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How I’m Coping with Stress and Anxiety Naturally

Here’s how I’m coping with stress and anxiety naturally. Like many, during the COVID-19 stay-at-home for months, I have ridden the rollercoaster of various emotions. Many of the tips I used during this time I had learned and put into practice back in 2017.

A few years ago anyone following me for very long on Facebook knew I had been dealing with my beloved Shih Tzu Ginger’s health. Around Memorial Day 2017 she fainted at the groomer and that started a bunch of tests ~ cardiac, blood, urine, etc. She was about to turn 14, had a heart murmur, and also had loose teeth and periodontal disease. September was her oral surgery where she needed to have about 15 teeth pulled.

Thankfully we had already been going to a great holistic, homeopathic vet who was able to find ways to support Ginger’s little body. We are huge proponents of the raw diet, as well as giving her good water to drink. It took months, and finally our vet felt she was healthy enough to go under anesthesia. As an Ingredient Geek I had to figure out how I would be coping with stress and anxiety naturally.

Of course I was happy that she would finally get her mouth taken care of, however, it started my mind going to the anxious “what if” places. Do you know that place? What if she’s not REALLY healthy enough? What if being under anesthesia is too much for her heart? What if this? What if that? Argh!

Natural Ways I’ve Used in Coping with Stress and Anxiety

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Easy Product Swaps for Living Toxic Free

By Monique Bottger Leave a Comment

If you read my post Are You Avoiding These Top Toxins? You know you need to get some easy product swaps for living toxic-free. You may be overwhelmed and don’t know where to start. Since my passion is to help people live toxic-free, I am happy to help you with Swapping Toxins for Healthy Options. Making small steps truly CAN make a big impact for you and your family.

If you want to understand my journey and why I chose Pure Haven’s products, read my post Meet the Ingredient Geek.

Pure Haven creates fresh products, made in small batches, free of toxins, environmentally sustainable and cruelty-free. They adhere to a strict, six-step ingredient sourcing procedure and manufacture the products in their USDA Certified Organic facility.

The easiest way to get started on your non-toxic journey is with one of these bundles. They are made up of our best-sellers and are guaranteed to be 100% free of toxins. We also offer a full 60-day money-back guarantee.

NonToxic Lifestyle Bundle

Empower yourself to make healthier choices. This bundle will eliminate an average of 125 toxic chemicals from your daily routine!

Bundle includes lip balm (single – .15 oz net wt), shampoo (8 oz net wt,) conditioner (8 oz net), deodorant (2.65 oz net wt), toothpaste (4 oz net wt), sweet orange dream cream (2 oz net wt), sweet orange bar soap (single – 3.5 oz net wt), comfort oil (1 fl oz), surface cleaner (4 fl oz), master blaster (4 fl oz) and laundry detergent (sample size).

Valued at over $174, includes free preferred club enrollment and free shipping. Shop Here for only $149!

NonToxic Skincare Bundle

Nourish your skin with our exclusive skincare formulas with prebiotics and probiotics to balance your microbiome and achieve a healthier-, younger-looking complexion.

Set includes a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, night serum and eye cream, and a free charcoal mask and exfoliator.

Valued at over $201, includes free preferred club enrollment and free shipping. Shop Here for only $149!

NonToxic Ultimate Bundle

Our best-value bundle offers huge benefits, with safe, effective products that help protect your entire family from harmful toxins.

includes: non-toxic skincare bundle, non-toxic lifestyle bundle, free scrubbing cleanser (4 oz net wt), and $50 product credit toward next $100+ non-replenishment order.

A $457 retail value, plus free delivery and free Preferred Customer Club enrollment. Shop here for only $299!

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LAUNDRY DETERGENT
Monique & I were on a Zoom chat when she noticed I couldn’t sit still because I was super itchy. After a few questions we narrowed it down to a new laundry detergent I thought was natural as the probable cause. She gave me a few suggestions to help immediately until I received my order. What a difference! The Pure Haven detergent works great; everything is clean, no smelly fragrance lingering on my clothes, and best of all I no longer itch! ~ Shirlene R.

What do you think? Start with these easy product swaps for a toxic-free home.

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My passion is to help families with Swapping Toxins for Healthy Options. I can send you a list of the top ingredients to avoid. Let’s start the conversation about ingredients in products with others ~ Contact me to speak to groups, companies, or a few friends gathered together online or in person.

Are You Avoiding These Top Toxins?

By Monique Bottger Leave a Comment

Are you focusing on healthy living? Are you careful about what you eat and exercising? Have you thought about the everyday products you are using or exposed to? Everything from shampoo, hand soap, lotion, makeup, baby wash, toothpaste, and household cleaning supplies. Our health is impacted in so many ways. Do you know the top ingredients to avoid in personal care products? Are you avoiding these top toxins?

DID YOU KNOW…

Europe has banned more than 1,300 harmful chemicals from personal care products? The U.S. has banned just 11?
“Safe”, “Organic” and “Natural does not mean your products do not contain any toxic chemicals?
Personal and home care products could contain ingredients hazardous to your health?
According to the previous President’s cancer panel only 10% of cancer is genetic and 90% is environmental? That means you have the ability to control what is going into, and onto your body.

TOP INGREDIENTS TO AVOID…

There is a saying “It’s all about the ingredients, the rest is just marketing”. Because this is an unregulated industry, marketing slogans can say just about anything. I like to read the first 5 ingredients as they are the most active ones, then read from the bottom up as that’s usually where the preservatives are. Check out these videos for quick overviews. Below are some top ingredients the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics suggests avoiding. If you want to skip ahead, here are some safe and easy product swap ideas.

Fragrance / Phthalates

The word fragrance (parfum/perfume) legally hides an unknown number of chemicals under the umbrella of “trade secret.” I like to say that fragrance is like the “high fructose corn syrup in food” (it seems to be everywhere). Phthalates are a large family of hormone disrupting chemicals and are hidden in the word “fragrance.” They are linked to birth defects, breast cancer, asthma, early puberty, decreased sperm counts, diabetes, obesity, autism and ADHD. (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics – 2002 “Not Too Pretty” Report, and 2008 “A Little Prettier” Follow-up Report) Also see my other blog post What’s Hiding Behind The Fragrance Ingredient?

Parabens

These endocrine-disrupting chemicals can be absorbed through skin, blood and the digestive system. Parabens are not water soluble and can penetrate the skin. Repeated application of a product or multiple products containing parabens could mean almost continuous exposure. Common parabens are methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. Studies have linked these endocrine disruptors which mimic estrogen with breast cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity. (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics)

Petrochemicals

Look on the label for PPG, PEG, and polysorbate. Also look for ingredients that end in –eth such as laureth, steareth, ceteareth. The manufacturing process results in two toxic contaminants linked to breast cancer and other cancers: ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane which the FDA does not require to be listed on the ingredient labels. The European Union has prohibited use of ethylene oxide, and Canada prohibits the use of both 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide in cosmetics products. (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics)

Formaldehyde / Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives

Baby shampoo, body soap, body wash, and color cosmetics often include these preservatives. Formaldehyde and it’s releasers are linked to cancer and allergic skin reactions. Banned from use in cosmetics and toiletries in Japan and Sweden; in the EU, restricted in personal care products. (Campaign for Safe Cosmetics)

Overwhelmed? Don’t know where to start?

My passion is to help families with Swapping Toxins for Healthy Options. Check out these EASY PRODUCT SWAPS. Making small steps CAN make a big impact.

I can also send you a list of the top ingredients to avoid. Let’s start the conversation about ingredients in products with others ~ Contact me to speak to groups, companies, or a few friends gathered together online or in person.

My Journey to Becoming an Ingredient Geek and Why I Chose Pure Haven

By Monique Bottger 34 Comments

Curious about my journey to becoming an Ingredient Geek and why I chose Pure Haven?

Day we adopted rescue Gracie @GracieGirlJourney on Instagram

Confession ~ I like to read.

When I say I like to read, I mean I REALLY like to read. A true Bibliophile with LackaNewBookaPhobia (fear of being without a new book). As a kid, I read the cereal box during breakfast, the shampoo bottle while washing my hair, and the toothpaste tube while brushing my teeth… you get the idea. I read long into the night with a flashlight under the covers. In fact, I still read under the covers so the light on my Kindle doesn’t disturb my hubby.

I’ve battled various skin issues & allergies including acne, eczema, psoriasis, & contact dermatitis my whole life.

One summer, my eczema got so bad my mom put the prescribed hydrocortisone steroid cream on the inside of my arms and wrapped them with plastic wrap. I slept with gloves on so I wouldn’t scratch! The doctors also tried an elimination diet where I remember ONLY eating green beans and drinking apple juice. I’m sure I probably ate more than that, but that’s all I remember from that time. Side note, in addition to the red, itchy patches all over, I also wore glasses, had braces with full headgear, and had acne. Let’s just say, I was a vision to behold… and yes, I was smart, so truly a geek too.

My long journey of holistic & healthy learning

My Journey to Becoming an Ingredient Geek and Why I Chose Pure Haven

Us with our now Angel Ginger

Since I enjoy learning and researching healthy options, I’ve taken many courses. Everything from aromatherapy / essential oils, herbal remedies, and homeopathy. Thanks to menopause (aka mental-pause), everything got a bit crazy. My hormones, thyroid, and adrenals got all out of whack. I began having a variety of extra health issues, including Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) and Environmental Sensitivities (ES). Many fragrances often give me a 3-day migraine. I started making my own products, which was rewarding, but time-consuming.

I wanted to find one place to shop for a full-line of personal care products

My hubby & I got tired standing over a hot stove melting beeswax for my eczema lotion. I saw a post about products made with great organic ingredients and essential oils. Praying that none of the products would irritate my skin or give me a migraine, I signed up as a consultant to get the best price. Thankfully, I loved all the products right out of my kit. It wasn’t until I started the training that I learned about “greenwashing.” I THOUGHT I was reading labels carefully & buying products that were safe, natural, and organic.

Taken in by clever marketing, I realized I was not only wasting my money, but also exposing myself to harmful toxins. That made me angry!

That’s when everything changed for me. I REALLY started reading the labels of EVERY product we used. Roy says I’m now a “crusader” empowering families to choose the healthiest lifestyle possible. Unfortunately, many are unknowingly harming themselves with their everyday products! Take a look to see if you are Avoiding These Top Toxins. Unsure of the ingredients on the products you’re using? I’m happy to help you decipher them. I’ll honestly let you know if they look good, or if there are ingredients of concern.

Products that are guaranteed 100% free of toxins.

That’s just one of the reasons why I chose to become an Independent Consultant for Pure Haven. They create fresh products, made in small batches, free of toxins, environmentally sustainable, gluten-free, and cruelty-free. They adhere to a strict, six-step ingredient sourcing procedure and manufacture the products in their USDA Certified Organic facility.

Ready to start Swapping Toxins for Healthy Options?

Now that you know why I chose Pure Haven, are you ready to start Swapping Toxins for Healthy Options? Here are some First Steps to Living Toxic Free. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Let’s chat, and let me help you on your own natural non-toxic journey. I can send you a list of the top ingredients to avoid.

Monique, the Ingredient Geek has an uncanny sense of ingredients and what is reasonable for our best health. She is able to make sense of some complicated products that would baffle any normal person. Being an Ingredient Geek is her superpower! ~ Milea S.

Let’s start the conversation about ingredients in products with others ~ Contact me to speak to groups, companies, or a few friends gathered together online or in person.

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