I personally have never been able to use a shaving cream as I always broke out in horrible razor burn every time I tried. But, when I used regular body wash my legs would itch and itch SO badly. I FINALLY found a solution in my toxin free Gentle Cleansing Bar and it is all I will ever use to shave my legs now. The gentle soap moisturizes my legs while shaving so I have zero itch after shaving for the first time in my dang life!
Chances are, you’ll use shaving products every day or every week for decades of your life. Even if it takes just two or three minutes to shave every day, this amounts to around a thousand hours of exposure to whatever chemicals are in those products or more if you use toxic aftershave or lotion after shaving.
👩🏻💻 I used some market research to look into some ingredient lists… Out of three women who shared what they’re using, two contained harmful substances including but not limited to:
❌ Phenoxyethanol ➔ A member of the glycol ether family and is the product of the reaction of highly corrosive phenol with carcinogenic ethylene oxide. As a result, it may contain residue amounts of both. The American Society of Contact Dermatitis lists phenoxyethanol as one of its core allergens, even in concentrations as low as 1%.
❌ Fragrance ➔ A chemical mixture of over 3k components used to create or mask a specific scent. The FDA does not require the disclosure of individual ingredients used to create fragrances. Many ingredients of fragrances are associated with contact allergy and may contain diethyl phthalate.
❌ Propylene glycol ➔ It is a controversial ingredient associated with skin irritation. Numerous patch tests on humans have shown that it has a very low risk of causing a skin reaction even at concentrations as high as 20%.
❌ Petrolatum ➔ There is strong evidence that mineral oil hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant of the human body, amounting to approximately 1 g per person. There have been studies done on women post delivery and scientists have found these contaminants in breast milk as well! -> The scariest of these possible contaminants is called 1,4 dioxane, an impurity found in 22 percent of all petroleum-based cosmetics that is a known human and animal carcinogen.
One awesome gal shared that she uses Dr. Bronner’s Shave Gel and it passes with flying colors
✅ Lots of organic ingredients
✅ Toxin free
I personally have only ever had success with my favorite Gentle Facial Bar. It is the first time in my life that my legs don’t itch after I shave and has been a literal god send.
✅ Lots of organic ingredients
✅ Toxin free
✅ RSPO certified sustainable palm oil
✅ Vegan
✅ Zero Waste
✅ Cruelty Free
✅ Made in the USA
PS – have a safe swap request? Drop it below!
To learn more about the gentle cleansing bar I mentioned and get access to half priced and free products, you’ll want to hop over to my community on FB 🙂 https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean/ ❤️ I’ll see you over there!
I wanted to drop some truth in here really quickly… 😙
I want everyone to feel comfortable commenting on this blog and joining me over in my wellness community on FB no matter where you’re at on your toxin free journey. If you’re as crunchy as it gets or if you haven’t started going toxin free at all yet, but you’re interested in learning about it, I don’t ever want anyone to feel judged or to ever feel like I am perfect. So, I want to share the real me, flaws and all, with all of you! ☺️
I started my toxin free journey in March of 2018 and I’m STILL not 100% toxin free in all areas of my life, and to tell you the truth, I may never be. My fiancé and I talk about balance a lot and how important it is to us to keep our sanity.
THERE ARE A FEW SAFE SWAPS THAT WE JUST MADE, ALMOST TWO YEARS INTO OUR JOURNEY. THOSE ARE:
Switching razors
Switching toothpaste (I was still using Toms even though I knew it wasn’t the best option)
Going from ziplock bags to reusable silicone bag
Switching things in our kitchen like cookware, food storage containers, and mugs
THERE ARE A FEW SAFE SWAPS I AM STILL PLANNING ON MAKING BUT HAVEN’T YET BECAUSE OF TIME, MONEY, ETC. THOSE ARE:
Plastic wrap
Using plastic straws when out
Water filter
Birth Control
AND, THERE ARE A FEW SAFE SWAPS I MAY NEVER MAKE BECAUSE I FEEL MY HAPPINESS HONESTLY DEPENDS ON HAVING BALANCE IN THESE AREAS. THOSE ARE:
Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
Candy (while I don’t buy the toxic stuff for myself anymore, if someone gives it to me, I’m gonna eat it, I just am)
Mani/Pedis
Not worrying about what we eat outside of our house (or special occasions like when I wanted cookie cake and wine for Mother’s Day!)
Moral of the story: Just because you see me posting about living a clean, toxin free life that doesn’t mean I’m perfect in every area all the time. So, whether you haven’t started your toxin free journey yet, you’re in the beginning steps, or super duper crunchy, you have a place in my group! I’d love to welcome you in with open arms https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean/
A review of SeneGence(LipSense) was requested by a member of my wellness community.
Please note that I’m not bashing a company. I’m simply reviewing the products. This is not personal; it is merely education. People need to know what’s in the products they put on their skin every day. You all know that I focus on promoting safe, healthy, toxin free skincare and makeup and educating on all things toxin free. This is not what SeneGence does.
Instead of going through each product (because that would be crazy), I will outline the ingredients that the company allows in its products, you may not find each of these in every product, but you’ll find at least one (probably more) in every product.
The ingredients you will find in this brand that I would not personally use or recommend are:
• Artificial Fragrance ❌ “Fragrance” or “Parfum” is a loophole that should be avoided. There are NO laws requiring the ingredients in fragrance to be disclosed and it’s always a toxic storm that will compromise your health.
• Japanese Honeysuckle 🚫sounds super natural and innocent, but it contains parahydroxy benzoic acid, which is found to behave in a similar way (with very similar molecular structure) as a paraben inside the body.
• Loose Titanium Dioxide ❌The health concern involving use of TD involves inhalation of the loose powder form. The International Agency for Research on Cancer identifies inhalable titanium dioxide as potentially carcinogenic.
• Mineral Oil 🚫a liquid mixture obtained from crude petroleum oil used as a moisturizer. It may contain various amounts of carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and other petroleum contaminants, depending on the level to which it has been refined. There is consistent evidence that untreated or mildly-treated mineral oils cause cancer of the skin in humans.
• Parabens 🚫 are becoming very well known to be avoided in cosmetics, skincare, and body products. It is a synthetic preservative that mimics the role of estrogen in the body, wreaking havoc on your endocrine system. It has also been linked to breast cancer and reproductive toxicity. There is some evidence that parabens can accumulate in human breast tissue. Parabens have been found in 99% of breast cancer tumors.
• Parafin 🚫There is strong evidence that mineral oil hydrocarbons are the greatest contaminant of the human body, amounting to approximately 1 g per person. There have been studies done on women post delivery and scientists have found these contaminants in breast milk as well! The scariest of these possible contaminants is called 1,4 dioxane, an impurity found in 22% of all petroleum-based cosmetics that is a known human and animal carcinogen.
• PEG’s 🚫 While PEGs can be mild irritants, they’re less than desirable primarily because they help traffic nasty chemicals across your epidermis, including a slug of impurities they’re often contaminated with. 😱According to a report in the International Journal of Toxicology by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, pollutants found in various PEG compounds include ethylene oxide (used to manufacture mustard gas), 1,4-dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals (lead, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, arsenic).” 😳
• Phenoxyethanol 🚫 is used as a preservative in cosmetic products to limit bacterial growth. Skin exposure to phenoxyethanol has been linked to allergic reactions ranging from eczema and hives to anaphylaxis. Infants exposed to phenoxyethanol can experience a depressed central nervous system leading to a decreased appetite, difficulty waking, skin color change, damaged DNA, and limpness of extremities. It is neurotoxic to infants…
• Urea 🚫 Diazolidinyl Urea is an antimicrobial preservative that works by forming formaldehyde in cosmetic products. Urea in cosmetics is man-made in the laboratory and the raw materials are ammonia and carbon dioxide. Not something you’d think you’d put on your skin, right?
• BHT ❌ BHA and BHT can induce allergic reactions in the skin. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies BHA as a possible human carcinogen. The European Commission on Endocrine Disruption has also listed BHA as a Category 1 priority substance, based on evidence that it interferes with hormone function.
• Disodium EDTA ❌Is a penetration enhancing ingredient. Which can be absolutely fantastic… but ONLY if it’s enhancing the penetration of great quality instead of enhancing the penetration of toxins.
– No certified organic ingredients are used ▫️Certified organic cosmetic ingredients insure a higher level of purity and peace of mind. Many women with sensitive skin also prefer cosmetics made with as many organic ingredients as possible because the organic certification removes the risk of concentrated pesticide residue – a potential irritant that holds additional health concerns with repeat exposure.
– Unspecified if minerals used are non-nano. Non-Nano and EcoCert are the most pure and safe options that you can look for. One of the many scary things about nanoparticles is that the materials are small enough to penetrate the skin or get inside the body through inhalation. Just to list a few common nanoparticles they are: titanium dioxide, zinc, silver, and fullerene. When these nanoparticles are absorbed into the bloodstream and carried around the body it can cause DNA and cell function damage, brain damage, liver damage, and affects on the immune system. On top of all of that, titanium dioxide specifically has shown MAJOR potential repercussions in offspring.
– Not Leaping Bunny Certified cruelty free. – No explanation needed here. This is such an important certification in my opinion.
-Unspecified if plastics used are toxin free (majority of packaging): Not only is plastic significantly worse for the environment, but not knowing if plastic packaging is toxin free means you risk toxins from the packaging leeching into your product.
Numerous ingredients in these products contain ties to cancer, hormonal disruption, liver damage, skin irritation, eye irritation, breast cancer and birth defects. And this is why I do these reviews. Women deserve to know that they are using products linked to serious diseases. If you’re ready to start detoxing your products and making the change to a more toxin free life, please head over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean/ where you will find my exclusive toxin free master list.
So many people are using more soap than ever before to prevent a virus. But, most people are using toxic soap which is increasing their body burden, making them more susceptible to…
you guessed it,
sickness.
That’s why I am SO happy that I know I don’t have to worry about that with the soap in my home. So, I’ll break it down for ya:
✅ Essential? Yep!
✅ Toxin free? Yep!
✅ Zero waste? Yep!
✅ Certified organic? Yep!
✅ 50% off? YEPPPP!
🙌🏼 I know you brilliant mamas already know this… The BEST way to prevent COVID 19, and viruses of any kind, is to wash your hands with SOAP and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
Our corporate team continues to blow me away with their generosity and since soap is a vital part of staying well… they whipped together a flash sale to help spread that goodness far and wide!
🗓 From NOW until Tuesday April 14th
💲 HALF priced bars of luxurious soap
❕Limit 2 per bar per person
🙌🏼 Which means you could score 6 bars for just $66
🔥 While supplies last
•The hubby loves the Charcoal body bar and the gentle bar
•My daughter loves the gentle bar
•I love all the bars 😂
•All of them are sensational for every inch of your skin!
🎁 Reach out to me directly for a link that will also get you entered to win half priced and complimentary products, or check out my Wellness Community on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean/
I’ll be honest, I’ve only tried one toxin free shampoo and conditioner but because it took me SO long to find it, and because I was greenwashed twice before finding a truly toxin free brand, I knew I needed to share!
I found an article from January of this year listing “The Best Shampoos for Every Type of Hair” and dug into these recommendations a bit and you can imagine that what I found wasn’t pretty.
Some common ingredients were: 🚫PEG – While PEGs can be mild irritants, they’re less than desirable primarily because they help traffic funky chemicals across your epidermis, including a slug of impurities they’re often contaminated with. 😱According to a report in the International Journal of Toxicology by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, pollutants found in various PEG compounds include ethylene oxide (used to manufacture mustard gas), 1,4-dioxane, polycyclic aromatic compounds, and heavy metals (lead, iron, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, arsenic).” 😳 ❌ Phenoxyethanol – used as a preservative in cosmetic products to limit bacterial growth. Skin exposure to phenoxyethanol has been linked to allergic reactions ranging from eczema and hives to anaphylaxis. Infants exposed to phenoxyethanol can experience a depressed central nervous system leading to a decreased appetite, difficulty waking, skin color change, damaged DNA, and limpness of extremities. ❌ 𝙎𝙇𝙎 – often contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a byproduct of the manufacturing process that is “possibly carcinogenic to humans” and may also cause negatives effects in the kidneys, liver and central nervous system, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. 🚫 Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA): This preservative is used to help foods retain color, but it also irritates the skin, causes skin rashes and even asthma. It is on the FDA’s toxicity watchlist, which you know can’t be a good sign (especially considering how many other toxins they let slide).
If you want to hear what I use in my hair or simply want to join the discussion on cleaner living, follow this link https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean/ to the Raising Clean Facebook Community 🙌🏻
Raising Clean 