Figuring out the Fragrance Free Workplace

September means, for many, goodbye to sunny summer days and vacation, and back to the routines governed by work and school. As a parent I’m concerned about what kind of environment my kids spend the day in. That means things like safety, kindness and air quality are all things I appreciate about our school.  We are fortunate that our kids go to a school with a fragrance-free policy which protects the quality of the air they breathe. This means that students, employees and visitors are asked not to use fragranced products while on school property and no fragranced products are used in the maintenance of the school.

Read this to learn what “fragrance” is, exactly. You’ll be glad you did.

You may have noticed, or will now notice, signs in places of business, notifying personnel that the location is a Fragrance-Free Zone.  And although sales of fragranced products seems to be at an all-time high, these signs, increasing in frequency, are an indication of things to come.

For the Love of Lilac

Some people think that I’m super sensitive to fragrance.  And it’s easy to understand why. I can sniff out anyone’s laundry detergent floating on the breeze or scented hand soap on my daughter after school.

The word sensitive in our society denotes that something is wrong. Being sensitive to anything is usually considered a fault or weakness.

But when it comes to fragrance, the fragrance of a flower or a chemically made fragrance, being sensitive is a very good thing.

Lilacs have been in bloom here recently.  My neighbor and I swoon over the scent of them wafting between our houses. Lilacs remind us of special times in our childhoods. When cut and placed in the kitchen, their scent in the morning lifts my spirit. And catching the sweet scent of lilac during story time in the hammock makes the moment even more magical.  I’m delighted that I can smell even the faintest hint of lilac.

Benefits of the Olfactory Sense

Our olfactory sense, or sense of smell, is for enjoyment, health and protection (among other benefits).  I enjoy the scent of real lilac, the salty ocean and chocolate.  When I smell dinner cooking it begins the process of digestion. And when a scent is added to natural gas, it can warn us of a dangerous natural gas leak because we associate that added scent with a gas leak.

Continue reading “Fragrance Sensitivity is a Good Thing. Really.”

Non-toxic gifts for those you love. Photo by Plush Design Studio on Unsplash,

Gifting can be Noxious or Nourishing

Update: December 11, 2019

As Christmas draws nearer, the days become darker and colder as well. Here in the Pacific Northwest, darker, colder days often come with rain, lots of rain.  Instead of surviving the holidays and the dreary weather (as many people tend to try to do), my family has developed a soothing rhythm of Hygge – embracing the season for its’ opportunities for indoor coziness, togetherness and nourishment of body and soul. This season allows us to enjoy togetherness and warmth created by relationships, time spent together and a heart-warming home.  I believe we thrive on the beauty and hygge-inspiration of this season, just as we do in the spring and summer when we get to do the outdoor things we love and eat from the bounty of the growing season.

It’s this enjoyment and nourishment of the season that I desire to share with others, whether it be in my home or in the gifts that I choose to give at Christmas.  

So often there is a shopping frenzy driven by marketing that is intended to SELL and not necessarily nourish or benefit the recipient. Many gifts bring with them toxic substances like fragrance, radiation, textile processing chemicals and other toxins that just aren’t obvious to the eager shopper.  But I’m here to help!

Maybe in your press for time, you just aren’t sure which gifts will bring the true intent to the recipient…I think it’s safe to assume you want to benefit those on your gift list and not fill them and their homes with potentially toxic gifts.

Add some ‘Merry and Bright’ to your list

Ensuring your gifts are non-toxic can be simple. Using my ideas for non-toxic Christmas gifts may even bring simplicity to your shopping list!

What’s the best Christmas gift for everyone on your list?  Something that is truly non-toxic, nourishing, and thoughtful.

Gifts can be noxious or nourishing.  Give gifts that bring the true intent of love and life!

 

Non-toxic Christmas Gift Ideas

Toys

HABA & Hape toys are the toy brands that I prefer my kids to play with, especially when they were young.  Many of their high quality toys are made from wood, even bamboo, (not unknown plastics), water based stains, using sustainable sources.  In addition to them lasting through a lot of play, they don’t require batteries…typically making them toys that encourage creativity, which nourishes the mind.

Clothing

Pact & Hanna Andersson Clothing

Chemicals coming from the manufacturing of clothing is something most of us don’t think about when we’re shopping.  According to this MindBodyGreen article, clothing retailers “are not required to disclose any of the chemicals used in the production process, even though by  some estimates there are upward of 250 “restricted substances” used in textile manufacturing that pose potential health concerns.”  These chemicals contribute to the toxic soup that we easily get mixed up in, so I believe its best to avoid them as much as possible.

Stink the Movie, a documentary about fragrance in our society, exposed the addition of fragrance to a popular brand of girl’s clothing, through the investigation of a concerned Dad, with no accountability from the manufacturer.

Unfortunately it’s true we can’t avoid all of it, but why not avoid what we can and support the companies who produce products with a conscience?

Pact and Hanna Andersson clothing brands tend to be accessible and reliable when it comes to safety (and quality). Most Hanna Andersson clothing is certified STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, which means they’re tested down to the very last strand of thread for over 100 harmful substances using strict European certification standards. Hanna clothing is mostly for children, but they do have matching family jammies! Hanna can be found at HannaAndersson.com, Amazon and sometimes Costco.  Pact clothing has clothing for men, women and children and is made from certified organic cotton.  They have great sales going on right now and are also available on Amazon!

Home

I typically focus on replacing cleaning products for the home with with safer, more natural alternatives.  Since most people aren’t really thinking about cleaning ideas for Christmas, let’s focus on the home health environment from a different perspective.  Two types of toxins that we all deal with at home, but few of us are aware of the health effects are indoor air pollution, caused by a wide variety of household products and activities and electromagnetic radiation (EMF/EMR) from appliances and wireless devices.

I realize I said this could be simple and air pollution and EMF/EMR don’t really sound simple nor do they sound like they can inspire gifts that sparkle.  Fortunately Christmas is a time when people really do desire and acquire gifts that promote health! And unfortunately many well-meaning people don’t realize that the popular wireless technology based gifts can actually cause harm to the recipient. If you want to learn about the concerning health effects of indoor air pollution and EMR, please read here and here. Here’s a handy info graphic from BASF about Indoor Air Quality.

Now, on to the gift ideas.  Yes, this can be simple! Your gift recipients will surely be wowed with your thoughtfulness for their well-being!

Air Purifiers

Blue Air Blue Pure air purifiers are considered top performers by Consumer Reports. Blue Air 211 is for a larger space and Blue Air 411 for a smaller room. We used the 211 during some kitchen remodeling and I didn’t notice any adverse odors from the work being done (like I usually do). I intend to use the 411 for my son’s nursery before he’s born to thoroughly prepare the space and once he’s born to keep his air as clean as possible.

Book

For EMR reduction, Nicolas Pinault’s book The Non-Tinfoil Guide to EMF’s is the perfect gift for adults, parents and older kids. It’s a simple how-to household book that examines scientific research and then step-by-step, room-by-room teaches the reader how to make safer use of technology.  Love it! I’ll be purchasing a few of these this Christmas. Great for anyone with a home!

Battery Operated Candles and Tealights

For increasing Hygge and decreasing potentially harmful airborne contaminants from candles (scented and non-scented) I recommend battery operated candles and tealights.  Don’t forget the extra batteries!

Chocolate

Theo organic chocolate. Let your gift of chocolate stand out from the rest! I toured the Theo chocolate factory with my daughter this summer. And since it’s also available at grocery stores locally, I’ve tasted a lot of Theo.  I love that the ingredients are organic, no pesticides included.  And since they know their cacoa bean farmers personally, their high quality beans really are full of all the good health benefits that we love to believe about chocolate (especially when its a truly dark chocolate!). You can’t go wrong with Theo! To the delight of my children, my pantry is currently stocked with the holiday bars.

Beauty

Spread the fragrance-free non-toxic love with Alaffia products like Whipped Shea Butter and Coconut Oil or their Everyday Shea Foaming Hand Soap to protect and nourish hands this winter.  I’ve found that most people believe that hand soap only comes with fragrance.  Not so!  It is possible to clean and nourish hands without a fragrant after-smell. Yay! Alaffia is a great fragrance-free brand! As with even the best non-toxic brands, I recommend checking the label for any unwanted ingredients. 

100% Pure keeps beauty simple while providing everything one might want! Choose a gift set (on sale now!), a gift card or anything from their full line of products. Read about their story, values and definition of “Natural” here. Your gift recipient will be delighted and can be sure that what they are putting on their precious skin is nourishing and safe.

And for the perfect home and beauty gift combination, don’t forget about my Cleaner Clean, Better Beauty Consultation – helping reduce toxins in your cleaning and beauty routines.  In my Balanced Baby consultation, I offer a complete set of recommendations to ensure that babies and small children aren’t exposed to harmful chemicals from all the products marketed for them in their earliest days of life. I can’t think of a more valuable life giving gift for a family! When you check out, just let me know its a gift and I’ll take care of the rest. 

I am not an affiliate for any of the above companies.  These are simply non-toxic Christmas gift ideas that I trust enough to recommend to anyone seeking a safer gifting season. 

With a few safer gifts, our Christmases can truly be “Merry & Bright”. Here’s to yours!

Which contributes more to Smog?

Vehicle emissions or household products. The answer will surprise you.

Last summer was an unforgettable summer of fires and lingering smoke in the Pacific Northwest.  Having grown up here I can say that weeks of clouds and falling ashes as a result of wildfires is not a normal occurrence. The one exception being the eruption of Mount St. Helen’s in 1980. That’s a different story – and no, I don’t remember it.

On beautiful mornings like this morning, however, I have started noticing a lingering smog through the trees toward the horizon. And since it’s not fire season, I have to wonder if my emerald studded city is going to one day have the air quality that I’ve always associated with Southern California.

Continue reading “Be the Change: Smog”

Photo by luigi manga on Unsplash

Some think that persons who claim they have adverse reactions to chemical products and fragrances have worked themselves into this tizzy, so to speak. Which one are you, the sufferer or the skeptic?

It takes a lot of compassion to understand that some people can react with migraines, asthma and a host of other symptoms to the tiniest waft of scent in the room, while others seem to be immune, much less notice it. I get that. This is weird stuff. But as one who has suffered from chemicals that I encounter in stores, salons, assisted living facilities, churches, schools and in the homes of friends and family, I also understand what’s its like to experience reactions in my body that don’t seem to make sense. Continue reading “Chemical Sensitivity Real & on the Rise”