How to Relieve Your Toxin Burden

Feeling confused and overwhelmed about toxic ingredients in your everyday products? You are not alone. You want a clean home and a healthy body, but everywhere you turn, the very products marketed to you may be actually adding to our toxic load. While each product may only contain a "small" amount of these chemicals, that are well within the regulatory limits, these exposure amounts start to add up.

This is called the cumulative or compounding effect. When you use dozens of low-purity, high-toxin products in a day, laundry detergent, surface cleaners, shampoo, lotion, and deodorant, those trace amounts of impurities can build up in your body over time. It's no wonder more people than ever now are experiencing hormone disruption, skin sensitivities, and chronic fatigue.

As discussed in our recent video, the government doesn't regulate how much air freshener you are able to spray inside your home. That means when you use a “mainstream” air freshener, you could be coating your home and yourself in a product that contains a cancer-causing agent like 1,4-Dioxane, technically within the maximum allowable amount. Then, add a laundry detergent that contains ethoxylated alcohol, another ingredient that can contain a cancer-causing agent. If you have a "maximum" plus another "maximum", you now have over exposed yourself to cancer causing agents.

If five of your daily-use products each contain some level of endocrine disruptors, allergens, or carcinogens, you are compounding your exposure. That's why we say: start small. Start anywhere. But start. Even replacing one item, such as your laundry detergent, can reduce the load your body is carrying.

Our founder, Alicia, shares from her own experience,

"My hope is that you don't end up sick like I was. It's so much easier to stay healthy, than to try to cure yourself from something you don't know how to cure. I created Rustic Strength to shortcut the process of detoxing your home with products you can trust. But even if you don't buy from us, make sure you're informed about what you are putting on your body.”

If you've felt frustrated, overwhelmed, or skeptical of the label "non-toxic," this guide is for you. We're going to show you exactly how to lower your toxin burden by making smarter, safer choices—one room and routine at a time.''

Why Cleaning and Personal Care Products Matter Most for Toxin Exposure

These products touch your skin, enter your air, and wash down your drains daily. Some of the most concerning chemicals found in everyday products include:

• Phthalates (found in most synthetic fragrances) – hormone disruptors
• Parabens (used as preservatives in most lotions and shampoos) – hormone disruptors, also linked to cancer
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) (a harsh detergent in most soaps and toothpastes) – irritating, also linked to cancer
• Formaldehyde releasers (used to extend shelf life in most “mainstream” products) – linked to cancer
• 1,4-Dioxane (a contaminant found in many “mainstream” cleaners—never listed on the label) – linked to cancer

Even though these chemicals are allowed in low, generally-regarded-as-safe (GRAS) amounts, chronic exposure from multiple sources adds up, and your liver, kidneys, and skin have to work harder to process them.

How Toxins Accumulate in the Body: The Science Behind It

The human body is equipped with detoxification systems—primarily the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, and skin. These systems work 24/7 to break down and eliminate harmful substances. However, when toxin intake exceeds the body's capacity to eliminate them, these toxins can accumulate in fat cells, disrupt cellular communication, and contribute to chronic inflammation.

This is why consistent exposure—even to "trace" levels of certain ingredients—can slowly compound into more serious health concerns over time. By reducing your daily load, you allow your body to perform optimally and recover balance.

Where Do You Begin?
Start with Your Health and Why You Choose To Detox

1st: Are you currently sick?

If you're already struggling with health issues, it's even more important to evaluate the products that you are using daily. Understanding the connection between your symptoms and your environment can be a powerful first step toward healing.

2nd: Are you ready to move away from the toxic chemicals in your life but feel overwhelmed by the sea of conflicting advice and disinformation out on the internet?

Between internet articles, influencers, and Facebook community pages, it's easy to get lost and feel discouraged with the lack of clear steps. Let’s start here, simply and without stress.

Simple, Beginner-Friendly Steps to Reduce Your Toxin Burden

1. Rethink how you smell things.
   Unscented is best—but if you need a little scent to feel good about a product, try to choose phthalate-free fragrance oils or essential oils.
   • Watch for hidden chemicals. Fragrance (perfume oils) is a catch-all term that hides dozens of chemicals. Rustic Strength’s Phthalate-Free Fragrance Oils are Prop 65 compliant, meaning they are free from the 624 carcinogens and 323 reproductive/developmental toxins listed under California’s Prop 65 act.
2. Make only one swap to start.
   Don’t overhaul everything overnight. Start small:
   • If you wash dishes by hand often, begin with swapping your dish soap.
   • If you're an air freshener lover, cut back to using it in just one room. Before long, you may find the scent so overwhelming it gives you a headache. This is when you will know that you can give it up completely.

Once that first swap becomes routine and you’re feeling more confident with adjusting your toxin load, you can then move forward to more product swaps.

Next-Level Detox Swaps

Your skin is your largest organ. While it’s primary function is to act as a barrier, it is not entirely impenetrable.

1. Detox your shower routine.
   Various factors, such as hot water in a shower, influence the extent to which chemicals can be absorbed into your skin. Choose soaps, shampoos, and conditioners made with high-purity ingredients to lighten your toxic load.
2. Upgrade your laundry routine.
   Your clothes sit on your skin all day. Standard laundry products can contain optical brighteners, 1,4-Dioxane, and hormone disruptors.
   • Rustic Strength’s Detox Set – strictly formulated with high-purity plant-based ingredients and without harmful chemicals like dyes, parabens, phosphates, SLS, or SLES.
   • Wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets – removing items like dryer sheets can help decrease chemicals that are cancer-causing, allergenic, asthmatic, and not environmentally friendly.

FAQ: Toxin Burden and Safer Product Choices

1. How do I know if a product is truly non-toxic?
   Look for complete ingredient transparency, purity testing, third-party certifications, and avoidance of common offenders like phthalates, parabens, and formaldehyde.
2. Why does it matter if the toxins are in small amounts?
   Even low levels of toxins can build up in your body over time, especially when they come from multiple sources daily.
3. Are natural or green-labeled products always safer?
   Not necessarily. "Green" is an unregulated term. Always read labels and choose brands that disclose everything.
4. How long does it take to reduce your toxin burden?
   You can feel better in as little as a few weeks, but the long-term benefits build over months and years with consistent changes.

Stronger Together: Small Steps, Lasting Impact

You don't need to be perfect. You just need to start. Every swap helps reduce your body's toxic burden, supports your natural detox pathways, and creates a safer home for you and your family. Remember: Small changes make a big difference. You don't have to be perfect—start with one product, one room, one choice at a time.

We Invite You to Do Your Own Research

Scientific journals and articles are the foundation of evidence-based decisions at Rustic Strength. Blogs can provide helpful information. However, if they cannot cite scientific articles, their claims stand on little.

• U.S. EPA. “Exposure Assessment Tools: Aggregate and Cumulative.” – Defines cumulative-risk concepts and why multiple low-level exposures matter.
  
• Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. “Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: Science & Policy.” – Links phthalates, parabens, and other EDCs to hormone disruption.
• Sathyanarayana et al. “Personal Care Products and Endocrine Disruption: A Critical Review.” – Summarizes human and animal evidence for phthalates, parabens, and musks.
• Darbre P.D. “Parabens Exposure and Breast Cancer: Mini-Review.” – Details estrogen-mimicking activity of parabens and mechanistic links to breast cancer.
• American Cancer Society. “Formaldehyde and Cancer Risk.” – Overview of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives as carcinogens.
  
• National Academies of Sciences. “Phthalates and Cumulative Risk Assessment.” – Framework for evaluating health risks from simultaneous exposure to multiple phthalates.
• ATSDR / CDC. “Public Health Statement: 1,4-Dioxane.” – Public-health guidance on exposure routes and cancer classification for 1,4-dioxane.
  

Why Ingredient Transparency Matters at Rustic Strength

Our mission began when our founders, Brandon and Alicia, traced their toddler’s severe allergic reactions back to “safe” household cleaners. Unable to find products that were both gentle and genuinely high-purity, they started formulating their own—free of phthalates, sulfates, 1,4-dioxane, and other hidden irritants.

Today, every Rustic Strength label and product page lists every ingredient—no secrets, no green-washing—so you can choose with confidence and keep harmful chemicals out of your home. See more about what we use and avoid. 

Our hope is that by understanding the components of our products, you can make informed decisions about what you put on your skin and in your home, ultimately avoiding a mysterious illness as our son had.

Don’t be fooled by vague marketing. Whether or not you buy from us, we urge you to read labels, research ingredients, and demand full transparency for a healthier family and planet.