Tag: nontoxic

Maybe it’s not the bacon?

Your frying pan is making you fat. But I’m not talking about the bacon.

Have you heard of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)? If you’ve hung around me long enough, I know you have. Well, recently I got the chance to hear Dr. Leo Trasande speak to us Beautycounter consultants all about his work researching EDCs and their impact on our bodies. Let me tell you, it’s mind blowing and a little scary.

Real quick. If you don’t know Dr. Trasande, he is a pediatrician and world renowned expert in environmental health. He has all sorts of amazing credentials that you can check out along with much of his published research here. He has an incredible book out Sicker, Fatter, Poorer that lays all of his research out for us normal folks to understand. Suffice it to say, the man knows his stuff. 

If you didn’t know, the endocrine system is SUPER DUPER important to almost all of our bodily functions. It is responsible for regulating a range of bodily functions through the release of hormones.

Examples of things the endocrine system regulates include:

  • metabolism
  • growth and development
  • sexual function and reproduction
  • heart rate
  • blood pressure
  • appetite
  • sleeping and waking cycles
  • body temperature

Pretty important stuff, eh?

So, when we are exposed to these Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals what happens? The way Dr. Trasande put it: they scramble our hormones and contribute to disease. There are countless chemicals that are considered EDCs and honestly, they are still working to identify all of them. Each works a little differently. Some change our gene expression, some mimic hormones in the body, some trigger dormant issues. Regardless, they have been found to have an impact on our health at LOW levels of exposure. 

This is all relatively new data. My jaw dropped when he told us that the FIRST report on EDCs was published in 2009. That’s only 11 years ago. By 2015 studies had identified 15 chronic conditions linked to exposure to EDCs. Recent studies have increased that number to THIRTY TWO! — imagine what a few more years of research will reveal!

We’re talking about conditions like:

  • Cancers
  • Diabetes
  • Reproductive dysfunction and infertility
  • Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
  • Learning disabilities
  • Asthma

…and obesity.  

Mhmmm, EDC’s are obesogens. Meaning they mess up your body’s ability to regulate your weight. Where do we find EDC’s … well, one place is that non stick frying pan you’ve got. Hence the bacon reference above. Studies show that exposure to the PFAS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid) that makeup the non-stick coating you love slows your metabolism. The higher the PFAS levels found in study participants, the slower the metabolism. PFAS are forever chemicals meaning they do not degrade over time. They stick around. 

Where else are these suckers hiding? Everywhere, kinda. Plastics. Food. Food packaging. Personal care products & cosmetics. Furniture. Pharmaceuticals. Pesticides. Water. Soil.

See what I mean. I don’t want to sound doom and gloom because there are things you can do to reduce exposure (we will get to that). But, I also think it’s really important that we understand just how critical and invasive this problem is. 

Dr. Trasande’s research estimates (underestimates actually) that EDCs cost us over $340 billion in health care costs each year. This isn’t just a health issue. It’s an economic one, too. 

Our food supply is where we see the strongest data about the effects of EDCs. Plastics like phthalates and bisphenols are used throughout the supply chain and are the main source of packaging for our foods. Phthalates leach into our food even without being exposed to heat! So really, the plastic tupperware you are keeping your leftovers in can be exposing you to EDCs even if you use a ceramic plate to heat it back up when it’s lunch time. 

Critical question: what are the top EDCs to avoid and where do we find them?

PFAS

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances are synthetic chemicals found in many products, including food packaging, household cleaners and nonstick cookware. They are known as forever chemicals because they do not degrade much over time. 

Bisphenols

You’ve heard of BPA in plastic, but did you know the other bisphenols they are replacing it with are just as bad. Avoid plastic as much as possible for food, drinks or other items you might put in your mouth (think baby toys). I love stainless steel, glass and silicone and there are so many great options out there now. 

Phthalates

Phthalates are chemicals commonly added to plastics to increase their flexibility and durability. They are quite literally in everything. Food packings, beauty products, perfumes, cleaning supplies and detergents, pharmaceutical pills, glue! That’s just a sampling. In the past few years, researchers have linked phthalates to asthma, ADHD, breast cancer, obesity and type II diabetes, low IQ, neurodevelopmental issues, behavioral issues, autism spectrum disorders, altered reproductive development and male fertility issues. YEESH!

Parabens.

These chemicals are widely used as artificial preservatives in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, foods, and beverages. Common parabens are methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. Often more than one paraben is used in a single product. Personal care products are the greatest contributors to paraben exposure. They are suspected to contribute to reproductive issues and breast cancer.

Flame Retardants

Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are used in many household products like electronics, clothing, furniture and mattresses to reduce flammability. BFRs often migrate out of their products over time where they may contaminate household dust and food. 

This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s definitely the place to start. 

So what do we do? Change starts with us. The way we shop influences the market and the products that companies make. In just a few years we’ve seen the clean beauty industry EXPLODE. And that is because you vote with your dollar every time you buy a clean lipstick and companies notice. When you go to make a purchase, ask yourself if there is a way to reduce your exposure to EDC’s with the choice you make. There probably is!

  1. Scan your personal care products for paraben and phthalates and start swapping them.

2. Start converting your kitchenware to non-plastic options. And definitely get rid of the teflon and nonstick cookware ASAP.

3. Shop local and fresh and organic whenever possible. Farmers Markets are a great option for this. When and where you can, reduce the use of plastic packaging. 

4. If you can’t shop organic all the time (I mean who has the budget really?) Focus on the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 from EWG.

5. Make sure your canned goods are BPA free or pick things packed in glass or TetraPaks. Dr. Trasande couldn’t say definitively that tetrapaks were 100% safe, but he said they are absolutely safer than BPA.

6. Next time you are making a big purchase for your household like a couch or mattress, look for options that do not contain flame retardants. 

AND:: Be on the lookout for my list of favorite safer swaps to avoid EDC’s coming soon!

There is hope! California just passed AB 2762, the Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act (shameless plug for Beautycounter because our advocacy efforts played a huge role in making this happen!) It will explicitly prohibit the use of the 12 of the most harmful chemicals and contaminants in cosmetics including: mercury, three types of formaldehyde, some of the most toxic parabens and phthalates, and the fluorinated compounds known as PFAS.

See any familiar EDCs in that list? It’s a massive victory for the whole country because companies will need to reformulate if they want to sell in CA (which they do) so the rest of the country will get the new formulas, too. It makes me do my happy dance just thinking about it!

We are also advocating for more oversight and better beauty laws in Washington DC. Want to help? Just text BETTERBEAUTY to 52886 and follow the steps. You’ll be telling congress you support bipartisan legislation to get harmful ingredients out of our products. Look at you go, you activist, you!

Last MOST IMPORTANT point:

Dr. Trasande really emphasized PROGRESS over perfection in this. Even a small reduction in our exposure can have significant short term and long term health benefits. Do what you can when you can and don’t lose sleep over the rest. 

What products do you most want to know safer swaps for? Let me know in the comments.

xo, Nicole

Pucker Up, Buttercup

non toxic lipstick

Y’all it’s National Lipstick Day! So you know I couldn’t miss the chance to tell you about:

1) My favorite lipsticks and why I am a lipstick convert and

2) Why safer lipstick MATTERS.

Prior to Beautycounter I NEVER wore lipstick. I was a lip gloss girl all the way. Lipstick always dried my lips, I hated the way it felt and I’m not sure I had the confidence to pull off bold colors. When I joined Beautycounter I had no intention of changing that. The lip glosses are amazing (truly) so I wasn’t going to bother with a lipstick. Except I got one for free when I signed up…clearly I had to try it. Holy butter on my lips! That Twig Lip Sheer blew me away. It was smooth, hydrating and had the most delicious vanilla scent (all natural of course). The color was subtle and I was hooked. My next order included several more colors. Petal is still my all-time fav for when I want a natural look. 

Just last year Beautycounter introduced our Color Intense Lipstick, which is long lasting and more intense color pigment. Again, I shook my head and said “that’s nice” assuming this new product was meant for other women, not me. 

Wrong again.

At a training event Beautycounter gave every consultant a Color Intense Lipstick to take home. I got Sunset (a holiday special edition) and at the urging of my friends Brooke and Megan I tried it on. Instant love. My lips still felt hydrated, the peppermint scent was so fresh and the color was perfection. I think I wore sunset everyday this past fall/winter. Since then I’ve played with more of the colors and it’s so much fun. For the most part, they are bolder colors so the mood has to feel right for me. But I mix them into my makeup routine more than I ever thought I would. I love that they last all day and still feel good on my lips. 

You can check out all our lipstick options here.

But this is the important part – lip products are one of the first things you should be switching to clean. Why? Well, because you eat it! There’s some crazy stat floating around about how many pounds of lipstick women eat in a lifetime. I’m not sure the accuracy of that one, but regardless, if you put it on your lips it is making its way into your mouth and into your bloodstream.

Traditional lipstick is made will all sorts of fun ingredients like:

  • Lead and other heavy metals
  • Fragrance
  • Parabens
  • Coal Tar (yes, you read that right)

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Lead is a neurotoxin, which has no defined “safe level”. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics published a study in 2010 revealing they found lead in over 400 lipsticks. In addition to neurotoxicity, lead is also linked to fertility issues and hormone disruption.

Even more concerning, UC Berkeley published a study in 2013  that detected not only lead, but cadmium, chromium, aluminum and manganese in 32 lip products. These heavy metals are toxic.

Fragrance is a trade secret which means over 3000 chemicals could be hiding under that name, many of them harmful to your health.

Parabens are hormone disruptors linked to cancer, infertility and obesity.

Coal tar is a carcinogen, but is often used in dark lipsticks (and mascara).

I’m only scratching the surface, but hopefully you are getting the picture. Lipstick can be a landmine of harmful ingredients and if you’re using it regularly, it is certainly cause for concern.

Beautycounter not only forbids the use of the above ingredients and over 1500 more on our Never List, we also 3rd party test all our cosmetics for heavy metals and other Never List ingredients. 

Heavy metals are natural. No one is intentionally adding them to their formulas. They exist in the ground where companies source their colorants, so it is impossible to be at “zero” when making cosmetics. That’s why we test for them in every batch of our makeup and ensure that if there are detectable levels that they are at or below the strictest international allowable levels. This blog explains it better than I do.

Today I’m celebrating with one of my go-to bright pink Color Intense lipsticks, First Date. What’s your favorite color? Go ahead, have some fun …without the concern 🙂

IMG_6115

 

 

::4 Steps to a Cleaner Lifestyle::

beautycounter

“Nicole, I want to switch to non-toxic products, but I don’t know where to start. It’s so overwhelming.”

I feel ya sister!

Once you start to learn about all the environmental toxins we are exposed to in our daily life it can be almost paralyzing. The information is confusing, misleading and definitely overwhelming. When I first realized that the products I was putting on my skin were known to cause hormone issues and infertility, I almost burned the house down. But then we would have been homeless so…

So, I gave myself grace and started to switch products one by one. I spent countless hours researching safer products and learning…quite frankly I am still learning. I like to say I live by the 80/20 rule: live clean and healthy 80% of the time. I can’t control everything and I most definitely can’t be perfect. If you pressure yourself to be perfect you will get discouraged really fast and if you’re anything like me, give up.

Here are my top tips for starting the switch to a cleaner lifestyle:

clean living, nontoxic, health, wellness, beautycounter, clean beauty

1. Start with products that go on or in your body. Think about it, you use lotion every day all over your body. You use cleaning spray once a week and you don’t really touch it. Food and personal care products go directly into your bloodstream, so I think they have the most potential to impact our health. Study after study indicate that even small changes can have a big impact on our health.

2. Change one product at a time. As tempting as it is to just switch everything all at once, most families don’t have the budget for that. If you do, amazing! I recommend starting with a Beautycounter regimen and Flawless in Five to get your beauty products under control. But if you’re like me, you don’t. So as you run out of a product, replace it with a safer product. Again, give yourself grace.

3. Know your resources. Switching to a clean lifestyle is hard because it’s confusing! Since it’s largely unregulated, companies can say whatever they want about their products even if it is untrue or misleading. We call is greenwashing and it’s rampant. The Environmental Working Group is a good place to start. They have an app that will scan products and give you a safety rating. I like to look at the individual ingredients and their respective rating because sometimes a product with a bad ingredient can get a decent score overall. And I carry the Beautycounter Never List in my wallet so I can always reference it. Now that I have my go-to brands I don’t need to research that much anymore. Beautycounter takes care of almost all my personal care products. One stop shopping! And here’s my Guide to Safer Cleaning .

beautycounter, never list, clean beauty, nontoxic makeup, greenwashing
The Beautycounter Never List: a list of over 1,500 harmful or potentially harmful ingredients they will never use in their products

4.Start with things that are free! My friend Misty from Beautiful Clean Simple put together this list of five ways to clean up your home for free!

I hope these tips help make the process seem a little less daunting! If you want more tips, product recommendations and info on living a cleaner lifestyle, be sure to follow me on social media! I’m always happy to answer questions via e-mail too.

XO, Nicole

clean beauty, beautycounter, clean living, health, wellness, nontoxic
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ARE YOUR BEAUTY PRODUCTS FERTILITY-FRIENDLY?

beauty products fertility friendly infertility pregnancy safe

Infertility changed my life. Yeah yeah, in all the obvious ways- but really, if it wasn’t for infertility I wouldn’t have learned about the harmful ingredients our beauty products, I wouldn’t have searched for and found amazing safer products or joined a company with a mission to educate people about this issue. And I would 100% not be writing a blog. My whole world looks so different now- my makeup bag does too!

We don’t know what we don’t know, right? And back in 2014, I didn’t know. But there is nothing quite like a good medical issue – ahhmmm infertility– to send me into research mode. In the face of our repeated failure to get pregnant, I started to research the crap out of all things fertility. What boosts fertility? What hurts it? What should I eat, and not eat? Terms like luteal phase, mucus, ovulation and sperm morphology started to become regular vocab words in my house.

Eventually, I couldn’t ignore that fact that article after article told me I should also be looking at the products lining my bathroom counter. The words nontoxic, hormone disruptor, parabens and phthalates popped up so much that I had to dig a little deeper. And there it was: many of the common ingredients in my personal care products are known to disrupt our delicate hormone system and are linked to many things, among them, infertility. 

I almost took a gas can and a lighter to all the products in my house right then and there, but practically speaking, I couldn’t afford to replace it all at once. So, little by little, one product at a time I searched for a fertility-friendly alternative. That process is a whole other blog post in itself.  For the purposes of this post, I want to highlight a few key ingredients for you to look for to make it a little easier to spot a fertility-friendly product on the shelves. 

Now you might be thinking, “Nicole, I am a fertile myrtle, so this doesn’t apply to me”. To you my friend, I say, “yes, it does”. Did you know that when your grandma was pregnant with your mom, you were forming as an egg in your mom’s ovaries. Let that sink in for a minute. On a cellular level, the things your grandma ate, drank and was exposed to had influence on your developing DNA. Talk about passing things down for generations.

So, you might not be on the same infertility journey as I am, but your choices impact future generations. What you put on yourself, your kids and your husband impacts THEIR hormone systems. And really it’s not just about fertility, these ingredients are linked to a whole host of other issues that we won’t get into today. 

Fertility is a growing issue. One in eight couples struggle with infertility. Doctors are sounding the alarm- why? Because infertility is on the rise and male sperm count and quality is diminishing at an alarmingly quick rate. We don’t have all the information yet. They really haven’t studied the impact of these chemicals thoroughly, but there is enough data to cause concern.

So what are endocrine distrupting chemicals (EDCs) and why should we avoid them? Simply put, they are any chemical that can mess with your hormone function. Many of them mimic hormones, like estrogen, in your body and cause confusion in the way your hormones and cells communicate. Others, like phthalates, have been found to be destructive in nature. EDC’s have been linked to cancer, infertility, thyroid issues, depression, learning disabilities and more. (See resources listed at the end for more information.)

Let’s get to the ingredients. There are many places that we find EDC’s- our food, furniture, plastic bottles, flame retardants etc. Today, I am looking at our beauty products, specifically-things like moisturizer, shampoo, lipstick, foundation and soap.

Here’s my top tip: become a label reader. Yes, they will make you go cross-eyed, but if you know a few key things to look for it will take you a LONG way. You can also turn to resources like the EWG Skin Deep database to find easy to understand information. In fact, I encourage you to go to EWG, search for one of your current personal care products and check out the ingredients and their ratings. It’s eye opening! Here is an example comparing body butters:


Top 3 Ingredients That Hurt Your Fertility

infertility harmful fertility chemical endocrine distrupor

At minimum, learn these three ingredients to look for. If you can find a product that is free from these three ingredients you’re going to be looking at a significantly better product for your fertility. 

1) Parabens– a common, inexpensive preservative that mimics estrogen in the body. They have been shown to accumulate in our hormone-regulating organs. Among many things, studies suggest this EDC can impact a woman’s egg production, ability to become pregnant and maintain pregnancy. They also suggest a negative effect on male sperm quality. (Parabens have also been strongly linked to breast cancer)

You will find parabens listed on the ingredient list under these names. Basically if it ends with “paraben” then you don’t want it.

  • Methylparaben
  • Butylparaben
  • Propylparaben
  • Ethylparaben
  • Isobutylparaben
  • Benzylparaben

2) Phthalates– these are a little tricker because they aren’t usually listed as “phthalate” on the label. They are considered reproductive toxicants and are found on labels under these names: phthalate, DEP, DBP, DEHP and fragrance. These EDCs have been linked to a decrease in male fertility and altered sex organ development. Yikes! 

3) Fragrance/Parfum– nothing frustrates me more than seeing a product marketed as safe and natural and then reading the label to find “fragrance” or “parfum” listed as an ingredient. Synthetic fragrance is basically a cover-all term for all the ingredients that make up that “fragrance”. A huge loophole in the federal law allows phthalates (and many other harmful chemicals) to be added to fragrances without disclosing those ingredients to consumers. So basically, companies can (and do) hide endocrine disrupting chemicals- like parabens and phthalates- in “fragrance”. The Environmental Working Group found that about 75% of products that listed “fragrance” as an ingredient contains phthalates.  The average fragance contains 14 secret chemicals that aren’t listed on the label. There is a really great documentary called Stink! that takes a deep dive into fragrance and this loophole. Now this doesn’t mean you can’t wear something that smells yummy ever again. There are great products that use natural and safe fragrances, but generally the term “fragrance” or “parfum” is a red flag.

Bonus ingredient- BISPHENOL A or “BPA”- BPA is used to harden plastics and has been banned from baby products because of it’s hormone disrupting properties, however you can still widely find it in other plastic packaging. Look for BPA-free packing, or even better, glass packaging for your beauty products. Glass is hard to find, but any company promoting themselves as clean SHOULD be using BPA-free packaging at the very least. 

I am a huge advocate for being an informed consumer. Greenwashing is a real problem in the “nontoxic” and “natural” product world right now, so I don’t really trust what any company says about their products until I research it myself. That being said, I feel confident in Beautycounter’s mission, ingredient selection process, Never List and foundational value of transparency. Beautycounter is actively advocating for more health protective laws- like closing that fragrance loophole- so that everyone will have access to safer products. Switching to these products has made it so easy to feel good about what I’m using on my skin and has significantly reduced the number of headaches I get from going cross-eyed while reading labels.

High performing and significantly safer for my family and my fertility- sign me up! 

I love love love helping people find safer products- even if they don’t want to try Beautycounter. For real, message me and I will help you figure out how to start switching to safer. But avoiding these three ingredients is a great first step!

XO, Nicole

Resources:

Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Database

The Never List– over 1500 harmful or potentially harmful ingredients to avoid.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is a fantastic resource with links to studies and a breakdown of concerning chemicals. 

Study on EDCs and Infertility

Male Fertility Study

Study on EDCs and Cancer

My Natural Medicine Cabinet :: what I use to keep us healthy

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DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medical professional.
Everything written here is my opinion based on my own
research and experience. Please talk to your doctor and do
your own research.

Ahhhh cold and flu season is upon us again. As a working mom, just the thought of it ties a huge knot in my stomach. My first fall back to work with Little Man in daycare was a special kind of crazy. I can’t tell you how many meetings and workshops I had to cancel to stay home with my sick kiddo. The fall is my busiest time at work {college application season} so the lack of my presence is felt and it made me feel awful. By the end of the year I was clean out of sick AND vacation time and had to take unpaid days- which meant even less money in my already small paycheck. The feeling of being torn between taking care of my most precious gift and being present for work is maddening. Countless times I called my husband exclaiming “I quit! There is no way for me to work and be a good mom; I’m done!” Well, clearly I am still working and while the struggle is real, I do believe you CAN be a good mom and have a career.

All this to say, it is my mission this fall to take as few sick days as possible. So, I’ve been stocking my medicine cabinet with my natural essentials to get us through the season. I’m not anti-medicine, but I always prefer to reach for a natural remedy before I reach for over-the-counter medications. I believe that prevention is a way better strategy than treating symptoms once they arrive. Plus, the ingredients in most OTC medications are kind of atrocious and it feels like study after study is revealing that OTC meds are overused and not as safe as we’ve been lead to believe.

Let me give you the rundown of my “medicine cabinet”

First and foremost– a healthy diet, regular exercise and plenty of water is the baseline for your health. When the hubs and I started to focus on those three things we saw a huge decrease in how frequently we got sick. No amount of elderberry syrup can combat a diet riddled with fast food and sugar. Which brings me to..

Elderberry Syrup– this immunity booster is having a moment for sure. Studies like this one  suggest it has powerful protective effects against the cold and flu viruses. The elderberry syrup I use is semi-homemade 🙂 I buy a premade kit from Mama Mac’s Crunchy Kits on Facebook. You can find many similar ones on your local crunchy Facebook groups or Etsy or you can make it from scratch using a recipe like this one from Wellness Mama . I cook it up when we need it and keep it in the fridge. It lasts a long time. We all take it daily and we up the frequency when it feels like we are fighting something or when we know the flu is going around. It tastes yummy and Little Man never fights me on it. You can also buy some from the store, but I haven’t liked those ones as much.

yumm smells so good

 

 

 

 

Bee Propolis  – I just discovered this amazing product from Beekeeper’s Naturals and I’m loving it! Propolis is  a protective substance bees make to protect their hive walls. It basically acts like the immune system for the hive. How cool is that!? It contains over 300 powerful natural compounds known for to supporting immunity. I bought the BeeKeepers Natural throat spray a few weeks ago and it’s been amazing. Little Man and I have both been fighting a cold…it’s there, but so far we aren’t sick enough for it to slow us down. A few sprays every day is helping to sooth our throats and we have not gotten full blown sick! I’m a believer.

Probiotics– Our gut is where so much of our health and immunity begins. A good probiotic is a basic in my house. I use Plexus VitalBiome, but there are so many good ones on the market. Little Man takes the Plexus XFactor Kids multivitamin that has probiotics in it.

Apple Cider Vinegar– the hubs swears by Apple Cider Vinegar for all the things. I’ll be honest, I don’t take it regularly. But he takes a “shot” every morning and there is good reason to think its preventing him from getting sick since the man is never sick and he doesn’t really follow the rest of my “natural remedies”. He uses Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar Cleanse and it definitely goes down easier than pure ACV.

Essential oils– If you haven’t discovered the power of essential oils yet, you need to! I’ve basically replaced all the medicine I used to use with EO’s. I use DoTerra, mostly because that is what I was introduced to first and I trust that they are pure. It is super important to learn about using these powerful oils. They are incredible, but not always safe for use with kids, animals or various medical conditions. My favorite oils for immunity and illness are:

  • DoTerra Onguard products- this is the immunity blend and they have several products with it. I dilute it in a roller ball and rub on Austin’s feet and back daily. I will diffuse it all through the house to kill germs and boost our immunity. I also will take the internal capsules for myself a few times a week. I love the spray hand sanitizer too.
  • DoTerra Oregano- this is a hot oil and I would NOT use it on kids. If I know I am about to get sick, I will put one drop of this oil in a glass of water and chug- trying to not get any of it on my lips because it does burn a bit. But seriously, if I do this, the next day I feel great. I wouldn’t do it daily, but it’s a great pinch hitter for me.
  • DoTerra Breathe – Stuffy nose and coughs are no match for this oil! Think a natural version of Vicks Vaporub. I will dilute this one in my Beautycounter Soothing Baby Oil or Baby Balm and rub on the chest of whoever is sick. You can diffuse it while you sleep to help open your airways too. Instant relief.
  • DoTerra DigestZen- DigestZen helps all my tummy aches. I just dilute and rub it on my belly or my kiddo’s belly and within about 30 minutes things are feeling better.

Mullein Garlic Oil  – I get the craziest looks from my friends when I talk about this one, but seriously, Little Man hasn’t had an ear infection since I started using this (and he had a lot in his first year of life).I will do maintenance drops in both ears for prevention every few weeks. When cold and flu season hits I typically do it once a week. If I notice a stuffy nose or cough I’ll do it once a day. It treats infections that already exist too, but we haven’t used it like that since he hasn’t gotten any since using it. Warning: your kiddo will smell like garlic.

Detox baths– Once a week Little Man takes a detox bath and when I feel like he’s fighting something I will do it a few times a week. It’s just a mix of ½ cup epsom salts and 2 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in a hot bath (be sure they stay in there for 15-20 minutes to get the full benefits). Epsom salts contain magnesium sulfate which is a powerful detoxification mineral. It helps draw out and remove impurities in our bodies and also allows us to absorb the magnesium which supports so many of our bodily functions. The baking soda also promotes detoxification and helps balance the body’s pH.These baths also promote relaxation. Sometimes I’ll add a few drops of DoTerra’s Serenity blend essential oil to promote extra relaxation, too. You can double the recipe for a relaxing detox bath of your own. We sleep great after a detox bath!

One last thing…I know the fevers can be scary and there is definitely a point where they need to be reduced, but in general people are really quick to give a fever reducer like Tylenol when our kiddos have a fever. The thing is, fevers are our body’s natural way of fighting infection, If we don’t let the fever do it’s thaaaang then we often are prolonging the illness in our bodies. When Little Man is sick a really focus on letting the fever run its course and not medicating. I talked to his doctor about it and of course you should too, but there is value in a fever even though they are no fun, so don’t just jump to getting rid of it.

There you have it, my arsenal of natural remedies and immunity boosters.

What have you tried to naturally fight cold and flu season? 

Comment and let me know!

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Busy Mama Makeup Routine

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Y’all – in my pre-mama days I would spend enormous amounts of time in front of the mirror doing my makeup in the morning. I actually really enjoy doing makeup. It’s fun to play with color combos and eyeliner. But this season of my life really doesn’t leave me with much time to paint my face. That being said, I  still want to look put-together when I walk out the door.

Let me introduce you to the Flawless in Five set from Beautycounter. This makeup routine takes me less than 5 minutes and I do it in the car on most days. It has totally simplified my beauty routine and I’m always impressed with how it perks up my face without being overdone. It is an absolute busy mama must-have!

Before I tell you about the set in detail, let me spend a minute telling you why safer makeup is so important. Makeup sits on our skin all day long and touches some of the most sensitive areas like our eyes and mouths. We are absolutely absorbing the ingredients that our makeup is made out of. The build up of toxic ingredients over time in our bodies is proving to have serious negative impacts on our health; things like cancer, infertility and hormone issues and autoimmune diseases.

Most drugstore/department store makeup contains harmful ingredients like parabens, fragrance, SLS and heavy metals to name a few. Beautycounter makeup contains none of that. In fact, they promise to never use over 1,500 harmful ingredients in any of their products. That’s way more than the US or the EU has banned.

But, Nicole. I’ve tried “natural makeup” and it just … sucks.

Yes, that can be true. But let me tell you, Beautycounter is the real deal. Our stuff is high performing- used on the red carpet by celebs like Connie Britton and Alessandra Ambrosio. It. Is. So. Good.

Check out how easy this is:

So here is the rundown…

For $150 you can get everything you need to have a flawless, simple yet put-together look in under 5 minutes! Clean out your makeup bag!

The Flawless in Five Set includes:

Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation– a hydrating, creamy formula that is actually good for your skin. It’s buildable for light to medium coverage. I’ve worn it for many professional pictures and formal events with great results!

Touchup Skin Concealer Pen– like a magic eraser for my tired eyes (along with the Rejuvenating Eye Cream)

Color Define Brow Pencil– brows have become my favorite makeup! They instantly make my face look alive and dare I say… younger 😉

Mascara- pick lengthening or volumizing. Both are fantastic. It took us 3 years to formulate a safe and effective mascara!

Satin Powder Blush– the texture and staying power of our powders is crazy. They are made with butterpowder which feels as dreamy as it sounds.

Lip Gloss– another must-have. I love the texture- not sticky! It’s a moisturizing formula so I actually have stopped using lip balm. The scent is a yummy vanilla made from REAL VANILLA.

The colors are fully customizable! I can help you color match. Just send me an email or DM on Insta 💕

Of course you can buy these items separately, but your getting an amazing deal if you buy them as a set. If you love eyeshadow and liner- add the Get the Look set to your cart and you’re literally set for makeup!

If you’re not sure how your current makeup stacks up on terms of how clean it is, look it up on the EWG Skin Deep Database and see what you’re working with.

Looking and feeling great doesn’t have to involve hours in front of the mirror. Six products, five minute, flawless face!

XO, Nicole

Guide to Safer Cleaning :: I did the work so you don’t have to

Cleaning products were one of the first things I started to switch over when I decided to pursue a healthier, safer lifestyle. And OH.EM.GEE. it felt like the never ending journey. I have tried so many different cleaning products it makes my head spin. The cleaning industry is just as misleading as the beauty industry in terms of labeling and green washing. I would try something thinking it was safe because it said natural or eco-friendly, only to find out after months of using it that it was not, in fact, safe.

Talk about frustrating! 

That is why I am so excited to share my Guide to Safer Cleaning! You can skip the trial and error and head straight for the good stuff.

First though, a brief explanation on WHY you should switch your cleaning products to safer options. There are hundreds of chemicals used in cleaning products that we have scientific evidence to show are linked to issues such as:

  • Asthma
  • Cancer
  • Reproductive  and developmental toxicity
  • Allergies and irritations
  • Burns and poison

I’m not too interested in getting anything on that list.

To add insult to injury, many of the so-called disinfectants on the market, aren’t that good at disinfecting!

The Environmental Working Group is a wealth of information on this stuff.  Click here for more details on the hazards of cleaning products.

They also have an AMAZING database that gives meaning products a rating of A-F. You can check what you’re currently using and see how it rates!

Here are my favorites! I love them because they work, they are safe and they aren’t crazy expensive!

P.S. Some of these are affiliate links where I get a small commission if you purchase through that link. I’d very much appreciate it if you would!

P.P.S. I added a PDF version of this guide to the bottom of the blog post. Print it out for your convenience!

WINDOWS:

Norwex Window Cloth
Cleans windows beautifully with just water

SURFACES:

Force of Nature Non-toxic all purpose disinfecting spray! Amazing and the safest spray I’ve seen. Has replaced all my other sprays and even toilet bowl cleaner. It’s so safe, I even let my little man help me clean with it.

Norwex EnviroCloth – Cleans ALL surfaces with just water

FLOORS:

Norwex Mop System- it’s so much easier to mop my floors with this mop. No dealing with buckets of cleaning solution or filling the sink. Just add water to the mop pad and get to it!

LAUNDRY

Detergent- Molly’s Suds Laundry Powder (Amazon $0.16/load) Works great with a fresh peppermint scent!

Whitener- Molly’s Suds Oxygen Whitener (Amazon $12.99)

Stain Remover- Beautycounter’s Charcoal Cleansing Bar (for real! It works better than Oxyclean on my stains)

DISH SOAP

Ecover Zero Dish Soap, Fragrance Free (Amazon, $0.16/fl oz) It’s basic, but it gets the grease off really well. It’s lasted us a LONG time too.

DISHWASHER

Seventh Generation Free and Clear Auto Dish Packs (Amazon $0.41/pack) or Powder (Amazon $0.17/oz)  

*Powder is cheaper, but my hubby likes the packs. Both get the job done, but I want to try a few more before I commit

WANT TO TRY: Ecover Zero Dishwasher Tablets (Amazon $0.23/tablet)

Get the PDF Version here! BBM Guide to Safer Cleaning

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This Time It’s Personal

It doesn’t get more personal than this.


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Infertility. The word sounds as harsh as the diagnosis. I’m sitting here waiting for my ultrasound to check how my uterine lining is progressing and having one of those surreal- is this really my life- moments. I don’t mean that in a “poor me” way, but it’s still baffling sometimes that the word infertility is so common in my vocabulary. That I write about frozen embryo transfers and estrogen. That I don’t blink anymore at getting blood drawn. That a doctor is in the room with my husband and I when we “get pregnant” 😳 Not exactly what you picture on your wedding day.
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This is why I’m on a mission to share safer products. This is why my Beautycounter business isn’t really about a great lipstick or eye cream. It’s so freaking personal for me. It got personal the day the doctor sat down across from us and explained that in vitro fertilization was our only viable option to have children. It got personal the day that I gave myself my first {of many} hormone shots. It got really personal when my doctor sucked a bunch of my eggs from my ovaries with a needle..through my vagina…(mmm hmmm) and even more personal when he put one beautifully fertilized embryo back in my uterus.

Yeah. That’s personal.

(can you tell I’m a little feisty about this topic)

Most personal care products are packed with things like parabens and phthalates that are KNOWN to impact our hormones and contribute to infertility. I didn’t know that. Not until we couldn’t get pregnant and I started scouring the internet for anything that might be a clue. They are everywhere; just flip over your shampoo bottle, or face lotion. I didn’t know that the last significant law regulating the personal care industry was passed in >>> 1938 <<< I didn’t know that over 80% of the ingredients in our beauty products have N E V E R been tested for safety.

Now I know. And I can’t un-know. So, I have to share. I want you to know. I want everyone to know.

And you might be thinking…this doesn’t effect me..I’m a fertile myrtle over here so it’s all good. Wrong. It’s not just fertility; it’s cancer. Autoimmune disease. Skin conditions. Learning Disabilities. It’s our health.

We deserve better. We should NOT have to sacrifice our health or fertility for the sake of “beauty”.

If you want to learn more, please ask me questions.

Here are some good resources to get you started:

Breast Cancer Prevention Partners

Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

Environmental Working Group

Beautycounter Never List