Have you ever picked up a bottle of shampoo, face cream, or even dish soap and noticed a shockingly long list of ingredients? We’re willing to bet that of those ingredients, the majority were things you aren’t even sure how to pronounce. 

In the average daily routine, women are using around200 chemicals before even leaving the house in the morning. Of course, men were not far behind this with more than 12,000 chemicals ‘approved’ for daily use. 

Now, our goal here is not to scare you or make you feel bad, but simply to share and educate you on the number of toxins we are using daily without even knowing. 

So how do you take the plunge and start switching your products to toxin-free alternatives? Follow along with this beginners guide and learn the simple steps to adopting the clean-living lifestyle.

What is Greenwashing?

Before we can make educated choices on toxin-free products, we first need to understand the unfortunate truth that is ‘greenwashing’. Greenwashing is when companies use marketing, packaging, and other deceiving methods to lead consumers to believe they are more ‘natural’ than they actually are.

Unfortunately, the word ‘natural’ has no real regulations for use. This means that companies can pop it in wherever they like and allow consumers to connect the dots. In reality, ‘natural ingredients’ can mean one natural ingredient was used and surround with an overwhelming amount of chemicals. 

This is incredibly heartbreaking for Aussies just like us who are truly making an effort to reduce toxins and being fooled by marketing campaigns. 

How to Navigate Greenwashing

Luckily, being aware of this concept armours us all with the knowledge to see through the greenwashing and choose brands and products that are genuine, clean, and truly toxin-free. 

Instead of watching for hot words like ‘natural’, ‘green’, or ‘clean’ products, have a scan through the ingredients list and keep your eyes peeled for toxins such as Parabens, DEA, TEA, MEA, Propylene Glycol, BHT, and Formaldehyde. 

If it contains any of these top known toxins, simply leave it behind.

Where to Start

When starting a new journey such as zero-waste or toxin-free, it can be tempting to clear out all of your old products and start from scratch. The problem with this is that our first taste of the new lifestyle is then quite expensive, stressful, and altogether unrealistic. 

Instead, we encourage you to take baby steps with your changes. As you run out of shampoo, lipstick, dishwasher detergent, etc, simply start replacing those items with chemical-free alternatives. 

To reduce that overwhelming feeling when scrolling through the toxin-free categories, simply type your specific product into the search bar and let us filter out the rest. You can then choose from a selection of ethical, toxin-free, and Australian owned products that are hand-picked by our passionate founder. 

Still feeling a bit lost with where to begin? Let’s take a look at the main areas where chemicals tend to hide!

The Smelly Stuff

I’m sure it comes as no surprise to hear that perfumes are anything but natural. In fact, as you decrease your exposure to toxins, you may even find that synthetic perfumes don’t actually smell very nice. 

Along with our love of spritzing a fresh aroma is our desire to banish B.O. with antiperspirants. 

Unfortunately, the way antiperspirants work is by blocking your pores to eliminate sweating. This can leave your body forced to reabsorb the toxins it’s trying to get rid of through your sweat. 

The funny thing about this is that sweat isn’t the bad guy! Sweating is your body’s way of detoxifying and staying cool and the sweat itself has no smell whatsoever. What causes the stinky smell is when the sweat meets up with bacterias on the surface of your skin.

At the end of the day, all you need to stay fresh is adeodorant with anti-bacterial properties! Of course, if your still after that special scent on a night out, sub your synthetic sprays foressential oil and reap the aromatherapy benefits as you go!

In Your Bathroom

Your beauty routine is where you’ll find the most hidden chemicals so be sure to take it slow and steady when tackling this area. 

Take note of what kind of products you use daily and prioritize switches based on which products you use the most. For example, you may find it more beneficial to upgrade your makeup bag first as you apply these products to your skin every day. 

You can even break your beauty products into smaller categories such asshower products,skincare,cosmetics, andfeminine hygiene. This can make locating the toxic ingredients less overwhelming and easier to manage. 

In the Cleaning Cabinet 

Trade your bleach and hard-chemical cleaners in for chemical-free, environmentally friendly alternatives. 

This is perhaps one of the easiest areas to identify chemicals and discover that they aren’t necessary for asqueaky clean household! You can even try out opinions such asbicarb and vinegar for scrubbing away areas such as tiles, grout, and toilet bowls. 

In Your Laundry

What’s the one thing that’s against your skin all day long? That’s right, your clothing. 

On our quest for clean clothing, we often confuse ‘clean smelling’ laundry with actual washing. Chemically enhanced washing detergent is not only packed with perfumes but leaves behind a toxic residue to keep your clothes smelling fresh as you wear them. 

Ditch the itch of toxic detergents and opt forchemical-free washing powders, blocks, and sticks that fully wash the dirt away and leave your skin irritation-free. 

Miscellaneous

Last but not least, we have the little items that you’ll notice along the way. This could include things likebug spray,sunscreen, or evenbaby products. 

These are the products that you’ll likely stumble upon seasonally or realise the impact of as you become more familiar with your toxin-free journey. 

Just remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Give yourself time and understanding to make your changes realistic, affordable, and sustainable. 

Your Toxin-Free Journey

Now that you know where to start, we can’t wait for you to begin experiencing the chemical-free difference. From your morning routine to washing up after dinner, we’re confident that a slow and steady approach will be the winning method to help you swap out chemicals and welcome in clean-living. 

Still have some questions about our products and toxin-free options?Learn more about our sustainability approach today and discover our toxin-free promise!

With Love,

The GFZ team xx