August 2021 - Living Beauty Cancer Foundation

Transforming Your Home in Easy Ways

By Hillary Lefebvre

Fall is knocking on the door and it’s almost time for leaves falling, sweater weather (hopefully we get them sooner rather than later in So Cal!) and crisp cool days. Several years ago, you would have found me in the candle and soap aisles buying up all the fall scents to make my house smell like pumpkin spice and everything nice. I’ve learned a lot though since then and am here to share, help and empower you to make the best choices for you and your family too.

When I had my first child 10 years ago, I started looking at labels and safeguarding my family from toxins. I read and read and read. Researched about “clean” products and discovered that some name brands who claim to be green because of the way they were marketed aren’t actually clean! Ugh, can’t they just be honest?? But I came to understand that we are the gatekeepers of our homes. No one else! We have to do a little more than believing what’s on the surface. Many products on the shelves today contain a ton of toxic ingredients regardless of how pretty the label is or what they claim to be. And toxic overload accumulated in our bodies over time causing lethargy, inability to focus, sleep trouble, chronic inflammation, unexplained pain, fibromyalgia, skin issues, adult acne, hormone imbalance, hot flashes, stress, anxiety, and fear. If you face any of these issues, it’s time to kick chemicals to the curb.

You’ll want to say adios to anything with:

Fragrance (biggest offender! This word is the umbrella for thousands of toxins!)

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Laureth

Methylisothiazolinone

Sodium hypochlorite

Ammonium Chloride

Sodium hydroxide

Surfactants

Parabens

Phthalates

PEG’s (polyethylene glycols),

Propylene Glycol

SLS/SLES

Easy button – download the Environmental Working Group app to look up products, ingredients and scores!

Now for some good news…many companies are doing their best to make products that are actually safe for us! So, after digging some more, I found our favorites! We have now been using Young Living Essential Oils for 7 years now for most of our cleaning products and household necessities. They send us a box that we customize each month with anything we need. So easy! Here is the full breakdown of how we use these products to clean our house.

We have a diffuser running 24/7 to recreate my favorite seasonal smells and we use Thieves Household Cleaner to clean the entire house! Literally – the whole house. It is infused with essential oils and all plant based. And to answer the question everyone asks…yes, it really works! In fact, here is an amazing video of how well it does.

There are some very easy swaps we can all make in our homes to eliminate a lot of the toxic load our bodies accumulate each and every day!

Here are my top 10 things to ditch and switch:

Swap your candles and air fresheners for a diffuser + essential oils (my favorites are from Young Living)
Swap your chemical cleaning supplies with Thieves Cleaner (one bottle for the whole house!)
Swap your dryer sheets for wool dryer balls (grab a pack at Trader Joe’s or on Amazon; look for organic New Zealand wool)
Swap your hand soap and dish soap for my fave Lushious Lemon Hand soap and Thieves Dish Soap
Swap your laundry detergent for Thieves Laundry Detergent
Swap your hand sanitizer for Thieves Hand Sanitizer
Swap your makeup for Savvy Minerals or Beauty Counter
Swap your sunscreen for one free of parabens, phthalates, PEG’s (polyethylene glycols), propylene glycol, and SLS/SLES
Swap your deodorant for something free from fragrance, parabens, triclosan, phthalates, propylene glycol and aluminum
Swap your shampoo/conditioner for ones from fragrance, sulfates, parabens, PEG, Diethanolamine (DEA) and Triethanolamine (TEA), color, Dimethicone, Retinyl Palmitate

I know that this may seem overwhelming to read all at once but trust me when I say, baby steps and grace. Choose one at a time or go full throttle and do it all at once. Go at your own pace.

You can buy Thieves Cleaner and any of the other products I listed above at wholesale by heading here.

Remember, YOU are the gatekeeper of your home! Let’s transform it!

xo Hillary Lefebvre

https://thewellandgoodcollective.com/hillary-lefebvre/

Self-Care in the Summer

It is summertime! The sun is shining, summer flowers are blooming, and we are slowly beginning to emerge from the hibernation created by the pandemic. Summer is a time of relaxing and restoring our souls. We often forget to care for ourselves in our efforts to care for others. So here is your gentle reminder. If we don’t care for ourselves, we can’t care for the people who depend on us. Put yourself first and use some of these self-care tips to rejuvenate your body.

Get a little sun. Most of us are short on vitamin D, which helps protect our bones and immune system, and protects us against cancer cell growth. Ten minutes in the sun each day can help boost your vitamin D to healthier levels. Foods like salmon, mushrooms, orange juice and oatmeal are also high in Vitamin D.

But not too much sun! Sunburn can cause skin cancer. If you are going to spend time in the sun, there are lots of healthy sunscreen products available, like Sun Guardian from Odacite, and Sunproof Intensive lip balm from Thrive Causemetics. If you do get a little too much sun, you can soothe your skin with Skin Food from Weleda.

Let’s go barefoot! Our bodies absorb radiation from many sources each day. Health experts tell us that ten minutes barefoot outdoors every day helps ground our bodies and has a number of health benefits, as well as reducing stress, helping with depression and aiding in sleep. The best place to walk? The beach. You can get your ten minutes of vitamin D and help your body at the same time!

Water, water, water. Water helps hydrate your body during a season when dehydration is more prevalent. For a different refreshment, infuse your water with fresh fruits, cucumbers or mint. Lots of bottles have marks on the side to help remind you to keep drinking. The health benefits of water? Increased hydration equals better brain function, more energy, more youthful skin and aids in weight loss. So set that diet soda aside and have a fruit-flavored water instead!

Eat more fruit! So many of the summer fruits are healthy and delicious. Some of the summer fruits to enjoy include blackberries, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, raspberries and peaches. Enjoy them in a salad, in your infuser or on their own! Most markets and farmer’s markets offer organic fruits.

Rest and relaxation. We all work hard. Summer is a time for relaxation and restoration. Take a day off and go to the beach, or the park. Read that book you have been putting aside. Pamper yourself.

Celebrate your life. Take a few minutes in the morning to write down the things for which you are grateful. Take a yoga class. Try meditating outside, in nature. Listen to music. Hang out with a friend. Remember that you are the most important, and that caring for yourself enables you to care for others. You can also serve as a role model for self-care and its importance to our health and wellbeing.