I just read an article here about keeping towels soft. Are you thinking fabric softeners are part of the solution? Not so!
"Fabric softeners coat a towel’s exterior and often contain oils and petroleum-based ingredients that hinder its absorbency. This filmy coating may mean more frequent washing, which breaks down the towel."
It also means we're rubbing that chemical coating onto our skin when we dry off. Yuck!
According to the website Sixwise.com, some of the most harmful ingredients in dryer sheets and liquid fabric softener include:
benzyl acetate (linked to pancreatic cancer)
benzyl alcohol (an upper respiratory tract irritant)
ethanol (linked to central nervous system disorders) and chloroform (a neurotoxin and carcinogen)
And that scent the fabric softener adds to your towels and clothes? It's loaded with xenoestrogens that mess with your hormones.
The solution? Plain old vinegar in the wash water and genuine essential oils on dryer balls in the dryer.
Why did I write "genuine"? Because many essential oil companies aren't selling you the very best. If you have a bottle, turn to the back and find the ingredients. Are they listed on the back? That's where companies have to tell the truth about ingredients. Most will have "Not for internal use," which means they don't have to tell you what's in the bottle. Does it say, "Pure essential oil" on the front of the bottle? When it's listed on the front label, it just means it has SOME pure essential oil in it.
I only use Young Living Essential Oils. Young Living set the standard for quality and purity. You know when you're using them, you're not trading the toxins in fabric softeners for toxins in fake essential oil bottles.
So have your soft towels and clean clothes, but without the toxins.
Would you like to use essential oils? I'd love to help you get started. Click here to learn more.