One Step Closer To A Chemical-Free Lifestyle.

I’ve gone and done it. I’ve done the research, I’ve become a believer and I’ve turned my hard-earned money over in exchange for products that are organic and free of chemicals. The beginning of my obsession to find the right organic company/product offerings came from an article that was recently brought to my attention. The brand in question; Johnson & Johnson. The product; the No More Tears shampoo. The added ingredients in question; formaldehyde which is a known carcinogen (carcinogen definition: substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue). Ehh emmm WHAT is in my baby’s shampoo?!

The mom in me started to scour the internet for an alternative product. With just a little research, and much to my surprise, a lot of products claiming to be ‘green’ or ‘natural’ were far from it. When you look at the ingredients of a product and there are 15+ listed, chances are that product has one ore more harmful chemicals.

I learned about Earth Mama Angel Baby when a friend told me about their pregnancy products, particularly products for after birth. I went back to the company’s website to see if they offered any shampoos and lotions (because the chemicals in the baby Aveeno lotion I was using were also called into question which BTW is owned by guess who…Johnson & Johnson). Earth Mama Angel Baby had a few different formulations to choose from and after comparing them to companies like Arbonne and California Baby, I decided to go with them. My first reaction to the shampoo was that it didn’t smell quite as good as Johnson & Johnson, but it also doesn’t have the fragrance ingredient either – which happens to be found in virtually every product we use. ‘Fragrance’ is so incredibly broad that it’s questionable as to what ‘fragrance’ is being used. Some mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress and potential effects on the reproductive system. The lotion however, I absolutely love. It’s not greasy and makes peanut’s skin silky smooth.

After my shampoo/lotion kick, I started learning more and more about all the junk (like fragrance) found in the products I use on a daily basis and while I haven’t replaced my entire bathroom with chemical-free products, I have made a few changes. First up is my antiperspirant.

Did you know that the primary ingredient in antiperspirants is aluminum which is used to block the sweat from escaping your pores? Did you know that aluminum has been directly linked to breast cancer in woman as well as an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease? Those are two reasons enough for me to switch! Through my search, I learned about a direct selling company called Poofy Organics. It’s a family-owned and operated company out of New Jersey. What attracted me most to this company was the fact that they make every single product on their own in the USA. They don’t deal with manufacturers outside of the country. I was also intrigued by the fact that they are also a direct selling company. Since I am obviously becoming passionate about a chemical-free lifestyle, if I ended up liking their products, maybe I would start selling them on my own. While I really like the deodorant I purchased, I haven’t decided to sell their products just yet. I also purchased their sunscreen (more information on this in a later blog) that I didn’t care for. So, I would like to try out a few more of their products.

Side note: as of last summer, Johnson & Johnson has removed formaldehyde from their products. That’s not to say their products still contain other questionable ingredients. And though I commend them for reformulating their products, in my eyes, that doesn’t make up for the fact that they were at one time manufacturing products that contained a known carcinogen.