My Soapbox. Literally,

Growing up we never worried about chemicals.  Hand sanitizer wasn’t a thing.  There was no clipping one onto your purse for easy access.  No cart wipes at the grocery store, or cart covers for babies.  When I was about 14 I was burned really badly by the pipe on a motorcycle.  Instead of taking me to the hospital my mom said oh that’s not too bad, and took me for ice cream.  Sunscreen was not something that existed in our home, and we spent our summers swimming.  To this day if my husband cuts himself he wraps it with duct tape and goes on about his day without cleaning it. 

Things are different now though.  GMO’s have been around for years and years, but not to the extent we see now.  Microwaving food in plastic?  Probably not the best idea.  Buying the cheapest shampoo at the drugstore, why not?  It’s all the same right? Ok, let’s stop right there.  I was one of the people who would stock up on the $.99 Suave shampoo, and fill my shopping bag at the Bath and Body Works semi-annual sale.  The shampoo was so sudsy!  Sudsy =clean! And all the fruity tropical smells!  Walking around smelling like a fruit bowl has to be a good thing.  What I wasn’t doing what educating myself.  Those super suds in my shampoo, they come from sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), which is also a main ingredient in engine degreaser.  They’re also in the fruity soaps that smelled so nice.  You know what else is? Parabens, which have a known link to cancer, and triclosan, which is harmful to teens, and a known cause of dermatitis.  Now why would something in hand soap cause dermatitis?  Now, I’m not expert, nor am I a doctor.  What I definitely am is a reader, and when something catches my interest, you can be sure I’m going to read all I can and educate myself.  Have I dumped all the cleansers, shampoos, and soaps in my house? No.  I still use laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, and the amazing substance that is blue Dawn dish soap. (Seriously this stuff cleans everything) But, I do only use shampoo free of parabens, and SLS.  Is it more expensive? Yes, but it lasts so much longer.  I try to only wash my hair once a week, and co-wash twice.  I’ve replaced regular hand soaps by making my own! You’d be surprised what some Dr. Bronner’s castille soap mixed with a carrier oil and little YLEO does to your hands.  And you dilute it so it’s cheaper!  I reuse the bottles and it costs me under $1 to make a bottle of soap.  Instead of pricey candles or air fresheners, I diffuse YLEO’s Purification.  Not only does it smell great, it’s actually eliminating the odors instead of covering them up. If I do buy bath products from the store, I try to go to LUSH so I can see exactly what's in them.

 I’m a water drinker, but plain water doesn’t do it for me.  Do you go to a restaurant and ask for water with lemon?  Think about this, that lemon you squeeze and drop in your water came from a grocer or produce distributor.  Do you think it was washed before it was sliced?  Did the person slicing it wear gloves?  Did the person putting it into your water have clean hands? You’re going to put that into your water and drink all the germies.  Why not instead order an ice water and put in a drop or two of YLEO lemon oil?

Really, I can go on and on about this.  And it will be a frequent topic of the blog.  Feel free to ask any questions about Young Living, I’m happy to share and to educate others!  If you’d like to explore Young Living on your own, please use my link.  http://yl.pe/w8t