My Personal Skincare Detox Story

My journey to non-toxic living started with the Restart program. It was a three week elimination diet challenge that I took on with a small group of other individuals that met weekly to discuss the foundation of a healthy diet. We filled out a questionnaire at the beginning and end of the program to specify what symptoms we were experiencing. I didn't realize until I filled it out just how many things were a little "off" in my overall health. Everything from my brain being a little sluggish, my eyesight a little clouded, digestion troubles, and the biggest one - terrible sleep. 

To my complete surprise, at the end of the three weeks, almost all of my symptoms were gone! What I learned through this was the importance of a detox. However, a detox wasn't just an occasional diet cleanse - it was a long-term commitment to cleansing every part of your life. 

I started not only reading labels of my food, but of my household and personal care products as well. I was appalled by my hair gel, shampoo, toothpaste, hand soap, air fresheners, laundry detergent. I threw out almost EVERYTHING and started fresh. I researched all natural makeup and reluctantly threw out all of my new Sephora purchases (since giving them away would've just poisoned someone else). I found the all-natural section of my local Target and stocked up on cleaning supplies and laundry detergent. And I learned to reduce the number of items stockpiled around my apartment. 

Then I moved out to the country, and made another big shift. Instead of buying only all-natural products, I was tasked with learning how to MAKE them all from simple, natural ingredients. Our local Wal-Mart didn't carry most of my newly-discovered favorite brands and, after even more research, I was discouraged from buying most of them again anyway. I wanted to get back to the bare essentials. I swapped laundry detergent for soap nuts, made my own dishwashing soap from lemons and salt, used herbs to make my own tooth powder and used hydrosols for household cleaning. 

It was around this time that I got involved in starting a tallow skincare company. I was thrilled to discover just how many uses tallow had! We were overwhelmed with the tallow we were receiving from a local ranch and, with overflowing freezers, had no choice but to put it to use! We joked that you could find tallow in every room in our house. We had tallow soap in our shower, bar soaps at every sink, tallow laundry soap, tallow by our stovetops for cooking, tallow balms and creams of every variety slathered all over our bodies, in our hair, as a shaving cream, in our deodorants, and more! Not only was it a great toxin-free base for skincare, but it was SUPER nourishing and skin-conditioning as well. 

Overall, what I've learned from my journey into non-toxic living was that simpler is better. I no longer use five different hair products to tame the frizz, and I've discovered my hair looks better now than it did before. I no longer have consistent skin break-outs from chemical-laden soaps and lotions. Our society prizes over-cleaning and over-treating when mostly what our bodies need is LESS. We don't need easy-fixes that chemicals and extracts claim to provide, we need whole-body health, we need nourishment, we need to lessen the toxic loads on our bodies. 

Even after my initial detox, it took awhile for all the toxins that had been built up and stored away deep in my cells to come to the surface. I'd have random break-outs that indicated to me that my body was still ridding itself of toxins, which is why it's important that a change to non-toxic isn't just a phase, but a permanent switch. 

When I started doing the GAPS protocol, the importance of avoiding environmental toxins was again emphasized, and I was thankful to have already made the lifestyle switches that I had. 

I can sympathize that it's not always easy to avoid toxins, and that not everyone has the time or means to make all their own products, which is why we hope we can cut out some of the work for you. We are confident in the products we offer and will continue expanding our product line to make your switch to a non-toxic lifestyle as easily as possible. 

As a mom of three kids 5 and under, I don't always have the time to make all my own household and personal care products anymore. I'm happy to pay for high quality natural products from small companies I know and love. Brands - like Under Luna that make lovely shampoo and conditioner in such a nourishing and natural way, and Branch Basics for cleaning the home - that make my life easier are so appreciated.

And I hope that you'll find the same service provided to you in your skincare by Wilde Flora, because our rigorous standards are an extension of the standards we keep in our own homes. 

xoxo, 

Samantha, Owner of Wilde Flora Herbals