Weekend Wellness: Detoxing Your Home

This is something that's been on my mind for a while - every day I feel like I'm reading more and more via the likes of goop, mind body green and Because I'm Addicted  about all the things that are potentially bad for us living in our homes. (This is about chemicals btw, not a hanger-on friend that's sleeping on your couch if that's your story.... 😉 ).

I'm a child of the 80's and I can clearly remember my mom having the carpet man come and shampoo the house, while she was scrubbing the bathroom with ammonia & spraying down the oven with some sort of potent AF cleaner... you know, these things were all totally the norm.  And while I'm the type that's pretty much always bought the version of things that's got the most eco-friendly formula there's so many potential toxins that we often don't even think about.

As we've moved into our new home I’ve been hyper focused on using products from eco-conscious companies whose products are made from natural earth minerals with no masking agents nor toxic chemicals to set us on the right path.

There were things I hadn't even considered when moving into our new home. For example:

Did you know that your new rug, if it's made of synthetic materials can emit noxious gases, including VOCs?

At our house we bought new textiles for several rooms in our home - we're always piling up pillows and lounging on the floor, so that one little bit of knowledge was major for us when deciding where to source our rugs, pillows, and blankets from.

I read a study that reported that the average home can contain more than 300 different chemicals... and while that number might be high for my home, or yours, I don't even want 10 or 20 chemicals hanging around... 

As we brought items into our home I decided we should start with the right things and do a little detoxing too.

Here's what I did to set a healthy environment for our home and how to do your own home detox.

1. Shop For Organics & Eco Friendly Materials

Consider purchasing rugs & blankets made of sustainable materials - organic cotton, sisal, jute or wool are always good options. Furniture made of natural materials is also a good bet. A general rule of thumb, if it's hand made from an artisan it's likely fine, made in a factory, not so fine.

2. Be a Plant Mama

NASA published a study ages ago that justified a love of the plant babes. They're awesome detoxifiers, filtering out VOCs while prettying up your space! I add new ones to our home every single weekend, and you can ask your local garden center which are the easiest to maintain if you're new to the plant magic.

3. Say No to Chemical Cleaners

Just like you'd do for your food, real the label. And, if you don't know what the words mean or can't even pronounce it, it's probably not good for you. Respiratory irritation, headaches and even mood swings have been attributed to house cleaning supplies. And, do you guys remember those videos in the 80s about what can happen when mixing ammonia and bleach?! If not, google it, and DON'T ever do it.

A few other quick detox tips:

• Take off your shoes at home. Just imagine for a minute the things that the bottom of your shoes see: pesticides, germs, asphalt, and so much more... and then you're going to lounge around on that stuff? Nope. Def nope.

• Open your windows. Allow the fresh air in, and the fume-y stuff out.

• Round up the bad stuff you clean with, and replace with essential oils. Tea tree, lemon, rosemary and pine are a few of my favorites for this.

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What detox rituals are you guys doing? Any other things I should be trying?

Images 2-5 are from my Décor bohème Pinterest board. Go follow along for all sorts of stylish bohemian home ideas!

Wanderfully yours,

Andi

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How I'm Keeping My Smile Brilliant

When I decided to add a Beauty column to Oui We I made a commitment to you guys (and myself) that I'd share rituals and routines that are working for me and products that are making a difference for me, as well.

Like so many of us paying attention to what's happening in beauty and wellness one of the things that's been showing up differently for me is how I approach getting ready in the morning. I was once a self proclaimed black eye liner junkie - like I wouldn't leave the house without a heavy handed cat eye application. I have a signature lip color that I've worn forever too and without those two things I didn't feel fully put together. As I'm getting older caring for my skin has become more important than ever (and honestly I've always had a holistic approach to skincare) and recently my smile, including my teeth, have been an area of focus. 

I was having a convo with a friend the other day about how when we were growing up the style and beauty idols were girls like Kate Moss (cigarette in hand - although I personally never smoked, plus greasy hair and late night partying  - I did have those things in my life - went along with it). However, now girls like Amanda Chantal Bacon of Moon Juice, are getting adoration from the masses - beauty fanatics, wellness gurus and fashionistas too. If there's something that's important to me now versus then it's this:

I want glowing skin, bright shiny eyes, and a naturally healthy smile. 

So that means I'm often foregoing the cat eye makeup and focusing on skin care, oral care and getting plenty of sleep. A few months back I connected with Smile Brilliant. After pricing out treatments with my dentist's office I decided I'd rather go with an at home whitening treatment and to be honest, I'm kind of terrified of the dentist and only like to go for cleanings. Smile Brilliant offered to send me the system in exchange for sharing my thoughts with you all! I was more than happy to do it. 

Here's my experience with an at home Whitening Kit. At Home Teeth Whitening Kit

The process was easy. I got an email first from the team letting me know that my custom tray kit was on it's way. When I received it the instructions gave me all the details I needed to make the molds of my teeth. I sent off my molds and within a week or so I received my clear trays custom fit to my mouth. 

Here's the nightly steps from there:

1. Brush your teeth (with no tooth paste) to prepare your mouth for treatment. Fill up your tray with the whitening gel and leave it on about 20 minutes or so. The information packet I received warned to be mindful of sensitivity and to work my way into leaving it on longer. Honestly, I used the product every other night for the first week and the sensitivity wasn't unbearable at all. I saw results within those first few days. 

2. Once the trays are on find something to do for the time they are on, it's not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it's really not bad either. I decided to do a 20 minute meditation and that helped pass the time. 

3. Rinse and brush again (with toothpaste this time). 

4. Apply the trays again, this time filled with the Desensitizing Gel. This time you can leave on for 10 minutes or so. 

5. Rinse and then go to sleep and let the gel settle in. 

In the morning when I get up I can't feel a thing from the treatment the night before. 

The kit contains close to 20 applications and after I did the first several weeks (like 3-4 times a week) I've got plenty of gel remaining to do weekly maintenance now. 

I'll be posting again to share those results, but in the meantime, as a coffee drinking (and wine drinker too) girl that's counting my smile health as a big part of my beauty routine I'm so glad to have found this product!

Want to win your own kit? Enter to win via the Giveaway link. Winner will be announced at the end of April! 

Want to go ahead and buy now? Use the code ouiwegirl for 10% off. 

In the meantime, scroll through to see a few other products I'm loving!

xoxo,

Andi

This post was compensated in partnership with FiftyTwo45 in exchange for my honest review and feedback. As always, I'll only accept compensation from brands I feel truly stellar about.