All about Phthalates and Fragrance
In this post you will learn all about Phthalates and Fragrance, and why you should eliminate them from your life as much as possible. Phthalates (actually pronounced thal-ates) are a group of chemicals in a gajillion of products in your home. Concerns have been raised about phthalates because studies have found a link between phthalates and thyroid hormone levels in humans, and between phthalates and male reproductive health.
Phthalates can be found all over your house because they are in almost every product AND THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE LISTED ON THE INGREDIENT LIST.Most often, phthalates are disguised under the word "fragrance".
They are so widely used it's nearly impossible to eliminate them from your life, but there are some steps to reduce your exposure by eliminating products from your life. No doubt, this is difficult and daunting at first but if you do it slowly you can gradually take this toxin out of your home. The first step I took was to eliminate the products that said the word "fragrance" on them. If there wasn't a full ingredient list, I searched for it.
Try to find at least 2 cleaning products that have "fragrance" as an ingredient. The problem you may run into is finding label ingredients for some of your household cleaners. You will definitely need to look on the internet for these. Search for: "Tide ingredients". The ingredient lists are out there, but most companies try to hide them.
Did you find that any of the products you gathered happened to be air fresheners? We'll learn ways to replace your air fresheners next time. I hope you've learned all about phthalates and fragrance and have a better understanding why it's important to stop using them.
All Natural, Non-toxic, All Purpose Cleaner with Essential Oils
• 43,518 calls concerning bleach were reported to the National Poison Control Center in 2012.
• Sodium hypochlorite can cause asthma and respiratory concerns, skin allergies and irritation, cancer, and environmental risks.
• MamaSuds developed an all natural All Purpose Cleaner with its own Germs Away essential oil blend that is effective yet safe.
• The mixture includes castile soap, organic Aloe Vera Gel juice, distilled water and the Germs Away essential oil blend of clove bud, cinnamon leaf, lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary oils for disinfecting and fighting germs.
Is there lye in your soap?
• To create soap, it needs only three ingredients: water (or other liquid), fat and lye.
• Most products on the shelves of grocery stores are not true soaps as they use surfactants instead of lye.
• Surfactants can be drying and irritating to the skin and are commonly found in detergents, soaps and body washes.
• MamaSuds® uses just three ingredients when making liquid castile soap: Olive oil, lye and water.
Do Dryer Balls Really Work?
• They can reduce drying time by 25-40%, soften clothes, and reduce static.
• They work by circulating air in the dryer and the more balls used, the better their effectiveness.
• Traditional dryer sheets contain ingredients linked to cancer, respiratory tract irritants, central nervous system disorders, neurotoxins, and hazardous waste.
• Using dryer balls is a great alternative to conventional dryer sheets.
Simple Homemade Toothpaste Recipes
• Two recipes for homemade toothpaste can be made with organic coconut oil and baking soda or baking soda and olive oil.
• Alternatives to homemade toothpaste are Jason Natural Toothpaste or Babyganics.
Is Borax safe?
• The Environmental Working Group rates Borax-containing products as a D due to a rat study done by Price et al. (1996a).
• Reproductive toxicity was found only when it was administered orally.
• Borax is recommended for cleaning anything not directly applied to skin, rinsing off completely with no residue left behind.
• Borax increases the effectiveness of soap by making water stable and releasing hydrogen peroxide to act as bleach.
• It is safe to use as a cleaner, not an ingredient in body wash, shampoo or skincare.
Special Holiday Family Traditions
Traditions are the Hallmark of Holidays
The other day, my middle daughter overheard me talking to my aunt on the phone about when we were going to do "Baking Day" this year.
"Why are we baking on Sunday?" she asked.
"Because it's a holiday tradition," I replied.
"What's tradition?"
"It's something you do every year and you look forward to it."
She looked at me oddly. "Why do you like Christmas?" I asked her.
"We go see Santa, we get presents, Cake [Cake is our elf on the shelf] visits us..."
"Right! Those things happen every year and you look forward to them. Every year we bake with Crazy Aunt Judi and Nana and my cousins."
"Oh! Can I have something to eat?" Squirrel! For the record, my aunt isn't really crazy... it's just something one of my daughter's started calling her after she was teasing one of them and it stuck. Now everyone calls her Crazy Aunt Judi and generations from now when stories are told, our future generations are probably going to assume she really was crazy!
Just sitting down to write this took me down memory lane to my childhood and our family traditions. I loved setting up the train track under the tree and playing with my Smurf's and the train. I loved how when we stuck our tree topper (A Santa with wings... Santa Angel??) on my dad would yell, "YOW!" really loud. I do this in my own home now and the first year I did it, I didn't warn Jim and he almost fell off the stool (whoops!).
Holiday traditions can really be huge things or really small details that only you really look forward to. Regardless, it's what makes the holiday so special and magical. It helps remember people who are no longer with us and cherish the memories you are making with those around you. What are your favorite holiday traditions?
Have a very special holiday from our family to yours! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year!