Healthier Living - Where to Begin

I asked recently if there were post topics anyone wanted to see and I got amazing feedback from a friend. She said:

"Since turning 30, and especially having kids, my husband and I both feel like we've reached a point where we want to make changes to healthier living. We're tired of how we look and feel! But after 30 years of eating pretty much whatever we want, and the same with using cleaning and other products, I'm kind of overwhelmed with where to start, so I keep not doing anything. I would love advice from you, like a step by step guide on where you would suggest to start towards healthier eating/living."

I think this is a really great topic and one that is very relevant to most people who are looking into changing their lifestyle. It can be extremely overwhelming, so if you're feeling that, don't worry! Some people deal better with throwing everything out, starting from scratch and replacing items in a whirlwind all at once. While for a few this may work, for the majority, that just isn't practical and the thought of doing that can start an anxiety attack. 

I've created four simple steps that can help you get to your final goals without breaking the bank or overwhelming you. You can take it as slow as you need to with your ultimate goal a complete lifestyle makeover. 

1. Educate yourself
I think one of the most important things you can do is to educate yourself on the changes you are making or want to make. WHY are you switching to organic? WHY do you want to change your makeup over to non-toxic? WHY is important to get your current cleaning products out of your home? By researching these topics and answering some questions, you get a good foundation and knowledge as to why it's important to you, how far you want to go and what you want to change. 

The Environmental Working Group is a great resource for knowledge and offers a Skin Deep Guide for checking personal care/cosmetic items for toxins as well as a Guide To Healthy Cleaning database.

2. Make a plan
When you figure out what it is you WANT to change, sit down and make a list. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want. This can be a very important step for you if you're having a hard time taking action. By writing down your goals, you can see them on paper & check them off as you go. This can be very helpful to eliminate the overwhelmed feeling you can get. Instead of doing it all at once, you've got a list to go by and slowly complete. 

If you're wanting to eat out less, create a meal plan. It you've only got 5 things you know how to make at home, NO PROBLEM! Make the same things each week. It's healthier than eating out and it's a great place to begin. It's OK to start really slow. If you eat out five times a week and cook at home twice, make your first goal to eat at home three times that week. Prepare ahead, know what you're going to make and then do it! (You CAN do it!!)

Put your list somewhere visible that you will see all of the time. Make it a point to check off progress. It will help you see that you are getting things done and accomplishing goals.

HERE is a printable list to get you started!

(Picture and printable link from THE PLUMED NEST)

3. Swap When Empty
This is a great guide to go by when you want to replace pantry items, cosmetics, personal care & household cleaning items. Still have a little bit of foundation left? Wait until you run out to purchase a non-toxic version of what you were using. Have half a bag of flour? Use it up and then buy an organic version next time. By doing this, you're not placing additional costs on yourself. If you do this for all of the items you want to replace, you'll eventually have a whole new pantry, personal care and cleaning arsenal. 

4. Remember Why You're Doing It
Whatever you're reasons are for change, remember them! This can be key in motivation to keep going. You've got complaints and concerns or else you wouldn't be desiring such huge lifestyle changes. Use those as tools to spur on your personal movement. You'll start feeling and seeing positive changes in your life which will excite you, but sometimes it's hard! By remembering those first motivations, you will keep going strong! My kids keep me moving forward more than anything! They ignite my desire even more for healthy living! 

Find your reason! 

Holistic Dentistry

I have to say, I absolutely hate going to the dentist and anything teeth related. Tooth problems just seem to be such a big deal to me. Maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but I wish it was something I didn't have to deal with. Not to mention, teeth are EXPENSIVE!

I had one cavity growing up. It was in a baby tooth and the dentist wasn't concerned with it since it was going to fall out. It did, and I never had another one my whole childhood and into adulthood. I was always told my teeth were very strong. My mom was really good about taking us every six months for dental checkups and cleanings, and going into being an adult I still kept up. I had a checkup when I was 19, teeth looked great, went on Acutane for 6 months, came back to the dentist and had NINE cavities. Coincidence? Nope. Acutane actually ruins your enamel. One of the lovely side effects of possibly the most toxic chemicals I've ever put into my body. I wish I had known at the time, I would have never gone on it for that and so many other reasons.

I spent that entire summer I turned twenty getting filling after filling. I was able to get white fillings which were fairly new. I'm glad at least that I didn't get a mouth full of mercury! Fast forward about 6 years into my fillings. I went for a cleaning and was told I had some decay under the fillings which were now failing. Another two years went by before I finally went and got x-rays to see how bad everything was and what I needed to do to fix it. At this point I was told I needed a root canal. This was all at the cusp of being very sick and starting to change my lifestyle to a much healthier one.

Within a few months of that appointment I saw a naturopath who greatly encouraged me to look into alternatives because root canals can be toxic to your health. I started researching it and completely agreed that a root canal wasn't an option for me. My naturopath actually had me start taking a supplement called biodent which is a pretty amazing support for your mouth! I decided to drag my feet once again, so along with a healthy diet, I took the biodent and also started oil pulling. If you've never heard of oil pulling, it's pretty amazing. Even if you're not trying to heal tooth decay, it's awesome for getting rid of bad bacteria and promoting overall health for your mouth.

To oil pull you'll start with a tablespoon size amount of coconut oil. Put it in your mouth and start swishing it around. Everything I've read says 20 minutes, but you most likely won't be able to do it for twenty minutes the first few times. I couldn't! Anything to start is good. Work your way up to 20 minutes if you can. I feel like doing it for 7 or 10 is better than nothing! You can do this once a day or numerous times a day.... depends if you've got bad decay or not. Make sure when you're finished you spit it out in the trash instead of the sink or toilet. I talked to a holistic dentist about oil pulling and he's all for it. He gave me one great piece of advise that nobody else told me. When you're finished oil pulling, rinse your mouth out with salt water. It makes such perfect sense since you're literally pulling out all that bacteria and it's technically still just sitting in your mouth even after you spit out the oil. This will eliminate all that nasty bacteria you've worked so hard to get out!

After years of putting it off, I FINALLY saw a holistic dentist. He's very used to people avoiding root canals, even to the point of having teeth pulled out over getting one. He x-rayed my teeth and said I actually have fantastic teeth and some of the filling I have he wouldn't even have done in the first place. The two most decayed teeth (one of which I was told I needed a root canal on) weren't as bad as the other dentist made them sound. The holistic dentist said he's seen much worse that were salvaged and didn't need root canals. We decided to do overlays on both of those teeth. I've had one done so far & am going back for the second one soon. I'm really glad that I found an alternative treatment to something I would have regretted. Our teeth are a very important to our health and to live. It's important to take good care of them and make informed decisions about what we do to them.

My Top 10 Favorite Beauty Counter Products

I started out with using BeautyCounters makeup before I tried their personal care products. I am so surprised which things have become my favorites. Some of the stuff I kind of turned my nose up at and thought I wouldn't like better than my toxic stuff ended up making this list. Below are my top 10 absolute favorite products and why I love them.

1. TINT SKIN FOUNDATION
This was the first item I bought. It's also one of our very best sellers, and it's not hard to see why.  It's a liquid foundation that's extremely moisturizing and smooth. It offers buildable coverage which means that you can apply it in layers to get a better cover up. You can put it on with your fingers,  a foundation brush or a beauty blender. It has a really dewy appearance which I adore, but if you like more of a matte finish, you can apply powder over the top.

2. TOUCHUP SKIN CONCEALER PEN
This little guy is just awesome. I love using it under my eyes and on my acne scars. Fabulous to stow away in your purse alongside your lipstick for touch ups!

3. BLUSH DUO
I like them all, but my favorite color combo is Bloom/Tulip. They're kind of those perfect colors that look good on anyone and everyone. I like how the colors of these blushes are true & go on vibrantly.

4. COLOR DEFINE BROW PENCIL
This is one of the things I didn't think I would like. I didn't even really care to try it because my favorite brow pencil was from MAC and I had been using it for years. I was so pleasantly surprised by this little pencil. I personally think filling in your brows is one of the most important things you can do in a makeup application, even if you don't wear a lot of makeup. If I HAD to choose four things only to do, it would be foundation, brows, mascara and lips.

5. LIP SHEER
I like a lot of their colors but if I had to pick two they would be Twig & Plum. Totally and completely different but both so amazing in their own ways.

6. CLEAN EVERYDAY SHAMPOO

 This was another surprising item for me. It's not that I thought it would be terrible, I just didn't think It would be worth switching over from what I was currently using which was the Acure brand shampoo. I was SO wrong. I actually waited until my hairstylist friend got, tried & loved it before I made the plunge. I'm extremely glad I did, because this shampoo is amazing. I have to use a third of the amount vs the Acure shampoo and wash my hair half as much. You do the math. 

7. PROTECT ALL OVER SUNSCREEN 

This is quite honestly the best sunblock I've ever used. It smells good, feels like lotion, isn't greasy, rubs in completely & doesn't leave white streaks all over the place. This is amazing for me as a mom because I have to wrestle my kids to the ground to rub sunblock on their faces and this just makes it so much easier! AND my kids aren't ghostly white & nobody breaks out from it, not even me!!

 

8. VIBRANT EYE PERFECTOR 

 My favorite thing about this eye cream vs others is that it isn't greasy and doesn't sting my eyes. I have such sensitive eyes and am not bothered by this one bit. It's made to combat dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles & to firm skin. Who doesn't need this???

9. SOOTHING FACE WASH

This is such a nice cleanser! It foams up just a bit and is moisturizing and well as smelling nice. I love how fresh my face feels after I use it.

 

10. NOURISHING CLEANSING BALM

Last but NOT least, the nourishing cleansing balm is just amazing. I kind of love everything about it. Texture, smell, feel....it's super luxurious and such a treat for your skin. You can use to to clean your face, to take off your makeup, or as a moisture mask.

 

That's it for now! BeautyCounter has lots more fun items and if you want to check them out you browse HERE! 

Oil Cleansing

My skin issues have been a thorn in my flesh for 17 years. I have used COUNTLESS acne treatments from over the counter to prescription acutane, proactiv, chemical peels, salicylic, benzoyl peroxide and cream after drying cream. At 19 I went to beauty school to become an esthetician because I was so tired of my acne. Nothing I did worked or if it did, it only worked for a little while and then I was back at square one. This was what my skin looked like one year ago. This is the worst I think it's ever been. I definitely believe (for me) it was a combination of health issues, what I was doing topically & food allergies. It's been a whole body thing where I've made changes all around & seen great results.

 These are my most horrifying pictures I want to hide, but I'm so proud of how far my skin has come.

I probably shouldn't be taking selfies in the morning after being up all night with a newborn, but you get the gist of it. I still have a lot of scars, but I'm going to be trying out a product I'm REALLY excited about & will post about soon.

If you told me a couple of year ago that the thing that would help me get my skin under control was oil, I wouldn't have believed it. Let me just say, this was NOT something I learned about in Beauty School. It seems like putting oil on your skin is the last thing you would want to do, right?

In ancient times the Egyptians, Romans and Greeks slathered oils all over their bodies. Olive oil has been long known to produce youthful skin, and women & men have used it in beauty & bathing rituals for ages.  Somehow in our modern day, simplicity has been lost to chemicals and treatments with names I can't even pronounce. We've come to the conclusions that we need to dry our skin out instead of nourishing it. That oil = breaking out and that moisturizing twice daily is "too much." What we fail to realize is how absolutely essential oil is to our skins health and appearance. If we are not putting moisture back into our skin, we  become dry and therefore our bodies produce excess sebum. This natural oil our skin puts out to compensate for the lack of moisture is actually what can clog our pores and cause breakouts.

Oil cleansing is so simple and I encourage you to give up whatever regimen you're doing for just two weeks to try it. Then come back and let me know your results and how your skin feels. I recommend purchasing an organic oil such as Jojoba oil. There are other oils you can use, but for acne prone skin, Jojoba is especially good and you can get an organic high quality one for cheap (This is the one I buy).

How To Oil Cleanse

1. Put a nickel size amount of oil into your palm

2. Rub the oil between your hands and then start gently massaging it into your skin. Continue to massage it in, making sure you're getting into your problem areas and using the same movements as if you were using soap to scrub the dirt away. Do this for about two minutes and then let the oil set for another 30 seconds or so.

3. Get a clean washcloth and soak it in warm/hot water. You want a bit of steam but it doesn't need to be too hot. Place washcloth over face, let it set for a minute and then gently wipe off oil

4. Put on a couple more drops of oil as moisturizer or whatever night cream/moisturizer you use.

For extra benefits, you can add essential oils as well. I recommend melaleuca which is fabulous for acne prone skin because it's antibacterial, anti viral, anti fungal and a natural astringent. Use it very sparingly thought because it's extremely drying. It's great for every once in a while or spot treatments.
 Frankincense oil is amazing for EVERYTHING including its healing properties. This is great for damaged or scarred skin as it can help heal. Lemon oil is amazing for skin as well as it helps to even skin tone as well as balance and brighten skin among other things. You can add a drop of your preferred oil each time you wash, or create your own blend with your Jojoba oil in a separate bottle.

(I use & love DoTerra essential oils! If your interested in purchasing some, my awesome friend Shannon aka @hippymedicine has a website you can check out HERE!)

Another huge recommendation I can make is to create a scrub by adding about 1/8 tsp baking soda in with your oil to form a paste which makes an AMAZING exfoliator. This would be a wonderful thing to add 2-3 times a week. Instead of using a wash cloth to wipe off the paste, use warm water while rubbing it into your skin and rinse off that way. You will have excess oil left on your skin after, but I pat dry with a clean towel and leave the oils as my night time "mask". This keeps my skin feeling so soft and it really gets a deeper clean and keeps blackheads at bay.

Costco Finds

When you and your family are all eating organic and using certain non toxic items around the house, things can get pricey. I LOVE that Costco has started carrying more organic items. At my Costco they FINALLY have marked the organic stuff with bright green labels so when you're walking through the store you can tell where the organic stuff is. Hallelujah. I'm not saying just because it's organic, it's healthy. There were a few new items they had there that I didn't buy because they had caramel color and natural flavors in them. Below are some of my favorite items I buy from Costco when we go every couple of months.

1. EPSOM SALTS

LOVE Epsom salts and I love it even more that Costco sells me a 12lb box of them for under $7. I use them for so many things, but my favorite is bath time. These are magical for aches and pains, and the magnesium helps us all sleep better! Your body needs magnesium to function properly (and most of us are lacking) so this is a great way to get it! I also use it for a face scrub & for cleaning.

2. ORGANIC PEANUT BUTTER

Two big jars of this stuff for a great price. I've found the trick is to shake the HECK out of it before you ever take the lid and seal off. I mean like get down shaking it until it could not possibly be separated anymore. That way when I open it up I don't start getting angry at the oil spilling all over everything when I try to stir it. Saves a lot of needless annoyance.

3. ORGANIC FROZEN FRUIT

My Costco recently just added three new organic options in the frozen fruit department. I was so excited to see this mix with the kale and spinach already in it. I didn't know this until I opened it up at home, but it's in individual portioned packs. Genius.

4. ORGANIC APPLESAUCE POUCHES

I'm not a huge applesauce fan, but when I'm out with four children & everyone is starting to lose it, applesauce for the win.

5.  BAKING SODA

The largest bags of baking soda ever created and the most useful of all the items I buy. I use it every single day. Add a 1/2-1 cup to laundry to boost your washing power, use it as a face scrub, cleaner, toothpaste, whitener, air freshener, for indigestion..... and so much more.

Why BeautyCounter?

I wanted to start this blog by sharing how I found Beautycounter and why I fell so in love with the products and company. I have been a makeup artist for 11 years and am also a licensed Esthetician. It wasn't until just a couple of short years ago that my life changed drastically because of health issues. That was the point when I started caring about what went into my body. We began eating all organic, I cut out every known allergen and processed food and did everything I possibly could to try and get better naturally through food and natural medicine. With the help of my naturopath, I was able to completely recover. A lot of my issues were thyroid and hormone related. It honestly and truly had never occurred to me that things I was putting not only in my body but on my body could potentially effect my health. In addition to a change in diet, I slowly started to throw away toxic cleaning products and make my own to use around the house. I started researching the products I was purchasing, making my own deodorant and toothpaste and being more conscientious about the things in my day to day that were going on my and my families bodies. The cleaning products were not so bad as a DIY project, But as a makeup artist it was very difficult for me to stop using my makeup, because I couldn't just make high quality cosmetics in my kitchen. I had certain products that I'd been using for years and was addicted to. And let's be honest, they perform pretty darn well. I dabbled in trying some organic makeup and wound up throwing it all away because it was completely awful. I also didn't want to spend an absolute fortune replacing things when I wasn't sure if what I was ordering would be good or not. Long story short, even though lots of things in my life had changed for the better, most of my personal care and all of my makeup remained the same. I wanted to change, I just didn't have the right products to make it 100%.

I was browsing Facebook one day and saw an invitation an acquaintance had posted about a brand called Beautycounter. The girl mentioned a whole line of non toxic skin care and makeup. I absolutely had to know more and despite not actually knowing this girl at all, I went to her social. I was completely enamored by the products as soon as I started testing them out. I hadn't ever found makeup that was safe and felt and worked so well. They also looked so pretty and I loved their marketing. It felt fresh and vibrant. I could not wait to order stuff. The lady who was the consultant that evening shared and talked about the company and everything they stand for. The fact that they refuse to use over 1,500 known carcinogens in their products. The fact that they're completely transparent about what ingredients go into their products. The fact that ewg.org rates every single one of their products as non toxic and safe. Every. Single. One.
So I don't have to think about it or look it up. They're safe. For me, for my kids, for everyone. I was almost completely sold, but then I remembered how a lot of other companies seem to sink their teeth into you and before you know it you're locked into them owning your soul and they're charging you $500 a month on autoship for product that you can't get through fast enough. So I told myself "If the company is like that, I'm not buying it." That was the first question I asked the consultant. I was shocked when she told me that anyone at anytime can just simply go
to their website, with or without a consultant, and purchase whatever they want, whenever they want and it's always $5 flat rate shipping. Oh and they have a 60 day return policy that's easy peasy. I literally have never sold any type of products as a constant for any brand and never thought I would. But that night, I immediately signed up as a consultant. Because I knew that this was a company I wanted to be a part of with products I wanted to use and share. My goal is to educate as many people as possible about the dangers of what we put on our bodies. I want people to know that in less than 30 seconds whatever we put on our skin is absorbed straight into our bloodstream. I want women to know that parabens (which are found in shampoo, conditioner, lotion, shaving cream, makeup and more) are found in 99% of breast cancer tissues. I want people to be aware that the FDA hasn't set up any standards or regulations for the cosmetic and personal care industry since 1938. That the European Union has banned over 1,100 ingredients and the U.S. Has only banned 11. That companies don't have to disclose their ingredients, so we never actually really know what's exactly in products we use. This is important to me, and I'm making it my mission to spread the word.

THAT is why I choose BeautyCounter.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at lindsay.esparza@yahoo.com.
Or if you're in the mood to browse my website, check it out here BEAUTYCOUNTER