Tag Archive: health

1. Sneak Peak Into Sabrina’s Bathroom Cupboard

   September 1, 2016 3:07 pm Comments Off on Sneak Peak Into Sabrina’s Bathroom Cupboard

   By Georgia’s Balanced Life

   When it comes to living a healthy and natural lifestyle Sabrina believes that what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in your body.

   

   Dedicating her life to investigating what it means to live a healthy, natural and organic life, Sabrina is a big advocate of chemical-free, personal care products. This is because our skin is our largest organ, with roughly 60% of what we put on our skin being absorbed directly into our bloodstream and internal organs. (This alarmingly increases to 100% for fragrances and personal care products we use on our armpits and sacred lady bits).

   Studies have shown that the average woman uses 12 personal care products per day and this increases to 17 for the average teenage girl. This means that on any given day women can be exposed to over 100 different chemicals without even giving it a second thought. Ladies it’s time we stopped and understood the real price we are paying for our beauty.

   Take your mascara for example, this little baby that for most of us is essential for survival, has been found to use mercury as a preservative. That red lipstick you put on for a night on the town has been shown to have lead in it and that hairspray you used this morning, which you thought was a godsend, may contain carcinogenic ingredients.

   

   Ere Perez Natural Almond Oil Mascara

   Majority of the conventional skin, hair and make-up products that are bought in shops today are often laden with toxic chemicals, allergens and irritants that can easily make their way into your body, blood and lymphatic system and wreck havoc on our hormones. For women these synthetic chemicals are especially dangerous as they mimic our beautiful hormone, oestrogen.

   We only have to look at the average age of puberty to see some of the scary effects these synthetic chemicals have on our own bodies. Since the 1920’s the average age for female puberty has declined by 5 years, with the average teenage girl now experiencing the onset of puberty at just 10.5 years old. This earlier exposure to oestrogen has been linked to depression, increased risky behaviour, diabetes, obesity, fertility issues and an increase in breast cancer. It is very scary when you realise that the very things that we as women use to make us feel more feminine, are in fact the very things that are costing us our femininity. Just when you thought men were off the hook (again) their not. Take the chemical phthalate for example. This toxic chemical is an endocrine disruptor and has significant consequences on men’s health, however it is still used in most conventional fragrances as it allows for the longevity of the perfumes scent. Phthalate has been shown to damage male sperm, alter sex and thyroid hormones and increase the feminization of baby boys.

   

   Natural Essential Oils are a beautiful alternative to chemically laden perfume

   Sadly our obsession with personal care products has also meant that babies are now being born already exposed to toxic chemicals. In 2005 the Environmental Working Group published two studies that found an astounding 287 toxic chemicals within the umbilical cord of newborn babies. Of these chemicals, 217 were neurotoxins and 208 were known to cause birth defects or developmental delays. The media has largely ignored this study.

   So by now, if you are anything like myself, you are probably wondering why you had no idea about any of this!

   Unfortunately the cosmetic industry is self-regulating. Meaning that the very people who make our chemically laden personal care products are in fact the very people who determine if those products are safe for us to put in and on our bodies. Shockingly to this day no health studies or pre-market testing is required for cosmetic products to be put on the shelf. In fact it is the opposite. It is not until the products we use start to negatively impact our health do regulatory bodies begin to look at the ingredients used in our everyday trusted products. Until then it is simply a waiting game, with us being used as the human experiment.

   

   Mukti uses all Australian natural certified ingredients

   So what can we do about it?

   Firstly do not feel overwhelmed by all of this. Whilst you may be tempted to throw out all of your conventional personal care products right this very second, this can often be expensive and unrealistic for most. When transitioning to chemical-free, certified organic products you should start with the products that have the highest level of toxic exposure, such as your deodorant which is 100% absorbed into your bloodstream, and then work your way backwards. The mobile phone app and book, Chemical Maze, is a great place to start when looking at the ingredients and toxicity of your products.

   Secondly start by educating yourself on unsafe ingredients and products and begin choosing chemical-free, certified organic alternatives. Please be wary though as it is a self-regulated industry a company can claim that their product is organic even if it contains only one natural ingredient out of the other hundred toxic chemicals.

   To know that your products are truly organic it needs to have the word “certified” in front of it.

   

   Lastly the answer is simple, we all have a choice. Every day we have a choice about what we put in and on our bodies. If we choose to place a chemical burden on our body we are only sabotaging our own health, advancing our ageing and making our selves and our own children overweight, sick, emotional and infertile. Our choice is simply to switch to safer, certified organic products. We all have the power to do something now before it is too late. Companies will stop creating the products if we stop buying them. The power is in our hands.

   As a mother, Sabrina knows just how important it is to have a quick and simple beauty routine. With this is mind Sabrina’s daily beauty routine is very minimal.

   Sabrina’s Favourites:

   Shampoo and Conditioner: Mukti Organics or ACURE

   Hair Treatments: Certified organic coconut or avocado oil. (Massage onto the ends of damp hair, leave in over night).

   Face Cleanser: Mukti Organics Balancing Foaming Cleanser

   Body Wash & Exfoliators: Divine by Therese Kerr &  Eco By Sonia Driver

   Body Lotion: Moisturising Body Lotion by The Divine Company or Mokosh Coconut & Sandalwood Body Oil

   Deodorant: Axilla by Black Chicken Remedies

   Toothpaste: Divine by Therese Kerr & Mint toothpaste by Miessence

   Tooth Whitening: WarPaint Natural Teeth Whitener

   Make-up: Inika, Young Blood & Jane Iredale (Mineral) & Karen Murrell 

   Perfume: Natural essential oils. Sabrina’s favourite scents are Ylang Ylang, Cedar, Patchouli, Frankincense, Sweet Orange and Jojoba.

   

   Karen Murrell All Natural and Long Lasting Lipstick

   Sources:

   1. http://chemicalmaze.com/
   2. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/revitalize/video/why-beauty-products-are-toxic-what-you-can-do-about-it-heather-white
   3. Therese Kerr, The Divine Company, Presentation from the Rawspirations High Tea, June 2015.

2. Reverse Osmosis: What is it and Why Sabrina Loves it

   July 15, 2016 12:40 pm Comments Off on Reverse Osmosis: What is it and Why Sabrina Loves it

   We often take for granted that the water we drink or shower in is safe and healthy but is it really?

   I used to think that by drinking water, bottled or tap, I was doing the best for my health. It was not until Sabrina, from Rawspirations, told me that she was installing a Reverse Osmosis system into her home that I realised there was a lot I did not know when it came to the water I was drinking and showering in.

   Whilst it is better to drink tap water above other drinks, tests have shown that tap water contains up to 260 contaminants, including hormones, viruses and chemicals, many of which are unregulated by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and are in fact extremely harmful to the human body

         

   Kitchen sink filter

   The most common contaminants found in tap water include: chlorine, fluoride, aluminium, water treatment chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers, rust, copper, lead, calcium, magnesium, parasites and bacteria.

   Take chlorine for example, a chemical prevalent in water supplies. When chlorine is absorbed into our skin through showering, bathing or swimming it can have a major impact on our body.  The scalp naturally produces oil to protect hair from damage and daily wear but when showering in chlorinated water our hair becomes stripped of the oil, causing it to frizz and become brittle.  By eliminating chlorine out of your water supply you are preventing dry and brittle hair, protecting colour treated hair and restoring body and shine into your hair.  Chlorine can also strip away the natural oils found in our skin, causing it to dry and crack and lead to premature ageing.  Not something we want ladies!  By-products of chlorine have the most dangerous effect on the body, as they have been shown to cause cancer of the bladder, liver, stomach and colon, in addition to allergies, heart disease and high blood pressure. This is just one of the contaminants found in water that is being absorbed into our bodies!

           

   Bath Filter and Shower Filter

   The easiest way to explain Reverse Osmosis is to first explain Osmosis. Osmosis is the movement of a low concentration solution through a semi permeable membrane into a high concentration solution, such as seawater or contaminated water. In Reverse Osmosis the idea is to use the membrane to act like an extremely fine filter to create pure drinking water from contaminated water. This is done by adding pressure to the contaminated water, reversing the osmotic process and forcing water molecules through the membrane.

   Within Reverse Osmosis systems the membrane is so fine that only particles or molecules smaller than 0.0005 microns can pass through to the other side of the membrane. Essentially leaving only water, while all the other contaminants, hormones, viruses and chemicals are flushed out. Just as a comparison so you can understand the size of 0.0005 microns, a human hair is 100 microns, the worlds smallest bacteria is 0.2 microns and the worlds smallest virus is 0.002 microns. It is safe to say that by installing a Reverse Osmosis system into your home you are consuming water more pure than natural spring water, at a tenth of the cost of bottled water and available whenever you need it. Sign me up to that!

   

   Reverse Osmosis Filter

   With a filtration system that advanced you may be wondering what happens to all the good minerals, do they get flushed out too? A common misconception is that drinking water is an important source of essential minerals for the human body. Whilst many minerals such as calcium, magnesium and sodium are obtained through drinking water, research has shown that only 3-4% of the minerals your body needs come from water and this can easily be replaced if you are eating a healthy and balanced diet. The main source of these essential minerals is from the food we eat and not the water we drink. The people at Aqua Safe advocate that it is better to remove chemicals and pollutants from our drinking water, along with some essential nutrients than to drink unfiltered water and consume many of the cancer causing chemicals.

   The second biggest misconception about Reverse Osmosis systems is that they waste a lot more water than filtered water produced. In order for the membrane to do its job properly and filter out all of the contaminants, it must be flushed out regularly. However the amount of excess water consumed is very low, with 1 litre of water equating to about 1-1.5 litres being flushed away. Which is equivalent to a single toilet flush or an extra minute in the shower for the average family. Aqua Safe recommend that people use the waste water on the gardens or lawn if they are concerned as opposed to consuming or showering in water filled with contaminants.

   As someone who used to rely heavily on bottled water, you may be thinking your safe. Unfortunately you are wrong. Despite bottled water being promoted as clean water straight from natural springs, in most brands this is not the case, with tap water simply being jazzed up with salts to give it a particular flavour (for an exuberant price). Despite their being an upfront cost for the water filter, this cost will soon be replaced within a few weeks as you will be saving on bottled water and the price of your health later down the track.

   Another reason Aqua Safe promote the use of pure filtered water as opposed to bottled water is that bottled water is typically very acidic, with a pH of around 4.0, which is not healthy for the human body. A good thing about the Reverse Osmosis system is that you can add pH filters and alter the alkalinity of the water. The human stomach is very acidic in order for it to be able to digest food, with a pH of around 4.0. If we eat and drink foods that are more alkaline in nature, the pH value of our stomach rises and causes our stomach to release hydrochloric acid, bringing the pH back down to around 4.0. However if we were to consume more acidic food and drink, such as bottled water, the stomach becomes even more acidic leaving no room for the pH of the body to rise. Due to the acidity of our bodies, regularly drinking alkaline water has been shown to have significant positive effects on our health as it gradually reduces accumulated acid wastes, reduces blood sugar levels and hypertension and improves liver function, ulcers and allergies such as asthma and dermatitis.

   The team at Aqua Safe carry the top of the range Reverse Osmosis systems, which retail anywhere between $255.00 and $943.00. Owing to their state of the art technology means that they are easy to install and require minimal maintenance and running costs. Once the systems are installed the only thing you need to do is change the cartridge every 1-2 years, which is as simple as a screw on and off process and will set you back about $70-$80.

   So before you take a shower, buy another bottle of water, or drink straight from the tap have a think about what exactly you are putting into your body. Head to Aqua Safe’s website, or talk to someone in their team about how you can further invest in the health and wellbeing of you and your family.

   Aqua Safe is currently offering a 5% discount on the already heavily discounted ASRO4 Reverse Osmosis water filtration system that Sabrina has just installed in her home. To be eligible for this discount simply use or mention the code word; Rawspirations.

    

   Written by Georgia Houston

   Georgia’s Balanced Life

   *All information can be found on the Aqua Safe website.