10 Questions with Molly Abrigg
Hi, friends! We are so excited to have Molly Abrigg here on LSK today for a 10 question Q&A. For those of you that know Molly Abrigg, you understand how she has a contagiously vibrant personality that is truly captivating to everyone that she is around. She is a pure bundle of joy with a heart of gold, and not to mention, her singing voice is seriously a dream! She recently reached out to me about my interest and passion in making our home a haven of clean, pure, toxin-free products and I was so thrilled to chat with her and learn from her. Molly is a wealth of knowledge and I am so thankful for her tips and guidance, and I am even more thankful that we are able to share her tips and guidance with all of you! Read on below, xo.
1) Hi Molly! Tell us a little bit about yourself in 2-3 sentences!
My name is Molly Abrigg and I am a momma of 2, or 3 if you count my furry child. I have also been married to Peter for almost 11 years! My passions include chemical free living, my Young Living business, design and decorating and singing. :)
2) What do you think is the biggest benefit + most important aspect of creating a clean, pure, toxin-free home?
The biggest benefit in creating a pure, non-toxic environment in my home is peace of mind. There are so many toxins out there that we cannot control. So making good choices IN your home helps to alleviate some of the worries of being a momma. Many of the products we use in our home can actually BENEFIT your family. How crazy is that? That's a huge bonus to me. I can purify my home and boost my kids immune system at the same time.
3) How surprised/worried were you when you first learned that so many everyday products (household cleaning products, personal care items, and more) include toxins?
Honestly, I felt duped and hurt. But, when you really sit down and think about it, the FDA isn't really responsible for my family's health and wellness. I am. So that really empowered me. I first realized this about 7 years ago when my son was 1. I realized that there were things in my home that could potentially be making my child sick. My son was suffering from food allergies, outdoor allergies, eczema, and many other things. So, I wanted to cut out what I knew could be potential triggers for him. It was pretty shocking to me. Fragrance was the biggest culprit I found in my house - it was in EVERYTHING like bath products, cleaning products, face products, baby wipes, laundry detergent, etc. I was horrified to know I might have been the person making it harder for my kid to thrive in my own home. Fragrance is a generic term found on labels in all these products. The term fragrance is considered a "trade secret," so companies are not legally bound to disclose what chemicals make up the scent. There are often DOZENS and sometimes hundreds of chemicals reeking havoc on our endocrine systems! Companies can slap "fragrance free" on a label and it still may contain hundreds of hidden toxins. It's just so scary.
4) What are a few of your go-to resources (websites, blogs, or books) for information on clean living?
There are many resources I go to when I am researching and looking for toxins. Think Dirty is a huge one for me. Some of the products I use haven't even made it on the app yet. I have also really relied on other moms who are in this journey with me.
Some of my favorites include: www.thehomeademommy.net + www.thechemicalfreehome.com (I own all her books. They contain recipes that I love!) + www.safecosmetics.org (This resources gives a great list of the toxins we should stay away from in our beauty products. I feel like there are a few more that should be added to this list too, but this is a great place to start.)
5) Any tips for people who want to transition from products that they have been using to clean products?
If there is ONE tip I would share about turning over your home, is to not give in to the pressure of needing to do it ALL at once. I know that some of the products out there can hurt your pocket book, so doing your research is important. I would suggest starting with cleaning products first. Look under your kitchen sink. Do you have ten bottles of cleaner that you use for different things? The good news is, YOU DON'T need all of that!! We use ONE cleaning product in our home along with baking soda and vinegar. Thieves Household Cleaner relates to the frugal husband in your life. :) Bath and beauty products come next. I will say, I'm not an all or nothing person. It took me TIME. But, if you are an all or nothing type of gal, more power to ya!
6) Have there ever been certain clean products that you have tried, just to find that they don't work for you? If so, what have you learned from those experiences?
So, to a fault, I'm a pretty trusting person, and I listened to marketing on accident. Never rely on marketing. Companies don't always have your best interest at heart. I used a certain brand of diapers that ended up having a toxic ingredient that would cause yucky rashes. I also was using a brand of makeup that I thought was clean. Come to find out, it had Bismuth in it. Bismuth isn't a product that I wanted to use on my face. Ever. So, the moral of the story is, do your own research. I have a list of toxins that I keep in my phone. I always scan my Think Dirty app, and then google ingredients that I am unsure of and go from there.
7) Do you have a few favorite brands for clean care products for your little ones?
Some products for my littles that I absolutely love are from the Young Living Seedlings Line. This collection has some baby wipes in it that I use on my face and use as dryer sheets as well as on my babes! How amazing is that?? The bath gel and seedlings lotion are divine. I don't have to worry about any nasty chemicals or toxin seeping into my kid's skin. There aren't many products that I use outside of Young Living. It's simple for us and it's delivered right to my door step. Because they are such a trusting company, I don't have to worry about doing any scanning or googling! Dr. Bronner's unscented Castille Soap is also used often in our home. I'll add essential oils to them to make our own scents as well.
8) How do you find balance between sticking to clean living, but also surrendering to the fact that there are some things you can't control when it comes to toxin exposure?
Oh man, like I said before, there is a balance. There are so many toxins out there that we breathe in every single day that are out of our control. But, it's important to me that I make good choices for my family in my own home. Daily, I'm trying to do better but ultimately know that the Lord is in control of me and my family's health.
9) What are your top five favorite toxin-free household cleaning products?
- Young Living's Thieves Household Cleaner - this stuff smells like Christmas. Who wouldn't want their house to smell like Christmas? We actually use this cleaner for EVERYTHING...including glass and wood floors. - Good old Distilled White Vinegar - I use this as a fabric softener in my washer along with a few drops of essential oil. It also gets used in my homemade soft scrub too. - Baking Soda - This stuff is amazing. It is also an ingredient in my DIY toilet bowl cleaner and soft scrub recipes.- Young Living Essential Oils - I specifically use Thieves, Tea Tree, Lemon and Purification to clean around my house. I also have room refreshers and mattress cleaners made out of oils, witch hazel and a little water. - I do love a good Norwex cleaning cloth to dust. :)
1o) How about your top five beauty/personal care products?
-Young Living's ART Renewal Serum - this stuff is HEAVEN on my face. It's my secret primer even though it is typically used before your moisturizer. It also helps my skin maintain a youthful appearance. I need all the help I can get at age 37. It has Jasmine essential oil in it and it's my JAM!
-Soignee Anti-Wrinkle Cream - THIS STUFF! Whew! It is just so amazing. It has MSM in it. Will you google that? Your mind will be blown. Everyone needs some MSM in their system to help protect us from the free radicals and toxins in the environment. I add Frankincense, Neroli, Jasmine and Rose essential Oils to this cream. It is also a decent price. My husband thanks me. :)-Young Living's Orange Blossom Facewash - this also contains MSM. Clearly I'm passionate about getting MSM onto my face. Haa! A little goes a long way with this wash. I use it in the morning and at night.-Young Living's Savvy Minerals makeup line - this line of make up meets all of my standards for a chemical free face. It does not have nasty chemicals such as phthalates, parabens, SLS's, formaldehyde, toulene, propylene glycol, mineral oil, bismuth, lead or fragrance. I don't wear makeup much and love a natural look. - Last but not least, good old fractionated coconut oil! Yep! It's the best. I whip some of this up in my mixer with shea butter and add some essential oils and boom. Smooth as silk!!!!
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