My guest Fran Loudas is the Founder of Belly Buttons & Babies, an organic body and skin care company founded in 2008. Fran has 18 years experience as a Certified Aromatherapist, Aromatherapy & Facial Procedures Specialist, Oriental Diagnostics Consultant, Herbal Remedy Specialist and is certified in the Design & Production of Aromatherapy Skin Care Products. She has also taught Aromatherapy online and writes for various health related websites. And above all, she’s a Mom. We’ll be talking about the difference between toxic fragrance and beneficial essential oils, and about the importance of using natural products before, during and after pregnancy as well as for babies, toddlers and children. www.bellybuttonsandbabies.com
TOXIC FREE TALK RADIO
Good Scents for Moms, Babies, Toddlers and Kids
Host: Debra Lynn Dadd
Guest: Fran Loudas
Date of Broadcast: July 29, 2013
DEBRA: Hi, I’m Debra Lynn Dadd. And this is Toxic Free Talk Radio, where we talk about how to thrive in a toxic world. Even though there are lots of toxic chemicals out there in consumer products we might use every day, in the lawn, we might walk across, at our children’s school, all kinds of places at home, and then our own bodies, we don’t have to have toxic chemicals because there are many things that we can do, many non-toxic products we can buy or make to put in our homes. There are ways to remove toxic chemicals from our bodies, and these are the things that we talk about on this show—how we can be healthy, happy, productive, and do anything we want in our lives unhampered by toxic chemicals.
This weekend, I had a great weekend this weekend because I spent all weekend selling things—having a garage sale, and also looking at what I had, in my garage actually, that had been sitting there that needed to be repaired.
One of the things that I love about garage sales is that so often there are so many things that are old but still can be reused, and they aren’t toxic. One of the things that I’m actually having repaired, and this is something that you can do—instead of buying a new toxic product, you could get an old one repaired.
I have a little spare ceramic heater that’s in a metal case, totally non-toxic. And when you try to buy those nowadays, they don’t make them anymore, I don’t think, the one exactly like I have. And I’ve had mine maybe 10 years.
And it’s really hard to find a metal, ceramic, non-toxic, electric, plug-in heater.
But the motor inside can be repaired, and I found somebody this weekend who came to my garage sale who can repair my heater. And I think I’m going to get my washing machine repaired instead of getting a new washing machine because the washing machine itself is so perfectly good, it’s just one little part that is now functioning.
And in this way, we can save resources, and often, these older products still have many years of life and service in them, and they’re not toxic, and they cost less. And there are some things, if you start getting really old things, there are some things that you have to watch out for like lead paint and things.
But a lot of products that are out there at garage sales, in thrift stores, you can just continue to use them and not be exposed to toxic chemicals. Be careful because it doesn’t apply 100% of the time, but that’s a good source of toxic-free products—just use something again.
Today on the show, we’re going to be talking about personal care products for moms, babies, toddlers and kids. And our guest today is Fran Loudas. She’s the founder of Belly Buttons and Babies, an organic body and skin care company founded in 2008.
Fran is a certified aromatherapist. She’s had 18 years’ experience as an aromatherapist, aromatherapy and facial procedure specialist. She’s an oriental diagnostics consultant, herbal remedy specialist and is certified in the design and production of aromatherapy skin care products. She’s also taught aromatherapy online and writes her various health-related websites.
And I was interested in having her on because she wants to talk about the importance of using natural products before, during and after pregnancy, as well as for babies and toddlers and children. And I want to talk about the difference between toxic fragrance and beneficial essential oils.
So we’ll be covering all of that today.
Fran, thanks for joining me.
FRAN LOUDAS: My pleasure.
DEBRA: So before we get started talking about all those things, tell us how you got into aromatherapy and all these natural things that you’re doing.
FRAN LOUDAS: I’d be happy to. When I first started, I was making bath salts—very simple, very easy, but I found it really interesting. A friend of my daughter approached my daughter and said—she worked for the Children’s Aid Society, and she said, “We’re having a silent auction. Would your mother be interested in donating some products, a gift basket?”
I said, “Sure, I would be happy to.”
I did that. Long story short, my gift basket ended up at a firemen’s silent auction, and one of the firemen’s wives was an aromatherapy teacher, had her own store in another city, got the basket and alled me. Everything I made, she wanted to carry in her store.
That’s how it started. And then I took aromatherapy. I became a certified aromatherapist. She’s a certified teacher of aromatherapy, and I took the classes with her, and then one thing led to another, and it expanded, and it just snowballed from there.
And I took all these courses. I was very, very interested, and I found I preferred making the product. And I also preferred making products for pregnant women. I thought they seemed to be so forgotten. It’s difficult to find products for them in the marketplace.
So I thought, “Well, I’m going to start experimenting.” I’m really interested, and the one thing led to another, and I thought, “Well, if it’s for mom, it’s got to have something for the baby to make their skin soft, less damaging and toxic-free for them.”
The first product I made, My Mom and Baby Cream, I made in 2008, and beginning of 2009, I won an award for it from Parent Tested Parent Approved. And then it’s just snowballed from there, and that’s how I continued on. And we’ve won many awards since then from various organizations.
So it’s something we’re really proud of.
DEBRA: Well, it’s very important for moms, especially if you’d look at babies, they actually start in their moms, of course. And what pregnant women are putting on their bodies, or even before they conceive, the toxic chemicals that they use before conception can still get into the baby after the baby has been conceived.
So the women who are interested in having children, they really need to start looking at their toxic exposure way before they even get pregnant and during pregnancy.
FRAN LOUDAS: Absolutely. A lot of these toxic chemicals get through the skin, they get into the bloodstream. And then it’s in the bloodstream, and this is what is fed to the baby. So you’ve got to be really, really careful.
I find I’m a true believer that if you’re using natural essential oils before, during and after pregnancy, the benefit are—there’s a million benefits, so to speak. And with these essential oils, even the carriers, you’re not supposed to put essential oils directly on your skin.
So if you have a carrier, such as a really nice, say, sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil, put a couple of drops in there, and rub that onto your skin. It’s beneficial for your skin, keeps it smooth. If it gets into the bloodstream, it doesn’t matter. There’s no toxicity, so it’s not going to affect the baby, it’s not going to affect the mother.
DEBRA: But in aromatherapy, the essential oils have benefits too.
FRAN LOUDAS: Absolutely. While you’re pregnant, there are basically six essentially oils that have the greatest use for a woman while she’s pregnant, and they will not harm the baby because five of these six essential oils can then be used from the time the baby is born up and forever.
These oils, first one, lavender, it’s amazing. It’s excellent in a bath, for a massage, as a room freshener, even as a facial oil.
DEBRA: And what’s the benefit?
FRAN LOUDAS: The benefit, it soothes some aching backs, legs and ligaments. It’s relaxing and has anti-depressant properties. It has a mild sedative action, so it will help with insomnia. It is one of two essential oils that can be put directly on the skin, and the other one is tea tree oil. But I wouldn’t use tea tree oil when I was pregnant. I would wait until way after.
DEBRA: We’re going to hear more of about this after the break. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd. You’re listening to Toxic Free Talk Radio, and my guest today is Fran Loudas. She’s the founder of Belly Buttons and Babies, and that’s at BellyButtonsAndBabies.com. We’ll be back.
= COMMERCIAL BREAK =
DEBRA: You’re listening to Toxic Free Talk Radio. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd, and today, my guest is Fran Loudas of Belly Buttons and Babies at BellyButtonsAndBabies.com. And we’re talking about aromatherapy versus toxic perfume and scent, and why that’s important for moms, babies, toddlers and kids.
Before we go on though, I want to tell you where I do this radio show. I do it at home. And I’m sitting in my office where I have about 17-feet of windows that look out in my backyard. It’s under the canopy of oak trees overhead.
And so I’m constantly glancing out the window, and I see all kinds of birds and butterflies. Recently, I’ve had a lot of butterflies going by my window. And during the break, I was just watching a zebra long wing, which is black and yellow on the head, these big, wide wings, which happens to be the state butterfly of Florida. And I’ve been having a lot of them go past my window recently.
It’s a big butterfly summer. I don’t remember seeing so many butterflies. So this is great. It makes me feel optimistic for the environment.
So Fran, let’s go on with you.
I just get excited. My friends, when I’m talking to my friends on the phone, I say, “There’s a cardinal outside my window.”
FRAN LOUDAS: It’s amazing. I love waking up in the morning, hearing the birds. That’s what I wake up to every morning.
DEBRA: I do too. I hear birds every morning as well, and it’s fun to learn what their bird calls are.
FRAN LOUDAS: And you can listen to them. My husband can imitate one of the birds, and if he hears them, he starts whistling, and it’s like they have a conversation going. It’s hilarious. And it just sounds so nice.
DEBRA: It does. When I got married—actually, I got married in a forest in California, and we had a video. And you could hear, when you watch the video, you could hear the bird’s song getting louder and louder and louder, and more and more birds, as the wedding ceremony went on. It was like all these birds came around and were serenading us while we were getting married.
FRAN LOUDAS: That’s so nice. That’s so nice.
DEBRA: It was. It was great.
So back to the subject at hand, so what I want to talk about for a minute before we go on is, I want to make the distinction between artificial fragrance, which is in a lot of products, and aromatherapy essential oils. And because there are so many people who are being made ill by toxic artificial fragrances that people look at something, anything that’s scented, there’s a lot of people—and I’m not saying that this is the wrong thing, but a lot of people are looking for unscented products. And I want everybody who is listening now and in the future to understand the difference between there are unscented products, there are toxic scented products, and there are aromatherapy products.
And they’re three very different things. And if you want to stay away from toxic fragrance, that doesn’t mean you have to stay away from aromatherapy products. So let’s talk about that for a few minutes. Just go ahead and tell me your viewpoint about that.
FRAN LOUDAS: Well, I agree with you. You can have a beautifully-scented product that’s made with essential oils. A certified aromatherapist or someone that has the same certification I do, creating custom blends, you can mix two, three, four, five different types of essential oils together and come up with an absolutely beautiful scent. And it’s all natural, and it will have benefits for whatever that might ail you, for instance.
For instance, I make a body lotion for a pregnant woman that’s got pink grapefruit essential oil in it. Pink grapefruit is known to ease nausea, morning sickness.
Now, you can buy grapefruit-scented products, but that’s synthetic. The difference with the fragrance is they cause certain ailments in people, such as headaches, dizziness, breathing disorders, allergy, rashes, skin disorder, you can start coughing, some people might vomit or get depressed or become hyperactive, irritable.
The list can go on and on.
Plus, fragrances have up to 400 separate ingredients, 4000 separate ingredients, and you don’t know what they are. It could be something that is petroleum-based that’s not good for you.
DEBRA: They usually are petroleum-based.
FRAN LOUDAS: Well, yes, exactly. With the fragrances, it can interfere with your metabolism, the hormones, endocrine disruptors. The list can go on and on.
One company, or one website that is really good is Environmental Working Group. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. You’ve heard of it, correct?
DEBRA: Yes, and they have a section called Skin Deep, where they evaluate beauty products and personal care products.
FRAN LOUDAS: We have our products listed there. We’ve gone through all the testing for that. There’s another one here in Canada called Environmental Defense, where they do something similar. We’re listed with them as well.
I find it’s really important not to pollute your body, and especially when you’re pregnant, because you’re not only polluting your body, you’re polluting the baby’s body. And you don’t know, the baby might end up having allergies that may not have ever had in their life.
DEBRA: I wanted to ask you personally because part of what I’m attempting to do here with this radio show is to—we’re going to have to wait until after the break. I’ll ask you the question. I’m interested in why, you personally, you don’t want to pollute your body, that you think that’s a good thing to not pollute your body because not everybody in the world feels that way. And so
I’m always asking my guests why, what is it that made you decide that that was important to you.
And we’ll find out the answer to that question when we come back from the break. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd. You’re listening to Toxic Free Talk Radio, and my guest today is Fran Loudas, from Belly Buttons and Babies.
= COMMERCIAL BREAK =
DEBRA: You’re listening to Toxic Free Talk Radio. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd, and my guest today is Fran Loudas from Belly Buttons and Babies. And before the break, I asked her a question and now, we’re going to get the answer about why it’s important to Fran to not pollute her body.
FRAN LOUDAS: Hi there. Well, for me, first off, I don’t think it’s fair that I do that to my body. I eat properly, I look after myself, I look after my children, feed them properly—everything that a mother should do.
Personally, in my family, my mother, she’s a breast cancer survivor. When that happened to my mom, it scared myself and my sisters. And being an aromatherapist, you never think that it’s going to happen. And then, I thought, “Well, I’m an aromatherapist. I know better.”
So I’m going to make sure that anything I use is not going to carry any of these chemicals that can be cancer-causing. I don’t want to trigger—I don’t know if I have the gene, and I won’t want to aggravate it if I do.
DEBRA: Whether we have the genes or not, I think it’s estimated that 70-something-percent of cancers are caused by environmental exposures to chemicals that cause cancer. And so everybody has the opportunity to reduce their cancer risk right now, today, by deciding to not use chemicals, not use products that contain chemicals that cause cancer, and you can remove chemicals that are already in your body that cause cancer, and then you’re doing the things that you can do to reduce the cancer risk.
If you’re being exposed to—and this applies to anything in life, if you do something, and you know there’s going to be a result at the end, whether it’s a bad result or a good result, then you’re responsible for that result, having chosen to do it.
FRAN LOUDAS: Absolutely. When we were growing up, my parents, we had a garden in the backyard, we did not have any processed meats, any canned foods in the house. We grew up, everything was made from scratch, natural.
And then when I got married and started having children, I did the exact same thing.
DEBRA: Good for you.
FRAN LOUDAS: Thank you. I’m teaching my children for them to do that. I made my own baby food, all this stuff. And now, I’m interested in making—so what goes in is good, but what goes on the skin has to be good too because you can’t do one without the other.
DEBRA: That’s exactly right. I’m going to say something that I’ve said many times before in the show, but it’ worth repeating until everybody can say it in their sleep. What goes on your skin is as important as what goes in your mouth because people are aware that things that you eat or drink can be toxic because it goes right into your stomach.
But actually, if you put something on your skin that’s toxic, it goes into your blood system faster because when you eat or drink something, it goes into your stomach, in your intestines where it mixes with proteins and fats, and it slows down the absorption process.
But when you put something on your skin, it goes right in.
I’m sure everybody has touched a garlic, and then you’d taste garlic on your tongue within seconds.
FRAN LOUDAS: Debra, I also found with babies and children, they’re more vulnerable to toxic chemicals.
DEBRA: Yes, they are.
FRAN LOUDAS: Their immune system, central nervous system, they’re still immature and still developing. And their bodies are less capable of eliminating these toxins. So why slather and feed them toxic when you don’t have to? It’s not necessary.
DEBRA: It’s not necessary. It’s a choice.
FRAN LOUDAS: It’s absolutely not necessary. And that’s one of the reasons why I do that. I figure, if I’m an example, the children will follow me, and hopefully, they will.
Well, I think back to me, with my parents, everything was done naturally, fresh—everything. Honestly, we did not know what butter was in our house until I was about 14 years old. We never had butter in the house. When we ate bread, it was without butter or anything. We had jam.
Actually, we went to the creek that was behind our house, and we would pick the wild raspberries and gooseberries and she’d make jam for us.
So it was really quite nice. I try to do that with my children.
Nowadays, you’re exposed a little bit more with—don’t get me wrong, I would love to, every day, eat a hamburger and French fries. I would love it, but you can’t. Realistically, I can’t do that. Plus, I don’t want to. I’d like to, but I won’t.
DEBRA: I understand. But fortunately, there are many lovely and wonderful fragrant and delicious things that we can have that are healthy for us.
So let’s get back to aromatherapy. You were telling us at the beginning of the show about what was it, six oils that are safe for moms to use and safe for the baby?
FRAN LOUDAS: They’re excellent oils to use while you are pregnant. And the one I did mention, it was lavender.
DEBRA: And tell us about some of the others.
FRAN LOUDAS: I have my list right here. Mandarin is beautiful. It’s a very calming, gentle, and cheery oil. And it’s a bit of a fresher smell than orange, and it’s excellent for leg and ankle massages. And anyone who’s been pregnant knows your feet swell.
Mandarin eases fluid retention. And if you put a couple of drops in the bath, it will help with fatigue. It will just make you not so tired.
Another great oil is neroli. It’s a little bit more expensive, but if you can afford it, and you get it, it’s wonderful on your face. If you’ve got dry, sensitive skin, it regenerates the skin cells, it helps with nervous tension, as in anti-panic. And it’s calming and relaxing. It promotes healthy skin cells, especially when you’re pregnant.
DEBRA: That sounds great. We’re going to hear more about Fran’s products when we come back after the break. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd. This is Toxic Free Talk Radio, and my guest today is Fran Loudas, founder of Belly Buttons and Babies, and she’s at BellyButtonsAndBabies.com. That’s spelled out A-N-D, Belly Buttons, A-N-D, Babies dot com.
= COMMERCIAL BREAK =
DEBRA: You’re listening to Toxic Free Talk Radio. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd, and my guest today is Fran Loudas, the founder of Belly Button and Babies, an organic body and skin care company founded in 2008. And we’re talking about essential oils that are good for mom and safe for baby.
Fran, go on with your list. What are the essential oils for moms?
FRAN LOUDAS: I’d be happy to. I earlier mentioned neroli essential oil which is a little bit—
DEBRA: What does that smell like? I’m not familiar with that one.
FRAN LOUDAS: Neroli, it smells like—I’ve had an orange tree where you get the small, little oranges. It’s almost like an ornamental orange tree that I’ve been growing. And when it flowers, when I walk into the room, that’s what it smells like. It’s a little bit stronger. It’s almost—I want to say woody. It’s very distinct. I love the smell. Not everyone likes it. It’s strong. It’s a little bit heavier.
The neroli comes from the flowers. It’s like a bitter orange smell is what it is.
DEBRA: I think I would like that.
FRAN LOUDAS: It’s beautiful. I think it’s absolutely beautiful. As I mentioned, neroli is a little bit on the expensive side, but there’s another one that comes from the leaves and twigs from the same bitter orange tree, and it’s called petitgrain. And it has similar properties, but it’s less sedating, and the scent is a little bit more fresh.
And as I mentioned, it can be used a cheaper alternative to the neroli. It’s great for dealing with depression, either prenatal or postnatal. If you can get mandarin, neroli and petitgrain essential oils, all three of them, and make a blend with a jojoba carrier oil, you will have a total balanced massage oil that is perfect for treating depression.
DEBRA: Sounds good.
FRAN LOUDAS: It is. It’s very nice. Tangerine is another essential oil that’s beautiful. It’s happy. It helps prevent stretch marks, great for massage while you’re pregnant. It’s calming and gentle. It’s good for the nerves. It’s good for the skin. And because it’s so mild, it’s excellent for babies, children and for elderly people.
Now, Ylang ylang is an exotic oil, and ylang ylang is one oil that is used in the production of perfume. It’s relaxing, it has aphrodisiac powers, and it helps lower high blood pressure. And it’s really nice for pregnant women if they’re tense and worried about the upcoming birth, they don’t know what to expect, especially for your firstborn.
It’s nice to be used in baths and massages and as room fresheners.
That’s all the oils that are recommended to use while you’re pregnant.
DEBRA: That’s good to know what that list is because I know that there are a lot of cautions for pregnant women that pregnant women shouldn’t assume just because something is natural that it’s safe. And so it’s good to know the positive list of what’s okay, especially lavender. I love lavender, and it’s easy to remember those too—lavender, mandarin, ylang ylang. How do you say that again?
FRAN LOUDAS: Ylang ylang. What I can do for your listeners is put on my website, the essential oils to use that are good when you’re pregnant, essential oils—
DEBRA: You know what would be great is that on my website, I have a blog that archives all the shows. And so you get your own blog post for this show, and if you send me the list, then I can post it along so people who are listening can have that list just right there.
FRAN LOUDAS: Absolutely. I can do that for you. A lot of people, I know a lot of people read about essential oils, and how they’re used, and what you can use, and what you can’t use. But you’ve got to be so careful, especially when you’re pregnant.
DEBRA: Yes, I agree.
FRAN LOUDAS: If you have epilepsy or sensitivity of your nervous system, you should consult an arometherapist instead of trying to treat yourself.
DEBRA: That’s really good advice because I think that there’s a lot, if you can go to the natural food store, and there’s a lot of things on the shelf, and the reason there are professionals is because these things are powerful. They work. And you need to get the right thing.
FRAN LOUDAS: Absolutely. You can even talk to your doctor about it. Say, “I want to use this essential oil while I’m pregnant.
I’ve read about this, this and this.”
The doctor will more than likely know, “No, you can’t. That will cause a miscarriage.”
For some people, if you’d had a miscarriage, I would not use any essential oils in the first trimester of my pregnancy. And a lot of people don’t know that. It can be dangerous.
DEBRA: That’s why they should go to a professional.
When you said ask your doctor, you may have noticed that there was a moment of silence from me because I was just shocked. I was shocked that a doctor would know that answer.
FRAN LOUDAS: I know up here a lot, they’re starting now with aromatherapy, with homeopathy, and naturopathic. They’re starting to recognize it.
DEBRA: That’s good. I think it is good to have a doctor that has medical training, but also is familiar to what some of the natural alternatives are, and that’s why I look for when I’m looking for—I want somebody who’s really good at diagnosis, and then to tell me, “Now, please take this vitamin.” But that they can also write a prescription for me if that’s what I actually need.
FRAN LOUDAS: If there’s an infection or whatever. You just can’t fight it. Sometimes you have to.
On another note, pregnant women should also only use essential oils that are derived from flowers and not herbs. And herb would—
DEBRA: What’s the difference between those two?
FRAN LOUDAS: With the herbs, there’s a whole slew of essential oils that should not be used when—you should avoid them while you are pregnant. And a lot of them are herbs, such as peppermint, rosemary, basil, juniper, savory, sage, cedarwood, slary sage, sweet marjoram, clove, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, fennel, parsley.
Those are all the essential oils. And some people might like the way they smell and figure, “Well, I could use that while I’m pregnant. I’ll put it in some of this oil that I’m going to get my husband to give me a bath, massage or something.”
No. Stay away from those.
I will send you the information, Debra. It’s a concern to me. When I was teaching aromatherapy online, I found there were a lot of people—one essential oil, wintergreen, should not be used ever. And there was someone who was advising other students, “Yes, get wintergreen and mix it with spearmint and peppermint and this and that. You have a nice foot cream.”
I almost fell off my chair.
You can’t be giving me advice on stuff that you don’t know about. I’ve trained for it. I took many years of training, and understanding where these oils come from, why are they used, what are they used for, how to use them properly, you just can’t—
DEBRA: It’s just really important that people, especially on the internet—I hate to say this because I’m on the internet and you’re on the internet, but I think it’s necessary for people to evaluate where the information is coming from, and how experienced and trained somebody because there’s a lot of things that you just got to search engine and you type in a word and you end up on a page where there are no references, nobody tells what their experiences. It’s just like, “Here’s what to do.”
And that’s not going to rest for me. I need to know that something is safe. So I do look at my sources.
We’re just about out of time. Thank you so much for joining me today. Are there any last words you just like to close with?
FRAN LOUDAS: Other than pregnant ladies, please, please be careful what you put on your skin, and make sure that you’re using essential oils. Check Debra’s website, her blog, I will send the information. Please use the correct essential oils on your body. It will help you and your baby in the long run.
DEBRA: It will.
FRAN LOUDAS: And thank you so much for having me on your show. It was fun.
DEBRA: Everybody says that. That is the word that all the guests use. They always say, “That was so much fun.”
FRAN LOUDAS: And it went by so quick. I can’t believe.
DEBRA: It did. And now, I have to sign off because the music is going to come up, and I need to say, this is Toxic Free Talk Radio. You can go to ToxicFreeTalkRadio.com and get more information about this show and our featured guest. I’m Debra Lynn Dadd. Thanks for being with me today.
