In today’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk about 10 easy swaps you can make to ditch synthetic fragrances from your life.

Recently we watched the Netflix documentary called ‘Stink’ which we highly recommend you guys watch.  It is a total eye opener and we are so glad it brings awareness to the masses of how bad these are.

FACEBOOK LIVE

We did a Facebook live recently demonstrating how easy it is to make 5 simple swaps to ditch synthetic fragrances, which you can check out here.

Today we are giving you a comprehensive list of 10 easy swaps you can make to ditch the synthetic fragrances from your home.

In a lot of products that contain synthetic fragrances, the ingredient listing, if in fact there is one, most likely won’t contain all the ingredients in that product because simply, they don’t have to list them all!  To give some perspective, the word ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume/parfum’ on an ingredient panel is not 1 ingredient.  This can be hundreds of chemicals that make up that one-word ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume/parfum’.  Shocking huh?!

It’s well documented that synthetic fragrance can be detrimental to your health.  They have been linked to:

  • Endocrine/Hormone disruption
  • Headaches/Migraines
  • Allergic reactions
  • Respiratory issues

WHERE CAN SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCES BE FOUND:

  • House
  • Car
  • Work
  • Public bathrooms
  • Shops/Shopping Centres
  • Supermarkets
  • Schools

Whilst you may not be able to switch out every synthetic fragrance you encounter, you can certainly get rid of them from the places that are within your control.

WHAT YOU CAN DITCH OR SWAP 

  1. Hand Wash 

This is a really commonly used one.  Not only are you likely to find synthetic fragrance in hand wash, but if the liquid is coloured, then you’ll likely find artificial colours in there too, together with a lot of other nasties.

It is so much cheaper to make your own and so much better for you.  We have made this quite often on Facebook, so here’s a video you can watch.  You can also check out the recipe here. 

  1. Kitchen Cleaning Spray 

Ditch all your kitchen cleaning products because all you need to do is make up the doTERRA Soft Scrub.  This scrub can pretty much clean your whole house.

If you do want to use a spray then you can use this recipe to make that up which is really simple.  Having said that, we just generally fill a sink with hot soapy water and use that to wipe down our kitchens, tabletops etc. 

  1. Dishwashing Liquid 

Once again these are usually filled with artificial colours and fragrances. Yuk!

It can be hard to find one to switch to from the supermarket, so just be mindful and check ingredients.  Having said that, we are fairly confident that the EcoStore brand from the supermarket is a good one to switch to.  It’s not a perfect option, but it’s certainly a better option than a lot of other brands.

You can also check out health food shops for dishwashing liquid.  Or you can use plain castile soap as dishwashing liquid and there’s a great recipe here. 

  1. Dishwashing Powder

You can have a go at making your own via this recipe here, however, your dishes may not come up sparkling.  They’ll certainly be clean but may not be as shiny as you would like.  Therefore, if that bothers you, then look at getting the EcoStore brand as this is a better option.

You can easily ditch the dishwasher cleaners too, all you need to do is cut a lemon in half and add that together with some white vinegar to your dishwasher and run it for a cycle and this will clean it.

  1. Laundry Liquid/Powder and Fabric Softener 

These wreak of artificial fragrances!  You don’t want to be breathing those chemicals in all day long from your clothes.

There are much better choices out there.  You can make your own washing powder following this easy recipe or even, once again, go with the EcoStore brand.

As for fabric softener, if you must use something, then plain white vinegar and 4-5 drops of essential oils of choice added to your fabric softener drawer work just as good.  Don’t worry your clothes won’t come out smelling like vinegar.  Vinegar has the added bonus of softening fabrics as well as cleaning your washing machine drum at the same time.  Bonus! 

  1. Air Fresheners

These are EVERYWHERE and yep we get it, they can be hard to avoid at times.

If you need to freshen your house, then simply open your doors and windows and let that beautiful fresh air waft in!  Could it be any simpler?!  And it’s free!

For those times when the weather doesn’t permit this, diffuse some pure essentials oils in your house and then not only are you getting the benefit of your house smelling nice, but also the health benefits that pure essential oils bring as well.

  1. Candles/Reed Diffusers

These are really popular.  Most are artificially derived, however, you can get ones made from soy and essential oils which are a better choice so long as they are of a good/high-quality soy, essential oil and wick.

You can also swap this out for a diffuser and pure essential oils. 

  1. Carpet Deodoriser 

This is so easy to switch out, all you need is bi-carb soda and essential oils, sprinkle that over the carpet and then vacuum up.  Here’s a great recipe.  Not to mention it is so much cheaper doing this. 

  1. Car Air Fresheners 

You can ditch those dangly or air-vent attached air fresheners very easily.  If your car is a bit stinky, just opened up the windows for a few hours, weather permitting, and let the smell escape via the power of fresh air.

  1. Scented Tissues |Wipes |Garbage Bags

Swap these in favour of non-scented varieties such as what Who Gives a Crap has to offer.  You will need to source non-scented garbage bags from somewhere else, however, we are looking at stocking these in our online store in the future.

  1. Scratch and Sniff Items

These are also quite popular, especially with kids for stickers or scented stationery.  Be mindful when you are buying the kids things this Christmas.  The scented varieties are not necessary, so just go for unscented. 

  1. Perfume | Body Sprays 

Ok, don’t shoot the messenger on this one!  Have you ever had a physical reaction to perfume you have smelt whether it’s in the store or on someone?  This is your body’s way of telling you that it’s toxic and it does not want to be anywhere near the smell.

If you want to make yourself smell pretty, then do what we do and just use pure essential oils.  The beauty of using essential oils is that you can make up whatever ‘perfume’ smell you want and it’s all non-toxic and is not going to do you long-term harm.

Just to recap, you may have a product which details the ingredients list, but if it says ‘fragrance’ then you don’t know the whole ingredients it has taken to make up that product.

The shocking part is that legally they don’t have to be listed nor are the chemicals tested before they make up a product.  So, we have no way of knowing what the chemical reaction on our bodies will be, short or long term, to a whole bunch of chemicals that create the one product.  The industry is simply not regulated.  It totally blows our mind and scares us at the same time.  We are the guinea pigs, but only if you allow it!

We recommend you be really wary and mindful of what you are buying and please switch out whatever you can to safer products or make your own.  Really guys, DIY doesn’t have to be hard, if it was, we sure wouldn’t be doing it!

We hope this has given you some great ideas to make some simple swaps.

If this has resonated with you, then please leave us a review and as always, we would love it if you would subscribe to our show, that way you are notified as soon as a new episode is released.

Links and Resources