MY TOXIN FREE STORY
I was never much for makeup growing up. I wore a lot because I grew up in the dance world. But wore very little when I wasn’t performing. I didn’t really understand how it all worked. I just knew A LOT was good on stage. So after I graduated college I really wanted to present a professional face for work. So I called my makeup artist friend to come over one afternoon and teach me how to put on a good face. As an artist I absolutely fell in love with creating a look on my face. I thought it to be fun and relaxing and very personal. So after I got my tutorial from my very talented friend, I went out and bought a good couple hundred dollars’ worth of products for my daily routine.
One morning I have all my products lined up neatly to be applied and something just hit me, almost like I had a V8 moment, or sauce pan over my head. I thought, “Wow this is a lot of chemicals I’m putting on my face.” Growing up as a chiropractor’s daughter we definitely weren’t “normal” kids. So I was aware at a young age about toxins in the world and that they can harm the body. Then having received my doctorate degree I was even more aware of the relationship my body has with toxicity in the world. So I got on google and immediately looked up toxin free makeup and thankfully to my surprise I found stuff. I was relived. I thought, “Now here is something that lines up with my values, and matters to me.”
So I started researching products more. I ended up throwing away and donating so much of the toxic stuff I had previously purchased because when you think about how much a woman puts on her body every single day all the way from the soap in the shower to the mascara on the eyes I knew I needed to clean up my choices.
What you might be thinking is why? Why did I need cleaner better options? Because 60-95% of what you put on your skin will immediately be absorbed into your bloodstream within 26 seconds. Cosmetics and body care products today have little regulations and can contain many hormone and endocrine disruptions. That is what has brought me here today with my mission to be the "Toxin Free Makeup Doctor." Toxic chemicals are rampant in our skincare, cosmetics, and body products. It is an area that is grossly unregulated in our country. Yet we pour these concoctions on ourselves daily. I know so many ingredients used in our products disrupt our endocrine and reproductive systems. They produce allergic reactions, and cause multiple other symptoms to the body you may not have even connected to your daily products. Why is this dangerous to us? Because infertility, cancer, endometriosis, PCOS, liver toxicity, autism, autoimmune diseases, Fibromyalgia, and so much more are higher than they have ever been before. Why? Because we are toxic. I am not saying that by detoxing your makeup counter it will keep you from having one of these conditions but I am saying it will improve your odds. Many of the ingredients in our cosmetics have awful side effects with long term use, yet that is exactly how we use them…long term. We need to do better, and frankly we deserve better by the industry.
Luckily I’ve found some amazing performing products that not only do the job I need them to do but are also good for my skin without harmful toxins, and just happen to smell fantastic. I love them so much I decided to share them with my patients and many of you have seen our little display in our office.
I want women who have had a history of some type of condition or disease to have a safer option but I also want to change the conversation we are having with our kids when it comes to products we give them and then products they choose to buy for themselves. If you raise them on toxin free they will most likely choose toxin free when they get older. They are helping their bodies in the long run from suffering from endocrine disrupting conditions as well as allergic type reactions. The good news is many companies are catching on to this and changing their ingredients or new companies are sprouting up that are using clean ingredients. I am proud to say that today I am toxin free in the products that I use. It has taken me about 3 years to do it. From my cleaning products, to my laundry soap, to my skin care, to my makeup. All of it is clean and non-harmful to my body.
What is even more exciting for me is as I prepared to have a baby I knew I was creating an environment for my sweet JP inside my body that was nontoxic to grow and develop in for the first 9 months of his life. What a gift for him. I truly believe going toxin free helped me 1. get pregnant and 2. have a healthy pregnancy.
If this fascinates you, or resonates with you on some level, reach out to me. I love to educate on this topic. I like to consider myself somewhat of an ingredient sleuth when it comes to body and skin care products. If you are curious about a product you’re using and if it is safe for you, send me a message or or comment below. I’d love to encourage you or point you in a healthy direction!
Thanks for reading my story!