How to Reduce Your Toxic Load

Every day we wake up, take a shower and while our skin is hot and pores open, we put 10-15 different chemical products on our body. You may think, well at least I am not eating these chemicals, but the skin is just as absorptive as the mouth. As a rule of thumb you should be able to put whatever product you are using on your skin into your mouth. If you cannot pronounce the ingredients chances are they are not edible.

Let's begin with toothpaste, we use it every day and it gets placed directly in our mouth. Most dentists agree that a simple brush with baking soda and a rinse with very watered down hydrogen peroxide is all you need for a clean mouth. Then why do commercial toothpaste companies say you need tarter reducing agents and fluoride which are both toxic to the body? In fact most commercial and even some "natural brands" have nitrites, triclosan, sodium laurel sulfate, and sugar in them. If we are trying to omit nitrites in our meats, shouldn't we also avoid them in our toothpaste? If you find triclosan on the label, an anti-microbial agent known to cause hormone disruption, you may want to read up on the benefits of beneficial microbes. Sodium laurel sulfate is a known carcinogen. If you find it on the tube, you may want to toss the suspect and make this toothpaste that my family has used for years.

The toxic load

The CDC estimates that there are about 85,000 synthetic chemicals and approximately 2,000 new chemicals are added each year. The scary part about the new chemicals is that about 90% are not tested for human health. We do not know how they will react in our bodies. This reminds me of the phthalates that were found a few years ago to have the correlation between reproductive problems, cancer and stillbirths. I remember many products advertising "no phthalates." Lead was another toxin that was slow to be removed from lipstick and some dark red lipsticks have still been found to carry lead. In my opinion we simply do not have enough convincing evidence that the chemicals in our products are safe to our health.

What can we do?

We can use our economic power. We do not have to purchase toxic sludge in the form of pretty potions from companies that are trying to convince us that we stink and look old. There are so many recipes online to make your own products. If time does not permit the DIY approach, there are companies that are working hard to provide you with a toxic fee potion. There are mineral based make up lines, friends that make gifts, and probably a bounty of artisans in your community. Sometimes it's as easy as using your food.

There are many food grade products that are actually less expensive than the designer creams we buy. When I think of luxurious topical potions the one thing that comes to mind is coconut oil. Coconut oil has amazing benefits and is totally edible. It can act as a moisturizer, it has natural sunscreen in it, and makes a great lubricant for any need. If you do not love the smell of coconuts, try a high quality olive oil or sweet almond oil. Pure cocoa butter, shea butter or mango butter are all edible choices, have gorgeous smells and can be purchased on Amazon.

I know we think we need these constant moisturizers for our skin, but have you ever noticed that you get more and more dried out with prolonged use? I once tried the over the counter cream, dense as petroleum that doctors recommend for eczema and it helped temporarily and of course then got worse. Now I use a bit of coconut oil only on really dry spots and my  reptilian skin has stopped molting.

Try essential oils

I am not promoting we stop bathing and leave the house smelling like a wet dog, but you can reduce your toxic load. Think of how many chemicals you are applying directly to your absorptive skin and how many of those are edible. Then start somewhere easy, maybe the perfume is unnecessary and you can substitute with an essential oil. Instead of crazy bath bubbles, try some epsom salts and an essential oil. If you use an antiperspirant, change to a simple deodorant that does not clog the pores from releasing toxins. For body scrubs I love to use this non-toxic recipe with sugar and almond oil.

The more you build a healthy food foundation, the less you may find the need for heavy deodorizers. It is the toxins releasing from the body that make bad odor. Doesn't it make sense to limit the toxins we are putting in or on our body? By reducing your toxic load, you may get to see how naturally sweet you are.