It's my favourite season! Autumn is when the air gets crisp, I pull out my soft, warm sweaters and tea becomes a regular comfort in the evening! I also am drawn to the beautiful spicy scents we associate with Fall!
Why do we love them?
Scents work directly with the part of our brain that influences and holds all of our emotions!
Emotional Ties!
Scents may be tied to happy memories so that a scent of apple pie or pumpkin muffins can transport us back to happy memories of Christmas gatherings or baking with Grandma. This can instantly shift our emotions and trigger happiness. Our emotions also communicate to our overall nervous system, digestive system and impact our overall health. Let's get scents working for us!
Now before you run to places like bath and body works for plug ins, candles, hand soaps, scented lotions, room sprays and all the things that smell just perfect for the season, hit pause!!
Many chemicals in these scented items disrupt your endocrine systems and are linked to rising hormone imbalance, respiratory issues, headaches and other symptoms that come from overburdening our bodies. Our skin is our biggest organ and lotions and body sprays absorb into our bloodstream in less than a minute. But there is a better way to infuse our homes with delicious scents and beautiful natural products that actually work to support our body's efforts.
So if you want to feel pampered and love well your skin and overall wellness, let's reach for healthy options!
Here are some ingredients to avoid:
Isopropyl Alchohol: may cause premature aging of skin. Also found in anti-freeze. It strips skin of natural acid mantle, promoting growth of bacteria. It can cause headaches, flushed skin, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. Also causes mental depression according to “A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients.”
Tetrasodium EDTA: contains formaldehyde and is a known skin and lung irritant.
BHT: this fragrance has been linked to organ system toxicity and is a known skin, eye, and lung irritant.
Disodium EDTA: neurotoxin linked to brain damage and liver changes in animals.
Diazolidinyl Urea: this chemical releases formaldehyde into your body. Mayo Clinic says formaldehyde can irritate the respiratory system, cause skin reactions, trigger heart palpations, immune system toxicity, and cancer in humans. Exposure may cause joint pain, depression, headaches, dizziness, loss of sleep, chronic fatigue, ear infections, allergies, and chest pains. It can also trigger asthma and aggravate colds. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen found in Johnson and Johnson baby care products, skincare, antiperspirants, and hair dyes.
Methylparaben and Propylparaben: directly linked to breast cancer. In mice it had weak estrogenic effects which caused damage to the sperm formation in the testes. It may contribute to sterility in males, hormone imbalances in females, and cause early puberty. A relative of methylparaben, sodium methylparaben has been banned in the E.U. Some other common names for paraben’s are ethyl-, butyl-, and isobutyl- all ending with paraben. These do not have to be labeled, so sometimes companies will not list within ingredients panel.
Ceterareth-20: ENHANCES the absorption of ALL above chemicalsYou can download an app called Healthy Living by Environmental Working Group that can help you assess the products in your home right now! These ingredients are hiding under fragrances you may have come to love. But once you stop using them, your body will be able to gradually clear out and repair the damage they have caused. I promise you won’t miss them, they’ll actually start smelling bad to you. It's crazy that harmful products are allowed on our store shelves, but the power of choice has been left up to us. Let's vote for health and environmental stewardship with our dollars!
Affordability:
Let's compare candles to diffusing!
Studies show that paraffin and soy candles increase the particulate matter in the air to levels considered unsafe by WHO and compared to second hand smoke. Paraffin are worse than soy/vegetable oil, but the latter still aren't good. Beeswax candles burn cleaner, and release very little (if any) particulate matter and do not come close to reaching the WHO limits.
Diffusing is extremely effective for supporting emotions, respiratory health, helping focus and promoting a calm atmosphere! It sends messages to our brain helping us to rest, reset, and recharge. It is an inexpensive and effective way to get a lot of oils on a room full of people.
Studies show that paraffin and soy candles increase the particulate matter in the air to levels considered unsafe by WHO and compared to second hand smoke. Paraffin are worse than soy/vegetable oil, but the latter still aren't good. Beeswax candles burn cleaner, and release very little (if any) particulate matter and do not come close to reaching the WHO limits.
Diffusing is extremely effective for supporting emotions, respiratory health, helping focus and promoting a calm atmosphere! It sends messages to our brain helping us to rest, reset, and recharge. It is an inexpensive and effective way to get a lot of oils on a room full of people.
"Diffused oils alter the structure of molecules that create odors, rather than just masking them. They also increase oxygen availability, produce negative ions, and release natural ozone. A cold-air diffuser is designed to atomize a microfine mist of essential oils into the air, where they can remain suspended for several hours."
How do the Costs Compare?
A small Yankee Candle has 25 hours of burn time and costs $25.99
A small Yankee Candle has 25 hours of burn time and costs $25.99
Diffusing 4 drops of Peppermint with 4 drops of Stress Away (a perfect Vanilla Mint Scent) for 10 hours Costs less than a dollar. (The graphic below has US pricing in 2021.)
Yay, health!!
Young Living has earned my trust as they create products that respect our health, our environment and the people who work on the global farms. Let's leave the chemicals that harm behind and care for our environment with plants that can fuel our minds, emotions, hormones and nurture our skin with high quality, natural ingredients. Let's thrive, friends!
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