Avoiding Sulphates/Sulfates

As people start trying to use healthier and safer body and home care products, they start to actively avoid certain key ingredients. One of the most common sets of ingredients to avoid is known amongst the healthy living crowd and blogosphere as “sulphates” (or the American spelling, “sulfates”, not to be confused with sulphites/sulfites). There […]


Crisis Mode

On Friday, my daughter tried to be helpful. Unfortunately, she was helpful by cleaning the downstairs bathroom, the one that the cat uses. More on this later. Since finding out about my chemical contact and sinus allergies, we removed all allergenic cleaning products from our home, EXCEPT one. My husband felt it was very important […]


Weddings

This weekend I went to a wedding, about four hours from home. It was a beautiful wedding incorporating all sorts of rituals and touches special to the bride and groom. There were family of the bride and groom, friends galore, and lots of hugging and dancing. Food was typical buffet style. That’s what you typically […]


Aloe and Oil: After-Sun Care, or More?

← Previous Post: Gardening, Sun, and Sun Protection Two weeks ago, as mentioned on this blog, I spent way too much time outside and earned myself a nice sunburn. Not wanting to apply medication which could further thin or sensitize my skin on my tender arms, and needing to treat my burns, I immediately made […]


Gardening, Sun, and Sun Protection

Yesterday I put the plants I started indoors outside. Considering I had a jungle indoors, the process of moving all of that outdoors and starting all the seeds I should have started a few weeks ago took most of the day. I started around 10:30 a.m. when my husband went outside to do some work […]


Going to the Dentist

My yearly dental check-up and cleaning came up just two months after my patch test confirmed a number of allergies. I was afraid to book my appointment, especially since I had been having a month-long reaction since the patch test, but it had to happen. Taking a cue from my hotel visits, I decided to […]


Chlorine Sensitivity and Filter Buying Guide

Once I’d changed my laundry detergent and other household products, I was still developing rashes. Even in places where the only thing touching me was water. It had happened before; after a heavy rain, I developed dry, red rashes on my face. This time the reaction was continuous. I started noticing the chlorine smell in […]


The Price of Going Back, and the Conscious Choice

Before I get too far into posting safer cleaner and toiletry recipes, it’s important to talk about just what we’re getting into by stepping away from brand name products. Lots of people post natural “alternatives,” but very few talk about how your life will change. There’s a reason that companies make big profits selling us […]


The Importance of Dust

After seeing so many heartbreaking stories in Facebook allergy support groups recently, I wanted to choose a topic today that will help as many people as possible as quickly as possible. One of the most important things to consider when trying to stop reactions in their tracks is to consider contamination and allergen exposure routes. […]