I'm all about the detox
Hello, gorgeous friends!
For those of you who know me well (and even those who kinda know me) you know I am all about the DETOX. I am committed to living the cleanest, healthiest life possible. I buy organic food, try to juice regularly, get a good sweat going almost every day and generally try to keep my toxic burden as low as possible. It is my passion and my vocation to help you in that quest to detoxify and embrace healthy living, whether it be through a juice cleanse, a pantry makeover or a healthy cooking class. I love nothing more than to share what I know and what I discover. I want you to feel fabulous, look fabulous and THRIVE in this life!
Back in 2001, I started struggling with bizarre symptoms—terrible pain and unsightly swelling that left me feeling frustrated and desperate for relief. Years later I was finally diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease. It was then that I started my quest to heal, to restore, and to bring my body back into balance. Health is multi-faceted. I had to look at not ONLY my diet, but also my stress level, my environment, and other factors. I began with cleaning up my diet, but I also had to look at what I was putting in my body and ON my body. Once I dove into research regarding safe personal care products, I was alarmed and discouraged. As of now, the United States hasn’t passed a federal law to regulate the ingredients used in personal care products for 76 YEARS!!!!!! Over the past 2 decades, the European Union has banned or restricted close to 1,400 ingredients, and the U.S. has only banned 11. What alarmed me most is that these chemicals that are allowed in our lotions, cleansers and cosmetics have been linked to cancer, infertility and other reproductive health issues, learning disabilities, and a host of other health problems, including autoimmune disorders.
A website called the Environmental Working Group (EWG) became my guide for purchasing all of my and my family’s personal care products. They have developed a cosmetic safety database called Skin Deep that rates products for safety based on their ingredients.
I URGE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS WEBSITE!!! Put your favorite lotion or face cream in the search box and look at the score! It became my goal to buy only products with a “green” score (a 0, 1 or 2). It was difficult and challenging to find some of these products in stores, and I have been frustrated by this for over a decade. Until now.
A friend recently introduced me to a product line called Beautycounter, and although I was skeptical, I immediately put it into the Skin Deep database and was blown away. I kept digging and learned that this company is actually EWG-verified and developed each product with strict safety standards—without the dangerous and damaging chemicals that are in most beauty products. Beautycounter’s mission is to get safer products into the hands of everyone, and I feel strongly about becoming part of this movement. Excited to learn about this incredible company—one for which I have been searching for over a decade—I was given the opportunity to try several of the products. I fell in love instantly! Everything is luxurious, smells nice, (which can sometimes be a challenge when there are ZERO synthetic fragrances used) and a very small amount goes a long way. My skin and hair felt amazing and notably different, which was literally the icing on the cake. For me, safety trumps everything, but to have it A) work well, B) feel luxurious, and C) cover all my skin care needs ON TOP of its incredible safety rating, I was jumping for joy. I would bet that someone who doesn’t even really care about safety would fall in love with these products. For me, the search is over. I have found a complete line of personal care products that I love that LOVE ME BACK.
We all process toxins to which we are exposed differently—some better than others—but we live in a toxic world. It’s the unpleasant truth. When the EWG tested the umbilical cord blood of infants just entering the world, they found over 280 industrial chemicals! This is at the start of life! No wonder the disease rates are increasing every year! There are some exposures we can control and others we can’t, but what we use to cleanse, moisturize and beautify we CAN control. As a woman in my early 40s, I am beginning to learn how important hormone balance can be to total health. Many of the chemicals in cosmetics and skin care mimic estrogen and other hormones, which can cause endocrine disruption. Some of these chemicals are actually classified as “obesogens,” which mean they can trigger weight gain! Managing diet and exercise is difficult enough. We don’t need any more obstacles on the path to achieving a healthy weight!
The old adage, “You are what you eat,” should really be, “You are what you absorb,” on the inside and the outside. Everything we slather on our skin is being absorbed, so let’s make sure it isn’t adding to our toxic burden. We ALL know too many people whose lives have been affected by cancer, infertility, learning disabilities, and unwelcomed diseases and problems of all kinds. I will be damned if I am going to let my skin care contribute to my health problems. If my teenage daughters might someday struggle with reproductive challenges, I want to know that the cosmetics and lotions I bought for them weren’t part of the problem. We all have to make choices as to how we spend our hard-earned dollars, and for me, health and safety is of utmost importance.
When making any changes, it can be less overwhelming to take baby steps. An overhaul of your entire bathroom cabinet isn’t necessary. I am certainly not perfect, and there are items in my bathroom I don’t want to give up. You can start replacing one product at a time or you can try replacing several at once, but with each, you are taking a step in the right direction.
I would love to provide you with samples, introduce you to these amazing products, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. You can contact me any time via text or email.
You can visit my website beautycounter.com/heathermcdonough to shop easily and hassle-free!
Most of you will agree that the last thing I need is another job. As a mother of three active children, a juicer, caterer, instructor, and nutrition coach, I have more than enough to fill my time. I take on this new role as a Beautycounter consultant for no other reason than to spread the word and support the mission. I believe in this company, I love their products, and I want everyone to know about them. I think you will love them, too, and the peace of mind that they are SAFE is the icing on the beautiful cake.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and check out this short video when you get a minute. The founder of beautycounter and some of her team actually went to Washington and made a plea to congress to look at the cosmetics and personal care industry. We need better regulation and stricter safety standards. We deserve better!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n9qsIlzqHE
Heather McDonough
316-371-6622
heatherjmcdonough@gmail.com
beautycounter.com/heathermcdonough
delishgirl.com