Mumsnet Blogfest: Sponsored by YOU

When Xav was born early and Tim’s illness started ramping up a bit I began to research alternative ways to keep my family as healthy as we could be. I looked into natural replacements for all the artificial and toxic products we use every day as a way to try and reduce the loads that our immune systems had to deal with.

Having Xav changed the way I think and has made me challenge everything. Just because we’d done things a certain way up until this point doesn’t mean they can’t come into question.

I started looking at the ingredients of everyday items we all have in our homes. Handwash, shower gel, bubble bath, make up, toothpaste, cleaning products and washing detergents….everything.

I was totally horrified when I started learning about the insane amount of chemical and toxic ingredients that are routinely placed into these products and vowed to find ways to replace these with healthier and greener alternatives.

I stumbled across YOU cleaning products when I was in the ‘green’ aisle in our local Waitrose. When I saw ‘100% plant based’ on the labels, I was interested. I bought four of their refillable household cleaning products and since that day, I’ve never bought anything else.

You know that awful tight-chested feeling you get when you use ordinary cleaning products to clean enclosed spaces like the shower? Or the way that you feel a bit sick after you’ve wiped the kitchen surfaces or inhaled the glass cleaner when you clean the windows? With YOU products, there’s nothing like that.

I’ve now used the bathroom cleaner (my fave – it smells like almonds…mmm), kitchen degreaser, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner and both the citrus and mint floor cleaners and as long as they keep making this range, they’ll have a loyal customer in me.

I realise I’m sounding a little evangelical about this range, but I feel very passionately that our children, with their developing immune systems and vulnerable little growing bodies deserve better than for us to unknowingly bombard them with toxicity – especially when it can so easily be avoided. It’s not just about the kids though; the way I see it, reducing the chemical load in our homes and on our bodies is essential for our long-term health.

Like so many of us, I’m majorly concerned about the effects of over-packaging on our environment too and constantly looking for ways to make our existence more sustainable. The YOU bottles can be refilled using a small refill and water up to 15 times; I’m still using the first bottles I bought over a year ago and they really work. They only cost £1.99, so they’re no different price-wise to the normal products I used to buy.

In so many ways, this brand and its range fits with my family’s values.

So that’s why I was thrilled to bits when they agreed to be my sponsor for the Mumsnet blogging conference Blogfest – which is happening in London this weekend.

I’m so excited. These events are always an incredible opportunity to connect with other bloggers and digital influencers, learn some new skills, get inspired by some of the best in the business and come up with some big ideas. All in all, a superb and valuable way to spend a Saturday!

Massive thanks to YOU for being my sponsor. You guys are great!

Visit http://www.younaturallypowerful.co.uk to find your nearest stockist.