Krissy shares with us how she’s held onto her slow-burning passion for health and wellness over the years. She’s studied human movement, majoring in health promotion, and even taught health for 7 years at a primary and high school level. It wasn’t until she became a mum that she one day woke up and a little light-bulb went off. As she gazed around her kitchen, she saw all the little bottles and boxes and wondered what all the strange and unpronounceable ingredients were, that were listed on the products.

You can always control what you choose to put in and on your body

Krissy has always loved making a lot of her family’s food from scratch, as it makes her feel amazing to know exactly what was going into that food. She thought well why not control what also goes on our body too.

Through a lot of research, experimentation and sharing recipes for things like laundry powder and deodorant with friends, she became pretty pumped. She started a Facebook page and a basic website and grew her business from there. Now she runs workshops across Australia, on how to make chemical-free products, inspiring and teaching others at just how simple it is.

“It’s just such a buzz for me because I know they’re there, because they’re investing in their health.” 

Even if you don’t have health problems, you can always feel even more amazing by cutting out unknown chemicals

One thing Krissy realised, is that you don’t have to be sick to start making changes in what’s going into and on your body. For her, she never has had any major ongoing health issues, but she knows that if she feels great, she can feel even better from cutting out even more unknown chemicals from her life.

The power of going back to basics

Some people are still a little afraid to be making even the simplest of recipes, feeling a little stuck in the mindset that it has to be complicated to actually work. Krissy loves to bust this myth, and show people just how easy it is, to make your own products at home.

Most of us know when we feel crappy from eating junk food, but what about from using toxic body care products?

While eating a block of chocolate may feel amazing at the time, you’re going to go down-hill pretty quickly. While the link between feeling bad, and the source of that feeling is so obvious (junk food), people often don’t recognize the link between feeling bad and what’s going on their skin.

Krissy describes how our skin has no filters, and how any product you put on your skin, goes straight into your bloodstream. This is often the source of headaches and fatigue, due to the high level of chemicals.

The main ingredients to avoid are:

  • Fragrance: Any scents of synthetic candles, air fresheners, scratch and sniff stickers and the endless sources of fake fragrances, should be avoided at all costs. In fact, the manufacturers of these scented products, are under no obligation to tell their consumers, exactly what the hundreds of chemicals are in their products. It’s their little trade secret. Instead choose scented products that you know are naturally sourced, including pure essential oils.
  • Parabens: These are synthetic preservatives that come in different forms that are absolutely everywhere. Many companies are recognizing ongoing consumer concerns, and are now reformulating their product as a paraben-free range. While this is a fantastic industry shift, you need to be careful that they’re not replacing parabens with an equally as harmful preservative.

Parabens are known to disrupt hormones, especially in younger aged people and lead to cancer when used over a long period of time. Look out for the word paraben on the ingredients list, and if in doubt, bring out your phone and Google any ingredient you don’t recognize while at the store.

  • Triclosan: Found in some toothpaste and anti-bacterial hand washes, this chemical was first registered as a pesticide in the 60’s! It’s found to be behind a lot of antibiotic resistance and superbugs. After it reached the headlines on the news last year, many companies started to take this chemical out of their toothpaste ranges.
  • SLS and SLES: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is what makes bubbles, usually in shampoos, dish liquid and liquid soaps. You’ll find these two nasties in up to 90% of personal care items. There is a high risk that in the manufacturing process, that these two chemicals are contaminated, with other chemicals known to be human carcinogens (cancerous).
  • Mineral oil: This is an oil that’s petroleum derived, and should certainly not be going on your skin. Often if you go out to get a massage, they will use a product that contains mineral oil, so it’s better to ask what they use or bring your own. In traditional deodorants, you will also find mineral oil, as it stops the body from sweating, even though our bodies are designed to sweat and eliminate toxins. Home-made deodorants or natural deodorants don’t block the natural sweating process, but they do block odours.

A good skin care company is transparent in their ingredients

Sadly, many companies are focused more on profits and the use of cheap and harmful chemicals, than the effect of those chemicals on your health. With clever marketing, you’ll even find some companies using the word organic, and featuring earthy colours on their product range to really suck us in. There sure is some ultra-clever marketing going on out there, including stores that look incredibly natural by using cute little wooden boxes, minimal patterns or simplistic designs and natural colours.

You’ve probably already noticed that organic just has a certain look about it, and it usually draws you in. If a product has a natural ingredient in it, always be sure to see what preservatives have been thrown in there, to keep that ingredient fresh and lasting a longer on the shelf.

Luckily, there are now many emerging companies that absolutely care for what ingredients they are blending into their products. While there are plenty of loopholes in the regulations surrounding disclosure of chemicals, if you call a company, and they can’t or won’t tell you exactly what’s in their product, it’s better to avoid them.

You can certainly make a big impact by asking companies why they use a certain chemical and point them in the direction of research showing just how toxic it is to our health.

Resources: