Some of us love to load on the scents while others of us are extremely sensitive to those scents. Whichever category you find yourself in, I want you to know which scents are safe and which are toxic to you and those around you.
First off, I don’t care how expensive a perfume is or what celebrity is promoting it. Perfumes do not have to disclose their ingredients because they are proprietary formulas or “trade secrets” and that is just WRONG! You have every right and obligation to know what is affecting your lungs, liver, and reproductive organs.
Secondly, if it has a smell it has the potential for doing harm. Some more than others. Even essential oils can be irritating to those with a sensitive sniffer. Synthetic air fresheners can be especially irritating, they contain a variety of toxic ingredients that you do not want in your living space. Many of the multitude of chemicals used to make synthetic scents are derived from harmful petrochemicals like aldehydes, benzene, and phthalates. These can cause cancer, birth defects, hormone imbalances, allergies, and nervous system disorders.
There is a large percentage of the population that are not able to detox properly. Fragrances can be especially harmful to this group. This may be you if you get a headache, dizzy, nauseous, or irritable walking through the perfume aisle of a department store or if you have been tested and found to have a genetic variation of the MTHFR gene.
Alternatives to toxic scents
Body Scents
The safest and subtlest body scents are flowers or herbs distilled in water. These are called herbal distillates, floral water, hydrosols, hydrolates, herbal water, or essential water.
- Rose Water (created by boiling rose petals). Like this one.
- Lavender Hydrosol. Like this one.
- Douglas Fir Hydrosol. Like this one.
The lighter smelling essential oils:
- Lavender
- Bergamot
- Lime
- Lemon
- Chamomile
- Amber
Vanilla Extract is another super safe and lovely scent.
House Scents
- Boil water with cinnamon sticks and cloves
- Boil water with sliced lemon
- Sprinkle baking soda and powdered cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg on your carpet. Let it set 20 minutes before vacuuming.
- Clean with natural cleaning products like Mrs. Meyers, Murchison-Hume, and Grab Green
It’s time to clear the air and remove or replace these hazardous toxins.
Dr. Francis, how do you feel about the overall “healthiness” of Seventh Generation wipes? I’ve switched to them from Clorox, and I really like them and use a lot of them (3 kids & 4 dogs), so I’d like your input. Thanks!
I really like them actually. They have thyme, oregano and cedarwood which are great anti-microbials. Thanks for asking. I will add to be careful that if you use them on a surface that the pets can walk across, be sure to wipe the surface down after with water to ensure the animals don’t ingest it.