At Biome we love to hear how our customers integrate sustainable practices into their lives. The Biome Blog Program invites you to share your healthy harmonious lifestyle choices with the wider Biome community. If you have stories to share, simply head to our
Green Living Guide and contact Tracey to get involved. The following story is from Jennifer Donovan. Jennifer Donovan is a mummy health blogger, freelance writer and mother of two. When not engaged in her day job in family literacy, Jennifer loves to get
back to basics and inspire people all over the world via her website and business Healthy Body Happy Life to live their healthiest and happiest life possible. Read on to hear just one of Jen's stories...
Steps to a low tox life
Living a natural life with a back to basics approach is important to me. I've always been into all things eco and organic, but in the past few years I decided I really wanted to step up the way I was approaching this in my life. This is how I first came across the biome website as I was looking for a way to reduce my toxic load and had heard about using soap nuts in the wash with essential oils. So, what is reducing your toxic load and why is it important? Well, at this point I took a short questionnaire offered by Dr Taz Bhatia, MD, just to see how toxic I was. How did I score? I got 21, so that's low to medium, and I was totally honest with my responses. My major downfall is mobile phone usage. I recently purchased an alarm clock so I no longer use my phone for this, and I also turn it off in the evenings and put it in a completely different room to charge. Although this is definitely an area I'd like to improve on, these days it can be so hard to ‘switch off' with information and connection at our finger tips at any moment of the day. Still, it wasn't all bad news, some areas I'm doing quite well in. A few years ago, my family made the choice to move to a five acre property in the Perth hills in Hidden valley and so now we are surrounded by nature and the most beautiful fresh air. This has also meant we are starting the process of becoming self-sustainable in terms of our food, and currently have chickens and ducks providing us with wholesome and yummy free range eggs, which we also love to share with family and friends.
I have recently started making all my own home care and beauty products. This not only saves me money, but they are free from toxins, smell completely divine and actually work perfectly for my body too. I choose natural and organic carrier oils wherever possible such as coconut oil, sweet almond oil and jojoba oil. Then, I infuse these with the products I need for my desired results. Often I use essential oils for the therapeutic benefits. However I'm always careful to choose quality, natural and organic ingredients.
Now, if you're thinking ‘Hold on sista, that's all good for you on your hippie block but I'm busy and I don't have five acres of land,' it is important not to be daunted by the idea of reducing the toxic load on your life. Just start small with one little thing and take it from there. For me it's most certainly a journey and I'm well and truly still on it. The following quote comes to mind. ‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step' Lao Tzu
Biome is truly a fantastic place to start and it was a great starting point for me a few years back. Some of the first products I bought were the soap nuts (
I absolutely love these!), and some
insect repellent sachets for my wardrobe. Other great options for reducing your toxic load include their
mineral makeup and
natural body care ranges, but to be honest, the whole website and store is a hidden treasure trove of delights. Happy browsing and remember, just take it slowly and
one step at a time.
Further reading Alternative Medicine Magazine 2015 Doctor Taz Bhatia, MD http://doctortaz.com/toxic/what-is-your-toxic-load/ Blog by Jennifer Donovan - Healthy Body Happy Life
