7 DAYS OF SLOW- a view of our non-toxic home.

Hello! For a while now I’ve been asked by friends and followers questions about what products we use in our home; what we use for laundry, what I use to wash my hair, and what products I use on Hephzibah (amongst others).

I have wanted to get something down in writing for months now because I’ve read too many books and articles and seen too many documentaries to believe that living a toxic-free life and having a home that is chemical free is just a fad; only for the crunchiest of mama’s out there, or for those who have got the money to pay for the ‘fancy’ products. I truly believe for our health, our families and for our environment we don’t have a choice but to live one. So, the next 7 days is a snapshot into our home, a glimpse to the products we use, and the products we make.

My journey to creating a toxic-free home started when I first found out I was having Hephzibah, back at the end of 2017. Before this I was conscious, yet, in the back of our cupboards still lingered a few question mark products and my makeup bag had definitely not been vetted. One night Joseph and I, on recommendation of a friend, decided to watch the documentary, ‘The True Cost’. I sat down nonchalantly and by the end tears were streaming down my face and I felt sick to my core; sick that I had been so ignorant to the hands and hearts that had made my clothes and the harm I had caused as a consumer in the process both to humans and the environment and my own health. That night it got me questioning every single thing we brought into our home from food to clothes, to what we put on our skin. I started reading and watching and discovering.

I discovered from the movie ‘Stink!’ (well worth a watch) that 85% of the chemicals on the market have not been tested. This is because chemicals are not needed to be proven safe before they are used, instead, chemicals are allowed to be used by companies until they are proven dangerous. How is that normal?

Companies are using long known toxic and carcinogenic substances in their products, but because they don’t have to disclose all of the chemicals they include (often disguised under the generic ingredient of “fragrance” and protected by the belief that they have to guard their formulas from competitors), they are not policed. Manufacturers and the chemistry industry are willing to spend millions on lobbyists to fight legislation that would disclose these chemicals to consumers. Even more scary to me: in a 2004 study by the Environmental Working Group, more than 200 chemicals were found in the umbilical cords of newborns. It’s not surprising then that childhood disease is increasing exponentially. Many of the chemicals used today are in a class called “Endocrine-disrupting chemicals” or EDC’s, which don’t only play with our hormones – they can alter our DNA.

These facts may be pretty harrowing to read, and maybe not what you signed up for- but, the truth is, this is harrowing, and it’s absurd that it’s become commonplace to use products that are causing us harm.

I realised I had never questioned what was in my products, never thought to make my own or knew how easy it was. I didn’t want to have to tell Hephzibah not to touch the bleach in the bathroom or worry about her getting under the kitchen cupboards if I wasn’t there with her. I’d seen a friend in primary school drink a cup of bleach that was accidentally left out on the side and I knew the results weren’t pleasant.

Switching to non-toxic products didn’t happen overnight and there are always things I’m reassessing and some switches that still need to be made. It taken a lot of trial and error and research, which is part of the reason why I want to share this with you.

Making switches also meant adjusting to the way I had been brought up experiencing certain things. For example, I was used to pouring loads of conditioner in our laundry meaning it smelt incredible and our laundry was super soft- ditching fragrance conditioner meant that things are perhaps a little tougher and don’t smell “fragranced”, but they are better for our skin and the environment. I had also become used to buying clothes from high street brands, mainly Zara. These clothes were cheap compared to a similar product from a smaller business with a commitment to sustainability and fair wages. But the thing is, these clothes from smaller business weren’t overpriced, they represented the true cost of clothing that over time has been so diluted by cheap labour and poor materials. The same with vegetables or meat from farm shops, or directly from farmers.

I’m still learning and growing and wanting to honour the earth that God has given us. So, please know that this insight into our home doesn’t mean I have anything ‘together’. Yes we buy things in plastic and there are times where I don’t know where everything we buy is sourced from- eg. I don’t know where the timber came from for the bench I bought last minute for Joseph’s birthday. Know that NO-ONE is perfect, and I don’t think any one will have nailed this- especially not me. I appreciate we are all leading very different lives, and these switches I mention over the next 7 days work for our family right now and are within our budget. This series is not in any way to make you feel isolated or guilty about any of the products you may use in your home.

Over the next week I will be looking at what I use in the kitchen and the bathroom, where we buy our clothes and what’s in my makeup bag as well as others.

I’d love for you to join me; here begins 7 days of slow.

ps. ‘Non-toxic’ is a claim in itself without regulation. When I use it, I am referring to products that don’t include ingredients linked to toxic responses (like hormone disruption, cancer, etc.) in humans.