Welcome to Wellness Wednesday!

I’m excited to launch this new feature to explore topics related to health and wellness. And we’re going to start today with one of my favorite topics…reducing toxic substances in your environment. My family and I have been on this journey for a few years now. We’ve eliminated or reduced most OTC medicines, chemically based cleaning products, and artificial food ingredients. We aren’t there yet, but we are on the alert.

We are better because of it. And it can be really important.

Take today, for instance.

There are many days that I am the first one up in my household. The nature of the beast, I suppose. Have to get up and go to work and I have a long commute. Today was one of those mornings…and it was still dark. Now I’ve always been the guy who tries his best not to be too disruptive when I have to get up before my spouse. I know how hard she works and I want her to rest as long as she is able.

So when I’m up before dawn and doing my thing to get ready, I don’t turn on any lights. I can shower easily enough (there’s a window and a nearby streetlight). When I move to the sink to finish up, however, there is not as much light and I really can’t see.

So today, I’m fumbling around in the dark trying to brush my teeth and I go put the toothpaste on my brush, still in the dark. I pick up the tube that is on the sink where the toothpaste usually is and use my finger to guide the opening to the top of my brush. But it seems to come out much more quickly than usual. As I lift the brush to my mouth I notice a fragrance I recognize, but doesn’t belong to my toothpaste.Huh. Why does it smell like that? Toothbrush must have rubbed up against the shaving cream…wait, what?!?!?

Yep. You guessed it. I was brushing my teeth with shave cream. Young Living’s Shutran Shave Cream to be precise.What ensues is straight out of a sitcom script. The spit-takes, faces, and trying desperately to NOT wake up my sleeping wife.

I then poured that same mouthwash over my toothbrush.

Here’s why I wasn’t worried, though. I have switched to a naturally derived shaving product. So even if I swallowed it (which I didn’t – I don’t think), it wouldn’t be harmful. It might taste weird (which it did), but it’s not going to hurt me.

Could you say the same for your shave cream? What if your kid drank it by “mistake”. Accidents happen all the time. The peace of mind that comes from knowing the products you are using in your home are safe is priceless.

So here are some steps to take to begin moving towards a chemical free home.