"these are a few of my favorite things..."

And yeah, I did have Julie Andrew's voice in my head as I typed the title :) I've written quite a few blogs on Myspace but this is my first "blogspot" blog, so here we go...

As the Christmas season is upon us, you'd be hard-pressed to walk into any store that didn't have the displays of cutesy little gift baskets filled with bath salts, bubble bath, lotions and such, but do you really think that spending $10.00 or less on a basket chocked full of stuff is good for you? Think about it, if the retailers can sell them for 1/2 off on the day after Christmas, do you honestly think that the "smell pretties" (that's what my girls used to call them) help you any? For the most part, you're just slathering tons of chemicals on your skin, which by the way happens to be your biggest organ. Would you put crude oil into your liver? What about pumpin your ovaries full of synthetic estrogen? That's what you're doing when you use 90% of the products you'll find at your local discount store.

About 2 1/2 years ago, I discovered that by eliminating the "beauty" products that contained any type of parabens (ethyl, propyl, methyl) and formaldehyde, I reduced my migraines by 75%! That's a huge deal, just in case you've never had one. I felt better, had more energy and wasn't in the constant migraine fog that had plagued me for so long. I now only get them around that time of the month, and I can predict pretty much within a few hours of when they'll hit. I can't change those hormones, but I did make a big change with the tons of extra hormones I was filling my body with by using those nice scented lotions, make-up and dryer sheets. Since my girls are genetically pre-disposed to have migraines, I follow the same regimen for them. It kills my almost 6 year old to not get Ariel lip balm or Littlest Pet Shop bath gel, but she knows why we go natural and when she asks for something, I just let her know that I'll buy some Burts' Bees or another natural option when we're at a store that carries them.

So, here are some of my favorite paraben and formaldehyde free things!!!

Yes to Carrots Body Butter
Dr. Bronner's 18 in one peppermint soap
Burt's Bees lip shimmer and other makeup
Organix Tea Tree and Peppermint shampoo
Yes to Carrots Shapoo and Conditioner
Method cleaning products
White vinegar
lemon juice
baking soda
Simplicity dish washer tablets (phosphate free!)
purex natural elements laundry detergent
arm and hammer natural deodorant (paraben and aluminum free)

As long as I have these items, I'm good. No other cleaners, lotions, make-up or anything else needed to make my home clean, my skin happy and my pocketbook healthy. If you'd like more info about natural cleaning ideas, let me know. I'd be glad to share the info I've found. Your health is worth it and years from now, you'll be so glad you did!