There is no denying it–we are in the age of information. Information everywhere on what to do and what not to do and how and why to do it.

As a mama, this is both empowering and a huge headache. We can no longer do life the way we were raised or the way we’ve always done it and have that guarantee that it’s the very best for our family and for ourselves because the more we study, the more we learn about the way we live and how it affects us.

We now know conventional kid’s sunscreen could be toxic to the developmental and reproductive systems. Off bug spray has similarly toxicity and may contain allergens, asthma triggers, or immunotoxins. Mrs. Meyer’s cleaners with their beautiful, natural-looking labels contain synthetic fragrance, peg-5 cocoate, and methylisothiazolinone which rate dangerous and moderately dirty on the scale for carcinogenicity and toxicity. Victoria’s Secret perfumes contain carcinogens and toxins in the form of fragrance and ethylhexyl methocinnamate.

Ugh. I love my Victoria’s Secret perfumes–I don’t want to get rid of them! And why can’t we just use regular sunscreen on our kids? My mom used it on me for 18 years and I turned out fine. I’ve always used big spray and I haven’t ever had any issue with allergies, so is it really that important?

The American Cancer Society says that only 5-10% of cancers are caused be inherited genetic mutations which basically means the other 90% is environmental rather than hereditary. Is every single environmental carcinogen in our control? Absolutely not! But the ones in our home are. The Toronto Indoor Air Conference stated, after a 15-year study, that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than those who work away from home. Yikes.

Obviously, we are not all “just fine.” The results of this chemical exposure might not be evident immediately, but the rising levels of disease and obesity and cancer tell a different story–clearly, our lifestyle choices are affecting us.

Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we were all just ignorant to the “better ways” out there? If we could just continue using all the big brand cleaners under our kitchen sink without thinking about the chemicals we’re spraying on the floors the kids will them inevitably eat off of? If we didn’t have to worry about our perfumes and candles leeching carcinogens into the air? Friends, my life was a lot “easier” when I did things the way I always have and there was no research or walking out of the drug store with no sunscreen because the only ones I could find all rated up top on the toxicity scale. My ignorance was almost blissful–almost.

But I wasn’t really bliss, it was just simplicity. It was easy. Ultimately, there’s not really much bliss in unknowingly surrounding yourself and your family with all sorts of dangerous chemicals.

It’s hard learning that shampoos and cleaners you’ve been using for years could be permanently damaging your family. Most of us have used them for so long that we are extremely frustrated to learn about their negative affects–it can feel like a personal attack, but there is nothing negligent about ignorance when nobody has ever told you any different. I started my journey tossing out my chemical laden products over a year ago with essential oils–and it was simple. Essential oils and essential oil based products make healthy living easy, and you can read more about what they are and what they can do here. 

That’s why I love my business, I love what I do. Because now I know better and I can do better for my family, plus my job is to share that knowledge with others. I don’t want moms to read this article about how the Coppertone sunscreen and Off bug spray that they used on their kids yesterday before a family outing to the park could secretly give them skin cancer and feel like they’re failing as moms because they didn’t know. Mothers, it’s okay that you didn’t know! I didn’t know either until someone told me, and that’s okay–we all do the best that we can.

But once we know better, it is our responsibility to do better. It’s my responsibility to educate and show other mamas that there’s a better way, and it’s simple. 

• Start by going back to simple products–the less ingredients, the better, and if you can’t pronounce an ingredient then the rule of thumb is that you probably should stay away.
• Download the Think Dirty app and start scanning your products. The app will show you how a product rates in terms of allergens, carcinogenicity, and reproductive and developmental toxicity as well as which specific ingredients in the products are safe and which are the dangerous ones and why. When you’re at Target, just choose the products that scan as clean. It’s easy!
• Do as much as you can from scratch. “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” you say? Don’t worry, I’m busy too, but it doesn’t have to be complicated! Last week I made my own bug spray from witch hazel and three different essential oils. It took about one minute and was far cheaper and more effective than conventional brands. Baking from scratch with your kids rather than using expensive and preservative-filled dough is a great way to spend time with them and the fun you’ll have together outweighs the mess that inevitably comes afterwards. It’s not realistic to do everything from scratch, but for the times you have to buy products that are ready made, simply check the label and it’s got 600 unpronounceable ingredients, choose a different option.

• Find a company you really trust. Don’t just read their mission because they all have a mission to bring you the safest, tastiest, most powerful product out there. Read where they source their ingredients from. Find out if they cut corners to keep their product affordable. If you can’t find information on their website, call them and ask. I have a friend who has called 13 different essential oil companies to ask questions about their quality and purity because she only wanted the best and multiple companies literally hung up on her. Friends, those are not the companies to trust. Then, when you find a company you do trust, use their products. If you trust the company, you should be able to trust all their products as well.

And there you go–four simple steps to help you kick toxins out of your house.

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When I decided to work from home, I chose a business that was centered around natural living so I spend my time learning and experimenting–and this is a business that anyone can do on the side or full time, as a mom wanting to stay home with the kids, or as someone who simply loves the products and wants to get them for free.

I chose Young Living as the company I trust because they have products for literally everything from sleep to animal care to anxiety to low libido to skin care to bug bites and upset tummies–now I don’t have to research new companies when I need someone else because Young Living has nearly everything. Also, the founder of Young Living was a farmer before he was a business man so their priority is not money, it’s respecting the consumers and the earth. You can read more about why I chose Young Living here.

Friends, it can be complicated and expensive–sometimes we make it so–but it doesn’t have to be. Making from scratch is usually cheaper, the Think Dirty app does the research for you, scanning the ingredients on the product label takes only a few seconds, Young Living’s 100% plant based cleaner costs less than $1 a bottle–there are absolutely manageable options out there. We have time and money for what is important to us.

I now know better, and because of that it is my responsibility to my family and myself to do better than when I didn’t know. Yes, we’re all going to die one day, and yes, stopping at McDonald’s every once in awhile isn’t going to cause anyone to drop dead–balance and moderation are good–but we’re not doing the best we can when we are knowingly surrounding our families with toxic chemicals and not doing anything about it.

Mamas, I can’t judge anyone. I am hardly a perfect mother and with only one toddler I have very little experience in the mom department–I believe with very few exceptions that all moms are doing the best they can. You are not the problem, mama! The problem is that toxic chemicals are being added to everything and it’s become normal, and my job is simply to teach other moms about how they can help their family.

It is entirely unhelpful to tell someone they can be doing better without sharing with them how. My team of over 1,000 moms and dads and wives and uncles has a Facebook group for sharing tips and changes that have worked from years of experience–I use it daily and we love to share what we’ve learned with others and it’s simple! I will be forever thankful for a friend on this team for introducing me to a way to raise my son better simply because she cared.

If you want to get rid of all the dangerous chemicals in your house, I want to help you. My passion is to help you. Don’t wait until the effects of conventional household cleaners and bug spray begin to show themselves twenty years down the road, because reversing the dangerous effects of chemicals is far more difficult than tossing them out now.

Ignorance is not bliss. It was easier back then, perhaps, and sometimes ease feels like bliss, but surrounding your family with toxins is not bliss. If you didn’t know any better, it’s okay, you haven’t failed, but once you do know better I want to help you live better.

I don’t know you, I don’t know your story, and I would never tell you that you are not doing enough, but if you’re a mom at home, do not forget that the chemicals in your home have left mothers like you with a 54% higher death rate due to cancer. And your toddlers at home are surrounded by these same chemicals. And your husband and your pets and the friends who come over for dinner. This is too important not to share–that’s why this matters. 

Know better, do better.