Updated May 2025

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Taking control of your health should not be a competitive endeavor. We’re not out here trying to win a game. I don’t believe in extremes or making anyone feel bad about their choices. Instead, let’s embrace a toxin-free(ish) approach, where every small step toward a holistic lifestyle makes a significant difference. My motto is ‘We don’t do fear. We do facts, and we do fun.’

The internet is packed full of tips and tricks to detox your life. But if you try to do it all at once, you’re going to spend a TON of money and stress yourself out so much that it will all be futile. There’s so much misinformation out there about products – which ones are good for you vs. which are bad, how much it costs to live toxin-free, etc. It was confusing for me (and stressful, too!) when I started my path towards living a more holistic lifestyle.

So today, I’m going to tell you exactly what I would do if I went back in time and started this journey from scratch. As an environmental toxins lawyer, I help women live a more toxin-free and holistic lifestyle without giving up their sanity or blowing their budget. You don’t need to waste your time Googling and guessing and worrying!

You’ll also get a sneak peek into my course ‘Toxin Free In 3’, so if you’ve been curious about what it’s like inside the course, you won’t want to miss this! 

By the end of this episode, I hope you’ll be inspired to make small, manageable changes that can have a big impact on your health and the health of our planet. Let’s embark on this toxin-free(ish) journey together!

In this episode, I chat about:

• Why it’s important to take one small step at a time 
• The first three steps I would take on this journey
• Extra holistic lifestyle tips
• How to read labels
• How to shop for clean products
• A sneak peek into my course ‘Toxin Free in 3‘

First, let’s talk about what it means to live a holistic lifestyle. Holistic living is the art of living in a way that benefits every aspect of your life – your mind, body, and soul. Oftentimes, people focus on one area of their life to improve. Exercise, for example, is a big one. People want to improve their bodies. While that’s a fantastic goal, holistic living wants you to also think about how your lifestyle impacts your mind and soul. A holistic lifestyle focuses on the big picture of your life, not just one area.

I know what you’re thinking – “I barely have time to do ONE thing for myself. How can I possibly focus on everything to live holistically?”

Don’t you worry, friend. There are some easy things you can do to live more holistically. Living a toxin-free life does not mean you need to be hyper-vigilant to the point of exhaustion. If you’re overwhelmed and anxious because of your pursuit of a cleaner lifestyle, this is your sign to take a step back.

Remember, living holistically isn’t something you do then you’re done. There is no such thing as completely toxin-free living, and that is not a goal that anybody should be striving for. You can make small changes every day to work towards a more holistic lifestyle. You don’t have to do everything; you just have to start somewhere!

With that being said, let’s get into some benefits of a holistic lifestyle.

What Are The Benefits of a Holistic Lifestyle?

There are sooo many benefits; you wouldn’t believe it. The miracles I’ve seen from people who remove harmful toxins and embrace a more natural living approach for their lives? There are too many to name, but here are just a handful of examples:

• Healing Hashimoto’s (my story!)

• Reduced seasonal allergies

• Cleared acne

• Balanced Hormones

• Overcoming Anxiety

Honestly, there are so many examples, but let’s talk about a few big benefits of living a holistic lifestyle.

BALANCING HORMONES

Toxins can really jack up your hormones, specifically, endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors contribute to hormone imbalances linked to PMS, PCOS, infertility, breast cancer, birth defects, thyroid disorders, and more.

Here are a few things you can do to limit your exposure to endocrine disruptors:

• Filter your water

• Avoid synthetic fragrance in your cleaners and products

• Dust and vacuum often

• Limit eating or drinking from plastic

• Limit fast food packaging

• Buy organic fruits and vegetables

• Avoid anything sprayed with a flame retardant

Don’t forget – you can’t avoid all toxins all the time! They are truly everywhere. Just do your best, and you’re already doing better than most. You will notice an improvement in any hormone imbalances you’re experiencing!

REDUCE STRESS, ANXIETY, and DEPRESSION

Listen, you have enough to deal with every day. You have less time but are expected to do more. Our nervous systems were never meant for all this bombardment, busy schedules, and multitasking. It’s not sustainable, and it’s contributing to major health issues, especially in women.

There isn’t a single cause for these things, but there are common root causes:

• Estrogen dominance

• Vitamin and mineral deficiency

• Hypothyroidism

• Poor gut health

• Trauma

• Blood sugar imbalance

• Diet

• Levels of alcohol consumption

• How often you exercise

• How much time you spend outdoors

• How much sleep you get

Addressing root causes and triggers is important to figure out WHY you feel anxious. Many people are looking for more holistic ways to manage feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety other than prescription medication that may come with a host of adverse effects and can be addictive. Holistic remedies are known to be effective at managing anxiety symptoms without the risks or side effects of certain medications. Here are some holistic alternatives that have been studied extensively and are rooted in published science.

Living a more stress-free life means different things to different people, but I believe that everyone can benefit from bringing calm into more areas of their life. It’s a process and it takes time, but it’s worth it.

PAIN RELIEF

Instead of slapping a band-aid on our health issues, holistic healing identifies and treats the underlying cause of disease.

How many of us grew up hearing that chronic disease was genetic? Well, I’m here to tell you that is FALSE! That belief keeps many of us sick and stuck in a healthcare system that manages symptoms with pharmaceuticals but never addresses the root cause. Over 80% of chronic disease is environmental, meaning our daily choices and habits are what directly impact our health.

So much of what is labeled as a “disease” is just the symptom.

• High cholesterol

• High Blood Pressure

• Thyroid issues

• Candida

• PMS

• Infertility

• Insomnia

• PCOS

• Anxiety

If so many of these health issues are just symptoms, what do these symptoms point to? Every single one of these things is linked to your metabolic health and your endocrine system. Start adopting holistic living habits and start addressing those root causes and healing them at their source.

I could go on and on about the benefits of a holistic lifestyle. But honestly, you never know how it will positively affect you until you try living holistically!

Phase 1: Baby Steps

Like you, I’m all about simple ways to have a holistic lifestyle. There’s no need to make it complicated! You can reduce your toxin exposure by focusing on these five things in your home that are contributing the most harm to your family.

I call these the “Big 5” because they have the highest concentration of toxins, and you’re exposed to them the most often. They deserve your time, attention, and, if you’re able, an investment. They come with a higher risk because they come with multiple toxins, and you’re exposed to them all the time! If you can address these five areas, you’re so much further ahead than a lot of people!

Getting the “Big 5” out of your home will make a huge difference to living more holistically and toxin-free! If you want to…

• Learn what to prioritize first to get the biggest bang for your health buck

• How to read labels and what to look for while shopping in stores

• Learn about the 25 most toxic ingredients to avoid

• Get a toxin-free product checklist

…Then download my free low-stress toxin-free roadmap! This is the perfect place to start your holistic, toxin-free journey!

Step 1. Eliminate Synthetic Fragrances

The first thing you should do is get rid of as much synthetic fragrance in your home as possible. I’m talking about anything in your home that you put on your body, that you have to make your home smell good, or anything else containing a synthetic fragrance. Here are a few common examples:

• Febreze room spray
• Air freshener plugins
• Wax melts
• Scented candles
• Scented location
• Perfume
• Fragranced trash bags

Synthetic fragrance can also be hidden in things like your cosmetics, skincare, laundry detergent, and hair care products.

What’s wrong with synthetic fragrances?

There is a very good chance they contain a class of chemicals called phthalates. Phthalates stick to that fragrance, and they make them long-lasting. Whenever you use something and hours later, you can still smell it, that’s how you know there are phthalates in there. 

Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors. They have a similar shape to estrogen in our bodies. When they get into our bodies, they can block or mimic our estrogen, and that disruption of our hormones leads to a whole host of health issues, like:

• Endometriosis
• Thyroid issues
• Infertility
• Breast cancer

Natural fragrances like essential oils, plants, bark, leaves, citrus, or fruit will dissipate fairly quickly, and the smell won’t stick around for a long time. So if you’re using something and the smell sticks around for a long time, you know there are likely toxins in there.

The Swap

Rather than purchasing endocrine-disrupting fragrances and products, use pure essential oils in a diffuser on an intermittent setting for a home fragrance that lasts all day. Choose perfume and personal care products that are free of endocrine-disrupting toxins. 

I did a whole series on the Toxin-Free-Ish podcast about fragrances. Check them out!

• Part 1: Safe Synthetics in Perfume vs. Natural Scents
• Part 2: Understanding Fragrance Allergens and Reading Labels
• Part 3: The Link Between Fragrance & Infertility

Step 2. Analyze Cleaning Supplies

We clean our homes with toxic chemicals. We’re basically saying we don’t like germs, and we want to clean the germs up, but we’re going to replace those germs and expose ourselves to toxic chemicals instead. 

In a published study by Chemosphere, scientists tested 30 cleaning products that included a mix of multipurpose and glass cleaners, as well as air fresheners. The analysis detected 530 unique VOCs, including 193 with the potential to cause health harms such as:

• Respiratory system damage
• Asthma
• Increased cancer risk
• Developmental and reproductive problems
• Infertility

That’s probably what you’re cleaning your house with! When you go to Target and you buy things off of store shelves, that’s what you’re getting. The fragrance-free options scored significantly better and safer in this study. That doesn’t surprise me because fragrances, which we just talked about, have phthalates in them. By choosing fragrance-free, you’re automatically taking away a significant amount of harmful ingredients.

What are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)?

Just being a VOC in itself doesn’t make it bad, harmful, or toxic. Essential oils are a VOC. Anything that you can smell is volatile, which means it dissipates quickly in the air. Examples are a banana ripening, flowers blooming outside, etc.

Are You Cleaning with Bleach?

Chlorine bleach is a halogen, meaning it competes with other halogens in your body. Iodine is another halogen, and it’s important to your body because it’s what your thyroid needs to function. 

When you’re around, inhaling, or touching chlorine bleach, that chlorine is getting into your system. It attaches itself to receptor sites in your thyroid, similar to the way endocrine disruptors can attach themselves to your receptor sites in your body as well, which can lead to hypothyroidism. So, if you’re using chlorine bleach, you’re putting your body at risk for hypothyroidism.

Here’s the thing. You don’t need to use bleach to disinfect. There isn’t bleach in my home because there’s no reason for me to have it. There would never be a moment where I would feel like I need to buy some bleach and take care of that.

The Swap

You don’t need toxins to clean your house. There are some fantastic toxin-free cleaners on the market now that work!

There is a company that I love called Force of Nature. They make a completely toxin-free, EPA-registered disinfectant that works as well as bleach and has zero harmful ingredients in it. It works fantastic, and that’s such an easy swap to make to get chlorine bleach out of your life.

Get my whole list of clean, toxin-free cleaning supplies in my Toxin Free Shopping Guide. The brand Thieves is my favorite! Use Code SHAREYL for 10% off your first order!

Step 3. Ditch the Detergent

Switching your laundry detergent takes a little bit of a mindset shift. A lot of people don’t think laundry detergent is something they need to be super concerned about, but it’s one of the things that you should be the most concerned about. 

When you wash your clothes in laundry detergent, especially if there’s any fabric softener involved, a lot of chemicals are left over. They’re all not just washed away in the wash. They attach themselves to your clothing, sheets, and towels you use every day. Then they’re absorbed into your skin when you wear and sleep on them. 

Fragrance is one of the biggest culprits in laundry detergent, but there are other issues as well. Most laundry detergents contain ethoxylated ingredients, which leave cancer-causing contaminants behind. I talk about this more in-depth in episode #40. What you wash your clothing with matters so much.

The Swap

I promise you – shopping for toxin-free laundry products isn’t as difficult as you think! Throw out your Tide detergent and purchase a toxin-free laundry detergent option. You can find my recommendations in my Toxin Free Shopping Guide.

I did a Spring Cleaning series on the podcast a while back. Listen to the episodes!

• Why You Should Ditch the Dryer Sheets
• Why You Should Detox Your Laundry Detergent

Psst… Grab my Green Cleaning Guide to learn ingredients to avoid, what companies are greenwashing you, and which cleaners are really the greenest.

Step 4. ADDRESS YOUR HOME’S AIR QUALITY

Guess what? You’ve already started this one by ditching artificial fragrances and swapping your household cleaners and laundry detergent. Good for you! Here are a few other things you can do:

• Open your windows for 15-30 minutes a day

• Don’t wear shoes in your home

• Vacuum regularly

• Wet dust

• Invest in an air filter (especially if you live in an area with poor outdoor air quality!)

According to the World Health Organization, around 3.8 million people a year die from exposure to household air pollution. The products we use to clean our house often make our environment untenable, and we don’t even realize it. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to all kinds of health issues like asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer, pulmonary disease, heart attacks, and more.

Step 5. SWAP YOUR DEODORANT

Traditional deodorants have aluminum salts in them to clog your pores and stop sweating. It’s convenient, but it clogs your natural detox pathways. Sweat, especially from armpits, releases toxins from your body. You can see the problem here if conventional deodorants are blocking that pathway!

Many of the ingredients found in conventional deodorants are known hormone disruptors. Over time, the use of them in our products can lead to hormone imbalance, PMS, PCOS and eventually, autoimmune, infertility, and breast cancer. This is especially true since you apply deodorant so close to your breasts and lymph system.⁣ Switch to all-natural deodorant, and you’ll be good to go.