#17 Interview: How to Home Detox for Environmental Wellness w. Solange Trotman

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[00:00:30] Natalie: As I continued to produce more and more podcast episodes. So while I'm still relatively early on and make sense to just. Like the bullet and change the numbers. Now, even though it means the social media posts are going to be messed up and yada yada, yada. I just have to move forward. So.

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[00:01:07] Natalie: So last week was a different kind of episode. I did snippets of a live coaching session I did with one of my clients. Who allowed me to share for recording? And that was just really good. And. It wasn't the whole.

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[00:01:49] Natalie: And you can have an action step ready to move forward.

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[00:02:04] Natalie: So I'm not going to say, anything more, I'm going to get right into the episode and look out for more guest episodes in the near future.

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[00:02:23] Solange: Hello. Thank you guys for having me. Um, my name is Solange, like Natalie said. Uh, I'm the founder of Discover Bliss. I'm a certified holistic aesthetician and health coach, and my passion is really just to spread the importance of living a healthy, holistic style from the inside out.

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[00:02:44] Natalie: And you guys have to know that Solange is literally, when you think of someone who embodies wellness, Solan is the person that comes to mind and, Aw, thank you. She has such a kind aura, such a peaceful aura, such a joyful aura. It's just good to be in her presence and I'm so lucky to have her as a friend and to get to foster in real life.

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[00:03:23] Natalie: All right, so Solan, we're gonna get started. I want you to tell us about home detoxing. Um, I don't know anything about this topic, and I remember telling you, I don't want you to give me any clues or I just wanna find out everything right, right away, fresh, and live.

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[00:03:55] Natalie: The kitchen's my favorite place, but because I get to eat there. So let's see, let's see why it's important, though.

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[00:05:01] Natalie: So can you tell us a little bit more about specifically non-stick? Okay. Three things. Non-stick silicone utensils, and also plastic containers, because I feel like those are three very common things that I see people using in their homes all the time.

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[00:05:43] Solange: So when it comes to non-stick, there are better options. And you know what, there's also cast iron. You just have to know how to use cast iron. And same with stainless steel. The pan needs to be like super hot, make sure you put a drop of water and it's, if it's sizzled, then your pan is ready to be used. . When we use silicone utensils, um, it's important that they're not like heated , it's a safer option than plastic.

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[00:06:28] Solange: Do not microwave them and do not heat them up because these chemicals are actually leaking into our foods.

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[00:06:46] Solange: So if you can switch to healthier cooking oils like coconut, olive, ghee, ham, chia, walnut, avocado, so just just know that omega six fats not only fuel your body's inflammation, but it also reduces the ability of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats in your tissues resulting in more inflammation.

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[00:07:32] Natalie: Okay, I'm on board with this. These are the two oils I use, so good.

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[00:07:46] Solange: They have so many antiviral, antibacterial benefits, medicinal benefits. But what happens with conventional spices is that it's being, eradiated, which means that it's being put into a big microwave to extend their shelf life. And unfortunately, this is what kills the medicinal benefits of our herbs. Now that summer is here, we can purchase organic spices, uh, fresh, or you can grow them on your balcony or your backyard. That is a really great alternative and, and purchasing organic spices in small quantities. Because this preserves their freshness and their potency.

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[00:08:42] Natalie: And you know what's so funny? I'm glad you talked about the spices I actually had, uh, spices, I think it was the, um, you know, the chili flakes that you put on like pizza? Yeah. And so I remember I just grabbed them out the cupboard and, I put them in my food and I didn't really taste any spice. I checked the back and was like expired and I just, I don't think I realized that spices ever expire in the first place.

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[00:09:16] Solange: Why not, why not? You know, add it, add it into our foods, right?

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[00:09:31] Solange: There is heavy metals in our water, fluoride, antibiotics in our water, medications we have no idea about. Mm-hmm. So this is why it's really important to have a filter at a home. We personally at home use the scent tevia, uh, mineralized, alkaline water system. And so, okay, this, this type of filter, um, gets rid of, not only does it get rid of all these chemicals that I just mentioned, but it adds minerals into your water, which is amazing because nowadays we are quite depleted in our minerals, especially because our soils are so depleted. there's honestly different types of, um, filtration systems for any type of budget.

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[00:10:11] Natalie: . And I'm starting to see more and more people having water. filtration systems in their home. A lot of people, even just like the taste of the water better. We don't want to drink tap water, but they don't want to do bottled water. So they get a water filter. And actually that's a good place to start is even just starting with a water filter. On your kitchen top or you know those brita water filters from back in the day that people used to put in their fridge and probably still do that's an easy place to start.

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[00:10:42] Solange: The next thing I wanted to chat about is toxic cleaning supplies. it is important to look for products that disclose all ingredients when it comes to cleaning supplies. , choose products without dyes. Choose products that contain natural essential oils.

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[00:11:19] Solange: So there is e wg.org. Um, they have like a list of cleaning products that you can choose from. And not only is it good for ourselves, but for our family and for our, pets as well. So, now our, you know, natural cleaning supplies, there are so many types of options out there.

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[00:12:01] Solange: Um, and, and then I'll add like cleaning vinegar. Mm-hmm. Um, you can use arrow root starch to deodorize carpets. So sometimes I'll apply baking soda or arrow root starch on our carpets, and then I'll vacuum it up. you can use lemon juice vinegar table, salt castile soap. So there's a lot of options out there and honestly, it's just unnecessary to use all the toxic chemicals.

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[00:12:32] Natalie: You know, if you've been using a ton of commercialized products that might be toxic and don't have the best ingredients. And it can be very stressful to have to replace everything and go by all it is these things. But even if you start with, okay, one room. So as an example, I'm start with the bathroom and I'm gonna start with the glass cleaner.

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[00:13:14] Solange: Yeah, I always tell my clients like I have been in the industry for a long time. My home is completely, I could say 99.9% tax free, but it took me like two years. Like this doesn't happen overnight. So, you know, as soon as your stuff starts to finish up, if that's what you wanna do, you can start making the switch with one bottle at a time.

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[00:13:57] Solange: it's so great because it gives you ratings as well. So they'll tell you like, okay, 10 is like super toxic, and one is like, hmm. A lot healthier. So, um, that is a really great thing to have on your phone. I'm gonna write that

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[00:14:13] Solange: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

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[00:14:19] Solange: Okay, the laundry room. So when it comes to the laundry room, I recommend switching from, regular bleach to oxygen bleach.

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[00:15:01] Natalie: okay. Good. to know. So what about the bathroom? Tell me a little bit more about how we can detox.

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[00:15:21] Solange: PVC shower curtains, um, when you purchase them, I'm sure everybody notices the scent. Yes. And so those are highly toxic for our environment, for our home. And so what I recommend is opting for a non-toxic one instead. So I've purchased, ones before that are P E V A that are organic cotton. You can get a canvas liner or ones that are made of hemp.

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[00:16:17] Solange: so if you can install a shower or a bath or you can get a bath filter for the kids. So what I usually recommend, if you have a son or daughter that has eczema and they like to take baths, um, the bath filter is incredible to prevent all those. Chemicals from getting into the water and and aggravating the eczema.

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[00:16:46] Natalie: When I moved, like first I was in Canada and when I moved to Antigua, the water was different and I could tell by how my hair felt. So I actually, I think I just, I think I bought it from Walmart or if not Walmart, then from Home Depot

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[00:17:15] Natalie: And then it was really affordable too. And it took like three minutes to install. It was not hard at all.

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[00:17:32] Solange: And, you know, our skin is our largest organ. So when our shower water is hot and warm, our pores kind of open up and they absorb all these chemicals. So yeah, having a shower filter is such a simple way to reduce the, you know, the amount of toxins that are entering our bodies.

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[00:18:07] Solange: So when it comes to the bedroom, there are things we can do like swapping our mattresses, our sheets, and our pillows.

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[00:18:54] Natalie: I think it's so good to know just what different options are available. So what about the living room?

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[00:19:39] Solange: Um, not only to the people in your home, but the animals as well. So this off-gassing can affect us in different ways. And so when you purchase new furniture, you know that like new smell, like that new car smell or the new furniture smell. Okay, so that is actually off gassing. So what we can do when it comes to our furniture, take them outside, let them be in the sun, if you can a few days, you know, it doesn't, it, as long as they're out there for a bit, and then the smell kind of releases. Using natural fabric sprays or stain removers. I have this great, it's called piracy. It's a stained remover, chemical free. Um, I have like a carpet washer and upholstery washer and you can use that. And it honestly is incredible. I absolutely love this brand called Piracy that helps with stains. And, you know, I have kids, so, spills on the couch or, sometimes on the carpets and things like that.

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[00:20:43] Natalie: All right. So what about, we've talked a lot about inside the house, but what about outside the house? Like in our backyards or front yards? What can we do there

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[00:21:05] Solange: A lot of people spray their grass with, you know, chemicals and weed killers and things like that. And these are basically pesticides. And, um, they, they've been honestly linked to so many health issues and it could be including eczema, hyperactivity, behavior problems, cancer, reproductive disorders, and, um, just a lot of issues in our body.

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[00:21:42] Solange: and then for people who like really wanna grow perfect grass, there's alternatives to Roundup, which is, you know, the pesticides that were sprayed on our lawns. Um, there's organic versions that, you know, our insects, our weed and grass, like any type of weed killers and things like that, they're made from time.

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[00:22:21] Natalie: So we've talked a lot about the home. What about the home office because this is a reality for so many people in the post covid world

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[00:22:34] Solange: So one of the things is having an air purifier. Um, salt lamps are very helpful. Um, EMFs are huge when it comes. So EMFs are electromagnetic frequencies. So basically our computer monitors, our cell phones, our wireless chargers. Um, anything that is plugged in, um, that connects to wifi is, you know, most of the time causing our headaches and migraines, um, and our anxiety.

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[00:23:32] Solange: Um, so that is a really great thing to have in your, in your office, whether it's at home or you know, in your, in your office at work. Even plants as well, I'd love our plants are air purifiers. So having a snake plants are something that really helps us, not only visually, but it helps, you know, detoxing our environments as well.

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[00:24:28] Solange: And then, and then we're gonna ta chat about ditching the air fresheners.

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[00:24:52] Natalie: Yeah. You're gonna have some people tuning off of this podcast.

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[00:24:58] Solange: I had to say that because they're like the number one, like I, they're so popular. There's always lineups that's square one. And I just wanna stop everybody like, please don't buy them. Please don't do it. They're highly toxic. So

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[00:25:15] Natalie: Just like the plugin ones or are you talking about the like lotions

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[00:25:40] Solange: Um, it is just, it is so important to talk to. Just toss them out. Like, this is one thing that I could say. Throw them out. Like don't even waste your time. Oh, don't finish it. Like I said before, like finishing something and then switching. Right. No, you are not allowed to finish them. Get rid of them. You know, when it comes to like, just not even like, you know, candles, plugging sprays, air freshener car, air fresheners, scented trash bags, anything that has a smell to it, they are linked to asthma hormone disruptions.

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[00:26:29] Solange: There's incense. When it comes to incense, I highly recommend airing out your home, having the windows indoors that are open because it's still smoke, right? Yeah. So it's, it's, it's a better option. But, you know, if you can do essential oils, that's even better. Soy or coconut ca candles. Um, just be careful because people will be like, oh, it's soy and coconut and it's so natural, but then they sneak in fragrances and that's not what we want in our candles.

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[00:27:18] Solange: Amazing things we can do that are all, that are just as incredible. Not, sorry, not there's just so much more incredible than using your, you know, your regular, you know, airwick and all that stuff.

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[00:27:40] Natalie: I just love like the smell of lemongrass or lemon and what yes. Is that the different essential oils, the different scents can impact your mood differently. And

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[00:27:53] Natalie: instance, if you use, uh, an air fresher, maybe you're just using like the same one throughout the day. Like, I don't know if you're changing it morning to night, but.

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[00:28:19] Natalie: Yes, yes, yes. Definitely worth investing in like that is a very easy switch. Yeah. Easy, easy. And I'm saying that as someone who doesn't, you know, always make the switches just cause I like to do things, but you can easily throw out the air freshener today and you can get a diffuser. They're not expensive and you can't get to essential oils even from Walmart or the health food store.

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[00:28:48] Solange: So remember, it is the small things that we do every day that add up to a healthier home and planet. Focus on one area at a time. I don't want this conversation to make you feel overwhelmed. Um, you know, just focus on one area and it, you know, it is really the key to creating a toxin-free home that you love, that you feel confident raising your children in.

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[00:29:20] Natalie: I have a couple of questions for you before we wrap up. Yes, yes, yes, yes. This has been so, so informative, and I want you to talk just for a second about why is home detoxing important for wellness?

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[00:29:46] Solange: Sometimes it's as simple as, um, making these changes at home that will keep us moving forward. So it is truly, um, when it comes to our health, we have to look at every aspect. Um, it is not just, you know, what we're eating. It is not just what we're putting on our skin, it is our environment.

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[00:30:41] Natalie: I believe after. From since Covid, I think everybody has realized just how much Yes.

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[00:31:04] Natalie: Tell the listeners, Solange, how can they get ahold of you if they wanna work with you, what services do you offer? And just all this is your time to promote yourself.

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[00:31:40] Solange: And, I'm also holistic as aian, so I give organic facials. So if you're looking for, uh, you know, a self-care moment or you know, just, anything to improve your skin, I can definitely guide you. And if you have any questions, feel free to message me.

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[00:32:07] Natalie: And I think I'm here that you've heard from me. Just start somewhere. Just take one small step because you want, we only have this one life and you wanna have it to the fullest as much as you can. So get the support, get the knowledge, even if you just wanna start by following her page. She has so many tips on there.

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[00:32:39] Natalie: Thank you again, Solan and uh, to you again. Thank you so much.