The Herb Stop Blog
Clean Living: Try This, Not That Healthy Lifestyle Changes
Clean living is a lifestyle choice that prioritizes sustainability and choosing products with high-quality ingredients that support a healthier life. While we don’t have control over all the chemicals we are exposed to daily, we can make small changes to work towards the healthiest lifestyle possible.
We’ve created the following list to get you started on clean living. If you feel overwhelmed, don’t fret! Start with one swap at a time.
Switch Out Your Spices and Salt
Table salt, spices, and sea salt often contain anti-caking agents and heavy metals, which may contribute to an inflamed body and leaky gut. An unhealthy gut has been linked to chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and obesity. The UMass Lowell, a national research university, even reported that anti-caking agents may lead to damaged DNA!
Unfortunately, these anti-caking agents are commonly found in salt and other spices.
A clean living swap you can make today is switching to Celtic or Himalayan salts and fresh, organic spices. Often, the spices at the supermarket are well past their prime for peak flavor, are irradiated, and contain other additives like anti-caking agents, which isn’t something many of us want to consume.
We sell many single spices, spice blends, and anything else you could need to flavor your food. Not only are they non-irradiated but our spices do not have anti-caking agents, and our spices are much fresher than what you’ll find at the supermarket - giving you incredible flavor returns!
Choose Tea Over Coffee
Coffee and tea are two of the world’s most popular beverages, but tea has several unique benefits that make it an excellent alternative for the health-conscious.
Coffee and caffeinated teas, like black or green tea, can provide a nice pick-me-up in the morning. However, the caffeine effects are different. Many caffeinated teas contain L-theanine, a powerful antioxidant that may relax and soothe the brain.
Coffee gives you a faster, stronger boost of caffeine all at once - which can leave many of us feeling jittery. In contrast, tea’s L-theanine helps you stay mentally alert but relaxed so you can tackle your day without worrying about impacting your sleep, stress levels, or nerves.
Another benefit of tea is its powerhouse antioxidants. For example, our Antioxidant Tea comprises many herbs celebrated for their antioxidant properties, such as honeybush, rooibos, blessed thistle, and ginger.
If you’re struggling with switching out your morning coffee for tea, try our coffee leaf teas for a clean living swap.
Avoid Sulfates
Sulfates are surfactants, or detergents, that stick to oil, grease, and dirt, making them helpful in removing these substances from surfaces such as dirty clothing, hair, skin, or dishes. Many people enjoy sulfates because they produce a lather, which gives the appearance and feel of being “squeaky clean.”
In higher concentrations, sulfates may lead to adverse health effects. While it’s difficult to avoid all sulfates because they’re found in many household cleaning and personal care products, you can take proactive steps to reduce your exposure.
We recommend starting with personal care products. Sulfates harshly strip our hair and skin of natural oils, which keep our hair and skin softer. Switching to sulfate-free products is said to help those with sensitive scalps, improve moisture retention, reduce frizz, and even preserve hair color if you dye your hair.
Check out some of our best-selling sulfate-free hair products for some inspiration:
- Softening Herbal Shampoo: A gentle, nourishing shampoo that is perfect for softening all hair types. This shampoo is sulfate-free, 100% natural, BPA-free, and contains no harsh preservatives. Plus, you’ll love the light calming scent!
- Softening Herbal Conditioner: This sulfate-free conditioner is enhanced with botanicals and lightly scented with lavender and chamomile distillates. It is enriched with rosehip oil, vitamin B, and hydrolyzed wheat to provide plenty of moisture without weighing the hair down.
- Nourishing Shea Shampoo: You'll love this moisturizing shampoo if you struggle with dry hair. It cleanses the hair while leaving it soft and shiny. Powerhouse ingredients like shea oil, aloe juice, and kelp extract nourish the hair and protect it from environmental damage.
Switch to an Aluminum-Free Deodorant
Several years back, there was a lot of worry about using deodorants or antiperspirants with aluminum. The aluminum salts in these products prevent sweating, which many people like because of the “sweat-free” feeling. Still, there are concerns about aluminum lingering in the body after we use products containing aluminum.
According to Penn Medicine, antiperspirants with aluminum are unlikely to cause harm or accumulate in the body in significant ways in healthy individuals. However, this doesn’t mean that the absorbed aluminum is a risk we want to take personally - especially when amazing aluminum-free, natural alternatives are available.
A clean living alternative to traditional deodorants is our herbal deodorant creams, which are aluminum-free and fragranced with a beautiful combination of fresh essential oils. The base of the cream is natural ingredients like coconut oil, organic cornstarch, and baking soda, which we’re personally more comfortable applying to our skin.
Try these clean living swaps:
- Aphrodite Deodorant Cream: You’ll love this floral, fresh deodorant cream with a light deodorizing base. Apply a small amount after your shower and enjoy the fresh scent.
- Adonis Deodorant Cream: For those who enjoy a citrusy and earthy scent, try our delightful Adonis Deodorant Cream.
- Evergreen Deodorant Cream: This cream combines evergreen and citrus essential oils like tangerine and fir to create a fresh, widely appealing scent.
Drink Purified Water
The U.S. Geological Survey recently estimated that at least 45% of tap water in the United States could have one or more PFAS. Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals” are synthetic chemicals used in many products.
These “forever chemicals” are aptly named because they break down very slowly, so they are unfortunately here to stay in our tap water.
Typical uses of PFAS include the lining of non-stick cookware, fire-fighting foams, and fast-food boxes. High concentrations of these chemicals may lead to adverse health risks in some individuals and animals, although research is still being conducted in this area.
We recommend looking into water filters as a healthy, clean living swap. Once you’ve invested in a water filter, you can benefit from the cleaner water for years! The Environmental Working Group tested ten popular water filters to see what percentage of PFAs they reduced. If you don’t have a water filter, check out their findings. We personally all have Berkey water filters and love them!
We hope this article inspires you to make proactive changes towards a cleaner life.
Warm Wishes,
Herbalist Natalie & Herbalist Leilah