Toxin Free Beauty

Holiday Shopping Guide 2021

Ditch & Switch, Toxin Free Beauty, Toxin Free Home, Toxin Free Personal Care

Holiday Shopping Guide 2021

We all have people in our lives who are near impossible to shop for! They either have everything already, don’t like most things, or maybe they just have a “style” unique to them. While we love them dearly, we may not enjoy shopping for them!

An there are others in our lives who are super fun and easy to shop for, but having surprise ideas is always fun, too!

Regardless of your shopping needs, I’ve got you covered! Home and kitchens items, men, children of all ages, teachers, friends, etc… you’ll find this list to be super helpful! And best part of all, it’s all toxin free items so you can feel good about giving your gift!

Happy Shopping… and saving!

Holiday-Shopping-GuideDownload

Please download the PDF for your convenience! And, as you have fun shopping for your loved ones, by using some of the link above, you’re helping me shop for my family and loved ones, too! I love helping you find exactly what you need, and appreciate your support as well!

I have to say… my favorite gift of all, the gift that keeps on giving, especially for all the women in your life that you love, is Crunchi Skincare + Makeup. It’s 100% toxin-free and extremely high-performing, and I promise, they will have a BIG smile on their face when they open it! It was the best gift I’ve ever received from my hubby on Christmas 4 years ago! And the best part, you can save a bunch of money between November 21-29, 2021 during their Holiday Blowout Sales!

Woman rubbing back

The Body Burden of Toxins

Toxin Free Beauty, Toxin Free Personal Care

Let’s chat body burden today, shall we!

Ohhh a topic I love and one that is near & dear to my heart. I wish I knew more about this from a younger age, but the good news is, it’s never too late to start making changes!

Body burden is the total amount of chemicals and pollutants that are present in your body at any given time. These chemicals come from the air we breathe, the food and drinks we consume, AND the products we apply to our bodies. 

Did you know:

  • US Women apply an average of 168 chemicals to their body every day in personal care products.
  • Women use an average of 12 different products every day (making up those 168 chemicals).
  • US Men apply an average of 85 chemicals a day.
  • Teens use an average of 17 personal care products every day.

Women have the potential for higher body burden (as seen above) because of our daily beauty routines. One of those routines is the application of make-up.  Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families – phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks – in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged 14-19. Studies link these chemicals to potential health effects including cancer and hormone disruption. 

Let’s look at this a bit further:

  • Scientists estimate that everyone alive today carries within her or his body at least 700 contaminants, most of which have not been well studied
  • Chlorinated pesticides such as DDT can remain in the body for 50 years
  • We are exposed to hundreds of chemicals in everyday products we use (paints, glues, cosmetics, fabrics, plastic food containers and pesticides to name a few)
  • Some of the chemicals we receive from our mothers in utero and through breastfeeding remain with us for years, an unintended legacy that our mothers pass on as their body burdens our own.
  • Some chemicals can cause damage through their ability to interfere with normal hormone function. These chemicals are called endocrine disruptors.
  • There are more than 80,000 chemicals used in commercial products, and only a small percentage of them have ever been screened for even one potential health effect, such as cancer, reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, or impacts on the immune system… It’s up to us to be our own advocates.

So why is this so close to home for me… because I lived it! I had such a high level of body burden that my endocrine system was furious with me. I rarely menstruated, my skin showed my stress, and my hopes to become a mom seemed impossible. It took a few years, a lot of learning and change, but my body became way less stressed! My skin cleared up, my energy came back, and I have been able to get pregnant and have 2 babies.

It’s not too late to make these changes, I promise!

Woman putting on lipstick

Lead in Lipstick – It’s Real!

Toxin Free Beauty

? ?? ????? ?? ???? ? ???? ?? ??? ?????…

  1. I have the sweetest toddler in the world
  2. I have a newborn who needs all the snuggles
  3. I miss my hubby when he’s at work all day

So yup… I’m dishing them out like hotcakes!

With my makeup choices affecting so many others, I make sure to choose the best and cleanest options I can!

Did You Know:

  • Lead in lipstick was presumed and “Urban Legend” until 2007
  • The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 popular brands of lipstick for lead
  • 61% of lipsticks contained lead- levels ranging up to 0.65 ppm
  • Most of the best sellers contained lead- L’Oreal, Covergirl, Dior…

Let’s see how the FDA reacted to that study!

They promised they would also conduct a study to test lipsticks for lead content and they did, but dragged their feet for 2 years! And what did they find? In 2009 they released a follow up study that ????? ???? ?? ??? ??? ???????? ??????? ???? ???? ??????!! Levels ranging from 0.09 to 3.06 ppm. Thats levels 4 times higher than the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found in their study!

The FDA found the highest lead levels in these manufacturers:

  • Proctor & Gamble- Cover Girl
  • L’Oreal- L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Body Shop
  • Revlon

An additional FDA study in 2010 was performed and its results were SHOCKING to say there least. ??? ????????? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ?.?????. Five of the 10 most lead-contaminated brands in the study were manufactured by L’Oreal.

And since then, the FDA has still failed to take action to protect us as consumers. We MUST do our own research and now just trust the products on the shelves.

The most recent science indicates that there is NO SAFE LEVEL of lead exposure. Lead is a neurotoxin and can be dangerous at small doses. Medical experts agree that ANY level go lead exposure is unhealthy!

Now, when using iron oxides that come directly from the earth, it is impossible to be 100% free of heavy metals- that’s just part of the earth! But it’s important that when using products with iron oxides as a colorant (instead of synthetic dyes), that it’s been 3rd party tested for purity. I am so proud to say there ARE safe options that actually DO perform!

I know, I know… I hear it all the time! “Elise, I have tried the makeup from our Natural Grocery Store and it doesn’t work”, or , “I can’t break up with my favorite products… they work so well”! And girlfriend, I get it! I was there too! But once I started seeing the products “I would never give up” all over my sweet newborns face and swaddles, It made it a lot easier to toss!

And Im so glad I did, because these new products out perform ALL of the previous ones, anddd there is nothing toxic about them! My lips are safe for myself and for smooching my family too! Check this out…

2 reputable US labs are used to test their products for heavy metals and the detection level (among ALL their products tested) is only 0.001-0.003ppm! This is incredible and almost unheard of!

No heavy metals over here, and no poison kisses!