Making the Switch: Fragrance-Free Brands I Actually Use

Hi Growing Friend,

I hope you're enjoying the holiday season! We just got home from a trip to Arizona—80 degrees and sunshine in December! There's something to this snowbird life: south in winter, north in summer. Truly the best weather!

I hope you've been processing the fragrance information from earlier this month. This one's tricky because unlike food (where you feel the effects quickly), fragrance is silent. It accumulates and wreaks havoc without us connecting the dots—making it harder to give up because we don't see immediate impacts.

That's why understanding what it's doing in your body is so important. Once you realize "oh, that headache might be from fragrance compounding in my body," the switch flips and you want to eliminate it.

Beyond headaches—it's causing inflammation, gut disruption, hormone disruption, affecting our organs, and even increasing cancer risk. It's one of the few things I'm very strict about because it's so multifaceted.

So what do we use instead?

Brands that use real essential oils or plant-based scents instead of artificial fragrance. Here are some I personally use:

• Candles – Fontana Candles (smells SO good!), Grow Fragrance

• Perfume – Dime (lasts forever, amazing scent—Sean uses their cologne too!)

• Laundry – Truly Free or Koala Eco

• Hair – Innersense

• Body Soap – Attitude or Koala Eco

• Face & Deodorant – Primally Pure (all-time favorite!)

• Cleaning – Branch Basics, Force of Nature (disinfectant), Dr. Bronner's (floors)

These are all products I personally use, but there are surprisingly a lot of options out there. I linked all of the company main websites but a lot of these you can find on Amazon too! I also love using Live Healthillie's website and Just Ingredients' "trusted partners" section for finding more low-toxic brands.

Your Questions Answered:

"How do I convince my family to stop using artificial fragrance when they don't think it's a big deal?"

This is hard because fragrance is a silent disruptor—we don't see immediate consequences. My advice? Educate, don't convince. Nobody likes being told what they can and can't do. Once people truly understand the health impact, they're more likely to want change.

Look at your family's health. Is anyone dealing with hormone issues, thyroid problems, gut issues, inflammation, or headaches? If so, propose an experiment: "Can we try 60 days fragrance-free and see if our issues improve?"

"How long after removing fragrance would you notice a difference?"

The honest answer: It varies, but here's what's typical:

Immediate to 48 hours:

• Headaches and migraines often improve within 24-48 hours

• Respiratory issues clear up quickly

• Brain fog may lift within days

• Sleep quality might improve almost immediately

1-2 weeks:

• Skin reactions start calming down

• Energy levels stabilize

• Mood improvements as your nervous system settles

2-4 weeks:

• Digestive improvements as your gut microbiome rebalances

• Inflammation reduction becomes noticeable

• Hormonal symptoms may start shifting

1-3 months:

• More significant gut healing

• Hormonal balance improvements

• Overall toxic load reduction as your liver and kidneys process stored chemicals

For me personally: My migraines improved within the first week, but the biggest difference in gut health and inflammation came after about a month of being completely fragrance-free.

Important note: Your body has been accumulating these chemicals in fat tissue, so complete detox takes time. Some people see dramatic changes quickly, others notice gradual improvements. Both are normal! The key is consistency—going back and forth won't give your body the chance to fully heal.

This Month's Challenge:

Eliminate fragrance as much as possible in your household. As you finish products, replace them with fragrance-free alternatives. Break the habit of buying "what we always buy" and try something different.

If you can remove all fragrance from your home, try it for 60 days and see how you feel. I genuinely believe everyone's homes should be fragrance-free. We live in a toxic world and can't control everything around us, but we CAN keep our homes fragrance-free. This reduces your overall toxic burden, allowing your body to detox everything else more easily—resulting in less inflammation and illness.

Since this is a 5-Wednesday month, I usually do a bonus newsletter, but I'm taking the time to be with family instead! We'll be back in January and I look forward to starting the New Year with you on this journey!

Rooted in Wellness & Rising Together,

Erica