To those who don’t know me… hi! I’m Jessica ๐Ÿ‘‹

Mama to 2 girls, soon to be wife, a little hippie, a little witchy, a little girly + your whole body wellness bestie ๐Ÿซถ

โฌ‡๏ธ A little about me โฌ‡๏ธ
I always wanted to be a girl mama & I love it!
My oldest goes to a forest school a couple of days a week and I homeschool the rest.
I was born and raised in upstate NY. We lived in Arizona for a few years & loved it there but moved back while I was pregnant with my oldest.
The health and happiness of my family is one of the most important things to me.

I grew up completely “normal”
I ate fast food and microwave dinners, drank juice and soda ๐Ÿ˜ตโ€๐Ÿ’ซ
Cleaning products and personal care products were from normal drugstores, Target, Bath and Body Works, etc.

I was sick. All. The. Time.
I was on antibiotics constantly. I’m talking every month just about. I had my tonsils removed, I had mono, I was on an inhaler and couldn’t run or cheer without it. I saw several doctors for stomach issues and nobody seemed to have any answers. Anxiety and stress were running rampant through me in highschool.
I had no answers. In fact it was treated as if it was normal to live and feel this way. The answer was always just more medications.

I really didn’t even think to question anything until I unexpectedly got pregnant with my oldest daughter in 2018. As most mothers do, all I wanted was my child to be healthy.
My parents had raised me in alignment with all the public health recommendations and based on what was “normal” in our society. It is NORMAL to be unwell…

I knew there had to be a different way.

I’ve spent the last 5 years learning everything I can about health. I’m still not perfect but my eyes are open and I work to grow and improve everyday.
I rarely get sick. I do not go to the doctors. I am a runner and I don’t need an inhaler. It literally amazes me how much has changed ๐Ÿคฏ
I attribute this change so much to eliminating toxic personal care and cleaning products. This is why I’m so passionate about helping others make safe swaps in their own lives and homes.

Right as I was starting to make changes in my life, while I was pregnant, everything else was changing too. We had just moved across the country back to NY. We were staying with my parents, I was leaving my teaching career and planning to be a stay at home mom for a bit.
We needed some side income to supplement Chris’ salary now that I wouldn’t be teaching. And I needed a purpose and community since I was about to be isolated at home with a baby as a new first time mom.

Someone I had known for years called me to tell me about a company called Crunchi she had partnered with and asked if she could send me some samples. I was skeptical at first but willing to try with an open mind.
I looked into the brand and the ingredients, sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, etc was all ๐Ÿ”ฅ
Then I tried it… and I knew I had hit the jackpot ๐Ÿ˜

I wore the foundation for a day and became a customer for life. Every foundation I had ever tried looked either cakey or melted off my face. Finding clean makeup that performed was something I had been struggling with.
I talked to my friend about the company, I talked to my fiance, and even though I had tried direct sales previously without a ton of success I saw how different his company was. I was the insane potential. I saw the mission and the class with sharing. I saw how they are education first and heart forward. Plus I was fired up from learning about how our personal care products are poisoning us and I felt pulled to share this knowledge with other women.

It wasn’t a hard decision to sign up. We needed the income, I loved the products, and I was passionate about the clean beauty message.
I quickly realized Crunchi checked all the boxes for what I needed in my life and some I didn’t even know I needed.
I had a very small circle of friends, a very small family, a very small social media following. But I just started sharing with everyone I could because I knew the information was valuable & life changing.

I’m no direct sales millionaire. But I share what I love everyday and I have fun doing it. I’ve been able to fully fund my daughter’s forest school, organic groceries for my family, pay off my jeep, and more.
This “side income” has made a world of difference for my family and allowed us to live in a way we’d never be able to without it.

Crunchi has been a big part of my journey, especially on social media + I feel so honored to mentor so many women who are not only helping others to reduce their burden, but they’re building income streams for their families too ๐Ÿ˜

โฌ‡๏ธ A few things I love about being part of the clean beauty movement โฌ‡๏ธ

  • Start earning on your first dollar sold
  • Extremely generous compensation plan with unlimited earning potential
  • 20% discount on all your personal orders
  • No auto-ship or monthly order requirements
  • Helping other women detox their skincare & beauty routines
  • Like-minded community
  • Exclusive team resources & support

If you’re interested in learning what a partnership with Crunchi could look like in your life, let’s chat!!

You can most easily reach me here -> M.me/Jessie.rae.31 or at derico.jessica@gmail.com

*save an additional 20% when you enroll this month*

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Whether you want to change your life, make your life a little easier, or just get discounted products… I’m talking to YOU!

Today, let’s play a game…

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๐˜๐„๐’, ๐˜๐Ž๐” ๐Œ๐€๐˜!!! During the entire month of MAY, all four enrollment collections are an additional 20% off and up to 58% off retail!!!

๐ƒ๐ข๐ ๐ข๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง – $๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ—! ๐Ž๐ง ๐’๐š๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ $๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ—.๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ

This option is perfect for those who want to “Build their own” collection, for the new advocate rockinโ€™ a tight budget, someone wanting to dip their toes into becoming an Advocate or those who already have the products needed to get started.

๐„๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ๐ž ๐‚๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง-$๐Ÿ—๐Ÿ—! ๐†๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ž! ๐Ž๐ง ๐’๐š๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ $๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ—.๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ (๐‘๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐š๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ž $๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ‘-๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’% ๐ฌ๐š๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ)

Our previous Business Portfolio of $29 is now added directly to the collection price point along with two of our best-selling products!

โฅ Product Retail Value: $143

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Our previous Business Portfolio of $29 is now added directly to the collection price point. Weโ€™ve also included an added product bonus of Goldenlightโ„ข Facial Serum. This collection holds 150 in PV and also qualifies for free shipping.

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Our previous Business Portfolio of $29 is now added directly to the collection price point. Weโ€™ve also included an added product bonus of Solarize Bronzer ยฎ (both shades!) and a $50 physical Gift Card. This collection holds 350 in PV and also qualifies for free shipping.

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๐Œ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ, ๐ฆ๐š๐ฒ ๐ˆ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฉ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง? ย ๐˜๐ž๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐Œ๐€๐˜!!

Choose your collection here –> http://ltl.is/7wns59q

Mother’s Day

Give the gift of Clean Beauty this Mother’s Day!

Whether you have a mother figure you are looking for something special for or you’re a mom and want to treat yourself or give a great idea to a spouse or child, what gift is more special than clean beauty. It is a way to feel beautiful, practice self care, and it doesn’t cause you harm or disrupt your hormones like other makeup and skincare out there!

ย So, I present to you… our Mothers Day Offers!ย 

Available through May 14th – or while supplies last!

Daylight & Nightlight Facial Cream Bundle w/ a complimentary Crunchi Spa Headband

Advocate Price: $91.20

Client Retail Price: $114

Everluxeยฎ Lip Crayon in Limited Edition shade, Sienna Red

Advocate Price: $22.40

Client Retail Price: $28

Everluxeยฎ Lip Crayon in Limited Edition shade, French Mauve

Advocate Price: $22.40

Client Retail Price: $28

Limited Edition Lip Dream Duo ( Lip Scrub + Lip Treatment )

Advocate Price: $33.60

Client Price: $38 – (Retail $42 – $4 savings!)

โœจ

Special Client Bundle

Snag all four of the offers and receive special 20% off – making this deal just $175 PLUS free shipping!

If you are ready to make the change to clean beauty and/or skincare this link will get you entered to win a free facial essence + half priced coupons! You also get $10 off your first $50 order using this link if you are new to Crunchi!

http://Crunchi.com/Jessicaderico/event/36077

And… if those Advocate prices look good to you, just click Get Involved then Advocate Enrollment to choose the best discounted kit for you, start getting 20% off your orders immediately, and get an affiliate link to share with others and make 20-40% in commission!

(Make sure you see shopping with Jessica DeRico in the top right corner to be entered to win rewards)

Time to swap to toxin free!

When you ditch the toxins in conventional makeup and switch to toxin free you wonโ€™t ever want to go back ๐Ÿ’œ
.
You may notice:
โœจbetter skin
โœจmore confidence
โœจimproved health
โ€ฆ and more
.
Are you happy with the ingredients in your makeup?
Do you know what is in your makeup?

Like what you see here and want to join a community of like-minded women with the same goal โ€“ living our best, healthiest, happiest lives? Hop over to the Raising Clean Facebook Community!ย https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean

Ditch & Switch – Lipstick

There’s so much excitement this week as my favorite company (and the only truly toxin free, high performing, and eco-friendly company) launched itsย โœจ๐™‰๐™€๐™’โœจย Everluxe Lip Crayons yesterday, so I figured a super fun Ditch & Switch post was in order!!

I have read that women can end up eating a few pounds of lipstick over their lifetime.ย ๐Ÿฅด

That’s pretty scary when you think about how lip products typically contain some ugly ingredient offenders like…

โŒย Petroleum

โŒย Synthetic Fragrances/Flavors

โŒย Mineral Oil

โŒย Phenoxyethanol

โŒย Parabens

โŒย BHT

โŒย Artificial Dyes

โŒย Heavy Metals (alongside mineral pigments)

All of theses have links to being cancer causing carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, or organ system toxicantsย ๐Ÿ‘Ž๐Ÿผ

Iโ€™m beyond grateful to have SAFE, high performance, and eco-friendly options to share!

CRUNCHIโ€™S NEW EVERLUXE LIP CRAYON INGREDIENTS :

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil*, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glyceryl Ricinoleate, Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax / Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Copernicia Cerifera (Carnauba) Wax / Copernicia Cerifera Cera*, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter*, Kaolin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, May Contain (-/+): Mica, Titanium Dioxide (Cl 77891), Iron Oxides (Cl 77491, Cl 77492, Cl 77499), Manganese Violet (Cl 77742)

*Certified Organic Ingredients

These beauties launch to the public tomorrow, are available to Insiders now, and are free when you grab an enrollment collection this week!

If you want to grab some, you’ll want to use this link to be entered to win tons of rewards and get $10 off your first order of $50+ : http://ltl.is/v5ps7ft

I’m here to help you choose a shade, take advantage of the Insider freebie, and/or help you grab your lip crayons for free with our biggest and best bundles! Reach out -> M.me/Jessie.rae.31

If you like what you see here, you’ll love the Raising Clean facebook community -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean

What’s in your wine?

Who else likes to wind down after a long day with a glass of wine and some Disney+? The kid in me and the adult in me come together to enjoy a beverage and a movie ๐Ÿ˜…

Wine is something that has been in the back of my mind for a long time nowโ€ฆ Not in a weird, โ€œI canโ€™t stop thinking about wineโ€ way, but in a โ€œI know my wine isnโ€™t toxin free and I have to do something about itโ€ kind of way.ย 

In March of 2019 (Iโ€™m not kidding guys, this has been on my radar for awhile now ๐Ÿ˜๐Ÿ˜), I saw a post come up in a toxin free group about wine and the Roundup Weed Killer found in it. There was an article linked and I did not open itโ€ฆ I just couldnโ€™t. I had given up my candles, my wax melts, changed up my diet completely, and thrown away hundreds of dollars worth of personal care products, but not my wine.ย 

Well, now here we are two years later and I know I have to stop living in blissful ignorance.ย 

Letโ€™s review whatโ€™s in the type of wines youโ€™re probably drinking…

Hello Pesticides

Most vineyards are sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides to protect their crops from insects and infection. These chemicals get in the soil, the grapes, and ultimately in the wine you drink. Grapes are near the top of the โ€œDirty Dozenโ€ foods sprayed with the most chemicals. You avoid these chemicals in your food (thatโ€™s why you shop for organic produce) and you should avoid them in your wine.

And unlike other fruits, which have a protective rind you donโ€™t eatโ€ฆ grapes have a thin and porous skin. That means they absorb the chemicals sprayed on them. And because wine is concentrated from so many grapes (600-800 per bottle) โ€“ the end result is a condensed source of harmful cancer-promoting chemical compounds.

Dump in the Additives

In the US, wine producers can use 76 different additives in wine without disclosing any of them on the bottle. Things like:

defoaming agents

artificial coloring (virtually every red wine under $20 has the colorant “mega purple”)

extra sugar

high fructose corn syrup

ammonia

GMO bacteria and yeasts

Fining and Clarifying Agents like fish bladder, casein or polyvinyl-polpyr-rolidone (PVPP)

sulfites

and a lot more

Thereโ€™s one additive called Velcorin thatโ€™s particularly insane. It must be applied by people with special training while wearing hazmat suits. Itโ€™s so toxic it will burn your skin if you touch it and will kill you if consumed before itโ€™s broken down in the wine. But even after it breaks down, Iโ€™d rather not put that in my body…

Whatโ€™s even worse than learning about all these additives used in winemaking is realizing that there is no labeling or transparency about their use. Wine has no ingredient label.

A wine can have 76 additives and you would have no idea!

Why do we passionately read the label for all the foods we buy and only purchase items with organic, clean ingredients, and yet we donโ€™t pay any attention to whatโ€™s in our wine?!

Safe Option: Dry Farm Wines

If a Dry Farm Wine subscription isnโ€™t in your budget, you can:

โ€ข Look for the USDA organic label on the bottle. This means that the grapes used to make the wine were grown organically, but does not mean the wine wonโ€™t contain other problematic additives. 

โ€ข Ask the staff at your local Whole Foods or even a good wine store to point you to the organic or biodynamic wines, some of which wonโ€™t be labeled as such. 

โ€ข When in doubt, choose wines from France, Switzerland, and Austria instead of California, as European wines are more likely to be organic and dry-farmed.

I hope this was helpful for you! If you like what you see here, you’ll love the Raising Clean Facebook Community –> https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean

Organization Series

For those of you who don’t know me yet, my name is Jessica DeRico. I’m a hippy-ish mama to one 3 year old girl and another baby on the way, I’m into all things clean living, holistic health, and I’ve always thrived with structure, routines, systems, and organization. Like most of you, I’m just trying to get the most out of my day so I can be productive, present, happy, and healthy. Staying organized helps me do that!

This blog is typically about all things toxin free, but in honor of Spring cleaning time, I thought we could chat organization. I was recently asked to do a short series on this topic for someone else’s business group and everyone really enjoyed it. I do consider this a kind of “detoxing” because you’re detoxing your mind and environment to allow you to live healthier!

I’ve always been picked on (in a friendly way) by family and friends because of my strict schedules and organization techniques and I know what I do won’t work for everyone, but if I can help you organize your day/life at all, that would bring me joy!

I’LL START DROPPING TIPS SHORTLY, BUT TONIGHT I’D LOVE TO KNOW WHAT IS HARDEST FOR YOU:

๐Ÿงฅ Organizing Clothes/Household Items

๐Ÿคฏ Organizing Your Mind

๐Ÿ“… Organizing Your Day

Looking forward to getting to know you all betterย โคย Feel free to share your struggles in the comment section. I’m sure every person struggles in some way with organization (I’ve been working on it my whole life and still have struggles).

Like what you read on this blog? You’ll LOVE the Raising Clean Facebook Community -> https://www.facebook.com/groups/raisingclean

Be A Blessing

Hey my gorgeous friends!

I’ve decided this year that I would once again like to ๐™ฑ๐™ด ๐™ฐ ๐™ฑ๐™ป๐™ด๐š‚๐š‚๐™ธ๐™ฝ๐™ถ to others. I am hoping and praying to be able to generously gift the NICU in the hospital where Adeline was born with holiday Blessing Bags in time for this holiday season.

My daughter, Adeline, was in the NICU for the beginning of her life and I will always remember the nurses in there who helped me through that time and took care of my newborn baby. My goal is to start with blessing the nurses and then if we have enough sponsored, to be a blessing to the mamas as well because I know first hand how hard it is to be a mama to a NICU baby and I know so many moms have it much much harder than I did. I can imagine with the world right now, that this is a more stressful time for the nurses and mamas than it has ever been and I hope to be able to bring a little light into their day.

I am so excited to once again put together bags and will be consciously selecting toxin free items as opposed to simply whatever I can find.

I am asking for you to please consider sponsoring one (or more!) of these nurses/mamas at $25, which is the cost of one Gentle Cleansing Bar, plus funds to put towards the contents of the bag. I will purchase the other items for the bags (personal care, toiletries, cozy socks, tea bags, adult coloring books, etc,). AND if you have a small business and would like to contribute a donation (which your own clients can sponsor just like we’re doing here), please reach out to me. I have seen clothing shops donate leggings, oil reps donate lavender roller bottles, and I have a friend sending toxin free candles for the bags, the possibilities are endless. Just let me know if you’d like to contribute something!

There are 38 NICU nurses total and I would love to be able to bless each one of them, and even have extras for some of the mamas. Lofty goal, I know. But I believe in this cause.

If you are willing to sponsor, please comment here in this post or email me to sponsor one (or more!) of these ladies who need to feel loved ๐Ÿ’– at derico.jessica@gmail.com

Payment can be made by cash, check, PayPal, Venmo, or FB Pay. I’m shooting to have all slots filled this week so that I can get them ordered and made up ASAP.

โœจThere is a lot of darkness in the world right now. Letโ€™s be the light!โœจ

Hair it is…

Letโ€™s talk hair care.


Iโ€™ll be honest, Iโ€™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 โ€œThe Best Shampoos for Every Type of Hairโ€ and dug into these recommendations a bit and you can imagine that what I found wasnโ€™t pretty.


Some common ingredients were:
๐ŸšซPEG – 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. ๐Ÿ˜ฑAccording 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).โ€ ๐Ÿ˜ณ
โŒ 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.
โŒ ๐™Ž๐™‡๐™Ž – 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.
๐Ÿšซ 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 FDAโ€™s toxicity watchlist, which you know canโ€™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 ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป

to decorate or not to decorate?

One of my favorite holiday family traditions has always been decorating my momโ€™s Christmas cookies with the family. We just did this today in fact! ๐Ÿ˜… What I donโ€™t love now that I know betterโ€ฆ decorating those cookies, that weโ€™re obviously going to eat, with a dose of chemicals derived from petroleum.

Fifteen million pounds of food dye is used every year in the U.S. which is a 5X increase within the past 60 years.

Guys, these dyes are made from the same petroleum that fuels our vehiclesโ€ฆ

think about that.

This is exactly why I often talk about voting with your dollars. Why are we still buying this crap??

So, not only are these dyes made in a lab with chemicals derived from petroleum (which also happens to be used in gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt, and tar), theyโ€™ve also been linked to long-term health problems including cancer. Food products containing artificial dye are actually required to have a warning label in the U.K. These dyes have also been shown to increase hyperactivity in children. In fact I have heard several moms who have had children with ADHD be completely โ€œcuredโ€ just by cutting out synthetic food dyes completely.

You bet your bottom dollar I brought our toxin free food coloring to Christmas cookie decorating this year. I see absolutely no reason to feed this stuff to Addie when there are safe options I can use instead!