When I received my diagnosis of POTS, I started to do a lot of research on how I could help myself feel better, apart from the medications, supplements and increasing fluids. Being that my body was suddenly in this fragile state, I wanted to support it in every possible way I could. In my early twenties and after having a bad spout of stomach issues, I changed my eating habits. I opted for more clean meals and mainly purchased organic products. Over the years, I have fallen off a few times, but since the onset of my POTS, I have tried to go back to eating the healthiest foods I can find (think more greens and less processed stuff). More recently, I switched over to a whole foods, plant-based diet. If I am being honest, it has been a bit challenging since I am a lover of cheese. I’ve had a few slip-ups since starting, but I am doing my best to fully transition to a clean, plant-based diet in hopes that it helps me decrease inflammation in my body and kick-start healing.
However, after reading various articles and books, I began to realize that diet is not the only aspect of my life that should be cleaned up. Pretty much every single day, we are bombarded with a numerous amount of hormone-disrupting chemicals and all sorts of toxins that can alter our overall health. Whether it be from our cleaning products, perfumes, body wash, shampoo – you name the product and it most likely has some awful ingredients in it. Through all this research, however, I became increasingly overwhelmed and ultimately decided that “what I didn’t know wouldn’t hurt me.”
That mindset quickly changed though when I developed an allergy (what seemed like out of the blue) to regular body soap. My skin started to burn and get tingly after using any kind of body soap in the shower. After a month of trying different soaps like Lever, Ivory, Dove, etc., I decided I needed to investigate less “harsh” soaps that have more natural ingredients. This paved the way for me to begin reevaluating many items we were using on our bodies and using in our home. Over the past year, I have done my best to limit our amount of toxin exposure from the products we use. That being said, I can’t say I am entirely toxic-free (it’s a work in progress and I am at the beginner level!). I did the majority of this in piecemeal, so it wasn’t a huge hit to the wallet all at once. It is important to note: I have researched these products on my own time, and I have bought them for personal use. I am unable to completely guarantee they are all 100% nontoxic.
Below is a list of items I have swapped out for safer versions. I have also included links to each if you’d like to check them out for yourself! In addition to researching, I downloaded the app called “Think Dirty,” which I have found to be very helpful. It’s basically a giant database where you can scan items while you’re shopping to see if the item is “clean” or if it’s “dirty.” It is available in the Apple App Store and in Google Play.
If you’re interested in making the switch to safer beauty and household products, I encourage you to do your own research and ultimately purchase whatever items you feel most comfortable with.
Without further ado, here are my go-to products!
Deodorant: I use the brand, Native. Native is cruelty-free and on their website, they state that they never use aluminum, parabens, sulfates or other harmful ingredients in their products. https://bit.ly/2FZVJs0
Face Wash, Toner and Moisturizer: I recently switched to the brand, Bambu Earth. They use real ingredients in their skincare products. You can learn more about their skincare line here: https://bit.ly/2tj3CGf
Hand Soaps, Shampoo & Household Cleaners: I recently came across the brand, Puracy. I use Puracy hand soaps, dish soaps, shampoo and conditioner and their muli-purpose household cleaner. Directly from Puracy’s website: “Most cleaners are full of bad stuff. We purposefully exclude bad stuff. Never any parabens, sulfates, artificial dyes, overpowering fragrances, petroleum-based ingredients, phosphates, chlorine, ammonia, caustics, SLS, SLES, formaldehyde, & more.” To learn more about their products, visit here: https://bit.ly/2u6gnDY
Laundry Detergent: We recently switched to Seventh Generation’s Free + Clear. Per the Think Dirty app, it has a rating of 2, which according to their rating definitions, it means the product does not contain any ingredients which have a documented potential negative health impact. https://bit.ly/30wBaN8
Body Soap: I now use good soap that I buy at our local Whole Foods. I have found that is not very harsh on my skin and I am not left with the burning and tingling anymore after I shower. You can learn more about this brand here: https://www.goodsoap.com/
Makeup: I don’t use much makeup anymore, but for the times when I need to wear it, I decided to clean up my products. I switched to the brand, 100% Pure. Their products are exactly what their name is: 100% pure! You can learn more about their makeup, skincare and other products all here: https://bit.ly/38eK84f
Food & Beverage Containers: We have mostly rid our cabinets of plastic containers and have switched over to mason jars and some Pyrex glassware products for food storage.
Homemade Vegetable Wash: In an amber glass bottle that I bought on Amazon, I mixed organic distilled white vinegar with the juice of three lemons. I use this whenever I need to wash any produce that we buy.
The Chronicles of Chronic Illness 