Making the Switch to Low Tox

Whether you are pregnant, have children in your home, or are trying to conceive, your environment matters.
The chemical exposure in our homes can easily add up. From cleaning products to EMF exposure, toxins are everywhere.

But the good news is we have the choice to make changes and can create a low tox home sanctuary by implementing some easy rituals and switching out some products.

Why make the switch?

• Our skin is our largest and thinnest organ.

• Our body has the ability to absorb what we put on it (just like nicotine patches and hormone replacement therapy creams)

• The average woman applies around 200 chemicals on her skin through personal care products daily. This on top of the toxins we are already exposed to on a daily basis adds up!

• Synthetic Fragrance and Parfum found in mainstream products can disprupt our endocrine system and wreak havoc on our hormones.

• The overuse of synthetic actives like harsh acids and retinol can impair the skin's barrier, leading to skin sensitisation and long term irritation.

• Toxins found in many commonly used items don’t have the ability to break down in our bodies. This creates a huge toxic build up, which can cause major health repercussions.

• Chemicals found in many beauty items cause manic to our eco systems - polluting our water ways and precious environment.

Top 6 Low Tox Product Swaps

From Maia Mothers co-founder and postpartum doula, Monique Peters:

1.Body lotion

Body lotions cover the largest surface area on the body and are usually packed with synthetic fragrance. By opting for more nourishing plant-based oils or organic butter-based moisturisers, you will largely reduce the synthetic ingredients used on your skin.

2.Deodorant

Ingredients like talc, aluminium, parabens, propylene glycol and triclosan should not be anywhere near your pits! Over time, exposure to these chemicals can wreak havoc on our lymphatic and endocrine system by interfering with our body's detoxification systems.

3.Perfume

Fragrance is a big business and sadly brands don't have to disclose any of the ingredients they use to formulate the fragrance! The formulation is deemed intellectual property and is protected from being copied. So you never actually know what harmful things are lingering on your skin for hours upon hours. Opt for pure essential oils instead.

4.Toothpaste

Your mouth is the most absorbent place on your body and you use this product twice per day. Conventional toothpaste is jam-packed with nasty foaming agents that you don't want to be using anywhere near your mouth. Opt for a better alternative.

5.Lip Products

Where do you think your gloss goes when it wears off? You guessed it. You eat it! Natural lippies are usually jam-packed with nourishing plant-based oils as opposed to mineral oils and polymers.

6.Serums and oils

Face serums are designed to penetrate deep into the skin and are left on all day and night. Many mainstream serums contain synthetic toxins that may give an artificial softness to the skin. here

Maia Mothers co-founder and postpartum doula, Monique Peters has written an e-book all about low tox living and swaps to help you understand how to make the switch, how to read labels, what differences low tox products can make and so much more! Above are some excerpts from the book to help you understand why you should make the switch and which products are particularly important to take notice of.

You can learn more about low tox living and swaps by purchasing Monique’s comprehensive and insightful Nurture e-book, here.