Guide for visitors

We love having visitors.  I am extremely social by nature and my husband sees entertaining as a ministry.  Before we were married we talked about our shared goal of having people over -- bible studies in our home, couples over for dinner, playdates for the kids, etc. Then reality -- and illness -- set in and I have to say; I don't much like having people over any more.  Don't get me wrong; I really do for the social aspect, but I don't like the idea of people contaminating my home that I have spent so much time & energy making a safe place.  As such, we continue to have people over for birthday parties, short visits, etc. and do our entertaining outside.  This is infinitely better than going to other people's houses; however, with a new baby on the horizon, we know we're going to have lots of visitors so we created this 'visitation guide' to help our guests -- whether over for an afternoon or staying for a few days -- navigate the chemical free zone & keep our home pollutant free.

Guidelines for Visitation:

We love having people over and are especially excited about your upcoming visit J.  You may have heard about our efforts to make our household non-toxic, chemical-free, and fragrance-free (read more about it on PJ's blog posts Our Decision to go Chemical Free/Non-Toxic and Plea to Family & Friends.  You can also read a personal account of PJ's chemical sensitivity - Full Chemical Attack.)  In order to make your visit with her more enjoyable we’ve created a guide to help you navigate the fragrance-free market. 

For overnight guests, we will have acceptable personal care products available at the house.  If you wish, you may shower immediately upon arrival using our products (but keep in mind that many products are absorbed into the skin & excreted by the body for days.  Likewise, perfumed clothes may require multiple washings to completely wash out the smell.)  Short-term guests are asked to wear fragrance free for the duration of being in the house or visit outside to avoid contamination.

Quick Start Guide:  At the very least, we’d ask that you refrain from the following products during your stay:

• Perfume / cologne, body spray, etc.
• Scented body lotions
• Strongly scented hair products (shampoo, conditioner, gel, etc.)
• Hair Spray
• Fabric softener/dryer sheets on the clothes that you wear/bring

For those choosing to make a bigger impact by going completely fragrance free, we’ve sorted through some of the hoopla to help your knowledge base.  In addition, we’ve listed some resources for even more information.  PJ is always available for questions if you need help sifting through any of this.  Thanks in advance for your support!

Note: ‘unscented’ is not the same as ‘fragrance free.’ Unscented products contain fragrance to mask the scent; therefore it’s essential to read labels & avoid anything with the word “fragrance” on the list.

Laundry:

Wearing fragrance free clothes is the most important thing you can do.  If possible, please wash your clothes before you arrive in fragrance free detergent.  Always use fragrance-free detergents. Arm & Hammer Free & Clear, Purex Free & Clear, Cheer Free, All Free & Clear, Tide Free, and Seventh Generation all have fragrance free varieties, most of which are available for HE machines. Avoid Dryer Sheets, Fabric Softener, & chlorine bleach. For fabric softener use vinegar in the rinse cycle. For fragrance-free stain remover, try OxiClean Free, baking soda or borax. 

Personal Care Products: 

Perfume, Cologne, & Body Spray – This one’s easy: just don’t use it. 

Soaps - Are not considered a cosmetic by the FDA, so manufacturers aren’t required to list all ingredients on labels. Deodorant soaps are the most troublesome, as they contain an antimicrobial ingredient, such as triclosan, triclocarban, phenol, chloroxylenol, cloflucarban. Most soap contains synthetic fragrances and colors; however, there are many fragrance-free options for hand, body, and face soap, try Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented Bar Soap (which is actually fragrance-free) or Aveeno Skin Relief Fragrance-Free Body Wash.

Hand Sanitizers - Tea tree essential oil is a natural antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral…an all-around antimicrobial. You can either look for salves that contain tea tree, or you can make your own hand sanitizer by adding 2 -3 drops of tea tree essential oil to 1 oz. of vodka or vegetable oil. Only use when absolutely necessary – in other words, when you can’t wash your hands. Microbial strains that are resistant to antibiotics are not a good thing to have around.

Creams & Lotions – Many lotions contain strong fragrances and are used mainly as a perfume. Fragrance-free versions are available at regular stores. Look for the brands Lubriderm, Cetaphil, Kiss My Face, Aveeno, Nature’s Gate, Beauty Without Cruelty, and read the ingredients carefully. Pay attention to face creams, which can contain quite strong fragrances.  Overall, look for products that are made from plant-based ingredients, are fragrance free or scented with pure essential oils, and contain no synthetic colors or preservatives. 

Facial Cleansers - Look for products that are fragrance free or are scented with pure essential oils. Read labels and avoid anything with fragrance, parabens, ureas, and sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate. 

Deodorant/Anti-Perspirant – Look for fragrance-free versions at regular grocery and department stores, including Almay, Mitchum, Dove, Speed Stick, Right Guard, Sure, Ban, and Kiss My Face. 

Aftershave – usually contains strong fragrances and should be avoided unless you can find a fragrance-free version. There are a few, including Gillette Complete Fragrance-Free After Shave Gel and Every Man Jack Fragrance-Free After Shave Lotion (available at Walgreens).

Makeup – Generally the fragrances in make-up are light enough not to bother Pamela. No modifications necessary, but please don’t apply in her presence.

Nail Polish and Remover – These are incredibly toxic, but you can use outside of the house; arriving when the polish/remover is dry. 

Shaving Cream – Every Man Jack and Kiss My Face both offer fragrance-free shaving cream. You can also just use fragrance-free soap for this.

Sunscreen – Sunscreen tends to be heavily fragranced but there are many safe alternatives. Coppertone, Banana Boat, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Nature’s Gate, and Alba all make fragrance-free sunscreen lotion. (Note that Banana Boat often puts the term “fragrance-free” on the back of their bottle rather than the front.) 

Hair Care Products: All mainstream products contain questionable or harmful ingredients, mostly petroleum-based.  Avoid products that contain sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, cocamide DEA, cocamidopropyl betaine, stearalkonium chloride, quaternium-15, parabens, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea, TEA and DEA, selenium sulfide, recorcinol, cresol, polyvinylpirrolidone plastic (PVP), formaldehyde, detergents, PVP/VA copolymer, aerosol propellants, fragrance and colors

Hair spray is the most offensive, but shampoos, conditioners, & hair styling products are also problematic.  Please read labels carefully and avoid any of the above ingredients as much as possible. Many of the more natural products can also contain some problem ingredients, so reading labels is very important. 

Look for the brands Earth Science, Jason, Magick Botanicals, Desert Essence, Alba, Aveda, and Burt’s Bees.  Make sure they are “Fragrance free.”

For a list of products that we use – everything from eye cream to night cream & everything in between, just ask J.

For more information, visit:

The Naked Truth Project

The Skin Deep Cosmetic Safety Database

Think Before You Stink

Thanks for your efforts in preserving PJ's health – making her visit with you more enjoyable – as well as keeping our house toxin free!  We appreciate it.