My take on low-tox living with a thyroid condition

Let’s talk about the low-tox trend that seems to be omnipresent right now.

If you’re here, you’ve probably been wondering about the impact of toxins on your thyroid, and maybe you’re low-key stressing about not doing enough in that department.

Admittedly, I’m not the most crunchy person out there, but most of my day-to-day choices are low-tox or low-tox adjacent.

I want my beauty and personal care products to do the job well, and I’ve always been a massive skincare and makeup geek, so no, I don’t use coconut oil for everything 😉

Most importantly, I’m acutely aware of how constantly worrying about toxins can affect our nervous system, and therefore our inflammation levels and, ultimately, our ability to heal. You can see how fear of toxins quickly turns into another toxin of its own.

It’s a very short walk from taking steps to reduce your toxin exposure and doing a little audit of the products you use… to trying to control absolutely everything, with the constant worry that comes with it. Because guess what? We cannot control it all!

So, the way I approach this, and what I take my clients through in BLOOM, is:

No. 1: We focus on helping your body become really good at detoxification

The reality is that we live in a very polluted world, and anyone with autoimmunity or a chronic condition will have a harder time removing those toxins. So the number one priority is supporting our body’s natural ability to detoxify.

We do that by opening the drainage pathways:

Your gut: making sure motility is spot on. We aim for one to two bowel movements per day.
Your liver and gallbladder: through nutrition, but also targeted herbal support and things like red light therapy, castor oil and sauna. This can have a significant impact on your thyroid and sex hormones, too!
Your lymphatic flow: often very stagnant in thyroid conditions. Here we can rely on herbs again, but mainly on short lymph flow exercises.
Your cells: yup, the body’s ability to detoxify starts at cell level, and helping your body rebuild cell membranes is key.

No. 2: We take steps to reduce toxic exposure in alignment with your current nervous system capacity

Again, I don’t preach extreme crunchiness here, as I know our bodies can be really good at removing toxins when given the right support.

I highly recommend doing an audit of your personal care items, kitchen, cleaning products and clothes, and gradually working your way through it whilst being mindful of the impact on your nervous system. What often happens is that going all in and replacing every product we use gives us the sense of control we crave, but it can lead to more dysregulation and frustration down the line.

I find this is very personal: some people thrive with a low-tox way of living, and some find it incredibly stress-inducing. I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to live in a sterile, toxin-free environment to see results and get into remission. Like with everything else, I follow the 80/20 rule here, making sure 80% of the stuff I use falls into the low-tox category.

If you’re wondering where to start, remember that the things we do every day and consume in high amounts will have the most profound impact.

Here’s where I’d begin:

Try to buy organic meat and, if you can afford it, organic veg. If you can only afford regular salmon, it’s a better option than skipping it altogether. Don’t lose sleep over it; just make sure your body’s detox pathways are supported!
Get a water filter and make sure the water you drink is as clean as possible.
Swap plastics in the kitchen for glass or stainless steel, especially for anything hot. BPA is a known hormone disruptor that can interfere with thyroid function. And “BPA-free” plastics often just use its close cousins, so don’t rely on the label alone.
Consider an air purifier, especially if you live in a city or one of those older London flats, ifykyk.
Ditch beauty products with parabens, sulphates and artificial fragrance. Look for “fragrance” on the label, as it can hide phthalates, and watch out for older chemical sunscreens with oxybenzone. Mineral sunscreens with zinc oxide are an easy swap.

And if you’d like my support with teaching your body how to detoxify, including thyroid-specific liver, lymph and gut protocols, as part of your deeper root cause thyroid healing journey, come join us in BLOOM! The next cohort launches in early 2027.

And finally, here are some of my recent low-tox personal care faves (let me know if I should do a skincare/makeup edition too!):

Mineral sunscreen (Babo Botanicals): perfect for autumn, winter and spring, SPF 30. For summer I wear low-tox chemical sunscreen.
Collagen masks: this and this. Ahh, the glow!
Natural deodorant: bougie and more reasonably priced.
Fluoride-free toothpaste: absolute fave and super effective.
Nail polish and nail care products: the Active Glow range 👌
The OG lip balm.
Bar shampoo: this one and the budget version.
Low-tox perfume, and to be honest, pretty much everything else from Norfolk Natural Living.