body Lotion, Lavender body lotion, Bath Bombs, Relaxation Massage Oil (before bed, so good!), the Savvy makeup line.. just to name a few.
When I tell you they have a product for it – they DO. It’s seriously been SO easy to swap everything out. I do the monthly wellness box and instead of shopping at Target, Walgreens, or other stores now, I just buy everything from Young Living while getting 20% back. I know the products are safe and it’s a one stop shop. Making my life easier since 2017 #signmeup ha!
SO.. all of this to say – switching to natural products was/is so easy! I get pretty much everything from one spot.
So no you’re like.. Okay, I want in too, what do I do from here? If you’d like to make some switches in your home, it’s best to sign up as a member and purchase one of the starter kits (oils, thieves, makeup..etc) You do NOT have to sell oils in order to be a member. It just means you are getting a starter kit for more than 50% off & will get 24% off retail prices on every oil, forever (totally worth it!).
If you have questions about anything that I’ve done/how/why leave them below or drop me an email – I can chat with you and walk you through pretty much any part of the process!
If you’re like nah girl, I can do this on my own, then ORDER HERE and make sure the number 11296434 appears in both the “Enroller” and “Sponsor ID” fields and choose wholesale member. You’ll be on my team, I’ll send you a welcome email, and you’ll get access to my private Facebook group to learn all about the healthy life!
Phew, that was a lot – BUT I hope so helpful for you guys!! Seriously love sharing with you about all the amazing changes and benefits.. so I hope you can enjoy that 🙂
This has me thinking about doing some natural swaps in my house!! Thanks for sharing!
xx, Merritt
The Style Scribe
These products really seem great, I got really curious to try that cleanser!