I have always been a pretty health-conscious woman, thanks to my health nut parents. When diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, I didn’t smoke, drink or do drugs, and I exercised regularly and ate organic when possible.
It shocked me, to say the least, and I started looking into other things that maybe could have contributed to the cancer diagnosis. The first thing I looked at was my skin care and make-up. I found that the United States bans only 11 cosmetic ingredients in skin care and personal hygiene products, compared to the 1,300 banned by the European Union. This blew my mind.
And is what led me to start using Beauty Counter. They are hands down my favorite skin care line. They have worked incredibly hard as a company to actually get laws passed and updated through legislation. They have immense integrity as a company with their chain of suppliers, and are a high performing product line. Not to mention their beautiful packaging! I am kind of a fanatic about the aesthetics of a product. If it doesn’t have a beautiful, simple, classic look, I won’t buy it, regardless of how effective or good it is. It’s just a thing with me. Perhaps my OCD!
When it comes to products for cleaning my home, my absolute favorite brand is Pure Haven. Their products are incredibly pure, as well as effective. I love using the Master Blaster for stains on clothes, carpet, and furniture (always do a fabric test first!) and the Surface cleaner as an all-purpose cleaner. They have the most amazing fresh and clean scents from using only 100% pure essential oils, and leave a very clean finish. LOVE!
I have suffered from chronic headaches over the last few years and cannot tolerate any kind of synthetic fragrance, so I have a huge appreciation when a company can pull off effective, high performing products without using harsh chemicals or synthetic fragrances.
While I do my best to choose clean home and beauty products, I am not a fanatic about it. I believe balance is a huge part of living a healthy lifestyle. I know many people that are super strict and that is awesome for them. For me, I found that trying to completely eliminate all-things-toxic in my life was causing me more stress, which then created its own toxic load on my body. We are all wired differently, each having our own stress loads that work for us and against us. Having self-awareness in this area, being totally ok with what works for you, knowing your limits, and letting go of the poisonous game of comparison is a great start to living toxic free.
I do my best to live well, exercise (for sanity and peace of mind), and eat healthy. And if I’m craving something, then I enjoy it. All we can do is attempt to do our best, having an understanding that some days look better than others!
~ Kuchen Glazier
Thank you so much Kuchen—you truly are an inspiration! And I really appreciate your balanced approach to wellness 😊. Make sure to check out her beautifully made gift boxes comprised of clean, healthy products. As a recipient, I can tell you that you won’t be disappointed!