The Low-Down on Low-Tox Summer Products
Written by Danielle Mortimer, BSiHS, PIM Employee and featuring Kaitlyn David, Low-Tox Coach
Kaitlyn is a low tox coach and mindfulness teacher who supports women on their journey to motherhood. When her first daughter was 6 weeks old she was diagnosed with several food allergies and severe chronic eczema. On her journey to heal her daughter, she learned that environmental toxins in our everyday products impact our health and our babies' health before they are even conceived. Today, she has made it her mission to help women take control of their fertility while providing tools to become the healthiest version of themselves using mind and body techniques. Check her out on her instagram >>> @kaitlynadavid
The Low-Down on Low-Tox Summer Products
Summer is a great time to get outside and soak up that good Vitamin D. But how do you know if your sunscreen is free of toxic chemicals? And what about the toxins in bug spray? How can you make sure you are taking care of your skin while still enjoying plenty of time outdoors? Stay tuned until the end of the article to find out natural ways to support your body’s innate detoxification process!
A resource we like to use here at PIM is ewg.org. The Environmental Working Group shines a light on toxic compounds in our everyday products and they work to change legislation so that we can be protected from toxins in our environment. They even have a guide to sunscreen!
If you’re looking for clean, low-tox skin products, you may also want to try Beautycounter. They have complete ingredient transparency and block over 1800 toxic ingredients from their products. Below Kaitlyn will discuss some of her favorite products as well as 5 ways to swap to safer products.
KD:
“Summer: it calls on many emotions, feelings, and memories. Longer days, early mornings listening to the birds, sandy toes, sun kissed skin, salty hair, and a little less make-up. The glow that your whole body feels as you step outside each day is one you want to carry with you throughout the year.
Along with that sun-kissed glow, comes many summer products that we lather on our skin day in and day out. Sunscreen and bug spray, extra showers to remove it all at the end of the day, body butters, peels, and scrubs to keep skin hydrated. But do you ever wonder what is in all these products we are lathering on our skin to “protect our bodies”?
The truth is our personal care products are not regulated by the FDA or any other legal entity. Manufacturers can pretty much put anything they want in our soaps, lotions, deodorants, etc (besides the 30 banned ingredients in the US). In fact, legislation has not been revisited since the 1930s and since we have introduced 80,000 chemicals into commerce.
Many of these chemicals are hormone disruptors linked to chronic disease, cancer, infertility, and allergies.
So what do we do?
We still need to use sunscreen to protect against light rays, deodorant to stay smelling fresh and comfortable, lotions to hydrate our skin, and so forth, but we must be responsible and educated consumers. Consumers who read labels and know to avoid ingredients such as phthalates (a tongue twister, I know).
It can feel overwhelming, frustrating, and just not fair. But here is the good news…it is getting easier. Manufacturers are listening. Social conscious brands are popping up and there are products that are not only safer, but they work.
Top 5 Ways to Swap to Safer Products:
Take note of everything you use on a daily basis. The next time you are in your bathroom, just start jotting down your daily must-haves (deodorant, face wash, moisturizer etc).
Scan your products on an app like Healthy Living by the Environmental Working Group to find out its toxicity rating and what it is linked to. Look for a rating of 3 or lower.
Don’t purchase a product based on its marketing or branding. Phrases like natural, vegan or organic are not regulated and mean nothing on a personal care product.
Start scanning ingredient labels for words or suffixes such as phthalate, paraben, PEG, or fragrance. Avoid products containing these whenever possible.
Go slow. While this is extremely important, we can’t swap out all our products in a day. Pick the ones that sit on your skin all day first and make a plan.
Here is the fun part: all the fabulous, safer products we get the privilege of using today! A low toxic lifestyle is honestly a simpler lifestyle. You don’t need a lot of products to maintain a great skincare routine or to stay protected in the sun. Depending on how much of a skincare junkie you are, here are some of the best options out there.
Skin + Body Care
The top safer skincare company in my opinion is Beautycounter. The brand not only tests each ingredient as well as the final product, but it has found ways to deliver a high-performing product. It is a mission-based B-corporation and has committed to be carbon neutral by 2030.
In the summer, my priority is exfoliating skin (face and body!) after being in the sun and keeping everything hydrated. A complete list of summer favorites can be found here and you can receive 30% off your first purchase with code CLEANFORALL30.
Deodorant
This can be a tricky topic, but one that must be addressed. Most of us have been conditioned to think sweating = a bad bodily function and we have used antiperspirant to reduce or block sweat. Usually aluminum is used in these deodorants to plug our sweat glands, but this also leads to toxins staying inside our body and causing disease.
A few things to remember when you decide to switch to a low-tox deodorant:
You will sweat
There is a detox period (sometimes a month) when switching over where you will sweat a lot and probably give off a not so pretty scent. This will fade and your body will regulate
Charcoal soaps and masks used on your underarms can move the detox process along quicker by pulling toxins out of the body
My personal favorite (and I have tried many) is Primally Pure’s Blue Tansy. While it is pricier, the large stick lasts several months, and it works.
Make-up
When it comes to summer beauty, I like to keep it simple, effortless, and with a pop of color. Multi-purpose products like cream shadows/blushes are easy and actually safer. Talc, often found in powdered cosmetics, can be contaminated with asbestos, so it is best to go talc-free. Here is a round up of my favorites:
Ilia NightLite Bronzing Powder
Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF
Beautycounter Skin Twin Creamy Concealer
Beautycounter Beyond Gloss in Raspberry for a pop or Bare Shimmer for a neutral lip
Let us know in the comments if you’ve tried any of Kaitlyn’s recommendations!
Remember, if you are being exposed to potentially harmful compounds there are many things you can do:
Schedule with your PIM provider to learn which detox protocol works best for you
Look at the ingredients in the products you are using, check out Kaitlyn’s personal skincare list here for low-tox products
Drink lots of water! Water helps remove waste products from your body
Eat antioxidant rich foods
Get enough sleep - sleeping clears metabolic waste from the brain
Get moving- exercise, walking, etc.
And start sweating! - the skin is the largest detoxifying organ
Eat bitter foods to stimulate the liver biliary system - Our functional nutritionist Caitlin Self mentions some good bitter foods to try: dandelion greens, dark chocolate, bitters, bitter melon, endives, and radicchio. The liver aids in breaking down the chemicals from personal care products!
Why do some people retain--or are more sensitive--to toxins?
Increased or ongoing exposure (toxic threshold exceeded)
Nutrient deficiencies
High refined food intake, inadequate protein
Stress, emotional trauma
Intestinal dysbiosis
Do you have a high toxic load? Are you more sensitive to toxins? Schedule a free 20 minute consult with one of our providers to learn how can help you.
PIM wants to hear from you! Do you have an experience with low-tox products? Do you find this article helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook and Instagram!
Register for our upcoming events!
Are you looking for a more comprehensive, empowering approach to medicine? Schedule a 20-minute free consultation with Lynda Sherland, CRNP, FNP-C or Veronica Porterfield, PA-C today! Not quite ready to schedule and have questions? Quickly get in touch with us today!
If you or your loved one needs help, perhaps you are suffering from the effects of ongoing stress, mood or hormone imbalance, including thyroid imbalance, or you or they are already working with a doctor to address a condition but want a more comprehensive, empowering approach to medicine? Schedule a 20 minute free consultation or an appointment with Veronica Porterfield, PA-C or Lynda Sherland, CRNP, FNP-C today! Not quite ready to schedule and have questions? Quickly get in touch with us today!
Know anyone who might want to join PIM as a new patient?
With the coupon code SUMMERSALE, friends and family can join our PIM community with $100 off the price of a new patient appointment. This sale includes 15% off select test kits purchased at the end of the initial appointment. We can't wait to partner with your friends and family on their healing journey!
LIMITED AVAILABILITY. More info is available on our website and Instagram.