MOISTURIZER


This was the most requested topic after last season, so I wanted to get it right. But to be honest, the research left me with more questions than answers (I know, how can something like moisturizer be so puzzling?) Let’s break it down, shall we?

Listen on iTunes here.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Google Podcasts here.

 

PAST EPISODES MENTIONED

SKINCARE

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

SkinDeep (EWG)

 

PRODUCT LINKS:


BODY OILS

Coconut Oil 

Puur Ingrid Ultra Body Oil

Ingrid + Isabel The Oil

 

LOTIONS

Everyone Nourishing Lotion

Honest Beauty Everyday Radiance +C Moisturizer

Beautycounter Counterstart Cocoboost Moisturizer

Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer

 

 

SOURCES

https://www.katekerrlondon.co.uk/why-i-stopped-using-moisturiser-on-my-face/#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20unsure%20if,stopping%20the%20use%20of%20moisturiser

https://www.byrdie.com/moisturizer-bad-for-skin

https://www.byrdie.com/why-your-moisturizer-isnt-working

https://globalnews.ca/news/4492864/do-you-need-to-use-moisturizer/

 

TRANSCRIPT

 

Okay, I went down a research rabbit hole with this one… this was the most requested topic after last season, so I wanted to get it right. But to be honest, the research left me with more questions than answers (I know, how can something like moisturizer be so puzzling?) Let’s break it down, shall we?

In this episode, I’m not going to focus as much on what’s wrong with conventional moisturizers… at least not in the sense of toxins and chemicals. I think you got the picture from the skincare episode last week – yes, phthalates are also an issue with conventional moisturizers… also, sulfates, fragrance, formaldehyde, ethanol, PEG, parabens… you get the picture. These can be found in many brands and products and I’ll go through ways to avoid them and some suggestions for cleaner moisturizers at the end of this episode, but first… I want to tell you about something else I came across in my research.

What I discovered is that there is a camp of doctors, estheticians and dermatologists with a pretty convincing argument that, in general, our skin doesn’t need to be moisturized. At least not with man-made lotions that come out of a bottle.

And I don’t know, maybe this isn’t news to you like it is to me, but the more I thought about it and the more I read about it… it made sense. When I see flakey or dry skin on my face or body, do I think – hm, I should probably drink more water? Or, maybe my shower was too hot… Or, maybe one of the products I’m using is drying out my skin… 

No, I automatically assume it’s my skin that’s the problem, so I slather on some lotion and I don’t think twice that maybe it’s the moisturizer I’m using that could actually be doing more harm than good. 

Just because I slather on some cream and don’t see that flakiness anymore, doesn’t mean the flakes aren’t still there and that I’ve solved the problem of dry skin. If anything, I’ve just covered it up. Clinical facialist Kate Kerr says, [quote] “In reality, all you’re doing is compressing down that dead skin, stopping it from shedding naturally, and impacting your skin’s barrier function.” [end quote]

Logically, that makes sense right?

And to take it a step further, is my skin actually becoming reliant on this type of “artificial hydration?” 

Unless you’re dealing with extreme circumstances – like eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis – there are two things going on here: 1.) Moisturizer or lotion out of a bottle reduces your skin’s natural ability to exfoliate – in other words, the ability to shed dead skin cells and regenerate bright, healthy new skin cells on its own and 2.) Moisturizer inhibits the body’s ability to deliver its natural method of hydration to the skin from within. 

It’s kind of like how we don’t actually need soap. That’s right, you don’t need to wash your body with soap. If that comes as a surprise, I’ll do an episode on soap later this season.

From my research, I learned that only ‘true dry skin’ is in need of moisture supplementation. And that ‘true dry skin’ accounts for just 10-15% of the population – these are people who are born with this skin type and are likely to suffer from eczema or dermatitis – or women who are postmenopausal. 

But for the rest of us, it’s worth an experiment to see if you actually need the moisturizers you use every day. The estheticians and derms recommend giving your skin a 12 week break to see if you truly have dry skin or if your skin can start to self-hydrate from within.

For your face, you’ll still want to exfoliate and wear SPF but they recommend a serum over a lotion – hyaluronic acid comes in serum form and is a naturally occurring ingredient in the body.

What about your legs, though? And your hands and arms? Expensive serums aren’t going to do the trick for hydrating the entire body, so if you do find that your skin needs a little extra boost then coconut oil is the best option – just make sure to apply to skin when it’s damp to lock in the moisture. This is what I’ve always used on my kids – even my five year old has yet to be exposed to a shampoo or lotion because coconut oil has always done the trick for things like cradle cap or dryness.

Everyone’s skin is different so whether you do a 12 week detox experiment or keep slathering on that lotion, the point (at least for me) is to start to rethink how many products our skin actually needs. The body is really good at regenerating itself so I can’t help but be convinced that the artificial products we’re adding to our skin barrier could be doing more harm than good.

For those of you cringing at the idea of going product-free or tossing your beloved Aveeno from your daily routine, there are better products that we can reach for (even if it’s not coconut oil). I mentioned this in the skincare episode from last week, but I really want to drive the point today. Because again, everyone’s skin is different so what works for me isn’t necessarily the right protocol for you. And that’s where SkinDeep from the Environmental Working Group comes in again.

They are not a sponsor, I don’t even think they know this podcast exists, but I genuinely want us all to get into the habit of running new product purchases through the SkinDeep filter. I’ve gotten into a routine now – whether it’s buying new makeup or a new exfoliating cleanser – to first search for the product name in the SkinDeep database. It’s so easy to use – you can search by brand, product or ingredient – and it gives you peace of mind that you’re either buying something EWG verified (the best option) or something that’s ranked a 1 or 2 in terms of ingredients. 

As always, I’ve linked to my sources and product recommendations on The Clean Living Podcast website – for this episode it’s cleanlivingpodcast.com/moisturizer. And while you’re over there, do me a favor and subscribe to my email list. This is an easy way for me to send you more info on new episodes, as well as product recommendations, so you don’t have to go over to the website every time. It will just go straight to your inbox.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something from this episode, share it with someone else who might be interested – maybe your sister or a friend who loves her Lubriderm ritual. And keep an eye out for next week’s episode which is a hot topic. Yes, I’m going there… tune in next week for a deep dive on… Botox.

 

 

SKINCARE

 I was recently at my annual dermatology appointment – I come from a long line of skin cancer history, so I get a full body scan once a year to make sure there aren’t any unusual marks – and at the end of the appointment, the doctor asked if I have any questions.

So I asked the thing that’s on every mid-thirties, closer to 40-year-old, woman… In this first episode of Season 2, we’re talking about… skincare.

Listen on iTunes here.
Listen on Spotify here.
Listen on Google Podcasts here.

EPISODES MENTIONED

FRAGRANCE

 

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

SkinDeep (EWG)

 

PRODUCT LINKS:

Kleem Organics Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Moon Juice Plump Jelly Hyaluronic Acid Serum

Biossance Squalane + Phyto-Retional Serum (plant-based)

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Perfect C Serum

Honest Beauty Calm + Porefect Serum

 

SOURCES

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30092451/

https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/hormones

https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/pdf/10.1289/ehp.6723https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623820300253

https://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282(16)62728-0/pdfhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X10002354

https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/phthalates-cosmetics

 

Transcript

 I was recently at my annual dermatology appointment – I come from a long line of skin cancer history, so I get a full body scan once a year to make sure there aren’t any unusual marks – and at the end of the appointment, the doctor asked if I had any questions.

So I asked the thing that’s on most mid-thirties, closer to 40-year-old, woman’s mind… “If there’s one thing you’d recommend (besides sunscreen) to slow down the natural aging process, what would it be…?”

In this first episode of Season 2, we’re talking about… skincare.

So what was my dermatologist’s answer? In a surprise twist, she actually didn’t try to sell me on Botox… and her answer was the exact same as an esthetician I talked to a few weeks earlier. They both said: Alternate using a retinol and Vitamin C serum at night, and use hyaluronic acid and SPF 30 during the day.

Yeah, so I asked for one recommendation and got four recommendations but I guess, doctors do tend to be overachievers.

Being based in Southern California, I was already using a daily SPF on my face, but that left me in research mode for the other three products I needed to be applying to my face at least once per day – presumably for the next I don’t know 50 years? Will I still be trying to slow aging when I’m 88, probably not…

Fast forward to me scouring the internet for a retinol, vitamin C serum and hyaluronic acid – and sifting through the hundreds of products on the market, ranging from $6.00 to $320 per bottle.

But then of course, being me, there’s a whole other level of complication that comes with this research, because I don’t want to start putting any questionable ingredients on my face – every single day. The thing about the skin care industry, whether it’s makeup, sunscreen or yes, anti-aging serums… is that conventional skin care products can contribute to hormone imbalance, infertility, as well as breast, ovarian and uterine cancer in women.

And that’s because of three main ingredients – can you call them ingredients? – three main components: BPA, parabens and phthalates. If you Google it, you’ll find dozens of studies drawing a similar conclusion about these toxins but the one I’m going to highlight is from 2018 when researchers at George Mason University discovered links between the chemicals widely used in cosmetic products and changes in reproductive hormones. 

The researchers analyzed the urine samples of 143 women aged 18 to 44 who had no known chronic health conditions and did not use birth control.

 Those with chemicals such as parabens (which is a preservative widely used in makeup and skincare), and bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine were found to have abnormal amounts of the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone.

So, there was the presence of parabens and BPA in their urine. As well as “abnormal” levels of estrogen and progesterone.

And granted, 143 women is admittedly a small sample size for a research study, but this is only one study.

Additional studies indicate that too much estrogen has been linked to fibroids, irregular menstrual periods and breast cancer. Too much progesterone is associated with breast cancer, while it is thought BPA, known as the ‘gender-bending’ chemical for its effects on male breast growth, could cause infertility.

 For the purposes of this episode, it’s not parabens or BPA that I want to focus on – I talked quite a bit about both in Season One. It’s the third component, phthalates, that I want to zoom in on here.

I have talked about phthalates before in the Fragrance episode that I’ll link to in the show notes below, but believe me when I say, they’re worth bringing up again.

Phthalates describe a group of chemicals used to make plastics more durable. They are often called plasticizers and they’re added to everything from cleansers to household goods to vinyl flooring to personal care products to water bottles and takeout containers to make them durable, flexible and/or fragrant. The reason that phthalates, in particular, are such a threat to our health is because, even if you aren’t putting them on your skin, they easily escape from these products as vapors or particles in the air that we inhale.

In fact, phthalates can be found in the urine of nearly every American, as well as in blood, sweat, breast milk and semen.

They’re also found in makeup, hair spray, deodorant, and perfumes from brands you may have in your medicine cabinet and makeup bag right now: Revlon, Procter & Gamble, Calvin Klein, Johnson & Johnson, the list goes on.

As I learned in reading both animal studies and human studies, hormone-disrupting chemicals like phthalates change how reproductive organs develop in the womb. So, it’s not just your own fertility that’s being affected – the harmful effects of these toxins end up playing out over a lifetime and even across generations. In fact, scientists think prenatal exposures to phthalates may set the stage for gynecological disorders like PCOS and may make women more sensitive to other chemicals that impair fertility. So basically, exposure to phthalates can cause a pregnant woman to pass on fertility problems to her female baby.

According to a separate study, children and babies were shown to have higher exposure to most phthalates than adults do. Prenatal exposure to phthalates is correlated with greater social deficits, as well as impaired social communication, social awareness and social cognition in children – this particular study specified children 7 to 9 years old.

I’m just going to pause here with a quick thought: The hardest part about doing this podcast is sharing the type of info I’ve just spent the last five minutes talking about. I hate the idea that you’re on your daily walk, pushing your sweet baby in a stroller, and I’ve just completely freaked you out. I can completely empathize with a racing heart and sweating palms as you mentally survey all of the products you used while you were pregnant. I’ve been there and I don’t want anyone to go into panic mode. The format of this podcast is based on the idea that knowledge is power – it’s about progress over perfection, knowing that if you breathe air, drink water and eat food, then there’s no way to completely avoid the things I’m talking about. 

So, that’s all to say – don’t panic. I will never end an episode without showing you a better way and empowering you to make small changes that will benefit you and your family in the long run. The amazing thing about the human body is that it’s regenerative and restorative – we can heal it from the inside out just by slowly reducing exposure and slowly introducing better options. Okay? So stick with me here.

Alright, so now we know, phthalates: not good for you, found in a lot of things, impossible to avoid but one area where we can avoid them is in our skincare.

So, how do you know if there are phthalates in the current skincare you use? Maybe you’re thinking, “Shannon, I just checked the label on my face wash and it doesn’t say phthalates as one of the ingredients. Does that mean I’m in the clear?”

Well, if you were freaked out before – now is the part where you have every right to become enraged.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (or FDA) does not require the labeling of specific ingredients, including phthalates, in the packaging of cosmetic products.

This is a direct quote from the FDA’s website: “…the regulations do not require the listing of the individual fragrance or flavor, or their specific ingredients … As a result, a consumer may not be able to determine from the ingredient declaration on the label if phthalates are present in a fragrance or a flavor used in the product.”

The statement on the FDA’s website goes on to say: “Under the law, cosmetic products and ingredients, with the exception of color additives, are not subject to FDA approval before they go on the market.”

And then, despite all of the studies indicating otherwise, the statement says: “At the present time, the FDA does not have evidence that phthalates as used in cosmetics pose a safety risk.”

It’s also worth noting that the FDA hasn’t updated its “Survey of Cosmetics for Phthalate Content” since 2010. Think about how many new products have come to market in the past 13 years… 

But I digress, let’s focus on what we can do as consumers to fix this for ourselves and for our families if our leadership won’t take responsibility.

The first place to start is with the skincare products in your own home. If we can’t remove all of the phthalates from our lives, then let’s at least try to remove the ones we put directly on our bodies. 

The most simplified way I can boil it down is to eliminate products that have fragrance, flavor or a big name cosmetic label. At the risk of demonizing every cosmetic conglomerate, if the product comes from a big brand, has a smell or flavor and doesn’t say “fragrance free” or “phthalate-free,” then it’s probably not something you want to use. Again, this is a generalization but an easy rule of thumb to remember when you go to buy new products.

Where things get trickier is with the brands you use that may not be as well known, or they have fragrance but it says it’s an essential oil or it’s labeled as a “natural” flavor. This is when we can get confused by greenwashing and need an outside vetting source, which is why I recommend the SkinDeep website any time you buy a new personal care product. 

SkinDeep was started by the Environmental Working Group and I’ll link to the website below – it’s a free resource where you can search their database of virtually any cosmetic or personal care product, brand or ingredient.

So what I would recommend right now is to whip open your medicine cabinet or makeup bag and search some of the products you use the most using SkinDeep. You’ll get a detailed report about the product, including the problematic ingredients and a ranking from 1-10 of where it falls from Best to Worst. If you find out the beloved Covergirl foundation you’ve been using for 15 years is ranked as a 5, don’t panic. You can then search their database of EWG verified foundations for an alternative. 

For some quick recs, a few of my favorite skincare and makeup brands are W3LL PEOPLE (which you can actually find in Target) and Biossance – I’ll link those in the show notes at cleanlivingpodcast.com/skincare. As a friendly reminder to any new listeners, links to all of my research sources and the studies I mention in every episode can also be found in the show notes, as well.

What I want to leave you with for today, though, is the SkinDeep website and a five minute homework assignment to search some of the skin care products that you use the most, using their search tool. It’s cliche to say, but knowledge is power and this is one way to start claiming your own power every single night when you go to wash your face or every morning when you get ready for the day.

Oh, and for those of you wondering about my dermatologist’s recommendations at the top of the episode, I didn’t end up buying Retinol. Retinol is a potent form of Vitamin A and is ranked a 9 by the EWG, because of the mix of retinol and sun exposure. I’m also still breastfeeding so until I can do more research, it felt like a safe pass. I ended up buying a plant-based retinol serum instead called Bakuchiol that is ranked a 1 by the EWG and although I’m sure it doesn’t work as well to reduce wrinkles, it feels like a better option right now. I’ll link to the hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum I bought in the show notes. Again, that’s at cleanlivingpodcast.com/skincare

Side note: I’m looking at the recording time right now and I definitely did not stick to the 10 minute episode I promised you… Someone got a little too excited – I’ll try to reel it in for future episodes.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today please share this episode with a friend — maybe the person who you know is still using that Clean & Clear facial burst cleanser, remember that? (16 year old Shannon loved her morning burst of microbeads… oh, to be a teenager in 2002…) See you next week.

 

Shannon Lohr standing next to a clothing rack

ENCORE: Sustainable Fashion

Shannon Lohr standing next to a clothing rack

Hello, hello! I’m back with a bonus episode for season one while you wait for season two to release this summer!

How often do you think about the clothing you buy? Where it comes from, where it was made, what it’s made from? When you think about all of the other things in the world to care about, why should fashion be one of them? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode…

Listen to the episode here

 

Product Recommendations

Market45 – ethical fashion marketplace

Factory45 – sustainable fashion brands to support

Episodes Mentioned

Listen to the CLOTHING episode here.

Source List:

Factory45

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

Hello, hello! I’m back with a bonus episode for season one while you wait for season two to release this summer!

How often do you think about the clothing you buy? Where it comes from, where it was made, what it’s made from? When you think about all of the other things in the world to care about, why should fashion be one of them? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode…

One of the first episodes of season one was about CLOTHING. I specifically talked about shopping second-hand and suggested thrift stores both online and brick and mortar. If you missed that episode on used clothing, make sure to check it out.

But there’s another side of the coin when it comes to clothing and it’s sustainable and ethical fashion — in other words, clothing that is made from environmentally-friendly materials and ethically manufactured in factories that pay their workers a fair and living wage.

Because, unfortunately, when it comes to the fashion industry — neither of those things are a guarantee. In fact, it’s more likely than not that the clothing is made petroleum-derived polyester and was sewn in factories in the developing world where safety standards and fair wages are not top of mind, to say the least.

If quote unquote “clean clothing” isn’t something you’ve thought much about, then you’re not alone. I understand why it’s so much easier to grab another black t-shirt at Target than it is to seek out the sustainable fashion brand selling a black t-shirt at 3x the price because it’s made from organic cotton by people who are paid fairly to sew it.

In fact, it wasn’t that long ago that I was a bargain-bin, fast fashion junkie myself. In college, I was notorious among my friends for going to Forever21 or H&M on a Friday afternoon after classes, buying a dress or shirt for less than 10 dollars, wearing it that night and then never wearing it again.

When fast fashion is that cheap, it becomes as disposable as a cup of coffee.

So what was my catalyst for change?

In 2011, I set out to start a fashion brand. The idea was to create a versatile travel garment that could be worn a bunch of different ways and be easily thrown in a backpack to take on adventures around the world.

Seemed straightforward enough — sketch out the idea, take it to a manufacturer and they’ll just make it for us, right?

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

In the year and a half my then-cofounder and I spent looking for a factory to create our idea, we also started researching the fashion industry.

And we learned that it’s riddled with issues. From dye runoff going into public drinking systems, to modern day slavery, to fatal factory collapses, to massive amounts of waste, to microplastics in the ocean, the traditional fashion industry is one of the major polluters of the planet and one of the main contributors to climate change.

So, we decided: if we were going to start a fashion brand then we were going to do it the right way from the start — putting planet + people first. 

After months and months of dead-ends and feeling like we’d never be able to start our brand the way we wanted to, we finally got a break. We ended up sourcing 100% recycled fabric that didn’t need to be dyed, organic cotton notions and trims, real renewable wooden buttons, 100% recycled packaging and we found a factory in North Carolina that paid its workers above minimum wage. Our entire supply chain was set up within a 50 mile radius, which is basically unheard of in a fashion industry that is known for shipping thousands of miles overseas.

We went on to raise over $60,000 in pre-orders of our signature piece, we went on a sustainable fashion tour or the Pacific Northwest to talk to people about the detrimental effects of fast fashion, we were featured in the New York Times, tweeted by the Wall Street Journal — it was this huge whirlwind of success in early entrepreneurship.

But what I realized through that experience is that it should be easier to start fashion brands that are sustainably and ethically made from the beginning. Not as a way to backpedal because slave labor has been found in your supply chain or because your fabrics are damaging local water systems.

There was a greater conversation that needed to happen to shift the fashion industry and it was my belief that by helping to launch new sustainable fashion brands, they would help to pave the way in creating that dialogue for consumers — while at the same time, putting pressure on the bigger brands to clean up their acts.

Since 2014, I’ve helped entrepreneurs all over the globe, from Sweden to New York to Dubai to Australia, launch independent fashion and accessories brands that are made from sustainable materials in ethical factories.

These entrepreneurs are the ones spreading the word about why you should care about the clothes you buy. They’re collectively shaping a new future for the fashion industry and helping consumers understand the difference in fabrics, craftsmanship, product end-life, inclusivity and more. I’ll share links to check out some of these brands in the show notes at cleanlivingpodcast.com/sustainablefashion

And while yes, the price of a sustainably-made black t-shirt is more expensive than a black t-shirt from Target, the sustainably-made black tee is likely going to be more durable, timeless and longer lasting which ultimately means the cost per wear is actually lower than the Target tee.

We simply can’t care about creating a more sustainable world without caring about the impact of our own wardrobes. It’s one of the most impactful purchasing decisions you can make.

If you’d like to get involved in being part of the sustainable fashion solution, beyond your impact as a shopper, applications to Factory45 are opening on May 6th. Factory45 is the online business school for fashion entrepreneurs and I work with people, just like you, to launch their own brands in a way that’s sustainably and ethically made. You can learn more about Factory45 at factory45.co 

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you know someone who has an idea for a fashion brand but has been stuck at a dead-end or isn’t exactly sure where to get started, please send them this episode or a link to Factory45. I’d love to help them. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Shannon Lohr

Season One Finale

Shannon Lohr

Yes, you read that right — this is the final episode of season one of The Clean Living Podcast! In three and a half months, I’ve released 35 episodes and it has been a whirlwind. To close out the first season, I’m sharing some general musings and what to expect from the podcast moving forward.

Listen to the episode here

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

Yes, you read that right — this is the final episode of season one of The Clean Living Podcast! In three and a half months, I’ve released 35 episodes and it has been a whirlwind. To close out the first season, I’m sharing some general musings and what to expect from the podcast moving forward.

To be completely honest, I had very low expectations when starting this podcast back in October. Unlike most of the other ventures I usually pursue, I didn’t set out to start this show with any clear goals. I figured it would be a straightforward way to share what I’ve learned about clean living with my family, friends and community — during a pandemic — when we all needed to be extra mindful of boosting our immune systems and decreasing our toxic load.

It was about a month and a half from the inception of the idea to start a podcast and the release of the first episode — and in the business world, that’s a short runway. I also set the lofty timeline of releasing three episodes per week in the first month and half, which looking back, was insane. (A big thanks to my podcast manager, Myesha, for keeping up with the crazy deadlines I set.)

So yes, a whirlwind, but there was also such a motivation to keep it going every week. I’ve heard from friends who immediately changed their deodorant or ditched their Yankee candles, other friends who listened to my grocery list episode while doing their own grocery shopping, and the podcast was even a topic of a lot of conversation during a Christmas Zoom call with my extended family. My mom actually got my dad to finally buy mostly organic food. That’s a big personal win — as my mom and sister can attest. Love you, dad.

It has been really fun and inspiring to hear the changes that people are making in the name of wellness — so keep the stories coming. 

With that said, there is also so much work that goes into every single episode — from the research of every topic to the vetting of sources to writing the script to recording to editing to creating a recommendations list to publishing the show notes page and creating the graphic for Instagram. I spend about 4-5 hours a week on a project that does not generate any revenue for my business.

Which leads me to today’s episode on the first day of February. With the end of season one, I’m taking a pause on the podcast to focus on my real business, Factory45, which launches every year in May.

My team and I start prepping for the start of the program now and there is a ton of work that goes into it. Which doesn’t leave as much time to focus on creating content for a free podcast. The good news is, the successful launch of my sustainable fashion program every year allows me to keep doing free projects like this one. So, I’ll just ask that you bear with me for a couple of months, while I hunker down on Factory45. It also gives you plenty of time to catch up on any episodes you missed in season one and to continue sharing with your own friends and family.

One other thing we’re going to be working on over the next few months is a Product Recommendations page on The Clean Living Podcast website where you’ll be able to find all of my product recommendations in one place without having to navigate to individual episodes. We’re hoping to set up some affiliate links and referral codes so that by purchasing through my links you’re helping to fund the podcast without having to pay anything extra. I’m hoping to do this without sending people to Amazon so TBD on how that goes.

In season two, I’m looking forward to bringing you episodes on sunscreen, nail polish, dish soap, coffee & tea and a whole lot more. If there is a specific topic you’d like me to cover make sure you submit your suggestion using the survey link on cleanlivingpodcast.com/hello.

Until then, please help me spread the word about The Clean Living Podcast. More listeners  means more incentive to keep the show going and is an additional way to monetize the show for the long term. Thank you so much for tuning into season one and for coming back again and again to each new episode — the retention rate has been pretty incredible and for that, I am so thankful.

And finally, if you’d like to be notified when Season Two releases in the Spring / Summer make sure you’re subscribed on the podcast platform of your choice or on The Clean Living Podcast email list. Just go to cleanlivingpodcast.com to sign up with your email.

Until season two, I’m wishing you all a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Open tube of mascara

Mascara

Open tube of mascara

Mascara is the second most used cosmetic in the United States. But what are the ingredients actually used in our favorite mascara brands? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode.

Listen to the episode here

 

Product Recommendations

Beautycounter 

ILIA

LUV + CO.

100% PURE

Episodes Mentioned

Listen to the PSA episode here.

Listen to the FOOD DYES episode here.

Listen to the DEODORANT episode here.

Listen to the COOKWARE episode here.

Sources

https://blog.cleanbeautybox.com

https://www.ewg.org

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

My favorite (okay, lamest) mask joke is that the mascara industry must be booming from the pandemic. The point being that our eyes are literally the only part of our faces that get any attention anymore. I rarely put any makeup on, forget lipstick, but I’ll swipe a little mascara on my eyelashes when I want to feel fancy. But what are the ingredients actually used in our favorite mascara brands? That’s what we’re exploring in this episode.

Pre-pandemic, mascara was the second most used cosmetic in the United States — lipstick was number one. I imagine the popularity contest has changed due to “mask life” which is even more problematic given the common ingredients in conventional mascara.

I tapped into the research done by my friend and clean beauty advocate, Claire Molyneaux, founder of The Clean Beauty Box. Since the cosmetic market is largely unregulated, more on that in the PSA episode, Claire says most mascara brands on the market contain coal tar and other toxic chemicals to keep your lashes thick, long and smudge free.

I’m going to link to the list of 8 chemicals used in mascara that are harmful to your health, but I want to highlight five of them in this episode. Just to get my point across ; ) 

  1. The first one is Parabens, which is a fancy word for preservatives. There are several different types of parabens but they all are used to extend the shelf-life of your mascara. Unfortunately, these chemicals are absorbed through the tiny pores around your eyes, thus entering your bloodstream. If you’ve listened to this podcast before then you know that parabens are in virtually every conventional beauty and cosmetic product and yet they have been linked to increases in breast cancer by mimicking estrogen and causing endocrine disruption. They have also been linked to reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, and skin irritation.
  2. Synthetic dyes — if you’ve listened to the episode on Food Dyes you already know that any synthetic dye is problematic. Even if it’s absorbed through skin pores, instead of ingested, it still enters your bloodstream. In mascara, the dyes are labeled as FD&C or D&C, followed by a color and a number (e.g. FD&C Red No. 6, D&C Green No. 6). They’re believed to be toxic and carcinogenic.
  3. Aluminum Powder — we’ve talked about the effects of aluminum in the episodes on deodorant and cookware, and this known neurotoxin is also found in most mascaras. Long term exposure of aluminum powder can impair the body’s ability to detox mercury. This can result in making any amount of mercury that is in the body even more toxic.
  4. Retinyl Acetate or Vitamin A Acetate is found in many brands of mascara, and has been targeted by the EWG as an ingredient of high concern because it can cause biochemical or cellular level changes. Other health effects include developmental and reproductive toxicity, and organ system toxicity. Acetate has been prohibited and restricted in Canadian cosmetics and yet it’s still used in the United States.
  5. Formaldehyde is used as another preservative in mascara and is a known carcinogen. 

So yeah, that’s a starting list of harmful ingredients in most mascaras. And just to reiterate my message from past episodes, this isn’t about single exposure. Most of us use mascara at least a few times a week, if not every day, so it’s the repeated, long term exposure to these toxins and chemicals that is particularly concerning.

So, if mascara is a part of your beauty routine, then I first recommend searching for your particular brand on the EWG’s SkinDeep app or on the Think Dirty app. 

If you find that the mascara you’re using has a moderate to high level of concern then this episode’s “This for That” segment is a suggestion to switch your mascara to a clean beauty brand. I’ve used both Beautycounter and Ilia mascara and have loved both — no smudging issues and I get the same amount of lash extension as I did when I used Maybelline or Covergirl back in the day. I’m going to link to some of my other favorite clean mascaras, including a Black woman-owned beauty brand, in the show notes at cleanlivingpodcast.com/mascara

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. Did you know that there’s a clean living quiz on the podcast website where you can find out your own clean living score? Just go to cleanlivingpodcast.com and scroll down to the quiz. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

organic tampons

Tampons

organic tampons

Ladies, we have got to stop putting bleach up our hoo-hahs. “Bleach? I don’t put bleach up there…” you may be thinking. But if you use conventional tampons, you are absolutely putting bleach (among other things) into your vagina 4-7 days per month…

Listen to the episode here

 

Product Recommendations

Organic Cotton Tampons:

Honest

LOLA

Rael

Menstrual Cups:

Cora

Rael

MeLuna

Lena Cup

Sources

https://www.womensvoices.org

https://www.alive.com

https://slate.com

https://www.bustle.com

http://www.womensvoices.org

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

My husband told me yesterday that he got a text from one of his guy friends from high school saying, “I’ve listened to every single episode of Shannon’s podcast. A+.” While I was very flattered, it was not great timing to write the tampon episode the next day. So, to my husband’s friend Joe, this episode is not for you but feel free to keep listening and pass the info along to all of the women in your life : ) Alright, let’s talk periods.

Ladies, we have got to stop putting bleach up our hoo-hahs. Bleach? I don’t put bleach up there… you may be thinking. But if you use conventional tampons, you are absolutely putting bleach (among other things) into your vagina 4-7 days per month.

I don’t remember them teaching us this is the limited sex education we got in middle school, but the vagina is a highly permeable place. Anything we put inside is very easily absorbed through the mucus membrane and then into our bloodstream. So, if you’re putting anything that is remotely unnatural or dare I say “toxic” into this highly permeable space, then it can present a toxic burden to your body.

Because tampons are considered a “medical device” by the Food and Drug Administration, manufacturers are not required to provide a full disclosure of what is in their tampons. So, tampons (as well as pads) may contain odor neutralizers, dyes, pesticides, and fragrances. 

Tampon manufacturers and the FDA say that tampons are safe, and that the level of dioxin is so low that they pose no real health risk. A dioxin is a very dangerous chemical and a by-product of bleaching. Tampons are made of rayon, in addition to cotton, and if the ones you’re using are white then something was used to get that color. It used to be that tampon manufacturers used chlorine gas to purify the wood pulp which is used to make rayon. And this process did contribute to dioxins in tampons. 

So, now manufacturers purify the wood pulp with a chlorine-free bleaching process that uses chlorine dioxide as the bleaching agent. This process can cause dioxins to be detected in trace amounts in tampons but the level is so low that it’s sometimes not even detectable. So it is considered safe by FDA standards.

But as I’ve talked about before in the deodorant episode, this would be less of a concern if we were talking about single tampon exposure. And that’s how the safety of products is measured — it doesn’t consider the lifetime exposure. Because here’s the thing: We are talking about thousands of tampons. It’s said the average woman uses 11,000 tampons in her lifetime.

Dioxin is one of the most potent and dangerous chemicals on the planet. Even just a minimal amount can cause damage. So while the new bleach being used by manufacturers is safer than other bleaches, we can’t assume that it is safe to women’s bodies given the large amount of tampons used over our lifetime. 

So again, while it wouldn’t be as much of a concern if we were talking about single exposure or even a handful of exposures, it’s the repeated exposure that’s problematic. What’s even worse is that dioxin can accumulate over time in our systems.

This chronic exposure disrupts our hormones and endocrine system, causes metabolic changes and increases our risk of cancer. Continual exposure to chemicals and toxins in our environment can also contribute to infertility, endometriosis and thyroid disorders — all of which are on the rise among women.

And unfortunately, this isn’t just about bleach and dioxin, a study completed by Women’s Voices have found over 20 other questionable ingredients in various feminine products — from preservatives to dyes and colorants to fragrances and pesticides.

If we are concerned about chemicals and toxins in our beauty products and food, then it makes sense to be equally concerned about something that is being directly inserted into the most sensitive area of our bodies.

So, in this episode’s segment of “This for That” I’m going to suggest two options. The most obvious one is to start buying organic tampons and pads. You’ll want to look for chlorine-free with no plastic applicator. The Honest Company makes them at an affordable price and there are a few other smaller subscription brands that I’ll link to in the show notes at cleanlivingpodcast.com/tampons. 

Of course, this option doesn’t account for the massive amount of waste that feminine products amount to (I know, it’s hard being a woman). All of those tampons and pads have to end up somewhere and it’s either in our oceans or our landfills. So the option I would encourage and highly recommend is a menstrual cup.

And I’ll be the first to say, just like I said I would never be a vegetarian when I was in college and am now going on my 10th year of vegetarianism, I also said I could never use a menstrual cup. But after using one for the past six years, I will never go back. There is definitely a learning curve but once you find the right fit, you’ll get the hang of it after 2-4 months of use and you’ll be a full-on convert, too.

There are so many benefits to using a menstrual cup over tampons and pads — they’re made out of high quality silicone so there’s no risk of endocrine disruption, they hold more so you need to change it less times than a tampon, there’s no risk of toxic shock syndrome and you can actually use it in anticipation of your period — best of all, they’re reusable. I’ll link to a variety of menstrual cup options on the show notes page at cleanlivingpodcast.com/tampons. 

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If this episode was helpful, please share it with your best girlfriend — she’ll be happy you did. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Stack of white notebooks

PSA

Stack of white notebooks

Back in September, I attended CleanCon — a virtual conference hosted by the Environmental Working Group — that was focused on clean beauty and personal care products. Throughout the five hour event, there was one overarching message that I kept hearing over and over from clean beauty advocates, scientists, CEOs and small business owners…

Listen to the episode here

 

Product List

Health Living app from Skin Deep and EWG (FOOD, HOME & BEAUTY)

Think Dirty app (BEAUTY)

GreenChoice app (FOOD)

Sources

https://www.ewg.org

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

Back in September, I attended CleanCon — a virtual conference hosted by the Environmental Working Group that was focused on clean beauty and personal care products. Throughout the five hour event, there was one overarching message that I kept hearing over and over from clean beauty advocates, scientists, CEOs and small business owners. In this episode, I’m going to echo that public service announcement because it’s so important for us to be aware of.

I’m going to start off this episode by sharing a little personal history for reference —  I am an Enneagram 8. If you’re not familiar with the Enneagram, it’s a personality test that focuses on 9 archetypes and how those personalities interact. An Enneagram Type 8 is “The Challenger” — we are assertive, self-confident, often too direct and the running joke is that we worry we’re the worst type.

And while yes, 8’s can be too blunt, hot-headed, and get a bad rep, we are also the archetype that seeks truth and justice and is very protective of others.

As a kid I had a tendency to challenge my teachers in class, while also having the tendency to befriend the underdog or new kid. As an adult, this has manifested into questioning the narrative and never taking anything at face value. 

So, where am I going with this?

For most people, if you see a product on a shelf or available to purchase online, you assume that it is safe. Why wouldn’t it be, right?

Why, in the world, would anything be available for sale — for us to exchange our hard earned dollars — and for that product, in turn, to cause us harm.

Fundamentally, that just doesn’t make sense, right? 

But here’s the thing — and it’s the thing that has been echoed over and over by clean living advocates:

There is no regulation, no legislature, no standard when it comes to personal care and beauty products. So that means that any company can claim to be “natural,” “non toxic,” or any of the other buzzwords without anything to back it up.

So you have two sides of the coin: You have companies claiming to be safe and non-toxic or “natural” and it not being true. Or you have companies that don’t even try to claim those things because it would be so far-fetched but they know it doesn’t matter because they’re household brand names and they know people won’t ask questions or necessarily care.

The truth is, it’s very hard to know which brands to trust because corporations don’t necessarily have your best interest at heart.  

You may be thinking, what about the FDA? They have safety standards in place to protect us. But the sad fact of the matter is, FDA-approved doesn’t mean a whole lot. Their standards are so laughingly low when it comes to beauty and personal care products that a product could contain several ingredients that are currently banned in Europe, but still get FDA approval.

The other argument from the FDA and big corporations is that some products may contain questionable ingredients, but they’re such trace amounts that it’s virtually nothing.

The problem with that is most of us use these products, like body lotion or shampoo or makeup or deodorant, every day.

So, let’s say your stick of deodorant has five questionable ingredients, but they all have trace amounts, combining those five ingredients together is no longer a trace amount. To top it off, this is a product that you probably swipe under each arm every day.

I know, I’ve gotten all doomsday on you — again. But that’s why this education is so important. The only way to truly know which products are safe for you and your family is read the labels, learn the ingredients or find someone you trust who can recommend products to you.

Because the real truth is, as cliche as it has become, is that the most impactful way to make change is by voting with your dollars. We’ve already seen just from the early movement of people in the clean beauty space that the market can and will shift. And when the market shifts that’s when clean products will become more affordable and accessible to everyone.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend or family member who you know needs to hear it. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Perfume bottle

Fragrance

Perfume bottle

When my son was an infant I worried like most new moms do. Was he getting enough calories? Was he sleeping enough? Would he ever eat solids? But unlike most new moms, I worried about one thing in particular. In this episode, we’re talking about synthetic fragrances.

Listen to the episode here

 

Episodes Mentioned

Listen to the TRASH BAGS episode here.

Additional Resources

EWG’s Skin Deep app to research fragrance safety – download here.

Sources

https://noharm-uscanada.org

https://academic.oup.com

https://www.niehs.nih.gov

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://www.ewg.org

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

When my son was an infant I worried like most new moms do. Was he getting enough calories? Was he sleeping enough? Would he ever eat solids? But unlike most new moms, I worried about one thing in particular. In this episode, we’re talking about synthetic fragrances.

There are definitely a few things that I wish were never invented or introduced to humankind. Artificial fragrance is at the top of that list. Also, on the list is purple ketchup and blue waffles.

When you’re in a room surrounded by perfumed women, men wearing cologne, newly sprayed air freshener or a scented candle, most people who get a headache just assume it’s because they’re sensitive to strong smells. 

What we don’t usually think about is what’s actually producing those artificial smells. And the answer is, chemicals. Now, I want to clarify not all chemicals are bad. The word chemicals is a very general term for basically anything you see, breathe, ingest or touch — everything on earth, including earth itself is created from chemicals. The difference is in chemicals that are naturally occurring and chemicals that are synthetic. 

It’s these synthetic or artificial chemicals that I’m primarily concerned about.

And one of the most toxic is synthetic fragrances. Fragrance chemicals vaporize into the air to give off a scent but the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that are emitted can contribute to a whole slew of adverse health effects.

In a previous episode on scented trash bags, I talked about some of these adverse health effects and the impact of poor air quality. If you missed that episode I’ll link to it in the show notes at cleanlivingpodcast.com/fragrance but you can also just scroll back to my earliest podcast episodes. I talked about respiratory issues and toxicity from synthetic fragrances but in this episode, I want to focus on something more specific.

And that’s endocrine disruption. 

I had heard about fragrances disrupting the hormones of babies — most of this was anecdotal from friends who are in the clean beauty industry. But I later found that researchers are linking hormone imbalance back as early as development in the womb. Fragrances were something I knew I needed to avoid during and after pregnancy but at the time, I didn’t know just how hard it is to avoid it. Synthetic fragrances are in so many personal care products it’s overwhelming.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (or EDCs) are chemicals that interfere with your hormones, or endocrine system — this is the system in your body that controls growth, metabolism and development.

EDCs are not only found in fragrances but in everyday products like plastic bottles and containers, liners of metal food cans, detergents, toys, food, cosmetics and pesticides.

Babies and children are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruptors because the hormone system influences organ development both in and out of the womb. Pound for pound, children eat more food, drink more water, and breathe more air than adults, so their exposure to the chemicals relative to their body size is greater. As a result, endocrine disruptors can cause birth defects, developmental delays, and early puberty in children.

The Environmental Working Group has found that children are exposed to as many as 27 artificial chemicals per day.

To some extent, toxins and chemicals in our household products are unavoidable — they’re in our water, our air and our food. But there are other endocrine disrupting chemicals that we can control — and fragrances are one of them.

If you’re starting to feel a little panicky from this new information, I know the feeling. I always say that learning about clean living is a constant series of hot flashes and anxiety. It’s hard to learn new things that could be affecting our health especially when we live one way for so long. No one tells us any differently, it’s easy to panic about everything we’ve done in the past.

I just want to remind you that it’s never too late. Our bodies can heal, we can create safer environments for our kids (even if you weren’t able to do it from birth), knowledge is power and it’s always better to be late than it to have never happened.

So, in this episode of This for That, I’m suggesting that you remove any artificial or synthetic fragrances from your beauty routine, personal care routine or household products. Look for products that are fragrance-free (not just unscented) or products that are naturally scented because they’re made of plants.

I’ll also just end on this note, when I was researching this topic for evidence-based support I came across a study from 2017 that attempted to measure infant and toddler inhalation exposure to fragrance ingredients — particularly in baby care products like bath wash and shampoo.

The study came to a very general and blase conclusion, stating: As with any personal care product, a complete exposure and risk assessment should be done to evaluate its overall safety in common uses.

As I was reading the study, I was thinking huh… did they not get the memo from all of the other studies and scientists saying that even small concentrations of EDCS in fragrance ingredients is harmful? And then I scrolled down and saw the Funding Statement of the study.

It said: This work was supported by Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson & Johnson, an 81 billion dollar pharmaceutical company that is the largest producer (and got its name) selling baby personal care products.

I will talk about this in a future episode, but this is why we can’t always trust corporations to have our best interest at heart. The conclusion of the Johnson & Johnson study benefits shareholders and stock prices — not the consumer. 

That’s all to say, one simple change we can make is to buy fragrance-free. Because it’s true, the more people start buying fragrance-free products, the more companies will offer them. We have power in the way we vote with our dollars, use it.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

green bottles in a white bowl

Shampoo

green bottles in a white bowl

Personal care is one of the most toxic categories of household products. Shampoo is no exception. What are you actually lathering into your hair every time you shower and why should you be extra careful about the shampoo you use? In this episode, I’m sharing the top reasons to switch to a clean, paraben-free, formaldehyde-free hair care routine.

Listen to the episode here

 

Product Recommendations

Evolvh

John Masters Organics

Alodia

Vivaio Days

Avalon Organics

CurlMix

Sources

https://www.webmd.com

http://www.safecosmetics.org

https://qz.com

https://www.madesafe.org

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

This past summer, my family was staying at a rental property in the mountains of Colorado. We were there for two months, and as much as I love cleaning living, I just as much hate plastic. So I avoided buying my own bottle of shampoo and used the Pantene Pro-V that was already in the house. Let me tell you, it was a big mistake. In this episode, we’re talking about shampoo.

So for two months, the skin on my back was uncontrollably itchy. Like, I would wake up in the middle of the night in a fit of scratching. At first I thought it was the mountain air drying out my skin but I eventually noticed that the uncontrollable itching would happen any night that I shampooed my hair.

And then it was like, duh, of course this is happening. You’re using Pantene Pro-V. 

This is the thing about clean living, you can know that there are toxins in conventional shampoo but tell yourself, “It’s fine… it’s only two months… it’s not going to kill me.” But did I wish I had just purchased the bottle of clean shampoo? Yes, 100 percent.

There are over 15 ingredients to avoid in conventional shampoo but for the purpose of this episode, I’m going to focus on three: parabens, formaldehyde and synthetic fragrances.

Okay, so Parabens. Parabens are used as a preservative to prevent bacteria from growing in a bottle of shampoo. Parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen and have been linked to increased growth of breast cancer cells. They can also affect fertility. 

Formaldehyde is a known human carcinogen and has been proven to be absorbed through the skin. It can also cause asthma-like respiratory problems and skin conditions like dermatitis. It’s actually interesting because it wasn’t until I started doing more in depth research for this episode that I remembered spending years in my twenties fighting dermatitis on the base of my scalp. I actually went to my dermatologist a few times because it was so itchy and painful and instead of telling me to switch to a cleaner shampoo, she just prescribed me a steroid shampoo. It honestly wasn’t until I switched from conventional shampoos that the dermatitis went away fully.

And the third one is synthetic fragrances, which you’ll hear me talk about a lot on this podcast, because they’re in so many products, especially in the home and beauty spaces. But products that have “fragrance” on their label can contain thousands of hidden chemicals. Some ingredients in fragranced cosmetic products, like shampoo, can disrupt the reproductive system and cause cancer or asthma.

So, why am I telling you about this? Because I want you to have three reasons to switch from your brand name shampoos. If you need one more, Triclosan is another ingredient in conventional shampoo that was banned from being used in antibacterial soaps in 2016 but is still allowed in toothpaste, shampoos, and deodorants. It’s a chemical antibacterial agent known to cause hormone disruptions, which can lead to cancer and affect fetal development, among other things.

I’m sorry to always be the bearer of bad news, but in this episode’s segment of “this for that” I’m going to encourage you to stop using any shampoo that you grabbed off the shelf of Walgreens unless you know it’s a clean shampoo that doesn’t include any of the ingredients I’ve mentioned and will link to in the show notes. 

Some of my favorite clean shampoos to switch to are: Vivaio Days, Evolv (which is what I use right now), John Masters Organics and Avalon Organics. I’ll link to additional product recommendations under the product list at cleanlivingpodcast.com/shampoo

While cleaner shampoo is one of those products that is pricier than conventional, you can often use less of it. If you’re looking for the cheapest option, you can go try going “No Poo.” Our hair is actually self cleaning, meaning it can rid itself of oils on its own — if you want to learn more about that just Google “No Poo” shampoo.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today please share this episode with your friend — especially the one you know loves her Herbal Essence shampoo. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

A tube of toothpaste with a tooth brush

Toothpaste

A tube of toothpaste with a tooth brush

Did you know there are ingredients in some of our most popular toothpastes that are actually banned in Europe? Associated with hormone disruption, organ toxicity and cancer, common household toothpaste could be doing more harm than good. In this episode, I’m sharing the reasons I switched up the oral care of my entire family and the toothpastes I recommend.

Listen to the episode here

 

Product Recommendations

Risewell

Boka

Sources

https://askthedentist.com

https://emedicine.medscape.com

https://www.cdc.gov

https://www.nature.com

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

Do you have very vivid memories of going to the dentist as a kid? The two things I remember most are asking my mom if I’m going to have to get the “jelly tray” (that’s what I called the fluoride treatment at the end) and that we could go to Dunkin Donuts right after the appointment to get a chocolate glazed donut as a treat. Which still makes me laugh — like mom, what were you thinking? If she’s listening she’s thinking, it was the only way to get you not to complain the entire drive to the dentist.

But in this episode, we’re not talking about chocolate glazed donuts, we’re talking about toothpaste.

So, you may not have thought about what’s in your toothpaste before. Your dentist has probably given you a free tube of Colgate or Crest since your very first appointment and if that’s what dentists are recommending you may figure, that’s good enough for you.

But if you’ve listened to this podcast before, then you can probably see where this is going… 

Here are some of the problematic ingredients in most mainstream, conventional toothpastes — foaming agents and stabilizers, some of which have been banned in the EU because they’re associated with hormone disruption, cancer and organ toxicity.

Then there are preservatives, antimicrobials and artificial colors in toothpaste that have been linked to neurotoxicity, organ toxicity and other long-term health effects.

The other ingredient worth mentioning is obviously, fluoride. Fluoride is hotly debated, especially here in the United States, and brings up a lot of opposing opinions. As with everything, you have to do your own research and come to your own conclusions if something doesn’t feel right. I will tell you that there is no fluoride in my home — we stay away from it in toothpaste, we have a water filter that filters fluoride and my son won’t be one of the kids getting the fluoride “jelly tray” at the dentist.

The ingredient we use, instead, that hopefully will replace fluoride treatment in our kids’ generation is hydroxyapatite. Abbreviated as HAp (capital H, capital A, lowercase p) it’s the form of calcium that already makes up 97% of our tooth enamel and 70% of dentin.

Hydroxyapatite does the same job as fluoride, in terms of rebuilding tooth enamel and remineralizing, but it’s not toxic when ingested. And I’ll link to a study in the show notes that proves that it’s just as effective as fluoride.

I know I might get some pushback on this, especially from dentists and dental hygienists, but my question for you is if there have been studies contradicting the safety of fluoride and there’s another non-toxic option out there, then why not just go with the ingredient that is already in our teeth?

So, in this segment of “This for that” I’m encouraging you to switch out your conventional toothpaste (especially if it has fluoride in it) and choose one of the toothpastes that has hydroxyapatite in it instead. I’ll link to my favorite toothpaste options in the show notes, where you can also find my source list — that’s at cleanlivingpodcast.com/toothpaste

I also want to highlight AsktheDentist.com as one of my sources. I first discovered @askthedentist on Instagram and didn’t even know that functional, holistic dentists existed. Dr. Mark is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to oral health and inspired me to completely overhaul my daily dental routine. We’re also switching my son over from a pediatric dentist to a functional dentist, especially in these early years of baby teeth. I highly recommend checking out Dr. Mark at @askthedentist on Instagram.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something from this episode, please subscribe and leave a positive review. It helps other people find out about the podcast and would also mean so much to me. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.