We live in a chemical shit storm.

Pardon my French.

But it's unfortunately too true. There's no way of escaping it. It's in the air we breathe, the food we eat, on the clothes we wear…it's just bloody everywhere. And people are starting to realise how much of an issue this is for us and our children.

I'm currently 7 months pregnant which means I've also spent the last 7 months being a crazy lady. I think once you find out you're going to be harbouring a human for nine months you begin your degree in 'How To Keep My Small Human Alive'. You begin analysing every square inch of your life, researching your face off and boring people with your abundance of information they don't care about. One of the majors that I picked to research was the effect chemicals have on your unborn child.

Long story short- it's not good.

Obviously chemicals aren't good for ANYBODY and we're now becoming more aware of the effects that they are having on our health. But when the stalk drops a child at your doorstep with a note that says 'Congratulations- please keep me alive'- the issue becomes that much more real. This was at least incredibly true for me. I've always been passionate about natural health and wellbeing, it's one of my greatest priorities. But I have to admit I'd gotten lazy in the year or so before finding out that I'd actually transformed into a human incubator. WELL, didn’t that put a fire under the ass. I obviously didn't care enough about damaging my own body but when it came to the future of my child…well you can only understand that feeling all too well.

BUT it wasn't just me in my home. I had my big man child to think about. So I had to be a bit subtle about turning our house into a completely chemical-free hub. Men are super realistic creatures (well mine is), so while I'd done up my PowerPoint presentation ready to submit my case to him as to why I needed $400 worth of essential oils among other things- he'd already come up with a way better argument as to why I was being ridiculous.

But he was so right! We didn't need to fork out heaps of money to make changes. I thought back to the time when I was a poor University student with $20 spending money each week. I'd managed to keep my life clean and chemical free then!? So just because my life no longer consisted of spending my last $20 on a bag of goon anymore didn't mean I needed to spend a bagillion dollars.

SO HERE'S WHAT I DID.

1. SAVED MY SKIN

Your skin is your body's largest organ! It's also the quickest way for your body to absorb anything directly into the bloodstream. So if you think about it like that, we really are dinguses for not thinking about what we're putting onto it. Have a look at all the products you use on your skin and read the ingredients. Unless you're already using products made with natural ingredients I guarantee you'll be horrified. I'm not going to go into the dangers of unnatural and synthetic ingredients, but just trust me when I tell you that they're not good. There are so many amazing brands out there now that are passionate about feeding your skin natural ingredients. You don't have to buy an entire haul of new products! Just start replacing your old products as you run out of them. One step at a time is WAY better than no steps at all.

2. COCONUT OILED MY LIFE

I know I sound full 'basic white gurl' but I swear to you, it is good for bloody everything! I use it on my skin every night! Even my partner (who is a blokey-bloke tradie and would never admit it to his mates) is obsessed. The benefits are too many to number and I'd need another entire blog to explain how good it is, but just trust me. Put it on your skin. Pull it through your teeth. Put it in your hair.

Just put it everywhere and you can thank me later.

3. THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT I PUT IN MY MOUTH

You put more than just food in your mouth. Ha! Come on, get your mind out of the gutter. More than that. Aside from obviously avoiding foods that are un-organic and riddled with preservatives, colours, GMO's and many other awful chemicals- there are other dangerous substances you might be putting straight into your face hole.

So let’s talk about oral health.

Toothpaste guys. Its's full of some seriously not nice stuff. The same goes for mouth wash and all those bleach filled teeth whiteners. BUT easy fix. Swap the toothpaste for a nice, natural organic one from your local health food store. Switch mouth wash for coconut oil pulling and use charcoal as a teeth whitener.

Ta-da! Problem solved. I told you it's soooooo easy.

4. UNCHEMICAL-ED ALL MY CHEMICALS

Vinegar

Baking Soda

Eucalyptus Oil

Lemon Oil

Just these few ingredients alone can pretty much clean your entire house. So say 'see ya later' to the multitude of cleaning products you have taking up residency under the sink and instead play scientist with these ingredients. Or you can just replace what you're using now with a natural alternative. Again, there's so much out there these days! And don't forget your laundry detergent! What’s used on your clothes then rubs on your skin and blah blah blah we've been through that, but you know it's not good.

5. CLEANED THE AIR

I just LOVE essential oils (I promise I'll write another entire blog about them). But they are so fantastic for so many things! One of these is purifying the air. If a diffuser is not in your current budget then you can pick up some really cheap oil burners from pretty much anywhere. Even suss out your local discount store! And you don't need an entire collection of oils to begin with either. My staple recommendations are lavender, peppermint and lemon. Each of these oils have an abundance of uses! And you can just gradually add to your collection…and add, and add, and add.

I promise you it's not hard and it surely is worth it! Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page if you have any other tips or tricks or with any questions if you'd like to know more.

 Love, Mikaela xx