In our modern world we are bombarded with unnatural fragrances and chemicals that make things smell nice, but are slowly deteriorating our health. While we can’t eliminate all of our exposure to these, we can use natural products to keep things clean and from smelling bad, while using essential oils to give a nice aroma to everything.  As always, my goal in teaching is simply to make people aware of potential risks, to encourage everyone to research and think for themselves, and to get better at problem solving (always ask why).

The first step to getting harmful fragrances out of the air we breathe and to avoid ingesting or absorbing them is to be aware of just how many products we use every day that contain them. Because I have an allergy to these, I’m very aware that many products contain these and some don’t even have them listed on the label, or they are hidden under sneaky terms. I know that there are people experiencing symptoms due to exposure to these fragrances, but they don’t make the connection that their headaches, sore throats, hormone issues, and more are contributing to their problems. They might just pop another pill, not realizing the damage those pharmaceuticals can do to their organs. I know this because I have heard many stories of people ditching these harmful products and having their symptoms disappear.

Many of the products we buy for our house will contain fragrances. These fragrances often conceal bad smells that God designed to make us “deal” with the problem so we don’t get sick. Here are a few things to be aware of. Most candles (unless they are made with essential oils or are unscented) will contain fragrances. Trash bags, even if they are not labeled with a certain fragrance, will contain them. I have learned this a few times the hard way that you have to look for an unscented label or they will have a fragrance on them. Many of our cleaning products for our homes and vehicles, like laundry detergent, dish soap and dishwasher detergent, dusting and window cleaner, all-purpose cleaners, room sprays, and more contain them. Believe it or not there are actually fragrances added to many processed food items like candy. You will also find fragrances in many beauty products.

There are many good, natural products out there for cleaning and making our homes and vehicles smell good and for personal hygiene. By buying good quality basic food ingredients and making food from scratch, you will ensure that there are no fragrances in your food. It’s very important to read labels on everything, because there is a lot of deception in these markets. Many companies use words like “natural” on their product, but since this is not regulated it means nothing. Look for words you can pronounce in the ingredients like olive oil, essential oil, vinegar, baking soda, etc. Because I have more time than money, I make all of my own cleaning, skin care, and body spray products. I have added many recipes to our website and will continue to add more. You will also notice that I never use any fragrances or chemicals in our skin care products that we sell.

I use so many essential oils in my life that I buy them in 16-ounce containers to save money. If you have a company that you buy your essential oils from, check with them to see if you can buy them in bulk. If you are in need, I would be happy to help you acquire good quality essential oils in bulk, and will continue to share how we are getting the toxins out of our lives.

Have you ditched fragrances in your home, food, and body care? We love to hear from you!

Our family has learned to slow down, make careful observations of what heals/damages, get rid of the distractions, take a little more time preparing our food, and most importantly to seek the Lord’s wisdom. It’s a daily struggle and it never goes perfectly, but we just keep trying to do the best we can. If you are working toward a more traditional, clean, whole foods diet, and would like to take small steps to get there, then you are at the right place. Week one was get your salt right, week 2 was get your sleep right, weeks 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 were get your fats right, we had several weeks about seasonings and herbs, some important discussion about natural sweeteners, talked about Forgiveness, hopefully we got our eggs right, learned about the benefits of pastured, clean meats, considered getting mercury removed, we got the toxins out of our mouth, skin, and hair, made some changes in our cleaning routines, we talked about raw milk, learned about vegetables and fruits, fermentation, clean water and the benefits of water, the benefits of getting outside, the importance of properly preparing nuts, how to make beans more digestible, and now we are talking about essential oils. Join us next Tuesday for Get Your . . . Right.