Welcome
Hello Friends.
Thanks for tuning in to Twelve Minute Health Bits. This is your host, Christen Hull, providing health and wellness support for the 21st century. We will be talking about using simple methods from today and centuries ago to keep our bodies healthy. Our goal is to daily stay “Above the Wellness Line.” In this podcast I will be giving you tips and tricks on how to daily make small changes to your life in order to keep your body well.
Episode 22 - Greenwashing Part 2
In episode 18 I talked about greenwashing, what it was, and the fact that yes, it does exist! Basically, greenwashing is when a company does not actually take the time to make their product cleaner, more environmentally friendly, and less toxic, but spend plenty of effort advertising that they do. This should actually be illegal, but unfortunately it is not.
Before we dive too deep into this, let’s grab common sense essential oil. This oil blend helps to calm and relax you while helping to balance irrational thinking and rash decisions. Place this blend in your diffuser or place a couple drops on your wrists while listening to this episode. If you do not have common sense, please use frankincense or peppermint.
Ingredients Matter
Just this week I had two people message me about the amazing natural laundry detergent they were using. Being the ingredient scrutinizer that I am, I asked them to send me a screenshot of the ingredients. On one popular brand that many people trust to be “green” or natural, the front of the package states, “No sulfates, no fillers, biodegradable, etc.” This leads the consumer to believe that this brand is “clean” and better than other comparing brands. This may even lead the consumer to justify the more expensive price. Let’s now flip over the bag to the back of the label. This is where the real details are located! This particular brand has sodium carbonate listed as it’s number one ingredient. This ingredient is washing soda, and can cause rashes on the skin. The next ingredient is sodium metasilicate. Some of the dangers of sodium metasilicate include rashes and skin irritations, asthma, or respiratory concerns. It is poisonous if swallowed. I do not know about you, but I do not want that in my house with the possibility that my kids could ingest some. Nor do I want to wear clothes that have been washed in chemicals touching my skin all day long. The third and final ingredient in this “natural” detergent is sodium percarbonate. The dangers of this product include: breathing issues, throat swelling, collapse, and diarrhea. The safety data sheet even says if this product gets on your clothing to rinse it immediately. This is crazy to me, because you are washing your clothes in something that is toxic and then wearing that all day long! This is also an ingredient that is harmful if inhaled. How many of you are able to fill your washing machine with a powdered laundry detergent without making any powder dust in the air? (Safety Data Sheet Spectrum, 2020)
Ingredients are so important my friends. Like I said in part 1 of Greenwashing, we need to look at the fine print. We need to really check ingredients with a fine tooth comb to ensure they are safe for our family and not just a marketing ploy.
Candles and Wax Melts
Let’s take a look at some things that plenty of families have in their homes, wax melts. Companies that sell wax melts will assure you they are safe. I cannot tell you how many times I have had a representative from a certain wax melt company come and ask me for help with their migraines. EEK! There seems to be a pattern there. I want to tell them to get rid of all of their products from this company, clean their house with thieves, diffuse purification for the next 48 hours, and continue from there on out to take the first step in getting rid of their head discomfort.
An ingredient in some candles and wax melts includes formaldehyde which emits cancer causing chemicals such as benzene and toluene. Another possible ingredient includes dyes, which are synthetic and can cause irritation.
If that is not bad enough, the fragrances used in candles and wax melts actually can disrupt hormones, cause lung cancer, or cause toxicity of the brain and nervous system. Some wax melts and candles can contain up to 300 chemicals that are spewing into the air and wreaking havoc on your lungs, nervous system, and hormones (Katsumi et al., 2016; Klepeis et al., 2017; Lee, 2017; MO doctor warns that candles are as harmful as cigarettes, 2015; Romantic, candle-lit dinners: An unrecognized source of indoor air pollution, 2009; Skovmand et al., 2017; Wynarczyk, 2019).
Most of you listening know me well enough to know that I will right now be inserting the importance of diffusing Young Living essential oils instead of using harmful wax melts or candles. Why am I so specific to say that you need to use Young Living essential oils? Honestly, it is not because I sell them. I sell them because I can say that they are truly the best oils on the market. They are not chemically derived, they contain no pesticides or herbicides, they do not contain any solvents or hexane. Most other companies use chemicals to distill their plants, or add in horrible fillers. This makes diffusing essential oils similar to that of using candles or wax melts.
Healthy Alternatives - DIY Laundry Detergent
So what are some alternatives to chemically laden laundry detergents on the market? It seems so hard to find laundry detergents that are not laden with chemicals. You could make your own if DIY is for you. This recipe came from DIY Natural: use one bar of shaved bar soap (homemade bar, Kirk’s castile Soap, or other that you know does not have sneaky ingredients added), 14 ounces of borax, 14 ounces of washing soda. Stir the ingredients together for several minutes and store in a sealed container with a small scoop. You can easily add in some essential oils to the mixture for a scent of your choosing. This recipe suggests using 1 tablespoon of mixture per load.
Purchase Laundry Detergent - if DIY is too High Maintenance
I am not really a “shave a bar soap kind of gal.” I commend those mommas that can spend their time shaving a bar soap to make some DIY laundry detergent, but I know for me, that is just too high maintenance. I choose to use the Thieves Laundry Soap diluted into three glass pump bottles. I can get almost eight months out of one bottle of laundry detergent for our family of five.
Thieves Laundry Soap Ingredients
So what actually are the ingredients in the Thieves Laundry Soap?
Water: Safe
Decyl Glucoside: fat derived from coconut
Sodium oleate: monounsaturated fatty acid - acts as an emulsifier
Glycerin: Fatty liquid derived from coconut or palm oils
Caprylyl glucoside: natural and biodegradable surfactant that lowers the surface tension between two liquids
Lauryl glucoside: foaming agent derived from plants
Sodium chloride: Salt
Sodium gluconate: “Sodium gluconate is most often made by the aerobic fermentation of a sugar, which can come from corn or beets, to produce gluconic acid. The fermentation product, gluconic acid, is neutralized to create sodium gluconate” (Sodium gluconate, 2019).
Carboxymethyl cellulose: Stabilizing and thickening agent, it is basically a low viscosity cellulose gum
Alpha-amylase: food enzyme
Protease: another enzyme
Lipase: enzyme
Young Living’s pure therapeutic grade essential oils:
Citrus limon† (Lemon) peel oil
Citrus aurantium bergamia† (Bergamot) peel oil (Furocoumarin-free)
Citrus limon† (Jade Lemon) peel oil
Syzygium aromaticum† (Clove) bud oil
Cinnamomum zeylanicum† (Cinnamon) bark oil
Eucalyptus radiata† oil
Rosmarinus officinalis† (Rosemary) leaf oil
†100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil
To make it more cost-effective, I use three 32 ounce glass pump bottles that I purchased on Amazon. I split one bottle of laundry detergent into the three bottles, rinse the detergent bottle out with water, shake it around, then dump it into the glass pump bottle. I do this several times to ensure I have gotten all of the detergent out of the bottle. Then I add in one capful of Thieves Household Cleaner (this is an optional step and is more for extra smell but also adds in cleaning power). I fill the bottles with water, place the pump top on, and then use about five to six squirts per load. We have a large washing machine and five people generating laundry in our home. This lasts me about eight months of washing clothes.
Say No by No Longer Purchasing Greenwashed Products
I know what you are thinking right now. “My laundry detergent does say it is natural and allergen free!” Well, I am here to tell you that you really need to look closely at the ingredients. The only thing that is going to tell companies that we no longer want their toxic synthetic chemicals and false advertising in our homes is to no longer purchase their products.
Be Intentional!
Friends, deception is everywhere in our world, whether intentional or unintentional. Please be a steward of the products you bring into your home. Please be intentional about looking at ingredients and making sure they are not harmful to you or your family!
Our positive affirmation for the week is: “I can find ways to keep my home clean from harmful synthetic chemicals.” The verse I want to pair with this episode is Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Products Featured on Today’s Broadcast
Visit www.twelve-stones.net to place an order
Essential Oils
Common Sense
Frankincense
Peppermint
Thieves
Purification
Supplements
Thieves Laundry Soap
Thieves Household Cleaner
Pump Bottles https://www.amazon.com/32-Ounce-Bottles-Plastic-Locking-Dispensers/dp/B0792GXNSJ/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwreT8BRDTARIsAJLI0KINc3WmlGpy8gD7wsDtJs8--6tWiVTszJXhwkIGp7c1o3SBuA3aRzkaAnKSEALw_wcB&hvadid=410001655388&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9019786&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1803909893132796242&hvtargid=kwd-6852601113&hydadcr=24658_11410762&keywords=glass+pump+bottle&qid=1603922416&sr=8-2-spons&tag=googhydr-20&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExQ0pTNVFUMTFQSjNEJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjY3MjAyMU9QVzJDVUxESFQyMSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMTEwMzYyRTgxQVpZVTNPTDNGJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
Conclusion
Hey Friends.
Thank you for tuning in to this resource from Twelve Stones Health and Wellness with Christen Hull. If you have an idea for an upcoming episode, send it my way, I would be happy to explore the topic. If you are interested in more information on becoming a member of Young Living and receiving the benefits of synthetic chemical free living in your home, please talk to the person who shared this podcast with you or, visit my website at www.twelve-stones.net. If you find this resource helpful, I encourage you to enjoy and share this podcast. Please do not alter the content in any way or charge for this resource.
References
Katsumi, H., Tominaga, M., Tajiri, M., Shimizu, S., Sakazaki, Y., Kinoshita, T., ... Hoshino, T. (2016). A case of lipoid pneumonia caused by inhalation of vaporized paraffin from burning candles. Respiratory Medicine Case Reports, 19, 166-168.
Klepeis, N. E., Bellettiere, J., Hughes, S. C., Nguyen, B., Berardi , V., Liles, S., ... Hovell, M. F. (2017, May 17). Fine particles in homes of predominantly low-income families with children and smokers: Key physical and behavioral determinants to inform indoor-air-quality interventions. PLoS One, 12(5).
Lee, M. (2017, December 18). Candles causing cancer. Retrieved from Stanford University website: http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2016/ph240/lee-m2/
MO doctor warns that candles are as harmful as cigarettes. (2015, September 16). Retrieved from KFVS12 News website: https://www.kfvs12.com/story/30048458/mo-doctor-warns-that-candles-are-as-harmful-as-cigarettes/
Romantic, candle-lit dinners: An unrecognized source of indoor air pollution. (2009, September 15). Retrieved from Pollution Online website: https://www.pollutiononline.com/doc/romantic-candle-lit-dinners-an-unrecognized-0001
Safety Data Sheet Spectrum. (2020, February 11). Retrieved from Spectrum website: https://www.spectrumchemical.com/MSDS/S1601_AGHS.pdf
Skovmand, A., Damiao Gouveia, A. C., Koponen, I. K., Møller, P., Loft, S., & Roursgaard, M. (2017, July 5). Lung inflammation and genotoxicity in mice lungs after pulmonary exposure to candle light combustion particles. Toxicology Letters, 276, 31-38.
Sodium gluconate. (2019). Retrieved from Tom's of Maine website: https://www.tomsofmaine.com/our-promise/ingredients/sodium-gluconate#:~:text=Sodium%20gluconate%20is%20most%20often,neutralized%20to%20create%20sodium%20gluconate
Wynarczyk, N. (2019, January 17). How scented candles could be harming the environment and your health. Retrieved from Independent website: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/scented-candles-health-danger-environment-air-pollution-chemicals-a8732436.html
