When I started my health journey about 3 years ago, I came across various articles and studies about the toxins we find in our everyday products and the effects these toxins have on our bodies. Not only was I using toxic, chemical-filled products on my body and in my home on a daily basis, but I was using toxic products on my children! This came as a very rude awakening! I felt completely overwhelmed because I didn't know where to start to remove all the toxic products we were using on a daily basis and I didn't know what products and brands to trust.
So I started slowly. First, I removed all the toxic products that I was using on my children. I changed their toothpaste. I changed their body wash and shampoo. I started educating myself on the effects of sulfates, parabens, fragrances and other chemical ingredients on the human body. Then I focused on the products I was using in and around the house. This started me on my Essential Oil journey and I started to make my own non-toxic cleaning products. And YES, it is super easy and works out a LOT cheaper and healthier than I thought!
I am happy to say that 3 years down the line, the move to creating a toxin-free home and environment for our family hasn't been that hard and definitely not as expensive as I had imagined it would be. And it is worth it! I can say, with out a doubt, that by reducing the amount of toxins in our home, we have definitely improved our whole families' overall health.
The biggest obstacle these past 3 years has been the move back to South Africa and finding good quality, non-toxic products to use here. So I decided to help make your journey a little easier. :-)
I am going to list my Top 10 Toxin-Free Products (and I have created links to the sites where you will be able to purchase these each product here in South Africa). I hope this will help make your journey to creating a Toxin-Free home a little bit easier.
My Top 10 Favourite Toxic-Free products
- Essential Oils - I can not describe how oils have made the journey to having a toxic-free home easier. I will be writing more on my essential oil obsession later, but after lots of research I found these to be the best quality oils I have ever had the pleasure to try. I am super excited that these oils are finally available in South Africa, I literally use them every day!!!
- My kids absolutely love this Vanilla and Mint toothpaste by Pure Beginnings. Only organic ingredients and it is safe to swallow. They also have a fluoride free toothpaste perfect for babies and up to 3 year olds.
- I have really struggled to find good quality non-toxic skincare that worked for my skin. My absolute favourite range is Burts Bees, but unfortunately I have not been able to get it here in South Africa. A friend of mine introduced me to the GenM Personal Care range which is a Moringa Oliveira based product. The products are amazing and really good value for money. I absolutely love that their products are all: Paraben-free, Paraffin-free, Phthalate-free, Sulfate-free, Preservative-free, Free of harsh chemicals, Free of mineral oils, Free of artificial colours, Free of artificial fragrances, Non-comodegenic & Cruelty-free
- My absolute favourite shampoo and conditioner brand from the USA is now available at Clicks! Not your Mothers Nature shampoos smell amazing and my kids love them too! They are Sulfate-, Silicones-, Parabens- and Synthetic Dyes-Free!
- Summer is upon us! One of the most toxic products we will be putting on our skin, as well as the skins of our children is SUNSCREEN! I have found 2 great products that works great without all the toxic "stuff". I love the SPF30 sunscreen from Oh-Lief and I also love the fragrance free SPF50 sunscreen spray from Alcare Aloe. Aloe Ferox also has a brilliant SPF50 sunscreen that I would highly recommend.
- I make a lot of my own house cleaning products and one of my have-to-haves is definitely Castile Soap. This is one of my favourite products and I use it on a daily basis. I make my own dish liquid with this and it works great as a laundry detergent if you add a couple of drops of essential oils such as lemon or lavender.
- If I do not have Castile Soap (or time) to make my own dishwashing liquid, then this is my absolute favourite brand of dish liquid. Stay away from the nasty green dishwashing liquids we grew up with. they are full of toxic ingredients you definitely don't want on your cutlery or dishes!
- This list would not have been complete if I didn't add a good Coconut Oil to it. I absolutely love using coconut oil on my face and my body! Quality is important so I highly suggest to get Cold-Pressed and Organic if you are planning on using it on your skin and in your cooking. I love Lifestyle Food's Organic, Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil available at Dischem.
- One of the most important changes I made to my beauty routine was changing the type of deodorant I used. The deodorants I had been using contain Aluminium which has been linked to causing Alzheimer's disease and breast cancer. I had tested quite a few and finally found one that I really liked. Earthsap Wild Rose and Vanilla Roll-On works great and free of harsh synthetic ingredients and toxins.
- I replaced all my plastic water bottles with insulated stainless steel bottles and glass water bottles. Removing toxic plastic from my home has been one of my biggest priorities. Not only am I creating less waste, I am also getting rid of toxic BPA products. I absolutely love these insulated water bottles from Steely and these great quality 1 litre glass water bottles from Console.
That's it folks! It really isn't hard to create a toxin-free home. Just start with one product and work your way up from there. The most important thing is being aware of what your are putting on your skin and on the skin of your children. Remember, the skin is the biggest organ in our bodies and it absorbs a lot what we put on it.
Do you have any toxin-free products that you love to use in your home? Please share in the comment section. Looking forward to hearing from you, beautiful!
Marilene xoxo
