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.

 

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

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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.

 

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

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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.

 

Product Recommendations

Risewell

Boka

Sources

https://askthedentist.com

https://emedicine.medscape.com

https://www.cdc.gov

https://www.nature.com

SUBSCRIBE

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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.

swatches of makeup

Lipstick

swatches of makeup

When I found out one of my favorite cosmetic products contains neurotoxic lead, I was so tempted to turn a blind eye. But then I researched more and found clean beauty products that could replace the ones with lead in it. In the episode, I’m sharing my research and the brands I can personally recommend.

 

Product Recommendations

Ilia

Beautycounter

Marie Hunter

Sources

http://www.safecosmetics.org

https://www.ewg.org

SUBSCRIBE

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

Transcript

A poisonous kiss? This discovery almost put me over the edge. In today’s episode, we’re talking about my one, true makeup love — and vice — red lipstick.

Before starting this podcast, I got almost all of my clean beauty advice from my friend Claire who owns The Clean Beauty Box. She knows so much, is incredibly thorough with her research and even has this giant chemistry book that she casually keeps on hand to look up ingredients.

So, when she told me red lipstick has lead in it, I wanted her to be wrong about everything. If there’s one thing I can’t part with it’s a bold lip. But of course, I knew in my heart she was probably right.

What I found is that until 2007, lead in lipstick was an urban legend. But then the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics released a study that tested 33 popular brands for lead in their lipstick. The results found that 61 percent of lipsticks contain lead, including cheap brands like CoverGirl and L’Oreal all the way up to a tube of $24 Dior lipstick.

Then in 2010, a follow-up study found that lead was actually in 400 different types of lipstick.

So, here’s the problem, there is no safe level of lead exposure. If there’s anything we’ve learned from the disaster in Flint it’s that lead is linked with a host of health concerns: neurotoxicity, reduced fertility, hormonal changes, etc.

That’s all to say, my Bobbi Brown crimson lipstick is dying a slow death in my makeup bag now. But thankfully, there are some clean beauty brands making bold lip colors. 

Ilia is my favorite red lip and while it’s not perfectly clean, it is one of those products I still only wear a couple times a month. For everyday use, I love Beauty Counter’s lipglosses.

As always, I will link my recommended products on the product list section of the show notes. Just go to cleanlivingpodcast.com/lipstick

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today I would love for you to share this episode with a friend. Maybe the friend who you know loves a bold lip as much as I do. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

pink crystals for clean deodorant alternative

Deodorant

pink crystals for clean deodorant alternative

Deodorant is typically a staple in our daily routine. But have you ever thought about the ingredients in your choice of anti-perspirant? 

In this episode of The Clean Living Podcast, I’m sharing the reasons to switch your stick ASAP with suggestions for cleaner alternatives.

 

Product Recommendations

Native

Agent Nateur

HunnyBunny

Schmidt’s

Earth Mama Organics

Sources

https://www.ewg.org
https://www.madesafe.org
https://time.com

SUBSCRIBE

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

Transcript

Okay, so this is probably an overshare, but in college, I used to wear men’s Old Spice deodorant. Yes, I smelled like a flannel-wearing lumberjack. But there was an important reason why… and it wasn’t so I would repel every straight man who came into my path… in today’s episode, we’re talking pits.

This might surprise you, but I wasn’t wearing Old Spice at the age of 19 because of the zesty pine smell. I was in college when I learned that there was aluminum in every mainstream women’s deodorant. This was back in 2008 and I remember storming the shelves of CVS and picking up a stick of Secret, then a stick of Dove, then a stick of Mitchum and so on and not being able to find a single brand without aluminum.

At the time, I didn’t know of the myriad other toxic chemicals in conventional deodorant but I was able to find one brand that was aluminum-free. In the men’s section. 

Enter Old Spice and the four ignorantly blissful years I spent swiping it on my pits.

When I look at the ratings now on the Environmental Working Group, Old Spice and other conventional deodorants, rank 7,8 and 9 out of 10 in allergies and immunotoxicity. This was last updated in February 2019, well after clean, non-toxic deodorants came on the scene, so I don’t want to imagine what the rating would have looked like in 2008.

So what’s the problem with most deodorants? Over the years, studies have shown that ingredients in conventional deodorants not only enter the bloodstream but also get stored in fat cells under your armpits.

The research goes on to show that deodorants and antiperspirants contain compounds that can cause developmental or reproductive issues, as well as cancer, and mess with the very important microorganisms that live on your skin.

The main five ingredients to be concerned about are aluminum, parabens, triclosan, phthalates and fragrance. Ironically, these are also the common ingredients of concern in cleaning supplies.

Here’s the thing about deodorant, like so many other products, you cannot always trust the words “natural” or “essential oils” or “mineral.” The very best way to rid yourself of harmful chemicals is to go deodorant-free, but I know most of us don’t have that luxury.

THIS FOR THAT: Deodorants I’ve vetted for you and can recommend are Native (which is so widely distributed it can be found in Walgreens), Agent Nateur, Schmidt’s and Earth Mama (I’ll link to them in the show notes at [link) 

I’ll also just add a closing thought on your armpits, think about that part of your body and I know I already mentioned we have a lot of fat cells there but that’s also where our lymph nodes are. And I don’t know much about lymph nodes but I do know that they route fluid through your body. So, if you have a neurotoxin like aluminum going on your skin and then potentially filtering through your body that’s probably not ideal. Making the switch to clean deodorant is worth it — even if it does cost a few dollars more. Also, remember to give your pits a break every once in a while… maybe on a day when you’re home alone : ) 

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today and can leave a positive review, it will not only make my day but it will help more people find out about the podcast. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Woman wearing sustainable clothing outfit

Clothing

Woman wearing sustainable clothing outfit

Eco-fashion was my first introduction to eco-living. In this episode, I’m sharing the first change I made to my shopping habits and one easy way to create a more sustainable wardrobe — without breaking the bank.

 

Product Recommendations

Online:

ThredUp

Poshmark

Retail:

Buffalo Exchange

GoodWill

Salvation Army

Sources

https://www.cancer.org

https://www.allergystandards.com

https://shop.thegreydesign.com

https://oecotextiles.blog

SUBSCRIBE

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Transcript

Some of you may not know this but my first introduction to eco-living was actually through eco-fashion. In college I was a bargain-bin junkie — I loved Forever21 and the other fast fashion chains and I was known for buying a 15 dollar dress once and then throwing it to the back of my closet never to wear it again. But for the last 10 years and counting, I’ve dedicated my career to the sustainable fashion movement. And I will say switching over to a more minimal, ethical and sustainable wardrobe was one of the best things I ever did. So that’s what we’re talking about in today’s episode.

Do you remember, back when malls were a thing, going into a big department store like Macy’s or JC Penney? Once you got past the perfume section, there was always this other distinctive smell as you walked into the clothing section.

I remember first learning about what that familiar smell was. Have you noticed it? It’s a smell for me that brings me straight back to back-to-school shopping with my mom and sister. So you can imagine my disappointment when I found out that odor is actually formaldehyde and other potent chemicals used as finishing treatments on fabrics. 

These finishing treatments ensure that the clothing stays wrinkle-free, moth proof and mildew resistant on its journey from the manufacturer to the retail store. The problem is that these finishing treatments contain neurotoxins that can cause nervous system damage, brain toxicity and endocrine disruption which affects your hormonal systems.

The good news is that since 2008, when I was probably last in a mall, the use of formaldehyde has gone down in textile finishing treatments. But my inclination is to avoid any level of formaldehyde, even if it’s 500 parts per million instead of 3,000ppm like it was in the 1960s. 

That’s all to say, when I started down my sustainable fashion journey in 2010, one of the first things I gave up was new clothing from non-sustainable brands. The thing was, I couldn’t afford

the high-quality, well made clothing from small indie brands that used sustainable fabrics and worked with ethical manufacturers. So for the longest time I only shopped second-hand from thrift stores. It was not only as cheap as fast fashion but it’s also just about as sustainable as it gets.

I was never one of those people who loved the thrill of a thrift store treasure hunt. I remember being in Australia after college and going into the Salvation Army with two of my new backpacker friends. I watched in awe as they both just dove into the unorganized bins and racks of other people’s old clothing. So, I understand that thrift shopping isn’t for everyone — although, I will say, some of my best finds over the years were vintage Betsey Johsnon and Marc Jacobs that I honestly found in Goodwill. 

Thankfully, though, second-hand shopping has gotten a lot more accessible with websites like ThredUp and Poshmark that allow you to shop second-hand from your computer.

So not only is shopping second-hand better for the environment and cheap, but you don’t have to worry about formaldehyde and urea resins transferring from the new clothing onto your skin or into your airways.

So, in this episode’s “This for That” segment — my suggestion is to switch from new clothing to old clothing. Especially if you’ve never done it before (I’m talking to you mom). Most of us are shopping online anyway and I promise you, buying something from Poshmark or ThredUp doesn’t feel that much different from shopping on UrbanOutfitters or Nordstrom.com. Give it a shot, see what happens and if you can’t bring yourself to wear someone else’s old clothing, that I’ll share more about shopping from sustainable and ethical fashion brands in an upcoming episode.

For links to my favorite second-hand websites and shops, as well as a source list, go to cleanlivingpodcast.com/clothing

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you want to learn more about sustainable fashion, you can check out the company I’ve been running since 2014 called Factory45 — that’s factory45.co.  Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.