By Suzanne Leyden, owner of The WellNow Co.
I consciously started looking at my health habits 8 years ago when I was run down, suffering from poor sleep, IBS and had skin allergies. This was down to stress, poor nutrition and environmental factors. It was when I chose a career change from TV commercials producer to nutrition, health and wellness coach. I started primarily with nutrition – it’s an accessible way to improve your health, and although it requires knowledge and discipline it’s something many people do regularly.
I then started to look at all the environmental factors that impact my health – this was as much about the planet as my allergies and bouts of unexplained eczema. I’m talking about moisturisers, shampoos, make-up as well as household cleaning products. It’s a minefield. But with the change in products the improvements have been incredibly notable. For starters I couldn’t tell you the last time I had problems with my skin, we’re talking years.
Although I made a lot of these changes years ago, I’m always looking to improve how I run my house. To be mindful of the environment on the whole but also to reduce the toxins going into my actual household too. This applies to the personal care products as much as the household cleaning products. As part of the coaching offered with The WellNow Co we consider environmental factors such as these and look at ways to change to ‘cleaner’ products that may have less of an impact on your health.
Prior to the pandemic, I had always wanted to get these products in bulk sizes. The cost savings is a very attractive reason. The reduction in plastic too. And the convenience of being able to refill shampoo in your house is a total luxury. But I felt like I needed to research it all, re-configure my utility room and invest upfront in the purchase of them. So last June (2020) I finally made the leap and did just that. I have not looked back.
The biggest things I have noticed since buying in bulk are:
- A massive saving – being able to buy quality products at a fraction of the price of them in their regular sizes is fantastic.
- It’s so convenient – refilling at home is so handy and saves me time.
- Shopping is more focused – the weekly shop is now focused almost solely on food, so our meal plan is much more effective. The shop is also quicker, saving considerable time, and it’s much less bulky.
- Sustainable – there is a massive reduction in plastic. One 5 litre bulk container is the equivalent to 25 bottles of 200ml, with their lids or pumps etc.
- Reducing toxic load – by making these bulk products eco-friendly we are keeping chemicals off our skin, out of our homes and out of the greater environment.
It can require space which is a very valuable commodity in any house, but if you can figure out a place to store even a few bulk products you’ll be doing you, your family and the environment a massive favour.
I’ve achieved a lot of positive change in living more sustainably, and I also know there is a lot more I can do. The main thing is that I’m open to learning and adapting. I try not to berate myself when there are obvious changes I need to embrace staring me in the face, I try to figure out a flow of steps to make it happen. In a family of five I need buy-in and support from everyone, but usually I need to lead the change and bring everyone on board. There is not one final destination, but if we don’t move towards making substantial changes in terms of how we operate our households we are moving towards environmental damage that we are responsible for.
To find out more about sourcing your bulk products from WellNow check out our Bulk Shop Clean Products offering. Alternatively drop us a line at hello@thewellnowco.com for more info.
