Give your mood a boost without toxins – The safest scents for home and body
Posted on | May 3, 2012 | 1 Comment
“Fragrance” is a largely unregulated term, with the sweet smell of many products actually being the most toxic component. Companies aren’t legally required to disclose what goes into their fragrances, so it’s no surprise that many commercial perfumes, home sprays and air fresheners are full of unsafe chemicals. Toxins in home and body fragrances are bad news for anyone, but especially bad for expectant mothers and children. Chemical fragrances cause harm to the skin and respiratory system, and can have a lifelong affect on the various systems of little bodies. Scents are specifically designed to linger, so it’s especially important that we choose safe fragrances for use around our families. Fortunately, there are healthy alternatives that will let you enjoy mood-lifting aromatherapy without the dangerous side effects.
Fragrance for body
A Perfume Organic are hand-poured perfumes out of Manhattan. The scents themselves are certified USDA organic, and the packaging is not only recyclable, but is embedded with flower seeds for you to plant and enjoy. A Perfume Organic products are also fair trade, vegan and cruelty-free. The brand offers five scents to choose from, or select the sampler pack to mix and match your own signature scent. Prices are comparable to department store fragrances but much better for your family and the environment. — If you act within the next 24 hours or so, you can pick up these fragrances at a great discount through my affiliate LovingEco.
Harvey Prince is my favorite fragrance brand right now. I was lucky enough to review their line of non-toxic scents and I am a legit fan. My favorite scents are Ageless, Eau De Lite, and Coupling, which are rich enough to wear alone and also smell amazing layered. You can read my Harvey Prince review here.
Essential oils are another healthy way to wear fragrance. Pure oils should always be diluted in neutral carrier oil such as coconut oil or organic body oil, and can be applied to pressure points (I like wrists, neck, and on my hip bones) for a highly therapeutic fragrance. Grapefruit and other citrus oils can offer an uplifting effect while scents like lavender are known for their calming properties.
Scents for the home
Those home air “fresheners” you see advertised on television? Toxic toxic toxic! I refuse to review brands like Glade on this blog for a reason – Because they’re disgusting! There are healthier brands you can try – Method
Adding plants to your home will improve air quality and flowers will give your home a natural, fresh scent. Avoid naturally toxic plants (duh) and keep even safe botanicals out of reach of small children – It only takes a few minutes of boredom before they’ve ripped off every leaf and petal in classic “loves me, loves me not” fashion.
Create your own home spray. This Freshen Up spray from The Well Daily uses white vinegar and essential oils. If you’d rather shop than DIY, scroll down on their page for some healthy aromatherapy options you can buy, including these aromatherapy diffusers
- – The Well Daily is a website and daily email I discovered recently. Browse the site or sign up to have a fun wellness tip delivered to your inbox each day. I highly recommend it!
Brew fragrance on your stove top. Boil orange peels in a large pot along with a handful of cinnamon and cloves for an aroma that will fill your entire home.
Burn non-toxic candles. I am obsessed with candles, but they are not necessarily a safe fragrance option. When shopping candles, high-end versions are typically safer – Definitely avoid the dollar store for candles, although you can find some cute glass candle holders for cheap! Candles that produce soot around the rim are actually releasing that carcinogenic soot into the air.
If you are a candle lover like me, don’t fret – Inform yourself with this great post on avoiding toxins in candles and go on enjoying your scented candles guilt-free! Your best option is 100% soy or beeswax candles, which are safe and clean-burning. I personally love-love-love Bluecorn Naturals soy candles.
Comments
One Response to “Give your mood a boost without toxins – The safest scents for home and body”
Leave a Reply
About
Alternative Housewife is about maintaining a fabulous and eco-friendly household on a budget. My name is Janine and I live in Portland with my husband Donny and our son Sebastian. {We are expecting Baby Boy #2 in May 2013.}
I believe in the glory of thrift shopping, and in voting with our dollars to raise non-toxic families.
- More About Us
- Baby Registry
Categories
Search
Tags
Archives
Sponsors
Sponsors
Shopping
Giveaways
May 5th, 2012 @ 8:18 AM
THANKS!