Today is Tuesday, December 30th, 2014. I am on a journey to a chemical free life, and this is my way of inviting you to join me!
(If you know me, you can skip this paragraph unless you want to be reminded of how great I am - if that's the case, read on.) I'm Haley. I'm a happy wife of 6 months (newlyweds!) to the greatest man I know. I'm a pet mama to three spoiled cats, of whom you'll get to see the occasional photo if you're lucky. We just bought our first house right after we got married, and are still in the process of transforming it into our home - more on that later! Okay...now that you know a little about me, let's talk about why we're here!
Over the last year I've become painfully conscious of just how many chemicals I'm putting in, on, and near my body. My husband and I began discussing our big goals for the new year and the two that kept coming back to the forefront were saving money and living healthier. We talked about the things we spend money on and were shocked at how much money we blow on things like cosmetics, toiletries, and other body products. Seriously - stop reading right now, and go do some math. Add up how much you've spent in the last year (estimated if you're not a weirdo who keeps receipts that long) on things like shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, makeup, etc. I'll wait.
Back with me? Insane, right? We estimated that we spend around $600 a year for these kinds of things. (This is a low estimate, because we also travel a lot and end up buying the little travel size bottles pretty often. Oh, and this estimate does not include makeup because I only recently started using it with any frequency.)
So - $600 a year. That's almost an extra mortgage payment. That's our yearly homeowner's insurance premium. With an extra $600 a year, we could each make an extra payment on our vehicles.
Okay, so money schmoney. Let's talk health. The chemicals that are in our products (facial cleansers, shampoos, toothpaste, etc) - the products we use on our bodies - are the reason that these products all come with warning labels that include the number for the poison control center, and many of them caution against children being exposed to said product. Wait til we get into the deadly chemicals in our household cleaners - it's terrifying stuff!
I have set a goal for my home. By the end of 2015, I want my home to be completely chemical-free. No toxic cleaners, no beauty products with a mile-long list of ingredients, and no using anything if I can't tell you exactly what's inside it (without cheating) in under 15 seconds.
Sound insane? Probably! It's not going to be easy. That's why I've divided the year into four parts to make transitioning a little less of a shock. For the first three months of the year, I'll be replacing all of the products in our home that we currently use on our skin (toiletries). That means soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, body wash, deodorant, lotions, makeup, etc. The second quarter will focus on replacing household cleaners - things like Clorox, Windex, and bathroom cleaners (among about a billion other things we haven't even considered - anyone else use those plug-in wallflower things for scents from Bath & Body Works? I'll miss those). Third quarter is where it gets trickier. We'll be diving into what we are putting into our bodies. This is the stage where the yummy delicious junky crap we eat all the time makes its dramatic exit to be replaced by natural, healthier options that don't contain a million preservatives and random ingredients we can't pronounce). Last but not least, in the fourth quarter we'll circle back around to sweep - looking for anything from the other stages we missed along the way, any lingering chemicals in the house/pantry. This will also include efforts to make our home more sustainable. We'll reflect on our progress and then continue the journey, one step at a time!
For most of these replacements, I'll be using homemade alternatives - and each time I find one that works, I'll post the recipe here so you can benefit from what we learn! Go on, give us a follow. I promise at least once a week updates, along with recipes, reviews, and other thoughts along the way.
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