Baby steps..

You've got to start somewhere, and starting with something small may be the easiest. 
Just last week, I bought my mother and sister the Ava deodorant. In my opinion, i'd start with that first then start making bigger steps. 

What's great about Ava Anderson is the products are affordable. And that's their goal. They want to be affordable but yet effective.

Taking the first step..

In order to be aware of toxins, you need to take the first step. And that is being able to identify which toxins are in your everyday products. We are so grateful to have www.ewg.org/skindeep to help us. This website allows you to search over 80,000 products. They are rated on a scale of 0-10, 1 being good, 10 being horrible. And then once you click on a particular product, it rates each ingredient and tells you what it does to your body.

Although, I have searched some products that aren't listed in there, I know what chemicals are bad and can avoid the product. Thanks to my wallet card.

Toxins to Avoid...

Benzene	Fragrance	Parfum
Benzoic acid	Hydroquinone	Phthalates
Benzoyl-5	Lead	PEG (1,4) lauryl ether
Butylparaben	ME A	Placental extract
Coal tar	Mercurochrome	Polyethylene glycol (PEG )
Cocamide DEA	Mercuric oxide	Polypropylene glycol (PPG)
Diazolidinyl urea	Mercury	Propylparabens
DEA	Methanone	Propyl ester
Diethanolamine	Methylparaben	Silcone-derived emollients
Dimethicone	Microban	Sodium laurel sulfate (SLS)
Ethoxylated	Mineral oil	Sodium laureth sulfate
surfactants	Monoethanolamine	Talc
Ethylparaben	Oxomethane	TEA
FD & C	Oxybenzone	Thimerosol
FD & C (color + number)	Parabens	Toluene
Formaldehyde	Paraphenylenediamine	Triclosan
	(PPD)	Triethanolamine

These listed above are toxins that disrupt your endocrine system. 

So start small. Check products you use on a daily basis. 

**A few weeks ago we were getting ready for the beach and my Ava sunscreen wasn't in yet. To my surprise the Aveeno Baby that I've used for years, rates a 7! Ahh horrible. So I went around the house trying to find something that was a 2-3. No such luck. I went through 4 sunscreens and the last one I came among had the least ingredients. So of the 4, they got trashed. Once you know what's in the products and their affect you will be smarter on the decisions you make. 

Welcome

I've been meaning to do this for a while now. Blog about our everyday life and concerns we overcome.


A little insight...

When I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd child, I started researching Midwives and natural birth. I also started doing research about becoming more green and using homemade products. I ended up having baby L via home-birth with a midwife and my OBGYN. 

I found another gals blog, OneGoodThingByJillee.com and she posted about homemade everything. It got me thinking, I could use basic household items to clean my house, rather than buying commercial products. Slowly I switched our cleaners, ie all purpose cleaner, from Method to Vinger/water/essential oils. I stopped using toilet bowl cleaners, and use baking soda and vinegar. These 2 simple products can do so much. And if you add certain essential oils, you've got yourself antibacterial antimicrobial, etc. Then I made homemade lotion using coconut oil, Vitamin E and Aloe Vera. We love it. 

In February I became a consultant with It Works! Global sharing "The Crazy Wrap". Basically a thin piece of cloth that could be worn anywhere from your chin down to tighten, tone, and firm in as little as 45 minutes. I used it on my thighs, lost a quarter inch. Great product. Had fun at expos and sharing it with friends. Then I was invited to a friends party, Ava Anderson. Couldn't make it, but went over a few weeks later. I did a presentations for my wraps and she did one for this product. It was very informative, didn't buy anything. Since going in March I saw her posting articles and information on Facebook about chemicals. 

Rewind a few months. I knew the chemicals in deodorants were bad, so I had purchased 2 natural ones. One from Etsy, didn't work and another from amazon.com. That one did work sort of, but didn't keep me dry. So I went back to Secret, because I had read reviews of all the other "natural" deodorants and they didn't seem good. 

I asked Laura, Ava Anderson rep about their deodorant and if it worked. She said yes and it smells great. So I purchased it and was/am pleased with the smell. It takes about 1 week for your body to adjust, I remember having to apply it more than one time a day for the first week, then after I was hooked. It smells like peppermint, keeps me dry, and feels great. I told her I loved this and she asked if I wanted to sign up. I kindly said not now. That was in May that I had purchased the Deodorant and come July I decided it was time to go "fully" toxic free. I signed up with Ava Anderson, got this really neat bag and a bunch of products. I love them all. No toxins whatsoever. All natural, organic and essential oils. Ok, I kind of lied, I'm not fully toxic free, but pretty damn close. 

So that's my story. I'm now an Ava Anderson Consultant and want to educate everyone about toxins. How bad they are for you.
;)