Here WE are at the Indie Beauty Expo 2016! (Me and my baby bump!)

The Expo is full of indie brands with a focus on organic and nontoxic cosmetics lines. (In fact, that’s where I first met the team behind Hynt Beauty and started my collaboration with them!)

My search for healthy skincare and cosmetics really began with my first pregnancy, about  4  years ago. I was a heath coach, so I was already eating healthy ORGANIC food, getting regular exercise and meditating. Now that I was actually creating and growing a human being though, I was much more aware of all the many chemicals I faced on a daily basis.

It really made me take a look at my lifestyle and the toxicity I was regularly exposed to. And let me tell you, there was a ton! I just wasn’t ok passing that on to my baby.

Your skin is your biggest organ, and toxic ingredients are easily absorbed through your skin into your body. Every cell in your body is made up of what you consume, and when you’re growing a baby… all of THEIR cells are as well!

Even if you’re not pregnant (or planning to be), many of these chemicals have side effects that can show up as allergies, asthma, respiratory problems, kidney issues, trouble conceiving/infertility or other issues. Thats why it’s important to be aware of what you put ON and IN your body and the air you BREATHE. I don’t know about you, but I feel much better making sure that those ingredients are the healthiest ones possible!

Since I stuck with the changes I made, I didn’t have to do much of a shift when it came to this pregnancy. I conceived naturally, am healthy and baby is too. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s related to my low toxicity levels (yes, I had them checked!).

Here is just a short list of some of the changes I made during those 9 months of pregnancy. I hope you find them helpful!

• Cleaned out the kitchen & pantry of ALL plastic containers and replaced with these glass ones
• Stopped using the microwave (See my article about it here!)
• Installed a water filtration system for drinking AND one in the shower
• Got rid of the MOST toxic thing in a normal home… our MATTRESS! And bought an organic eco-friendly one (and while we were at it, got one for the baby’s crib!)
• Swapped out  the toothpaste and skincare products I was using (including some really toxic things like Cetaphil!)  for organic/non-toxic ones
• Started using Young Living Essentials Oils for everything from skin care to immunity, bug spray, scrapes/burns, emotional challenges, stretch marks (I had NONE because I regularly used a particular oil!)… you name it! There IS an oil for everything (including pregnancy, BIRTH and newborns, toddlers, kids…. etc!)

What are some changes you have made to life a healthier, more natural, non-toxic lifestyle? Let me know in the comments below!

PS – Want a handy cheat-sheet of ingredients to avoid? Mercola has a great infographic to help you out!
xo