Health and Sustainability Around the House - Post #5

I've got all of my daily products in this photo. I feel like it's a lot to use everyday, but I bet if you collected all of the things you use on your skin everyday, it would be as much or even more.
You'll notice a theme: Beautycounter! 😻 More on that in a bit.

I'll start with the deodorant I've been using for the last 1 1/2 years or so, Mystic Water Soap. I have tried MANY deodorants in my quest to find something "natural". I gave up on antiperspirant many years ago (I didn't like the idea of suppressing sweating, plus the ingredients, like aluminum, who's job it is to do that are questionable). I tend to sweat a lot, so I developed all sorts of strategies to minimize body odor (since my deodorant du jour didn't really work), like showering BEFORE going to the gym, loading up on extra deodorant, and resigning myself to a not-so-fresh feeling by the end of the day. None of that is happening anymore. Once I got past the concept of having to apply the paste with my fingers (actually, before that), I realized this is the deodorant for me, and I'm not going back.👍🏼

I recently discovered Beautycounter, and I'm so glad I did. Check out my post "Introducing Beautycounter" for more on this. This company stands by their products in terms of performance, so no issues there. I have been really happy with each of the items I have chosen. Beautycounter also bans 1500 ingredients and will even commission research on ingredients that haven't been studied yet. Do you know how many ingredients are banned in cosmetics in the US? 30! The last major legislation regulating the beauty industry was in 1938!😵🤬

Many of the ingredients that our government allows companies to put into the products we use everyday are endocrine disruptors. That means they can mess with our hormones! Ugh!
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I want to mention, as I have in several other posts, the Environmental Working Group's database, Skin Deep (https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/), where you can check the rating of your favorite products. I love Beautycounter because they've done all the work for you - you know you are getting safer, high-performing products. But, many other products pass muster, if you want to do the research.🤞🏼

If you are at the beginning of the process of decreasing your exposure to environmental toxins, it can feel overwhelming. I would encourage you to go slowly - replace an item as you use it up.