Think Dirty, Live Clean

Have you ever had one of those "ah-ha!" moments?

Friends - I've had a BIG one all due to one little app I downloaded recently. 

As I've gotten more and more obsessed with essential oils, I started to hear about an app called Think Dirty. Basically, after you download it you can look up any household items, from cleaners to toothpaste to makeup to laundry detergent, and see how "dirty" these products are. 

They are rated from 0-10 and are also indicated by color. Green = clean. Yellow = Meh. Not so bad, but you could do better. Red = GET THAT STUFF OUTTA YOUR HOUSE NOW. 

There are a few considerations here that you can use your discretion with. One is that a top 'red' indicator is fragrance, which can be a hormone disruptor and an allergen. Unless the ingredient is specified as a natural or organic fragrance, it is automatically marked as a red. This was hugely scary to me as I first started to check items such as body wash and lotion. However, I feel confident some of the products I have aren't super red... but I'm still going to phase them out of use and replace with cleaner alternatives.

Guys - I've been SUPER careful for about purchasing natural and cruelty-free products for so long and I didn't think I had anything to be worried about. Then, as I scanned my Palmer's Cocoa Butter lotion and got a big red 9 ... I kinda freaked out. It was marked red to "Developmental and reproductive toxicity" - something I do NOT take lightly. 

Yet, there were still some items which were SO TOXIC in my home. AH! I'm happy that there were also some, like the Method All Purpose Cleaner that was okay... but then the Method Hand Soaps that I use to wash my hands each and every day were completely terrible!

So, how many other items in my home that I thought were fine for my family actually aren't? I'm slowly going through and seeing where I can make improvements. 

I'm going to post below some of the biggest and scariest findings so far! But I implore you to check out any items you're putting on your skin, breathing in, putting near food, using to clean counters, using to clean clothes... anything you bring into your home. Check it! If it is highly toxic, get rid of it. There are plenty alternatives, many of which you can find right in the app itself. 

This is going to be a big part of my goal to live more intentionally and I'm excited to clear my home and family of toxins and become more natural and chemical free. <3

A little context for the ratings

One of my biggest surprises was my lotion - 

anyone have recommendations for a toxin free alternative?

Maybe I'll just stick to coconut oil!

 I was also quite surprised by my dish soap. I'll be looking for an alternative as well.

My makeup, which largely consists of Tarte cosmetics, is somewhere in the middle. 

But my dry shampoo and body wash are going to have to go once I run out - I JUST bought a new giant body wash and I don't want to be wasteful. Also, it is mostly from the fragrance. I will, however, also be looking for new shampoo and conditioner.

In the market for new facewash...

I've always known this was bad, but needed a push to really rid myself of the very harmful bleach products used to clean my home. I'll be searching for an alternative!

Not so green afterall...

I've added Thieves handwash 3-pack from Young Living to my Essential Rewards order for January and I can't wait to replace these toxic handwashes in my kitchen and bathroom!