my safer switches

Switching to safer is a process. It can be a quick one, but for me and my family, it has been a slow, yet intentional, process. We have had to be strategic about our switches because, let's be honest...money. Note the words intentional...and strategic, not expensive and impossible.  My husband is a financial analyst, professionally & figuratively speaking. He analyzes everything. Grocery shopping with him is maddening. He evaluates cost per fluid ounce to guarantee he is getting the best deal, down to the penny. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that about him. But you can imagine his hesitation when "safer" doesn't always mean "cheaper." In fact, safer is almost guaranteed to not be the cheapest option out there...hallelujah for that.

Same goes for dieting and eating healthier. Who actually spends less at Zoes than they do at McDonalds? At Whole Foods versus Bi-Lo? It all comes down to what you deem as valuable. Eating healthy produces benefits that eating junk does not. Thinner waistlines, fewer pounds, higher energy, better cholestrol, reduced blood pressure, clearer mindset. Same concept goes for safer beauty/personal care. Clearer skin, balanced hormones, reduced organ toxicity, less exposure to cancer-causing ingredients, fewer flare-ups and allergen exposures. Loading your body with carbs + trans fats + sugar + preservatives won't produce positive results. Neither will covering your largest organ (your skin) with formaldehyde, hormone disruptors, allergens, carcinogens, and trade secrets protected by law that prohibit you from even knowing what else. Even when you ASK.

I was done making excuses about my acne. I was tired of unexplained hormone imbalance. I was tired of my daughter constantly scratching at her eczema. I was tired of apologizing for my son’s ichothyosis vulgaris just when I would introduce him to people...knowing they were starring at his peeling dry skin. I was OVER being poked, prodded, cut, and stitched to remove skin cancers from my body. I find value in safer alternatives so that I can deal with these things less. WORRY LESS.

My faith in Jesus makes me aware that we are not in control of our circumstances. I don’t believe that using safer products will guarantee I don’t get cancer one day. Just as I am fully aware eating healthy doesn’t guarantee you won’t have a heart attack. Or non-smokers won’t get lung cancer. Our world is a result of the Fall...we are all wasting away. My passion for safer does not negate the fact that the Lord is sovereign over all things, and His plan will unfold, no matter what. Sin is everywhere, disease is everywhere, death happens, we suffer, we struggle. Unfortunately, even Christians, especially Christians, aren’t guaranteed an easy, disease-free life on this side of Heaven. Why else do we need Jesus? I am not striving towards unachievable, tangible perfection. That can only be obtained when Jesus comes back for me. But my body is a temple, and I can take care of what He’s entrusted to me, making good choices for me and mine until that Glorious Day when my body is made new.

I get asked often what switches I've made, so as promised, I have composed a list [with links] for anyone who may like to use it as reference as they begin to consider safer alternatives. I have made more progress than Nick. I'm slowly switching the skeptic to safer...just takes longer..

Me:

Shampoo: Avalon Organics
Body Wash: Beautycounter Citrus Mimosa Body Bar
Shaving Cream: Beautycounter Not a Knot Kids Conditioner
Lotion: Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer
Make Up Remover Wipes: Cest Moi Gentle Makeup Remover Wipes
Face Wash: Beautycounter Charcoal Cleansing Bar - this is a super product; used for umteen thousand things!
Skin Care/Moisturizer: Countercontrol Regimen
Spot Treatment/Acne Care: Beautycounter No. 3 Balancing Facial Mask
Hyperpigmentation/Dark Spots: Beautycounter Overnight Resurfacing Peel
Eye Cream: Countermatch Eye Cream
Makeup Primer: Countercontrol Matte Effect Gel Cream OR Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer in Light-Medium
Makeup: Beautycounter Flawless in Five: Beautycounter Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation in Linen, Touchup Skin Concealer Pen, Satin Powder Blush in Sorbet, Volumizing Mascara, Color Define Brow Pencil, Beautycounter Lipgloss; Bronzer: Mineral Fusion Bronzer ordered on Amazon
Nail Polish: cote
Toothpaste: JASON
Hairspray: Loma
Deodorant: Jury's still out on this one; currently using Toms

Nick:

Shampoo: Beautycounter Daily Shampoo
Body Wash: Counterman Charcoal Body Bar
Lotion: Hydrating Body Lotion in Citrus Mimosa (chuckle)
*He doesn't wash his face*
Face Lotion: Counterman Oil Free Face Lotion

Kids:

Bath: Baby Gentle All-Over Wash (Fields); Kids Bath Collection (Reaves)
Lotion: Baby Daily Protective Balm and Baby Soothing Oil
*I occassionally use Aveeno Baby Daily Moisturizer if necessary (EWG rating of 2)*

My rule of thumb for EWG ratings when using products that are not EWG-verified, "4 or more, OUT THE DOOR." So I will occassionally use a 1, 2, or 3 if it's a product that I have to have.

Diaper Cream: Baby Calming Diaper Rash Cream

Family:

Sunscreen: Countersun Mineral Sunscreen (Mist)
SunBURN: Cleansing Balm - this is also a super product; used for umteen thousand things!
Bugspray: Greenerways Organic Bugspray
Hand Sanitizer: doTERRA
Hand Lotion: Beautycounter Hand Cream

 Household:

Dish soap: Better Life
Multi-purpose cleaner: I make my own with vinegar, water, and baking soda
Laundry Detergent: Molly's Suds
Stain Remover: Beautycounter Charcoal Bar or hand soap + the sun :)
Hand soap: Everyone
Static/Dryer Sheets: NONE. I use Wool Dryer Balls instead


We still have a ways to go on Household Cleaners. We have started diffusing essential oils, and only purchasing Soy candles. I've determined the brands we will buy, but again, we are not wasteful people...so we will be using up our remaining cleaners before purchasing safer for those. All about doing better, not being perfect. 

eczema + hormones

Eczema + hormones. Those two, very real and very frustrating, things have been both a nuisance and a saving grace for me and my family. Those two things have equally brought great turmoil to past cirumstances, but also great joy and gratitude to current ones. Those two things, though such a pain when you're in the weeds, generated my initial interest in safer. For that, I am so thankful.

Eczema.

My daughter has deep, ginger familial roots. Ergo, she has uber sensitive skin. I knew our kids' skin would be sensitive when I fell in love with my husband, a pale, freckled ginger himself (such a handsome one, I might add). Around the time my daughter turned one, she had struggled with rashes, molluscum contagiosum, and eczema. 

My hair stylist, and now business mentor, had joined the safer movement with Beautycounter and I was intrigued by her posts. Let me stop and state for the record that I had never, ever cared about ingredients. I had never checked a label. I did not care. And I had my reservations about independent consultants [transparency, right?!] But her posts were interesting. So I ordered some of the Baby Gentle All-Over Wash. Why not, right?

Holy cow. The tiny little bumps on her arms and legs + her eczema cleared up after just two uses. I was impressed, but it still didn't push me to switch her wash permanently, because the second we ran out, I quickly picked up what was on sale at Walmart. All these years later, I'm cringing as I even write that. 

Hormones. 

For more than 15 years, I have struggled with my skin. Cystic acne...the really painful, really swollen, really red, really ugly kind. I spent so. much. money trying to treat it [or cover it]. Some products would work for a while, while others wouldn't work at all. I would become immune to the ones that seemed to make my skin look better overtime, then try new regimens, which I would also eventually become immune to as well. It was an endless cycle with only temporary results, wasted money, and complete oblivion that I was causing so much harm to my body. 

It wasn't rocket science to figure out that my acne was hormonal, but no doctor ever discussed that with me. So I just dealt with it. I spent more money to cover it up since treating it felt impossible. 

Considering I had been so pleased with the baby wash for Reaves, I decided to try the Beautycounter Charcoal Bar when my hair stylist threw out a bulk order opportunity. Sign me up! Why not? It's $26...I've already spent over $2600. Let's do it. Side note: to this day...I have not let that bar run out. Just saying. It is my jam. 

The bar works miracles, but it's not a miracle product...it wasn't a one and done purchase that was going to magically solve all of my acne problems. Wait, what? You mean, I'm not guaranteed to never have acne again, have a perfect complexion, hit the lottery, and look like Carrie Underwood by a $26 purchase? Some people expect that. Heck, I probably expected that in the beginning. However, I switched nothing else at the time. Call it laziness, ignorance, cheap, maybe all of the above. But I kept complaining. Complaint without action is just annoying. And my husband very quickly made me realize that. 

Nick and I had Reaves without much effort. I swear he looked at me wrong [or, right, haha] and I got pregnant with her it happened so fast. But when we tried for number 2, it wasn't happening. I had multiple tests run, and because that story is super long, I will sum it up by saying that my hormone levels were in the post-menopausal range. I was 29 years old.

That moment jolted me. How, at 29, were my hormones THAT out of whack? Beautycounter was born for reasons like this, and so many others...

So I made moves. I reached back out to my consultant. I started with my makeup bag. I did a clean swap. Threw just about everything out and replaced it with the Flawless in Five essentials. That same month, I added the Countercontrol regimen into my skincare routine, which at that time only consisted of the Charcoal Bar, and changed our laundry detergent. It didn't take long before the outward improvements started. Then I got to work. Not yet as a consultant, but as my own advocate. I started educating myself, checking labels, looking up ratings on the EWG. Asking questions. Choosing safer. Knowing better. Doing better. 

Finally, my consultant saw how on fire I was for this mission. She saw the work I was putting in for myself. She could see my heart in my posts about my safer journey. So she invited me in. My husband encouraged me. What an amazing opportunity. 

A week after I signed up as a consultant, I visited my aesthetician. She informed me that most of the redness on my face that I've been mistaking for acne/scars was really hyperpigmentation...the result of trauma to my skin. I asked questions, and her answers jolted me, again. Side note: We have never talked about Beautycounter. Based on the color and location of my hyperpigmentation, she said that this was most likely caused by excess production of melanin, a side effect of hormone disrupting ingredients in personal care products. 

We don't know what we don't know. I learned the hard way. Years of not checking labels, layering and lathering EDTA, PEGs, phthalates, parabens, oxybenzone, and MORE onto my skin, unaware of the damage I was doing, even in seasons where my skin appeared to have improved. I have a long way to go. It will take a while to completely get rid of my hyperpigmentation. But now I know I am not causing any additional damage to my skin. 

Today, my hormone levels are in normal range, and our second child is 5 months old. 

Joy. Gratitude. I am advocating for a mission that is changing my life, my family's life. I am educating people I care about. I am not just selling lipstick. I am not just an independent consultant for another beauty company. I am a voice in this movement, and I am proud to link arms with like-minded women [and men] to ignite fire around these issues in this industry. To make change. To make this world a little better. To help the next generation. To hopefully change the trajectory in the rising statistics of auto-immune disease, early puberty, infertility, cancer...

...and to turn this passion into a business. To earn an income educating others on how to choose better [notice I did not say choose Beautycounter]. Joy. Gratitude. 

A recent article circled around social media - "hotdogs, sunscreen, and other ways I'm messing up."And for a moment, I felt attacked, even though I know the article was not shared as a personal jab at me. I read the article, about longing for simplicity. Not worrying about carcinogens, organic choices, the dangers of sunscreen. Longing for yester-year..when these stressors weren't "a thing." An "I survived" mentality. Too much pressure from all of the not-so-perfect solutions out there. Suggestion that we're missing out on real moments by stressing over the "small stuff." After all, our moms did a great job.

I read the article again...and a third time. And truth is, I AGREE with her. We should not have to be stressed over this. We did survive. Our moms did do great. I'm not doubting that. We are doing our best. That's exactlty what this safer mission is about. It's not about stressing everyone out. It's not about pointing out the less than, but standing up for MORE, for better. Looking out for one another. It's about making people aware that you have the power to CHOOSE. We have a voice. A chance to make CHANGE. Change in legislature so the FDA can regulate these ingreidents so we don't have to for our families. THAT would be true simple living, don't you thnink? So I agree. That's why I press on in this mission. Because it does, all too often, feel like too much. Too much to have to check behind these companies to make sure what we are choosing is truly safe. We shouldn't have to do that. Safer should be more transparent. More accessible. More afforable. It should. But it's not. Not yet. But one day. Maybe one day it will. And I'm honored to be a part of that. With my clients, with my team, with Beautycounter, with the other clean beauty companies fighting alongisde us in this mission towards that goal.