Swap Out These 5 Things for Healthier Living

I've touched on this topic before, but it bears repeating: It's easier than you think to swap out traditional solutions for natural ones. While I admit that it takes a good amount of trial and error to find what works for you, I also know that it's completely and totally worth it. Here are 5 more ways to practice healthier, more natural living.

Natural Living Solution #1: Instead of traditional laundry detergent, try making your own.

Check Pinterest and you'll find tons of natural detergent solutions, but I've found that the healthy choice that works for me is a nice big Mason jar of epsom salt and natural essential oils mixed together. I just add a few scoops to a load with a half-cup of white distilled vinegar, and my clothes come out smelling like they've gotten a fresh start. To give them a nice post-wash scent, I throw them into the dryer with some wool balls and my favorite essential oils (my family is loving wintergreen right at the moment).

Natural Living Solution #2: Instead of a bubble bath, try a soothing detox bath.

Rather than suds up my tub with chemical-laden bubbles, my more natural living option is a hot weekly bath with a few scoops of baking soda, two cups of epsom salt, a half cup of apple cider vinegar, ginger essential oil to aid in digestion, and lavender essential oil if I'm looking to relax or eucalyptus oil if I need an energy boost. I come out of those baths feeling like a new person each and every time.

Natural Living Solution #3: Instead of using store-bought room spray, try a diffuser.

I can't overstate it enough: Using essential oils has positively changed my life in so many ways. I use them to deodorize my home, and I no longer feel guilt about spraying Febreze on furniture and carpets. Diffusers can be purchased pretty inexpensively online, and adding just a few drops of oils with some water can transform the smell of a room—and the mood of everyone in it. My personal natural living favorites—which as an added bonus also act as allergy relief—are lemon, lavender, and peppermint.

Natural Living Solution #4: Instead of using chemical toilet cleaner, try a natural mix.

My natural living solution is a combination of baking soda and—you guessed it—essential oils to clean my toilets. The baking soda combined with distilled white vinegar creates a bubbling effect that for me works just as well as traditional cleaners, and the combination of rosemary and eucalyptus oils I use instantly makes my bathroom smell like a spa.

Natural Living Solution #5: Instead of buying store-bought fruits and veggies, try growing them yourself.

I'll admit, this is a new world for me. But if all goes well, I will have cucumbers, broccoli, kale, lettuce, butternut squash, peas, and green beans practically all summer long—all without wondering whether what I'm eating was genetically altered or sprayed with pesticides. What's more natural than growing your own! 

Looking to swap traditional solutions for natural alternatives when it comes to health issues? Check out this blog post.

Stay tuned for more alternative solutions to traditional ways of living. Stay healthy!