Day 1: Before we can fly, it’s important to get grounded

Day 2: A “fake smells” stocktake, perfumes and a close look at candles

Day 3: Endocrine disrupting chemicals – the rest of them!

Day 4: Plastic Free Living – Going LOW plastic in a high plastic world

Day 7: A Low Tox Mind with a meditation led by Kate Kendall

Day 8: Low Tox Home Cleaning – Kitchen, bathroom and multipurpose

Day 9: Low Tox Laundry

Day 10: Low Tox Face – Cosmetics, skincare & men’s face & shaving

Day 11: BODY: Scrubs, lotions, suncare and self tanning

Day 14: A Low Tox Mind and meditation with Grant Lyndon

Day 15: Personal Hygiene – Pits, time of the month, sexy time

Day 16: Low Tox Make UP Day 17: Low Tox Kids

Day 18: Low Tox Hair & Nails

Day 21: Low Tox Mind Series – with Tom Cronin

Day 22: Detoxing from chemicals

Day 23: Teeth, fluoride and water filtration

Day 24: The Antibacterial Myth – Are we ‘too clean’?

Day 25: Cookware & Bakeware

Day 28: Low Tox Conversations – The challenge of toxic interactions on your way to the low tox life

Day 29: Low Tox Bedroom

Day 30: A low tox home – Heavy Metals, Dust & Mould

Day 31: Low Tox Clothes

Day 32: Creating the ripples of change – Community ideas

Day 33: Low Tox Wrap – Resources & further reading recommendations

Low Tox Lifer Bonus Material

Low Tox Pets

Low Tox Renovation Support

Low Tox Home – Pest Repellants – personal, home & garden Day 1: Before we can fly, it’s important to get grounded

So what is a low tox life? (This is basically what I’ve just shared in the video, written out for the reading types or if you don’t have good streaming)

It has come to mean for me…

• Living more in-line with nature in our daily choices with what we put ON us, IN us and choose to have AROUND us

• Making time for ourselves to relax

• Keeping a low tox mind in terms of more positive thoughts, with less negative ones

When it comes to chemical exposure, we can’t be ‘no tox’ in the modern world. Take one example alone: with 350,000 microbeads of BPA-containing plastic in every tube of cheap face scrub, which floats out into the oceans and rivers then back into us, it just ain’t possible any more. Sad, but true but certainly not worth despairing – It’s much more exciting to get positive about the changes we can make instead.

It is important to ditch any notion that this is a journey of perfection because perfection doesn’t exist. You will be far more empowered and happy as we go along these 30 days thinking about it as a spring board for continued tweaks and changes, rather than a stressed, intensive time frame for a complete overhaul. We’re also not going to be replacing every teensy little thing you own, with low tox options. You will find most likely as the days roll on, that you want to let go of lots of extra stuff that you just don’t need – 12 eyeshadows anyone?

We can drastically lower our toxic load and over time drastically change human, animal and planet health in doing so. It never fails to spin me out just how much our tiny daily choices impact the bigger picture. Little old you and me can move mountains. On we go as quiet warriors, steadily growing in numbers, effecting big change by simply ‘not buying bad’ once we know what that looks like. We should no longer support companies which don’t have our health, nor the planet’s health, at the core of their business. It simply doesn’t make sense to, as the number of low tox options grows every day. If we continue to grow in numbers by ‘not buying bad’ then they will have to change their formulations or go out of business. Their choice. Our power. How cool is that?

Change is going to happen by supporting the companies who are ‘making good’, as well as learning to make a few things ourselves which save us money on personal care and on gifts, as well as saving on packaging. No more products with fake promises.

We have allowed ourselves to be dumbed down so much that we can be convinced into buying a ‘fresh air system’ that sprays hormone disrupting fake smells throughout our home periodically. Call me old-fashioned, but my fresh air system is to open a window! I wonder how I can have gone through 13 years of school and 4 years of university and not have become a curious thinker about what went into my body and onto my skin. The times tables or that 15,000-word thesis don’t seem to be quite as important when you think of it that way, do they?

Do not feel bad if you’re a ‘total newbie’ and you don’t know this stuff. As I write this I have cringe worthy memories of my apartment in my 20s which was full of scattered fake smelling candles, a pantry with a microwave popcorn sachet, fabric softener, honey ‘scented’ shower gel, a freezer with a bunch of lean cuisine ’emergency’ meals in there, tinned tomatoes with BPA lined cans… The important thing to know is that if you’ve just started today: you are here. The past is the past. Learn, adapt, move on and be excited. There’s no time for guilt and bitterness.

Each time we’re on a ‘product’ oriented topic, there will be DIY suggestions, economy suggestions and luxe / investment suggestions, so everyone is able to make positive changes. And remember: If you just want to take it slow, be a part of the facebook group discussions, and start implementing things slowly, at your own pace, beyond the time frame of the course, that’s absolutely fine.

This is not a race to get all your products swapped first – it will not make you cooler than the other kids. Your way. Your pace.

2 things to get us started… 1. Chemical Maze App

This is my favourite app and site for ditching harmful additives from food and chemicals in your home and in beauty products. The app is Chemical Maze. It’s an app available for iPhone and Android, or in physical form as a book. This is an invaluable compilation of almost all the nasties in one place. For a site with loads of details on the nasties, you can head also to Skin Deep, by the EWG. which focuses specifically on personal care and is USA based and researched.

Bill Stratham, the creator of Chemical Maze has been researching the science on chemicals used in products that go in and on us, and makes it very easy and empowering to choose better. I highly encourage you to grab the full paid version of the app (under $10) if you’re new to all this. Get curious and start punching things into the app in the search bar, and you will be given the verdict on whether it’s harmful or not. A scary thought: Every year another 1,000 or so new compounds enter the chemical economy, either as ingredients in finished products, or as intermediate chemicals used to make other chemicals. The total number of synthetics in commerce is probably now somewhere around 164,000 created since the 1940s. The total number of synthetics in the environment is probably far greater than that, because of the byproducts (like dioxins) unintentionally generated during production, and because of the breakdown products that result from the decay of commercial substances.

Why aren’t these chemicals tested you might ask? Isn’t stuff supposed to be safe if it’s for sale? Well, the short answer is no, a lot of it isn’t safe, or certainly hasn’t been proven 100% safe with lengthy independent studies. It’s created to provide a ‘use’ or function like making plastic bendy or making fragrances stick, preying on the fact that us humans desire the functionality MORE than caring about what’s in it. There’s the problem.

Our job is to change our mindset and redefine appeal together over 30 days. It’s a big job and before we get stuck into it, let’s start by getting grounded – also known as earthing!

2. Earthing

It might sound a bit ‘woo woo’ to the uninitiated, but ‘earthing’ basically just means getting in touch with nature. Have a think for a second about what it feels like to swim in the ocean. Think about being barefoot in the soft grass. Think about running your hands through the sand.

They all feel amazing, right? You might be someone who asks themselves: Why don’t I do this more often, it feels so good? As well as the fact that it usually coincides with a weekend or holiday, the essential reason is that the earth and the ocean carry a charge that literally ‘grounds’ us and brings us feelings of well-being, relaxation and peace. With our shoes on and our synthetic paths and varnished floors, carpets and big high rise cities, cars, trains and airplanes, we are removed from that energy that grounds us so well.

When you’re ‘grounded’ there’s a transfer of free electrons from the Earth into your body. And these free electrons are super powerful antioxidants. They literally help wipe the ‘badness’ of modern living, artificial environments and frequencies away.

These antioxidants are also responsible for the clinical observations from grounding experiments, such as:

• Beneficial changes in heart rate

• Decreased levels of pain

• Decreased levels of inflammation

• Increased sleep quality

Need some science on the matter? This finding published by the US Library of medicine from the journal of environmental and public health is great.

I’m going to add rapid recovery from jet lag, because I did an experiment last year, and it was incredible the difference I found in getting barefoot once I arrived. If you think about it, it’s literally the opposite of being in the incredibly artificial surrounds of a jet plane 30,000 feet above the ground! You can read my low tox travel tips here.

This is a FREE and simple therapy that anyone can implement, starting now. You will be amazed at the benefits and shouldn’t wait a day to get started. It’s a beautiful thing to do with small children too and parents often report calm on a ‘devil day’ when they get barefoot with their little ones and relax outside.

Enjoy my chat with Martin Zucker, best-selling co-author of the book: Earthing. The Most Important Health Discovery Ever. In each module where there’s an interview – we’ve got a transcript for you if you’re more the reading type or don’t have great quality internet. We also share a sound cloud for going for a walk with the headphones in and soaking up the expert knowledge that way. Here’s today’s transcript.

Alexx chats to Martin Zucker

What do you say to people asking why you’re ‘earthing’ all of a sudden?

It just feels totally relaxing – Just try it!

It pumps your body with antioxidants and helps with things like back pain and has been scientifically proven to reduce blood pressure and increase sleep. I get barefoot every chance I get now. Make the nay sayers join you and see how they feel after 10 minutes!

And here’s a great little article on how “Dirt Can Make you Happy” from the Horticulture Magazine. Happy reading!

YOUR MISSION FOR DAY 1:

Go back to nature – get outside, kick the shoes off (unless it’s snowing, and then I don’t recommend doing this right now!), go for a swim in the ocean, or do whatever you can do to get in touch with nature – especially via the feet. If all you can do is run some cold water over your feet or pop out to the front lawn barefoot for a few minutes, do that.

CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY? CLICK HERE

Day 2: A “fake smells” stocktake, perfumes and a close look at candles

So today is a little less ‘light’ in subject than our first day, because, well, we basically have a lot of work to do. Day 2 is as good a time as any to dive in – after a little earthing of course!

In learning what we’re going to learn over the next 4-5 weeks, “lightness” will be redefined. Sure there’s a lightness in the life of ignorant bliss, but once you learn and change the things you’re about to change over the coming days, weeks, months and years, you’ll experience a new kind of lightness.

It’s the kind of spring in your step that lets you know at a deep level that your choices are informed, proud choices; and that you have a connection to nature and choose to work WITH her, not against her. There’s a lightness in supporting companies who are aligned with your values and how darn good that feels to do once you tune in. The rewards pay off for you every day, your future generations and nature for millenia to come. It’s pretty powerful stuff.

Now remember: Our time together is a spring board, not a deadline! Your pace. Your way. You’ll hear me say that a lot!

So our topic today?

Phthalates in the context of fragranced products of all kinds. I can feel a bit of panic set in. Stay with me here. I promise you today is the worst bombshell and it all gets easier from here. Why not get the worst of it out of the way early, right? We’re going to try and get as many of these synthetic fragrances out of our homes as possible.

Why? The problem is, they are hormone disruptors.

They are a ‘plasticizer compound’ that make fragrances last longer and they make certain plastics uber bendy / soft / stretchy (think of those kids goopy coloured gels and ‘ monster slime’ from a toy shop or a cheap puzzle play mat or a PVC raincoat or contact paper or vinyl flooring) We’re going to go deep into endocrine disruption tomorrow but for today, we’ll stick to phthalates and ‘smells’ and candles.

The good news about phthalates is that they don’t stay in the body for long like some chemicals. Ditching the ‘fake smells’ out of your home is just about the quickest change you can make and detox you can experience. The damage from phthalates however, is caused by daily, repeated exposure. That damage can mean everything from male sperm count issues, to asthma, to a change in the male babies’ testes, to increased breast cancer incidences if you look at the research studies thus far conducted.

I had an Organic Acid Test done recently to gage my body’s toxic load as well as the many other things the test reveals and to my horror I was 2 x the phthalate ‘safe’ range. The pathologist, Martin was shocked too but for a different reason. He said it was the lowest phthalate reading he’d ever seen and that it was common for people to be 20x and 50x normal range these days. Somewhat relieved, we attributed my reading to electronics handling and incidental exposure such as receipts and exposure like public toilet cleaning products and air fresheners in the odd taxi. I can live with that.

There will always be a ‘just go with the flow or you’ll lose it’ element to making these changes, and I am proud of all the ones I’ve made and know that low tox with my sanity intact is better than chasing perfection and no tox and going barking mad in the process. It would have been rather embarrassing to have had a high reading as a low tox course creator, but there you go – the tests have spoken!

You want to know some awesome news? One of our alumni took an Organic Acid test before she did our e course last year, and then was retested this year 5 months later – her levels had significantly dropped already down to the same as mine just by making the changes we make together on the course and in just 5 months so it’s wonderful proof that these day to day changes really do make a difference.

For those of you who are the ‘nerd out types’ like me, this paper is a great synopsis on phthalates, the different classes of them and the various studies done to show the many harmful effects of them on embryos, babies, children and adults alike. It’s technical, but it’s very good and thorough.

The wonderful environmental scientists Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie who authored Slow Death By Rubber Duck have a whole chapter on phthalates, too. It is a great book where they experiment on themselves across a range of chemicals and do readings and tests of before / afters – Super approachable style, too so you don’t need a chemistry degree to get into it.

So what does over exposure to phthalates look like if I don’t want to trawl through the linked study or read a book?

1. Change in male baby genital anatomy and sperm counts – 50% lower sperm counts on average in the past 50 years. Is that not crazy?

2. Earlier puberty in girls. 3. Infinite endocrine disruption issues at sub clinical levels (ie not severe enough for ‘treatment’ but enough for symptoms to be a problem to people).

Those would be the two biggest concerns that scientists have discovered. If you’re more of a visual person, the documentary “The Disappearing Male” is a must watch – and get your partner to watch too, if you have or are planning to have kids – It’s a great way to get them onside pronto with the changes you’re about to make at home. Even if you can only get them to commit to the first 5 minutes – it will be enough to get the support to make the changes you want to.

One of the scientists in the documentary, Dr Elizabeth Gillette says “Why is this not being publicised? I think, it’s because it’s too scary”. The alternative is to stay in the dark, which I’d say is far scarier.

Watch the doco and decide for yourself. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

And then there’s the girls… Girls reaching puberty at 8? It’s not normal. We shouldn’t normalise it nor say ‘back in our day girls were usually around 12’ and shrug. This can be fixed if we detox our world, our products, and therefore our people.

• What’s in the shampoo and bath gel that little girls use?

• What’s in the cheap chery lip balm?

• Or the scratch and sniff paper? Or the princess perfume? Or the girly nail polish?

• Or the air freshener in their home?

• Or the scooby doos and loom bands?

• Or the hair of her dolls?

• Or the contact paper on the textbooks? • Or the hairspray for the dance concert?

Why is the link between these things reserved for nerdy science circles and ‘extremist hippies’ and not front page news?

They go on and on about Paleo Pete dangerously recommending meat and veggies (I’m personally not paleo, but you get my drift with the example of media saturation) and meanwhile, this stuff is swept under the carpet.

Isn’t a doubt enough when it comes to health and wellbeing, ESPECIALLY when it comes to fertility or the health of babies born or development of healthy humans as we grow and age? We are up against big stuff here but slowly, together we can become many. Consumer demand is the #1 driver of companies that want big profits, so if enough of us want natural, they’ll sure be changing those formulas fast.

So, to start getting these daily chemicals out of our lives, your job today is to write down everything you have in your home right now that might have a fake smell. Today might be a good day to start a course journal.

You know how the commercial says “Ocean Fresh Breeze” scent? Those products are NOT what the ocean smells like, am I right? Lavender fresh? How did they con us so easily?

A “fresh air system” is not a product spraying hormone mimicking chemicals into our indoor air environments. A fresh air system is opening a window!

So, write all the things down that you find and go back to our course mantra: Don’t freak out. Phase out! We’re going to spend time finding the good companies to support their products for our health and the planet as we start to move through the topics.

Feel free to share on facebook in today’s thread, what you collect on your list and see if there are dubious ones you’re not sure of. Please just be sure to upload a picture of the INGREDIENTS SIDE rather than the label at the front with the brand name – It will be easier for me to help you quick as a flash. From washing liquids (even the so called ‘green’ ones) to perfumes, shampoos, deodorants, cleansers, toners, scrubs, bath oils, hand creams, shave gels, wax, hair products, surface spray, washing powders, fabric softeners, air fresheners to scented candles and the rest… get them all on a list so you can see just how much of this hormone altering chemical is lurking around your home, that you’re exposed to on a daily basis either in breathing or via skin. It will be upsetting and you will be a bit upset – I know I was! Totally normal… but remember to not feel guilty!

Pro tip for personal care even though we’re a few days away from the skin care topics

If a product says ‘fragrance or ‘parfum’ on its ingredient list, but doesn’t asterix “from natural essential oil” then it is 99.9% fake! There are very, very few exceptions, in fact I’ve come across only 2 in a few years of enquiring and looking at tubes. Usually if a natural company doesn’t disclose fragrance ingredients but IS natural, it will state “proprietary blend from essential oils”. Easiest thing to do is to feign phthalate allergy with a customer service email, if it’s something you’re not sure about on the list.

Dear Customer service,

I’ve been diagnosed with a phthalate sensitivity and I just needed to check if the word ‘fragrance’ on your ingredient panel might be synthetic and contain phthalates? I so appreciate you letting me know. I’m dreading letting go of some of my products, but it’s just not working for me unfortunately. Thanks for your understanding and further information in advance,

Kind Regards

Dubious Debbie

It’s not ‘1 day to a low tox life’ as much as I know you’d like it to be. Once you’ve made a ‘fake smells list’ just mentally start to prepare for things to leave the home as they run out, or perhaps donate to a local shelter or giveaway on a BUY SWAP SELL group if you’re the ‘get this stuff out of here at once’ type. People change different ways. It’s no race nor competition. If one change this week is all you can make, then it’s still a change.

Start to see these products for what they really are. Start to hear the ludicrousness in the TV ads that promote them. Welcome to the old grumps eye rolling club – aka, can’t watch ads anymore. Ever again.

Desperate to make *something* already? Check out my air freshener recipe if you want to have your first go. It’s so, so easy and inexpensive!

Now I have our first expert video for you today – lovely naturopath and nutritionist Kate Johnston of KORE WELLBEING – We’re talking hormones and hormone disruption. It’s a brand new video so if you’re hearing impaired, please bear with me while we are still putting together the transcript. I will let you know when it’s completed. Enjoy the chat. We speak about everything we’re covering in our next 2 days and there will be a good amount of fire in the belly to set us up for wonderful changes to lower our use of and exposure to these hormone disruptors in the day to day – it’s super easy to do once you know how, I promise.

Alexx chats to Kate Johnston

Now let’s look at a few substitutions we can start to plan for!

CANDLES Sadly, phthalates aren’t the only thing that’s wrong with the average scented candle.

Candles. Ah, the romance, the calm, the unwind, the MINEFIELD OF SYNTHETIC INGREDIENTS DAMAGING US AND THE PLANET.

WHAT? Yep, candles have just as much grey area as anything else it turns out, and we’re going to go a bit deeper and look at what the deal is and how to perfume our homes – and ourselves – naturally!

Picking a candle, scented or unscented for that matter, requires a little research and investigation before lighting our wicks to unwind.

Here’s what’s in the majority of candles out there:

• Pthalates in the synthetic fragrances: You watch what happens when you cleanse your home of them and then go to someone else’s home a few weeks later where they’re burning. It will be SO obvious you won’t believe you never realised.

• Many scented candles contain lead in the wick. Mm, just love the smell of lead in the air, don’t you? Best is to buy from a local-to-you candle maker that you can ask rather than a pack-of-100 tea lights, type of vibe. Most of the lead coated wicks come from Asia, where there isn’t any law against the use of it.

• Paraffin is basically a waste product from the petroleum industry. Most candles are made with paraffin. Lots of yucky gasses go up into your indoor space with the burning of paraffin. It’s basically like a teeny tiny diesel engine burning inside your home. Isn’t that gross?

• Soy, is often GM derived (genetically modified soy – the #1 deforestation cause in the Amazon at the moment and chiefly responsible for ruining soil biodiversity due to the heavy pesticide use in GM agriculture. It’s a 30 day course of its own, trust me!). While ‘better for us’ than petroleum derived paraffin, it’s sadly supporting GM agriculture to buy soy candles (unless they state that they’re organic or Non GMO project verified. ) The other problem with soy is the heavy processing and need for super strong fragrance (hello pthalates!) to mask the smell of unpleasant soybean oil, which because it’s hydrogenated has a super low melt point, thus always being in ‘pots’ Thanks Cate from Queen B for that fact!

How do I navigate candles and choose better!?

• Don’t buy el cheapo candles from a $2 shop or supermarket.

• If you do burn cheap candles, do it with windows open, to at least circulate a little fresh air and minimise indoor pollution from the paraffin.

• Don’t buy supermarket air freshener candles. “Arctic fresh” and similarly named air freshener candles are definitely doing you more harm than good!

• Check the wicks for metal by pinching two fingers around the wick and seeing if there’s any hiding in there. Most probably lead if there is. Move on!

• Choose unscented candles, unless you can be sure they’re scented with pure essential oils.

• Choose Pure Beeswax candles. These are without a doubt the best option available. Some manufacturers mix beeswax with paraffin, so definitely watch for 100% beeswax.

CREATIVE IDEAS FOR PERFUMING YOUR HOME

• Why not dip a whole bunch of wood BBQ skewers in your favourite essential oil blend and pop it by an open window to breeze through into the house? • Get an essential oil diffuser and cold-diffuse oils, the best way to preserve their wellbeing properties.

• Grab a nice oil burner and some beeswax tea light candles, and burn your favourite natural scents. Rosemary and Rose Geranium is a favourite of mine, or a little grapefruit and mint in the morning. Have a play!

• Pop a little water in a saucepan and do a 5 minute simmer of your favourite essential oils and rosemary or citrus peels – The house will smell amazing in minutes!

• Add a few drops of your favourite oils to your shower while the hot water steams up before you turn on the cold and get in. It’s like stepping into a delicious aromatherapy treatment. Eucalytpus or tea tree oil are wonderful natural disinfectors and amazing if you’re changing seasons or feel like a cold might be on the way and you want some immune support!

• Winter air freshener: fill the bottom of a jar with baking soda and add a few drops of essential oils (bergamot and cinnamon for example) then arrange the cinnamon sticks in the jar for a sweet smelling play on snow covered branches. The best part? No chemicals, and you can easily freshen up the scent by stirring the baking soda with the cinnamon sticks!

• Bathroom tip: Drop some essential oils on the inside of the toilet roll cardboard… It’ll smell great in there for a fraction of the environmental or monetary cost of a fake airfreshener.

• Surround a big beeswax candle with coffee beans and some vanilla bean powder and the aroma is incredible through the house as it burns!

• And if you have a smelly teenage boy… an open tub of bicarb soda under the bed works wonders, and add an essential oil diffuser such as this one below from Lively Living or the Aria diffuser from Young Living underneath here, complete with remote control – with masculine vibes like rosemary / mint / vetiver type oils in the mix (See essential oils a little further down). Open the bedroom windows before he heads off to school and leave them open a few hours a day if

possible

Lively Living diffuser

Aria Young Living Diffuser – I’ve always got mine going with the blend or oil of the day for work or family time or relaxation. It beats air fresheners hands down once you get one for yourself and you won’t believe you used to use fake smelling scented products in the past, I guarantee you!

So how am I shaping a better world and a healthier me by changing my candles again?

• By saying no to petroleum products, by not choosing paraffin candles.

• By saying no to GM farming when not going with ‘natural’ soy candles that aren’t certified organic.

• By minimising petroleum pollution and indoor air pollution.

• By stopping low level lead exposure from possible lead wicks in cheap candles.

• By saying no to phthalates, which are hormone disrupting chemicals found in fake fragrances, used to scent the majority of candles.

So where do I get real candles from? I’d recommend BIOME eco stores, for the fact that their range is the largest and safest I’ve come across. The Queen B candles are particularly good. Biome is a trusted source for me and any partner stores I mention on this course are ones that I have purchased from many times over and come to trust, thus approaching them to help support the course with giveaways and a few little deals over the month which I shall share with you in the next couple of days.

You will be amazed at how slow the burn is on a beeswax tea light candle. They seem to last twice as long, so I justify the extra price that way. Plus, our health and the environment are protected. It’s a no brainer, a win win and a great little gift to suit a variety of budgets.

A vegan option… Biome also stocks a soy alternative— given the issues with soy, genetic modification and deforestation, they have chosen iKOU candles which use Non-GMO soy grown in USA soy plantations certified by the WWF. Perfect for vegans too, being non beeswax. See why I chose this store as my go to?

And if you need some birthday candles, an alumni of a prior course found these that look great! Happy Flame Birthday Candles

DIY candles There are a number of options. You could make an olive oil candle or a nifty twist on the basic olive oil candle is this one made out of a half orange – and it works!

There are also plenty of DIY Beeswax candle making kits online.

Can I burn incense?

If you absolutely LOVE it then a little every now and then is fine. Keep a window open and seek out natural brands like this one.

Keep in mind that it is, essentially burning fumes, and even natural ones aren’t ideal too much of the time. When I think of my closed door room as a teen burning nag champa around the clock and chronic cough I had around that time. I wonder… So, for incense: Windows open and not too often and I’d suggest that asthmatics, little ones and pregnant people should consider skipping it altogether. This article discusses some issues with respect to incense and lung cell inflammation.

Tip for improving indoor air quality for incense loving people A Salt Lamp. It’s what we call a ‘negative ioniser’ and the way they work is this: They remove hazardous particles from the air. Once negative ions are released into the air, they quickly attract such particles, which are positively charged. As the negative ions and positive particulates cluster together, they become heavy, ultimately falling to surfaces where they can be vacuumed or dusted away rather than inhaled. If a salt lamp is of interest you can head here. They say on their site that it neutralises EMF (electro magnetic radiation) I believe this to be an inconclusive claim however also not able to be proved ‘untrue’, but their lamps are beautiful and definitely of benefit to read by the light of one to wind down at the end of the day. You can drop a couple of essential oils onto them for a subtle fragrance release. Just don’t use them as all-night night lights for children as the salt produces condensation and it isn’t safe to leave a salt lamp unattended.

Personal Perfumes

This is a minefield. Most ‘prestige’ perfume is full of fake stuff. No good. A couple of more traditional houses like Guerlain produce fragrances using essential oils for their classic perfumes, but it is extremely rare and most are synthetic, thus phthalates most often hide in there. If you’re unsure, ask the company. I use Black Chicken Balm of Ages and the Black Chicken Perfume Oil and I love the fragrances as well as the healing powers – I swear if we did a scientific study on its effects, it would be shown to reduce cortisol levels (stress). People always tell me I smell amazing. Seriously. Get some and see if it suits you. Natural fragrances are no different to fake ones when it comes to different perfumes smelling different on different people. With that in mind, you might need to go through 2 or 3 over time before settling on a new natural signature scent.

I’ve worn natural fragrance for about 7 years now and honestly can’t believe how strongly the fake ones smell nor can I get my head around how exactly I was able to wear them! It’s amazing how quickly you realise synthetics smell really wrong, where once I was a young perfume counter girl at Downtown Duty Free, dousing myself and others in the stuff all day! Did I mention the twice a week migraines that I never made the connection with until I left cosmetics and the migraines disappeared?

If we could just speak to our past selves, right?

Other natural fragrance ideas

Seek out natural brands and try a few out over the next few months. These IME perfumes are great. Nourished Life has a whole page of fragrances HERE. Many are in sample size to allow for trialling which is great. My favourite new ones that are super fresh and light are the Weleda range. Rose has a hint of rose – not in that granny Crabtree Evelyn vibe but in a delicious, sexy vibe, with a burst of lemon, Pomegranate is deliciously fruity with a citrus twist and Sea Buckthorn is citrus, citrus, citrus with a delicious, zesty vibe – my personal fave.

You can get a set of minis to explore at a not too expensive price point. The Vanessa Megan one is gorgeous too. If you have access to shopping in the USA or don’t mind hefty postage, the Intelligent Nutrients Chakra range is incredible. They don’t smell like you’ve been to a spa, they smell like date night ‘special drop’ perfumes, except all natural.

Make your own fragrance with oils

It’s amazing how many people have stopped me to ask what I was wearing when all it was was a drop of Vetiver oil behind the ears – I had a flight attendant last month stop me, obsess over the smell, and saw him then go onto buy some for his sister. Simple, natural, and per drop very inexpensive for most easy to obtain oils (certain plants of course with lower yields are more expensive). There are many Essential Oil companies out there. Springfields range is readily available in health shops and organic in conversion and Twenty 8 and Doterra are also very good. The Young Living oils are my favourite although I’m truly not here to push anyone to buying oils through me or starting your oils business that’s going to ‘make you millions’ – honestly, it’s not my vibe. If you fancy exploring oils, just send me an email [email protected] and I’ll pop you the info to get either a super low key buy 2-oils-a-year type of wholesale account, or a more ‘I’m an oils fanatic’ regular buying account and you can join our little oils group on FB if it’s of interest to you. I mention them because everyone always asks me ‘which ones do you use’ and you’ll hear about them today and in the home cleaning day and that’s it – use which ever brand you fancy and even use a mix and see what you like. I can’t stand the ‘oils wars’ with brands trying to tear down other brands in elaborate ways. It’s very unclassy for brands to do this to each other, so I ignore it all and just buy my oils that I like. I simply find YL to be the most potent I’ve sniffed and love their farm-owned / biodynamic philosophy and the fact that they distill themselves – Very much like Weleda skin care in that way. Here’s an essential oils guru Naomi who’s shared with us their benefits HERE. Whatever you do choose or use when it comes to oils for fragrance, personal use and cleaning, choose ‘100% essential oil’ on the bottle to avoid weird fillers or synthetics and be very careful about sites that suggest ingesting the oils (other than TGA approved food grade ones which each brand will be able to tell you which ones are safe and approved for cooking) and applying liberally undiluted. Also be careful during pregnancy. Chey Birch from Black Chicken shares pregnancy and oils tips here that I love. Oils are powerful and must be shared the right way and I personally prefer to stick to use and discussing for emotional support and supporting harmony in the body, rather than ‘this cures cancer and that reverses tumour’ type oils talk on the interwebs. Beware the internet doctor with no formal education. As I said, oils are powerful and wonderful and should be shared and talked about responsibly in my humble opinion. This recipe for natural essential oil based perfume once you scroll right down, is great and done the right way to make it last on your skin and maintain the integrity of the oils. Men can do this too with more masculine combinations. It’s exciting to create your own that appeals just to you, don’t you think?

So whether you have a big or small budget, the area of candles and fragrance is an easy swap after a bit of discovery of new brands and what you might like! Make your own, buy a treat. Make a gift list for your upcoming birthday! The choice is yours and the best part is, all the choices are now natural.

NEED A CHEAT SHEET WITH JUST THE ESSENTIALS FROM TODAY? CLICK HERE

DON’T STRESS. CELEBRATE YOUR WINS – EVERY SINGLE TINY WIN. Be the change rather than being showy or preachy about your ‘new discoveries’. People will get curious eventually, trust me and they’ll come asking you about things. If you do get asked by your family and friends, explain things kindly and that you are WITH them, not against them… Watching a doco together and voicing your concerns is a nice way to bring you together on these new subjects, rather than create divide – let a scientist break the news, instead of having them accuse you of being a hippy woo woo sister / wife / mother / husband all of a sudden. I have a running joke with my husband going that my mum in law doesn’t believe something I might have talked about years ago until it’s on the ABC and then she be like “It turns out that cholesterol isn’t the cause of heart disease”… and I be like “ohhhhh!” hehe. Thought that might give a few of you a laugh! Low Tox. Happy Bodies. Happy Planet. Day 3: Endocrine disrupting chemicals – the rest of them!

Before we launch into today’s material, I want to share what I suggest our course mantra be:

Don’t Freak out, PHASE out

This is exactly what this course is about. Sure, finding out this stuff is and can be scary BUT we’re changing things and that is absolutely the most important thing to focus on. Plan for what you will use next time as the topics and 100s of suggestions unfold. Celebrate all the little wins along the way. My goal is not to simply spoon feed you exactly what to buy from day 1, but to spend a few initial days really ensuring you get to know some of the chemicals that have made it into our day-to-day lives, decide for yourself based on scientific evidence how comfortable you feel with those chemicals being on you or in you, and then learn how and where to spot them. This way you become a great detective out there as your skills build, and if you can’t find a “Low Tox Life” mentioned brand, you’ll still be able to assess and make a good choice – wherever you are in the world. I encourage you to contact companies, ask questions and report back in our facebook group. As Maya Angelou says “what you learn, teach”.

How do you call a company without sounding like you’re accusing them of something?

“Hi, I’m shopping for a friend who has chemical sensitivity (or feign some other issue like ‘allergic to some synthetic fragrances) and I just needed to clear something with your ingredients… could you let me know if XYZ has any synthetic fragrance in it? This way it’s not you asking them for you but for your friend’s birthday… I have had a lot of friends’ birthday’s that I’ve needed to check ingredients for, preparing the materials for this course – Wonder if I’m known as the ‘birthday caller’ in green wash brand circles. Yep, watch out for her!

How do you get rid of everything without being consumed with guilt for throwing lots of stuff away?

You have two options

Donate – Many shelters would appreciate products you’re not going to use again if you just want to ‘throw everything out’ and they’d be using high tox stuff anyway sadly. It’s especially good as you discover perhaps some greenwash brands (ie brain washed into thinking they’re ‘clean’ when they still contain some nasties) that you’re not wanting to use anymore as they’re at least better than nothing or what they’re currently using there. Scented candles, hair, make up, body products, cleaning products etc would so greatly be appreciated.

Phase out – Don’t stress about open stuff. Just finish it and move on. Not all people feel comfortable doing that of course, thus the donate option, but if you do don’t feel guilty, feel resourceful and be happy to move on to better and better things down the track.

I want to make changes NOW. Where do I shop?

I get it. Some things can’t wait 30 days and if you’re like me you just want all the badness GONE. While you will have to hang tight for the DIY options as they unfold, there are two main places I shop for low tox products after having trawled through many sites only to receive parcels with iffy ingredients from ‘natural’ sites… The 2 strictest and most committed I’ve found are Nourished Life and BIOME. Both founders have interviews during the course and you’ll love their passion, honesty and awesomeness. They’re both local small business owners and that feels super good to support. I never hesitate to recommend them and they support our course over the month with giveaways, shipping discounts, bundle buys and more that you’ll see from Day 5, which is super nice of them – so if you can hold tight on Thursday you shall receive all the discounts made available to Low Tox Life peeps. I proudly affiliate both after having tried so many sites over the years and I really love having peace of mind that they are so true to their mission – which essentially echoes mine – Happy, healthy people. Happy, healthy planet. No short cuts. No sneaky what ifs. Just the good stuff. Just the best stuff. Loads of pricing options.

If there’s anything you’re running out of before that topic’s day comes up, hop onto either by clicking on the pictures below and have a little looksie for some inspiration. I love seeking out and supporting sites that don’t allow the odd little green wash (green- ish brand but not really all the way green or marketing being fully green but still containing a couple of nasties under the radar). Sites where you can confidently know that they’re constantly researching and updating just as I commit to doing in this course.

UK residents? You will be seeing a spreadsheet tomorrow of options for you so hang tight! USA? I have many hyperlinked websites throughout the course for options for you too!

Now onto the meaty part of today!

Today, we’re exploring the endocrine disrupting topic a little more to see what else are the major concerns. This is, to me, the most important aspect to lowering our toxic load. Having chemicals mimicking our real hormones through the body can have disastrous effects on our health and be incredibly difficult to heal. Cue autoimmune diseases appearing by the bucket load today around the world! We don’t get ‘drop dead and die’ types of illnesses from these chemicals. It’s a slow degeneration. And worst still, it’s not just affecting us today, but our future generations’ health, so it’s super important that we get aware and get on with better choices.

I have a wonderful quick 13 minute video to share with you on BPA with Dr Peter Dingle, PHD in Environmental Sciences. With what can be a doom filled topic, Peter shares my passion in making this information available to people without panic and with simple actions to take. It should feel good, doing good and changing things for the better!

If you live remotely or have shaky internet connectivity – Here’s a sound cloud file. This is perfect to take yourself off for a quick walk too and uses much less bandwidth than the video!

Alexx chats to Dr. Peter Dingle| Transcript

What are hormones, exactly?

Hormones are chemical messengers that travel throughout the body coordinating complex processes like growth, metabolism, and fertility. They can influence the function of the immune system, and even alter behaviour…In response to a signal from the brain, hormones are secreted directly into the blood by the glands that produce and store them.

These glands make up what is known as the endocrine system. Chemicals that interfere with the function of hormones are therefore known as endocrine disruptors.

It’s terrifying to me that the minute we knew that these chemicals had such effects, that governments around the world didn’t simply say: Right, get those out of products by the end of next year! Don’t you feel angry about the fact that they make statements such as “It isn’t conclusive yet, so we’re going to hold off”. The effect of phthalates, especially on male reproductive development, has been observed since the 1940s – How much longer do we need? The obesogenic effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals has been known for decades. You can read more on this issue here.

Why are these chemicals still allowed? The activist in me says that it’s fear of the ginormous chemical industry. I will let you ponder for yourself.

This is why it’s essential that we grow the niche of concerned citizens about this stuff. Several of you have thanked me for making this course affordable. I’m not interested in this being a hippy niche for people who can afford luxury organics. There are price levels and free options for a lot of the stuff that we need to swap. The worst thing possible for me, would be the barrier to entry on the KNOWLEDGE that then allows you to make your own informed choice based on your needs. That’s why the low price. All I ask is that you help me grow the niche by sharing it with your friends when enrolments open next time so we can keep getting people on the bandwagon!

PHTHALATES

So, back to the topic du jour! We’ve talked about phthalates in fake / synthetic fragrances, but here are few other common places they lie:

• Raincoats (PVC) – (We use umbrellas and Aussie Drizabone coats. Just buy massive for little ones and let them grow into them over 3-4 years or check out this adorable worldwide shipping site in the UK for PVC free / organic cotton kids raincoats)

• Cheap kids toys – especially cheap balls and plastic padded books (I know, I know… I can still picture my little guy using those – IN A HOT BATH!!! And… move on Alexx, move on!) that are stretchy and bendy. Quality kids toys will say ‘phthalate free’ these days and if in doubt, call the company and ask.

• Cheap kids foamy puzzle fitting mats like this one (sorry!) – Some brands now coming out say ‘phthalate free’ but ask yourself: Do your kids need a plastic mat at all? We explore a million kids’ options on kids day.

• Plastic IV tubing (I’m not saying avoid medical procedures. Medicine can and so often does save lives and if you need an IV you need one, end of story. Go doctors! This is just to illustrate their prevalence and how we should keep plastics to being a precious resource when necessary rather than in every aspect of our daily life, if that makes sense.)

• Most Nail Polish – Nail day is coming, don’t panic!

• Most yoga mats (except the stunning CORKLEAF mats – I’ve recently bought one and love it – the Ekomat (available globally), Mukha (AUS) or Jade (US, natural rubber, compostable)

• Many perfumes and scented candles

• Some Insect Repellent

• All pesticides in agriculture

• Wire coating and tubing in modern houses (green options are available now!) • Vinyl floors and synthetic carpet (seek out natural options when you renovate or build)

• And that ‘new car smell’? You’re smelling phthalates. Dashboard, steering wheel… The fragrance used… Buying second hand cars is good for your pocket, better for the environment AND better for your health and when you need to get the car serviced? Be sure to say “skip the deodoriser / air freshener please”

• Many lipstick brands

• Food: Predominantly Milk (from tubes in dairy feeding)

Tell me there’s some good news on phthalates, I hear you say? How do I reduce exposure?

Yes. There are easy ways to avoid them in the above sorts of products! I’ll give you a little preview into a few options which we will expand greatly on as the individual topics get covered, too.

1. Try and choose organic food where possible as the pesticides are what the phthalates can be found in. Here in Sydney for example, we have a great farmer in Picton, NSW, Rita, who isn’t certified but allows people to visit and see how they farm. Their produce is all ‘spray free’ and at Double Bay, Marrickville, Bondi Junction and Bondi Beach markets. The produce is really amazing value – cheaper than supermarket conventional, often. It’s the Asian family if you’re wondering which stall, Sydney siders! Lovely people. You will find these people in your city or town with a bit of digging around! So if you can’t stretch to organic certified, people like Rita exist everywhere!

2. Reduce your plastics – especially codes 3 and 7 (in the little triangle under the packaging). We have a HUGE module on plastic free living tomorrow so hang tight! Say a polite no thank you to plastic hand me down toys. Little people chew on toys and while since 2009 a number of phthalates have been banned from children’s toys (not the mats I mentioned though they’re still in there!), it means anything prior will possibly and probably contain phthalates. Ask manufacturers questions. You might need to pay more for organic / eco versions of things but think what you are saving on future health complications from exposure – generationally! It’s a big one and we must think big picture. Skip getting a ‘play mat’ – The grass!!! There’s an idea for a play mat. Or for indoors, laying down a coloured sheet or wool rug or cotton towel and cutting out fishy shapes and make an ocean play mat… or a snakes the next day!

3. Go natural in the products department. We’re covering these in A LOT more detail as the course goes on, but I know some people out there just can’t wait so here are a few… I use this insect repellent and love it. I use this nail polish and it’s awesome. I use this stainless lunch box for portable food needs, instead of dodgy kid’s plastic ones. Sometimes a fraction more expensive but honestly? For my health and the family? I don’t care! I was never more strapped for cash than when I went low tox, trust me. I made it work, I buy less ‘stuff’ in general these days and buy good stuff that we actually need and that will last years. This will be a common theme over the course, curing ourselves from buying ‘cheap’ stuff because it’s a ‘great deal’ and all that.

Get creative, ditch the weirdo plastics, SAVE money and SAVE plastics in the environment thereafter. It’s all pointing to a win, win, win, win scenario. We simply don’t need to buy all this ‘stuff’!

Now onto the rest of them 1. BPA

The primary source of exposure to BPA for most people is through the diet. While air, dust, and water are other possible sources of exposure, BPA in food and beverages accounts for the majority of daily human exposure.

Bisphenol A can leach into food from the protective internal epoxy resin coatings of canned foods and from consumer products such as polycarbonate tableware, food storage containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. The degree to which BPA leaches from polycarbonate bottles into liquid may depend more on the temperature of the liquid or bottle, than the age of the container. BPA can also be found in breast milk. Read more here if you want to go deeper into it.

• Sorry guys, you’re going to have to stop drinking cask wine!

• Thermal receipts – Say ‘no thank you’ to receipts you don’t actually need to keep and don’t get the ATM receipt when you get money out!

• Canned foods – Important to seek out non BPA lined tins and for tomatoes, being acidic, to not get tins at all (aluminum and acid aren’t friends and we don’t want aluminum leaching into the tomatoes!) and moving to a glass jar “passata” or fresh tomatoes in the summer time, for cooking with tomatoes. Stick to these brands if buying canned: Good Fish, Global Organics, Eden and Ayam.

• Some plastics still. 3, 6 and 7 are the best categories of plastic to steer clear of.

• Coffee cup lids – Say ‘NO LID THANKS’ if you’re at a cafe OR better still, get a JOCO to use for tea or coffee. I absolutely love mine and love that the liquid is in contact with glass, not a coated cup or a plastic reusable cup. These days most days too, I just bring a mug from home, get my coffee, find a park bench and you guessed it – get barefoot and relax for 10 minutes. Remember relaxation? Yeah,

it’s worthwhile to check back in on that stuff.

My teaching style ain’t ‘fear, fear, fear’ as you will get to know, but endocrine disruption is real – you heard about it from Katie in yesterday’s interview, today in Dr Dingle’s interview and you’ll hear later from naturopath and clinical nutritionist Tabitha McIntosh discussing it in relation to kids. When there are so many beautiful alternatives these days, there’s not a reason in the world to keep using these things. It is scary to learn that we are as affected as we are, but it’s also the first day of knowing to do better. This course is about taking the time to build the vocab, rethink things, prioritise and ditch the crap. The media loves us staying in a perpetual state of fear – but what if we became ACTION junkies instead of fearful. What if we just got on with it and changed what needed changing – that sounds much more appealing to me!

What about BPA FREE plastics?

Unfortunately it’s becoming apparent that some BPA free plastics are worse than their BPA counterparts in terms of estrogen mimicking and obesogenic properties. Given that estrogen is crucial to many of the body’s processes and too much or too little can send us into sub health, it’s so important to reduce plastics wherever we can. This Mother Jones article is worth a read, with links to many studies done. You’ll find the epic plastics reduction module super useful tomorrow.

2. Parabens

Here is a concise explanation of parabens, thanks to the David Suzuki foundation (total guru. Check his work out when you get time)

Parabens can mimic – and here it is again – oestrogen, the primary female sex hormone. They have been detected in human breast cancer tissues, suggesting a possible association between parabens in cosmetics and cancer, although studies haven’t been conclusive. Parabens may also interfere with male reproductive functions. In addition, studies indicate that methylparaben applied on the skin reacts with UVB leading to increased skin ageing and DNA damage.

Denmark has banned certain parabens altogether for children’s products. That means a company like Johnson & Johnson will use parabens around the world, but a different formulation for Denmark – Why not make the same formulation for everyone – the safer one!

Parabens are found in personal care and make up predominantly. They’re therefore easy to see on labels in ingredient lists, and easy to phase out of your day to day as we start working through our new options over the month.

3. Phenoxyethanol

Another one found in personal care and make up. Some environmental bodies say it is safe in low %, but I say if it’s disrupting hormones in any studies, that’s enough for me to be cautious and avoid – Especially when there are wonderful options in our midst these days! “Low level” effects are not often tested long term or intergenerationally, but many scientists are pushing for this work to be done.

According to the Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, phenoxyethanol affected the brain and nervous system in animals at moderate doses. In 1990 Journal of the American College of Toxicology reported that phenoxyethanol also acts as an endocrine disruptor that also caused damage to bladder and acute pulmonary edema in animals. Early 1980s studies also suggest that phenoxyethanol can cause DNA mutations – again, only in animals, as it was not tested on humans BUT at the end of the day we are animals too and while we’re much bigger than the poor rats tested on for science, is there really a safe dose of hormone disruption? I’m no scientist but the literature is very much starting to say no.

Phenoxyethanol is a scientifically proven irritant to human skin and eyes (Comparison of objective and sensory skin irritations of several cosmetic preservatives. Source: PubMed Lee E, An S, Choi D, Moon S, Chang I. Contact Dermatitis. 2007 Mar;56(3): 131-6.) and it is classified as irritant in European Union. Phenoxyethanol is also restricted for use in Japan.

Phenoxyethanol pops up in MANY, MANY ‘natural’ and ‘organic’ products so it’s one to keep a sharp eye out for. Did you know that unless something is certified organic, there is no regulation on the words natural or organic on labels? So a product could say ‘using organic ingredients’ or ‘100% natural’ and still be full of weirdness. How upsetting is that? Bastards.

Further reading on Phenoxyethanol if you fancy HERE and HERE. Some brands are going so far as to say the phenoxyethanol is ‘naturally derived’ – Unfortunately it’s the PROCESS that creates the hormone disruptive result, to my understanding and once again – when in doubt and when there are things that don’t carry said doubt, then I feel while the science is still fighting, we’re best to err on the side of caution. Fact is that Phenoxyethanol is a cheap preservative at $5 for a litre bucket. Its natural competitor is over $100 for a litre bucket. If it’s not getting a bad wrap publically, it will be used until they can no longer get away with it. Kind of like parabens now, which we’re au fait with largely as a public.

No thank you!

So there you have the major endrocrine disruptors. You started your stock take with the ‘fake smells’ and no doubt many of you jumped ahead to start identifying these ingredients above also.

YOUR DAILY SUGGESTED TO Do’s FOR TODAY

1. Write down the top 3 short term benefits to you – psychologically, physically, of removing these things from your day to day. I’m talking the benefits YOU’RE excited by, not ‘factual benefits’. We have to identify our motivators for the tough days so we have something to come back to! This could be about your health, your kids, feeling like your home is ‘clear’… Whatever is motivating to YOU.

2. Make a list of the things you’re getting rid of and decide on any that you actually don’t need to replace by buying something new. Could that thing just not be necessary at all?

3. Make a list of the things you want to replace at this stage: Short term and longer term for anything out of reach right now either time wise or financially. Manifesting that you really want something in the future, might just open up a few mental doors as to how to get it happening a little sooner than you thought possible!

Further watching this weekend if you fancy?

A gripping news report on Phthalates from 60 minutes in the US. Click here.

Need today’s info in a quick cheat sheet printable format? GO HERE. Day 4: Plastic Free Living – Going LOW plastic in a high plastic world

There is no black and white on this low tox journey. That is why when I first started my blog, thinking of what ‘identifying terms’ resonated with me, “LOW” was the word I chose, when I realised that NO tox was both impossible as well as the fact that it would mean people might always have a sense that they weren’t doing enough or they were failing when they ‘slipped’. Regimes and programs that set us up to feel like we’ve failed before we’ve barely started, are the ones that get abandoned. This is too important an effort to abandon, so here’s to rejecting perfection and just inching our way forward each week with what we achieve.

I didn’t create this course to create people stressed out of their minds thinking everything is going to kill you and you were never going to be good enough. No. The big picture here is delicious change and a better future. So, speaking of the big picture: Let’s get onto those plastics.

This is another topic that could do with its own 30 day course! I aim to provide today a few fresh ideas, some sound stats and some great deeper reading, to help you well on your way to developing your own position and decision on how much plastic you allow into your life.

Why should we attempt to reduce our purchase of plastic items moving forward? This film will provide you with the passion to make the changes we need to make. And how can we start to get inspired? Start with my chat with a low tox retail pioneer, Tracey Bailey, founder of BIOME. Remember you have free shipping over $50 orders. Your code is LOWTOX16M for this round and available until the last day of the course.

Or take it for a walk https://soundcloud.com/alexx_stuart/alexx-chats-to-tracey-bailey

Alexx chats to Tracey

It’s very costly to recycle and it’s damaging to the environment – especially wildlife and ocean life. The most important message on plastic is to reduce where possible and stay away from

• BPA / PVC varieties

• Single use plastics, namely shopping bags, coffee cups (lined with plastic film and non recyclable, and drinks in plastic)

• Polystyrene

Here’s a nifty chart for your plastics decoding too, because as you make the decisions, you may want to prioritise replacing the more iffy plastics over the less harmful ones.

We want to try and steer clear of 3 and 6 most definitely, and with 7, being the ‘other’ category and therefore sometimes great new generation vegetable-based plastics and sometimes not too great ones, that you will have to email the company to clarify on.

If you have to get a plastic lunch box for some reason, or your favourite eco cleaning product or make up is in plastic, then relax. Every piece of plastic counts and a lowering effort that continues to evolve over time and looks at where we can indeed cut it, is what feels logical, here, as a collective goal.

A few things about plastic to help you get motivated about ditching as much as you can from your day to day purchases: • In 2002 alone, 5 trillion plastic bags were produced. They never fully degrade, they simply break down into micro plastics affecting wildlife and human life as we ingest without knowing.

• BPA free plastics may be as bad for you, or even worse for you, than those containing BPA. That’s because alternatives to BPA, like BPF might be even more harmful. There is more and more evidence coming to light on this every day.

• Some of the chemicals in plastic are obesogenic – Causing you to put on weight! So by ditching the weirdo packet of fakeness that is a processed chocolate bar, you’re ditching that AND the plastic it’s wrapped in – Double farewell for a better YOU and planet.

• Roughly 50% of the world’s plastic production is used ONCE and then thrown away.

• The amount of plastic produced in the past 10 years is equal to the amount produced in the entire 20th Century since plastic came into production in the late 1940s.

• Throughout the world, around one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals are killed every year by plastics, either entangled and strangled or choked and starved. (source: marine conservation.org)

And check out my chat with inspirational friend Tim Silverwood, Environmentalist and founder of Take3 for the sea or take it for a walk and listen on sound cloud https:// soundcloud.com/alexx_stuart/alexx-chats-to-tim-silverwood

There are so many more horrifying stats on plastic’s take over of the world, but let’s switch into motivation now, to get us changing that big picture! If you want to follow plastic reduction inspiration on Facebook I recommend: My Plastic Free Life

Plastic Free July (A challenge we also run on my page to support each other in ditching more plastic in conjunction with Rebecca and her team. Very cool!)

Take3 for the Sea, my environmentalist friend Tim Silverwood

Two Hands Project

Responsible Runners

How to Reduce Your Plastic Use at the Shops

• Stop using individual plastic bags for produce and plastic bags for carting your shopping. There is absolutely no need for 3 lemons to go into a single use plastic bag that then get packed into a single use plastic bag. None. My tip with reusable shopping bags? When you unpack the shopping, place them IMMEDIATELY BACK IN FRONT OF YOUR FRONT DOOR so that they go down to the car with you without forgetting them. This will help anyone who’s found it hard, to turn a corner, finally. Of all the low tox changes I made, I think this habit was the hardest – the remembering of the reusable bags so I never had to say yes to a plastic bag. The other corner I turned was suddenly forbidding myself from saying yes to a bag. At first, that meant wrapping shopping in my gym towel, or 6 avocados in my hand bag ( I’m pretty sure people thought I was a shoplifter on the way home!) Whatever I wanted had to fit in my hands or hand bag, or I’d have to leave it, because I was not allowed a plastic bag full stop! I was remembering those reusable bags pretty easily after a week or two of that!

• Stop buying nuts, seeds and other dried goods at the supermarket or most health stores and buy instead from a bulk bin place or a co-op if you can join one in your area. The enormity of plastic that can’t be recycled that is saved in switching to bulk bin shopping is amazing. Truly. You will also save so much money this way. In Australia you can go to Source Wholefoods or Bulk Wholefoods or Naked or Alfafa House in Sydney – which ever is near you in your capital city that I’ve not named – feel free to share! In the UK there’s naturally good foods and perhaps you could start a co-op with your friends, as the quantities are 2.5kg or more? Big savings to be made.

• Stop buying ‘halves’ of fruit and veg. Half a melon, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage or paw paw means plastic wrap. Buy whole and get a little recipe inspiration to ensure you use it all up over the week. A whole cauliflower could be half roasted with turmeric and olive oil and then served with pomegranate and goat’s curd… the other half could be blitzed into a puree with coconut milk and sea salt. Different textures and flavours = not getting bored!

• Get re-usable produce bags for delicates. I love these ones from 4MyEarth, a beautiful local one-woman-show business run by Bec Hurst, who has done the course with us – who better to support?=

• Just wrap your herbs in damp tea towels tightly, to keep them fresh – Never leave them in those plastic wraps they might come in depending where you shop. They wilt far too quickly that way AND you’ll find the ones at farmer’s markets don’t even come in plastic sleeves (SO WASTEFUL!) in the first place.

• Ask for a box from the store room if you’ve forgotten your bag. I’m waiting for the day when this stops being met with a blank stare! • Ditch the plastic wrapped toilet paper and go with online loo paper ordering that will make you excited to need loo paper – I promise. Welcome to using WHO GIVES A CRAP. The most puntastic site ever to be created since the history of man kind! It is SO much cheaper and all cardboard and paper are fully recyclable. Your kids will love building towers with the loo rolls when your order arrives and you will love getting emails from them – always such a good laugh! And they make tissues now too!

•Buy bigger plastic bottles for things like hand wash if you’re not keen on soap or making your own. Often the container can be recycled but the little pump or seal lid can’t. This is where you can cut down on those harder to recycle plastics, by doubling the size of what you buy.

• For cleaning products, I’m reminding you of the wonderful product range, ReSparkle. The refill concept saves so much plastic from cleaning product purchases, when DIY isn’t your thing. Your 10% off code is alexx10 for the duration of the course.

• Choose brands that use less plastic. For example TOM organic still has to wrap their tampons in the individual plastic wrap, BUT their box is cardboard and recyclable. A better choice and of course let’s not forget, organic (personal hygiene is coming so hang tight for loads more personal care item suggestions). Another example is a plastic packet of flour of some kind, vs flour packed in a brown bag with a plastic viewing window instead of the whole thing being plastic. All those tiny little decisions to swap to more conscious brands add up, in our big collective. I so look forward to seeing what discoveries you make on this ‘consciousness growing’ step. With the size of our group, you will literally save 100s of kilos of landfill per week. As Carrie Fischer says in When Harry Met Sally: “I think that’s amazing. Don’t you think that’s amazing?” (Any other fans out there?)

• Ditch the receipts. Receipts covered in thermal coatings (that plasticky feeling receipt) are covered in BPA in a much more concentrated dose that from food packaging – Say ‘no thanks’ unless you really need that receipt.

• Choose glass over plastic. Stop buying convenient ‘squeeze top’ products like tomato sauce, honey or mayo. Choose a glass jar or get making your condiments yourself. You CAN grab a teaspoon and grab what you need. You DON’T need a squeeze bottle. THEY told you you did. Mute the ads and save the planet. Ha! I’m laughing but it’s scarily true. And then you can use the glass jars for pantry items, storing stock etc. *Enter your new glass jar addiction if it hasn’t begun already*

How to Reduce Plastic in the Kitchen

• Stop using cheap ice cube trays that break and split every couple of years after all the bending you have to do to get the cubes out. Invest in a couple of stainless steel ones. You will not regret it, these things are indestructible and totally old school!

• JARS. JARS. JARS. Who’s already a pro jar person? I have them everywhere and use for everything! If you’re freezing leftovers in jars to avoid plastic, be sure to leave a comfortable inch at the top so you don’t break the jar when the liquid expands while freezing. If you want to grab a few, BIOME stock some really cute ones.

• Ditch the plastic wrap. 4MyEarth again has one of my favourite products, the bowl covers. All different shapes and sizes you can use as needed and for whichever bowl size is appropriate.

• Ditch the zip lock bags. Start seeing how much you can put into jars, stainless containers, glass bottom containers or simply wrap in sandwich wrap bags / wax coated paper sheets. The simple act of NOT buying that next lot of them, will see your brain creating the new ways to store things. The TV told you that ziplock bags were convenient. Then your habit told you they were. The price of that convenience is massive for your health and the planet’s health and you CAN change this. Tough love is sometimes the answer. These are a great option for snacks for kids from Kids Konserve. • Get a cool take away glass takeaway coffee cup, or even bring your jars down for coffees, smoothies or juices to the cafe – They’re cool with it, I promise – No matter how ‘recyclable / degradable’ they tell you a coffee cup or smoothie cup is from a cafe, if it goes into a regular bin, it ends up immortalised in landfill. No good.

• Get even more obsessed with jars – Milk bottles, gift jars for making scrubs as Christmas presses for friends, keep back ones from your tomato paste, honey, rice malt syrup.

How to Reduce Plastic in the Bathroom

There is so much to be said for making your own wherever possible if plastic reduction is your main focus. Scrubs and other exfoliants are not only packaged in plastic, but often contain micro plastics – up to 350,000 tiny exfoliating beads per standard tube. CRAZINESS.

• Use exfoliating mits, dry brushes and wash cloths made of natural fibres. Here are some here.

• Buy a sturdy refillable shaver handle made from metal to last you years.

• Ditch the Plastic, PVC rich curtains. Every hot shower exposes you to toxic PVC vapours (the phthalates are back!) so either ditch the curtain altogether and let it run down the bathroom drain, OR treat yourself to the cutest PVC free shower curtain you ever saw from BIOME!

• Ditch the plastic floss coated in ‘non stick’ teflon. Opt for natural brands.

How to Reduce Plastic When Out and About

• Straws take an estimable 400 years to break down – and into what? En route they become tiny fragments of plastic that can easily be accidentally swallowed by wildlife. No good. Try these straws if your family love straws. Bamboo! They also have glass and stainless options.

• Keep a plastic fork in your bag at all times (or a real one for that matter) I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used it – kids parties, emergency lunch out and about, food festivals… I have had the same one in my bag since March this year. A quick wipe with a napkin and my natural hand sanitiser and back in the bag in goes.

• Picnics – You can get some beautiful bamboo fully biodegradable picnic / event gear these days.

• Choose better at the supermarket – Most supermarkets now offer biodegradable picnic and party ware. Buy it – It’s going to send a powerful message that we want MORE of that at BETTER prices. While I rarely shop in a supermarket these days myself, I do still for a few things, and those things are all GREEN.

• Sippy cups and water bottles – there’s no excuse for plastic these days. Sure the odd mouth piece might be, but in terms of the liquid being in contact with anything for an extended period of time, the body of the product you choose is the most important. Have a little shop here. We use the Life Factory big bottle with the screw top lid and drink by unscrewing the lid completely and straight from the bottle. You decide what’s best for you. Stainless is a great option too, but some people complain of the metallic taste.

You can always find great op shop finds in glass, crock and stainless. You might want to also go low budget glass water bottle with a VOSS water bottle or other brand, as pictured, and put a sock around it! Whatever works, and there’s always a low tox, low cost solution!

Can I use silicone?

The jury is largely out on silicone. My feeling is that you can freeze with it and make jelly but best not use it for baking. Also, stick to 100% silicon products when choosing so you know there’s no plastic contamination – often it’s the cheap silicon that’s mixed and therefore the cheap plastic to go with it. Any silicone that is 100%, cannot contain BPA and the price will tell you everything in the silicone category! To make your decision on silicone, I love the comprehensive nature of this post – She covers all bases!

To replace your ‘cookie sheets’ you can go with an enamel one like these ones.

If you want to read more about why it’s essential to move towards glass over time with your food storage, Chris Kresser one of my favourite researchers of all time, has written a lot on this subject if you want to dive in here.

Can I use Melamine? A January 2013 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that melamine can leach from dishes into food, and consequently your body, if you use melamine tableware with hot foods. The study looked at 12 individuals. Six ate hot soup for breakfast out of melamine bowls and the other six ate it out of ceramic bowls. The study found higher levels of melamine excreted from the individuals’ urine after using a melamine bowl as opposed to a ceramic bowl.

“Although the clinical significance of what levels of urinary melamine concentration has not yet been established, the consequences of long-term melamine exposure still should be of concern,” wrote the study’s authors, led by Dr. Chia-Fang Wu, a researcher at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan.

As the study’s authors note, this study didn’t look at any potential health risks associated with using melamine tableware—just that the chemical can leach into food from the dishes. In high concentrations, melamine contamination can put people at risk for kidney stones, kidney failure and even death. The FDA notes, however, that the risk level of melamine seeping into food from tableware is low, and that melamine tableware can be used so long as you don’t heat food using the tableware, especially acidic food. (Source, Organic Authority Report)

Verdict? Cold picnicware occasionally? Sure, why not. As an every day hot or cold? Probably not, just to be sure long term.

What can I use that won’t break for kids?

Enamel tableware. Falcon is a favourite brand available world wide with a quick google, and we go into a lot of detail on Kid’s day and Cookware / bakeware day on these options and more. Another thought: Why not be brave and (of course only if you’re eating with them right there) use normal plates and cutlery. We learn by making mistakes. A broken plate is a shock and will be a great way to teach fragility for the over 2s.

FOOD STORAGE SPECIFICALLY

Food Storage is something that has come up throughout the course already. So many of you are already well underway with your low tox pantry and storage options. For those of you that have found this a bit daunting: Why not start with just one section of your kitchen and do it super well? Do each of the rest as you have time, money and see fit. Many people head to a local swap share site, ebay or community selling site like Gumtree, and sell their old plastic products for quite large sums to be able to fund the swap to glass and stainless.

It doesn’t have to be ‘new’, it just has to be good.

Why can’t my pantry items and water live in plastic?

As we heard in my chat with Dr Peter Dingle, after heating and freezing, it’s TIME that’s the next factor in plastics leaching. A picnic spread or a drink being consumed that day aren’t so much the problem, as the time something spends stored in plastic.

FOOD STORAGE

Here is a list of options for you to explore if you haven’t already. In the UK? PLANET ORGANIC has you covered for many of the Aussie items mentioned below or their equivalent and you can order online!

1. Glass ‘bottom’ plastic lid storage This is great for freezing leftovers into portion sizes for future meals, as well as various cuts of meat. Pyrex is an excellent brand, but if you need water tight for out and about, Lock and Lock do glass bottom / plastic tops these days too. This reassures me as there are glass options popping up all over the place these days, meaning people are wising up to food being stored in plastic. Yay! There are more and more options too, including ‘glass lock’. GlassLock is available, with others, at Biome. Biome also carries some small sizes which would be great for baby food.

This type of glass bottom / plastic top storage is my favourite solution for leftovers too, because you can simply take the lid off and pop in the oven. Some do huge sizes too so I’ll often make 2 of my lasagnes and cook one that night and pop the other one in the freezer to make a whole stress free meal for one of those days down the track. Aldi often does sets of Pyrex on sale, and the major supermarkets often have sales on Pyrex, so keep an eye out. These are a great solution for recovering microwave addicts with that ease factor or ‘lid off and in the oven’ too. It’s old school convenience, back with a vengeance. Just add a splash of water to any re-heats to avoid things drying out as they heat back up in the oven, and cover them if you really want to ensure they stay moist.

• Note: Don’t get stressed about the plastic lid – it is unlikely to touch the food. And if you are putting hot food in the glass container, cool the food down in the container first before putting the lid on.

• Note: For those that still have Tupperware, and are working out your strategy for them, a great tip from an alumni was to line them with these If You Care Sandwich and Snack Bags. They are a good fit for the small modular mates. A great, cheap short term solution!

• Fruit & Veg Note: Course alumni have had great success with keeping fruit and veg fresh with this simple tip… line your crisper drawers with a damp tea towel, place items on top, and then place another damp tea towel on top of the produce. Keeps them from touching the plastic drawers too!

2. Glass jars

Keep your jars back from your pantry / fridge items as they run out, and wash them. (Use some tea tree oil or eucalyptus oil to remove sticky labels) Lots of different sizes are a good thing to have! Once you start buying things in glass instead of cans, you will find they accumulate! We pour off pan juices, fats from frying (for example, sweet potato chips fried in coconut oil… you can re-use that oil!) and make double the sauces and marinades and pop into jars for another time.

If you’re a bit of a neat freak, you can go for all matching ones from your local home & kitchen supply shop. In Australia, you have the amazing glassware factory, Plasdene who have a great range. In the UK you have Spinks and in the USA CPS are huge. BIOME has a great array of glass jars also.

Some other recommendations from alumni:

• Pack My Product

• Kogan Glass Ten Pack

• Maxwell & Williams Glass Canisters

• Freezer note: You MUST ensure you have a solid inch of room off the top when freezing liquids. Liquids expand when frozen and you don’t want cracked glass in your freezer – No fun! I freeze batches of home made stock in many different sized jars so that I can defrost over night in the fridge (or in the sink in winter) depending on what quantity is needed the next day. Cool the liquid in the jar in the fridge first, and then put it in the freezer. • Flour note: It’s best to store flours, whole grains like popcorn kernels and dry leaf herbs in the fridge or freezer. Between that and a few bay leaves in the pantry, you will have no pantry moth issues any more!

• Nuts note: Nuts are susceptible to moulds and best kept in the fridge or freezer too if you’re storing for a length of time greater than a week or two. The freezer can also help to kill any moulds they might be harbouring from being stored in bulk bins for too long, as you never know! Fido makes a range of big jars, including this 4 litre one (can also be found at homewares shops such as Wheel

& Barrow).

3. Fermentation Jars and Crocks

• It’s great to have a couple of bigger jars for things like fermented / cultured veggies, Kombucha, kefir or beet kvass. If you’re lucky enough to be in the USA, Kirby and Kraut have the prettiest range. If not, Kitsa’s Kitchen in Australia sells the wonderful Pickl.It jars so just request an order form via email. If you want to nerd out on anaerobic jars and their benefit for fermentation, this post is a good one. You must check out the amazing Culture For Life kits she and Pete Evans have brought out too! Such good quality.

•

• Culture for Life Full Kit $195 AUD. Incredible quality. •

• Cultured Food Beauties! Kirby and Kraut crocks from NYC

• Picklit anaerobic jars are also brilliant and available from Kitsa’s Kitchen, nationally or direct from Picklit in the USA / UK.

4. Cans

• Cans are a mine field these days with BPA regulations changing in terms of levels all the time, as well as companies introducing BPA lined cans without letting the public know – Cough, cough Spiral and AYAM brands for example. Honest to Goodness and Eden Organics are the two safest non BPA lined cans with NO lining at all. Beware the BPA free ones that still have a lining. While it’s great that they’re non BPA, it’s not so great what they’re replacing BPA with – Kind of like ‘paraben free’ only to be replaced with phenoxyethanol in the cosmetics industry. Read here for more on what the BPA free off shoot plastics might be containing – A big reason for just doing away with as much plastic and canned product as we can!

• Fancy getting into canning and preserving in jars yourself? Here’s a great free kindle download resource. (If you don’t have a kindle, just download the kindle app for your phone / tablet and then go back to amazon to set up single click download. Super easy!) You could also skim this quick guide here to ‘jar canning’ or check out some canning kits on ebay.

5. Storing Meat and fish in the freezer

• Meat is best ‘dealt with’ in some way to get it closer to being how you’re going to end up using it. Let me explain: It’s hard to freeze 2 kg of mince in the freezer as is if you’ve just received a delivery. Best is to prepare it into the ways you’re going to use it first and THEN freeze. So, if you’ve got meatballs, burger patties and bolognese on the cards, make your meat ball mix (tried my sticky tamari meatballs?), your pattie mix and then cook up a bolognese, and then store all of those things, ready to cook in your pyrexes, instead of in plastic bags from the butcher. You will thank me for this tip when you have abundant meals ready to go, instead of ‘mince to defrost’ and that mountainous feeling sometimes of “Oh but there’s so much to do to just get dinner on the table”.

• Next step, is to remember to bring big containers to the butcher and avoid the plastic bag the meat would go in altogether!

• For bigger cuts like roasts and shoulders, if you have to freeze them, you can remove from the plastic, wrap in parchment and then over the top of that in foil or just tie a couple of elastics or string around them. You can then wash the parchment and reuse the whole lot for another large piece again and again.

• For fish, I use pyrex. Fishy smells can come out if you only wrap fish in parchment and foil, so if you’re worried, then I would use a closable pyrex style of container.

• To avoid freezer burn, just press parchment down on the surface of what you’re freezing and then freeze. You can wash parchment and re-use! This If You Care parchment paper is the best low tox one.

6. Stainless steel options

Stainless steel is great for kid’s (and adult’s!) lunch boxes. They’re an investment as they’re more expensive. They don’t break or get tatty like a lot of cheap plastic lunch boxes, so in the long run you save money AND landfill and that’s a wonderful thing!

These little dip pots are super cute and also great for dressings. You also have a huge range of stainless lunch box options to choose from over at BIOME. These Kids Konserve containers are a great replacement for plastic bags for snacks for the kids. Amazon UK has you sorted for stainless options there.

Love this traditional Indian tiffin box available on Amazon UK or in Australia here.

The longer you go on this journey, the longer you’ll head towards markets and fresh meals and uncomplicated things in general. Who has the time to endlessly research every ‘new’ food product and packaging ‘solution’ people bring out… Easier to shop like your great grandma did when it comes to storing and eating food, don’t you think?

7. Wax and wax coated wraps and “I still want to microwave” challenges…

I love the hemp wax bowl wrap (SO sustainable!) or the cloth wax lined wraps from 4MyEarth we covered yesterday for ditching glad wrap.

And if you still use a

microwave and aren’t ready to let go there, that’s fine – Just reheat things in bowls rather than on plates, so that you can pop a plate on top of the bowl to microwave, instead of glad wrap – I cring at all the wilted hot glad wrap that touched my food and hands as I grew up.

Anyhoo, onwards and upwards, right? Kicking goals…

NOW ONTO “WASTE” because less bin bags and need for ginormous bins is another nifty way to save the planet and save YOU cash. A favourite image to remind myself that there are so many opportunities to waste less.

1. FOOD WASTE

Isn’t this statistic crazy? I cringe at the thought of what I used to do… Every scrap, every slightly floppy veg or fruit… All in the bin up until about 4 years ago. 35 years of my life being completely mindless to the fact that vegetable matter compacted between other materials, did NOT break down properly. Not to mention the food it could become for new plants to grow if composted and reused as fertilising gold!

Here are just five of a long list of shocking statistics on food wastage (taken from OzHarvest statistics on their website).

• Dumping a kilo of grain fed beef wastes the 50,000 litres of water and the 1000kg of grains it took to produce that meat (yet another reason to choose a far more sustainable grass-fed beef). Throwing out a kilo of white rice will waste 2,385 litres of water, and wasting a kilo of potatoes costs 500 litres of water !

• In Australia one million children go to school without breakfast, or to bed without dinner every day and two million people rely on food relief in Australia at some point every year.

• 3.28 million tonnes of food is driven to landfill in Australia each year.

• Australians alone waste close to 3 million tonnes of food per annum, or 136 kilos per person per annum. It equates to a whole bag of shopping out of every 5, or 20% – There’s plenty of food and people are going hungry. • All the world’s nearly one billion hungry people could be lifted out of malnourishment on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the rich countries. ALL. Isn’t that shocking?

So while we might not be able to solve other people’s problems, we can certainly solve our own.

Here are 6 simple things you can do to send less food to landfill

1. Start a fridge waste list. On it, write down everything you put in the bin that’s ‘past it’. Just getting conscious, you will see the amazing difference it makes to your food management in the house. Make it a family challenge to reduce the amount of items on it each week and if it’s blank at the end of a week, celebrate. Get kids and partners to take food to work / school as leftovers – cubed meats, leftover roast veg, stews and soups in thermoses over the winter.

2. Don’t toss ‘odds and sods’ veg – Boil it with homemade stock and a few spices / herbs, add a splash of cream or coconut cream and blitz. The “Fridge Ends soup” is born and tastes delicious and different each week. My “Buy Nothing New Curry” is super tasty and very inexpensive. So perfect for stretching the food budget!

3. Either start a compost (and maintain it too), a worm farm or use your local council green bin if that is something they provide. You can even put meat and bones in there these days too! The size of our bin has decreased by 2/3 this past few years, as we’ve wasted less and less and in a second floor apartment that makes life easy too. It’s a journey where slow and steady wins the race, because you’ll find sustainability sustainable, making little changes over time. Wormlovers carry a range of Hungry Bins for worm farming.

Why can’t they just go in the bin? Well, if scraps are in through other random rubbish, they get compacted in landfill and almost mummefied. They don’t get the chance to break down and end up taking space. Composting ensures the circle of life is respected, where scraps get a chance to go back into the soil to make new food for plants that feed us again… It’s a beautiful thing!

The Urban composter for inside or balcony composting is ideal.

We keep it basic here and store our scraps in a metal bowl on one side of our double sink, and then take down to the compost every couple of days. (We’re on a second floor in an apartment block with no balcony). Keeping your scraps separate and composting them, you will be astounded by the reduction in waste. This is a basic stainless steel one that also looks pretty good!

Scraps from onions, carrots, leeks, herbs, celery and citrus peel go in the freezer into a 4MyEarth produce bag to be used for future stock making and the citrus peel for slow cooking or roasting – they add great flavour!

4. Stop topping and tailing things like cucumbers and zucchinis, and if you *have* to do it with green beans, don’t cut an inch off each side, but just a tiny few

millimetres!

5. Stop ‘carefully disposing’ of animal fats if you’re a meat eater. Our body and all of its digestive processes, is probably the safest way in the world to ‘dispose’ of animal fats and avoid it clogging drains and waterways, or being immortalised in landfill. Drain it into a little jar and save your money on butter / olive oil, and fry

with it for the next time you’re cooking.

6. Stop buying “2 for 1s” on special if you’re a small family, single or if it’s a busy week and you won’t be doing much cooking. Things on special are such a trap. You can read a post of mine to further explore food wastage and a load of

creative ideas from readers in the comments to boot!

Implement these changes over the next few weeks and just notice what’s changed in terms of bin level, creativity of using leftovers, stretching of the budget etc.

• In 2009 We had a 43 litre bin and tossed 1-2 times per week with non degradable bags

• In 2013 we had a 27 litre bin and tossed 1-2 times per week with non degradable bags

• In 2015 we now have a tiny 11 litre bag (admittedly we are a family of 3) and we struggle to toss it weekly. • How did we do it? Basically it was through starting to compost, market produce, bulk stores and more recyclable glass packaging.

• Imagine the waste we have saved from landfill. I’m sure I could calculate it and I should. Any mathematicians out there?

Bags for your Bins Note

If You Care make small and large compostable rubbish bags, and are available at Biome plus at some independent supermarkets and health shops. And Multix has also started making compostable rubbish bags, which are available at major supermarkets. Key is that you don’t fall for the ‘biodegradable’ line and ensure they are compostable and carry the AS4736 number and logo.

There are also these compostable nappy bags and doggy doo doo bags from wonderful new company, Ecooriginals/ Pop Through Here.

2. PACKAGING WASTE

We’ve already discussed this topic a lot within the plastic free living module, but here is a refresh and further ideas.

• Find co-ops, bulk bin health stores and brown paper packaging (Tied up with string… couldn’t resist!) instead of plastic packed items. These are rarely recyclable and account for HUGE waste – healthy eating can still be super unsustainable, due to all the plastic! Don’t panic that it’s not ALWAYS possible. “Mostly possible” means more than we could ever imagine, so stay focused on your positives!

• Find cardboard boxed items instead of plastic – pasta for example and in the frozen section for berries – not too hard once you’ve hunted around a bit.

• Buy your meat at a butcher rather than big supermarkets. • Stop individually bagging fruit and veg and just get them all weighed loose and popped into your reusable shopping bag. Over a year, you will save literally 100s of bags by doing this one simple thing – just you! If you fancy some produce bags though, use reusable ones like the beautiful 4MyEarth ones. Biome also carry the Onya ones.

• Focus on anything that is refillable like the beautiful ReSparkle products or big sized bottles (more ratio of product therefore recyclable, as many caps and pumps aren’t).

• Commit to a few DIY cosmetics and cleaning products – Even just two will mean a lot less packaging.

Go from THIS weirdness…

To this home-made beauty air freshener beauty If you haven’t made anything at all yet, why not go back and have a read through the cleaning module decide to commit to something DIY? If you have, why not share with the group what you’re doing to ‘use’ less and stretch things more, to inspire others?

3. GENERAL WASTE

Then there’s all the other stuff. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

• Can what you want to update or refresh for home be reused by someone else? A charity? A friend in need? Another family (i.e. old toys, clothes, shoes) ?

• Can what you want to update be sold on a community site of some kind or e bay?

• Can you contact your council and discover any particular collection days for certain items that you weren’t aware of? E waste collection? Paints and oils?

• Can something be up cycled rather than tossed? Kids craft, old plastic items used in shed or for household sorting such as buttons, cufflinks, textas and pencils?

Can we start to ask ourselves: Why am I buying that? If the answer is quite confronting because you feel like you need it emotionally, then have a list in your head of the top three things that fill you up emotionally. Mine are cuddling my son and telling silly jokes, doing a Bondi to Bronte walk or even a small neighbourhood walk and calling someone I know I’ll have a passionate discussion about some such meaningful topic with. Nothing bought, nothing wasted and no decision made out of ‘hissy fit type’ emotion, just trying to fill a void.

You just feel so good making a smaller foot print. It’s awesome. Mindful purchases on every level – actually needed in the first place, better for us and better for the planet. What’s not to love?

To waste less and to dispose wisely. These are the focuses here.

Everything about our modern world is driving us to want more, buy more, consume more and we can outsmart the system. It is so important to ‘get’ the part about the low tox life, that doesn’t mean buying everything under the sun that’s ‘eco’ for the sake of it. Sure there’s the excitement of grabbing new essentials that you feel safe and happy to use with new found knowledge. But the not-so- important stuff? Well, it’s just that, isn’t it? Not important. Buy yourself experiences instead – people who buy experiences are happier. Proven fact!

And look at how it feels to declutter, right? So, so good.

Want to be excited about having less? These guys can help. Let me introduce you to The Minimalists and their Ted Talk.

NEED A CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY? CLICK HERE and CLICK HERE

My wrap up for today? I still use plastic often that I had already bought (but I did palm most of it off to my mum in law who just doesn’t care about that despite caring about many other things in this realm!). I use it to take cool things to a picnic / eat off at a picnic situation once in a blue moon – this also avoids having to buy new picnic things… It’s the heating / hot / eating off every day & long term storage we’re working to reduce if not completely do away with and then minimal freezer storage OVER TIME… as with everything on this journey, it’s not something to panic over but something to integrate and work towards positively and at your pace.

#1: Expect failure!!

This is one challenge in which failure is almost certain—and that’s OK. As I talked about, completely eliminating all plastic from your life is darn near impossible. Even the stuff you try to avoid will sometimes creep past your defenses, so rather than stress about a mistake or moment of weakness, just accept it and keep trying.

#2: Do an audit and make a priority list

Deciding to go (mostly) plastic-free can easily leave you feeling overwhelmed. Each of us experienced that sensation, and many of you wrote or commented about that too in these past two weeks. So it’s a good idea to start by IDing some of the bigger plastic inputs in your life, and work on those. Once you’ve established a plastic-free habit with one thing, you can move on to the next one on your list.

My favourite truth bomb from my chat with Tracey’s interview?

“Plastic fuels the convenience lifestyle”.

So true. Here’s to peeling back the layers and lowering the plastics load and the chemicals that come along with it. And remember – just take it one little step at a time. Remember, this isn’t a buying festival. This is a simplification festival. You don’t need to replace all the things you might be saying goodbye to. Let it go if it’s not necessary and enjoy the space it creates in your mind and home.

TASK FOR TODAY

• Write down your storage changes yet to be made and make a plan. There’s nothing more economical than asking for specific stock up help for birthdays and Christmases the first year or two of low tox living. Who needs another toxic body wash or scented candle that you’ll politely accept before on giving or worse, throwing out? Ask for what you want and your collection will build in no time.

• Write down a plan for your current storage options if you’ve not done so already – Swap, sell them, repurpose and upcycle them.

• Work a plan for your waste… maybe a compost bin or worm farm, or to buy biodegradable bin liners when you run out of what you have now.

• Make that list of ‘non material bliss’ in your life, or not in your life right now that you know you feel better when it is. This list will serve you when you feel the need to illogically buy things you don’t need. Oh, and plan for a smaller bin soon – You won’t need that big old thing anymore! Day 7: A Low Tox Mind with a meditation led by Kate Kendall

Sunday’s lessons are all about a fostering low tox mind! We’ll be meditating and taking the time to think about some ways of doing that might be counter productive to the low tox journey. It’s totally natural to freak out or get anxious when certain topics arise or when you realise the volume of how much we didn’t know and we need to change. You’ll hear a few alumni snippets across the course lessons to help you remember everyone starts from somewhere and we all have much to learn. A few days into one of the past course rounds, alumni Keira proclaimed “My new mantra is Don’t freak out, phase out”. So succinctly put and let that be an anthem to you for this course – you’re sure going to hear me saying it a lot. It’s just not worth it to freak out. Have a tea. Make a list. Move forward. Make a small change and know that for that time, that day, that week… it is enough.

Toxic thoughts and stress contribute every bit as much as bad food, toxins and bad environments to our overall health picture. That is because our feelings, while they might come from ‘within our minds’, have an effect our body in a big way – have you ever heard the notion that our gut is our second brain and responsible for the ‘gut feel’ we get on things?

A quick overview of our nervous systems:

• We have a parasympathetic nervous system, a sympathetic nervous system and an enteric nervous system, which together make up the autonomic nervous system (ANS).

• The ANS regulates the functions of our internal organs, such as the heart, stomach and intestines. The ANS is part of the peripheral nervous system and it also controls some of the muscles within the body. We are often unaware of the ANS because it functions involuntary and reflexively. For example, we do not notice when blood vessels change size or when our heart beats a little faster. People can be trained to control some functions of the ANS such as heart rate or blood pressure and what we’re talking about today helps enormously.

• The problem with the sympathetic nervous system is that our psychology and physiology doesn’t know how to distinguish “I must run from this lion or die” from “Sh*t – I’m going to be 5 minutes late for a meeting” or “Quick! overtake that bus so we don’t miss the light”. Our body reacts the SAME WAY, and this is crucial to understand as we work to develop a low tox mind.

• The other ‘system’ within the ANS is the parasympathetic nervous system. This is the one that says “chill, eat, enjoy, relax, sleep deeply and don’t rush waking up… take all the time digesting you need… Nothing to see here. Life’s good!”

Check out the difference between both the sympathetic ‘fight or flight’ system and the parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ system, in terms of our bodily functions. Our physical state has a massive impact on so many of our body’s processes.

pic credit: Neuroscience for kids

It’s also astounding how much we allow little things to stress us out. We have to learn how to stop because if your body is constantly thinking it’s in the mode of ‘Run or die’ then pretty soon you’re not going to be feeling as awesome as you should without enough ‘rest and digest’ time.

Think for a minute about life when you’re on holidays. Is there a difference how you feel on holidays compared to when you’re back home? A lot of people report that on holidays everything from food intolerances, to back pain, to weight gain dramatically improve and / or reverse. My naturopath has a client who for years couldn’t lose weight, doing ‘everything’ right. The final cure? Long service leave from the law firm she worked at, followed by an industry change. 70 hour weeks were a thing of the past and the weight literally dropped off!

Stress is toxic. Negative repeated thoughts are toxic. Both at any regular occurrence are going to mean that your body is quite literally, impaired.

Here are 5 little tips from me to detox your mind, relax a little more, get happier and make your mind and body work more efficiently as a result.

1. Stop eating fast or on the go. Your digestion cops a beating if you stress and eat at the same time. Same goes for chomping on popcorn during a thriller – It’s going to stick there for days! Make eating an intentional practice and please, please, please teach your kids the same. We don’t eat half way up play equipment, we don’t eat running to a meeting. We stop, we eat, we chew at least 25 times per bite to activate the saliva enzymes and start sending messages to our tummies to get gastric juices and bile going. Got kiddies? I wrote a whole post on mindful eating a couple of years ago to help instill this practice early in life. READ HERE. MINI TASK: Make time to stop to eat and chew each bite 25+ times. If offering food to a child ensure they sit down to eat to enjoy it and focus on it.

2. Stop multitasking so much. Multitasking being a good trait for women is actually a myth – It’s terrible for you! If you’re wondering whether you’re experiencing the long term psychic fall out of too many years of multi tasking, ask yourself this: Do you find it hard to concentrate on just one thing, to be present, to not reach for the phone while at the computer, with 10 tabs open, which on the phone, while feeding a child? Hmmm.

MINI TASK: Leave your phone at home when you go to the shops. Shut every window bar one on your computer right now. Sit to read a book and leave your phone OFF while you do it. Consciously note that you’re doing multiple things, and narrow down to a single pointed focus.

3. Start amplifying the amount of time you spend with happy, positive people. Seek them out. Initiate more contact. They say you are the character sum of the 5 people you spend the most time around. Make it a good 5 people that lift you up. Everyone has a hard day or the odd tragedy but generally, life is awesome: Live it like it is!

MINI TASK: Make a list of 5 people who you always feel like you don’t see enough and who’s energy you love. Get the emails and phone calls going and schedule coffees, BBQs, lunches and whatever else works, but book it in! Note how this exercise makes you feel and how proactively seeking positive, happy energy feels. You will be amazed!

4. Stop telling yourself you’re not enough. You are.

MINI TASK: Every time you give yourself a serving of negative self talk, force yourself to add double the positive talk. “My butt looks massive in this” is followed by “So glad I’ve started yoga again” and “Really looking forward to a super fresh veggies and steak dins. Love the way healthy food makes me feel” and even “My smile lights up my face. Here’s to smiling more!” Trust me. This works. Where the mind goes the energy flows!

5. We’re human beings not human doings… A favourite quote that comes from either of two philosophers Kobe Yamada and also Kurt Vonnergut. So, every day, take the time to be. Think of the simple act of earthing from day 1 and how good it feels. There’s been so much positive feedback already in the group on those few minutes getting in touch with nature. Let’s increase the impact of that by adding a little getting in touch with the mind and taking some slow, deep breaths.

Enjoy my chat with Kate Kendall and the blissful 10 minute meditation. I love finding people from my childhood later in life – She was in my sister’s class at school and we fortuitously met again early last year. She is co founder of Flow Athletic and director of yoga. If you want to connect with Kate’s work remotely, she is an instructor on My Yoga Online too – The Will Power Warrior and Total Body Bliss are favourites of mine to do, if I’m strapped for time and can’t make it to a class.

And a major task? Make you’re STOP DOING list. Katie will explain in our chat. Highly worth doing! Day 8: Low Tox Home Cleaning – Kitchen, bathroom and multipurpose

A new week – the 2nd week, where we hook into specific topics from now on.

Let’s start right and catch any panic or anxiousness happening for you if you’re either new to all this, OR thought you had it all sorted and have possibly discovered there were a bunch of things you’d been tricked by.

It is SO normal to feel overwhelm if this is the first time you’ve ever woken up to what you’ve have around you in terms of how it’s made or where it’s from or what it’s doing to us or the planet. It’s frightening how we can be smart people and go through 13 years of school, give or take, and maybe even tertiary education and masters and long careers making important decisions that cost or make millions of dollars for the companies for which we might work in or run, yet never once question what goes ON or IN us, where it comes from and how it’s made. Mind blowing really, isn’t it?

Well, we’re changing that.

So, we have two choices if we hit that overwhelm phase.

1. To stay in it and let it start eating us up inside. Bad plan. That wouldn’t feel so great.

2. To adopt a single pointed focus on the day’s topic of the course as we now move through each area in depth and develop little action plans, sorted into long term, medium term, and ‘want to replace this month’ types of lists.

Reality check: There’s some seriously awful crap going on in the world. Let’s reality check on the fact that this is the definition of what a major challenge looks like in our lives, while some fellow humans face live-or-die today circumstances. That might sound heavy, but I get what I’m trying to say is: Celebrate your life. Be grateful for this opportunity to fine tune in this area. It’s not negative. It’s not stressful. It’s just got to get done, that’s all. However you do it and however long it takes, is fine. No biggy. I still today after starting a decade ago, have big ticket things I’m working towards. Am I stressed? No. Comfort in knowing I’m doing my best for today, for now, for my budget. Comfort. Not guilt that it’s “not enough”.

Whatever your current budget or frame of mind allows IS ENOUGH. I still get people feeding back to me from last October about their latest swap over as things ran out, or needed replacing. It is a journey of a good year or two with little continuing tweaks, so while I hear you on the frustration of not being able to change everything in one day, I offer up this little thought to those who need it:

Be proud of that little change you’ve made today. Be proud of the plans you’re laying out as time, circumstance and energy permit.

It’s not a race. Everyone’s up to a different stage on their journey to more mindful, low tox living. You haven’t failed by being where you are now. Don’t have your heart sink at someone’s *win* on facebook because *you* haven’t done that yet… You’ve succeeded. You clicked BUY NOW. You clicked that button because you thought ‘Hey, I want to see what I can do to live better – for me, my family, for the planet.’

Ok. Pep Talk Done. Goal kicking times ahead. And today’s topic begins

Time to clean the house! It may or may not interest you to know, that I was a well-known cocktail bartender once upon a time. I’m not telling you this to feel special. More, to share the dark side of 7 years bartending: The cleaning. The amount of hours I used cheap, super fake smelling ‘spray and wipe’ type products, harsh stainless cleaners, degreasers and glass washing chemicals, are hours I’d prefer forgetting. I tell every hospitality professional I know now to use gloves and wear a mask if their boss won’t change their cleaning products, or simply to bring their own. I had years of chronic back pain in my years of hospitality. I also developed horrible digestion, which led to being diagnosed gluten intolerant. I also didn’t get a period for 2 years. I also put on a huge amount of weight, in a job where you are happy and active and and running around 7 hours a day. Not exactly normal! I later learnt about ‘obesogenic compounds’ which were chemicals in the endocrine disruptive family like phthalates, BPA, parabens which we’ve now covered… Oh dear!

Why keep wondering what these chemicals are doing? When the science is inconclusive (and often points to big business or political delays and cover ups) why say “I guess it’s ok” when we know it’s not exactly true?

Lead was deemed safe

Asbestos was deemed safe

Parabens and BPA were deemed safe

All while studies were being published to say otherwise. Why are chemicals innocent until proven ‘100% guilty”? It just doesn’t seen logical when genes and overall health are at stake, does it?

Here’s a report just this week on SUNRISE in Australia discussing every day toxins and here’s a recent EWG article on toxic cleaners – I do believe we’re about to go MAINSTREAM. Exciting! While of course I can’t promise anything, I’ve read countless stories now of people’s various symptom reversals from the first time we ran the course – from simple things like head aches, weight and energy to successful 1st trimesters reached after years of miscarriage (4 low tox “am I ever going to have a baby” babies born and counting!!!). I’m so excited about this part of your journey and to see how people start to feel as the weeks roll by.

So before we ditch, let’s do the work to know exactly what we’re letting go of.

What’s in the average cleaning products?

It might shock you to know that there is no required testing, data submission or labelling on cleaning products before bringing them to market. I’ve listed the major chemicals found in these products here today, but there are of course many more. Don’t concern yourselves with what every chemical on a label does. You’ll be there all day. Getting to know the major ones helps you eliminate the nasty ones easily and quickly. Once you’ve seen one nasty on there, there’s no point in trying to make out what all the other chemicals are… You’ve already decided. Over time, you will find the simpler, natural options and brands you can trust. I’ve shared mine below too, and some super easy DIY recipes for people who prefer DIY / need a super budget friendly option.

It’s not normal to be able to dissolve chunks of food in seconds.

It may well be a convenience, but we have to ask ourselves: What price are we paying for that convenience? The price of super harsh chemicals just doesn’t seem to exactly be a great swap does it? That ultra sheeny shine of a super toxic dishwashing pellet… The sheen is what we’ve been conditioned to look for. The sheen is apparently “perfect”. That sheen is actually really bad for us. It’s almost like we have to recondition and redefine what ‘clean’ is.

And then there are the ‘natural’ and ‘eco’ products that might go a bit of the way, but are still cutting corners with a few nasties in there and ‘green washing’ us with pretty pictures of fields and flowers to lure us into a false sense of doing the right thing.

Here are the most common cleaning product chemicals we’re out to avoid!

Phthalates (Diethyl phthalate)

• Found in: All air fresheners, synthetically fragranced cleaning products, many scented candles, house hold furnishing and food packaging like cling film and freezer bags, some of which we’ve already discussed.

• Health Risk: You guys are old hats at phthalates by now. Hormone disrupting to varying degrees, and trials show skeletal disruption also (and there it is: back pain! How many people do we all know with unexplained back pain!?). These are commonly found in almost every cleaning product, listed, or not listed at all, as ‘fragrance’.

TRICLOSAN • Found in: Petroleum derived, triclosan is often the bad boy behind the word ‘antibacterial’ on your cleaning products, hand soap, deodorant, antibacterial face washes and toothpaste.

• Health Risks: Stay away, as it is often contaminated with chloroform and can cause skin, eye and lung irritation. It can disrupt the immune system and accumulate in the environment, it is toxic to algae and it fiddles with the growing habits of some fish. O.M.G is right! How is this allowed? Lack of regulation is how.

2-BUTOXYETHANOL

• Found in: Window, kitchen and multipurpose cleaners.

• Health Risks: 2-butoxyethanol is the key ingredient in many window cleaners and gives them their characteristic sweet smell. It belongs in the category of “glycol ethers,” a set of powerful solvents that don’t mess around. Law does not require 2-butoxyethanol to be listed on a product’s label. According to the EPA’s Web site, in addition to causing sore throats when inhaled, at high levels glycol ethers can also contribute to narcosis, pulmonary edema, and severe liver and kidney damage. Although the EPA sets a standard on 2-butoxyethanol for workplace safety, Sutton warns, “If you’re cleaning at home in a confined area, like an unventilated bathroom, you can actually end up getting 2-butoxyethanol in the air at levels that are higher than workplace safety standards.”

AMMONIA • Found in: Polishing agents for bathroom fixtures, sinks and jewellery; also in glass cleaner.

• Health Risks: Because ammonia evaporates and doesn’t leave streaks, it’s another common ingredient in commercial window cleaners. That sparkle has a price. “Ammonia is a powerful irritant,” says Donna Kasuska, chemical engineer and president of ChemConscious, Inc., a risk-management consulting company. “It’s going to affect you right away. The people who will be really affected are those who have asthma, and elderly people with lung issues and breathing problems. It’s almost always inhaled. People who get a lot of ammonia exposure, like housekeepers, will often develop chronic bronchitis and asthma.” Ammonia can also create a poisonous gas if it’s mixed with bleach.

• Healthier Choice: Vodka. “It will produce a reflective shine on any metal or mirrored surface”. So pour a vodka soda and do some window cleaning. Doesn’t sound all that bad now, does it?

CHLORINE

• Found in: Scouring powders, toilet bowl cleaners, mildew removers, laundry whiteners, household tap water.

• Health Risks: You’re getting exposed through fumes and possibly through skin when you clean with it, but because it’s also in city water to get rid of bacteria, you’re also getting exposed when you take a shower or bath. The health risks from chlorine can be acute, and they can be chronic; it’s a respiratory irritant at an acute level. But the chronic effects are what people don’t realize: It may be a serious thyroid disruptor.

SODIUM HYDROXIDE

• Found in: Oven cleaners and drain openers. • Health Risks: Otherwise known as lye, sodium hydroxide is extremely corrosive: If it touches your skin or gets in your eyes, it can cause severe burns. Routes of exposure are skin contact and inhalation. Inhaling sodium hydroxide can cause a sore throat that lasts for days.

SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE

• Sodium laureth sulfate is a surfactant, detergent, and emulsifier used in thousands of cosmetic products, as well as in industrial cleaners. It is present in nearly all main stream shampoos, scalp treatments, hair colour and bleaching agents, toothpastes, body washes and cleansers, make-up foundations, liquid hand soaps, laundry detergents, and bath oils/bath salts. It can be manufactured from coconuts, but more damaging to the environment is when it’s manufactured from unsustainable palm oil or petroleum – the two most common! A real problem with SLES is that the manufacturing process (ethoxylation) results in SLES being contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a carcinogenic by-product.

NOTE: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate – while not to be used on skin / personal care for its ability to be irritating to the skin – Is fine. It’s not carcinogenic and doesn’t contain any 1,4 dioxane as a by-product. For cleaning? It’s handy as it does clean very well.

I feel the need to chime in here and say: Remember, don’t feel guilty for yesterday’s choices.

Feel excited for what you will change today! SO WHAT CAN WE USE, THEN?

So here’s what I use – my DIY recipes as well as my favourite, natural brand options. If you have a cleaner or a house keeper, don’t think it doesn’t matter – think of them and think of the fact that it’s all over your home surfaces, so while you might not personally be using harmful cleaners, you’ll still be surrounded by them and affected to a lesser extent, regardless.

My favourite products – to buy:

There are 3 products I don’t DIY for the simple performance factor and supporting a local brand and here they are:

1. ReSparkle. I’m excited to introduce Pearl Chan, creator of ReSparkle. You’ll see the interview I did with her down the bottom and she’s helping out with some of the questions on the facebook group, thanks to her extensive knowledge and commitment to truly green products. I had just started my blog and Pearl had just started her household products business in 2012. She sent me a sample of her new Kitchen / Surface cleaner and it was fabulous. It appeals not only on the 100% natural and NASAA certified front, but also on the refillable front. This means there is far less plastic used and you’re not paying for 70% of the product to be carted around the country that is actually just water, in the total weight – a genius way to make low tox cleaning affordable. Finally, on the “I’m too busy for elbow grease” front, she got me there too. It’s a mega effective, cost effective product range, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Plus there’s that whole supporting the little guy who’s doing it right 100% rather than a big brand hedging their bets with a ‘green arm’ to their product ranges. There is a Kitchen & Multi-surface cleaner, a Bathroom & Glass cleaner, Odour remover (bye bye nasty fake ones), Dish liquid and Floor Cleaner not to mention the other new products recently added to the range. And for those of you with little people, there’s a toy and nursery cleaner too which is great! Make the most of the ReSparkle deal of 15% off during the course for Aussie participants.

2. Dr Bronner Castille Soap Range. I’m excited to bring you this range. It’s one of the most sustainable companies I know in the world founded by a true believer that the world can and will be a better place when people come together! All bottles are made with post-consumer number “1” plastic, the most stable for product storage long term.

I use a little Dr Bronner castille soap in my floor cleaner DIY recipe below. We dilute for hand wash and pop in a foaming dispenser which means 1 part Dr Bronner and 4 parts water with a tsp olive oil and we get very, very good mileage. We use a couple of tbsp in the water bucket to wash the car – or dogs at the farm! We change it up too with our own essential oils added and we use for spot cleaning clothes that have stains before putting on a wash. They’re awesome. They’re completely non toxic and they’re not expensive, lasting a very long time. You can get more ideas on that range here and find them at your local health shop, no doubt.

There’s also the Dr Bronner SAL SUDS, a more powerful cleaner which is fantastic for tough stains and spot treating carpets, as well as for bathrooms, bathtub, shower and tiles. You can dilute in a wash bucket a good couple of squirts in a couple of litres of water, or you can use ‘neat’ to get something really tough out of a tile grout etc with a brush. This contains SLS (non carcinogenic) so while we don’t want this n our personal care and on our skin, because of its abrasive nature, we do want to wear gloves.

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Alexx chats to Lisa Bronner | Transcript

3. Ecostore dishwashing detergent and dishwasher powder. Both are great, and low tox. Both available in supermarkets and online and their ‘parfum’ is a proprietary essential oil blend, so you’re safe on the fragrance front there. Please note that a few personal care items and the LIQUID laundry wash contain phenoxyethanol. the dish tablets, powder and dishwashing liquid as well as the clothes washing powder and soaker are all AOK.

For cleaning tools, you can use the microfibre cloth range from BIOME as well as the amazing floor mop for the kitchen. You also have Enjo and Norwex products out there too for cloth cleaning and mops etc, which say of course you can use only water. I do like using products though, whether I make them myself or buy and I find it economical regardless. Choice is yours. I also like to limit the amount of ‘accounts’ I have with products to not going into the ‘overbuying and catching deals’ mindset which is all too easy to do with stuff you often don’t need.

On a budget? Just use and wash your tea towels for surface cleaning – BUY NOTHING NEW with that option!

For scrubbing brushes and sponges we use the beautiful Full Circle Range. So sturdy. Twice as sturdy as cheap plastic equivalents and so far, I believe last twice as long and the brush heads are refillable, so again, less waste and eco-friendly fibres – Win Win! If every household in Australia tossed one plastic brush per year in the bin, that would be 8 million plastic brushes going to landfill. Isn’t that nuts? Time for a change!

Lastly, for scourers and body scrub buffers, the coconut fibre ‘Safix’ range is awesome at only $3.50 each! I’ve still got the first one I bought last year and just dunk the body one in a vinegar / water solution with a few drops of eucalyptus oil to disinfect every month or so.

I’ve listed them all from Biome here as I love the work Tracey and her team do with total absence of those ‘green wash’ brands that often lurk on natural sites to throw a spanner in the works and confuse us, plus because it’s all available there, so you’ll save on postage if you need multiple items!

Other things you may need:

• gloves – If You Care rubber washing up gloves

• cloths – If You Care washing and avoid phenoxyethanol cloths.

• tissues and paper towel – the best supermarket option is Naturale, or online delivery is WHO GIVES A CRAP

• bin liners – If You Care make small and large compostable rubbish bags, and are available at Biome plus at some independent supermarkets and health shops. In that link you also find sponge clothes, baking paper (if you want to skip ahead!) and other great things.

You can of course buy all your eco products and not make any. There is actually a lot of choice these days. Here are just some brands that are safe to use as well as effective. There are more – if in doubt pop the ingredient list in the group for checking.

Sonett

Ecostore (cleaning products, NOT some of the skin products which contain phenoxyethanol)

Ecover

Kin Kin (most popular one from low tox group along side ReSparkle) Abode

Eco Logic

Bosisto’s

Enviroclean

You might know of more and I encourage you to share them in today’s thread IF THEY DEFINITELY CHECK OUT – You might need to check with the company. I like to stop searching once I’ve found something that works and that I trust and you now know what I use! Please, if you share further brands I ask that you know you’ve researched their fragrance status and petrochemical status, as well as the chemicals listed above. OR simply pop ingredient pic of bottle in the thread and ask if they are ok.

US UK resources for all topics are being updated over today and this evening as we’ve been madly adding to the reportoire. In the mean time Dr Bronner is available internationally through health stores.

If you’re in NZ you can get great home cleaning products including ReSparkle from HERE.

Do not be GREENWASHED!

I wrote a piece on GREENWASHING a couple of years ago. You can check it out here. Here are two examples of ‘greenwashing’ I found online in the US. http:// simplegreen.com/products/all-purpose-cleaner-rtu/ – This product contains artificial fragrance, harsh preservative and SLS x 3 ways, with 3 different names. And the other one http://www.ecos.com/Dishmate_Almond.html – Phenoxyethanol, a harsh preservative and SLS with 3 different names. What passes off as ‘all natural’ these days is often a crock – pardon the French. We have to demand product disclosure and be able to scan products and know if they’re a great option or not. Label detective skils develop over time.

NOW, For the DIY Options

You’ll be using white vinegar from distilled, fermented spirit – if it doesn’t specify that it’s been made from distilled spirit, then it’s most probably petroleum derived, manufactured acetic acid – yep, even white vinegar can be ‘high tox’. Cornwell’s White vinegar is the one I use, available at the supermarket also. We’ll also be using bi carb soda (for bulk head to BLANTS in Australia), essential oils, olive oil, sea salt, lemon and water. Revolutionary stuff! So simple. So inexpensive!

A note on flooring, surfaces and grey water / sceptic tanks.

All the options here (and above with the afore mentioned brands) are grey water / sceptic tank safe.

If you have marble or varnished floors keep your vinegar to a minimum in your DIY recipes and up the castille soap a little instead, as those surfaces are porous.

MULTI-PURPOSE SPRAY USE THIS ON KITCHEN SURFACES, AROUND SINKS, WINDOW SILLS, MANTLES, SHOWER TILES. JUST NOT WOOD.

1 cup white vinegar

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon eucalyptus oil (tea tree oil is great too)

1/2 teaspoon rosemary oil (optional. It’s very calming as an aroma to have about the place. you could of course use whatever other essential oils excite you. It’s your custom design!)

What to do?

Pop it all into a spray bottle. Shakey shake before use. Done.

Antibacterial Surface spray

Same as above, but with 1 tsp either eucalyptus, tea tree or neem oil in the mix. Revolutionary, right?

NOTE: If you have a marble of concrete bench top, omit the vinegar and go with a tablespoon of Castille Soap to 1 cup water and 15 drops essential oil.

MOULD INHIBITOR

Did you know bleach doesn’t kill mould? Sure you can use with gloves and mask once or twice a year to white but it doesn’t kill it. The mould spores actually omit a toxic gas retaliating against the bleach, and while the bleach removes it from sight, they’re still alive under there and grow back. Save your lungs and move to this nifty little spray and if you have a persistent issue not fixed by this and fresh circulating air, best to call in a professional mould removal service. In Australia, Penny and her team at Mould Rescue are wonderful – more on mould on mould and dust day, but here’s a snippet. There are two types of mould. There’s the type that just grows on the tile or surface as a result of a bit too much moisture in the room. There’s also the structural type that appears to grow from the inside of the walls ‘out’ to visibility. The latter needs a mould remediation treatment. The former can be cleaned away and killed with this easy spray mixture.

2 cups of water (for a seriously bad mould issue, do 1 cup to ramp up the lavender oil concentration)

14 drops each of lavender oil and tea tree oil

10 drops clove bud oil

What to do? Put the water and oils into a spray bottle. Shake before use. Spray onto affected areas. Leave for 20 minutes, and then come back with your multi purpose spray and give the whole area a good wipe down. We moved into a very mouldy apartment two years ago, and it took 2 cycles of this method in the bathroom to work on the ceiling and in the shower. Now? Mould free and haven’t needed to treat in a year, keeping windows open every day (and door to rest of house shut in winter). Ventilation is your friend and if it’s hard to ventilate, consider a dehumidifier to blast for a couple of hours here and there in the winter, especially.

Remember, no 1 for mould is letting your house / apartment breathe and cross ventillating as well as possible.

STAINLESS STEEL CLEANER

This is a tough one to make, and can get really tricky. You ready? Cut a lemon in half. Squeeze a little into your morning veggie juice or smoothie. With the remaining lemon in the squeezed half, wipe all over your sink, laundry sink, casually – honestly, no need to break a sweat. Then wipe it down. Shiny and new. All grease, water or food stains… everything gone.

DARK WOODEN OR LEATHER FURNITURE POLISH

Oh dear, another really tough one, that you’re probably going to switch straight back to those old, toxic furniture polishers, I’m sure.

Olive oil. Dab a little on a tea towel and polish. There. That’s it. Seriously. Do wooden furniture, leather furniture and leather shoes with this and you will be amazed.

NOTE: test a small patch firts before you do this, to ensure it suits your type of leather. It is NOT suitable for suede.

Glass Cleaner

Dilute Vinegar half half with water and wipe windows with teatowel. Simple. Add 5 drops of clove oil if you’re getting mould in the winter from condensation on the windows.

RINSE AID

1/2 cup vinegar in dishwasher.

OVEN CLEANER

This is great. So easy and no more poisoning our lungs with those toxic cleaners.

In a jar put:

Equal parts sea salt, vinegar and bi carb soda. 1/4 cup of each is good for your average sized oven. What to do? Turn the oven on 180C / 350F and put an oven dish, half full of water in the oven and ‘bake’ to create steam for about half an hour. Do not add the paste to this dish. Cool oven a little before scrubbing your paste on the oven walls. Wipe down. Rinse with a couple of watery tea towels. Done.

NOTE: Don’t add an essential oil to this one. Rose geranium baked pumpkin anyone? No thank you, a bit weird!

CREAM CLEANSER

Personally, I don’t make this often, because I find between a pure lemon for stainless surfaces and my ReSparkle multi purpose spray, a cream cleanser (jif-like) isn’t really needed. However, if it’s a texture you like to use when cleaning, especially for a bath, then be my guest.

1/2 cup bi carb soda in a jar

1 tablespoon of coarse salt.

1/2 cup water and mix. If a paste hasn’t formed, keep adding a little water, bit by bit until you have a paste.

Add 10 drops of essential oil of your choice for beautiful fragrance.

Scrub the bath or the stove top (gosh that’s fun isn’t it? no?)

FLOOR CLEANER

2 cups water

2 tbsp Dr Bronner liquid soap

1/2 cup vinegar (omit vinegar for marble or wood varnished floors) 10-20 drops essential oil of your choice (I like eucalyptus for disinfecting the floors and a citrus oil for freshness in the air, so I do a combination of 10 drops of each)

1 tablespoon bicarb soda (if you don’t have anything to ‘scour’ you can skip the bicarb)

Mix and bottle and shake a little before use, as needed.

NOTE: For varnished floors and polished concrete floors, double the castille soap and ditch the vinegar and bicarb.

BLEACH SUBSTITUTE – Tiles and laundry (which we go into tomorrow)

I love this Mommypotamus suggestion HERE

JEWELLERY CLEANER (silver, copper and brass)

The course is worth it for this nifty cleaning trick alone. I am every single time amazed!

There are so many strange chemicals lurking in jewellery cleaner. This is an awesome silver cleaner. Takes just a few minutes for the tarnish to disappear.

Place some aluminium foil in a bowl. Place a tbsp or two of bicarb soda and a teaspoon of salt in the bowl with enough boiling water to cover the item in question. Dip the item into this solution and leave to clean for 5 minutes. Take out and rinse.

Super sparkly silverware and silver jewellery thereafter!

THE LOO CLEANER

When cleaning the loo, we can again, easily avoid all the nasties with a very simple home made formula.

1/2 cup bicarb soda sprinkled around the loo with 10 drops of a good quality eucalyptus or tea tree oil dropped into the water.

Pour now 1/2 cup of vinegar over the bicarb and as it bubbles up, use your toilet brish to swirl things around and give everything a good disinfect and clean. The bicarb is magic for smelly ‘situations’ too so keep a packet of that behind the loo, open instead of those fake weirdo sprays!

If your toilet bowl is a bit stained, you can do a good 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide 6% soak too and leave it all there for 30 mins before flushing OR you can sprinkle baking soda generously around the bowl and chase it with a vinegar and scrub.

You could also try your hand at bath bombs. They’re super effective too – gift giving just got really exciting, right?

GROUT CLEANER Pour 1/3 cup baking soda into a big glass bowl

Add very slowly, 3% hyprodgen peroxide (or 6% readily available at most chemists, diluted half half) until you get a paste. Scrub into the grout on tiles and leave for 30 mins. Come back and rinse off. Double this quantity if you’re in dire need and you have a large bathroom. Soup it up as an anti mould growth grout cleaner with a tsp Neem oil, Clove Bud or Tea Tree in the mix.

If this doesn’t clean your grout and your grout is old, it may simply need replacing.

A note… There are recommendations for mainstream supermarket, DIY and online because there are many people with many different needs and preferences. Choose what sits right with you. If you ‘don’t do any plastic at all’ that’s absolutely fine and I salute you. Different options for different peeps makes it easy for everyone to feel they can make a better choice. We also have some overseas people in the course, thus the mention of international brands. If you’re in Australia of course, it’s always best to see if there’s an Aussie product to avoid carbon miles. Go at your pace. Explore at a depth and level that you feel pumped, not swamped. This is your journey.

What to put all the DIY recipes in?

I use a variety of jars and glass spray bottles – E bay and market stalls are great for random finds and the floor clear and oven cleaners, I just keep in jars. Feel free to share your resources.

This range by ByMe is great!

LIME SCALE IN COFFEE MACHINE OR KETTLE Your kettle is a ready-made liquid container, so the descaling process is pretty simple. Start by quarter-filling the kettle with vinegar or lemon juice and leave for an hour. Then, leaving in the acid, top up the kettle with water and boil it. Pour away the boiled water before it cools, then rinse out the kettle with several changes of cold water to remove any traces of vinegar or lemon juice (not a good taste with coffee).

This method can also be used to descale coffee makers. Add the acid to the water compartment as before, then top up with water and run the coffee-making process with this solution and no coffee. Repeat this twice with plain water to rinse.

DISHWASHER RINSE AID

You’re never going to have that slippery ‘sheen’ to your dishwasher cleaning anymore. It was a fake. Nasty chemicals make that ultra sheeny shiny sheen. No good. You could add 1/2 a cup of vinegar to your dishwasher wash to assist in cutting through grime although the dish powders recommended above all do a great job.

You can have very clean crockery and glassware though, and once a month, clean out the dishwashing filter and do an empty load with a cup of vinegar through your dishwasher on rinse cycle to keep things fresh.

TASK FOR TODAY

• Decide on your cleaning strategy. What will you commit to DIY to save money and plastic use? What will you commit to buying to set up your low tox home cleaning regime?

• Make a priority list: What you dont want to wait to upgrade to and what you feel comfortable phasing out until next time. For me, I remember just using gloves digently as I washed dishes with extra rinsing and then moving on. Some will want to just ditch… some phase. Your journey. Your way!

If you adopt these natural cleaners or DIY recipes, where you were once using supermarket cleaning products, you will literally be reducing your chemical intake through breathing and skin contact by an average of 60 known irritant chemicals per week. Isn’t that awesome? It’s a huge benefit to you, your workplace, your family and you’re making an amazing change!

TODAY’S CHEAT SHEET IF YOU JUST WANT TO GET THE SKINNY & BUY NEW STUFF: CLICK HERE Day 9: Low Tox Laundry

When you lift the lid on ‘convenience’ for the first time, a flood of emotions often comes through – Guilt, anger, confusion, embarrassment, panic: How did I not know? How did I not wonder? What would things be like if… What am I going to do without… ?

We don’t PART with convenience on this journey, we just redefine it. Slowly. If that ‘convenient’ thing is ugly once you do a little digging, it’s not so shiny and the convenience loses its appeal pretty quickly. Truth and peace of mind coupled with smart buying and smart ‘making’ become far more important over the course of this journey – to have that sense that through empowered choice, we know for FACT that we are now on the trajectory to be doing the best we can for both OUR health and the planet’s health, and that we’ve found a way to make it simple and uncomplicated… Well bingo, that’s our convenience born again – this time as a love child from hippy parents though

The laundry isn’t exempt from attracting cleaning products that are full of nasties as I’m sure you can now well imagine. The issue with laundry detergents, fabric softeners and soakers is that not only do they pollute us and the waterways, but they can severly compromise our indoor air quality, if we’re using the ones with the nasty stuff inside our homes!

What are the main things we’re moving to avoid, in addition to our list of chemicals already covered?

Most laundry detergents and / or softeners contain:

• Petroleum distillates (aka napthas), which have been linked to cancer.

• Artificial fragrances, which have been linked to various toxic effects on fish and mammals and are endocrine disrupting – There are those phthalates again! • Phosphates – You know how you see a “P” or an “NP” on a laundry powder or detergent? Well the P refers to phosphates. They stimulate the growth of certain marine plants when they’re released into the environment and contribute to unbalanced ecosystems.

• Optical brighteners, which are toxic to fish and can cause bacterial mutations and allergic reactions – Um, hello “The Simpsons” Nuclear power plant episode, anyone? More on those HERE.

• Quarternary Ammonium Compounds (Quats) – Found in fabric softeners and fabric softening sheets as well as a lot of shampoos, conditioners and personal care products for face and body. These also operate similarly to triclosan, and to boot, can cause intense asthma in many people as well as dermatitis – they’re bad news and totally unnecessary. As soon as I removed them from my laundry, I realised how toxic they were the very next time I visited mum’s house. They’re not there either any more!

• Palm oil – A deforestation disaster ingredient that kills innocent orangutan populations throughout south east Asia. It’s essential to ensure your laundry products – if they do contain palm oil – are from a certified sustainable farm practicing sustainably. There are a handful around the world doing the right thing. Ecostore and Dr Bronner can both attest to that and you can request sustainability certification from brands too. Palm oil investigations is something you can explore as an app if you feel passionately about the palm oil issues.

Also, in fabric softeners you’ll commonly find benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer), benzyl alcohol (irritates the upper respiratory tract) and chloroform (a neurotoxin and carcinogen.) To top it off, many of them are petroleum based, which takes a toll on a non-renewable resource and is not bio-degradable.

Sheesh… and the good news comes when exactly Alexx? Let’s start with this: Best news about ditching just 1 thing in your home like fabric softener?

How good is THAT? Bye bye weirdness. It excites me in a rather nerdy way that around the world after today, our indoor air pollution will plummet as a collective in the homes where fabric softener has been used in the past. Get excited people. Throw a party with your fabric softener savings!

Some options for washing your clothes:

In the UK? Check out BioD, Ecover and Faith in Nature which I discovered on my research trip.

In the US? Check out my favourites Honest Company, Common Good & Co. and If You Care

Read on anyway if you’re from O/S as there are quite a few facts and tips in the rest of the materials. Supermarket

Sadly there is a lot of ‘greenwashing’ with ‘eco-friendly’ laundry liquids and powders in the supermarket. They almost all fall down in the fragrance department… Aldi’s ‘apple fragrance’ and Earth Choice’s fragrances… synthetic. Close but no cigar – and we don’t want cigars anyway… so.

AWARE, Sensitive is my supermarket brand of choice. Love the cardboard box factor. Performs far better than Ecostore in my opinion.

Great performance and definitely not a ‘Greenwash’ brand. It contains the lowest amount of SLS, coconut derived (not palm or petroleum) And I’ve spent 30 mins in deep conversation with the chief product development scientist at Aware to be able to bring you this summary of their SLS formulation:

There are three places SLS can be derived from: Petroleum, Animal or Plant. 98% of the world’s SLS is Petroleum or Palm derived. Animal generally no longer used. Aware uses coconut oil. Petroleum and Palm SLS are obviously the worst offenders for there is a big environmental impact there both in origin material, and in the case of petroleum, in end pollution to the waterways and oceans. Sulfination makes the oil water soluble. Another thing to think about is the fact that most laundry powders, regardless of SLS origin, use up to 30-40% in their products to give you those ‘uber white finishes’, so if they’re petroleum origin to boot, then it’s by definition a total environmental disaster with your average washing powder being 40% petroleum derived. Ouch!

Aware’s level is 10% and is a coconut based surfactant (which a lot of ‘non SLS’ brands say is their surfactant, no doubt to perhaps distance themselves from plam / petroleum brands). It is also non-carcinogenic – Look for the laur’eth’ sulfate for the extra process that creates the carcinogen and definitely avoid that, but as long as the SLS is coconut or sustainable palm derived it is fine for dish and clothes washing – just still a bit too abrasive for personal care. Something extra awesome about Aware is their commitment to sourcing 70% of their ingredients locally (which sadly has dropped to 60% since the soda ash factory in South Australia closed down) I was impressed by the ‘no stone unturned’ approach to making it the lowest tox, while still performing.

SLS starts out with one isolated fatty acid (from coconut, palm or petroleum based oils) called lauric acid. The lauric acid is reacted with sulfuric acid and other chemicals. Sodium coco sulfate goes through the same chemical process as SLS. It is different only because it uses a blend of fatty acids and excludes the lauric fatty acid. This allows companies to say on the front of their label sodium lauryl sulfate-free and not really lie to you. Sodium Coco Sulphate is therefore pretty much the same thing – something on a lot of green brands.

So, my recommendation is?

Absolutely leave SLS out of as much as possible in the products that you buy across personal care – And cleaning when you don’t know what that company’s SLS is derived from – switch out to a safe, transparent and authentic brand. Go with what feels right to you in this laundry category because with kids, and busy- ness and sport and stains, a small amount of coconut derived SLS will make a performance difference. SO, if budget is priority to you and easy ‘can get on the day’ as an Australian in this program, then Aware Sensitive is a great choice – certainly the best and only option I would consider in the supermarket.

For those who want to stay completely SLS free I would suggest exploring Soap Nuts from BIOME, or Kin Kin Naturals all linked in the options below (NOTE: Kin Kin say coconut based surfactant but ‘non SLS’ so that’s odd to me seeing as coconut based SLS is exactly that and therefore I believe it’s a half-truth) Same with the Abode brand… Nonetheless in washing powder and as a coconut derivative (not petroleum or palm) and in small amounts and NON carcinogenic SLES derivation, it is believed to be safe and non-bio accumulative. I just want to put an option out for those who really need none in their washing product.

BUT they are the absolute best of the bunch, unless you choose to make your own. Feel free to share your recipes if you do and support each other.

Know that if you do buy Aware, you are supporting an Aussie brand, who is palm oil free, petroleum free, phosphate free, phthalate free, triclosan free, quat free and sources locally as much as possible, as well as being far lower SLS than other options. Some front loader cold wash people find that the Aware powder doesn’t dissolve well. For a top loader I’ve had no issue, but to be safe and to avoid their plastic packed liquid bottle, just keep a container just by your laundry sink, fill with hot water, a scoop and pour into your machine after a quick stir.

If you are concerned about the allergic reaction potential to any kind of SLS (there’s sadly no data separating out reactions based on raw material provenance ie petroleum vs coconut) then either use soap nuts, make your own, try these ones below or program the long rinse on your machine.

Online

These are the highest performing online brands I’ve tried to date – Please share your finds in the comments here or in our facebook group and I will add them to the master list. • ReSparkle Laundry powder and liquid. Local Melbourne businesses. Excellent product and new release.

• Clean Conscience – Amazing. Made in Tasmania and this is the ingredient list: Certified Organic Soap Nut Powder, Bicarb-soda, Washing soda, Eucalyptus oil. How’s that for a low tox ingredient list!?

• Kin Kin Naturals – laundry liquids. Another trust worthy local brand made in QLD. Many alumni peeps love this one.

• Ecologic – Another straightforward, trustworthy brand.

• Soap nuts – Some people complain of soap nuts not being very effective and others love them. They’re extremely economical as you can see. A simple, extra boost for your soap nuts washing, is to add a couple of capfuls of hydrogen peroxide 3% to the wash. You can up that to 1/4 cup into the wash for whites.

• Abode are a great Aussie made company too.

A note on Ecostore laundry products… I find the performance pales in comparison to Aware but have come across a couple of people that really love the washing powder. Their dishwashing products are awesome but for laundry, feel free to be the judge and do a little comparison. (by the way, I’m not sponsored to say Aware is awesome. It’s purely off my own bat!)

DIY Washing powder

You can indeed make your own and this one is an excellent one that I’ve made in the past as is the super simple Wellness Mama one. The ‘washing soda’ in the recipe is lectric soda, available in supermarkets or in bulk ON BLANTS WEBSITE, as is the rest and a glycerine soap, just grab a Dr Bronner bar soap from Nourished Life linked there, or the local health shop.

What about Borax in DIY laundry powders? If you’re going to use it, be sure it’s naturally derived and not synthetic and to handle with gloves. Read here. I suggest Blants as your source.

Another great DIY recipe as submitted by a course taker who swears by it – DIY might feel expensive with the outlay of all the ingredients, but you’ll get several batches out of them if you buy in bulk, so it definitely works out to be an economical way to go.

• 1 bar natural soap, finely grated (Dr Bronner’s or Weleda for example).

• 1 Cup of washing soda (Lectric Soda. Can purchase at supermarket)

• 1/2 Cup salt

• 1/4 cup citric acid

• 20 ish drops of essential oil (I like lemon or eucalyptus)

Other laundry products

Wool wash for sensitive clothes

• Ecologic again is a lovely, simple brand for delicates.

Stain remover

• Kin Kin Naturals stain remover

DIY option for stain removers 1. Bicarb soda rubbed into a paste with water and scrubbed onto whites like arm pits and collars, then pop intems into a general wash. Great for carpet stains too but don’t leave on overnight for it might lighten the carpet. Just scrub on with a little water. 30 mins, Rinse out and soak up.

2. Dab some eucalyptus oil onto the stain and then wash as normal. Different methods work for different people, fabrics and stains themselves.

3. Use hydrogen peroxide 6% from the pharmacy, diluted 1/2 1/2 water / 6% – For a spot stain on clothing, simply dab onto stain and let it soak there for 5 minutes before continuing with the wash. For a carpet stain (think Red wine) mix a couple of tbsp each of 6% hydrogen peroxide and dish detergent (Castille soap) and rub into the stain. Blot and rinse and soak up with water and tea towels after it’s had 10 minutes to work some magic. Repeat if needed.

Remember: Different fabrics work differently and for delicate fabrics I’d be a little cautious and try a gentle wool wash delicates soak first.

Soaker / Whitener

• Kin Kin Naturals from BIOME is wonderful.

• For an IGA / independent supermarket option, AWARE Sensitive also does a great one – Like sports scuffs and lasagne stains kind of great. We love it (I’m not endorsed by them. It’s just genuinely awesome). It sorts out school tops especially if you soak on the day the stains occurred and then wash as normal the next day.

Fabric softener

I’m not going to let you buy one! It’s a waste of money to buy even a natural one. Save the money. Save the plastic packaging. Super simple option: A 1/2 cup of bicarb soda or 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar with 5-10 drops essential oil at the rinse cycle for mild, natural fragrance.

DIY ‘yummy smelly’ softener version

• 2 cups of Epsom salt 20 drops of your favourite essential oil or blend of scents

• 1/2 cup baking soda

• What to do: Simply mix the essential oils of your choice in with the epsom salts. Once those two are mixed, combine your bicarb in there as well. Keep in a jar and use 1/3 cup per wash, about half way through or even from the beginning, it will work well.

DRYER BALLS

• Great for reducing static and cutting drying time, making drying clothes with a dryer a little less energy reliant. Here’s a simple DIY video to making your own out of wool – With all that spare time you have, am I right?

Washing delicates

• I use cotton muslin to tie delicates into a pouch to protect them during the wash. Most of those delicates bags are synthetic / plastic bags and not ideal to be swirling around with your clothes – especially in warm or hot water if you’re needing an intensive wash done. Muslin can be purchased online or in a hospitality or fabric store.

Hanging on the line and letting nature do the work?

We’ve even got eco pegs! Click here for those

Like the idea of adding essential oils?

For cleaning I love eucalyptus, lemon, rosemary and tea tree / melaleuca for their purifying smells and medicinal cleaning properties. A few drops into the washing powder and then dispersing into the wash that way leaves delicious fragrance. You can also drop onto a tea towel before popping load in the dryer – Delicious!

Need a nice laundry basket made from natural fibres?

Eco Chic has you covered! How gorgeous are these?

A note on dry cleaning

Here in Australia we now have a dry cleaning option that’s green AND even uses 100% compostable bags to cover the clothes for your pick up – Hallelujah, right? Check out DRYGREEN. The principal ingredients is a nasty and super toxic “PERC”. Long-term exposure to Perchloroethylene may affect health and it is listed as a carcinogen. Perchloroethylene is a colourless, nonflammable liquid with a sweet, ether- like odor. It is also calledtetrachloroethylene, PCE, or PERC. Dr. Peter Orris, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health says it’s a ‘multi system toxin’ affecting fertility, skin, eye, nose, throat and bladder. NOOOOO thank you! How is this even legal and how are worker’s rights not protected here? The mind boggles. So if you can’t find a dry cleaner that’s green near you, then consider steam cleaning your own clothes, spot stain removing, hand washing where possible and deodorising by just putting in the freezer overnight – Seriously, for jeans, this tip is worth the course price alone!

So there you have it. A simple laundry guide.

Note: There are recommendations for mainstream supermarket, DIY and online because there are many people with many different needs, locations and preferences. Choose what sits right with you. If you ‘don’t do any plastic at all’ that’s absolutely fine and I salute you. Different options for different peeps makes it easy for everyone to feel they can make a better choice. We also have some overseas people in the course, thus the mention of international brands. If you’re in Australia of course, it’s always best to see if there’s an Aussie product to avoid carbon miles. Go at your pace. Explore at a depth and level that you feel pumped, not swamped. This is your journey.

TASK FOR TODAY • Develop your laundry strategy. Choose what you’re going to replace and discover first, as you run out of things and decide on essential oils you might want for your home made fabric softener.

If you have a cleaner, make time to talk him / her through the cleaning changes you’re making and teach them about what the replacements are. Explain that it’s for THEM and their health you’re doing this too! My cleaner doesn’t cough on the day she works with us… She’s started bringing her own non toxic products to other client’s houses too so they may just end up saying thank you!

CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY Day 10: Low Tox Face – Cosmetics, skincare & men’s face & shaving

I’m going to open today with a little idea on ‘planting a seed in a non-confrontational way’….

Everyone we can get across the line in rethinking their products is a beautiful win! It’s a minefield out there…

When talking cosmetics to friends, instead of “Ah, that moisturiser YOU use has parabens. No good” (accusatory tone!) Change instead to saying “So I’ve been researching cosmetics because of this odd rash I was getting sometimes (No need to lie but sometimes a little white lie makes it less intimidating for you to bring up the natural stuff, if you’re coming from a personal challenge) and I discovered THEY / THE BIG COMPANIES were putting things like X and Y and Z in the stuff we buy. Isn’t that crazy? Have you heard about any of this? Anyway, if you want I’ve done a bit of research and have found this awesome website XYZ where WE can get safe stuff from that’s super nice looking / smelling etc.” (inviting, uniting. feel the difference?) We tackle this topic head on a bit later but I just wanted to raise the consciousness on the tone we use to discuss our discoveries with others.

Be the change and share if asked… This will make life much easier as you transition into the low tox life.

A reality check for us here: So today, the face!

I started out my professional life in cosmetics. I remember being so nervous walking down the Downtown Duty Free steps at The Strand arcade here in Sydney to speak with the manager, Cookie. I was healthy for the most part, except for my chronic tonsillitis during the teens, so from high antibiotic use, my liver was most probably already a little weak on the detoxification front.

What then ensued was 7 years of pounding my skin with endless amounts of cosmetics, full of nasty ingredients – all very taxing on the liver which was trying to constantly detox my body! I went on to work for a Japanese company after that, and finally the finest French cosmetic house in the LVMH luxury group. Luxury is not exempt from toxins. Unfortunately in fact, they are just as big a culprit as the cheap toxic stuff.

In our staff training sessions, we would always talk about the rare algae of the so-and- so sea, or the organic extracted collagen or the pure vitamin C or the fact that the formula could penetrate below the epidermis to the dermis or that the formula was non comedogenic (not clogging to the pores)… We always talked about the ‘top half’ of the ingredients… the ‘actives’… the ‘features’… the ‘performance’. Never once was the bottom half of the label addressed, where all the nasties typically lie, such as the endocrine disruptive set of chemicals we looked at on Days 2 and 3.

Over the years, I met so many women in the industry. On the cosmetic floor it seemed every second woman had a hormonal issue. Endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), fertility issues, super painful periods… I’d never heard of such things until then. When I was 22 however, 4 years into being in the cosmetics industry, I was diagnosed with PCOS. Whether or not this was related, I will never know. However, it certainly wouldn’t have helped to be pampering my self top to toe with products that contained parabens and phthalates in them all. So, firstly, I want to share with you the last cream I used. Years after leaving cosmetics, I saw that in fact there was no difference between the super expensive creams and the inexpensive creams in terms of performance, so I decided to save the cash. This is the ingredient list of the last cream that I used that wasn’t low tox – $A21.95 at Priceline:

I dare you to run the list through your CHEMICAL MAZE APP. So, if this is you, don’t panic. It was me 8 years ago too! These days, I don’t tend to go through every single ingredient when I research a cream. I literally put it down at the first ‘no no’ I find. This is also not about shaming brands… I find it a more positive experience to find retailers and brands that ARE doing the right thing, and supporting them and shout out about them. Then the changes come from a happy place and you don’t hold onto the negative aspect.

The first dodgy ingredient I found was OCTOCRYLENE – A synthetic ingredient, that acts as a UV absorber / filter, which is bio-accumulative in wildlife (therefore also in us) and produces damaging reactive oxygen species upon exposure to the sunlight. (free radicals. Source. Chemical Maze)

If we were to go on, we would find Isopropyl – a petroleum derived alcohol with suspected respiratory, kidney, cardiovascular, liver and neurotoxic concerns (Source: Chemical Maze).

We would also find parabens and phenoxyethanol because 1 hormone altering preservative clearly isn’t enough!

We would find paraffins – petroleum waxes.

We would find Alumina – an aluminium compound and suspected neurotoxin and environmental toxin.

We would see ‘PEG’ – something that comes up A LOT across personal care, hand and dish washing and laundry liquids. PEGs (polyethylene glycols) are petroleum-based compounds that are widely used in cosmetics as thickeners, solvents, softeners, and moisture-carriers. PEGs are commonly used as cosmetic cream bases. They are also used in pharmaceuticals as laxatives. Mmm.. Not quite what we need to be washing our hands or moisturising our face with… Bye bye petroleum! We would find a list that goes on like so with probably about another 6 harmful ingredients, at a glance and then a few harmless synthetics that certainly don’t come close to making up for anything! Now, my job is not to make you a qualified environmental toxin Phd in 30 days – I’m not even one myself!

My job is to help you make better decisions and assess risk with ease and source better products. It is NOT to just provide you with a list of safe brands. Critical and curious thinking is a lost art these days, and we’re bringing it back, baby!

Before you post creams and potions and lotion’s ingredient lists today – Here’s your ‘abandon ship and plan to swap’ list of chemicals. Feel free to run a check with me on FB if you’re truly not sure, but I ask so as to avoid a barrage of no brainers, that YOU do the preliminary check first with the tools you’ve been given here below, so that you start to become a good product scanner. Check for these yourselves:

• Propylene Glycol (a form of car coolant)

• Triclosan – Antibacterial products, especially hand and acne targeting face washes house this one

• Phenoxyethanol, Parabens of any kind, fake smells “parfum” (without essential oil / natural sourcing attribute) – All hormone disruptive and cumulative in us and the environment.

• PEGs – Polymer derivatives (PEG is the abbreviation of polyethylene glycol) that are used in cosmetics as emollients (to soften the skin), and emulsifiers (which facilitate the mixing of oil- and water-based ingredients).

• Benzoic acid, sodium benzoate (unless stated naturally derived) Common cause of eczema, dermatitis, psioriosis and hives.

• Isopropyl – Given it’s poisonous for us to ingest, and our skin is our largest organ that ‘ingests’ for us what we put on it, well… • Methylisotholizilinone – One of the popular preservatives that replaced parabens when they went out of fashion due to consumer demand. It has caused a marked rise in skin irritations. The Daily Mail UK covered this issue HERE.

• Carbomer / polymers -A carbomer is any series of polymers of acrylic acid used to thicken and smooth cosmetics. Mmm, acrylics on my face. Not!

• Benzaldehyde / Benzocaine / Benzophone / Benzyl alcohol – carcinogenic according to the EWG, except in the rare case that they are nature-derived.

• Butoxyethanol – It derives from the family of glycol ethers, and is a butyl ether of ethylene glycol – so, again, car coolant… Mmm, on my face!?

• Ceteareth / Ceteareth-20 – Particularly dodgy if used on damaged, sensitive skin. EWG network claims it contains carcinogen 1,4-dioxane.

If any of those are in there, no point in putting it on the Facebook group… they’ve been covered and are no good. If you haven’t checked out the EWG “Skin Deep” site, it’s worth a look to check on things. I want you to be empowered instead of rote learning brands – this way anywhere, anytime, you can scan and say to yourself ‘yay or nay’. Keep in mind that sorbates and Benzoates can be naturally derived sometimes so if you know that it’s an otherwise very natural brand, chances are if these are in that brand’s products, it will be ok – if it doubt, send them a shout out.

Anything you’re still unsure about, feel free to snap the ingredients and pop up in the group for sure.

From there after this list, there will be varying degrees of ‘passes but there is a cleaner option’ to ‘this was made for angel baby’s bottoms and is as pure as such’.

The stuff we’re avoiding, is all the stuff we’ve already looked at in our perfumes and cleaning products – as well as a whole new lot but generally, one of the big ones will be in something high tox anyway, which means you can stop right there, and not bother trying to decipher anything else. Why harp on the bad stuff? I will add 1 major ingredient though that comes up in face scrubs, body scrubs and cleaning products as some sort of bizarre touted ‘feature’ that we’ve not yet discussed.

Microbeads.

Microbeads are touted as a scouring / exfoliating ‘active’ but the real story behind them is plastic. Plastic with phthalates and BPA often in it. Up to 350,000 plastic beads floating over your face – some perhaps even accidentally in your mouth they’re so small – and out through the drain, into the waterways, into the fish, back out of the sea, lightly steamed with ginger and shallots and onto our dinner plates.

It’s a big deal!

When I was a little girl I lived in Chicago for a time and I’m a little bit patriotic that my home state of Illinois has been the first in the world to ban microbeads. You can read more here to familiarise yourselves with the severity of the situation.

So today’s added ingredient learning – the micro bead – is your new #1 ingredient to run a mile from – We’re all going to become very fit as low tox living people aren’t we? Running from everything

Your skin care regime should be one thing: SIMPLE. Simple products. Simply made. Enjoyable to use. Great performance.

So firstly, let’s talk about some skin complaints that you can fix simply through a few little lifestyle changes – no extra beauty product cost at all!

Common skin complaints

WRINKLES

• Your skin has either deep wrinkles from ageing, sun or lack of healthy fats OR fine feathery lines of dehydration from water. Either way, you will go a very long way to turning back the clock simply by remembering to drink water when you are thirsty, and by including ethical animal fats, quality dairy, avocado, coconut oil and nuts in your daily foods.

• It doesn’t ‘cost’ you this beauty tactic, simply because you would be eating anyway, so there’s no additional beauty ‘cost’ – only benefit!

DARK CIRCLES

• Many people are barking up the wrong tree when it comes to dark circles. The 2 most common things they can mean are food intolerances and liver congestion. So, again, this anti ageing tactic requires you to think about your food and whether your liver might be having a hard time of it. Best you talk to a qualified practitioner for your individual assessment if you’re a ‘dark circles’ person.

PUFFINESS

• The amount of money I used to convince people to spend on de-puffing the eyes. Three suggested remedies for puffiness include:

1. Get more sleep. 2 night’s sleep of 6 hours only, and boom: Big, puffy eyes I get. No mystery, sleep does so much for us and you should get more, and preferably earlier than 11pm so you get the hormone regeneration ‘golden time’ happening.

2. Lie down with 2 cucumber slices on your eyes for 5 mins. They magically depuff and the forced slow down is beautiful.

3. To alleviate puffy eyes in the morning, rinse your face with very cold water a few times and pat dry. You drastically speed up your ‘I’ve been awake for ages’ look.

Now, what you might ‘need’

My beauty routine is super simple and consists of either an oil cleanser or a mild foam cleanser for summer in the shower. I then have a couple of moisturisers on the go at any one time, as I like to keep trying different natural offerings and be abreast of the best on offer – I buy all my own cosmetics and skin care to keep my opinions ‘clean’. Chey from Black Chicken sent me a present recently for including her in my recommendations, but I’ve been buying her stuff for 3 years which is exactly why she’s included, if you see what I mean. I’m the one who reaches out to these brands for the giveaways and support in getting the word out – NOT the other way around. Lastly, I make my own scrubs, use mostly a very plain body oil of some kind such as Weleda Arnica Massage Oil or Black Chicken Love Your Body Oil (My two favourites) on the body and don’t use an eye cream and haven’t for years. My skin looks better now as a 39 year old woman than it did as a 24 year old. I feel it. I see it. There’s vitality. There’s natural glow. You can’t put a price on those. It’s about ditching the skin pollutants and also feeding the skin properly from the inside out with what you’re eating. Then you can build a beauty routine that’s as simple or as layered as you desire – You don’t have to give up an intricate beauty routine if you don’t want to. The choice is yours.

There are budgets to suit all and the results are ALL good, whichever option you choose.

FOR THE DIYs

Cheapest, simplest any-one-can-benefit-and-afford option

• Plain coconut oil. Some find it too thick, some enjoy the texture. It’s a personal preference thing. You can even use it to clean away eye make up at the end of the day! The Low Tox Life is NOT elitist. There’s always something for every budget. • DIY Face Cleanser? Honey. Pure, plain, raw honey. Rub it onto your face. Rinse off with warm water. Delicious!

• DIY face cream “Project” from Robin’s Key – A reliably good site, even though the recipes can be complicated at first as you assemble your ‘skin care pantry’. If you’re the ‘make your own’ everything type of person, you’ll enjoy it!

• If you’re pregnant and worried about essential oils, read here. Thanks to Chey from Black Chicken Remedies for writing it!

• DIY Face mist / toner – Click here

• DIY Simple foam cleanser – Click here

• DIY facescrub – honey with ground up rice or tapioca pearls into a coarse, sandy type of ‘flour’ – think polenta grainy vibes. Mix a tsp of the flour to 2 tsp honey (add 1 tsp hot water if honey is super thick). Massage the scrub in and rinse after a minute with warm water – deliciously baby smooth skin.

I’ve made near identical things to all of the above if not those exact things and they’re great, easy and low cost!

If you fancy sticking to low cost but buying something fabulous every now and then, these are for you!

LOW COST / MEDIUM COST LOW TOX BEAUTY

Here is a range of brands, both Australian and from overseas as there are people around the world reading this now. There are budgets to suit everyone, and just remember – this is NOT a competition to see who can buy the most stuff. If anything, we’re trying to move AWAY from thinking we need loads of stuff. It’s simply a list to help you begin exploring new, low tox options, whatever your budget. If you’re specifically after a range of Australian brands, BIOME has many, many to choose from.

UK

Check out this fabulous site Love LULA. I’ve spent time screening. Great brands. Full ingredient disclosure so you don’t get caught out!

Other favourite UK based brands of mine are Dr Organic for low cost from Holland and Barrett stores, Organic Pharmacy from their boutiques and Neil’s Yard Remedies online and in Covent Garden – I’ve tried a few things from each range and all the products I’ve tried are just lovely.

Australia Online

Nourished Life, Biome and Nourishing Hub are my picks for a great range of low tox face products in terms of how strict they are at what they do and don’t let into their shops.

And now a few suggestions…

CLEANSERS

Just click on the coloured links below to check these favourites out. (Now not all the products are Australian. It’s up to you, your preferences and I’m simply presenting a few options you might want to explore.) • Lavera Cleansing Milk – dry to sensitive skin, and also comes in a gel for all skin types

• Weleda Gentle Cleansing Milk – Normal to Dry

• 100% Pure – Foaming Cleansers – Normal to Oily skin

• Acure Facial Cleansing cream – Normal to Dry / sensitive

TONERS

• A lovely 2 in 1 cleanser / toner from Weleda for normal to combination skin.

• Super well priced and delicious Rose toner from Andalou Naturals for all skin types.

• 100% Pure Toner (although in all honesty, if budget is of a concern, toner can be the first thing to go.) EYES

• I tried for years to get mum off the luxury ‘big brand’ eye cream – This was the cream that did it finally last year – Weleda Evening Primrose Eye and Lip cream. You’re welcome. From their site direct or Nourished Life if you’re going to grab other things from there too.

• 100% Pure Eye cream (that everyone goes crazy over, including the Kate Hudsons of the world!)

• Rose Hip Rich Oil – A favourite of the more mature skinned alumni group. So simple. So good.

FACE

• Sanctum Face Cream

• Acure Face Cream

• Wild Rose Smoothing by Weleda or the Pomegranate range for firming!

• Ecology Skincare which I discovered a couple of years ago, by a lovely woman down in Victoria, who hand makes skin care with beef tallow – for any primal living people out there, this is a beautiful, reasonably priced product that lasts and lasts and their new little babies’ one is super gentle (there you go, a little one in advance of baby day!)

• Zkin Skincare – an awesome 100% Australian Made range, endorsed by Planet Ark and Palm Oil free. Very reasonable. (This brand used to be Pure & Green Organic Skincare)

MATURE SKIN

This stunning new Evening Primrose range from Weleda is something I just gifted my mum a couple of products from. The scent is intoxicating – I kept the body oil for myself. Sorry mum!

Super young skin & problem skin (acne)

• And for teen girls wanting to ‘grow up’ too fast –This cleanser by Harmonis Kiss! Gorgeous and natural.

• A range of Acne suitable products from Nourished Life, that perform well – you will be surprised by the vastness of the range. Note – If you have persistent acne, you’ll be more likely to get results from removing all toxins and cleaning up the diet. See a naturopath for guidance, rather than just trying to fix it with a cream and a zit stick! With teens for example, it’s often zinc deficiency, however you don’t want to self prescribe zinc – best followed by a practitioner.

• Super young skin & problem skin (eczema / psoriosis) may benefit form this beautiful cocooning new-ish Weleda range, The White Mallow range.

• Sanctum does a pimple spot cream that people are getting good results from

SENSITIVE SKIN

• For a friendly budget yet beautiful performance and wonderful comfort to sensitive skin, the Almond range from Weleda

• Another great sensitive option is the JUNIPER sensitive lotion from Nourished Life

TINTED AND SUN PROTECTION SPF

Andalou SPF 30 CC cream is a great skin tone evener, light hydrator and sun protection all in one.

Kelapa SPF15 is a wonderful way to get some shade in the sun in the form of a medium/light hydration lotion.

LUXE PRESENTS TO SELF

Still far less expensive than luxury skincare prices, so again the myth that ‘low tox is a more expensive way to live’ is BUSTED!

• Pai Cleanser

• Black Chicken Remedies Cleanse My Face Oil Cleanser

• Black Chicken Remedies ICU Intensive Eye Serum

• Black Chicken Remedies Love Your Face serum

The Love your face serum is truly a divine way to hydrate your face at night. The aromatherapy benefits send you off to la la land so nicely too! Chey the founder is interviewed down below so be sure to watch that one. Locally produced and truly beautiful skin care.

• Dr Alkaitis Eye Cream – Another award winner and if I were to use an eye cream again, this would be it! Except I don’t

A stunning new Australian range is the Ocinium range

Their Rose Hip facial oils with organic plant actives are divine as is the delicious Vitamin C serum. These are the two I’ve tried in the range thus far. Pop through to Nourished Life to read more and combine with other items you need there. Here are a few words that sum up what Cassandra’s doing over at Ocinium: Creating luxurious products that work in harmony with your skin, founder, Cassandra Hilton, a practitioner of integrative complementary medicine, seamlessly fuses health, wellness and beauty together to create a unique eco-luxe range of anti-aging skincare free of the toxicity of synthetics, sulfates and parabens.

TREATMENT PRODUCTS

• The Ocinium serum above is a wonderful treatment serum to apply of a night time under your night cream for a ‘cure’ boost once or twice a year for a month. Just divine.

• Black Chicken Remedies Cacao Revelation Mask below – Chocolate on your face while you have a bath – I’m not sure that there’s anything better than that, except eating chocolate too, perhaps! It revitalises tired skin and energises your face by promoting better circulation and even tone. It’s a must.

• For flying I adore the JETSET balm from Green foot Mama – I used it on my recent trip to give it a road test and it was like a cocoon. My skin arrived protected and in tact after an all day journey there and an all night one back. Good times!

• The only “I MUST HAVE AT ALL TIMES” treatment product I use these days outside of moisturiser and cleanser is this complexion polish from Black Chicken. It is the bestest thing. Baby smooth 40 year old skin? Yes please! I often add to honey for a super gentle scrub and it’s a great result – No need for the $400 creams selling a dream that isn’t real. Bye bye!

TRAVEL SETS

These work well as ‘hint gifts’ to mums, friends and sisters to introduce them to how good low tox skincare can be – just saying • Black Chicken Remedies and Dr Alkaitis are both high performance, beautiful product ranges.

Men’s Shaving & Skin

The best 3 natural shaving products & creams I’ve come across for gents with feedback from my husband, Dad and other male friends are

• Weleda Men’s Shaving Cream (Great for UK availability too!)

• DINDI Shaving soap – Beautiful when used with this natural shaving brush

• Sanctum Men’s face cream • Then, while we’re at it, this super affordable men’s moisturiser ‘SANCTUM’ that’s phenoxyethanol free (along with being free from all the other nasties. It’s just rather rare to come across a men’s P free one on top of the rest!)

• Valor range for men from BIOME – Love the branding. Teens and hip guys will approve I dare say!

• And for your bearded man? There’s even the luxury Black Chicken Remedies Beard Oil ! Can you believe it? Hipster hair care at its finest!

And there are so, so many more products that I’ve not tried that look beautiful that are all wonderfully low tox! Everyone’s different, so you may well try a couple over the next few months before settling on favourites – that’s certainly what I did.

Many of these natural brands not only provide natural non toxic skincare, but you’ll find that their packaging is recyclable, less toxic plastics, foil tubing or glass is used where possible.

If you start adventuring online, past the two retailers I recommend as not giving us any surprises – Nourished Life and Biome… Then watch out for people that don’t freely list ingredients. I’ve ordered shampoo from several ‘green sites’ before, and they arrived with a fake fragrance and phenoxyethanol to name one faux pas. If I don’t get to see the ingredients online, I don’t buy it. Simple. Who’s got the time for dealing with returns etc… Full transparency is what we deserve from the get go. No nasty surprises!

Send enquiry emails to ensure you’re getting what you want if something doesn’t have a good enough explanation for you on the site / in store. Feign that you’re buying for a friend’s baby or your mum so you don’t sound too suspicious, and make out like you have to check an ingredient due to their allergy…

Lastly? Repeat after me this mantra: Simplify, don’t complicate. If anything this is not about spending MORE, but deciding exactly what you need, and buying less, but better, non toxic quality. AND it doesn’t break the bank. All this stuff is much less expensive than prestige cosmetics. Bonus, right?

Seen big brands bringing out ‘organic’ ranges lately? Yep, they’re all wanting to cash in, of course! I ask you this: Do you want to back the brand that has the low tox mission at the heart of its business? Or do you want to back a company that hedges bets in the market? The former just feels good, don’t you think? We should reward them with our dollars for wanting to keep us and our planet safe. Being in tune with the traceability is where we stop being ‘consumers’ and we start being warm and fuzzy change makers.

There will be many more wonderful boutique skincare brands that I haven’t mentioned today. Use your new found detective skills to see what passes for you and enjoy discovering the good stuff that’s all around!

Today’s viewing – My chats with two awesome people in the low tox space.

1. David Johnston, Managing Director of Weleda Australia.

Weleda was the first low tox brand I started using for its affordability and delicious smell – I didn’t even know it was ‘low tox’ at the time but my aunty who lives in Paris had bought me a couple of things to try and I loved them from day dot. Only later did I learn to what extent this brand’s integrity goes with its sourcing, ethics and agriculture philosophy. I really enjoyed picking David’s brain on Weleda. He’s a top guy who’s been in the health space in Australia for decades, who’s has even done the course with us, and he insisted the whole office pay to do it too – How’s that for a committed work place?

Alexx chats to David Johnston| Transcript

2. Chey Birch, creator of one of my favourite skin ranges, Black Chicken Remedies.

Chey is the real deal – and lives around the corner from me to boot so it doesn’t get more local for me than supporting Black Chicken, with production just an hour away in Wollongong! She quit a corporate accounting career to study aromatherapy and create delicious skin potions… Enjoy my chat with Chey on her range, and on the power of essential oils.

Alexx chats to Chey Birch| Transcript

Suggested Task for Today • Commit to simplifying your skincare products. Do you really need everything you’ve been using? My skin never looked better than when I went low tox and used a few, beautiful, natural and simple products that don’t cost the earth.

• Decide on what you’re going to toss, buy and what you’re going to make yourself.

• NOTE : When tossing things, be sure to squeeze the rest out if you’re not going to be using it, and put through the recycling, NOT in the regular bin.

Those of you who’ve been into the natural beauty for a while now, or any DIYers, feel free to share recipes that you love and brands you trust. The lists above are simply what I’ve tried myself or gifted to my sister or mum over the past few years and had a little try of theirs.

We all know the low tox playing field now, so no fake smells (‘parfum’), hormone altering preservatives such as parabens or phenoxyethanol or Triclosan (which in the skin care realm is sometimes in antibacterial washes like phisohex and acne skin care ranges.) These are the major things to check first. If you’re confused or unsure – call the company and ask or look up ingredients on the EWG site or in your Chemical Maze App. You can also take a picture of the ingredients and post on the group page.

Want to read more? Toxic Beauty is a confronting yet good book below. A great resource when researching if something is safe or not when you’re not sure is SKIN DEEP from the EWG.

A last little ‘yay’ from me for today… Companies will stop making what people stop buying, so your changes and those of others as they discover this information too, will be a truly grass roots reshaping of the beauty product industry.

NEED A CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY? HEAD HERE! Day 11: BODY: Scrubs, lotions, suncare and self- tanning

Our limbs are long and that’s a whole lotta surface area to be soaking up toxins, with today’s group of body products under the microscope – if budget is super limited, make this the first product you replace, given our face is tiny compared to our bodies.

Remember from my chat with Chey from Black Chicken, that one drop of lavender oil on the skin registers with the liver in 20 minutes? So, when you think about all the other stuff potentially going on our skin and registering with the liver, well, it’s no question that we want to minimise the work load of our toxin sorting machine – our liver. It’s got a lot of other jobs to perform too, so if it’s spending all it’s time on toxins, there’s a lot of other processes not getting the attention they need, to have us feeling fantastic.

SO…

For body lotions and scrubs, it’s a matter of applying (love a good pun!) what you’ve learnt, and choosing better. It’s all the same nasties for this category so there’s nothing ‘new’ to learn per se. Look out for fake fragrances and micro beads when it comes to the scrubs, as well as triclosan, parabens, phenoxyethanol, PEGs, propylene glycol and sodium laurel sulphate. Phase out don’t freak out, and perhaps make a little birthday or Christmas wish list for your family to treat you to a few things when that time comes. No more fake scented candles and bath balls for you, thanks family!

FOR UK options check back to yesterday’s links. Another one I like for glorious body products, is John Masters, available at Planet Organic stores across the UK and online through them HERE. I also have now for you my FULL UK RESOURCE LIST FORM DAYS 1 to DAY 11 – It’s a doozy! I can’t wait to get to the US again this August and finish mine for there too- Low Tox world I say!

In the USA – You have Wholefoods with an extensive WELEDA range there, and ACURE is another brilliant brand as is the HONEST COMPANY – I caution the shopping at Wholefoods as “all fine don’t worry” because unfortunately there are a number of ‘nearly there but not quite’ natural brands with a small amount of nasties in them. So ,take your science based knowledge and head in with confidence to do a bit of product scanning.

BODY WASH & SOAPS

You can head to local markets these days to find great, super low tox and often hand made local brands. A great regular around Australian markets are the Lemon Myrtle soaps and body washes. They’re delicious. You’ll no doubt discover your own local soap maker near you!

The Weleda Lavender soap is a before bed shower ritual in this house. Love it and it lasts without getting ‘squooshy’ provided you don’t leave it in a wet soap tray. The Calendula soap is beautiful for bubs, but no need to use it every day or every bath time – a couple of times a week for under 2s is plenty, so it shall last you a long time. Sanctum’s Body wash is lovely. Used it on my travels last year. Yummy!

A totally fragrance free option if sensitive to smell both natural and synthetic is the Biologika body wash and range.

And another fragrance free option is the Dr Bronner Unscented – Sometimes even natural essential oils can cause irritation… Always watch how a product is going for you and if in doubt, go fragrance free. I like to actually add my own little blend of 20 drops of oil to a big bottle like this.

And a super popular one from the alumni group is the Weleda Creamy Sea Buckthorn body wash – one of their best sellers globally.

Body Scrubs I have two delicious DIY body scrubs which you can whip up so, so quickly. These are also perfect for DIY gifts if you want to save money and give a gift from the heart for birthdays or Christmas.

Lemon Coconut Caramel Body Scrub

And my infamous Coffee Body Scrub – the smell is so, so good! You can grab FREE spent coffee grounds from your local cafe to use, so this virtually costs nothing!

Need a scrub for stubborn cellulite? Weleda has you covered with the treatment scrub Birch Body Scrub – under $20 too.

For a luxury option – still a 5th of the price of the old one I used to sell – is the gorgeous Black Chicken one. It scrubs and moisturises in one, so I don’t find I need to then apply a moisturiser if I’ve used this that day or often even the next. Economy is made elsewhere in that sense!

For a salty scrub option this EcoTab Himalayan scrub is fantastic too especially for self tan prep.

Can you believe the thought of those $150 luxury scrubs I used to pedal 15 years ago in Luxury cosmetics full of nasties? I cringe and 15 years later they probably cost even more! Invest the additional money in organic vegetables and meats and watch everything change!

Body Lotions

For body lotions you can simply use coconut oil for an inexpensive and completely toxic free option. When choosing coconut oil, unrefined is best. Nui and Coconut Magic are two great brands but truth be told, I’ve not found a difference between those and others for face / make up removal.

Pro tip: In the winter, just bring the jar into the shower with you to soften / melt the oil for applying afterwards. You’re welcome!

NOTE: Coconut oil isn’t enough for dry skin in my experience. You firstly need to address the dryness, and I recommend taking 2-3 caps of a good quality Vitamin E oil internally to help the skin externally become more nourished.

You could also use argan, rosehip or avocado oils which are both great, simple options.

DIY… You could make your own whipped body butter from my blog or check out the Wellness Mama’s recipe for another version. Check out the 100% Pure range from Nourished Life.

BIOME also has a beautiful range of Australian made low tox options at various price points to check out here!

And the Vanessa Megan Body Cream is literally delicious, if you like cocoa & coconut vibes for your body!

Weleda’s citrus body lotion is fresh and divine.

Massage Oils The first low tox product I ever got, was gifted to me by my auntie from Paris. Weleda Arnica Massage oil. I was and still am obsessed with the smell and find it deeply comforting and therapeutic. The Evening Primrose Oil is wonderful too. I particularly love these because they’re in glsass bottles – less expensive recycling for the ‘circle of life’ factor.

A lovely Aussie massage oil is the Ikou range and the Black Chicken Body oil from Chey – so good!

And if you have SUPER dry or SUPER cracked skin, Weleda’s Skin Food is one of the best things ever – An unchanged formulation since 1926 and their best seller. They sure have the right idea. Why ‘improve’ something with a bunch of harsh chemicals???

Healing Balm of Ages by Black Chicken. Another wonderful super dry or cracked skin product.

Badger Balm – Hard working hands balm – such a good one for the gardeners or crafts people among us.

REAL Paw Paw ointment – minus the petroleum!

Over time and learning more and more I’ve realised all the fancy ingredients amount to about as much as the chemicals lumped in with them. As I simplified my products and started throwing some DIY in the mix, I saved money and started buying from people that made me feel good – inside and out! It just feels right to support Chey making it all by hand down the south coast and a hundred year old brand like Weleda, harvesting plants at their most nourishing, guided by biodynamic principals and keeping things affordable for people… As two examples, what could be better to support? You will I’m sure find more local ones out there as you continue on. It’s kind of like buying your veggies straight from the farmer who grows them. It just feels good to really ‘know’.

It’s also meant I stop being on the hunt for the ‘newest and latest’ launches out there and stop ‘buying into having to buy’ new things. Simple, reliable staples that are delicious, and then on with spending more time on other things than hunting through cosmetic departments and random online searches for hours and getting a headache!

DO YOU BUY INTO HAVING TO BUY? Yes a lot of beautiful options are being presented, but this journey is one of simplification too. If you’re brave enough to post your before / after ‘range’ shots, they can be super inspiring to someone who is hesitating to let go and simplify the amount of ‘stuff’ we have. Now speaking of more stuff, let’s move onto sun care.

SUNSCREEN AND SELF TAN

For sunscreen and self tan, there’s a little more new stuff to learn.

I caught whiff of just how shocking an amount of chemicals there are in your average sunscreen when it came time to buying one for my then 6 month old son, nearly 7 years ago. This was what I initially bought because it said ‘baby’ and ‘sensitive’ and fragrance free’ – I thought I was onto a winner, right?

How this stuff is allowed onto shelves to protect us from cancer, when certain ingredients in the bottle have been linked to causing it, I have no idea. But hey, we learn, we say no, and we vote with our dollars to seek out the better option.

Here’s what you can expect to find in what we’re NOT using from now on… • Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC) is one of the most frequently used chemical UV filters worldwide. OMC easily penetrates the upper layer of the skin and, when exposed to UV radiation, generates free radicals in skin cells.

• Oxybenzone (benzophenone-3), octyl-dimethyl-PABA and octinoxate – all hormone disrupting.

• 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) Laboratory tests on rats exposed to 4- MBC revealed that male rats born to mothers exposed to this compound had lower testis weight, experienced delayed puberty and decreased adult prostate weight. Human trials found that both OMC and 4-MBC were readily absorbed through the skin and were detectable in urine.

• Padimate O (2-ethylhexyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate ), when exposed to sunlight, generates free radicals that cause strand breaks on DNA.

• Fragrance chemicals – There are usually around a dozen in a bottle, all of which heavily knock us about with hormone alteration

It doesn’t stop there, and there’s a list twice as long, but rather than wallow in the depression of how horrific the average sunscreen is, let’s look at which ones aren’t.

Let’s also emphasize here that not wearing sunscreen if you’re a sun lover, in Australia isn’t a great option either. Our sun is hotter and harsher, I can tell you that 100%, compared to European or American sun. We need protection if we’re out in the sun in the middle of the day for more than 10-15 minutes, the question simply is, WHAT?

We’re finally starting to see emerge sunscreens you don’t have to suffer through trying to spread thick goopy, weird smelling stuff to stay from burning. No thanks!

While it’s definitely more expensive than mainstream options, if more of us buy organic and toxic free sun care, it will eventually bring costs down. I’ve contacted a few companies also to consider making a bulk pump or bulk packaging of some kind for families and schools – I’ll keep you posted on that front! Now, let’s start with the best I’ve tried. It’s got a price tag to match but as a truly protecting and delicious option, GREEN FOOT MAMA’s sunscreen is divine. Olivia Gynell, Aussie creator and founder is supporting the course with a giveaway too – OOOh, who will it be!? She started Green Foot Mama as a part of her journey in discovering the children had food and chemical sensitivities of varying kinds, and wanted to product a beautiful range with utmost transparency. I believe she’s absolutely done that and have tried and enjoyed very much both this sunscreen and the JetSet balm.

ECO is a great brand.

Wot Not and UV Essentials are both safe / Low Tox but texture and thickness can be an issue there.

There’s also the Dr Mercola sunscreen from Iherb and lastly if you want a traditional sweet smelling (all natural though in this case!) sunscreen – while this is thick to put on, it’s EXCELLENT protection and comes also in an SPF 25. Available via Iherb also. I don’t recommend much from iHerb because for Aussies with the exchange rate it’s same price if not more, then there’s the air miles and then there’s the support local business thing… BUT this is a very good sunscreen that we road tested in Mauritius and didn’t get burnt at all applying every 2 hours.

There are more natural options popping up. Investigate if you fancy and feel free to share. Key also is to not over protect to the point where you cause deficiency or even Rickets (a bone weakening caused by Vitamin D deficiency in small children.)

So you tell me too much sun and I’m skin cancer prone, and too little sun and I might get Rickets? Great. Not. What’s the balance?

Allow yourself a little splash of sun on bare skin for at least your legs and arms, for 20-30 minutes, 10 minutes if really fair and make sure this isn’t smack bang in the middle of the day (10-3.30). We need vitamin D for so many of our body’s functions – including synthesising fructose in the summer when more fruit is around (don’t you find that amazing? Nature always knows).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating sunburn or long term sun exposure, unprotected. It’s just a fact that short amounts of sun exposure keep our Vitamin D levels healthy, so as long as you keep to the morning or late afternoon sun and limit time to 20 minutes in those off peak times, this is a perfectly natural and common sense practice. Vitamin D deficiency is rife and can affect hormones and metabolism – Not good! Then, for the middle of the day, there’s natural sunscreen. Natural sunscreen will give you all the benefits of providing protection and prevention, without having the burden of the chemical cocktail, absorbed into our skin. If money’s tight, it’s better to protect with light, full cover clothing and a good hat, and use a natural sunscreen when you really need it or for the face and ears, than it is to settle for the cheap, chemical laden variety and slap it on all the time. Swimming tops with sleeves are great for minimising sun cream use for kids and making that tube stretch further!

Need a cooling aftersun care option?

PURE, RAW ALOE VERY GEL is what’s happening right now. So good.

BUT I TRULY CAN’T AFFORD THIS PRICE ALEXX!

There are 3 DIY options – Cyndi O’Meara has this simple one.

This one is also DIY and great value once you have all the ingredients.

An alumni of this course, Michelle, actually made the latter and costed it out at $13 for 210ml – A big saving on eco brands if you’re prepared to make it yourself.

Home Made Sunscreen

Recipe/Full ingredient listing: http://wellnessmama.com/2558/homemade-sunscreen/ Ingredients I chose (see recipe for all options):

• 1/2 cup almond oil (125ml)

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (62.5ml)

• 1/4 cup (loosely packed) beeswax yellow beads (approx 25g)

• 2 Tablespoons Zinc Oxide(approx 28g)

• 1 teaspoon Carrot Seed Oil (5ml)

• 1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E oil(2.5ml)

• 1 tablespoons Shea Butter (approx 15g)

Ingredient Brand used Purchased from Packaging size Price Unit Price Batch cost

Sweet Almond Oil Melrose Health Food Shop 250ml $9.00 $0.036/ml $4.50

Unrefined Coconut Oil Macro Organic Woolworths 300ml $7.00 $0.024/g $1.50

Beeswax (yellow beads) N Essentials N Essentials 250g $15.45 $0.062/g $1.55

Zinc Oxide Powder N Essentials N Essentials 500g $13.64 $0.028/g $0.79

Carrot Seed Oil N Essentials N Essentials 30ml $19.50 $0.65/ml $3.25

Vitamin E Oil Invite E Chemist Warehouse 30ml $17.00 $0.56/ml $1.40

Shea Butter (unrefined) N Essentials N Essentials 500g $16.36 $0.033/g $0.50

TOTAL COST PER BATCH $13.49

Initial ingredient outlay $97.95 (YIKES lucky I had ¾ of it already!)

Batch cost $13.49 – Made approx 210g 1 x 3/4 body application (wearing a one piece with shorts) used 16g

Therefore: approx 13 applications per batch.

N Essentials website (based in Melbourne) – http://www.n-essentials.com.au/ (500g-1kg order = approx $10 postage.. well to regional Qld anyway!)

FOOD TIP: A diet of whole foods is naturally more protective. There is plenty of research around it and I myself noticed the difference when ditching the vegetable oils for healthy, saturated fats like avocado, coconut oil and grass fed butter through my cooking. Nature knows best!

SELF TANNERS

If you don’t want to get in the sun but you want a glow and a couple of shades darker in the summer time? Then you might like a little helping hand in the tan and glow department. Problem is those are often an absolute shocker in the fragrance, chemical- laden departments too. Santorini was my favourite brand, but it seems with a formula change they started using phenoxyethanol – we have to remain vigilant always!

Enter TanOrganic self tan. This stuff is fabulous and I LOVE that that fake tan smell is non existent and that you get a very gentle hew to your skin from the get go. Highly recommend.

ECO TAN is another great brand. The “winter skin” 2 in 1 moisturiser and gradual colour developer is great for fair skin. If you’re after a little more colour and have a medium to olive skin tone, go for the Eco Tan Invisible Tan.

BB & CC Creams are a wonderful tint for the face also to give some colour without needing the tan. These two are excellent:

Lavera BB Cream

La Mav BB Creme

Geek out… Want to learn more about toxic sunscreens? Further reading backed by numerous study citations, which I have verified. Also a link to an extensive exploration of nano technology by the EWG. http://www.naturalnews.com/032815_sunscreen_chemicals.html http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/en/nanotechnologies/ l-2/6-health-effects-nanoparticles.htm Natural shaving products & wax options

When it comes to hair removal on the body there are – of course – great, low tox options.

My favourite to recommend are things like Epilady and professional laser hair removal, given the saving long term on shavers, store bought waxes or salon wax treatments, plastic wax strips, nasties in most commercial hair removal waxes… List goes on.

If you are a home waxer, there’s a super simple DIY recipe that truly works that you can make with common pantry ingredients in minutes. CLICK HERE.

If you do love to shave, go with refillable razors where you just replace the blade-top insert, such as Gilette.

For shaving your legs or arm pits, any good quality, creamy soap will do. I have Dr Bronner at the moment and that works really well. Another I’ve used that is creamy and locally made is the Beauty and the Bees shampoo bar which is fragrance free and perfect for sensitive skin after shaving. The Weleda shower gels are also nice and creamy – especially the one up the top, the “Sea Buckthorn” one.

After hair removal by waxing, laser or epilady or waxing, the best thing you can do is let the skin breathe for a couple of hours and then spray a cooling and soothing product on it that you can easily make at home – Buy some plain witch hazel spray from the health shop, add 2 drops each of peppermint essential oil and tea tree essential oil, and voila – Spray as needed to keep the skin calm and help it recover. If you have got in touch with me for a wholesale Young Living account I can highly recommend also the Lavaderm spray for skin calming once you’re set up. Mosquito bite welts? Gone in minutes. A truly amazing product which I keep in the fridge – it’s also excellent if you’ve waxed at wiping over and dissolving and removing any residual little waxy bits and calming the skin.

And there you have it – The body & sun protection is sorted. Enjoy deciding on what to try when next you need something – Remember to use your birthdays and Christmases and share wish lists and sites to get you vouchers from – This is a great way to fast track your transition if you’re on a budget!

Need a cheat sheet for today? HERE IT IS Day 14: A Low Tox Mind and meditation with Grant Lyndon

What makes a mind toxic?

I ponder this a lot and feel pretty happy with where my mind is at when compared with 5 years ago – or ten. I was often so stressed about tiny little things. I was happy to have a little gossip about so-and-so doing such-and-such…. I’m super excited to share a few ideas with you today, therefore, on this beautiful Sunday where we are so lucky to be alive, about how to delve further into ditching toxic thoughts – The kind of toxins we just don’t speak enough about or work to remove nearly as much as we should – what better time than today, right?

Just as toxins can build up in our physical environment, toxic thoughts can build up in our mind and it’s important to check in with yourself to ensure you’re mentally low tox, as well as physically. The mental detox should ideally occur hand-in-hand with the physical one, to ensure your body and mind is relaxed in preparation for letting go of icky stuff effectively, as naturopath Shalani McCray will discuss in detail with us next week on our detox the body day.

You are enough. What you are achieving is enough. Let this time together doing this course be a springboard to better choices over time, rather than a finite window in which to achieve – or ‘fail’.

Maybe money is holding you back. Maybe time, or being busy with kids, or your partner’s attitude… Maybe one, or some or all of these things are seemingly stopping you from achieving what you want to achieve. To all of that, I share the wise words of a coach I’ve worked with in the past, Kate Hosie.

We are given road blocks and tough times and impatience and dissatisfaction as possibly our most powerful springboards to a better, higher and calmer place:

• How can I manifest what I need, to make the changes I want to make?

• How can I encourage my family or friends to see I’m on their team, not against them?

• How can I attract more earning power in a way that I feel purpose and belonging, to get the money I want for the choices I want to make for me and my family?

Detoxing your mind is an ongoing process. It’s about listening to the thoughts that come in. It’s about listening to what you’re saying ‘yes’ to, and realising that often, there’s a lot more power, clarity and peace, in being abundantly clear on what you want to say NO to.

To detox your mind I offer up these 2 tasks today Task #1

As a progression from last week’s ‘Stop doing list’, think of the last few things you’ve said YES to doing with or for other people and write them down. Now look at that list and circle any that really resonated with you and made you feel happy to do them, happy to make the time to give them, from the moment it was asked / proposed, to the moment you were fulfilling them. Now look at the ones you perhaps didn’t feel that way about and say to yourself:

“I’m going to be mindful of these sorts of requests coming up again, so I can say no and make more space for the things I get asked to do that I genuinely want to give my all for. There is abundant work to be done. There is something for everyone. I am going to give of myself when I know it’s right, and not be scared any more to say no, if it isn’t.”

Each time you ‘accidentally’ say yes again and you get that funny feeling that you should have said no, come back to that paragraph. I can recommend Oprah’s book “What I know for Sure” where she remembers the moment she wasn’t going to be able to say ‘yes’ to everyone anymore. Some beautiful wise words there as she then traces the steps to therefore being able to help in more powerful ways than ever before. Well worth a read.

Task # 2

First-world-problem friends or negative nancies. What would life look like if you singled out the 3 or 4 most positive people in your life, and committed to seeing them double the amount that you currently do? What would it equally look like if you halved the amount of time that you spent with people who were negative, draining or gossipy or simply started to shift conversation intentionally, away from those vibes and into more important, positive topics?

Really have a think about who you’re surrounding yourself with and be the architect of the energy that’s in your life. I so believe that we can curate our happiness tribe. Emphasise positive emotions and don’t give fire to the negative ones. It’s a habit to build. Get barefoot in the grass with your friends on their bad day and teach them what it can do for you. Hug. Bust out an Ooooooooom to release seratonin with your kids when it’s all gone south at 5pm and have a competition to see who can do it the longest. Be. The. Change. You guys are used to being the change now, right?

Low tox mind. Happy you! You’ve made so much time already for swapping products and researching buying options and discussing it all on facebook… Now spend time today on researching YOU and what you need for your mind to feel low tox too!

Or HERE as a sound cloud if you want to take this to a park and sit on a bench or beach, barefoot.

Alexx chats to Grant Lyndon | Transcript Day 15: Personal Hygiene – Pits, time of the month, sexy time

Today is a broad topic that I’m going to separate into a few sub topics. Let’s start with a topic that applies to both men and women right after I share a little word or two for anyone who might be quietly feeling worried or upset at this point – It can happen, especially if this is all completely new to you. I want to make sure we’re not leaving you behind. It’s not a race.

You might want to just take this month to learn and then start changing things after the course is done… Your pace. Your way and everything you are doing big OR small, is enough. Use the more experienced, and amazingly supportive people in our group as support. Ask lots of questions (none too silly!) and be excited to be here, being a part of this amazing change.

Deodorant.

Dr Peter Dingle, PHD in environmental toxicology says the number one indoor air pollutant in your home is deodorant spray. Yep. *Cue tossing of deodorant sprays across the world as we speak*.

“But my deodorant is the only one that works… But all natural ones have failed…” Read on. Trust me.

Let’s build the case for why today is the last day you’ll use that toxic can of badness. These simple, concise ingredient break downs come to us courtesy of Natural Cosmetic News. Aluminium

• Aluminium based compounds are the element that makes an anti-perspirant do what it says. Some research has suggested that these aluminium compounds may be absorbed by the skin and cause changes in estrogen receptors of breast cells. Because estrogen can promote the growth of both cancer and non-cancer breast cells, some scientists have suggested that using the aluminium-based compounds in antiperspirants may be a risk factor for the development of breast cancer.

• Studies have looked at aluminium content of breast tissue, and aluminium absorption through the skin, but no clear link to breast cancer has been made. Researchers continue to look at this possible breast cancer risk factor and more studies are needed. (American Cancer Society) The way it works as an anti- perspirant? The aluminium ions are taken into the cells that line the eccrine-gland ducts at the opening of the epidermis, the top layer of the skin, says dermatologist Dr. Eric Hanson of the University of North Carolina’s Department of Dermatology. When the aluminium ions are drawn into the cells, water passes in with them. As more water flows in, the cells begin to swell, squeezing the ducts closed so that sweat can’t get out… Does that freak anyone else out just to read it?

Parabens

• Parabens in their many forms (methylparaben, propylparaben, ethylparaben, or butylparaben) are a class of artificial preservatives widely used in cosmetics and personal care products that are being investigated for their possible role in breast cancer. Parabens mimic the activity of estrogen in the body. Since estrogen promotes the growth of breast cancer cells and a woman is eight times more likely to develop breast cancer in the part of the breast closest to the underarm, scientists are studying the connection. • Although parabens have estrogen-like properties, the estrogens that are made in the body are hundreds of times stronger. So, natural estrogens (or those taken as hormone replacement) are much more likely to play a role in breast cancer development.

Propylene Glycol

• Propylene glycol—a humectant which means it keeps substances from drying out, and it was originally developed as an anti-freeze, but is now included in some deodorants and antiperspirants – oh, and many commercial ice creams! It is a neurotoxin known to cause contact dermatitis, kidney damage, and liver damage. In propylene glycol’s Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), published by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, workers are urged to avoid skin contact with the toxic chemical as it may cause eye and skin irritation, gastrointestinal irritation and discomfort, nausea, headache, vomiting, and central nervous depression.

TEA & DEA

• TEA and DEA (triethanolamine and diethanolamine) adjust the pH, and used with many fatty acids to convert acid to salt (stearate), which then becomes the base for a cleanser. They both could be toxic if absorbed into the body over a long period of time where DEA can cause liver and kidney damage and TEA can cause allergic reactions. These chemicals are already restricted in Europe due to known carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effects.

Triclosan

• Here he is again – getting rid of all those ‘harmful bacteria’, hey? – Triclosan is an artificial antimicrobial chemical used to kill bacteria on the skin and other surfaces. Triclosan is a skin irritant and may cause contact dermatitis. Recent studies suggest this chemical may disrupt thyroid function and other critical hormone systems. The American Medical Association recommends that triclosan and other “antibacterial” products not be used in the home, as they may encourage bacterial resistance to antibiotics that can allow resistant strains to flourish.

FD&C colors

• FD&C colours are artificial/synthetic colours approved by the FDA for food, drug and cosmetics. Some are made from coal tar derivatives and have been known to be carcinogenic; they also often cause allergic skin reactions.

Talc

• Talc, hydrous magnesium silicate, is a soft mineral used in personal care products as an absorbent and color additive. It is classified as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer if it contains asbestiform fibers. The quantity of asbestiform fibers in cosmetic grade talc is unregulated. If talc is listed on the label, there is no way of knowing whether or not it contains asbestiform fibres, therefore there is no way we’re using it, right? While some researchers say evidence is inconclusive like here, I find the overall findings as at June 2015, are inconclusive, which to me always means prudence. If we can find talc free products that perform, then why not? If there’s a doubt, then why ‘stay’? It’s not about freaking out or unnecessarily fear. For me it’s always about ‘if I can find a doubt-free product, then why not choose that one?’.

Is it any wonder our bodies revolt eventually with allergies, inflammation and even possibly cancer, when one of the most permeable parts of our skin is pumped with the above list of chemicals every day? Once again, it’s crazy to think how we might have got here. I hear you though, you don’t want to stink. I don’t either!

I’ve used natural deodorant, fragrance free for 3 years now, and no synthetic fragrance skin care or bath / shower care of any kind. When I went to Tasmania on a business trip recently, I forgot my soap. I had to use the hotel’s, and I firmly believe in a 90 / 10 vibe, so I was really relaxed about it: Out of my control, just this one time, move on… BUT, what ensued was terrible BO on conference speaking engagement day – delightful! I can assure you it wasn’t. I hadn’t had BO for a couple of years so it was really unsettling and I felt super self-conscious. So, the moral of the story? These synthetic fragrances could actually be causing some of the BO you might get, yet we ironically reach for heavier fragranced products to cover up the excessive BO. Where’s the logic? Yet another reason to explore the natural options.

So what’s going to be strong enough?

I have 3 tried and tested options for you that all work really well and are free from nasties! Our pits are all different however, and it will no doubt be trial and error to find the one best for you. You can prepare for the low tox deodorant swap by doing a – yes, you heard me right – armpit detox. Try not to giggle at the prospect! Read more HERE. An arm pit detox will help you avoid rashes, especially with the Bicarb containing Axilla paste – the most effective of them all – below. If you need bentonite clay for the detox, you can find that here

Miessence Fragrance Free

Fresca Unscented

Axilla Deodorant Paste, Black Chicken Remedies

Axilla rates best for intensive sports and men from public reviews. NOTE: To apply, you don’t need to rub it in aggressively. The bicarb ingredient in it might prove irritating if you do that. Just hold it to your underarm for a few seconds to soften with the temperature, and gently rub in. Chey has even created a blog post for those who experience the odd irritation. Sarah Wilson from “I Quit Sugar” recently posted on Facebook “Put down that toxic roll-on – I’ve finally found The Toxin-Free Deodorant That Actually Works. It’s been a five-year search. I’ve traversed all kinds of stinky cess pits and scaled heights of compromised comfort. But I now stand underarmed with @blackchickenremedies … Aussie made, works, job done.” – and then proceeded to bring down the Black Chicken website for 2 days with order inundation which Chey almost had a nervous breakdown trying to create hand-made and poured as she does, all the Axilla that was required in response!!

I’ve recently tried this deodorant from Weleda as has my husband. Delicious smelling and will pass for the teen boy set wanting to ‘spray’ something!

Unisex Weleda Sage Deodorant – Great for teens too as is their citrus one. I’ve given feedback also to 808 DUDE and Harmony’s Kiss, that theirs needs to be a spray for the ‘cool factor’ for teens.

And if you need a specific “man-ly” one, this new one by Every Man Jack is great ( I have verified that the fragrance is natural and non phthalate containing. Don’t use other products in the range as they contain phenoxyethanol) !

For teens you have the 808 DUDE Roll on for the boys

For teen girls you have Harmony’s Kiss

But there is no way I’m going to spend upwards of $10 for a deodorant. What can I do?

Fair enough. The good news is there are several reportedly effective home DIY jobbies in the land of not being too stinky!

• A slice of citrus wiped under the arm. Plain and simple.

• A bit of bicarb soda & tapioca / corn starch / flour ‘mix’ (be sure to use an aluminium free bicarb for under the arm!) What to do? Mix 1 teaspoon bicarb with 5 tsp tapioca flour or organic / non GMO cornflour well and pop in a jar. Splash a little under your arms after the morning shower. Many report this working for them for a day, sometimes even two! For a scented version, pop a scraped out ‘spent’ vanilla bean you’ve used for cooking, into the jar to have vanilla bean deodorant!

• Coconut oil. Now, a disclaimer here, this doesn’t work for me. BUT, many say it does, so I’m just sharing all the low cost options out there in case you want to work through them.

• A great deodorant paste recipe here if you fancy having a go yourself. Low Tox Down Under for couples – Sexy time!

Now, on the topic of getting intimate. I’m not meaning to offend anyone who doesn’t use contraceptives or intimacy related products for personal or religious reasons at all here. Please move down the page if this is sensitive for you in any way. Lots of people are looking for all sorts of natural alternatives during their low tox life changes and I want to share this for those of you that will find it useful.

Firstly, hormone replacement / fiddling contraception is a big no-no for the low tox life, I’m sad to say for those still using it. You are not only fiddling with your long-term hormone health, but also with your gut health, as the pill affects the gut flora too! I would see a naturopath and discuss a strategy for coming off it and the best alternatives for you moving forward.

Condoms / Contraception

This condom recommendation is in fact so old school that we go back to 19th Century and prior contraception technique: Lambskin condoms. The only fully natural condoms to my knowledge. Note: These are only recommended for monogamous partners, as they are not STD preventative, and only contraceptive in their effectiveness. The good news is that they are as effective as other condoms, so there’s no issue there other than the 2% risk associated across all condoms. Of course, as with many things eco, the lambskin variety are 3 times the price! You and your partner are worth it though, right?

Vegans are in a predicament here obviously with the lambskin, but Glyde in the USA is worth a look.

You could also consider a diaphragm which is most often made from pure silicon and reasonably low tox. For personal lubricant, Sylke comes up as being the most natural. Oh man, everything feels like a pun while I’m writing this section! Anyone else noticing that?

For ‘toys’, be wary here, as many are made with PVC and our private ‘bits’ on both men and women, are the most permeable tissue we have on our bodies – No good for phthalate exposure at all! Lelo is a phthalate free brand and more options are listed in this Women’s Health Article.

Are you a bit out of touch with getting sexy at all these days?

Your head is too full, you are too busy, your hormones are screwed, and you’ve forgotten how cool your partner is… in a nutshell. Hee hee, I have to laugh here because I have been guilty on numerous counts of all of the above! BUT, we can always strive to do better, and so, I offer up some low tox mind tips to make space for each other – not just on the couch to watch tv but the kind of space that reminds you both that you’re awesome and not just at doing the laundry, picking up kids or taking the bins out, but truly awesome!

6 tips for making space for & actually feeling like sexy time

1. Daily meditation will help empty your head a little as does a long daily walk.

2. Taking regular deep breathes works wonders. You will be lowering cortisol, which will prevent high estrogen which will allow better uptake of thyroid hormones which will ensure your DHEA levels remain healthy which will ensure you have the energy and inclination towards a bit o’ sexy time. 3. Be sure that not all your date nights are out with the family – leave the kids at home and do fun stuff together. We become so functional in family and long term couple life, that we forget how fun we are. Which leads me to the next point…

4. Double date – It’s so much pressure conversing just the two of you. By hanging out with other friends that you both like, your partner will see you making a funny call, laughing at a good story, discussing something passionately that has nothing to do with your lives together… They see you ‘new’ and you see them new too, a little bit. We need this to have the ‘man, you’re pretty cool’ moments that remind us why we’re together in the first place.

5. Step away from the screens – ironic, true, given you’re all glued to the modules and the Facebook group during such an intensive learning process. But AFTER 30 days, how about you try no screens after 8pm. Normally I do this a couple of nights a week – You’ll remember what you enjoy doing away from technology – books, a good movie, a board game with a glass of wine, and oh – sexy time for example! Don’t forget your favourite music. Why oh why does the good music leave the picture in long term relationship sex? It’s weird. Good music is the best background for most enjoyable things in life – cooking, sexy time, dinner parties with friends… and it sure makes cleaning the house less of a chore!

6. Single? Stop hanging out with married people. Recruit more single friends who want to go out and be spontaneous and be in spaces where other people are. And of course, the age of internet dating is nothing to be ashamed of… My brother-in-law is now expecting his first child with his beautiful wife thanks to RSVP. True story.

There’s not much room for sexy time if you’re in another world! Is this you?

And now for a romance stock shot that I just couldn’t resist! Where are the kids? Grandma’s house? No this grass isn’t full of bindis and bull ants at all. We could lie here forever and ever

Now onto the old Crimson Tide…

GENTS doing the course with us, while this bit isn’t for you – please share with your partners, as it’s important. Onto the women’s stuff!

That time of the month doesn’t need to be toxic mayhem. We are on average, to use 12,000 tampons over a life time and don’t feel bad if you’ve not thought about what exactly might be in those tampons and pads up until now. Just get excited that today, you make the change and you go low tox down under!

Mercola.com can be a little alarmist in its writing style, but the article through here and this one summarises the critical importance of stepping away from toxic feminine hygiene products pronto! Every bit of it is true and we and the environment are harmed by the current mainstream products in the long term.

I have an amazingly talented friend Aimée Marks, who created the TOM Organic range. I interviewed her a couple of years ago on my blog about her inspiration for creating her range, which you can read here.

So, for Aussies, TOM Organics is my number one recommendation if you like to buy ‘ready to go’ personal hygiene products. They’re available from you guessed it, Nourished Life and BIOME as well as in supermarkets, health shops and directly from TOM. What is awesome about their liners is they use bioplastic and not actual plastic so they go the extra mile!

Other brands that are organic, more sustainable and available internationally are:

• Natracare

• Organyc Then you have cloth pads which are available via Twinkle Lily – A great site with a range of breast pads, pads, nappies and maternity.

US and International Option

The Luna Pads site ships internationally and has an incredible range of cloth re-usable pads, time of the month undies, Diva cups and more.

UK option

Feminine Wear and Earth Wise girl are your best resources for low tox and reusable options.

You might have heard of the “menstrual cup” – People rave about them once they get the hang of them and find the right size. If it’s something you want to explore as an option, it’s a great economiser and pays for itself after 3 months, so you save from there on in! Check out both brands (DivaCup and Lunette) out here.

Hot Water Bottle Note: Hot water bottles can be a favourite at certain times of the month. Make sure you choose a pure latex / pure rubber brand, NOT plastic as the plastic ones are PVC AND they’re hot… disaster!

TASK FOR TODAY

• Depending on what you need to change, look at male / female areas and set your strategy.

• Examine what you have. • Decide where you will work to save money on a DIY option and then decide what’s going on the ‘next time I need’ replacement list.

Enjoy ditching the fake, weirdo deodorants and pesticide laden and unsustainable personal care and moving to more natural products and DIYs.

CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY? CLICK HERE

FAQs

A question that often comes up regarding crystal deodorants is: Doesn’t ammonium alum contain Aluminum? Isn’t aluminum bad? Should I be concerned about the safety of Ammonium Alum or other Aluminum products in deodorant? Yes and no. Gasoline, Sugar, Water and Hydrochloric acid all contain Hydrogen and/or Oxygen–some will kill us and some are necessary for life. There are two main differences between Ammonium Alum and Aluminium Chloride/Chlorohydrate/Zirconium (the toxic aluminums). These latter toxic aluminum compounds react with the chemistry in the skin to form a gel which blocks your sweat ducts and glands and keeps you nice and dry. They also have a small molecular mass (typically 250-350 Daltons) meaning that they can readily cross right through the skin/blood barrier and enter your body (not good). Ammonium Alum (in the crystal deodorant) has a much larger molecule (around 650 Daltons) which is too large to be absorbed through the skin (less than 500 Daltons can be absorbed). Instead of forming a pore-blocking gel, Ammonium Alum stays on the surface of the skin where it prevents the bacteria (responsible for causing B.O.) from multiplying.

I know that was a long explanation, but I want to make sure you are informed in your decisions–and deodorant (not stinking) is an important part of our cultural norms. More important than not-stinking, is your health. Day 16: Low Tox Make UP

Make Up is yet another place that SO. MUCH. STUFF. HIDES. The irony of ‘beauty’ is that it’s to make you feel better about yourself, yet it compromises your health long term – and future generations’ health scarily when it comes to the endocrine disruptors – on so many levels.

Our skin absorbs what it absorbs straight into our bloodstream. Food on the other hand at least gets a bit of enzyme treatment and liver detoxification ‘sorting’ before making it to our blood. It stands to reason therefore, that what we put ON our skin is potentially more harmful than what we eat. Let that sink in for just a moment.

Here is my interview with the woman-on-a-mission and friend, Irene Falcone, founder of Nourished Life sharing her story and a few tips on brands she loves and going low tox.

Or listen on the sound cloud file for smaller bandwidth.

What are some of the worst enemies in make up commonly found that we haven’t yet covered through other products?

Talc

• Inconclusive yet strong links to ovarian cancer. Do we want to wait to find out? Personally it’s a no from me. When a company as massive as J&J starts removing talc from their iconic talc products, you can bet it’s because they know something! Get it off your baby’s bottom and out of your powders and eye shadows!

Lead • Love that red lippy? Well, it’s probably got lead in it. Elevated lead in adults can lead to miscarriages, birth defects and seizures. Lead showed up even in a natural product from Burt’s Bees, which just goes to show when a beautiful little natural brand is snapped up by a multinational, often the short cuts begin and the integrity of the brand goes out the window! We must be vigilant about brand takeovers and formulation changes… It’s a sad reality! For lipsticks with the most lead, go HERE.

Cadmium

• Lippies again… Often there! Cadmium is a carcinogen that has been found in breast cancer biopsies and is thought to cause cancer cells to multiply. HOW IS THIS ALLOWED IN STUFF SOLD TO WOMEN, RIGHT??? Read more and see a list of offending brands if you fancy from Mother Jones.

Musks

• Used as fragrances, can accumulate in your body, and have been linked to skin irritation, hormone disruption, and cancer in laboratory studies.

Toluene

• Made from petroleum or coal tar, and found in most synthetic fragrances – yet another thing lurking in there along with the pthalates! Chronic exposure linked to anemia, lowered blood cell count, liver or kidney damage, and may affect a developing fetus.

Mineral Oil, Paraffin, and Petrolatum

• These products coat your skin like plastic, clogging pores and creating a build-up of toxins. They also can slow cellular development, which can cause you to show earlier signs of ageing. These petroleum based ingredients have also been found to tamper with our hormones. More irony in the fact that we’re using this stuff to ‘look younger’ yet it’s ageing us and therefore encouraging us to use MORE of what’s ageing us. Talk about vicious cycle.

BHA / BHT

• Used as preservatives in make up, skin care and even food. Also thought to be endocrine disrupting as well as cause asthma and skin irritation. Read more here from the David Suzuki foundation (love that man!)

Siloxanes

• Look for ingredients ending in “-siloxane” or “-methicone.” Used in a variety of cosmetics to soften, smooth and moisten. Suspected endocrine disrupter and reproductive toxicant (cyclotetrasiloxane). Harmful to fish and other wildlife (taken from David Suzuki foundation website)

I could go on and on, but as I said with skincare, I find it’s best to know a few ‘key’ baddies, because companies that greenwash or are mainstream, will always display at least 1 or 2 in the non negotiables toxic list, so from there you can just walk away… No need to keep reading through the rest of the list, so to speak. I’ve popped two books below in the recommended reading for those who want to delve further, both of which are excellent.

A note on Fragrance Free vs. Unfragranced as this has come up as a question I want to address, and of course there are fragrances in make up too!

• ‘Unfragranced’ – Can be a greenwash term, in the sense that it can mean fragrance has been added to mask the ingredient’s natural smell… Unfortunately this is usually done with a synthetic fragrance containing phthalates.

• ‘Fragrance free’ will mean no fragrance added of any kind, whereas ‘unfragranced’ can mean a ‘neutraliser’ has been added to mask ingredient smell – Now we’re getting into the nitty gritty of label detective work. It’s crazy to say, but neither ‘fragrance free’ nor ‘unscented’ nor ‘unfragranced’ are regulated terms with definitions, so it’s up to manufacturers to decided what they mean – or moreso, to try and stretch it as far as they can without getting caught out… To read more on that, GO HERE.

Keep in mind with make up that it’s near impossible to be completely ‘chemical free’… Micas, pigments and titanium dioxides are in most make ups. Some people are sensitive, some aren’t. The most important thing to focus on is to reduce and eliminate those hormone disruptive chemicals we’ve learnt about and keep that idea of ‘simplification’. Your skin will start looking radiant without any help whatsoever any day now, ditching all the chemicals, so you might indeed find you can ditch a lot of make up and stick to basic lip gloss, mascara and cheek tints.

So what to use?

It’s about fleshing out brands that ARE doing the right thing as well as challenging yourself with the question “What do I simply NOT need to replace?”. Often as many of you have reported already, what goes with a raising of consciousness in our purchasing decisions, is a desire to have less stuff in general. So you probably won’t need to replace every little thing!

Here is a list of brands for you to explore, that I absolutely love. Again, I suggest Biome and Nourished Life in Australia for the simple fact that the low tox commitment is the most strict and significant through Tracey and Irene’s sites that I’ve come across. You are able to get full visibility on ingredient lists too, for peace of mind.

For the UK, again I recommend LoveLula. So many great brands and I’ve not come across a single green-wash brand on there yet!

For the USA, you have the wonderful Honest Company who has gone into beauty / make up now, with a beautiful range.

Here are my specific recommendations of things that have kicked around in my make up bag the past few years. I don’t use much and on the average day it would be mascara and a BB cream at best with maybe a little cheek tint, so if you’re a make up fanatic, pop through the links above to the general site and shop around – there’s so much exciting low tox goodness!

Something that Irene Falcone who founded Nourished Life has said to me before is that of over 250,000 orders now through Nourished Life, never once has anyone ever said “It’s not as good as the mainstream prestige beauty”. So enjoy your natural beauty discoveries and discovering that it doesn’t cost the earth and is mostly all mid priced.

If you’re truly strapped for cash, just invest over time and see where you might be able to cut spending in other areas. My theory is that ‘cheap’ stuff has a price somewhere further down the line – either in your health or in that of the planet’s. It’s best to buy half as much stuff and twice the quality.

LIPS

• Firstly – the nude lip – Nourishing balms are a must have and BIOME has the Hurraw range which are great, a petroleum free paw paw ointment and of course I’ve mentioned Balm of Ages by Black Chicken a couple of times which is an ‘anywhere and everywhere face and body balm. GO HERE to shop the balms. Pictured below, the ‘black cherry’ Hurraw. You’ll want to eat it and the best bit is? technically you *could* so you’ve nothing to fear in using it so close to your mouth.

• You will never know your red lippy isn’t Chanel once you discover ZUII. I find in fact it’s better. I wear it probably about twice a year, but when I do, I love it and it doesn’t budge! Best news is? There’s no lead. I’ve got another gorgeous red on the go at the moment listed in my make up bag links down the bottom!

• I love the 100% Pure Glosses and the Luk Beautifood sheer lipsticks created by my friend Cindy – made entirely from food actives! A delicious range with real smells from orange, cinnamon, chai or mint!

EYES

• I love the W3LL People Mascara – and I used to be a Lancome Definicils girl through and through and THIS is my favourite nearly-natural mascara!

• Ere Perez Black Waterproof mascara is also great (but needs replacing every 2 months to avoid the clumpy look) and I do love the 100% Pure Black Tea mascara too – both are very popular.

• The 100% Pure natural eyeshadows – I wear nearly every day and replace about every 8-9 months. It lasts such a long time!

• The Adorn eye shadows are lovely light colours also and the texture of these is wonderful – no melting into sweat lines on the eyelids nor is there any with the beautiful INIKA eyeshadows.

FACE

Probably my favourite discovery recently is a brand new brand, Kibi Raw Minerals. Raw mineral foundation powder and blushes. Vegan. Nano Free. Flawless coverage for the mineral foundations. Biggest range for colour matching. If you strive for a super effective evening of skin tone, covering of blemishes and hiding rosacea, this is your match.

Don’t forget your Kabuki Brush to go with it. I’ve had mine for 6 months. I use it every day. There is zero sign of it getting tatty and it gives a flawless application. Can’t recommend it enough!

• Love the Eco Minerals Byron Bay brand for another blush option

• For foundation the 100% Pure range has sheer, powder and fuller coverage options. If you enquire at Nourished Life and say what you’re currently using , they will colour match your existing ‘mainstream’ foundation more often than not.

• For a full coverage finish I recommend the light 100% pure then dusted over the top with the KIBI raw minerals powder above mentioned. There’s nothing like it and it truly stays put.

• BB / CC cream options – BB cream is a tinted moisturiser and the La Mav one is fabulous, but CC cream goes an extra step towards evening out skin tone so if you have ruddy cheeks, pigmentation or broken capillaries, the CC cream is your best option!

• If you need a better coverage in the foundation department, these Adorn ones are lovely as is the Lavera range referenced down below.

• I’ve used Jane Iredale in the past who has lovely things and is a bit of a pioneer in the natural beauty space too.

• I’ve popped some beautiful natural brushes below too if you want to check out. Vegan (synthetic bristles) Set

• Or you can get some natural, cruelty free, hair bristles from Crown Brush.

A brilliant bronzer in the KIBI range also.

We will cover nails, shampoo and hair colour coming right up so hang tight!

Remember, companies won’t make what people don’t buy and you and I have the power to change the market by choosing the beauty world we want with our precious dollars voting! You now have the main list of evils in make up. Use the key nasties list to navigate new brands you come across and enjoy your make up in a whole new light!

TASK for TODAY

• Do an audit of your make up. Are any of the big no no’s you already know from previous modules or the one above in what you have?

• Make a list of products you don’t really use that you don’t need to replace. Toss! Feel the delicious feeling of letting go of ‘stuff’ that doesn’t serve you, can potentially damage your health and fills the world with landfill. No need!

• Decide what you’re going to try in replacing key items in your range that you DO regularly use and enjoy!

What’s in my make up bag?

These days I have a cheek tint, a mineral foundation for T zone, a mascara, BB cream and sheer eye shadow, along with one sheer lippy, one gloss and one bright red for ‘that night’ of the year! Simple. You might like wearing lots of make up too, and that’s fine. I just thought I’d let you know what my complete kit looked like these days – Vastly different to the ginormous 3 tier box I used to have with 100s of things full of weirdness.

Here’s to the new low tox discoveries you’ll be making over the coming months as things run out – Best feeling to get out with the old and in with the new!

If you have a bit of extra time, Annie Leonard, founder of one of my favourite things on the internet, The Story of Stuff, has a video on cosmetics that is well worth 8 minutes of your time. WATCH IT HERE.

Here’s to low tox make up – Imagine the amount of daily chemicals we are reducing now with our knowledge 2 weeks in? From the skincare, bodycare and makeup modules thus far, you have reduced your chemical ingestion via skin exposure, by nearly 1kg of the stuff already. You ought to be pretty excited by that incredible achievement – the bravery to wake up and say “This is NOT cool anymore. I’m in charge, here.”

Incredible isn’t it?

FANCY A CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY? CLICK HERE Day 17: Low Tox Kids

It’s crazy the ability the little ones have to make us reconsider everything we do and why and how we do it, if it means a better life for them. I will never forget my final turning point in committing to a low tox life, after already having a toe in the water for a number of years. I was walking down the aisle of a supermarket. My little man was just starting solids. I thought “I’d better go and pick up a few little meal pots and snacks for emergencies”, even though I was committed to making his food from scratch (and freezing it in plastic ice cube trays of course. Argh!) I looked at a few packets and was shocked to find fruit in so many savoury meals (let’s get them sweets addicted, young!), apple juice concentrate, nutritionally empty starches and grains (babies lack the enzyme suite to fully process grains) and loads of plastic packaging. Then I thought about the plastic breast milk storage pouches, the baby wipes with unpronounceable ingredients… What the heck was in those nappies anyway???

I wanted to run screaming. How did we get here? I thought. It was then I started my first little blog in late 2009 which was essentially a journal and then alexxstuart.com, in February 2012 and now Low Tox Life.

We’ve covered a lot of the content in previous modules that you will use to making better decisions for children’s stuff, whether it be bath time, bed time, play time or more.

So, here are a few useful resources, products and ideas for your low tox kids! Most of all I’m excited to share with you today 2 interviews – firstly, an interview with a dear friend, Tabitha McIntosh. We both met many moons ago while managing two of Sydney’s best bars of the early 2000s – everyone’s got a past, don’t you worry about that! And since then, Tabitha has managed to complete a Bachelor of Medical Science and a Advanced Dip Nutrition and Naturopathy, and also has a 12 year strong, thriving practice in Sydney, Awaken your Health. In my chat with Tab, we talked about the all important lowering of the toxic load.

Or take this interview for a walk! https://soundcloud.com/alexx_stuart/alexx-chats-to- tabitha-mcintosh

Alexx chats to Tabitha Macintosh | Transcript

Two of the best things you can do to lower the toxic load exposure for your kids are:

▪ Ditch foam furniture items – especially older hand-me-down ones such as those mini kids foam couches and cheap stuffed toys with synthetic exteriors to match. Flame retardants are a real issue and health threat. Read the article to learn more, and we will also be covering this topic at greater length in the ‘bedroom day’ for kids and little people alike.

▪ Pesticides in the most heavily sprays foods – berries (buy fresh in season organic / spray free at a local market OR frozen organic), apples, pears, leafy greens, stone fruits, potatoes and cucumbers are the most heavily sprayed crops. Here’s the ‘dirty dozen’ USA list that’s not too different. Please note that fresh produce of any kind is always still going to be better than processed food. This is more about taking that first step and starting to find a few key items that are spray free or certified organic. Even 2 items in the basket will make a difference. Check out this super quick 90 second video of one family’s experience switching to organic foods for a fortnight. Just as with what we’re putting ON our skin, what goes IN us is a journey too. You don’t have to be a fanatic and not eat at a mate’s BBQ because it’s not organic… it’s about making better choices when you ARE in control, so you are able to shrug off and go with the flow for the times that you’re not. My afforable organics tips might help you get started on this front when you’re ready.

▪ Freaking out? Make a list of your top 5 consumed foods and switch those. That will be a super simple and achievable starting point you can action this week. We like to keep it simple, don’t we!

Another couple of important things to consider for our little ones:

▪ When you renovate or build, be sure to ventilate that room for at least a month before children move back in, if possible. Get the windows open, get fans on, get an air purifier for the night time… Get rid of as many fumes, VOCs and residues that reside and are given off by new furniture and paint jobs.

▪ If you’re doing a home renovation, consider getting a good amount of testing on moulds, asbestos and lead in old paint and walls, to decide whether you all need to move out for a little while. The best resource for mould and EMF assessment for the pre baby home prep and beyond, is Building Biology – Nicole Biljsma is a rockstar that we’ll be hearing more from over the course’s second half.

Now those are big picture things sure, but those precautions are going to be a great investment for the health of your family in the long run if we start to think about these kind of things when they comes up. We can often be great at choosing a phthalate free toy or an organic strawberry, but then miss some key exposures such as the ones above.

So, back to the smaller stuff like the toys and the food… A lot of parents worry: But how am I going to convert my kids now that I’ve learnt all this stuff? My mantra for you to adopt here is this. It is you AND them against the baddies who contaminate our food, toys & personal care.

It is NOT you against your children.

If you make it a ‘you against them’ scenario, then they will feel a need to rebel, a need to retreat or a need to be deaf to your pleas and preaching on all the bad things you’re saying will no longer be around. How many parents ‘give in’ on a cupcake covered in weirdo fake artificial chemicals on top? You? You’re not alone. Instead of repeatedly telling them ‘no’ try explaining why. Even to your two year old. Your one year old. Your baby watching you with their older sibling. Try then explaining that you LOVE cupcakes too and that’s why you’ll all choose a beautiful cupcake recipe on the weekend and make it together because those people use weird fake stuff and the colours are even made from petroleum – does that sound like food to you sweetie? They’re tricky aren’t they? Do we like sneaky baddies? (show them a petrol pump to show where the colours come from). Be strong. Be focused on what the real issues are and share those issues with your kids and then make a glorious whole food equivalent together – make it an exciting event and a cuddly time in the kitchen. Trust me. Let them into the conversation and show them videos or the meanings of certain additives, and you will be surprised at how logical a child can be.

We don’t give kids half the credit they’re due when it comes to understanding things but we must.

I have talked about every possible thing with my little one, now 6, before he could talk. I talked about ‘baddies putting chemicals in things… baddies putting bright colours in things that make us sick… baddies putting weirdo flavoured powders that make our brains get excited… baddies putting a monkey on a cereal box, to make you want it when it’s actually really bad for our tummies and can make you feel a bit sick and not be able to feel clever at school…’

I also talk about and read out, ingredient lists in my cooking workshops for kids. “So who can tell me what *insert copious amounts of numbers here* are? Do they sound like real food to you? Shall we make a chocolate icing that IS made with real ingredients and IS super yummy?”

“Yesssssss” they all say and so we make this one.

So instead of saying “we can’t have that anymore” without explanation, I want you to try, no matter how young your child is, is explain briefly in super simple terms, that it’s not cool because you’ve found out something about it, and then move quickly towards solutions and offering them new options or changing the conversation from food (half the time they’re not even hungry) to an activity or looking over at something out and about. I truly see this all the time. Kids in front of a cupcake counter at a cafe. Instead of saying “no YOU can’t have one” swap to “No it’s dinner time in an hour. Let’s have a nice big appetite for that”. No more ‘you can’t’ and every time instead explaining WHY it’s not going to happen. The melt downs will stop when they realise your point, and your commitment to the point / that you won’t ‘cave in’.

Come up with your own explanations or borrow mine, either way you’ll all come out winning the best prize: Stronger, healthier bodies and wiser kids.

Older girls? Make scented candles together. Pop online and choose a replacement together that they’re empowered by because they get a say in what’s replacing said yucky thing. Pop into your favourite recipe books and choose a homemade version of something you’ve just said ‘not any more’ to. Most kids will get it very quickly – especially when the problem is met with explanation AND a delicious, fun solution that gives them quality time with their mum or dad! With plastic toys I personally am quite relaxed as long as they’re great, durable quality, phthalate free and will last another few kids or even another generation. Unfortunately socialising comes with all those ‘latest craze’ situations and sometimes, you have to buy a couple of bits and pieces and they are plastic. I take great comfort in the fact that Lego however is committing a team of 100, with $150 million in development funding, to make LEGO fossil fuel free within 15 years. There are companies willing to change and innovate, and it’s exciting to be witnessing the shift. ECO TOYS, founded by Melinda Bito is a brilliant toy, arts and crafts company that I can’t wait for you to meet today a little further down. I’m so excited to share it with you!

The moral of the story as with everything low tox, is to just do the best you can. Don’t give in to the cheap festival and movie ‘themed cups’, snap and glow single use trash and the rest of those sorts of things. We have to say no and we have to explain why. Start building more eco friendly options into pressies and craft for the young ones, as well as starting to move to experience based gifts for the older ones – Giving a kid a day they’ll never forget is a priceless gift.

Now onto a few low tox solutions across the categories for babies and kid’s day to day.

Babies

▪ Nappies / Diapers !

Mind blowing, isn’t it? Not to mention the phthalates and other dubious chemicals that one can find in a bog standard supermarket nappy. Mainstream disposable nappies are basically a shocker. If cloth nappies are a ‘block’ for you or you need a couple of emergency brands for travel or times when it can all get too hard, these Eco Originals Eco Nappies are far better than the average supermarket brand. Resounding praise also comes for Itti Bitti and Bum Genius too in the alumni groups.

For an amazing array of ‘little people’s bottoms’ related products, BIOME has you covered and Twinkle Lily has a great range too.

▪ Potty / step stools – Beco make these super cute potties and steps, in pink, blue and natural and they are biodegradeable – they can buried when you no longer need it! See the range from Beco here.

Baby Wipes

• WotNot Wipes (which are disposable, 100% biodegradable and compostable) and Nature’s Care Reusable Wipes are two good options as well as the Eco Originals which are reasonably priced too.

▪ Want to make your own wipes? Well, you can! WATCH HERE.

Baby Skin Care

• Weleda has you covered for baby (calendula) and super fragile eczema prone skin care (white mallow), with the White Mallow Body lotion also available here. So many rave reviews!

▪ There is a light at the end of the tunnel with Eczema and with all the people I’ve spoken to over the years, it seems whatever work you’re doing externally, MUST be paired with work internally, given the link between gut health and skin health. Many people with severe eczema do well to work with a naturopath who specialises in gut healing to ensure you’re covering the root cause of the deeper issue, once you’ve ditched the toxic creams that could have been aggravating it. Check out this amazing before and after of Cassie’s bub from a few rounds ago, after she changed products and saw a naturopath (our detox expert in next week’s topics Shalani McCray) who put her and bub on a protocol. So good! You can read her protocol here.

Lip protection

If you’re frequently walking around and it’s windy, it can be a good idea to protect the bub’s lips. Hurraw does an SPF 15+ Lip balm gentle enough for all and the Weleda Lip balm is very nourishing too.

Insect Repellant

▪ This is the baby insect repellent we used when the little man was a bub. Vanessa Megan’s magically delicious and gentle blend of oils to keep the mozzies and flies off your little one.

▪ Once they’re 3 and older, you can graduate to the adult one from Vanessa Megan or for a more budget friendly option, there’s this one which after a couple of tests, seems to do the job very well!

Bottles

• Life Factory make great glass baby bottles, with silicon protectors and teets, and are available at Biome.

DUMMIES / SOOTHERS

Love this Pure Rubber Hevea soother.

Teething

• Pure antibacterial maple wood teether. It’s expensive, sure, but it’s inside your baby’s mouth for months. They’ll get wear from it and you’ll get a great big dose of peace of mind. Winning! There’s also a budget friendly pure rubber teether HERE.

And before you freak out – Sophie the Giraffe is FINE. She’s made from pure rubber these days (don’t take hand me downs before 2010) and even painted with food safe paints. Phew!

Sippy Cups and out-and-about bottles

I do love Life Factory, but some day care, kindy centres and schools might not allow glass of any kind, even if protected. There is SIGG, Cheeki, Kleen Kanteen and more and all can be found, by category you’re looking for, from BIOME. HEAD HERE. Here are my top picks from the massive range…

SIGG Swiss brand toddler / under 5s size, Life Factory Spill Proof Lid and Klean Kanteen Little People’s sized out-and-about.

Food and Food Storage

What’s the go with Melamine? Melamine is an “organic,” nitrogen-rich industrial compound, created from one of three materials: urea, dicyandiamide or hydrogen cyanide. The hard and sturdy melamine resin is created by combining melamine with urea and formaldehyde. Melamine resin is fire and heat resistant, durable, and versatile. It is used in the manufacture of floor tiles, whiteboard and numerous kitchen items, including melamine dishes.

By all appearances, melamine dishes seem incredibly practical and convenient. They are dishwasher safe, light, nearly unbreakable and can be moulded into various shapes and designs, which can be brightly coloured or printed.

Potential dangers

• Some of the first dangers concerning melamine appeared in 2007 and 2008 when it was reported melamine had been added to certain brands of pet foods and infant formula as a cheap filler. There were reports of illness and deaths from renal failure in the animals and babies that had consumed melamine contaminated food. Shortly after this melamine “scare,” the first concerns were raised about whether melamine could leach into food from dinnerware made from melamine resin.

• Melamine resin is fixed and unchanging unless it is exposed to excessive heat, which is why you should never put your melamine dishes in your oven or microwave. Excessive heat can make the plastic unstable and allow the resin to decompose back into its original elements, several of which are highly toxic.

• What also is poorly understood is “synergistic toxicity” or the combined effects of consuming a product, for example bread, made from wheat that was grown with a melamine-based fertilizer (remember, it’s nitrogen-rich!), served with milk that has added melamine (increases protein levels), on melamine dinnerware which has possibly become unstable due to improper use or handling.

Note: The levels of melamine in dinnerware are considered safe by the FDA, but this does not account for others sources that can build up melamine in the body. Glass, china, enamel and ceramics are a better choice. If you’re worried about breakage, go with enamelware like Falcon pictured below, or bamboo like those from Love Mae.

Once your child is 18 months – 2 years old, if you start using something breakable, sure, you might break one or two items, BUT they will learn so fast that throwing things around ain’t cool and can be a real fright, and it will quickly break the throwing of the plates around habit!

▪ For baby food freezing, I did little glass jars that I defrosted in the fridge overnight before needing them. Just be sure to leave an inch off the top from the liquid to the lid, to allow for expansion and not crack your jar in the the freezer. You can grab a set of small jars LIKE THIS easily online. You can also use a stainless steel ice cube tray from BIOME which is so awesome and durable. Forget the expense and think: I will never have to buy another tray ever again! Buy less, buy better should be a recurring theme by now.

▪ For toddler meals, Love Mae make some gorgeous sets of bamboo plates, cups and bowls, as well as divided plates.

LUNCH BOXES?

My favourite materia is stainless steel – It’s lightweight and non breakable for little peeps on the go. For lunch boxes my favourites are the Lunchbots. We’re nearly half way into our second here with them and still going strong. You have different configurations as well as sizes now too. You can browse the entire lunchbox category HERE though to check out other options.

I love the little containers for ‘wet foods’ form Kids Conserve

And for keeping things warm so they can enjoy a nourishing hot pot – Kleen Kanteen which comes in a couple of different sizes. Again we’re into using this same one for 1.5 years now and still going strong.

Toys

As I said above, I don’t think it’s entirely possible to live in a city and have no plastic toys or regionally either for that matter. I sigh at the sight of the dinobots and legos my son has sometimes, but I also recognise that I make every effort to ensure ‘play’ doesn’t just revolve around toys and that it’s dress ups, sports, reading, playing shops… So much more, AND that there are toys in the mix that are focused on sustainable options where possible. This has meant that we haven’t been overridden by toys over the years and have managed to contain it to just his small bedroom and a couple of shelves of lego and other bits, and the rest is drawing, craft, dress ups, games and books. Diversification of activities during ‘play time’ is key to not have your home be a plastic toy festival. At the same time though, I feel that being ‘zero plastic’ is not possible as this can create problems with forming groups and social bonds. Where would my little man and his bestie be today had they not bonded over their Schleiss Dinosaur collection, right? And LEGO, right? It’s a hard one, but it is definitely an area I’m personally very flexible on. For BABIES however, soft, bendy, chewing types of plastic toys are an absolutely no. The phthalates are what make them bendy and they are no good for those tiny growing bodies (not to mention for anyone!) and a baby doesn’t know it’s being ‘deprived’ of anything, so just give it low tox, wool, cotton, wooden toys.

▪ For a gorgeous new site I’ve found, “Good to Play” and you guessed it, BIOME, have a number of age groups covered, with a sustainability and material-safety focus.

▪ In the USA you have Baby Green Thumb for natural toys and in the UK Green Bee Kids.

▪ I also love the suggestion from alumni about GREEN LULLABY for doll’s houses, cradles and storage boxes made from cardboard.

▪ For little science curiosos, the ECO SCIENCE TOYS range is awesome.

ARTS & CRAFT Eco toys is my go to site for arts and craft as well as the great toy options above. They’re the most committed to sustainability that I’ve come across, so much so that I’ve interviewed the founder Melinda for us, below.

▪ LOVE FACEPAINTING? Check out this adorable ‘earth facepaint kit’

▪ Or the earth pain kit for general painting

▪ Or these DIVINE Honey sticks crayons. The smell of them! Nature in the home.

Love CRAFT?

You’re covered here but remember – heading outside and collecting bits and pieces from nature can be the best kind of craft there is.

• Parties? You’re covered here.

• Musical instruments and exploration? You’re covered here. I mean, look at this melody centre. To die for!

Games and puzzles You guessed it – I love the ECO TOYS selection – so many gorgeous things to nurture problem solving and creativity!

Dolls

▪ Dollies who are rather expensive but rather beautiful, from Good to Play. A better low tox doll choice? Wonderful! Once we believe in having ‘better stuff but less stuff’ we need to teach our kids the same. Precious, beautiful things chosen carefully together, vs loads of mindless, cheap toys. I’m in the middle of teaching my little man this too, and it’s not always easy, but the effort we put in will pay off, that I know!

▪ Or did you catch the beautiful Tree Change Dolls story? Since the viral success of her story, she is now going to be producing 10 dolls per month on her etsy store to give proceeds to charity.

I know which dolls I’d prefer my little girl to be playing with if I had girls. Move over mini weirdo porn star dolls, and hello real dolls! Now I can’t vouch for the plastics of these dolls, but I just had to include because I think the low tox message here is so, so beautiful.

▪ ECO TOYS has a range of doll options too that you can check out HERE

Check out this gorgeous phthalate free, BPA free doll

Play mats ▪ For eco play mats you might need to go on a bit of a google. Key is to ensure a natural fibre or at the very least, a ‘pthalate free’ declaration. Here’s a list with a few options so they definitely exist. Being half Mauritian we used a coconut palm woven mat once I realised the el cheapo mat I had originally bought (one of those A.B.C squishy foam mats) was toxic. Island hippy in the city! He loved it. The toys went on top. It’s funny how we got to a world full of fake, brightly coloured and artificial things thinking it was ‘better’ somehow and that our children would be more stimulated by them… Notice how the baby wants the darn ol’ keys? Forget the brightly coloured plastic obsession and go natural for them too.

Bath Time – Mats and Toys

▪ For little babies, I recommend a little towel under them to prevent slipping instead of a mat. For the toddler years there are 100% natural rubber mats in the USA. And in Australia you have the beautiful pure rubber mat from ECO TOYS

▪ You might laugh at me, but I suggest stainless steel cooking utensils. My little guy has a ball with metal cocktail shakers for pouring, spoons, funnels and more – Not a plastic toy in sight! Hot liquids and plastics don’t mix, no matter what the plastic, so it’s best to keep it low tox at bath time. Again, it doesn’t matter at all about the bright colours and crazy plastic bath toy characters – If anything, it’s a great exercise in fostering imagination, and future free bartenders for your 50ths down the track! See? I’m not just a low tox face… Ha!

▪ You could also check out Little Organics for some cute rubber toy options. Rubber is safe and can be popped in the recycling bin once you’re through with it!

• EcoToys also has some wooden bath toys and gorgeous REAL rubber ducks – Have you read my post on the humble rubber duck?

▪ Little girl’s beauty and kid’s bath time – Nourished Life has you covered! I just started using the Sanctum Baby Shampoo & Wash for my little man and it’s divine. Note: I only use this a couple of times a week. Kids just don’t need ‘cleaning’ every day other than month and hands or if they’ve had a scuff!

▪ The Pineapple Heads bubble bath has also been given the thumbs-up from course alumni.

Has anyone noticed yet, how when you lift the lid on it all, you slowly start to see such things you once thought were exciting, and pretty and ‘must have’, as being ugly and cheap looking? Miscellaneous kids’ stuff

▪ This organic Aden + Anais Organic changing pad cover from BIOME is lovely – perfect for covering a possibly PVC containing change mat without having to toss it to landfill and protect your little one at the same time.

▪ Gum boots – Remember nasty Teflon / PFOAs made by the company DuPont? Well, they make the plastic in Crocs shoes and gumboots. Sooorrryyyy… Stick to Rubber gumboots by Clark’s, found in many shoe stores or there are a few here too! (mind you don’t choose the PVC ones at the bottom!)

▪ Vapour rub – Instead of the Vicks, try this Simple as That one. Much better to use something that’s all natural for their little chests – or ours for that matter. This rub is fantastic!

▪ Rain coats – you’d be best off going with a kids Drizabone, buying huge and letting them wear it over 3 years, so it’s not a hideous expense. Forget the garish batmans and various superheros on the rain coats. Most will contain PVC unless stated. You also want to watch out for TEFLON in them as the other no no. Buy them a colouring in booklet with their superheros or watch the show – the superheros don’t have to brand EVERYTHING – I rest my case with Wiggles branded yoghurts full of sugar. They don’t need to be on their functional raincoat that gets worn a couple of days every now and then. Most raincoats are PVC / phthalate laden. Waterproof = suspicious, and it is definitely worth an email to the company or brand in question, with any doubts you have. Opt for PVC free synthetics with cotton inner layers if you need to buy something bright and ‘fun’ in the rain coat department.

Here’s a great example of teflon / PVC free rain coats that are still synthetic but cotton inner lined.

▪ Kids’ uniforms – you’re best avoiding the bog standard school shorts and pants as they’re teflon coated – chemicals on your kids’ hot sweaty legs and chemicals that NEVER break down in the environment. MY ORGANIC UNIFORM has you sorted for most standard colours and you can write to them with your requests, too. You won’t find teflon and they’re a blend of organic cotton and – at least – recycled polyester for durability. ▪ Kids’ make up – Nourished Life has the Pure Poppet range of nail polishes, and for lip glosses, use the 100% pure Strawberry Lip gloss. Those cheap cosmetics at kids’ shops on the impulse buy counter tops, are chemical cocktails that we just don’t need – and they sure don’t either! DO NOT BUY IT!

▪ LOW TOX BACK PACKS? It’s possible. They’re here from Little Frenchy

Bedding / Mattresses – Hang tight, we’re covering this as a category in the Bedroom module, with a kid’s section!

Clothes – hang tight for clothes day for loads more options!

Teeth? You guessed it… hang tight for next week!

Here’s my interview – more of a good chat, really, with Melinda Bito, founder of Eco Toys. Enjoy!

Alexx chats to Melinda Bito

For website resources and a book, I simply love:

• Healthy Child Healthy World.

• Chemical Free Kids (by Dr Sarah Lantz who’s co-authoring Tabitha’s upcoming book!)

What do you need for your child that we’ve not covered? Share your needs in our group and see if others have found solutions or if I can – then our group resource gets better and better each day. Also, if you shop from a site that you love that is eco for kids, please let me know, as I’d love to broaden this resource over time and support as many great retailers and brands as possible.

Enjoy getting your kids on the low tox bandwagon. Include them in your research – remember to be WITH them, not against them. Let them make choices in the replacements. Share your creative ideas in the group!

NEED A CHEAT SHEET WITH THE MAIN POINTS? HEAD HERE. Day 18: Low Tox Hair & Nails

Now, when it comes to educating you on hair & nail products, there isn’t much more we need to cover in terms of ‘new nasties’ – you are experts now. Remember, rather than worrying yourself with all the little weird name chemicals on those long, long lists, scan for the suspicious ones or baddies first.

HAIR

Common baddies re-cap:

• Triclosan or “antibacterial” being the code word for it!

• Pthalates – Does it smell fake? Then it is! Buh Bye

• Sodium Lauryl Sulphate / SLS – You’ don’t want this in your skin contact personal care.

• Parabens

• Phenoxyethanol

• Plastic container with a “3” “6” or “7” in the little triangle. Look for PET / 1.

• Non sustainable palm oil – this isn’t ‘toxic’ per se but is certainly harmful to the planet due to the deforestation and ecological disturbance of harvest. Unilever accounts for 20% of the GLOBAL palm oil use. Not great. To have a quick scan of their products, go here . We’re already avoiding them for a whole lot of other reasons! If you’re concerned about the palm oil issue and use, here’s a good list (you’ll be shocked) of what it can be called. Is it any wonder they get away with sneaking palm oil into 1000s of products? If you’re going to try and avoid it altogether, hair products (even the natural ones) can be a minefield. I use Lavera and I have been comforted by the fact that they’re most definitely sustainable – NO grey area about it! This little UK site is great for greenies and for our UK friends on the course to confirm origins of palm!

SHAMPOO & CONDITIONER

Many natural shampoos and conditioners cost ridiculous amounts of money if you ask me… $50 for a small 300ml pump is just nuts. Now, many people will have many different types of hair, scalps, lengths, desired outcomes, so this is a category with a bit of trial and error involved over time, I won’t lie. Please feel free to share your successes as you go!

Lavera is my favourite and for the first time in my ‘I always pick the most expensive thing in the room’ life, it’s SUPER reasonable in price. I’ve yet to find a local Australian range that isn’t a monstrous $40 style price tag, that is actually nice to use and does the job without forming residue. That said I have an oily scalp / dry ends combo, so as I said – it comes down to YOU and your hair and scalp and what’s going to work best. I’m currently using Lavera shampoo, followed by Weleda Rosemary Hair tonic and Yarok Feed My Ends leave-in conditioner before blow drying. I’m looking forward to seeing what works for you guys!

Lavera Colour and Shine SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER It is free from all the other nasties and a lovely, natural fragrance from fruit oils that they spell out on the back. NOTE: The conditioner isn’t great for long and thick hair. Its not very detangling.

People are loving the Acure Argan / CoQ10 shampoo too, while a couple of people have said it caused build up. Have fly-aways and frizz but you don’t want them? Try the Acure Brazilian Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner

The Millet Nourishing shampoo is delicious from Weleda, if you have dryness or frizziness.

The Miessence lemon myrtle is great if you have normal to oily hair.

For shorter hair and men, the Dindi Shampoo bar is super convenient and delicious.

If you want to get a travel sized range for your next trip, the mini Sanctum range is great and a good way to test out the range too!

Then there is the blonde ‘toner’ style shampoo to prevent brassiness… This Everescents shampoo is a product worth a look. Lowest tox I’ve found in the toner department, although the shampoo can be a little irritating if you’re super sensitive in the scalp area.

Luxury Option? RAHUA has been very popular among alumni if you fancy a splurge.

Phew… Options, options, options, right?

Treatment and styling products

My favourite is Yarok “Feed Your Ends” It is such good value as far as low tox hair regimes go, and the Feed Your Ends spray lasts a good many months to a year with the size it comes in. I’ve used it for 2 years and have only bought 2 bottles and I DON’T condition apart from the Weleda hair oil treatment I mention next every 2-3 weeks.

Once every 3 weeks I do a Weleda treatment oil and tonic – so delicious! I laugh at the memory of all the toxic treatments I used to do. Mmm, let’s let those parabens sit on our scalp for half an hour shall we? You have to laugh or you would cry! Acure Argan Oil – This product is delicious and two teeny tiny drops is all you need for success. If you’ve been using the “Moroccan Oil” run it through your detective lens!

For hair paste or wax, you can’t go past Yarok Feed Your Do. It’s wonderful. Just give it a good rub through your fingers first! My son has used it, my husband… No complaints and effective!

For a gentler hold wax perfect for short hair or managing big locks, the Rahua is a good option.

Need a hair spray?

Giovanni makes a good low tox spray, called LA Hold Hair Spritz (available at some health food shops) and you also have Yarok Hair Spray and Andalou medium hold too!

Curly Hair? Alumni have given Yarok’s Feed Your Curls the thumbs up.

Need extra volume? Yarok’s Volume Mousse is also popular.

Dry shampoo au naturel? Easy. Go HERE for the ACURE one. Very good indeed for the cheeky tide over!

Dandruff? Weleda Wheat balancing (mind if you’re coeliac) or the Beauty and the Bees Charcoal shampoo bar.

A beautiful range of brushes and biodegradable combs is available through BIOME as well.

Need some anti-ageing hair care?

The Yarok Feed your Youth serum is packed with vitamins and oils to keep your hair youthful and plentiful.

Andalou do a great hair thinning treatment duo

Above is a product that promises to restore natural colour and banish the straggly greys. CHECK IT OUT HERE – I’ve not tried it myself and have no idea how it might work but a couple of reviews seem positive on there so it will be interesting to see how anyone goes with it!

KIDS HAIR and the dreaded LICE

Head Lice options from BIOME will sort out the head lice situation – toxic free! Simply tea tree oil and a good lice comb.

If you wanted to go DIY for the lice situation this post spells out all your options using coconut oil. (Disclaimer: It opens with a pet hate typo “You’re” instead of your… hehe.. Other than that, it’s really thorough and useful information.)

This range and these too for baby will be delicious kids’ hair wash, as is the Weleda Calendula range I mentioned in kids day. Use less and make it last so it’s not a massive cost increase! Remember, it is best not to ‘over wash’ kids’ hair and skin. Most often a water rinse is all that’s needed and a good wash of the face and hands. Just because it’s low tox doesn’t mean it’s necessary and you can save a lot of money by simply using every other day or a couple of times a week, as opposed to every day!

Acure Baby 4 in 1 bath and shampoo is a brilliant kids product too.

Hair Colour This is definitely a ‘low tox’ category, that can’t achieve ‘no tox’ unless we are talking about pure Henna.

I like having my hair done, so it’s a matter of choosing a least toxic option. This year I decided to stop using colours of any kind and just get foils. Foils don’t touch the scalp and get easily washed off in the basin. I take my Lavera shampoo to the hairdresser to follow the foils, and my styling sprays for the end of the appointment. She’s fine with it!

The 3 most natural ‘home’ hair colours I’ve found are…

• Herbatint (Do NOT use the included shampoo and conditioner , as they are high tox! Follow the colour with your own hair care products.)

• Fuente 96% organic is not bad if you can find salons that are using it.

• Radico Organic Hair colouring is another to check out.

Aveda – While not perfect by any stretch, is definitely a less toxic option if there’s a salon near you that uses it. Nautilique is another great organic salon range if you want to find a salon near you.

As I said, with hair colour, it’s very tough to go ‘no tox’ but we can get a substantial way there and with something that happens once every couple of months, it’s a scenario where you make the choice to do it or not but don’t stress either way. This is a joyous process, not a stressful one!

Foils and ballayage are both great ways to avoid scalp contact during the ‘taking’ phase of the colour development. That’s what I choose.

If you really wanted a NO TOX option and want to give yourself natural highlights with herbs, the Wellness Mama has a few ideas here. for different shades.

Then on David Suzuki’s Site, you have some ideas on how to use less shampoo in general HERE.

DIY Shampoo Options

• “No Poo” – the cheapest option of all and for those who are in the dark, it is short for “no shampoo”. It’s not for everyone, but many who have don’t look back! Here is a post on that by women who have gone there with success. You’ll be able to chat about this as a few girls in the alumni group are now totally no poo and not turning back.

• Bicarb and Apple Cider vinegar – Hotly contested but nonetheless with a following. To Use: Make a simple mix of 2 tbs bicarb and 1/2 cup water. Scrub it through your hair. Rinse with apple cider vinegar (about 1/4 cup dissolved into a cup or two of water is perfect and great for conditioning and knots) Finish with a little treatment oil or Feed Your Ends mentioned above, and blow dry. Even if you’re tight on budget and want to alternate this low cost DIY with a product every other time, you’ll be stretching the budget nicely that way. Caution: If you’re going to use bicarb, you don’t need much in your cup of water. The PH level can irritate and strip your hair and scalp over time and to be honest, I don’t think it should be used other than occasionally to solve a buildup problem. The PH is all wrong, given it’s extremely alkaline. This blog from empowered sustenance is a great one on the bicarb situation. I like to do a shampoo once or twice a week and every second week do a ‘build up removal’ with a thin solution of bicarb and water, followed by apple cider vinegar.

• For more elaborate DIY Shampoo / Conditioner options, the David Suzuki site (it’s such a great site for eco warriors like us!) has a wealth of ideas and resources. Plain apple sauce is a great and super gentle ‘no poo’ wash. A couple of people in the past courses have used apple sauce to wash their hair. With its mild acidity it is gentle and was reported to really help on people’s ‘poo free’ journey who wanted to go that way.

DIY Home Treatment

• For a home made treatment to repair and nourish – EGGS! The yolk, rich in fats and proteins, is naturally moisturizing, while the white, which contains bacteria- eating enzymes and removes unwanted oils. Whichever style of treatment you need. Once you’ve separated the eggs and used which one you need, you have two cooking options: Custard or meringues! Hardly a tough spot to find oneself, is it? To Use: Use 1/2 cup of whichever egg mixture is appropriate for you and apply to clean, damp hair. If there isn’t enough egg to coat scalp and hair, use more as needed. Leave on for 20 minutes, rinse with cool / mildly warm water (to prevent egg from “cooking” – that wouldn’t be too pretty!) and then shampoo hair. Whole egg and yolks-only treatments can be applied once a month for a nourishing boost; whites-only treatment can be applied every two weeks. I love the yolk treatment for coloured blond hair as a treatment. Smoothes it all out!

• If you have super dry hair or scalp and lots of frizz, a coconut oil treatment is great. Massage a couple of tablespoons through your hair and scalp and leave it on for an hour. Wash it out with shampoo twice. A double wash is definitely needed here, and then follow with what you’d normally do. Add a tablespoon of raw honey for scalp sensitivity or dandruff.

• Home made Gelatin Hair mask: SO good. Give it a whirl if your hair needs serious ressurecting!

DIY Dry shampoo

• To make: For light coloured hair, mix 2 tbsp tapioca flour or organic cornflour (organic means you avoid genetically modified cornflour, which is super common) with 3 drops lavender essential oil (you could choose whatever scent you prefer and personalise). For dark hair, mix in some cocoa powder or cinnamon to the mix – no more than a teaspoon or 2 will be needed. Sprinkle mixture onto scalp and hair roots. Work in with fingertips, then comb through. (You can also brush it on with an old, large makeup brush.) You can keep a little mix of this in a jar or an old spice jar that has the ‘sprinkle’ function lid built in to make application easier.

A note on accessories

• For straightening wands and curling irons, using such high heats right near your face with steam coming off the appliance – and therefore into your mouth and nose for breathing – it’s important to avoid teflon / non stick options. Stick to high quality ceramic brands like GHD. Yes they are more expensive, but buy less, buy often. They are a perfect Christmas or birthday gift from family! Don’t stress if you’ve got something like this. Just put it on your phase out plan or wish list… We’ll be talking teflon in more detail next week when we tackle bake and cookware.

Shower Caps

• Most shower caps are made from PVC / plastic – not ideal in a hot shower. Some course alumni have used these 4MyEarth Plate Covers instead – not what they were intended for, but a great solution!

So there you have it. A tonne of ideas to low tox your head!

Whatever you choose, this will be a monumental step towards lowering your toxic load. Shampoo doesn’t just go on your head but your whole body as it rinses away. Bye bye toxic ‘poo, we don’t need you! now onto nails…

NAILS

Hopefully by this point you’re not saying to yourself “Oh god, what’s she going to tell me now?” Relax. Breathe. Remember this is a big journey and your new position is this:

Ah. Not such a great option after all. Bastards.

Will choose a better one today, or next time it runs out.

Sing it with me! With nails there are a few new things to become aware of in terms of what we’re leaving behind! We’re leaving behind mani pedis at the nail place! They are toxic clouds of badness and unless it’s an extremely special occasion where you ‘just must’, I would strongly recommend you avoid those places like the plague! Fumes, the toxic nail ingredients and skin lotions… After a couple of weeks now away from the fake smells, you’ll really notice how toxic the air in those places is. Do you need a little help really hammering home the nail salon toxicity point home? READ THIS from the New York Times.

And acrylic nails? Worse. You have the added use of MMA. MMA (Methyl Methacrylate) can cause serious damage to the lungs as well as permanent damage to your natural nails. Nurses aren’t allowed to wear acrylics in most countries because acrylic nail wearers are prone to nail bed infections which has caused death in infants in hospitals due to transmission. Lastly, due to the highly flammable nature of the adhesives, it is recommended that acrylic nail wearers stay away from curling and straightening irons and wands. Yikes!

And shellac? Between the UV A rays and the acetone, Shellac isn’t recommended either. Read here for more if you fancy. Time to move onto learning about exactly what harmful chemicals we’re leaving behind and get a couple of brands under our belts for low tox nails.

So, to do your nails yourself, here’s what you need to know. There are 5 ‘big’ toxins in your average nail polish purchase consideration. Here are the 5 main ones:

• Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP): Here he is again, right? Pesky little chemical! A possible trigger of asthma attacks, this phthalate has also been associated with developmental and reproductive effects, and cancer in lab animal testing. This has been repeatedly called, “a potent hormone disruptor that affects the male reproductive system most dramatically.”

• Toluene: It’s a solvent, also found in gasoline, that can cause dizziness and short term intoxication. Like DBP, it is a volatile chemical that can be inhaled and absorbed through the skin and nails. It could also be listed on the label as “toluol” or “phenylmethane.”

• Formaldehyde: Considered a human carcinogen by U.S. health agencies, it is an irritating chemical that people have allergic reactions to. Don’t be fooled if it’s listed as formalin on the label.

• Formaldehyde resin is a synthetic resin product made with formaldehyde as a base ingredient.

• Camphor is a toxic compound that can bring about dizziness, lethargy, asthma and rashes.

So when you see ‘3 FREE’ and ‘5 FREE’ nail polishes, these are the ingredients they’re ‘free’ from, with the last two being ‘5 FREE’. They are all DBP (a type of pthalate) and formaldehyde free.

“7 FREE” means that the nail polishes are free from parabens, phthalates (dibutyl phthalate), toluene, xylene, camphor, formaldehyde, resin, and animals. 7FREE nail polishes do still contain some ethyl acetate.

To avoid ethyl acetate, with a super low tox nail polish, consider a water based style. However they aren’t as high performance or chip proof. Scotch Naturals is that water based nail polish. It’s also free from all the esthers and alcohols of traditional nail polishes. To succeed with water based nail polish however, you definitely need to get the base and top coats and disclaimer: These water based polishes don’t last long on the nail.

USA based? Go here for a similar brand. If you’re a nice nails person, you simply won’t be happy unless you’ve gone the whole hog here.

So, if a manicure is your top priority and something you’re not prepared to cave on, then a 7 FREE brand is a great, high performance low tox compromise, and there are three great brands listed below. And if you must go to a salon for a pedi/mani, then take them with you (with your body lotion!), and sit near a door!

There are three 7FREE nail polishes readily available in Australia, listed below:

• Pacifica 7 FREE at Nourished life, are only AU$16.95. I have tried it and it’s my favourite of all the lower tox nail polishes out there. My toes are pretty and my mind is at peace – perfect combination!

• Kester Black is also a great 7FREE range AND is it made in Australia. This range is accredited by CCF (choose cruelty free) and the Vegan Society. RRP of AU$20.00.

• butter London is a brand you will often see at health food shops, and is also available at Nourished Life and Biome for RRP AU$22.00. They are also a 7FREE formula, and it is an international brand.

For KIDS nail painting, you can’t go past the super cute Pure Poppet range.

Now, nail polish remover

There is no super low tox polish remover that I have found that actually works really well… This one comes close. So acetone or non-acetone nail polish remover? Here’s the simple secret: While acetone will work faster at getting the polish off of your nails, non-acetone removers will be gentler to them. Acetone is a clear, harsh-smelling and highly flammable liquid. It’s a solvent, capable of disintegrating even plastic. This explains why it works so quickly breaking apart and removing your nail polish. Isopropyl alcohol is typically used in the making of acetone and it’s not great news at all!

The key active ingredient in non-acetone removers is usually ethyl acetate. Made from ethanol and acetic acid, ethyl acetate is colorless and also flammable. In addition to also being used as a solvent, its fragrant smell has led to its use in perfumes. The odd use for removing nail polish, sure – perfumes? Not so sure… So, while neither of them is great and has many another chemical in them, non acetone is definitely a baby step in the right direction!

Fancy just ditching the polish altogether?

There is nothing better than simple, natural, buffed and filed nails. If you look after them naturally, and lather in a low tox lotion, your nails will be gorgeous.

It might just be that you fall in love with well manicured, nude nails. I certainly have, and now only paint my toe nails now, wearing a Pacifica nail colour, leaving my fingernails buffed and nude!

Delicious nail treatment?

Irene from Nourished Life talks about why you need the Weleda Nail Care pens. There is one cuticle softener and the other is a general pen for nail health. Massage in daily for beautiful, strong nails in no time!

TASK FOR TODAY

• What’s your hair & nail plan going to be? Buying new products? Or perhaps having a go at some of the DIY options on the hair front, to save loads of money AND toxic ingredients in the one go. Simply ditching a few products is going to be FREE and lower your toxic load overnight. That’s always my first way to get started on a category – a good declutter!

As always, feel free to share some inspo in the group!

NEED A CHEAT SHEET? CLICK HERE Day 21: Low Tox Mind Series – with Tom Cronin

Ah… Sunday. How are your low tox mind shifts coming along?

Tom Cronin, founder of the Stillness Project, is someone I adore in the meditation space. He’s particularly awesome, I think, because he didn’t have an epiphany and ‘leave’ his high stress and output job, to become a meditation teacher. He spent a number of years still in his field mastering the benefits of meditation in a busy, modern life. So he proves it is possible for everyone.

Enjoy this simple 10 minute meditation and if you wanted to hop along to one of his retreats, check out the website! - See more at:

Alexx meditates with Tom Cronin | Transcript

If you’ve been loving Sundays and want a little more meditative exploration, this website with Deepak Chopra and Oprah has some great resources and tips. You can buy meditation bundles and I highly recommend the happiness one, it’s lovely!

Enjoy your Sunday and enjoy the continued decluttering that’s happening for you as you make way for way less stuff and better, low tox options.

How good is this thought? Day 22: Detoxing from chemicals

You should have a little cup of tea this morning and celebrate an incredible job so far as we move into week 4 – staying positive while we lift the lid on all the weirdness is pretty darn clever. All the changes and steps towards a more low tox way of being have been inspirational to see unfold. I am so not buttering anyone up in saying that I am blown away. A super proactive, positive, get on with it and live our best lives bunch of people and that energy is bouncing all around the group everyday, so hats off to you all, I mean it. In simplest termsthis is all we’re doing…

Now onto today’s topic. Detoxifying. When you remove the poison and reintroduce it, it can often be really confronting to see how affected you are by it – your body might have been coping with it, but once relieved from it and then it comes back, your body finally recognises the toxic nature of it. It has been 3 weeks since we began, and you will probably be noticing this with artificial fragrances by now or runny eyes applying an old kohl pencil… or itchiness with traditional fabric softened clothes. What you’ve been doing bit by bit, is detoxing without even doing a thing, other than ceasing to use certain things in your day to day. To really start to rid the body of some of the ‘stickier’ chemicals which reside inside us as a result of having used all these things over the years, then you can choose to embark upon what I call a Conscious Detox Process. It’s not what you think. You won’t be starving yourself or having to do a juice fast for 5 days, or anything of the sort.

Detoxing is not something to take lightly or ‘faddishly’. It’s serious and we need to be in the right frame of mind.

The key is to be gentle to yourself and support your detoxification with lots of low tox mind time as well – did you skip the modules on Sundays because it ‘wasn’t as important’? Go BACK. Those Sundays are designed to empower you to enjoy and settle into this process in a relaxed fashion. Only when you are mentally positive and relaxed, will you truly start to feel the benefits of detoxification of any kind. It makes sense, really. If you’re stressed, your body draws energy away from your digestive, detox pathways and immune systems, to use all your energy up on ‘saving your life’. Problem is, that running late for a meeting and running away from a lion give our bodies the same response so by modern standards, our bodies think we’re running away from lions all the time, and don’t give much energy to our body’s regeneration process – detoxification being a large part of that regeneration.

We want to be calm so that the body can work as efficiently as possible in the ‘whole’ sense, to allow for maximum chance of detoxification. So, hit those meditations and get ready to detox the right way.

So, firstly, the #1 way to detox? To stop applying and ingesting chemicals in the first place.

See? You’re already blitzing the #1 way to detox, simply by stopping using all the stuff you used to have.

Enjoy today’s expert interview with naturopath and GAPS practitioner Shalani McCray from Live Alive. It’s probably my favourite in the course. She’s awesome and she’s joining us in the group today to answer any questions you might have further.

Or the sound file here https://soundcloud.com/alexx_stuart/alexx-chats-to-shalani- mccray-1 – Go for a walk and enjoy!

Alexx chats to Shalani McCray | Transcript

What can you do to support detox efforts?

• Stop eating foods known to be harder to digest for a short period of time, such as a month. The Whole 30 provides excellent inspiration for such a ‘cleanse’ and has participants leaving out sugar, chocolate, gluten, grains and dairy for 30 days, focusing on bountiful fresh produce and simple meals. It’s a great break for the system, while providing loads of delicious options for nourishment and satisfaction. It’s not a ‘go hungry’ detox that will fiddle with your metabolism as so many of them do!

• Eat organic. The break from the pesticides will have your body working much more efficiently, as it’s not wasting time trying to figure out what ‘those things’ are. As we know, some pesticide consistuents are endocrine disruptive. It’s no mystery why we are having all these issues that our grandparents and even parents say didn’t happen in their day – Half the stuff going ON and IN us didn’t go ON or IN them in their day. Their bodies got to function as they were designed to – no weird foreign objects to try and decipher as we’re doing by the 1000s today.

• Eat garlic and turmeric. They are natural antioxidants and anti inflammatory spices. Enjoy through your meals AND chop your garlic and leave it there chopped for a few minutes before adding to the food – its antioxidant level goes UP preparing it this way.

• ADD vegetables. I always suggest that the best possible diet change for anyone and everyone trying to demystify healthy eating, is to double the veggies. It’s so simple, yet such a massive increase in micronutrients, promoting health at the cellular level.

• Work with a practitioner. A practitioner such as a nutritionist or naturopath will lead you with your specific case in mind, to ensure you’re detoxing safely, with the relevant herbs you require in your case and to help monitor you as you detox and be of support if direction needs changing or to celebrate the wins!

• Take baths with epsom salts, lectric soda, MSM, clay or magnesium oil – or a combination of some or all. Just 15-20 minutes will ensure some of these powerful detoxifier seep into your skin OR draw toxins OUT of your skin. Some words from Shalani McCray “Epsom salts contain magnesium as well. When you have an Epsom salt bath set aside around 40mins. In the first 20 mins is when the detoxing happens and in the last 20mins is when you absorb magnesium. Alternatively you could do the 20min Epsom just for detox and then on another night do the Magnesium Chloride for Magnesium absorption. With detox baths you want to start with a small amount and build up. So with epsom salts I would usually recommend starting with half a cup and building up. You may get really hot and light headed which is part of the detox so be careful when getting out of the bath. I like to go from the bath to the shower briefly. Also, the detox baths are fantastic for children. We use them A LOT with great success for children on the autism spectrum and they are really good when children have eaten crap like after a birthday party. The baths can be Epsom , MgCl, seaweed, bicarb, salt…. All have their benefits.” Have you checked out BLANTS yet for bulk buying of Mag Chloride and Epsom? Much more economical.

• Talk to a practitioner about supplements. If your liver is stressed or congested, you would do well to work specifically on liver detoxification, because if your liver is ‘stuck’ so are your toxins!

• Invest in a CYP450 test if you have access to one. You can get one done in Sydney through Concept Holistic Health or google locally near you. It’s a private blood test, so it’s quite expensive at around $600, but the result you get shows the state of your key liver detoxification enzymes which will then be able to be used for making any long term medication decisions and certain nutritional ones.

• Consider an age old yet giggled about solution – enemas! I’ll let Shalani explain in her video.

• Eat foods that chelate – that is, they bind to heavy metals and other toxins and draw them out of the body. There is a lot of literature on cilantro / coriander to support its extreme natural efficacy on detoxing the body from heavy metals. A simple green smoothie to make is 1 cup water, 0.5 cup coconut water or chilled herbal tea, 1/2 bunch coriander, 1/2 cucumber, 1 lime juiced, whizzed in a good blender for a minute. This is 2 serves for 2 days. Drink and enjoy SLOWLY a few times a week while RELAXING. Other foods are pectins, parsley, onion, garlic and chlorella. Even proteins have been found to assist in keeping the levels of detoxification enzymes in healthy numbers in the liver. So your food is super important in the detox puzzle. I will say though, ‘green smoothie’ craze is not something I promote when it’s packed with spinach and kale. You can read more about that here.

• Use a dry brush before the shower to stimulate the lymphatic system and move toxins along and out.

• Get a deep tissue massage. This is super effective because you are getting into a relaxed state AND then stimulating the shift of toxins from tissues… Be sure to drink a good amount of water afterwards (a couple of cups) or a herbal tea to support the process. • Use a good lymphatic drainage encouraging body range. The Birch range from Weleda, that has an internal tonic as well as scrub and oil can assist not just with the cosmetic cellulite ‘look’ but the drainage of the lymph.

• Eat a simple raw carrot salad in the morning, seasoned with apple cider vinegar, lemon and olive oil. It is extremely cleansing and a great morning detox kick start. 1/2 a cup in serving size is plenty.

• Do yoga that has twists and releases in its style. So, so good to do ‘release’ style yoga with lots of twists to flush out organ toxicity. Kate Kendall, who we heard from earlier in the program, has a wonderful online yoga class that speaks to detoxification – The Crooked Crow. So good!

• Experiment with diatomaceous earth – taking bentonite clay, which is a powerful detoxifier.

• Oil pulling, preferably coconut oil or cold pressed sesame oil. Oil pulling, also known as “kavala” or “gundusha,” is an ancient Ayurvedic dental technique that involves swishing a tablespoon of oil in your mouth on an empty stomach for around 20 minutes. This action supposedly draws out toxins in your body, primarily to improve oral health but also to improve your overall health. There’s an interesting piece here, by a Chicago dentist who provides a really balanced look at oil pulling as well as overall oral health and the baddies we want to keep at bay and cleanse from our mouths.

• Take activated charcoal (also a great tooth whitener) You can read more here. Once a year I do a 30 day cleanse and up my ‘yin yoga’ practice during that month, with 1 tsp in water twice a day, followed by a second glass of pure water each time. This is a great chelator and Nourishing Hub has my favourite brand.

• Try for types of movement where you sweat at least 5 times a week…. Even if it’s for a few minutes – rebounding/trampoline is great for assisting the lymphatic system (most women have very sluggish lymphatic systems).

So voila. Detox ideas aplenty. Do not panic and do not try to do all of these or ‘think’ you need to do all of these, because you do not. As I said at the start and as you can see from above, there are many ways to detox the body. Pick a couple a month and road test various methods to see what resonates best with you. You also can’t put a price on making an appointment with a good naturopath to decide with you on your best detox road to suit you.

Enjoy and remember that just by STOPPING the use of all of the things we’ve discussed thus far, you are already naturally detoxing by default, so if you find having to ‘do stuff’ to detox daunting, don’t worry: Your body’s already doing stuff without you having to do a thing, other than of course, work on your breathing and being as relaxed as possible and maybe grate that carrot in the mornings as your ‘thing’ for now. Task for Today

Pick JUST 2 detox methods you’re going to experiment with this week and if you’re in the Facebook group, feel free to share your progress over there.

Need a cheat sheet for today’s materials? CLICK HERE

Disclaimer: A reminder of what I said in the beginning of the course, with my disclaimer – The information in this course is based on research and expert experience. For your specific case, I ALWAYS recommend investing in seeing a practitioner to discuss your situation. Nothing compares to one on one time with a great practitioner. For Sydney or skype recommendations, just ask me, I’m happy to recommend my favourite and highly experienced practitioners.

A note for pregnant women: Do not undertake any extreme detoxification when pregnant. Regular dry brushing, massage, a carrot salad and my suggested and very gentle chelating herb smoothie is plenty to be doing while pregnant or breast feeding and once again, as always, discuss with your practitioner. Day 23: Teeth, fluoride and water filtration

Today we’re exploring toothpaste, fluoride and water filtration. Before hooking into the content, I’d love for you to listen to my interview with Dr Ron Ehrlich, founder of the Sydney Holistic Dental Centre and sensational podcast, The Good Doctors. He’s one of the most common sense, wise practitioners we have available to us, as we all look for the answers to a better life both within us and around us. Enjoy!

It’s a sound file, so go for a walk, or pour a tea and download the transcript if you fancy.

Alexx chats to Dr. Ron Ehrlich | Transcript

Now, how about we look at the best selling toothpaste on the market, in terms of its ingredients.

Bless them, I love that they say ‘no Colgate toothpaste contains sugar’ – As soon as something proclaims that it is ‘something free’ ask yourself this simple question: So what IS in it then? It will save you from a lot of weirdness out there!

1. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate – One we know already by now, but to recap… It can be derived from petroleum or palm oil, it can penetrate the skin (gums are SUPER absorbent!) and accumulate in vital organs. It can cause or aggravate acne (hello, foam cleansers for oily skin???). It has suspected liver toxicity and is in almost all forms, toxic to aquatic organisms (source: EWG.org and Chemical Maze research team) SLS is fine in laundry or washing up liquid when you’re wearing gloves even, but is absolutely not fine to be scrubbing into our gums.

2. Glycerin – Almost always unsustainable palm oil when from a big mainstream brand.

3. Sodium Saccharin – Petroleum derived. Suspected reproductive and developmental toxicity and can cause rash and hives (source: EWG)

4. Flavour – Whatever that means… Can be artificial, can be real, can be toxic, can be not… We don’t like vagueness and secrets in the low tox life!

5. Carrageenan – Extracted from red seaweed and has strong links to inflammatory bowel disease when in the context of food additive. It may be contaminated with polygeenan, a known carcinogen. This is more important to not have in food as an ingredients (worth checking your ingredient lists as it shows up surprisingly often) but nonetheless, it’s an iffy ingredient at best. If the toothpaste is fully low tox but has Carrageenan then if I enjoyed it that’s something I might overlook (just spelling out the no black or white factor here)

6. Sodium Fluoride – Here’s where the irony begins… Potential effects include dental fluorosis, bone cancer, bone fractures, suspected respiratory, developmental, liver, musculoskeletal and neurotoxicity (Scorecard, Chemical Maze)

7. Triclosan – We’re old hat at this ‘anti bacterial, chloroform off gassing number’, now aren’t we?

The other thing in many toothpaste tubes still are microbeads. BPA containing, and headed out to a water way near you in the 1o’s of 1000s, every time we brush. No good at all!

The other chemicals in the lineup are harmless, but are they USEFUL in the fight against tooth decay? No. So how did we end up cleaning our teeth with this stuff and how did fluoride become safe to go in drinking water with that wrap above?

Well, it’s very complicated. The truth bomb moment when I decided to ditch the fluoride was the one where I learnt about the 5 major different kinds and which ones were used in our drinking water!

Sodium Fluoride is used in most toothpastes, mouthwashes, dental varnish, dental preparations and nutritional supplements. This same form of fluoride is used as an insecticide and pesticide, as a preservative in glues, as a growth inhibitor for bacteria, fungi and mold. Sodium fluoride is also used in making steel and aluminum products. Added to molten metal, sodium fluoride creates a more uniform metal. Other industrial uses for sodium fluoride include glass frosting and wood preservatives. Sodium Fluoride is also used in the manufacture of chemical and biological weapons. Although this form of fluoride can be used for water fluoridation, the next two forms listed are almost always used due to cost.

Calcium Fluoride (CaF2) is a compound of calcium and fluorine which occurs naturally as the mineral fluorite – also called fluorspar. Most of the world’s fluorine comes from calcium fluoride. Fluorides in general are toxic to humans, however CaF2 is considered the least toxic, and even relatively harmless due to its extreme insolubility. Moreover, calcium is a well-known antidote for fluoride poisoning. When an antidote exists in combination with a poison, it makes the poison far less toxic to the body. Calcium fluoride is the form of fluoride commonly found in natural, untreated waters.

Cryolite or Sodium Aluminum Fluoride is commonly used for aluminum smelting, though is also a pesticide often applied directly to field crops, resulting in permitted fluoride residues in and on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) is commonly used for water fluoridation. This form of fluoride is a toxic liquid by-product, acquired by scrubbing the chimney stacks of phosphate fertilizer manufacture. Other names for it are hexafluorosilicic, hexafluosilicic, hydrofluosilicic, and silicofluoric acid. The CDC approximates that 95% of our water is fluoridated with fluorosilicic acid. (http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/fact_sheets/ engineering/wfadditives.htm#1)

Sodium Fluorosilicate (Na2SiF6) is primarily added to public drinking water as a fluoridation agent. This same compound is also used as an insecticide and a wood preservative. It is a classified hazardous waste by-product of phosphate fertilizer manufacture which, if not put into our drinking water, must be disposed of at hazardous waste facilities. Other names for it are Sodium Fluosilicate and Sodium Silica Fluoride. (Source: Fluoride Detective)

So the 4th and 5th types are toxic waste products of industry that are extremely expensive and dangerous to dispose of as hazardous waste. They are however, able to be sold as a product to governments and water companies if they go in our drinking water!?!? Yes, you can call me Erin Brochokivch from now on, but does this not smell very fishy to you? All too convenient a solution? It’s illegal to dump and must be disposed of as a hazardous waste product BUT it’s legal to dump IN US? I really didn’t love that when I learnt it… especially when I had spent years learning about strengthening the teeth from the inside out through a diet that mineralises your teeth and bones. So why did I need a neurotoxin that is super hard to detox, floating around in the body?

So how do we safely and rationally explore such a big ingrained truth that fluoride is good for us, when it may be the case that it isn’t?

Well, I’ve invited two wonderful and gentle experts to discuss their views on the subject.

You have the wonderful wisdom of Dr Ron Ehrlich in our chat above, which I encourage you to listen to when you have 30 minutes. And I also wanted to share some thoughts from the very experienced natural practitioner and BMedSc as well as Advanced Dips in Naturopathy and Nutrition, Tabitha McIntosh, who you now know from the low tox kids day. She’s passionate about pure drinking water and has researched the topic extensively with more peer reviewed and medical data than you or I will ever have time to read.

Tabitha writes…

“Fluoride is everywhere – it’s in tap & drinking water, a common ingredient in pesticides and insecticide residue on fruits & vegetables, commercial juices, soft drinks, prepared baby foods, toothpastes, and more. A major source of fluoride in Australia of course is our tap water: where it is colourless, odourless, tasteless, and toxic in large amounts. It’s derived from the superphosphate fertiliser industry – classified as a hazardous waste – and is banned in water, mouth washes and breath drops in some other countries.

Nothing in health is one size fits all. And one of the major issues is, that once we put fluoride into the water, we can’t control the dose: the margin for safety is diminished. The level of flouride put into tap water in Australia (1ppm) is 100 times higher than normally found in mother’s milk (0.01ppm). For example consider a four month old bottle fed baby – in early stage neurodevelopment, with a porous blood brain barrier – receiving towards one litre of formula milk made up on boiled tap water, where proportional to body weight, fluoride intake is dangerously high. This scenario is not uncommon, and perhaps is a reason that fluoride is mentioned as a developmental neurotoxicant in Landrigan’s 2014 paper. Neurobehavioural effects of developmental toxicity, published in the Lancet Neurology. www.thelancet.com/neurology Vol13 March2014, accesses 2 Mac 2014.

Many health authorities including the World Health Organisation and the Australian government say that low levels of fluoride in drinking water is safe and protects teeth against decay, but Dr Grandjean and Dr Landrigan (ref Lancet Neurology March 2014) said a meta-analysis of 27 studies, mainly from China, had found children in areas with high levels of fluoride in water had significantly lower IQ scores than those living in low- flouride areas – on average decrement of about 7 IQ points (ref 44 in Landrigan paper). . We do know that during foetal life and early infancy, the blood brain barrier provides only partial protection against the entry of chemicals such as fluoride into the central nervous system (CNS), and whilst Fluoride is protective against dental decay when applied topically to the teeth, it is not supposed to be in the brain – ever.

So to re-iterate major concern, for a 5kg infant is feeding on 1L of formula daily, made up with boiled tap water (boiling does not get rid of trace metals like Fluoride), then that infant’s exposure to fluoride becomes absolutely excessive, and the repetitive exposures have potential for much harm – Cue me feeling horrible when I learnt this AFTER my son’s 8 months on formula top ups having low milk supply… BUT, we learn and we move on and we do the best we can with what we have and what we know from that day forward.

Health effects

Fluoride appears to become really problematic to humans in two scenarios: when intake is extremely high; and/or when intake of other important micronutrients and minerals is low and inadequate. The primary health issues ascribed to fluoride consumption are bone health and thyroid dysfunction, for which there is ample evidence. And overexposed to fluoride we are! Virtually all foodstuffs contain at least trace amounts of fluoride. When water is fluoridated, it is not just the water that is fluoridated, but all foods and beverages that are made with the water. A common presentation of overexposure is dental fluorosis (mottling & discolouration of tooth enamel). Fluoride is also bio- accumulative in bone, potentially weakening the bone structure (skeletal fluorosis), contributing in some cases to osteopenia and osteoporosis. Twenty-four studies have shown a link between high fluoride exposure and the lowering of IQ. Getting too much fluoride in your daily cuppa also has potential to compromise thyroid function, or more specifically Iodine uptake into the thyroid. The more one reads into the literature, the more Hypothyroid conditions take on a new perspective.

In regards to the second scenario above, Iodine deficiency & sub-optimal Iodine status has become a huge problem in the last decade with the cessation of Iodine based sterilising agents in our commercial Dairies. Iodine is critically important in pregnancy for neuropsychological development in our babies. But are we an ‘Iodine-deficient population’? or “over-fluorinated & over-chlorinated population?” Whichever scenario, it involves children with reduced IQ’s which is not an ideal scenario, especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). The 22nd Australian Total Diet Study. Canberra FSANZ, 2008.

Li M, Ma G et al. Re-emergence of Iodine deficiency in Australia. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr. 2001;10(3):200-3.

The evidence of health effects are far reaching. There are many gaps in our knowledge about long-term health risks associated with exposure to systemically ingested fluoride, however numerous authors who have found evidence of increases in dental fluorosis have called for more research on potential links with skeletal fluorosis, bone fractures, bone cancer, joint pain, thyroid damage, mental and physiological changes and dementia.” Thank you Tabitha. An amazing piece on fluoride and involuntary amounts of bioaccumulation being the real danger when it comes to fluoride in modern life!

So what’s the real secret to preventing tooth decay then? Well, Weston A Price a dentist in the 1930s made a decade of his life’s work, the study of traditional cultures eating traditional unprocessed foods. It’s a fascinating book if you fancy reading it. Click on his name above. What did he find? That cultures that had not been introduced to refined grains and sugar, and ate a traditional diet of whatever ‘their people’ ate (everything from blubber to raw cream and sourdough to vegetarian to cultured foods and liver and more) showed little tooth decay if any.

Ramiel Nagel also has an excellent book on cavity reversal and prevention, in little people and grown ups alike. Great read. He talks about many things, including the fact that bacteria aren’t the problem, it’s a lack of nutrition. A pattern continues to emerge as I write and research in this field more and more, and that is:

Real, nutrient dense and colourful natural food, with minimal to no refined and processed foods, gets you a long way to feeling awesome and having a strong body. This being the majority of your food will prevent tooth decay in the most powerful way possible.

Think of nails as an easy example. Nails that break and are brittle and have white spots and ridges… They’re a sign of mineral deficiency. The miracle of a little detox work and possible mineral supplementation and foods rich in minerals (Go on, eat those oysters, I told you to!) to get your stores back up gives you beautiful hard, invincible nails. Teeth are the same. Our bodies are the same. Not enough minerals (and of course other things) and things stop functioning at their best.

Note here: See a nutritionist / naturopathic practitioner or go and visit a holistic dentist like mine, Dr Ron Ehrlich of the Sydney Holistic Dental Centre if you’re in Sydney, for an individual assessment if you’re concerned about constant cavities, fluorosis or deficiencies. It’s great if you have a problem to inform yourself with internet research, but best to see a practitioner to discuss your individual case.

It is entirely up to you to decide whether you want to err on the side of caution or continue to just drink tap water – You aren’t wrong for having an opinion. Everyone simply acts to the best of their knowledge, and I would feel irresponsible NOT presenting a different way of thinking so that your choice was informed, rather than dictated.

If you want to explore the natural side of things, here are toothpaste, mouthwash options:

Toothpaste

• You could go the Julia Roberts vibe of simply using Bicarb soda OR check out these other options in the Healthy Home Economist post. Some people argue that bicarb long term strips your teeth, while others say ‘go for it’. My feeling is it’s great for a short ‘brighten phase’ but best use a gentler natural tooth paste daily.

• You could dabble in this remineralising toothpaste from Every Day Paleo

• There’s a great little Australian business that makes wonderful holistic tooth products called Tooth Tonic. I’ve tried and add a drop of their tooth oil to my toothpaste every day and it is fabulous.

Mouth Wash

• This is a great recipe for a DIY mouthwash. Just be sure to use aluminium free bicarb and to use food grade essential oil if you’re going to make this.

• For store bought you have the Riddle’s Creek Aussie mouth wash

• Or the therapeutic Ratanhia Mouthwash from Weleda – wonderful if you ever experience a dry mouth.

Whitening

• Activated charcoal is an excellent whitener as is a diluted hydrogen peroxide gel (under guidance of your dentist only though!) Read a little more on oil pulling with activated charcoal at Living the Nourished Life which is, in fact, a great resource for natural dental care. • Now there is a super exciting USA brand available from BIOME, “My Magic Mud” natural teeth whitening and toothpaste powder. It is AMAZING to use! Tracey from BIOME met the couple who invented the formula and raves about both the formula and the genuine, lovely people behind the brand.

Floss

• What, wait, floss is toxic too? I’m afraid so. I wrote about it here along with road tested options on my blog.

Tongue Cleaner

Yes, you read that right… The Ayurvedic tradition is to scrape the tongue upon waking to expel toxins and bad bugs accumulated in the mouth overnight – It’s strangely addictive is all I can say. SHOP FOR ONE HERE.

Commercial brands of toothpaste to road test?

• I’ve tried and love Weleda’s ones. I actually quite enjoy just changing between the ones in their range to get variety. The Weleda Salt Toothpaste is one of the range that has a cult ‘love it or hate it’ status. Many a low tox alumni has fallen for it. Their children’s tooth gel is wonderful and that’s what my little guy uses and has done for years.

• BIOME has a nice big range of tooth related products to check out here.

• The lowest tox yet most ‘traditional minty’ tasting, is definitely the JASON toothpaste.

Luxury Toothpaste? Yep, it exists.

Tooth mousse from the Divine by Therese Kerr range. This is actually what my dental practice, Sydney Holistic Dental use to finish off your teeth – not the chemical cocktail I remember from dental visits past. Nothing but the best for my pearly whites at $19.99 a tube – and that’s the only time my teeth see it

There are loads of other brands. Dr Bronner has reformulated without Carrageenan too, so theirs is worth checking out with a few flavours available.

BRUSHES

The bamboo brush option is great – especially for little kiddies or sensitive teeth, as the bristles are quite soft. This is the most environmentally friendly choice.

There’s also the charcoal toothbrush which is a great ‘super clean’ feel.

And of course, there’s regular toothbrushes. I use an electric toothbrush because my husband won’t bend on this category and, well, that’s our ‘thing’. I do like that the refills are a fraction the size of buying a full new toothbrush every time, so I comfort myself that way. We choose Oral B because their bristles are the safest most inert plastic. Philips and Jack and Jill use DuPont created plastic for their bristles, and from an ethics perspective I won’t support them, because they are proponents of genetically modified, intensive pesticide use agriculture, as well as the creators of Teflon. Got Crocs? They make that plastic too. They’re pesky ‘fly under the radar’ bastards I tell ya! This is not to panic anyone that uses Jack and Jill tooth brushes, no. This is just to say that once you’ve covered off all the basics on this journey, you might – like me – start finding yourself going over things and going deeper into things to truly use products you feel comfortable with through and through.

NOTE ON GLYCERIN (e)

This is in many ‘natural’ toothpastes and is thought to prevent remineralisation of teeth but there is research to show that this is only when used in conjunction with whiteners such as peroxide and baking soda. Whenever research land is conflicted, I come back to simple stuff. The most important thing for your teeth: Brushing twice a day, flossing once a day, a wholefoods diet low in sugar and processed starchy grain based snacks and cheap breads. Your diet will protect you from cavities much more than any amount of fluoride ever could.

I DO take a position on origin of glycerine – for Vegans you will want to ensure it’s not animal origin as it often is from tallow / animal fats. For everyone, we will want to ensure it’s not form unsustainable palm oil production.

Remember as Ron says: Our teeth are attached to a body – yours. They can sometimes be a glaring indication of inflammation somewhere else in the body, or a poor digestive system due to a lack of nutrients being absorbed, or other things. On this topic if you’ve any questions, talk to your practitioner and / or seek out a holistic dentist in your area and do some reading. I tend to stay away from blogs for medical advice and important decisions, unless they are thoroughly referenced with studies and medical professionals, regardless of what side they are arguing.

Now, onto the fluoride in the water… Further resources that suggest fluoride as used today in our water and in daily use, might not be the best idea.

Watch the Fluoride Deception Interview with creator Chris Bryson and the award winning documentary Fluoridegate – Great and shocking investigative looks at Fluoride – the history and the situation today. Time to change the conversation when it comes to fluoride and where is our most frequent exposure to fluoride? Not in our toothpaste, but in our drinking water, several times a day. Which brings me to water filtration.

WATER FILTRATION

Given that fluoride is still touted as a benefit by governments and many dentists, I need to remind you here: This is your choice to make and I’m certainly not telling you what to do. I’m the first to admit that I am no expert on fluoride and filtration, but personally I believe I’ve gathered all the information I need to believe that it’s not something I want in my daily drink.

So if you believe the same, we of course want some options! When it comes to filtering water, it’s not just the fluoride that is potentially harmful, but chlorine vapor, pesticides and other residues that are best removed. Ideally, we want a filter that’s going to deal with the lot and whatever you can afford is absolutely better than nothing. Given our skin soaks up so much water, what do we do for our showers and baths? Can we filter our whole houses’ water?

There are different types of water filtration processes for those of you who want to know – If you feel yourself glazing over, just pop down to the recommendations if you want to start looking into options for your home. Here are the main processes:

1. Distilling water Distillation is just about the oldest method of water purification. Water is first heated to boiling. Then the water vapor rises to a condenser where cooling water lowers the temperature so the vapor is condensed, collected and stored. Most contaminants stay behind in the liquid phase vessel. However there can sometimes be what is called carry-overs found in the distilled water. Organics such as herbicides and pesticides and the heavy metals within them, can actually become concentrated in the product water – this is why if you’re feeding a baby with formula it’s important NOT to do the ‘boiled water’ method. Distilled water lacks oxygen and minerals and has a flat taste, which is why it is mostly used in industrial processes. Not a good one for our drinking water options. Next!

2. Ion Exchange

The ion exchange process percolates water through bead-like spherical resin materials (ion-exchange resins). Ions in the water are exchanged for other ions fixed to the beads. The two most common ion-exchange methods are softening and deionization. Deionization can be an important component of a total water purification system when used in combination with other methods discussed in this primer such as RO filtration and carbon adsorption. DI systems effectively remove ions, but they do not effectively remove most organics or microorganisms. Microorganisms can attach to the resins, providing a culture media for rapid bacterial growth and subsequent pyrogen generation. Not quite what we’re looking for either – we want more!

3. Carbon Adsorption

Carbon absorption is a widely used method of home water filter treatment because of its ability to improve water by removing disagreeable tastes and odors, including objectionable chlorine. Activated carbon effectively removes many chemicals and gases, and in some cases it can be effective against microorganisms. However, generally it will not affect total dissolved solids, hardness, or heavy metals. So to get the fluoride out of our drinking water, we still need more than simply carbon!

4. Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis, a water treatment method traditionally known for removing salt from seawater, is also used to purify drinking water by forcing untreated water molecules through a semipermeable membrane or filter. The membrane blocks contaminants and the impurities are subsequently expelled from the environment. The result is pure, clean drinking water. The Reverse Osmosis membrane has a tight pore structure (less than 0.0001 micron or 500,000 times less than the diameter of a human hair) that effectively removes up to 99% of all contaminants and impurities such as total dissolved solids, chemicals, bacteria and viruses from drinking water. Anti-microbial filters used in Reverse Osmosis also help to remove unwanted odors, colors and tastes from water. Reverse Osmosis filtration technology is so effective that it is used by most leading water bottling plants. There are arguments that reverse osmosis starves the body of minerals, but to date it seems, that if you have a diet rich in minerals through clean food including sea vegetables and mineral rich salt such as Himalayan at a pinch here and there with meals or even in your water, then that isn’t an issue.

5. Bone Char – Say what?

Brimac is a High Calcium Bone Char made of charred animal bone. Bovine (cow) bones are taken from cold storage, thoroughly cleaned and put in sun and rain for at least 90 days and totally dried. It is then carbonized at 1472 degrees Fahrenheit in controlled conditions. The result is Kosher Certified, 100% organic bone char made of 80% phosphate of calcium, 10% carbon and 10% calcium carbonate. It lasts a long time, has no toxicity and leaves behind beneficial minerals. There is no pH effect and it can remove chlorine, heavy metals and radioactive isotopes on top of fluoride. Bone char is considered a more effective contaminate remover than coconut because it is hundreds of times more porous and contains calcium which attract the fluoride. Fluoride removal requires greater contact time for its removal as it is considered a dissolved solid. The calcium content in the bone is what removes fluoride. Calcium attracts the fluoride whether it is calcium or sodium-based. This is why multi-stage bone char filter systems are recommended. Two stage systems will remove about 50% of fluoride, three stage systems will remove about 75% and four stage systems remove about 95% based on a 1.5ppm fluoride level. My issue with Bone char is: How do we know that the bones used in this are cruelty free farmed which will also mean hormone, GMO and antibiotic free? How does that work ethically with vegan / vegetarian friends at my house for dinner? I would feel bad, even as an omnivore who has no issue with the concept personally. I’m still researching bone char and I want to be completely transparent on that – I don’t have the answer yet and there is conflicting information on this technique.

6. Kangen Water Filter – An ultra luxury priced alkalising water system, proported to be the most potent and powerful one, making the water molecules smaller and thus more fast hydrating to us. It’s popular with many.

You might be saying…

Argh, it’s all too complicated, just tell me what filter I need?

There are a few questions you can ask yourself to get to the answer of what you might like to choose for your home here, thanks to Pure Magic Water purifiers. These questions will cover most questions for city / country dwellers for the basic level of knowledge depth we’re going into today.

• What is my major concern about the drinking water?

If you are concerned with just the bad taste or smell, choose a system with a carbon filter. It will remove the taste and smell and you can enjoy delicious water that will be chlorine, most bacteria and pesticide free. If you want to remove fluoride or heavy metals such as copper, lead, aluminium, cadmium, mercury, etc., choose a Reverse Osmosis System or a carbon filter ‘candle’ system with the portable filters.

• What type of water source do I have?

If you live in the city, your treated water is generally safe from pathogens, harmful bacteria and viruses. You have a wide range of choices, depending on the water quality you expect. If you use tank, rain, bore or stream water, you may need protection from Giardia, Cryptosporidium, blue-green algae, harmful bacteria and other micro- organisms.

Depending on the situation, you may also need extra protection from certain heavy metals and/or chemicals and you may need to soften your water as well. If you are on low water mains pressure below 60 psi, Reverse Osmosis may not function properly without a booster pump.

• What if we’re on tank water? What’s the best tank?

Milkwood permaculture blog has an ourstanding comparison list for water tanks HERE.

• How much water do I need, and how quickly do I need it?

If you have a large family with children, running a busy life, you may need real time filtration or an automatic type reverse osmosis system rather than a slow, small-capacity gravity or jug type filter. If you are a couple or a small family and have a plenty of time of your own, a manual wall mount type Reverse Osmosis might be a good choice. If you are single or couple with one or two kids, a counter top or jug type filter will be enough.

• How much and what part of my water should be filtered?

If the filtered water is just for drinking and cooking, point-of-use systems installed under the sink are most economical. If you want clean water for your shower, you can use a shower filter. If you want all the water in your household filtered, a whole house system (point-of-entry) is available.

• How much do I want to spend?

If your budget is between $100 – $200, you can buy a single counter top or a gravity- feed terracotta/ceramic. If your budget is between $200 – $600, a 2-stage/3-stage under-sink system and a manual/potable reverse osmosis are within your budget. If you can spend $600 – $2500, a deluxe, under-sink, automatic reverse osmosis system or a distiller can be yours.

Types of filters

The most important thing here is not to stress. If your budget is small, you don’t need to feel bad about not getting the full under-the-sink filter system or whole house system. Any filtration choice is better than none. If the best you can do is plan for it within the next year? Then that’s a great thing to be working towards.

US Resource for counter top and home filters? Go here.

UK Resource for counter top and home filters? Go here. • A simple, small-ish counter top jug (that isn’t the prettiest thing in the world but is very effective) is the AcePot jug. Yes, it’s plastic but you’ll recall Dr Dingle’s research around plastic kept at length in a vessel? The AcePot is BPA and phthalate free and if you’re drinking water daily, your water never spends more than a day in the filter before being finished and replaced. Just be sure to finish it completely before using a new one so the fresh water is always circulating.

• Next up is this beautiful Ceramic fluoride (and everything else) removal, ceramic counter top 12L. Great value and lovely design – handmade individually and available from BIOME. It’s perfect for families and it’s my choice at home, as we’re in a rental and I don’t want to invest in a full under the sink system at this stage.

• Next is this really reasonable, yet effective under the sink system from a company that’s been operating for over 10 years (beware dodgy internet sites with no shop or local number that you can call. I like to know that the people behind my water filtering are legitimate and have been doing it for a long time!) Many alumni have gone through them and been very, very happy.

• Now onto the best tasting water I’ve experienced from a bench top filter – The Waters Co BIO MINERAL POT 500. It removes the most fluoride of all the filtration systems if this aspect is important to you.

• More powerful 4 stage reverse osmosis and whole house systems can be found here. If you’ve already installed something on this scale and are happy with the service and the product – why not share with the group on facebook? I’d love to add more local businesses to your area to the compendium for the end of the course.

• If you wanted to go for a countertop option but then were worried about the shower – after all, we’re breathing in vapours and bathing in shower water for around 10 minutes, then a simple shower filter is the answer. We have this one and I can’t quite believe how ‘swimming pooly’ other showers are at the gym or swimming pool.

NOTE: Many fluoride removal filters, especially the less expensive ones, use aluminium oxide in their filtration process. We want to stay away from those, as it’s not logical to remove one neuro toxin and add in another!

A note on baths

I came across a nifty trick to neutralise chlorine for your kids’ and your bath. All it takes is a teaspoon of vitamin C (Ascorbic acid and sodium ascorbate forms are the ones that works well) More information on that here. Why is the chlorine important to get out? Well, kids are tiny and notorious for having really long baths. To make it the safest possible and avoid chlorine breathing or absorption on their skin, that little teaspoon of vitamin C in the bath 2-4 minutes before they get in, is a small thing to do for a purer bathing experience for us all, don’t you think? We’ll talk more about detoxing in the bath in a few days!

Note – I don’t recommend those forms of vitamin C for taking orally, as there is evidence to support that they disturb gut bacteria. Naturally derived C is best through food and ‘trendy’ natural vitamin C concentrates such as acerola or camu camu if you feel you need a C boost.

A note on chlorine in public pools

We don’t want our kiddies soaking in chlorine all day so their best defence is a high-oil moisturiser before their swim to act as a barrier cream. Next defence is a small dose of zinc to counter effect the internal exposure of chlorine that soaks through the skin (although it must be said non-stress worthy!) Discuss with your practitioner, but Tabitha recommends a ‘follow the supplement directions” amount for your age and stage, and take for 2 days when exposed to chlorine pools. Can’t I just buy bottled water for our home?

There’s nothing stopping you, BUT: Consider single use plastic as the greatest contributor to landfill today and how it’s not sustainable for our future. Consider also, Dr Peter Dingle’s research on the length of time water is in the plastic, rather than the ‘sippy cup single day’ scenario, with water constantly changing over. That branded water is bottled and shipped and sat on store shelves for weeks before selling, and that is where the concern is: The time it spends in that bottle. So, it’s fine for every now and then, but as an every day source, not so much.

Water filtration is a BIG and complex topic and this could be a 7 day course in itself. So today’s module is really here to help people starting out on the water filtration journey and present a few cost effective options.

I truly believe, along with every holistic practitioner I’ve met and interviewed, that this should be a priority for people’s homes for the long term. The refills are inexpensive and they’re a great investment piece in your low tox armour not just against fluoride, but pesticide, antibiotic residues, pathogenic bacteria, chlorine and heavy metals. We drink litres and litres of water each week and this is such a great way to reduce daily toxin exposure.

If you haven’t made the time to listen to my chat with Dr Ron Ehrlich, why not take the time now to delve into the science in an easy to understand way? Here it is again. You can catch Ron’s awesome podcast “The Good Doctors” too here – Be careful, you may never come out! So many interesting topics.

TASK for TODAY

• In your household, talk about water filtration. Maybe you want to watch one of the documentaries from today’s lesson on fluoridation with your partner to go on the journey together, or listen to my interview with Ron above. Maybe you want to share this simple article by Tabitha McIntosh about drinking water in general. In this piece talks about tap water in general and is a great, non pushy piece presenting the facts to stop family from thinking you’re a whacko all of a sudden!

• Make oral health and hygiene a focus in your house for a week – Is everyone brushing twice a day and flossing once a day? Could your household eat less processed carbohydrates / starches and less sugar, and focus on INCLUDING in some yummy real food options when hungry / snacking such as veggie sticks, dips, fresh fruit, quality cheese?

Remember it doesn’t need to be actionable today or even next month, but decide together on the priority and make a plan. Whatever you decide to do, think about this: Given the amount of water we put on and IN us, doesn’t it stand to reason we would want to be informed about what’s in it and what the effects of what’s in it might be IN us?

Need a cheat sheet for today? CLICK HERE. Day 24: The Antibacterial Myth – Are we ‘too clean’?

Check point: It can be all too easy to start obsessive compulsive patterns by getting extremely particular about things and worrying all the time about ‘everything’ killing you. If you feel yourself going there, sound the alarm and make an American action movie moment inside your heads with the words “Abort. abort!”

Remind yourself of what you’ve achieved. Be mindful as the need to replace things comes about and choose better next time when it comes to big ticket items. Let go of the notion of perfection. LOW tox, not NO tox. Our world is not black and white, and whatever we can change with whatever we can manage, is enough. It truly is. What’s that saying? The grass is always greener where we water it? Yep, that one. Focus on the awesomeness, not on how much there is yet left to do and it’s ok to go with the flow out and about. We can detox the odd weirdness unless experiencing severe health issues, so my motto to myself is always: Do your best when you’re in control, and when you’re not, do your best not to worry.

Now, today’s topic is a good one. And I’d love to start with a great chat with Liezel Barnard, Naturopath. We have a wonderful chat about ‘fear of bacteria’. She’s also been in the past the in house naturopath for Weleda, and I quizzed her on her best products for super sensitive or eczema-prone skin and fortifying the skin barrier. I also pinned her down about cellulite – just as a tangent that I know a lot of people battle with! I made the most of the interview for us, don’t you worry

Or sound cloud for taking your interview on a walk! https://soundcloud.com/alexx_stuart/ alexx-chats-to-liezel-barnard

Alexx chats to Liezel Barnard | Transcript

Bacteria

For a long time it’s been a dirty word. It was truly a miracle to be finally able to kill deadly bacteria that threatened lives when penicillin was introduced in the late 1930s. Many infant deaths prevented. Many infections from simple burns and cuts, stopped from turning into life threatening situations. Many experts were confident the tide had turned in the war against bacterial infections. Indeed, in 1969, the then US Surgeon General, William Stewart, boldly told the US Congress it was time to “…close the books on infectious diseases.”

This glorification of antibiotics however, gave birth to a tendency to use antibiotics for every little ailment – including often for viruses, which they do little for – as well as giving rise in popularity to the notion that ‘all germs were bad’ and that we had to ‘kill bacteria’. What happened as our obsession with killing bacteria grew? We started to create bug resistance and produce more powerful bacteria. We also started to kill not just the harmful pathogenic bacteria but the good guys as well and man, there are LOTS of good guys. We need them.

It might surprise you to learn as it did me, that we humans have more bacteria cells than we do human cells in us. We are 90% bacteria and 10% human cells. So it stands to reason that we make bacteria a top priority to understand better and ensure we get the balance right in both our environment outside and inside the body, as well as protecting the good bacteria and treating them like VIPs.

In the simplest of terms, I like to divide the types of good and bad bacteria into ‘good guys and bad guys’. Our skin, guts and colons have a whole bunch of good guys living on them – We don’t even realise they’re there most of the time. Their job is to hang out, kind of like army reserves, cruising and enjoying the day until pathogenic ‘bad guys’ come along. Our good guys are our first line of defence, and if we have them there ready and in abundance, they will attack the bad guys and say ‘no way are you going to take over our peaceful, happy home we’ve got going on.’

What weakens and depletes our good guys?

• Foods that feed the “bad guys” – refined carbohydrates, sugar, alcohol, pesticides. They are the bad guys’ favourite foods and thus can easily upset the balance of good vs bad on and in our bodies.

• Antibacterial obsession – The large group of products that have antibacterial agents.

• Antibiotics without rehabilitation to restore gut population vigilantly after treatment, AND treatment when it’s truly needed, rather than being handed out like lollies at a party (which of course also deplete good bacteria! Of course.)

What’s the big deal about our ‘good guys’ anyway? Does it really make a big difference?

Well, short answer yes. Big time.

• Our gut isn’t just our gut and our skin isn’t just our skin.

• Our skin is the fastest route to our blood stream.

• Our gut holds the key to nutrient absorption quality for our whole body.

• Our gut is where 80% of our immune system is powdered – if our good guys aren’t fighting the good fight for us, the bad guys take over and wreak havoc that can span from either gas and bloating, to infections, to autoimmune disease and more. • Our gut is our second brain – The connection between the two is so great, that if we don’t keep our good guys happy and in abundance, we can experience anything from depression, to bipolar, to anxiety, to alzheimers, now being called ‘type 3 diabetes’

So, no more of this ridiculous killing of the good guys. The world is not a sterile place. Let’s stop wishing it were, to the detriment of our health!

Washing hands and wiping surfaces with simple, non toxic cleaning products is the only daily antibacterial task you need to undertake vigilantly. That doesn’t need hardcore chemicals like bleach, alcohol and triclosan to do the job. Remember soap? Simple soap? Clinically proven to do just as good a job as any of the hard core hand washes and ‘antibacterial home hands free systems’ (!?!?!) of today.

The two major ‘antibacterial’ agents in popular hand sanitisers and antibacterial soaps?

1. Benzalkonium Chloride – Petroleum derived and a known irritant reported to cause asthma, dermatitis, eye and skin irritation and nervous system issues. What’s it also in? Asthma inhalers!!!!!! The world has gone mad.

2. Triclosan – Just to recap. A petroleum derived chemical that can off gas chloroform when mixed with liquids (!!) and can cause skin, eyes and lung irritation, immune system dysfunction along with being an environmental toxin. My dad was recommended, by his doctor, Phisohex to wash his face and body in the shower with a whopping 1% Triclosan when he had a small bacterial skin infection. Steam + water + Dad always had a cold or cough despite great diet???? Love me a bit of chloroform poisoning, don’t you? Couldn’t find the bin fast enough for that one!

Another thing to watch out for when it comes to triclosan, is this symbol above. You may come across this product symbol in your travels. ‘Microban‘ is code for triclosan and is often found in things like ‘mould resistant’ paint, varnishes, sponges, wash cloths and even products like sheets and mattresses. It is definitely one to watch out for and avoid.

To sum up, overuse of antibacterial products can cause our natural good bacteria depletion, not just the bad bacteria which over time can lead to superbugs and antibiotic resistance. That is the big picture reason to stop worrying so much about bacteria. Losing all the other chemicals from fake fragrances and other stuff in the process of ditching the antibacterial frenzy? That’s just a sweet, sweet bonus.

So, as always, onto solutions!

My top tips for building the good germs back up on and inside us?

1. Stop using antibacterial products with harsh chemicals like the above two that also impact the environment. Simple non toxic cleaning sprays, gentle soaps and and natural cosmetic products are all we need to keep bad guys at bay in our homes.

2. Stop using harsh personal care products that upset the balance of your skin. If you’ve acne or hormonal issues these are best fixed from the INSIDE out with an expert practitioner (I’d suggest naturopath / nutritionist combined and am trying to dig up a holistic dermatologist for more wisdom on this to share with the community as I know this affects many, many people!)

3. Reduce refined carbohydrate / sugar in your diet. If you think that means ‘no treats’, I just happen to have written a book full of Real Treats! #shamelessplug

4. Increase your intake of cultured foods. I have a great beginners’ post on the subject on my blog. Cultured veggies are brilliant because they contain so many different strains of good guys, whereas a probiotic will usually only ever have 8-12 on the better end of the practitioner quality products. If you do want a good probiotic however to start building your good army, I love the Health Force ones – A multi pronged approach to giving you good guys as well as food the good guys want so they have a greater chance of settling in and getting rid of the bad guys.

Kefir is probably the easiest cultured product you could start incorporating too, if you were going to start making something at home! With cultured food introduction I will say this: Start small and increase quantities over time. You will be causing a ‘killing of the bad guys’ by growing your good guy army and that can, errr, make you clear a room if you go too fast with your blast (can’t resist a good pun!) So a teaspoon for a day, then twice a day, then each meal, then a tablespoon then a tablespoon with each meal… then a couple of big sips of kefir in the mornings… Slow and steady increase to avoid ill effects of ‘die off’ of the bad guys. If you’re in Sydney keep an eye out for my absolute favourite store bought cultured veggies Kitsa’s Kitchen. Kitsa’s new shop, Emporio Organico, has opened now in Crows Nest in Sydney.

So now that we know to stop scrubbing down our skin with harsh antibacterial stuff and start filling our tummies with good guys, we’ll be back to balance in no time! This has tremendous impact on our natural ability to fight infections, as well as our overall health. If you’re interested in just how critical gut health and having abundant ‘good guys’ is to our health, I recommend Dr Natasha Campbell McBride’s books.

As for products now that we’ve debunked this antibacterial myth and exposed the dangers of wiping out all the bacteria?

Soap – Why not support a small, local hand made soap from a market or online?

• I love these Dindi soaps (which come in a lovely crochet hemp bag!) or these luxurious liquid hand / body soaps. These are local Aussie soaps and all palm oil and nasties free. Mokosh also make a lovely hand wash. These pumps from Dr Bronner’s are another good option – probably a favourite actually, and come in a variety of types with subtle, essential oil fragrances. You also have a whole page of various priced and naturally fragranced soaps from Nourished Life and Biome.

• If you would like to make your own hand soap, these Cuisipro Pumps turn it into a foam for you. Or these one are Mason Jar Ball ones are glass.

PRO TIP FOR DIYers: Once your foaming pump is finished, you can fill your empty dispenser with 1 part Dr Bronners and 3-5 parts water, 2 tsp olive oil and 5 drops essential oils of your choice and use as a super cheap pump soap. You will save so much money per litre, it’s crazy. Depending on the soap foaming pump style, you might need to up your ratio to 1/3 Dr Bronner / 1/3 Water. See how you go. Otherwise there is a ceramic foam pump, empty, available from Miessence shop, HERE. • Weleda make a lovely lavender bar soap which course alumni has loved. And then there’s the gorgeous Calendula soap from Weleda too -super gentle for sensitive skin and little people. This was our baby bath soap when the little man was a baby. Memories! NOTE: You don’t need to bathe a baby or small child every day. Once every two to three days is fine. It helps their natural oils stay in balance. Soap isn’t necessary more than a couple of times a week, unless you’ve had one of those, erm, delightful accidents!

Hand Sanitisers

• The Squeakie natural sanitiser is the one we use when out and about if things get grotty, to avoid having to use the chemically handwashes in public bathrooms.

• Dr Bronner’s Hand sanitiser is the one in my hand bag – I don’t use the fluoro pink hand soaps in those bathrooms, I just spray this on my hands and rinse under the public tap.

• Divine by Therese Kerr does a range including hand wash and sanitiser too.

• Another sanitiser option are these from EO Hand which make lavender or peppermint ones. They are awesome and tiny, so it fits easily in a bag on the run, with kids… No triclosan needed, thank you very much and perfect to finish a visit to the kiddy park with, to avoid the weird soap in the loos!

Home sanitising Glen20 family addiction? Well, get over it. Sometimes you need a spray to be sure you’ve swatted the nasties, sure. I like to spray my empty bin and the washed out compost bowl, for example. Nowadays, you’ve got an organic certified product that does the job just as well! Thanks ReSparkle for this awesome disinfectant spray. $8.50 for 500ml whereas Glen20 is $9.98 at Officeworks for 300ml. Go figure!? This is a great little example to show family members who might cry ‘But the expense!’. Nope. Cheaper!

Baby Wipes

• WotNot Wipes (which are disposable, 100% biodegradable and compostable) and • Nature’s Care Reusable Wipes another good option

• EcoOriginals Wipes are also great

Remember to resist the urge to sanitise everything. Just use as you’d use to ‘wash hands’ when out and about before meals or if leaving a playground to avoid passing on colds from other children.

Tissues

• The best option for tissues is a product that is recycled and, to reduce air miles, something made locally where possible. Naturale is a great supermarket option (same brand as recommended paper towel). Who Gives a Crap do tissues now too. So popular it’s temporarily sold out!

Pet Wash

• Got pets who need a wash? Dr Bronner’s Castille Soaps are awesome, diluted in water and scrubba dub dub for a non toxic pet washing experience!

Once again, if you’ve found something great in your area, feel free to share! You’re all good detectives now. Resist the urge to just ask me to look – I won’t be there forever and the whole point of going deep into information on various harmful ingredients, is so that you can independently assess whether something makes the low tox cut for you or not.

And as always, keep a look out at markets and find something local to you and celebrate it – I always love buying a soap or bath salt from a local artisan when I see a new one at the markets and gifting it for the next friend’s birthday.

Task for Today

1. Weed out any toxic antibacterial products you might have lying around.

2. Decide on your replacement strategy – more often than not, you actually just don’t need to buy them! 3. Make note of what you will replace things with, when you next need them.

Done.

NEED A CHEAT SHEET? CLICK HERE Day 25: Cookware & Bakeware

So here we are in the kitchen – to me, the centre of the house. It’s where we come together to share our family stories of the day. It’s where we have an opportunity to create and provide – to appreciate and give thanks. It’s a place where, if we do it right, we can be truly present in our day and connect with the people we love as well as build our best selves with nourishing whole foods.

It’s also a place of mass consumption that can all too easily have us lose sight of all the good things above. “You need *this* to be happy, you need *that* to get you through, take this pouch, by this $12 non stick pan, have 3 for the price of two and throw the last one in the bin anyway because actually, it was just too much!” There is so much noise all day every day coming at us from billboards, google ads, youtube ads, magazines, TV, radio… We need. We want. We deserve…

Ask yourself this…

How many cheap chopping boards, utensils and frying pans have you bought in the past 12-15 years?

After a time, they’re tatty and scratched with little bits of plastic peeling off or teflon peeling off and besides, you want that new, fresh feeling, right?

I spent hundreds on these sorts of items over the years if you add it all up, and for what? For more waste, more spending, a brief feeling of ‘ahhhh newness’ and then months later wanting or needing MORE when it breaks or looks crappy.

I felt buying expensive cookware was for ‘rich snobs’ and that it was ridiculous to spend large amounts on cookware. Boy did I have that wrong… Buying things we will treasure for generations to come is beautiful – no shame in it at all! It’s clever. It’s sustainable. Expensive things make us take care of them better. There is no ‘lose’ in this win, win situation. Maybe you have to wait a while while you save for the bigger ticket cookware, but the benefits are reaped for years if not generations, so it’s well worth it, don’t you think?

I believe one of the pieces of the puzzle in undertaking this kitchen journey is to get comfortable with wanting less and spending more when we do need something. It’s a natural part of going low tox in many ways. We wake up to the crazy marketing messages and we feel the urge to turn things back to a simpler, more natural time and way of life.

It took my precious Grandmère passing away 6 years ago, to learn the true value of quality and investment like our grandparents used to do. I was offered her chicken roasting pan by my auntie to bring back here to Australia. I had always loved it. I’d always loved the tiny brown saucepan too for some reason – nostalgia for holidays in Mauritius visiting my family. Anyway, I got home to Sydney and was curious to see just how old these two pieces were. 1.9.7.2. Yes, I’ll say it again: 1972, limited edition Le Creuset. That roasting pan has been the vessel for roasts in my family therefore now for 44 years. There has been no need to freshen up, update, replace or toss out because it’s indestructible and with age, actually becomes more loveable and endearing.

This is my Le Creuset collection today. I’ve picked up a medium saucepan from Mum from the late 70s when we lived in Chicago and more recently about 4 years ago, my prize possession: The big red pot for slow cooking in the oven which instead of other vacuous or lavish gifts from Mum and Dad for overseeing their renovations a few years back, I just wanted this one thing. We use it at least 3 times a week, every week. It’s going great guns.

It’s our culture that says we’re snobs for buying such things as an expensive cooking pot – I say we’re environmentalists!!! Scream it from the roof tops to your partners who stare incredulously at the price tags! So much cheap stuff goes into landfill every year, because it was never good quality in the first place. My kids and their kids will still be using these pans and that makes me so happy! Our new motto?

Buy Better. Buy less often. Waaaaaaay less often. CHERISH. Let’s bring Coco Chanel and her fashion philosophy into our kitchens.

What can we use to cook in? Here we go! A few materials to familiarise yourselves with first

• “Non stick” teflon coating. Nasty stuff. Read my post about teflon here. and everything else it’s in apart from bake / cookware.

• Cast iron – a great cooking material, but can be annoying for cooking things that you don’t want to stick like eggs. Ideal for stir fries, slow cooking, pan frying and roasting. It’s a good idea to keep your cast iron pots or skillet well-seasoned to prevent excessive iron leaching – which is often argued wouldn’t be a bad thing, given anaemia is so prevalent today. To learn all about cast iron pans in general and how great they are AND to season your cast iron pan, GO HERE. How to CLEAN it thereafter? GO HERE.

• Ceramic and glass – You get what you pay for in the land of ceramics and glass – Buy better and avoid dodgy fillers / impurities from the making of the product such as lead or cadmium. They are easily cleaned and can be heated to fairly high temperatures. Ceramic and enamelware cookware is glazed to resist wear and corrosion. There are many very low priced ceramic ‘non stick’ cookwares that are on the market. These in my experience and that of course alumni, report that it doesn’t last more than a couple of years before scratching. It’s always best to buy the best you can or hold out a couple of months and get the best – something durable and better quality means greater purchase pride, item care and long term use, thus reduced landfill. PRO TIP to have confidence? Type the brand name in your google search bar and then either contains lead? or toxic? and see if google search results return you anything. In the modern tech age, often you will find it checks out or isn’t good with a simple, well-crafted google search.

• Enamel / porcelain cookware – As long as the coating remains in good condition, the surface of these pots is durable, with no metal leaching into the food. Good quality cookware will have an extremely hard finish that is fused to the metal and won’t scratch, rust, fade or peel. However, some lower-priced cookware, which resembles porcelain-enamel, has an easily-damaged baked enamel finish. Baked enamel is fine for serving plates (such as the hugely popular Falcon range) but not very reliable for cooking unless you really keep an eye on those scratches where the metal can then leach.

• Aluminium – It might be true that it is a great heat conductor, lightweight, inexpensive and easy to clean. However, some aluminum is dissolved into food when you are cooking acidic foods like fruits and tomatoes or anything containing vinegar. Even if there is little risk from exposure to the levels of aluminum released into food from cooking, we are exposed to aluminum cumulatively from many other environmental sources. In addition, salty water or food can affect aluminum cookware, making older aluminium pots a possible source of trace amounts of substances like arsenic and fluorides. I choose not to use it for these reasons. (source: Wendy Priesnitz, journalist, Natural Life).

• Anodized aluminium is different, where the aluminium doesn’t leach into the food. HOWEVER, many cheap brands combine it with PFOA / PTFE technology and so it’s pointless. Le Creuset and Baccarat do ones that aren’t blended with any nasties. Worth a look if you’re already missing the non stick at the thought of today’s information (but I still say De Buyer black steel pans, once seasoned are my FAVOURITE! See below)

• Stainless steel – Wonderful, although some scientists suggest there are very low levels of various metals released over time into the food. The better the quality the tougher the pan, so always again think ‘investment and long term’ when it comes to stainless steel. The potential issue with stainless steel is nickel leaching. I love this Nutrition Coach post to help further explain the situation when it comes to stainless steel and leaching. My favourite brands for avoiding nickel are my brushed black stainless De Buyer pans and any 18/0 stainless steel (18/10 refers to 10% of nickel content). I also use stainless steel for cooking under 2 hours – roasts, sauté, steaming… I keep my slow cooking to ceramic or enamel trays to avoid metal leaching of any kind – It removes with it the doubt and conflict on the internet, to simply cook the faster stuff in stainless, and the slower / longer stuff in ceramic. Easy done.

• Copper – Copper is both a toxic heavy metal and a mineral that is essential to good health. Symptoms of copper toxicity include trouble concentrating, tender calf muscles, unexplained nausea, irritability, hyperactivity, constant fatigue, and chronic joint pain. So, for cooking it’s a bit like aluminium in that if you have something acidic, best use something else to cook it in. For the odd pretty soufflé in a restaurant or pulling out the ‘special copper pan’ for a dinner party? don’t stress and enjoy its beauty, but it’s not an everyday cookware kind of situation.

• “Green non stick” – The non stick technology such as Scanpan’s ‘green tech’, is the one where the PFOAs (teflon) have not been used. BUT that still means PTFEs from the same company that produced the PFOAs and to me, this seems like of like ‘oh, but a little bit of BPA is ok’. It would be remiss of me to recommend something to you where I had doubts myself, and in the case of any try hard non sticks pretending to be low tox, it feels like a case of “It’s a little bit greener” rather than SAFE – the ultimate goal.

• “Green Non Stick option 2” – The ceramic Neoflam type pans – The pans sold as eco pans which they are – but the coating is so thin that you end up having to replace them often, and so it’s not very economical in the long run AND you then have leaching from scratches etc. These sorts of brands are GREAT for lower use items such as muffin and bread tins, but for everyday pans, I’d still option for nickel free stainless, ceramic or cast iron before these.

• Silicone – Is simply bonded with oxygen and then died and moulded into all the shapes of today! I don’t recommend it because when in an oven it smells funny. That’s enough for me. I freeze things in it and refrigerate, but I don’t cook with it. Information on cooking safety or harm is very limited too which I find frustrating.

• Brushed metal “wok seasoned” finish. This to me is the best performing non stick situation for low tox living. As long as you season the pan well, you will prevent rust and you get a really impressive non stick vibe. My De Buyer pans once seasoned were non stick – perfect for eggs and omelettes. I have a mini 20cm one and a larger one. They’re not super light but I’d take low tox over a ‘light’ teflon coating any day. Good for the arm muscles! • Clay Pot Cooking is coming back into fashion for it’s 100% lead free, chemical free, low tox appeal. You can read more about that here. Romertopf are the ‘kings’ of the clay pot.

• Stone pan cooking – you will have to ask what the manufacturer claims is the ‘reinforced non stick technology’ as many profess this feature without backing up with any evidence on their websites. If it smells iffy to you, it probably is. I’ve never received a straight answer from the ‘stonedine / stonepan’ type infommercial companies and their websites are rabbit warren-ish when trying to find specifics.

Note re country of origin: “Cheaper” no-name enamel / ceramics and other cookwares are the ones that most often test for lead / cadmium. This is the principal reason I stay away from those brands. If a manufacturer shows its lead testing results / figures openly on their site then you know you’ve nothing to worry about, regardless of where it comes from. A quick email to a prospective company to ask them for their safety testing is all you need to do for peace of mind. The fact that you shop a BRAND rather than a $2 shop / dollar store product with no brand name, leaves us able to contact the said brand for reassurance so once again, the real deal is best.

So what cookware to choose?

Research what feels comfortable for you and best to get 2 quality pieces – 1 frying pan and one medium to large saucepan in a great, sturdy brand, vs a whole set of cheap stainless or aluminium.

I have the above Le Creuset pieces, 1 medium stainless pot, 1 medium ceramic pot We also have 3 different sized frying pans 1 stainless, 2 black steel that we keep seasoned.

We have a pressure cooker (see below), and a Thermomix.

We use cast iron too and keep it well seasoned, at my mother in law’s farm.

I use wooden utensils with a few stainless ones too such as a ‘flipper’ for pancakes or omelettes.

As I said, stick to ceramic / enamel / clay / cast iron / porcelain for slow / long times for cooking, and use stainless for faster preparations such as sauteeing, roasting, crackling, steaming and panfrying to avoid excessive leaching from metals. It seems the safest and least ‘worry enducing’ combination to me. The universal evils here are aluminium and non stick coatings such as PFOA and PTFE. That’s your top priority to remove from your kitchen this year.

Frying pans

• Bring back healthy fats and cook in stainless steel or brushed black metal that you season. The best of the ceramic pans are Baccarat Bio and I love the Cast Iron Le Creuset. Le Creuset also make great, wide paella frypans, and grill pans, although they aren’t light! The De Buyer pans are also great – probably my favourite in terms of function and price meeting together. Once you season and oil and oil it after every use, within 3 weeks you have a non stick pan, minus the nasties and one that will last you forever. The others don’t seem to perform as well for as long, and need regular replacing with scratched surfaces – No thank you!

Baking

• There is so much non stick madness in the land of bake ware. I hear you! BUT, find a chef’s supply shop near you or online and a world of stainless steel options will present themselves. In Sydney I get all kitchen equipment from Chef’s Warehouse in Surry Hills. Then, you not only get the benefit of the stainless, but of really good quality equipment that’s made to last in busy commercial kitchens. Quiche tins, muffin tins, trays, cake tins… All available in stainless, no problem! So find a hospitality shop in your neck of the woods, or shop online googling ‘stainless steel’ and you’ll hap upon things like THIS TRAY and more on your internet travels.

• Course alumni have had success with the baking products from the Neoflam range. There has been a tendency for the ceramic frypans etc to not last as long, as they are used more often, but the baking muffin and cake tins are fine for occasional use and will therefore last. Their new casserole pots are more durable too.

Parchment paper

• Even this can even be toxic would you believe? Most parchment paper is pressed into a sheet, then dipped into an acid bath, washed, and “passed over a series of hot rotating drums that realign the fibres and give the paper its strength,” – Yikes! When will it ever end, I hear you ask? Hehe.

• The only parchment paper I recommend is the If You Care range and depending on your feelings on silicon, it’s your call whether you use it. I can only advise on the ‘lowest tox’ on the market today and this is it – no bleach nor chlorine, which are both certain to cause harm and leach into food, whereas silicone, not so definite on the harm front.

Do I need Patty Pans / Muffin liners?

• I don’t use them any more unless it’s for someone’s party and I’m taking a plate. They’re a waste. All you need to do is generously oil your tins with oil or melted butter and things should pop out well. If you really want some though, go for the If You Care ones.

Your cookies and biscuits can go straight onto the stainless steel baking tray, provided it’s been really well oiled. It means more washing up though, so if patty pans mean you’re going to cook from scratch more, then USE THEM. That’s important to feel happy about and motivated towards.

I wouldn’t use brightly coloured silicone mats for baking. What does the colour come from? Is it 100% silicone? If it smells funny – why?

Falcon does a nice enamel ‘cookie sheet’ too so you can pass on the silicon.

You can also get various stainless baking trays through this hospitality store online

Chopping boards

• The “plastic is safer” myth bugs me. Think about old plastic chopping boards. You’re literally cutting micro plastic into your dishes with every stroke of the knife. How can that be good for us? While it may seem like plastic is non-porous and can’t absorb liquids, with use the surface becomes scarred really quickly. This rough surface is exceptionally difficult to clean, even with harsh cleaners or running through the dishwasher – hmmm plastic through the dishwasher, no thank you! Wood, by contrast, shows the ability to halt the growth of and kill bacteria applied to its surface. Both new and used wooden cutting boards maintain this ability equally well. Again this comes down to quality. I’m lucky to have a husband who’s an artisan woodworker, and we’ve had 3 boards in our home pretty much since we started living together 9 years ago with no sign at all of letting up – Before then, I’d bought several plastic boards and about 5 bamboo boards that after a year went soft at the edges and mouldy in one case – so much waste! Biome also has a range of wooden boards.

• Worried about wooden boards and bacteria? READ THIS.

Again… Quality trumping ‘shiny and new’.

Pressure cookers

• A pressure cooker is an amazing way to save time by doing slow cooked dishes in a fraction of the time as well as save you on energy bills. I recommend the Scanpan Pressure Cooker – Amazing performance and fully stainless steel. You can do a lamb shoulder or pulled pork in 70 minutes compared to a whole day in the oven! Energy bill and time saving at its best if these are your priorities. There are speculations on nutritional loss or protein changes with pressure cooking, but they are inconclusive to the point of actually presenting zero research – just supposition. I am undecided too I must admit, as it somehow seems unnatural to ‘force’ cooking to be fast, but if it’s time and energy saving you need as a top priority, then a pressure cooker that’s fully metal is a great choice and something I definitely use from time to time when the day has run away from me and all I have is secondary stewing meats in the fridge (which is mostly what we buy, to be able to trade up to organic / pasture fed and raised meat).

Slow Cookers

• The two I would recommend are the Cuisinart Ceramic Slow Cooker and Breville Smart Temp Slow Cooker. Both have ceramic (rather than non-stick or stainless cooking surfaces) and are great. A note on slow cookers though if you love restaurant quality vibes for your slow cooking efforts? I always find the food results in more of a baby food taste, rather than a rich taste achieved in a crock pot / dutch oven situation.

Thermomix / OzCook / Bellini

• I have a Thermomix but admit that I don’t use the steam basket or varoma – I just can’t get my head around using any form of plastic with heat in combination. They do say it’s perfectly safe, yes, but I just can’t do it, personally for reasons we’ve spoken about with Dr Dingle and his research. I love the Thermomix for everything else it can do and the 3-second-salads, flat bread dough and 7-minute custards. I wish there were metal attachments for cooking and I’m continuing to enquire about getting them made available to us! If you are a proud thermomix consultant or owner and would love for head office to consider bringing back metal parts – why not fill out their online feedback form?

Utensils

• Wood is your absolute best bet because it’s gentle and prevents scratching, no matter what the surface. Stainless steel is the next preference, and then silicon spatulas for baking and scraping that stated to be 100% silicone and not ‘mysterious blends’. You will know from the quality and price. Buy well, buy less often.

Blenders, blitzers and food processors

• Most blenders are plastic bodies except professional grade ones such as this one in the Hamilton Beach range. You also can’t beat something simple like a stainless steel stick blender in a big glass pyrex jug for making soups, smoothies and the like. Again though, when choosing your brand, choose quality, motor size and sturdy feel to it. Plastic’s not the end of the day with blenders, as it’s not long term storage within the jug, and it’s not heating the contents. Go quality so that you get durability, for the less-in-landfill factor.

Roasting trays • I’d choose a top notch Le Creuset style of tray for lasagnes and bakes – Remember this isn’t a 2 year purchase, this is a once in a life time purchase, so it changes the mentality a little. For roasting meats, a good stainless steel one is a great things to have in the kitchen. And if the cleaning worries you, add some parchment paper.

• The roasting trays from Falcon Enamelware are also great. Available on-line and often at Woolworths.

Casserole Pots

• As above, you can see I love my Le Creuset big red pot for slow cooking. Chasseur is another great brand. Both brands often go on sale at the big department stores in their twice yearly sales, so keep an eye out for bargains! Both are clear of any trace lead too from independent testing. Kettles

• I’ve come to think that the best is a good quality ceramic kettle that you boil on the stove, old school. Again, Le Creuset is my choice here. I used a Breville Glass bodied one for a little while, but still felt uncomfortable with the plastic lid for boiling water. Then it broke after 2 years. Most other kettles while they might be majority stainless steel, have a plastic gauge window – What’s the point of being ‘stainless’? There are some lovely stainless steel stove top ones too, and plug in options. It’s worth a hunt around online to find one you like. The ‘look out’ points are plastic gages and strainer baskets or non stick linings. Stick to ceramic, fully stainless or glass.

Rice cookers and bread makers

Most of these use non stick coatings with PFOAs / PTFEs. A definite phase out item until you fancy splurging on this stainless bowl one from Buffalo .

Jaffles, waffles and sandiwich presses

Go old school with your toasted sandwichs and get a cast iron enamel panini press. How gorgeous is this one by Chasseur? I’ve yet to find a waffle / jaffle maker that doesn’t have a PFOA / PTFE containing non stick coating. Please let me know when you do!

BBQs

Look for a barbeque that has cast iron cook plates so that you can throw another shrimp on with peace of mind!

Bin liners

• If You Care has some great ones that don’t instantly disintegrate at the drop of a hat like some natural bin bags, and they come in a couple of sizes. They’re here.

So in summary what’s going to help you go low tox here, is to find a chef’s shop and buy professional baking equipment that’s stainless steel. Then, start buying investment pieces over time or telling your family for your next birthday or Christmas “I just want everyone to put in for this one Le Creuset pot” or whatever it is you want. Vouchers are a great idea too.

Buying cheap is a false saving and costs you and the planet down the line. Write this on your fridge. Let it sink in.

NEED A CHEAT SHEET FOR TODAY? CLICK HERE

Task for Today

• Decide the 3 most toxic things in your kitchen and work towards replacing them as soon as practicable.

If budget is a big pressing concern, for big ticket items like a pressure cooker, if you really want one and you live close to a bestie – why not share one? One week on and one week off? Etsy, gumtree and ebay can be a great resource for good condition, second hand, big ticket items too. Head to your local swap and share sites too – So often you can find a bargain! You’re then helping prevent these sorts of things from going to landfill, by giving them a new home for a fraction of the cost. WINNING! Day 28: Low Tox Conversations – The challenge of toxic interactions on your way to the low tox life

Low Tox conversations are key to not feeling like a lone crusader. Perhaps initially you’re the only one in your family or circle of friends, who has had the light bulb moment and started moving more in line with nature? I know that feeling well. It can feel lonely, you can feel isolated and if it isn’t enough you feeling isolated already having the knowledge that you do, other people can further isolate you when you say even the smallest of things. - See more at:

This is why we need to very consciously and positively edge back towards a feeling of unity rather than feeling that distance continue or grow.

I’ve invited psychologist and best selling author, Alison Hill, to discuss strategies for managing toxic feelings and toxic relationship ‘moments’ or situations. While she specialises in the work place, I think we can all agree there are just as many challenges here in the personal space – whether it’s a teacher at school, a fellow parent, a sibling, a mum in law, a partner, a teenager…

I hope you enjoy the chat.

And here’s the soundcloud above to take for a walk! https://soundcloud.com/ alexx_stuart/alexx-chats-to-alison-hill

The main thing is to become a master communicator overnight, ok?

No, just kidding. But here are some things to consider while you brave your way into the world of low tox living, and others around you might not ‘get it’ or be rather opposed to changing ways. 1. Consider truthfully why you are doing this and share those reasons from the bottom of your heart. If you are able to connect to the emotional reasons for making these changes, people around you are much more likely to see that this is coming from the heart and not ‘you being a pain’ .

2. Ensure that you think before you speak. You will start to see that it feels like ‘everything and everyone around you is wrong in some way – high tox in some way’. That is completely normal. It doesn’t make you better than them of course, so it’s important that when you communicate, you ensure you create a sense of unity WITH them, not against them. Example: “You know the course I’ve been doing? (Potential eye roll or aphrehensive ‘yes?’) Well it turns out none of these companies are required by law to test chemicals for safety before the products are launched. How do YOU feel about that? Does it make you want to know what’s in it and decide for yourself?” Getting the other person opening up in any way possible is your best way to see how you can work with their enthusiasm or blockages and continue to move forward. “Did you know for example the supermarket personal care brands, almost all have homrone disrupting chemicals in there? Like the ones that mimic our own hormones and can make us get hormone related illnesses?” Contributing to infertility? That’s really worrying… don’t YOU think?

3. Watch documentaries together and ask them how they felt about the information that was presented. You don’t want to be secretly learning everything in a corner and then busting out facts passionately and emotionally. You will sound slightly mad and we want to ease people into our new *madness*

4. Make it EASY for the resisters – They may well be resisting because of fear that it’s all going to be too hard! Ask them their ‘favourite’ products they fear losing and do all the research for them and make a list / buy for them.

Are you experiencing objection or resistance around you? What are you having success with or what is posing the greatest challenge? Day 29: Low Tox Bedroom

The bedroom – A place of peace, rest, fun and… you guessed it, potential toxicity! But you guys aren’t shocked, at least not anymore, right?

This module gets us looking at the bedroom and all the usual things in it to ensure that as we replace things down the track, we do so with more eco friendly, low tox options. This, like the cookware category, is an investment category, so if the budget is tight at the moment, don’t panic, just think of the big picture and everything you’ve ditched already and be proud and content with that. Even if on a tight budget though, there are still things you can do from toda to ensure your bedroom is less toxic than it was yesterday for FREE!

Remember, this is a process. Remember to come back to the all important fact that you’re doing the best you can. That is enough. Celebrate it, even when it’s hard! Focus on the tiny change – the FREE changes of simply eliminating a few things and getting your feet in the grass or on the sand more…

And speaking of green grass. Matresses. Hmmm… Must work on my segues.

The most important place to start is with the thing you sleep on – Your bed. Most mattresses have a fair bit of foam that degrades over years. It has usually been treated with some sort of flame retardant too which can take up to 10 years to stop emitting fumes – ugh. A few other chemicals used by mattress manufacturers include stain-resistant chemicals that are recognised carcinogens, as well as Boric Acid, Antimony Trioxide, Vinylidiene Chloride, Zinc Borate, Melamine, Formaldehyde, and Decabromodiphenyl Oxide. These chemicals off-gas, or release chemicals into the air… but before you panic, there are things you can do before having to spend loads replacing the whole thing.

Mattresses

Read your mattress label, but know that there are no standard labels on mattresses listing flame retardant chemicals, so it’s important to check with the manufacturer or store before purchasing. This is not a decision to take lightly or be pressured into by other people. Take. Your. Time.

The healthiest mattress is one made of natural latex foam. But watch for the words “made with” on the label because that can mean as little as 1 or 2 percent of it in the mattress! You want to see 100% (if you’re chemically sensitive) or at least 80% of the mattress made with all natural, non-toxic ingredients.

New latex mattress options?

• Australia The Comfort Shop

• UK Yanis Mattresses and Beds

• US Flobeds

If you can’t afford to buy a new mattress or a full latex mattress, all is not lost! Get a mattress topper or high quality protector, like this organic cotton one from Biome, or pure cotton one from Blessed Earth along with their many other natural bedding options, so that what you’re sleeping closest to, is non toxic and natural. That’s what we’ve done.

For a variety of new-technology mattress options including coconut fibre, wool, latex and hemp, head to the Natural Bedding Company.

My husband didn’t like pure latex as a ‘feel’, and it was a little too expensive for us, so we settled on a pure latex ‘topped’ mattress a few years ago, which has a good 10cm of 100% natural latex on top of the spring mattress, to which we added a pure wool mattress topper. We aired the mattress in the sun for a week with windows open and a fan on, before using it. Some people might think this is crazy, but I say it’s crazy that so many chemicals are in our mattresses in the first place!

All too expensive? Wait until the sales. You will save $100s of dollars buying a mattress or topper when the time is right.

Sheets and Doonas / Duvets / Quilts

The most important things to consider are:

• natural fibres, organic if possible

• if choosing duck down, choose a product with “traceable down” (see below)

• don’t choose ‘easy iron / low crease / anti wrinkle’ sheets, as this is the clue for toxic chemicals used to create this finish.

Also, Eco Down Under do very affordable ‘eco’ sheets and are well worth a look!

Choose organic cotton whenever possible (for the mattress topper as well as your sheets) because conventionally grown cotton is one of the most intensively sprayed field crops in the world. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that more than 53 million pounds of pesticides and 1.6 billion pounds of synthetic fertilizers are applied to cotton fields annually. Organic cotton, on the other hand, is grown without chemicals.

BIOME organic sheets – Beautiful!

What about ‘natural bamboo’? – It’s very hard to find GOTS certified (most stringent standard in textiles industry that we look at in full detail tomorrow when we look at clothes) bamboo, because they’re mostly blended with synthetic fibres from my research. Here’s a good read to further explain that.

Beds

For the bed frame choose one made from solid wood instead of particleboard or fibre board, which can give off toxic formaldehyde fumes. The National Cancer Institute has classified formaldehyde as “carcinogenic to humans” based on nose and throat cancers in working populations. I love these ones from The Comfort Shop here in Australia, and easily able to be found in the UK / USA too. My husband the woodworker made our bed and I love it. A simple Moroccan wood carving hangs above it, so we didn’t need to worry about an ‘eco bed head’. Richard Knight Woodworks has a few hardwood and natural oil finish options too.

Our beautiful and simple, hand made hardwood bed, made by my husband. Clever man!

Pillows

They are super important too and I can’t recommend Back to Sleep enough. Love my latex pillow and there are also some great natural pillow products coming out these days too around the world – The world is waking up! While I definitely applaud a business like this using recycled PET for pillow fibre, I’m still not sure how I feel about it being right next to my head and breathing, but in case it resonates with you I thought it was worth a share.

One word of caution on ‘duck / feather down pillows – Animal cruelty must be explored and ensured against. It’s horrible to think that a well meaning person looking for a ‘natural’ bedding product might unknowingly be fuelling a super icky industry: Live plucking is a horrible practice that is still practiced today to manufacture down quilts and pillows. Be sure to use a company with what we call “traceable down”. Check this out from Patagonia, who went ‘traceable down’ last year and have changed the insulated clothing industry forever – Thank goodness!

So, if the company isn’t forthcoming on their website, then simply email them and ask about their traceability. People like us are going to effect the change – It’s already happening!

Need to replace or get natural fire-retardant free cushion inserts? HEAD TO ECOFILLING.COM

Tips for recycling old bedding..

• Donate pillows / sheets / towels to vets or pet shelters

• Synthetic blankets can be donated to homeless shelters as you replace yours over times. Now, next to your head that’s on that pillow you end up finding, is often a lot of electronic clutter.

Do you feel buzzed at night and you haven’t had any coffee? A big sleep disrupter in the bedroom might be exposure to electronic devices, wireless technology, and other forms of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). Aside from feeling buzzed, Dr. Magda Havas, a leader in the movement against unrestrained wireless technology use, says they can cause headaches, nightmares, depression, fatigue, fibromyalgia, mood disorders, as well as long-term illness. The few simple tips below will help start you in the right direction with electronics in your bedroom…

1. Get rid of the TV, electric clock, telephone answering machine, cell phone, or computer nearby or at the very least, switch it all off at the powerpoint (standby isn’t enough) when you go to bed.

2. And of course, your mobile phone – Pop it into flight mode before you head to sleep!

3. Keep that bedroom super clear and simple (in a perfect world!)

If you want to read more on EMFs and WIFI effects and minimisation, GO HERE.

Now on to the options for your little ones….

Bedding

There is so much fantastic organic cotton bedding for little people now a days. A quick google wherever you are will return results, no doubt. Can’t afford organic or need to go super cheap at this stage in your life? Please don’t feel guilty, there’s always something we can do and that is to wash bedding a good 2-3 times before use in your inexpensive low tox washing powder of choice, AND choose natural coloured fabrics to minimise harsh dyes in their bedding.

For the bubbas – How’s this gorgeous swaddle that allows the bub to have their arms up. I remember my little guy’s arms fought out of my finest swaddling work, and after 6 weeks I simply accepted that that was where he wanted to put his darn arms, ok lady?

Pure Merino sleeping bags are also a great options for bubs moving on from the newborn stage, who move around a lot, if you prefer the ‘bag’.

Mattress

There is a divine range of chemical free mattresses and pillows over at Tetra Tea Tree . Nido Organics is also a great resource also on the kiddie front.

UK Resource: The Little Green Sheep

Mattress / Cot Toppers Toppers are great if you have hand me down mattresses or limited budget and have to go for the foam mattresses (remember to air well if new for a week before using!) There is always something you can do, and these are excellent!

• Pure Wool Topper for the cot. You will easily be able to resell this once you’re onto the ‘bed’ stage!

• There’s a more budget friendly organic cotton topper if that’s appealing to you, too.

Mattress Protectors

• In the bed wetting years, the lowest tox, yet effective, solution are Brolly Sheets Bed Pads. The top layer is 100% cotton, and they wash and dry easily. They also make Brolly Sheets for cots, which are a much better alternative to a plastic- backed mattress protector.

• Once the kiddies are out of this phase, move to a wool topper and / or cotton mattress protector. The brolly sheets can then be passed on to a friend or donated

Sheets

For the kids sheets are easy and you’ll have to keep all the super heroes on the walls and in the books – NOT on the cheap, chemical laden sheets on the bed.

• Nido is a great resource

• For the cot, try BIOME

• For older kids in beds, Pottery Barn Kids and Living Eco have some great options.

Quilts / Blankets

They can also be wonderful if made from natural materials, NOT the stifling synthetic ones that trap heat. Look at this beautiful one.

Otherwise, pure wool blankets to complement sheets are beautiful too – go and get some baby blanket envy happening over on ETSY. Go only if you are strong enough to resist ETSY’s charms

Mozzie Nets

We need to bring back the mozzie net. It’s such a great way to keep the pests away from the little sleeping human, without needing to put insect repellents on every night or use those strange plug-in wall slow-release repellents. What might seem like an expense initially, might just be a saving after all the creams to stop mozzies and bring down bite irritation, stop being needed!

Pillows

• Pure latex and covered in organic cotton, you have this Eco Child option

• These thin wool pillows from Blessed Earth are also great for kids. See pic below which shows their thin pillow on top, standard in the middle and their thick pillow on the bottom.

Remember, kids under 5 don’t need pillows. It messes with their spine development. Speak to your chiropractor if you want to discuss this further and explore the best options as they grow.

You can further detox your little one’s sleep space with these few tips:

• Daily fresh air ventilation whenever possible.

• Turning off the light at the powerpoint to reduce electricity in the room at night.

• Keep on top of the dust with damp cloths around skirting boards, nooks and crannies.

• Choosing non toxic soft toys like these gorgeous ones!

• Keeping things like micro plastics (glitter) out of the room (ideally out of the house!) to avoid breathing them in.

• No digital clocks near their bed

Buy less stuff. Buy well. Resell. Repurpose! And remember – You do NOT have to buy stuff today. Make a plan and relax, knowing you’re doing the best you can! So what if you have zero cash to spend on the bedroom? Here are 5 things you can do to make a difference, anyway!

1. Declutter it, making way for a low tox mind and good air flow.

2. Get rid of electronics from the bedroom.

3. Dust it every week.

4. Air your mattresses and pillows in the sun, with windows open and a fan blowing towards the window.

5. Air the room every day if possible.

This will be a brilliant step towards a lower tox bedroom space. Renovating soon? Consider floorboards to reduce dust and mould dramatically. Talk to your builder about eco options for flooring and sealing.

TASK IDEAS for TODAY

• Spend 30 minutes removing all the things you can from the bedroom and either redistribute or make a plan to sell / swap or giveaway.

• Give it a dust with a damp microfibre cloth around all the edges.

• Vacuum or mop (Use a HEPA filter vacuum such as the most models of Miele, Kirby, Hoover and Dyson for removal rather than recirculating dust.)

• Decide on any replacements you are going to want to make in the short, medium and long term.

You spend a massive portion of your life in this room. You are worth it, to have a low tox bedroom, don’t you think? Is your bedroom looking like this yet? Mine either but I try and we’ve gotten closer to it over the years!

Want to learn more about the furniture in your home in general? Enjoy my interview with “Down to earth mother” blogger, environmentalist and researcher. She offers some wonderful tips!

Alexx chats to Johanna Ashmore | Transcript

Low Tox. Happy bodies. Happy planet.

Need a cheat sheet for today? CLICK HERE

Need a simple priority list to organise your thoughts?

1. Pillow and pillow case

2. Getting tech / Plugs / phones, away

3. Then sheets and duvet cover

4. Then de cluttering absolutely everything out that doesn’t need to be there 5. Then mattress or mattress topper (a pure latex topped matress is a great compromise if you can’t afford 100% natural fibres)

6. Then duvet / blankets

7. Then bed frame

Need a ‘what can I do that’s FREE plan? Just plenty of fresh air and a good declutter and dust will be a great step too. Day 30: A low tox home – Heavy Metals, Dust & Mould

Heavy metals – yet another big topic. I’m going to share a few key and common exposures as well as reduction to exposure tips, a great heavy metal detox smoothie and then hand over to the chat I had with the awesome Nicole Bijlsma, founder of www.buildingbiology.com.au

Heavy Metal toxicity is a great thing to have on your radar if you’re someone in the ‘when all else has failed’ category, in terms of feeling crappy, and then adopting a healthy diet / lifestyle changes needed, yet not yielding better health.

Some of the symptoms you can experience with heavy metal build up and ‘chronic’ exposure are…

• Fatigue – Chronic or sporadic

• Digestive distress, and reduced ability to properly assimilate and utilize fats

• Aching joints

• Depression

• Impaired blood sugar regulation

• Female reproductive problems such as menstrual difficulties, infertility, repetitive miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, pregnancy-induced hypertension and premature birth

Interestingly, when on the journey to bring the body back to balance from heavy metals, it is essential to be properly nourished with vital minerals / metals, because if you’re not, heavy metals will ‘stand in’ and that can be a disaster. According to Dr Kaayla Daniel this is what happens when you’re not adequately nourished and have heavy metals ‘floating around’ in your body:

• Calcium is replaced by lead, which deposits primarily in bone, and disrupts the formation of red blood cells. Lead contributes to poor bone health such as osteopenia and osteoporosis.

• Zinc is replaced by cadmium, which tends to accumulate heavily in your kidneys. Cadmium overload is associated with peripheral neuropathy.

• Magnesium is replaced by aluminum, which, among other things, induces neurochemical changes and has been identified as a contributing factor to developing Alzheimer’s.

• Manganese is replaced by nickel, which is carcinogenic.

So you can see why it’s a two pronged approach we need to keeping heavy metals in check within our bodies. We need to be well nourished and we need to reduce exposure in the first place.

So in this day and age, how are we exposed? Here are some common ways…

1. Lead Paint in some furniture, wall paint and toys – especially old ones.

2. Cadmium in cigarettes (and cigarette smoke)

3. Mercury in large fish

4. Mercury in “eco” light bulbs (a sad clash between good for the environment / good for us. Incandescent light bulbs are sadly the best for you, health wise, followed by LED)

5. Lead in paint dust in the environment – especially renovations on older buildings. Be sure you or your tradespeople are following correct ‘lead dust’ procedures when renovating or stripping back walls to re paint) 6. Dental amalgam fillings (Mercury. See a holistic dentist to decide your best action plan)

7. Drinking Water (low level lead but of course cumulative. Boiling water concentrates metal levels, so filtration is the only ‘removal’ tool)

8. Frying pans, deodorant, foil used in cooking (Aluminum. Neurotoxin. Use alternatives that we have covered already throughout the course)

9. Pesticides (all heavy metals mentioned above. Consider growing your own from organic soil and compost, or getting an organic veggie box delivery or shopping ‘spray free’ / organic at markets)

LEAD reduction

So how do you find out if your paint, your replica chairs or your old toys contain lead? You can get one of these from a good hardware store near you (Bunnings in my case) They’re about $20-25 each. The best thing you can do before you buy things is google ‘lead testing results’ or ‘does XYZ contain lead’ or ‘lead in XYZ’ and see if any literature comes up. If it doesn’t, then you’ve got an excellent chance that it is either trace or non existent in the brand you’re considering, both of which are fine

And don’t forget to take shoes off as you enter the home to reduce lead dragged in from dust. This is a super powerful heavy metal reduction tool in your indoor air. Get a vacuum cleaner with a Carbon HEPA filter with a motorised head, to ensure dust is properly draped and removed instead of enabling lead containing dust into the air. Most high quality vacuums such as Dyson are HEPA filter vaccuums. It’s easy to check though on a manufacturer’s website. This is a situation where selling your current vaccuum cleaner if it doesn’t meet the specs (google your model and make to find out or make a quick call to your manufacturer) and reinvest that money into a good one – Remember, we’re buying half as much, and twice the quality, which also means half as often – Thinking long term with those big spend purchases is a tough corner to turn. You might experience tall poppy “My my aren’t we flash” type comments when you get ‘the best’ of something… and you can simply say ‘I’ve done the calculation on buying something better quality, and less often and it just makes sense cost and environment wise’. That usually shuts them up.

How do I reduce my mercury exposure?

• Eat less ‘big fish’ – swordfish, tuna, marlin, large salmon… It’s often unsustainable, and it’s more likely to also contain microplastics and other contaminants too – so you’re eliminating lots of possible badness here by minimising these fish. Go with smaller fish like sardines, mackerel, garfish, small snappers and other small fish, if you’re a fish eater. Octopus / squid are also a wonderful sustainable seafood option.

• Swap back to incandescent lights or LEDs for lighting. The eco bulbs / enviro bulbs are the ‘eco’ ones that are so dangerous if one were to fall and break and expose the mercury. DO NOT TREAT YOURSELF or at the very least without a very protective mask and full gloves. BUT if you do have CFL’s (the eco ones) and one breaks – USE THIS CLEAN UP PROTOCOL to remove it.

• Get your mercury amalgams SAFELY removed (Check back towards the end of my chat with Dr Ron Ehrlich where we discuss this) • These might be energy saving, but the mercury in these lightbulbs proves a very dangerous item to have in our homes. On council and metal safety websites, they caution to evacuate children and cut out affected carpet if one of these breaks in your home. Freaky, hey?

What are some ideas for detoxing from other heavy metals and minimising damage caused by past / recent exposure?

We discuss this at length in my chat with holistic practitioner Shalani McCray. if you missed it!

Chelating (the process of ingesting substances that bind to and expel heavy metals from the body) heavy metals, is probably made most enjoyable by a good green juice. Now I’m not talking about kale or spinach. You can read a little more about that here.

I’m talking about chlorella and coriander – amazing chelators. Some people don’t do well with Chlorella, so just test for yourself in small amounts or chat to a holistic practitioner to see the best chelation option for you if you have tested high for any of the heavy metals.

Heavy Metal Detox Smoothie (serves 2)

1 bunch coriander (whole bunch, stalks and all)

1/2 bunch parsley

1/2 bunch mint

1 tablespoon chlorella or a high quality super greens powder (NON ASIAN ORIGIN due to the Fukushima nuclear disaster) Republica Organic has a great one.

1 cucumber

500ml coconut water, or cooled tea or water the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1/2 a lime

3-4 ice cubes

Blend it all up for a good minute on high (Thermomix is 40secs, sp 9) and enjoy a small glass each as this serves 2-3 people. You could pop leftovers from 1 in a couple of jars to enjoy throughout the day / 2 days and have a few sips each day for a couple of weeks. Super importantly, remember to take time and relax with any detoxifying practice, or you can do the body more harm than good if you do it while stressed.

So please, make some time to enjoy my interview with Nicole. She’s such an inspiring individual.

Alexx chats to Nicole Biljsma | Transcript

And if you’ve renovated and you’re now panicking – head back to Shalani’s interview to put some chelation detoxing in play or start tucking into the green smoothie recipe above every day for a couple of months. Remember to relax because ‘stress’ and detox don’t mix too well at all!

Need a cheat sheet – GO HERE DUST AND MOULD What is dust, really?

Dust is the collective term used to describe the wide variety of organic and inorganic particles that collect in our homes.

What are the most common things found in household dust ?

• VOCs from electrical appliances and furniture (volatile organic compounds such as flame retardant PBDEs)

• Dead skin cells (dust mite food! yummy :-))

• Moold spores

• Dust mites and mite ‘waste’

• Pesticides (from outside coming in via our shoes)

• Hairs and pollens

• Particles from our cosmetics

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

• Lead (paint dust, pesticide residue)

• Fabric fibres (so if it’s synthetic fabric, you can breath in microplastics this way)

• Plant, insect, soil particles

Sheesh. Doesn’t feel the same to casually look around the room, does it?

Here is my chat with Dr Peter Dingle on all things mould and dust.

Alexx chats to Dr. Peter Dingle | Transcript

So how do you keep your household dust to a minimum? Here are 9 tips!

1. Leave your shoes at the door. Get a shoe rack and don’t traipse all of the outdoor stuff into your house. This is your best anti-dust weapon, believe it or not!

2. Opt for wood flooring over wall-to-wall carpets when possible, especially in bedrooms. At the first opportunity, rip up those carpets (with masks on of course if you’re DIYing) and get jiggy with floor boards. The Building Biology website has a great list of eco flooring resources.

3. Clean your house regularly, using a central vacuum or a vacuum with a HEPA filter (Don’t panic if you’ve spent $100s on a Dyson – They’ve got the highest accreditation for their HEPA filters out of all of them!). If you are allergic to dust, wear a face mask while dusting, sweeping or vacuuming. (It can take more than two hours for the dust to settle after a thorough cleaning. So, if possible, clean when any allergic family members are away, and avoid cleaning the bedroom of an allergic person before bedtime.)

4. Wash all bed linens weekly, using hot water for this exercise. A tablespoon of eucalyptus oil in each linen wash is helpful too in eradicating and keeping mould at bay – use cheaper brand such as Thursday plantation for this purpose.

5. If you have an allergy prone person in the house: Keep a HEPA air cleaner running in the allergic person’s bedroom. This is the best air purifier according to building biologist Nicole Bijlsma, if you’re going to use one.

6. Keep pets out of any allergic person’s bedroom at all times.

7. Keep all unrefrigerated food covered; dispose of food waste in a tightly sealed garbage can.

8. Get in the habit of using a hygrometer to measure the humidity in your home during rainy seasons / humid times of the year; keep the humidity level below 55 percent. If you live in a humid or sticky climate, you may find it helpful to use a dehumidifier. You may use a vent fan for removing moisture in bathrooms and the kitchen. Repairing all water leaks will also help keep moisture away.

9. Dust with a damp microfiber cloth. Dusting with a dry cloth / tea towel / feather duster only serves to move most of the dust around and make it air bound again – not what we’re after! Best is to also use a simple dust collecting spray. 1 cup water, 1/3 cup vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 15 drops your preferred essential oil. The small amount of oils in the mix will stop dust from being displaced.

10.Get some indoor plants – While Dr Dingle’s studies didn’t show that they improved anything, the psychological improvement is a definite, and NASA begs to differ – I’ll let you decide. Here’s a piece on NASA and air quality. If you’re a bit of an indoor plant lover, I adore this collection of 17 indoor plants you ‘must have’. So pretty!

What is mould?

Mould is a mine field of a topic, that’s what it is!

Moulds are simple, microscopic organisms, present virtually everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Together with mushrooms and yeasts, moulds are collectively called fungi. Moulds exist to break down organic material and recycle nutrients in the environment. The colour of mould is influenced by the nutrient source and age of the colony. It is impossible to determine what type of mould is growing by visual inspection only. That’s why mould testing by a professional is the absolute best scenario in terms of long term successful treatment.

The experts are also not exactly decided on how one should best treat it, just to make things even more confusing. You’ll hear Dr Peter Dingle talk about vinegar and clove oil for removing basic household mould, but then Nicole Biljsma says regardless of the type, it’s best to get in professionals. I believe that for surface mould caused by a bit of humidity, I’m with Peter. I believe for mould caused by a deeper water leak / chronic moisture issue, I’m with Nicole – call in the big guns.

If mould has the opportunity to grow, it will. All it needs is moisture / water. The key to reducing the growth of moulds in your home is to minimize the water. Reduce the ways in which water accumulates in the building structure and mould won’t continue to be a problem. No amount of ‘damp rid’ type of products are going to help you. Just as with all things in the health world, you need to get to the source of the problem.

Mould and your health

Mould isn’t just an unsightly problem – it’s a health risk. The symptom list is long! It can affect the respiratory system, causing sneezing, coughing, headache, chronic candida, fatigue and wheezing, as well as respiratory infections and libido loss – AND, the list goes on! Definitely have a look at my chat with Peter for more.

In particular, young children, the elderly, people with asthma and allergies, or people with compromised immune systems are at risk of developing mould-related health complications, so it’s really important to keep mould in check and get to the root of the problem. If you’re an investment property owner, it’s important to keep your rental properties in check now too, as it’s the law. You will also be saving yourself a far more expensive headache down the track.

So, what do we do? • Your absolute best line of defense is to get into the practice of letting your house breathe a few hours a day. Open cross ventilating windows and doors throughout the year and consider getting bars and screens to allow you to be secure and pest-free to do so. Houses need to breathe to stay dry and 10 minutes before and after work just isn’t enough to prevent mould from growing.

• If you live in a damp area, consider multiple dehumidifiers through the house or apartment. We have a 2 bedroom apartment and therefore 1 in each bedroom for the cooler months where we air a bit less.

• For a little bit of surface bathroom mould due to the humidity in the bathroom, you can treat it with a simple solution of clove bud oil 20 drops, 1 cup water. Spray onto areas while wearing a mask, leave for 20 minutes, spray again and scrub off. You can also use pure, undiluted white vinegar.

• For deeper recurring damp problems where you need to have your walls / pipes / building structure checked, you need to work with professionals. You may also need a builder / roofer if the issue is a leak somewhere that’s just going to encourage further growth in the future. Check out Steamatic for low tox mould remediation services across Australia. Mould Rescue are awesome too and I’ve spoken at length with owner, Penny.

But can’t I just use bleach?

Well Penny from Mould Rescue says for cosmetic purposes to get rid of the ‘look’ of it, sure but to get rid of the mould? no. Standard domestic and commercial cleaning products often contain harmful or toxic chemicals, and usually only lead to a short-term aesthetic solution. In addition, studies have shown that most household bleach-based cleaners are not effective against mould. Bleach often only treats the visible “symptom” of the mould, and hides it from sight by discolouring it. These toxic chemicals do not address the underlying mould infection which is spread over a wider area and is not always easy to see with the naked eye. In fact the underlying mould “root system” tends to feed on any surface mould killed by bleach, so treating mould with bleach can actually promote further mould growth rather than eliminate it. Hmmm… Isn’t that convenient indeed for a company that needs to sell more and more product year on year? Genius! Let’s sell them something that doesn’t work but at the same time, makes them think they need it more and more! Great job Ken, you’re being promoted to VP! So that’s a little bit on dust and mould, and how to keep both in check.

Key is to address the root of the problem. Wherever there is recurring mould, work on the cause, not getting rid of the ‘look’ of it.

Task for TODAY

Get a good microfibre cloth – BIOME’s range is great. While microfibre might be synthetic, the eco brands are made from post consumer products and the effectiveness on dust is superior. A damp tea towel will also work well if you’re strapped or minimising ‘stuff’. Key, is to just stop shifting dust around (with something like a feather duster!) and actually remove it. Then, think about your priorities in dust / mould removal. This might be very different for everyone and might not even be posing an issue for you. Go through the resources, decide on a short term and long term plan.

Need a cheat sheet? CLICK HERE Day 31: Low Tox Clothes

Yet another topic that could have a course on its own!

It’s our last official topic. Each time I get to the end with another group, I can’t quite believe it’s already the end – this round is absolutely no different.

Once again here a reminder – take on the learning, then when we finish up this week (sniff, sniff!) set yourself some time to pick your priorities within the topics that speak to you most and work from there. A little foot in front of the other. Each week or month. We all get there and I suggest strongly being comforted just knowing you will never ‘arrive’ and you will never be ‘done’ going low tox – so you might as well relax and make the journey comfortable. Your pace, your way. Always.

Course alumni Anna Kellerman shared with us on the course round she was a part of, this wonderful tip. This will possibly assist you with refocusing on the good that’s happened, the good that’s happening today and the good you’re planning for and manifesting for the future that’s not as urgent, or a bit more ‘big ticket’.

1. What have you changed in the past 30 days? Write down every single thing you can think of. It’s a list worth celebrating.

2. What are you working on today or what is your next step?

3. What are you still wanting to change? Short term, mid term and long term? What is the cost? What is the value of what you have that you could sell to put towards it? What ‘strategic vouchers’ could you ask for this Christmas or birthdays coming up to get you closer to your replacement goals and how can you up-cycle or repurpose items that can’t be gifted or sold?

Secondly, I wanted to remind you that if there’s one thing I want to achieve through this course, it’s making you a discerning person, not a parrot of whatever I might say is gospel. I want you to be a good investigator who knows and is brave enough to ask the tough questions and make your own decisions, rather than just go off a list of ‘safe brands’. If you gain the general knowledge and the gift of critical, independent thinking, then you are better and better able to scan brands and products – anywhere in the world! Sometimes with the topics where the science is ‘out’ and the perfect way is unclear, I can’t tell you what to choose – You have to weigh things up for yourself and decide what feels right for you.

On that note, let’s look at the world of clothing. There’s a lot to feel good about these days when it comes to ethical fashion.

CLOTHES

I wanted to share a little interview with an awesome fashion expert, Dijanna Mulhearn, from Wardrobe 101. She’s not only great at helping us make the most of our wardrobes and learn how to shop, but she’s passionate about ‘slowing fashion down’ and helping women make more ethical, well thought out purchases. She sets a really great, relaxed and comfortable tone for our topic today. If we’re busy freaking out then we’re not moving forward in a happy relaxed way, and that’s crucially important to the overall Low Tox Life as you well know by now. Enjoy!

I’m going to give you a few things to think about today rather than the full blown solution to every ethical fashion question that exists. More and more information is coming out everyday and more and more resources emerge. If from today you start at least thinking “Do I really need another cheap top” and “Could I seek out a better quality organic replacement for 3 garments, by buying 1 great quality organic one instead” sometimes, then I feel we’ve accomplished something life and planet changing with just those two things alone. Truly. There are plenty of articles to click through to to gain knowledge today, so enjoy (or don’t. It’s pretty heavy stuff, I must say). You could start with this one, if you’ve not seen it before.

Today is not about thinking ‘I have to throw out all my clothes and start over’, so relax. This category is all about gradually shifting buying patterns and behaviour over time.

What I’ve done over the past couple of years is simple: Buy half as much and twice the quality. It’s been a revelation. I LOVE my closet. I feel great in all of it. It’s well cut, well made and quality fabrics, organic where possible, fairtrade / high rating on the fair workers reports. What’s not to love!?

Clothes are another part of our lives where we feel bad ‘spending big’ on one item, and feel good getting ‘lots’ for our money. This mentality needs to stop, because it’s totally unsustainable.

How about we be proud of our items and care for each of them well, instead of mindlessly staining them, abusing them by washing intensively and tumble drying… how about we see clothes as precious, because they are! Becoming enlightened about clothes is just like becoming enlightened about cosmetics, chemicals, food… More isn’t more. Less is more, and better is best.

Those $10 jeans might not have cost you much, but the cost is further down the line – whether it be the sweat shop workers, the chemical dyes and their health impacts… There’s a cost for every artificially cheap item – food, clothes, body lotion…

For downsizing Un-Fancy is a wonderful blog to follow to help you feel awesome about the ‘less is more’ theory when it comes to your wardrobe.

Interesting clothing production facts

• Our total water footprint goes WAY further than what type of washing machine we buy or whether we save water by peeing in the shower. Our total water footprint includes our clothes. It can take up to 2,700 litres of water to produce 1 cottn T Shirt.

• Skipping the ironing of your T Shirt, can save up to 1/3 of its carbon footprint. I knew I was an eco warrior by abstaining from ironing at all costs. Anyone else out there super chuffed to read this?

• In 2010, China’s textile industry processed 41.3 million tons of fibre and accounted for 52-54 percent of the world’s total production. The Chinese textile industry creates about 3 billion tons of soot each year (source. treehugger.com)

• Almost all of the world’s dyes are coal or petroleum based, and synthetic. For anyone wanting to venture into the world of DIY natural dyes, have a look at this gorgeous project and this great resource on natural dyes.

• Clothing is often sprayed with formaldehyde for transportation to prevent mildew and wrinkling.

• Clothing that boasts “wrinkle free” attributes, could possibly contain PFCs – used in Teflon technology. It will NEVER break down in the environment. Scary. Wrinkle free = enemy!

• Nonylthenol Etholytate is another textile chemical used throughout Asia – without restricted quantity! This is, like BPA and parabens, in the ‘endocrine disrupting’ family. Wash your clothes a couple of times before wearning to minimise exposure.

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and dioxin-producing bleach are used by textile industries, where the materials for clothing are produced. Dioxin is the active ingredient for Agent Orange – the same guys who made Agent Orange are the godfathers of genetic modification believe it or not. See more here on chemicals in clothes. Again, a double pre wear wash helps.

• Thought leadership emerging, suggests that micro fibres from clothes and lint are a massive ocean pollutant and it makes sense. Read more on that here.

• PERC is a chemical known as perchloroethylene or tetrachloroethylene. It’s the solvent used by about 85% of U.S. dry cleaners, but is also used as a metal degreaser and in the production of many other chemical. It is found in the air, in drinking water, and in soil. It can be detected in most people’s blood, as well as in breast milk. What’s the risk? In 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggested that PERC be classified as a “likely human carcinogen.” The EPA found that PERC’s most dangerous noncancer toxicity is brain and nervous system damage — and set safe exposure levels well below levels that cause such damage. Remember though, that chemicals are cumulative and you don’t ‘detox’ from PERC in between uses fully, so it builds, and builds and builds. If you want to find a perc free dry cleaner, it’s actually quite easy thanks to google. I use Dry Green on the rare occasion I need one. It’s not ideal being silicone, but it’s most certainly better than perc.

• Australia has one of the most lax chemicals-in-clothes laws on the planet. Have a read of this Choice investigative piece to see what the situation is and how returning a shipment to China, it might not even be accepted, because of the chemical levels. How scary is that? Peeling back the lid on convenient, fast fashion is actually a bit terrifying – You’re not alone in thinking that. I still have Zara clothes lying about and shoes that I don’t know are cruelty free – This is a process very much still going for me and I’m years into my journey, so take it easy and start being mindful of quantity most of all and see if you can trade up, and buy less. That is a great first step. Then, on the chemicals front, here are some ideas.

Then there’s factory worker exploitation – a huge issue in the developing countries as the west pushes factories to their limits on production and cost price every day.

Check this full list attached HERE to see how your favourite main stream brands rate.

So what on earth can we do?

1. We can find brands that make clothes locally. Check out this gorgeous Queensland brand, Sinerji. There’s also Blessed Earth for PJs and basics, and Boody for underwear basics. And there are a few great kids clothes and adult clothing & accessories on BIOME‘s site too.

2. We can, without fail, wash our clothes twice before wearing them, to remove some of the chemicals… and put them in our waterways instead, then into the fish, then back into us – See why those petitions that come past your desk from ‘hippies’ are actually mega important to sign? These are big issues and they need us to think BIG to help solve them. Still, as a short term fix, washing twice WILL be a lower tox option at the very least for you and your kiddies.

3. We can seek out brands that make ‘green’ production and materials a part of their story. Supporting the brands who are part of Greenpeace’s Detox our future campaign, removing harmful toxins out of their clothes by 2020, is a great start.

4. We can try sticking to the pure organic cotton, wool, silk or hemp clothing where possible.

5. We can try and avoid rayon, polyester, nylon, acrylic and acetate where possible. There’s an interesting piece on MODAL style fabrics HERE.

6. If we do buy something synthetic, we can commit to giving it a really long shelf life – sell, swap or gift after you don’t like it so it lives on before going back into the land.

7. We can stop buying new clothes so often and buy second hand – Embrace the OP shops. Everything you buy second hand, exposes you to less chemicals AND the world to less chemicals. The great thing about buying second hand too, is that you can often upgrade to a better brand, as you’re saving on the second hand factor (is my brain the only one that thinks this way?)

8. You can stay away from strange sounding ‘antibacterial / anti sweat’ registered trademarks on clothes – especially common in exercise gear. These are often hiding nano particles of silver or triclosan, both of which wash out after a few washes, anyway, and into our environment. So while a brand is using it as a ‘feature’, it’s a temporary one in terms of effectiveness, that also potentially harms us and then definitely harms the environment. Can’t quite put my finger on a positive here. Can you?

9. We can look for GOTS certification. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain.

If fashion and clothing is an area you wish to delve further into, then please grab To Die For. It’s amazing, confronting and empowering all at the same time.

If you want to take a look at the status of various ethical, sustainable fashion brands, look no further than SHOP ETHICAL.

Natural fibres clothing care tip

Something that can happen as you transition back to natural fibres in clothes, is the moths can come munching. Annoying as it is, it’s a good sign – Everything is something else’s food in the natural world, and when nature ‘is about’ that means nature is, well, about if you see what I mean. Luckily BIOME has us covered there with these Thurlby Botanical Bug Busters. Pepper, eucalyptus and clove essential oils are great for keeping moths away too. A couple of drops on a tissue and into the wardrobe, freshened up weekly.

ONTO OUR RECOMMENDATIONS – You’ll have plenty more over time as this is a really exciting time for designers choosing sustainability more and more! Excited x BABY’s and CHILDREN’S RECOMMENDATIONS

Note on wear and tear and kid’s clothes – I’ve found that these beautiful weighted organic cottons are much more durable. Buy well, buy less. It’s the way forward and we have to get used to the TRUE cost of a t shirt – And it ain’t $3!

BAOBAB ORGANIC COTTON – To die for!

LOVE this new business “Numbers and letters” T Shirts – For the under 5s for birthday parties, or their ‘special T’ in general as many little peeps end up saying “Can I wear my special 3 T Shirt?”. They are done in a heavy weighted organic cotton with a sizing a little larger than actual – perfect for winter roll necks underneath when it’s chilli! You have “lowtoxlife” as a special code with this business, for free shipping with 2 T Shirts. Yes they’re $35 but they’re fully made in Australia, organic cotton and everyone very nicely paid along the production and supply chains. How it should be!

GAIA ORGANIC COTTON has gorgeous bubba clothes.

A cute little home-stiched0-everything site Cecil and Beryl – everything handmade and precious. Jill, founder, creates children’s clothing that will make your child feel special while wearing them – really special!

SHOP ORGANIC BABE for more gorgeous bubba things – some lovely baby shower items that feel very much like special gifts from here!

There are a few great kids clothes and adult clothing & accessories on BIOME‘s site.

PureBABY is a wonderful site for bubs, full of organic cotton cuteness.

ADULT ETHICAL CLOTHING RECOMMENDATIONS

Nourished Life now stocks a great range of bamboo and high percentage organic cotton clothing basics for little bubs and grown ups alike. All GOTS certified. How cute are these comfy numbers?

Bhumi Organic Cotton is starting to get a bit fashionable for us on the basics front for men and women – and they’re divine!

BRAINTREE in Manly Sydney

ECOBIRD – Gorgeous ethical online store

Bhalo Shop www.bhaloshop.com

An Australian ethical fashion label produced in rural Bangladesh that creates limited edition garments using natural hand woven textiles, printing and embroidery.

Gorman – Organic Range – small organic range http://www.gormanshop.com.au/sustainability/

Gorman organic was introduced in 2007, in response to increasing environmental awareness, made possible by manufacturing innovations in fabric production. blended throughout the main collection, Gorman organic offers customers a sustainable choice without compromising good design and quality.

All garments in the gorman organic range are either certified organic, (the materials are organically farmed and produced without pesticides) or are sustainable (may not be specifically organic, but come from sustainable farming / non-chemical processing / closed loop production means).

High Tea with Mrs Woo https://highteawithmrswoo.com.au/about-us/

The Slow Fashion values practiced by High Tea with Mrs Woo are these – LOVE!

• Slowing down consumption and decreasing fashion production to help reduce raw material use and alleviate pressure on natural cycles and what the earth can provide. • Artisanal-production instead of mass-production – producing long-lasting garments by sourcing high quality fabrics to create well-fitting, well-made designs with timeless style. • Being more resourceful in using local materials and resources where possible and support the development of local businesses and skills. People Tree UK – Ships worldwide and BEAUTIFUL clothes. I’ve bought a few tees, a skirt and 2 dresses from here and they’re fun, fashionable and great service.

Beaumont Organics UK The best sweatshirt I’ve ever ever bought in my whole life. This online, worldwide shipping store is a little ex-y so if out of budget, move right along… I shop the sales here only for my budget and buy a couple of things in the year. The sweatshirt I got from here is the warmest, cosiest, softest thing in the world and was worth every penny for how I feel and how I absolutely don’t need any other sweat shirt until this one wears through – which is how clothes purchase and ownership should be!

Threads for Thought – A favourite USA site with basics and fashion forward clothes too – They ship worldwide. The basics are available across the US in WHOLEFOODS stores too. Love their simple tees!

RANT CLOTHING – AUSSIE ONLINE – Great, fashionable ethical brand online.

VEGIETHREADS – Vege Threads is an Australian eco fashion label that focuses on sustainability & social awareness.

Continuing the connection of like-minded businesses, this summer welcomes a VT first of organic cotton x hemp twill woven summer pant. The VT x BG Gaucho.

SS16 also sees the sustainable label moves towards fuller Australian production now 100% onshore, made in their local town of Adelaide South Australia.

All cotton used in the range is 100% GOTS certified organic cotton and knitted in Australia. All pieces are dyed in Australia using ACO dyes, and all of the luxe collection of modal processed and dyed also here in Australia. The focus on sustainability for Vege Threads is priority, and the shift towards Australian production is important to the brand, using local processes, dyes and fabrics and smaller freight runs. And then not so much perhaps on the ‘natural fibres’ front, but focusing on locally designed, sourced and made are brands being counted in the mix of overall impact. Ethical Clothing Australia promotes ethical working practices for Australian made garments, where homeworkers are often exploited despite Australian labour laws. Accredited brands include Cue, Anthea Crawford, Carla Zampatti and Ginger&Smart. – See more at: http://otter.org.au/fast-fashion/#sthash.8uV2dMDT.dpuf Another great local Sydney brand is Good Day Girl with only marginally more expensive than your Country Roads and Cue’s, makes made to measure clothes just for you locally, by a team of Vietnamese women (and accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia). There’s good stuff starting to happen. Simple things like Stella McCartney making all her bags’ dust bags and shoe bags now organic cotton and materials more ethical, using less water where possible… We’re on the up and my daggy, badly cut hemp tops buying experiment will hopefully soon be a distant memory – I’m trying!

Luxurious organic cotton pyjamas

How gorgeous are these from one of our very own Low Tox Life alumni, Rachel Pines founder of MOONBIRD. You must check out the collection. So many alumni are absolutely adoring these PJs and buying second and 3rd pairs they love them so much!

Moonbird pyjamas are made from beautifully soft 100% GOTS certified woven organic cotton and screen printed by hand. All dying, printing and assembling is conducted in a Fair Trade accredited facility in Jaipur, India.

All pants have an elastic waistband and cotton drawstring for an adjustable fit as well as french seams and cotton care labels for extra comfort.

Pyjama sets are delivered to you in a Moonbird printed calico drawstring gift bag. These bags are 100% organic cotton and are produced in a Fair Trade cooperative in Kolkata, India which gives women who have been trapped in the sex trade, freedom, skills and access to healthcare and education.

Here’s what Rachel has to say about her GOTS status: Re our GOTs certification, Currently we can’t hold the GOTs certificate so that we could show it on our website because our printing facility doesn’t have a water treatment plant on site. The GOTs system doesn’t just certify the cotton being grown organically but the whole process of dyeing and treating the fabric afterwards. We comply with everything apart from that. But the water treatment plant is a big financial outlay and not something they can afford just yet. I have the GOTS certificates for all our fabric purchases and my manufacturers in Jaipur only use one company that they trust and have a long standing relationship with. I will be travelling to India again next year and plan to source fair-trade organic cotton. At the moment it is hard to find fabric which is both organic and Fair Trade, but it will mean that I actually have the direct relationship with the farmers and the mills, which helps with transparency throughout the supply chain.

Want to know the TOP ETHICAL JEANS brands? CLICK HERE for the ‘sexy seven’!

And for shoes?

Do not fear. The best you can do is think ‘pure materials, fair trade where possible, 100% leather upper and soles… As with all other categories, it’s about developing mindfulness and awareness over time and asking questions when you’re not sure.

Blessed Earth has these great Wilderness Society thongs. Birkenstock cork soled options are a great every day’er too if you’re a flat and casual shoe kind of person.

Soft Star for kids in the USA and Lil’ Aussie Shoe Co in Australia are both fabulous. I have bought a couple of pairs of shoes for my husband from sustainable Industrial Design shoe studio Seer Footwear in Sydney, too and the guy is so passionate about low tox glues, using natural rubber for soles, natural dyes… Truly committed. I wish there were more women’s shoe stores that cared the same way. ETIKO has ethical thongs. When I was in Byron Bay I came across Tsonga shoes – fully traceable fair trade shoes, made with hand stitching instead of glues, pure leather and natural dyes. The sandles are ridiculously comfortable and I highly recommend them.

https://ethicallyclothed.com

Ethically Clothed exists to provide a place where you can find and buy clothes from designers who operate an ethical business model. Our ethos is summed up by the phrase “People see what you wear, what would they say if they saw where it came from?”. We are based in Brighton in the United Kingdom which is a hub of all things in ethical, eco, green and sustainable fashion. This helps to ensure that we stick to our own morals as well as getting inspiration from the other like-minded companies

A FEW MORE INTERESTING DISCOVERIES AND READS

Want to know according to 1 million women what the 5 brands to watch in ethical fashion in AUS / NZ are? GO HERE

Want the Marie Claire round up of the top 15 brands in the world today? GO HERE From hairy hemp to hot right now – spotlight on ethical fashion GO HERE

TASK FOR TODAY

• Make a list of clothes you’re likely to need in the next couple of months and research options local to you. Could you do what I consider as written about on the blog? Consider 50%? That is, be more scrutinising about what you REALLY need, and buy half as many items and twice the quality?

• Write and ask questions pertaining to the above points we’ve looked at. Ask about PFCs (perfluorinated carbons) / what makes that possible, if they’ve touted themselves as stocking ‘wrinkle free sheets’ or jackets. Secondly, have a new mantra for yourself when it comes to clothes:

Halve the quantity, Double the quality. Noticing a theme in the course? Less stuff and better stuff equals less attachment to BUYING all the time, greater pride and care for what you do have. Simple.

Clothing is a very precious thing and while it might feel awesome to get that ‘crazy deal on the $10 pair of jeans’, the cost is being paid down the line elsewhere – by you and your health, by the factory worker, by the land and toxic chemicals. It just isn’t worth it. Halving the amount you buy and doubling the quality not only takes huge amounts of pressure off the planet, but also brings us back to appreciating our things more. Mindful, happy appreciation of special things.

Keep applying pressure to the textiles industry however you can. Eventually things will change. We are seeing it now with more and more McDonald’s chains closing down. We see it with Coke’s 7th consecutive sales quarter decline and their desperate attempt at releasing ‘Coke Life‘ to try and get the health conscious. Problem is, we’re smarter now. They didn’t get the memo. Choosing better is the most positive and powerful force we possess as ‘consumers’ (even though I hate that word!). The big guys will stop making what the people stop buying. Here’s to not ignoring textile industry petitions any more. Here’s to finding some excellent local clothing brands that promote a more ecological way of doing things. Here’s to trading up and stop mistaking an item that’s more expensive as something ‘snobby’. It’s actually something well-made and worth caring about – well past that crappy $5 singlet or $10 jeans.

Oh how I love these inspirations. You might like to follow The Minimalists blog.

Final little idea: Next time you think you need to buy clothes, go do something else that’s free that you love to do – a favourite walk, a chat with a good friend. Did you really need the clothing, or did you need a feel good hit of “YOU” time, because ‘you time’ and shopping aren’t mutually exclusive. That’s a marketer’s story, not the story of the human spirit.

Need a cheat sheet for today? CLICK HERE Day 32: Creating the ripples of change – Community ideas

I am so excited to share a few thoughts on community, because once we’ve fulfilled our no1 job to create a healthy, low tox life for ourselves and our family, if we want to make it the norm, we then of course consider that next step: How do I create change in my community? I want to share a simple list of ideas today and a beautiful chat with my friend Costa Georgiadis, who I think epitomises the Low Tox Life – no bitterness or anger for how things aren’t – always focusing on planting seeds of change and growing the good – The more the good stuff grows, the less room there is for the bad.

Creating change this way means we remain happy and positive, instead of being angry about everything that’s wrong and I truly believe that bitterness needs to be left at the door when we’re enlightened by the full truth of what’s going on. It will be completely counterproductive to our desire for a low tox life to spread through our communities, because being low tox includes our beautiful minds as well…

I’m certainly not saying we won’t be met with frustrations along the way or interesting challenges. I face them weekly in my work. BUT, I liken it back to when I used to train hospitality teams and we talked about attitude and the kind of energy we were sending across our bar or down to the table as we placed a dish down… Are we going to let the one asshole customer among 200 over the whole night, ruin our night and everyone else’s night around us because we’re been affected by their negative energy? NOPE. There will ‘always be one’. You’re not the issue. They are. Move on. This takes practice but it can be done.

Here’s my list of ideas for you to start helping create wider change, when you’re ready and if this speaks to you… • Your parents’ group with newborns – Be the person who ‘knows the best low tox wipes, the rubber dummy brand, the safe glass bottles, the most effective and least hassle cloth nappies… Establish yourself as the go to, and you will get to help all those parents around you!

• Your preschool. Discuss handwash and sunscreen options with the director of the childcare or preschool – Show the ingredient list of the current use products, and suggest alternative options.

• Your child’s school. Start working on having the school implement a ‘plastic free lunch’ day / nude food day once a week on a permanent basis. Be the parent that offers a list of reusable options for the lunchbox (hemp wraps / sandwich pockets etc) to help parents find the transition easier. Suggest leftovers for lunch instead of packet foods or sandwiches that need ‘wrapping’ and share a few other lunch box ideas – Simple 1 bowl muffin mix recipe, crudites, dip etc.

• Your child’s high school – Suggest a sustainability project or an environmental scientist come to speak at assembly – Tim Silverwood would be only too happy to discuss some of the workshops he runs with his team around the country for children towards the end of primary school and throughout highschool or university.

• Fundraising – I have 20 spots around the country per year, to help schools fundraise with my speaking engagements. A low tox / real food or both keynote or masterclass. I take a speaker fee and cover travel and expenses, and whatever you raise above that, is for your group or school to put towards what you need in the food / low tox arena. Get in touch if this is something you want to do next year. I adore hitting the road and meeting you guys! • Your child’s high school class – Suggest watching a documentary and having students do research projects on various chemicals and their uses and cautions. Get kids aware of what’s in stuff and its power to affect us – good or bad.

• Your sports club or swimming pool – Campaign for the removal of artificial timed sprays from bathrooms. Suggest alternatives such as essential oil diffusing or simply going without them – We survived decades in public spaces without them. We just don’t need them at all. Campaign for low tox washroom and laundry products – Ecostore is a great, inexpensive mainstream brand.

• Your local cafe – Encourage them to implement a 10c discount for everyone who brings their own cup. Encourage them to no serve smoothies in plastic cups when people are ‘drinking in’. Ask them to bag up their spent coffee grounds for people to use as body scrubs at home or for their gardens. Discourage the use of takeaway boxes if the customer isn’t taking anything away.

• Your local restaurant – So many things… Ask them to ask a customer if they want a straw or not, and move to paper straws. All the times that the customer says ‘no thanks’ are times that you’ve saved money on straws enough to buy the paper ones instead. Ask them for your leftovers to be boxed up. If they use plastic tubs to do that, let them know there are BIOcup options now that are fully compostable. Ask them if they have a compost. Raising awareness with a simple question can be the catalyst that the team there needed to get something happening.

• Your workplace. Ask them to consider wiring everyone to ethernet – If this means less brain fog and clearer focus, don’t you think they might stand up and listen? Campaign to have the auto timed fragrance fresheners taken out of work bathrooms. Ask for the office to provide low tox sprays like ReSparkle for the office kitchen, as well as low tox dishwasher liquid, powder and soaps. Make them a list of options. Make it so, so easy they simply can’t refuse, and of course share a list of what we’ll be ditching, with these swaps so that they see visually ‘WOAH” What is all that stuff??? Then other ideas you can instigate are cartridge recycling, low tox commercial cleaning companies, a tai chi morning, weekly yoga class or a ‘barefoot lunch time’ initiative. Encourage ‘BYO coffee cup incentives’ where as a team if you hit a 1000 coffee cups saved target, the team gets a treat. You could instigate a reusable drink bottle and coffee cup as a start-of-the-year or start of employment pack for new staff members. Let people know you’re a company who is mindful from their very first day!

• Starting a business or running a business – WOW. You have a real power here to create change for all those around you – your staff, your customers. Everything form the materials you build with, to the way you stock your kitchen and bathroom to the gifts you give your regulars, VIPS or new customers (not another weirdo piece of phthalate laden plastic branded token whatever, right?) The list goes on. Being the change as a business is an opportunity for a deliciously brave leadership decision, where low tox ways can be a part of your story! If you’re a fertility clinic for example, gifting this course to your clients for preconception care. If you’re a naturopath or nutritionist, same thing. Or get in touch to affiliate the course for your clients.

So there are just a few ideas. I want you to share yours too if you’ve got any more. Today’s challenge?

Commit to one little action with your family, and one with your community to be actioned by the end of this year. It could be anything – I can’t wait to see what different people come up with!

This is where you can use the Facebook group to get support and bounce ideas. Or feel free to post it in the comments here and ask for support or feedback this way too. I cannot wait to hear what your actions are going to be and boy have I got a treat for you for our last interview. Enjoy my chat with the master community motivator, TV presenter extraordinaire and all round excellent human, Costa Georgiadis or on soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/alexx_stuart/alexx-chats-to-costa-georgiadis

Here’s to starting our little ripples of change tiny and big from wherever we are. Who knew that changing our toothpaste and sunscreen could change the world, hey? So cool. You did it! You are officially a Low Tox graduate. How does it feel? Today, take the time to sit quietly with a cup o’ tea or coffee and reflect. What’s changed for you? What have you changed? What are you most excited to tackle next?

Here are a few little closing words from me.

And a few words from Alic Domar that I love – YOUR PACE. YOUR WAY!

How can I share this course with my friends and family?

Hang tight. Our next enrolment intake is coming up in just 3 months which will of course go by super fast! You will be the first to know and be able to share it with your friends. I so appreciate you spreading the word. If you’re into food or have kids and fancy some support raising Real Food loving kiddies, then you’ll love the two courses I have coming up – You will be automatically notified, so there’s no need to worry about missing it.

Lastly, hopefully, if I did my job, you might have experienced a few shifts over the past month.

• Mindful • Connected to nature

• A sense of place in the world and a drive behind your new found responsibility to your health and that of our amazing planet earth.

• Excitement for discovery rather than fear of the unknown

• Excitement for feeling, deeply, that you’re doing something really right – right down to your bones!

What happens now?

1. We have a digital detox for a couple of days – deal? I will be managing my facebook page with the full, big community there, but I’m going to take a break from group management and answering questions over the weekend!

2. You have full access until July 25th of this course portal – That’s everyone who signed up to do the course – The Low Tox Legends (basic $75 package – check your paypal to know if that’s you if you can’t remember) will have full access to this portal and the interviews until July 25th too.

3. If you chose the premium package or upgraded this week, you will receive your end of course PDF and topic bonuses on Monday. 4. On July 25th Low Tox Lifers will be sent access to the alumni group to continue the discussion with like minds.

5. On July 25th, our current FB group becomes static – so you can reference it and search it, but not ask new questions or make new posts.

Isn’t it amazing that we are changing the world just from our own tiny little corner of the world by ditching excessive plastic use, changing face creams and body washes and all the rest? It’s such a simple solution staring us in the face and now we’re totally onto it!

It’s been a pleasure getting to know you all. Thank you for coming along for this crazy yet awesome ride that is the low tox life.

Here are some of the best books to keep you learning and clarifying things for yourself, on your journey

Slow Death by Rubber Duck

To Die For

What’s Got Into Us

TOX IN TOX OUT

The MoneyLessMan

The Joy of Less

No More Dirty Looks

Ted Talks and Documentaries to watch

The Disappearing Male

Toxic Baby – Ted TALK The Human Experiment

Microbirth

The Story of Stuff (whole site)

Bag It – The Movie

Planet on a Plate

Chemical Valley

Mercury Undercover Low Tox Lifer Bonus - Low Tox Pets

It stands to reason that our pets deserve a low tox life just as we do! Here are a few resources to help you on your way to researching this area more if you have pets yourself!

Great Pet Blogs and sites for chemical free pets and all sorts of tips.

But first… why not grab the bestselling Dogs & Cats “Natural Pet care” book of all time. CLICK HERE.

HEALTHY PETS on MERCOLA.COM

EARTH FIRST site is awesome and has a great pet section with further references to sites for supplies from dug houses, pet beds and more!

My simple dog wash tip: Dr Bronner’s Castille Soap is great to dilute in a bucket or bath to wash your dog! So simple and cheap and no weirdness!

For packaged food, BIO PET are awesome - Australian owned and made with a variety of options. Local markets will often have great locals making home made pet treats and dried meats for your pets to relish.

Need some home flea remedies? Go HERE and HERE for some excellent, safe ideas.

Need to know the non toxic house plants that won’t harm your pets? GO HERE

Excited at the thought of ditching kitty litter and trays forever? Thanks to course member Megan, for this reference - The Toilet Trained Cat - YES, you can toilet train your cat. Amazing!

If you’re an essential oils lover and with us over in the little Young Living group (email me if you want the wholesale details and haven’t got them yet), or using other quality oils like Doterra, Twenty8 8 or Springfields, then the. Pinterest has the most incredible little homemade remedies for all manner of pet healing and care. CLICK HERE to check some out. I know our dog at my mum in law’s farm responds super well to Lavender as he gets a little anxious in his old age.

Got a friend who’s a farmer?

Natural care for Ruminants is an awesome book written by a very experienced Vet. Natural Horse Care and a bunch of other books by the same author Pat Coleby, help you raise your farm animals without chemicals. Horses who are startled or stressed, really respond well to Palo Santo and Geranium essential oils - just a couple of drops of each rubbed in your hands for them to sniff and lick.

For generally going chemical free on your farm, you might want to look into the incredible books of Joel Salatin, starting with a favourite - Folks: This ain’t normal.

So hopefully these resources, which I’ve found useful over time and have recommended to friends and family, you’ll see that we can extend our low tox lives to our little fur babies too! Renovating the Low Tox Way

Some good overall resources http://mychemicalfreehouse.blogspot.com.au https://www.livos.com.au/links http://www.ecospecifier.com.au/knowledge-green/setting-priorities/ http://greendesignsolutions.com.au/ebook/

Flooring http://www.ecospecifier.com.au/knowledge-green/setting-priorities/eco-priority-guide- floor-surfaces/

Carpet / Rug low tox association

http://www.carpet-rug.org/CRI-Testing-Programs/Green-Label-Plus.aspx

Rug ‘keeper in placer’ http://www.westelm.com.au/eco-rug-pad-r784 (coconut origin, not palm)

Carpet Cleaning http://www.greenclean.com.au/index.php?/Carpet-Upholstery- Cleaning/carpet-upholstery-cleaning.html

Eco flooring http://www.ecoflooring.com.au/

- including cork for kitchens http://www.ecofriendlyflooring.com.au/

Flooring option – Northern Beaches Sydney http://www.austimberfloors.com.au/

Anro Natural Floor Treatments – Bayswater VIC http://www.anrofloorcare.com.au

Modwood Sustainable Decking http://www.modwood.com.au/sustainability/

Home Building / Architecture

Your future home directory http://www.australianliving.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/MoloneyArchitects?hc_location=ufi http://www.envirohomes.com.au http://www.maxadesign.com.au

ACT http://www.rojasconstructions.com.au/services/sustainable-building.html

VIC http://bryanpetersen.com.au/Architectural/eco-friendly/

custom furniture - tables, boards to fit spaces http://www.oliverthrosby.com.au/

Paint http://www.ecospecifier.com.au/knowledge-green/setting-priorities/eco-priority-guide- paints/ http://www.greenpainters.org.au https://www.mythicpaint.com.au/ http://www.ecolour.com.au https://www.livos.com.au

Water http://www.clarencewaterfilters.com.au

Waterflow Control – Sydney www.waterflowcontrol.com.au

Water Tanks http://www.milkwood.net/2011/02/14/water-tank-comparisons-for-drinking-water- defining-clean-and-green/

Kitchen http://www.ecospecifier.com.au/knowledge-green/setting-priorities/eco-priority-guide- kitchens/ http://timberbench.com

Interior Design http://www.healthyinteriors.com.au

Curtains / Fabric / Upholstery http://organiccottonwholesale.com.au/organic-cotton-fabrics/ - fabric to make curtains with http://www.blessedearth.com.au/categories/Organic-Bedding/Organic-Cotton-Bedding/ Fabrics,-Mosquito-Nets-%26-Curtains/ http://www.bamboofabricstore.com.au/shop/bamboo-fabrics/64 http://www.ecofabrics.com.au/contents/en-us/d1.html http://www.hempgallery.com.au/product-category/fabrics/ http://www.naturalfabric.com.au http://www.ecoinspired.com.au - fabrics, design services, upholstery http://www.purelinen.com.au/purelinen-linen-fabrics http://www.thedrapery.com.au

Furniture / Homewares http://www.furniture-australia.com/directory/environmental-furniture.htm https://www.ecochic.com.au/ecochic http://www.barenature.com.au http://www.jasperandeve.com.au http://www.jardan.com.au/footprint/

Resources From buildingbiology.com.au - A must consult resource when performing any renovation in my opinion, to ensure your home improvements are as low tox as possible for your budget and building’s situation.

AIR FILTERS

Whole house air filtration systems: HRV Australia Phone: 1300 HRV 123

Portable air filter: Electron 180A Air Purifier for people with allergies

ADHESIVES & SEALANTS

HB Fuller Australia. Toolbox range.

ARCHITECTS (specialising in building healthy homes)

BP Architects Bridget Puszka. St Kilda. 03 9525 3780.

Planet Architecture. Marie Wallin 0449 758 456

CARPETS & FLOORING Alpaca Carpets. Australian Carpet Mills. www.australiancarpetmills.com.au

Boral Concrete. www.boral.com.au

BT Bamboo www.eco-flooring.com.au and www.bamboofloors.com.au

Cavalier Bremworth Greentuft range www.cavbrem.com.au

E-crete. www.zeobond.com.au

Forbo Lino floors www.forbo.com.au

Hebel. www.hebelaustralia.com.au

Independent Cement (ecoblend). www.independentcement.com.au

Mc Mats Recycled Carpets www.mcmatsrecycledcarpets.com.au

Quantum Timber Finishes. www.qtf.com.au

Sisal, seagrass and coir www.floorspace.com.au

INSULATION

Air-cell. www.air-cell.com.au

Autex. www.autex.com.au

Golden Fleece. www.goldenfleeceinsulation.com.au

Higgins. www.higginsinsulation.com.au

Insulfluf. www.insulfluf.com.au

Thermo wool insulation. The Skylight Shop. 03) 9336 2111

DUCT CLEANING

Steamatic. Specialists in carpet cleaning, mould remediation and duct cleaning. Australia wide: 1300 783 262. Make sure you ask for non-chemical means to clean the home!

PAINT & FINISHES (low or no VOCs)

Bauwerk Biopaints

Colours by Nature

Ecolour

Keim

Livos

Oikos

Rockcote

Thermal Paints

Volvox

PAINTERS

Anrofloorcare

Greenpainters

WATER FILTER SUPPLIERS

Aquasafe. Phone: 1800 636 135 Web: www.aquasafe.com.au

Clarence Water Filters Phone: 02) 6646 8565 Web: clarencewaterfilters.com.au

Clear Choice Water Filters. (David) 1300 001 752 Web: www.clearchoicewaterfilters.com.au

PSI Water Filters Phone: 1800 305 579. Web: www.psifilters.com.au

Pure Stream Water Filters Phone: 1300 888 429. Web: www.aeoncp.com.au Low Tox Home – Pest Repellants – Personal, Home & Garden

This is a topic where again we have the chance to impact our health and the planet’s with the choices we make.

Pesticides are mostly thought about in relation to food agriculture, but the host of baits, balls, surface sprays, lure and kills and mozzie repellants are collectively very harmful to us and our planet and they’re right in our homes. The giants who run pesticide companies are a rather powerful lot. Monsanto, Bayer, Du Pont… These are huge, huge companies that act purely with profit and growth in mind. I’m all for profit and growth – this isn’t an anti money thing at all… It’s just that our dollars feel so good when we’re helping GOOD PEEPS profit and grow. These big guys are the type that try to sue the European Union for banning their neonicatinoids, because of their loss of revenue due to not being able to sell their product anymore. Isn’t that crazy? Maybe they should have considered making a safer product in the first place.

If we say yes to the transpacific partnership in the works at the moment, companies will be able to sue our govt for loss of business, just like this – even if they’re doing bad things in the world. I for one just don’t think that’s right. Not one bit. Once we know what we’ve learnt thus far, it’s interesting to use the ‘is this in line with my values now that I’m a conscious, connected person?’ Nope, it’s not. A little signature really helps the activists out there do their jobs, so if you fancy signing against giving companies ‘higher power’ than is safe, or than they deserve, then HERE is where you can do that.

Whole colonies of honey bees are dying all over the world. This has disastrous consequences for our biodiversity and agriculture. If our biodiversity shrinks, so does our health by definition of not being about to access as large a variety of plants to eat and get our nutrients from.

Without honey bees 80% of the plants will disappear, so it’s a big deal indeed. Without specific plant species, certain butterflies will be extinct and our fruits and vegetables will diminish. A disaster for nature but also for us people.

Watch this simple little video to know that opting to go chemical free with our insect options, as well as organic and local where possible when buying food, is an amazing contribution to a better today and tomorrow. https://youtu.be/CLuX5TjRDdg Want to know the chemicals in your day to day home pest products? Beyond Pesticides. Org has a list of all the main ones for you to take a look at. If you want a wonderful resource regarding bees, The Vanishing Bees is where to go.

Now, I want to share a story. I grew up terrified of bugs of all kinds. I used to use fly spray for 2 fruit flies buzzing around – madness! This was one of my last low tox convert categories, about 5 years ago now and I’m so, so glad I did. I used so much spray for years and the average house hold sprays can lead to thyroid damage, endocrine disruption, cancer and neurotixicity – NO THANKS! Unfortunately I got 2 out of 4. Luckily mildly. Mostly reversed now.

My last encounter with poisonous bug sprays, was when I was visiting my family in Mauritius (we’re half French Mauritian on Mum’s side) and I was breast feeding my then nearly 5 month old little guy – I didn’t have quite enough milk, so we were also supplementing with an organic goat’s formula, HOLLE. The day after I got there, the little man rejected the boob. He simply would not take breast milk at all and it was quite literally from one day to the next. I know in my heart now as I did about a week later when I figured it out, that it was the Aeroguard coming through me and into the breast milk. I always got mauled in Mauritius, and Aerogard was my summer fragrance without fail back then and growing up.

I’d been so low tox on so many fronts by that time, it was easy to pin point the cause. Our babies teach us. Their instincts are pure and they just feel what’s wrong and involuntarily react to such things negatively. Because they can’t talk they protest through tears and screams, and tight lipped mouths. We must listen for their cues. And so, that was it for me and toxic sprays.

What’s wrong with a couple of fruit flies anyway, honestly? Or ants? These days, I just don’t mind at all because, again – the harsh pesticide stuff once you look into it, is too UGLY to contemplate using. I have also come to see that a couple of bugs means our place is natural and low tox. We naturally encourage the ones we don’t want, out of the house so hopefully today you’ll get ideas for that!

So, here are some tips and I’ve included an AWESOME infographic I’ve referenced several times on natural pest control which covers prevention, home, garden and personal – It’s epically wonderful!

1. The best thing you can do to minimise indoor pests is get fly screens. By simply keeping them out, you have far less issues IN. Large hardware stores will stock ready made extendible ones, or you could get them custom made or, if you’re ambitious as my husband was, make them yourself, which of course means, making 2, being very proud and then 2 years later still having all the gear to make the rest of them in the shed but still, just, erm, 2! 2. Pinterest is probably the best resource there is for insect repellent ideas. Check the massive amounts of info out on HERE. PRO TIP: To avoid bogus claims, scroll down to the comments where you will quickly find out if people have loved the remedies or not!

3. Trap large insects like grasshoppers and huntsmans (or get someone to if you’re like me and have a phobia) and place them outside. If you can’t face them, a vaccuum cleaner is super effective for sucking them up.

4. For cockroaches, you can mix Borax + Sugar: 3 parts borax to 1 part sugar, because the borax acts similarly to commercial roach killing sprays by dehydrating the pests’ exoskeleton. The sugar just acts as a bait. Though borax is a pretty safe product, I ask that you err on the side of caution and sprinkle the mix only in high up places OR when you’re all going to be out and you can return home and vaccuum before risking kids or pets touching it, given it’s an eye / lung irritant, despite being natural. A few hours later, there will be dead cockroaches and you will be happy! You can get a bucket of borax from BLANTS. Cockroaches are super important to get on top of as they are carriers of some pretty nasty bugs that can affect our health in all sorts of ways. We had an infestation this year. I had developed a strange around the mouth and around my eyes dermatitis last November. I have had perfect skin since forever, so this was very out of character. It got worse and worse. Hardly ideal for a low tox spruiker like me to have bad skin! Anyway, I decided to do a big kitchen clean and low and behold, behind the fridge, a horrible colony of them scurrying around. EEK! A morning of borax cleaning and laying a couple of upside down lids of half borax / half sugar under the fridge and in a couple of other strategist places around the kitchen, and low and behold my rashy dermatitis was GONE 3 days later. I’d had an allergic reaction to the cockroaches but hadn’t connected the two. After a little research online, I saw a lot of references to the connection, so I knew that had been my issue. I was so relieved when we found ‘the thing’. No more cockroaches now. They’re gone. Borax / sugar lids or a drizzle of the above liquid and yo’ll be laughing all the way to your cockroach free home!

5. A simple weed killer for the garden? Equal parts dish or hand soap (ie a Dr Bronner Castille) with white vinegar and spray on the weeds. Weeds be gone! HERE’S A VIDEO

6. Flies, mozzies, slow spiders and cockroaches? WHACK. Simple as that. Stop spraying them when you could whack them. Check out this fly gun – Some people form past course rounds swear by it!

And I LOVE this DIY chart – So handy!

Note: Where it says boric acid, use Borax from BLANTS to be sure you’re getting the natural one.

Need some pest deterrent help with your pets? DOG NATURALLY is a wonderful resource.

Need a rural low tox snake repellant option (ah, gotta love Australia!) SUREGUARD SOLAR is a great option I know that friends have tried and tested.

Need a low tox pest company in Australia?

• Easy on Earth Pest Control – in Sydney. These guys are in demand, but definitely the best option I’ve come across.

• Organic Pest Control – in south east Queensland

Want some ready-to-use pest sprays and repellents?

• Biome has this Para’Kito Mosquito Protection wrist band if you prefer not having skin contact with oils / a specific smell.

• Nourished Life has the awesome Vanessa Megan Bug Off My Baby, as well as a couple of other options. I used Bug Off My Baby when the little man was a bub in the tropics twice, and it was fantastic!

• And then you have Redecker Red Cedar Hanger Rings from Biome which naturally repels moths from your closets! Ditch the camphor balls. Balls be gone!

• And how about a completely ‘substance free’ repellent for the home? This Pest Free II plug-in natural pest deterrent with a 60 day money back guarantee from BIOME. If you get lots of bugs – 60 days money back is a pretty wonderful guarantee to at least give this a go, no? And don’t panic, it’s not a frequency damaging to humans.

And there you have some ideas! The most important thing here is again, that in making these changes we help our health and the planet’s health. No more sending these chemicals out into the atmosphere and the waterways. We are smarter than that now.

Need a cheat sheet? CLICK HERE