Do your products need a Spring cleaning?
Clean Up, Clean Up! Did you just continue that with “everybody, everywhere?” Yeah, you did!
The days are getting longer, the weather is warming up, we are breaking out the cold brew, and preparing for – spring cleaning!
After being cooped up all winter long and constantly fighting off viruses, it is time to bust open the windows, let the sunshine in and… spend all weekend cleaning? Perhaps. This year, as you dust, vacuum, mop, and organize, may we also suggest taking inventory on all of the cleaning and personal care products you use to ensure they are not negatively impacting your health.
“Wait. You are saying products that should help me feel clean may be negatively impacting my health?!”
Yes, that is exactly what we are saying.
The World of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals
Allow us to introduce you to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which “are substances in the environment (air, soil, or water supply), food sources, personal care products, and manufactured products that interfere with the normal function of your body’s endocrine system.” (1). Oftentimes we think about hormones in terms of our menstrual cycle, but in reality hormones affect much more than our ability to reproduce – they impact nervous system function, immune function, metabolic function, respiration, cardiovascular health, and every other function of the human body.
You know how annoying it is when your hair clogs up the shower drain, preventing the water from properly draining? (If you have experienced postpartum hair loss, we know you know!) Think about EDCs as hair building up in your shower drain and slowing down your body’s ability to function properly.
What’s especially tricky about EDCs is they can act in many different ways – they can mimic hormones, stop your body from producing its own hormones, interfere with signals between hormones, override essential nutrients, link up to existing hormones, and the list goes on. If this is a totally new concept to you and you are curious to learn more, check out this guide.
The good news — you can detoxify EDCs and remove them from your body over time (we’ll cover this another day), and you can slowly cut back on your exposure to EDCs if you follow the recommendations below!
This may seem a bit overwhelming at first, so before we dig in you should know:
It has taken us years to decrease our EDC exposure, and we still consciously have to work at it.
Utilize this guide to assist in your spring cleaning, but know you do not have to do all the things right away! We hope this short list serves as a springboard for you, allowing you to seek healthier days throughout the rest of this year and beyond.
Your #1 resource throughout this process will be the Environmental Working Group. This organization is focused on research and providing consumers with in-depth knowledge about the ingredients in everything from toothpaste to drinking water to sunscreen. As you begin this cleaning process, we encourage downloading their Healthy Living App.
How to Get Started
If the thought of cleaning out the whole house is overwhelming, we’ll give you our top ten product switchovers. If it is more manageable, focus on completing one of these swaps each month for the rest of the year. Let’s Dive In!
Upgrade plastic storage containers in your kitchen to glass.
Replace Teflon or non-stick pans with cast-iron, ceramic, or stainless steel.
Lower use of plastic bags by switching to silicone storage bags.
Ditch plastic water bottles and invest in a stainless steel reusable water bottle.
Swap out moisturizers, body lotions, and any products that cover a lot of surface area or sit on on your skin all day with products from Beautycounter, Necessaire, RMS Beauty, or Ilia Beauty.
Clean up your pits with toxin-free deodorant from Beautycounter, Primally Pure, or Hume Supernatural.
Sift through this EWG Guide to Laundry Detergents to find a new soap that’ll leave your clothes clean without irritating your skin.
Skip out on dryer sheets filled with fragrances and opt for wool dryer balls instead. If you really crave a strong, clean scent, you can add a few drops of essential oils to your wool dryer balls.
Consider a cleaning kit like this one to upgrade all your cleaning products at once for a reasonable price.
Clean up your smile with a fluoride- and sulfate-free toothpaste option.
While these tasks may not seem as rewarding as organizing every single closet in your home, they will contribute to optimal health in the long-run. Join us in flipping the script on spring cleaning this year – everybody do your share!
1. https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/edcs