We’ve always known that life brings us in contact with a staggering number of chemicals, some of which are potentially dangerous in high doses. But we’ve never had a clear understanding about how many of those chemicals are actually making their way into our bodies—until now.
I don’t know about you, but the smell of Febreeze, cleaning agents with bleach, or anything that smells like flowery chemicals just doesn’t sit right with me. It also gives me a head-ache. For years we have been shown/told/sold products that not only make us sick (literally), but that are detrimental to our planet, inhabitants, waters, and soils. Not to set off a guilt-trip here on myself or any of you, but there are a lot of inexpensive eco-friendly alternatives to your standard cleaning products.
A few years ago, when I wanted to learn just how toxic the inside of my home had become, I called on Albert Donnay, a Johns Hopkins–trained toxicologist. Donnay is a master at revealing the invisible and the dangerous. To do this, he walks around your house with his nose in the air. The first thing Donnay asks his clients to do is gather all of their cleaning products, laundry detergents, bug sprays, air fresheners, dryer sheets — in effect, anything they can smell — and dump it all in a big garbage bag. Then he has them tie the bag shut for a month. Once the month is up, he tells them to open the bag and … inhale. Donnay calls the garbage bag ‘the most effective thing I have to convince you to improve air quality in your home.
Avocados: It was really only a matter of time before the ubiquitous superfood made its way into beauty cabinets everywhere. If you know us here at B4BC, you know we’re AVO OBSESSED and now we’ve got even more ways to incorporate our favorite superfood into our every day. The fruit’s oil is slowly gaining ground as a self-care staple and is the perfect swap for some of those toxic products that are often found in our beauty routines.