A few years ago, my friend joined Beautycounter and she shared a video with me where the CEO was talking about the personal care industry and the lack of regulation. I was skeptical but intrigued. At this point in my life, I was struggling with infertility and dealing with thyroid issues and I went home from work and started looking at the products that I was using. I pulled the conditioner out of my shower and started scanning the ingredients just to see if things were really as bad as they were made out to seem. As I looked through tons of ingredients that I didn’t recognize, one jumped out at me. Formaldehyde. There, in the HUGE bottle of conditioner that I had was formaldehyde. Yes, the same stuff that dead frogs were preserved in during your high school biology class. The same stuff that is a known carcinogen. Yikes. That was scary and eye opening.

And so began my journey. A journey to start replacing the personal care products I was using for myself and my family. Oh, and one more detail. I started doing this in secret at first. I thought that I could outsmart the system and use my new knowledge to find products that had safer ingredients, were rated well and still work well. Here’s what I didn’t realize, how much time it was going to take to search for products and that not all of them were going to measure up to the standards I was used to. Since the shampoo and conditioner were my first products to go, they were also the first products that I replaced. I did my homework and found a shampoo and conditioner that rated well on EWG and smelled somewhat normal. I used it for a while but wasn’t in love with it. I felt like I had to use a lot so my hair wouldn’t be greasy and the smell wouldn’t have been my top choice. Slowly, I started incorporating more and more Beautycounter into my routine and I was blown away with the performance. I also felt confident that the company was doing the homework for me so I didn’t have to be the crazy lady in the aisles of Target scanning each and every product.

I have learned a ton over the past few years and this also kickstarted another journey that I didn’t expect to be on. This one extended past just replacing my makeup and skincare products and into household items, food and overall trying to live a healthier life! Don’t be fooled though – I’m not perfect (more on that later) and it’s not easy or affordable to do a complete overhaul of EVERYTHING. It’s all about balance and being thoughtful about what you’re putting on your body, in your body and surrounding yourself with. Do I wish I could eat organic all the time? Yes. Is that feasible? No. Do I generally like to fix well balanced meals for our family? Yes. Do we do this all the time? No. B.A.L.A.N.C.E. But, I do want you to WAKE UP to what’s happening around you and have the knowledge to make the best choices for you and your family.

Do your best and forget the rest!