Know the bad Toxins

To get your home clean from the bad toxins, you have to know what they are. 

On the labels, they use scientific names so ordinary people like me and you can remember all of them. And there are hundreds. We do not want to overwhelm you with all of them. The main group is known as the dirty dozen, we will explore those and a few other common ones. 

In our What to do section, you will find practical ways of how to avoid them by using all-natural products in your home. 

Some products green-wash by using certain words or images to make you think it is a "green" product. But do not be fooled. So let's just explore the basics of what toxic chemicals we find generally around our homes. 

NL element with shadow
BHT3
Name: Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)

Use for: Commonly used as preservatives

Found in: Personal care products and cosmetics. Also Food products like cereals, and lining of food packages.

Formaldehyde
Name: Formaldehyde

Use for: Commonly used as preservatives

Found in: Shampoo, liquid baby soap, nail polish, chemical hair straightener

PEGS
Name: Polyethylene glycol compounds (PEG's)

Use for: Thickeners, softeners, moisture-carrying agents and penetration enhancers.

Found in: Widespread in personal care products to Cleaners

Diethanolamine
Name: Diethanolamine

Use for: A emulsifiers to produce foam and bubbles in cosmetics

Found in: Personal care products, cosmetics, cleaning products, and household goods.

SLS2
Name: Sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium Laureth sulfate (SLS and SLES)

Use for: Contribute foaming and lathering properties to cleansing products and bubble baths.

Found in: Products that foams like shampoos, body wash, laundry detergent and bubble baths.

fragrance2
Name: Fragrance

Use for: An umbrella terms for the chemical ingredients that make up the scent, sometimes 100s of chemicals.

Found in: Personal care, cleaning products, perfumes, health products and air fresheners.

petroluim
Name: Mineral Oil and Petroleum Distillates*

Use for: To dissolve other substances, usually liquids, in cosmetics and personal care products.

Found in: Lotions, moisturizers, conditioners, ointments, lip balms, cosmetics and baby care products.

*Petroleum Distillates is a broad term that refers to any one of numerous petroleum that are by-products of the refining process used to create gasoline and other petroleum products.

Parabens2
Name: Parabens

Use for: Discourage the growth of microbes, so commonly found in products containing water.

Found in: Hair products, shower gels, lotions, facial cleansers, cosmetics, feminine care and many more.

Phthalates
Name: Phthalates

Use for: To make plastic more flexible and as solvents agents in things like detergents and lubricating oils.

Found in: Synthetic fragrance, nail polish, hairspray, and plastic materials.

What do these toxins do?

These are just some of the toxic chemicals that are found in products you use daily. Big commercial companies use these chemicals. They want their products to last longer, cost less and enhance their effectiveness. The problem is that these chemicals they use are harmful to our health, link to different health issues from allergies to carcinogen* and endocrine disruptor**. We are not going to expand on this issue. There are more than enough expert websites that can provide you with more detail - see the list in the "Some Additional Resources" section below.

This all being said, there is a lot of contradicting information on the internet. And people can be biased when searching for information. So my viewpoint. The Lord made nature amazingly wonderful. One is gobsmacked if you start exploring what plants can do. Why would I want to use artificial chemicals in my body, if there is a natural product that has been doing it for 1000's of years?

* What is a carcinogen?

A carcinogen is any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer. This may be due to the ability to damage the genome or to the disruption of cellular metabolic processes.

** What is an endocrine disruptor?

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system. It may produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. According to the Environmental Working Group, “There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disruptors can play on our bodies: Increasing production of certain hormones. Decreasing production of others. Imitating hormones. Turning one hormone into another. Interfering with hormone signalling. Telling cells to die prematurely. Competing with essential nutrients. Binding to essential hormones and accumulating in organs that produce hormones.”

Some Additional Resources

Organisation's website

Articles