The Freq Show

25. Is your clothing toxic?

• Sam Thurmond & Jaclyn Steele Thurmond • Season 1 • Episode 25

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Your skin is your largest organ, so it stands to reason that what we wear daily can positively or negatively impact this vital organ.  Could the clothing that makes up the majority of the American wardrobe be making us sick?  Let’s find out.

Study source: https://theprettyplaneteer.com/what-are-fast-fashion-clothes-made-of/


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Intro:

Welcome to The Freq Show podcast hosted by Sam Thurmond and Jaclyn Steele Thurmond. Sam is an Air Force Academy graduate and veteran who, after his service and two deployments, escaped the nine-to-five grind by building a real estate investing business that has, to date, accounted for over $50 million in real estate transactions. Jaclyn is an award-winning musician, former owner of boutique branding agency Steele International, real estate investor and designer for luxury multimillion-dollar homes.

Jaclyn:

We are so excited to welcome you to The Freq Show podcast, where we center our content around the frequency of belief.

Sam:

Why? Because when we overcome fear and self-doubt, basically by getting out of our own way, we can make the impossible possible.

Jaclyn:

And in this podcast, we are going to share our favorite mindset tools and life lessons that have completely transformed our lives and businesses. So, without further ado, let's get Freqy.

Jaclyn:

Hello and welcome to The Freq Show. I am Jaclyn Steele Thurmond. It's a solo episode today. It's just me. I kicked Sam off the mic and today we are going to be talking about clothing and if you are watching on YouTube, you can see that I am touching. I'm touching myself right now. I'm touching my clothing. I am wearing 100% organic cotton and I want to get into why I am transitioning my wardrobe because it's not just because I want to buy new clothes, and the strategy that I am using to transition my wardrobe, because we shouldn't go out and spend a bunch of money, especially if we don't have it. We can be strategic about this, we can keep it in budget and we can do what is best for our bodies, our minds, our spirits. Before I dive into today's episode, which I'm so happy to be on the mic solo, this is so fun. It reminds me of my other podcast, self-worth, with Jaclyn Steele.

Jaclyn:

That's still live if you haven't listened to it, but we announced in our most recent couple of episodes that we are launching an app called the Freq App, and it is done. However, we are working out a couple of just little kinks. We want to perfect it before we really market it to you, and so we are finishing those. We will announce it as soon as we know, when we are done, on Instagram and via our email list, which you can follow us on Instagram via our show notes. You can also get on our email list via our show notes and we will make sure that we announce it. So, if you are interested in the Freq app and we will make sure that we announce it. So, if you are interested in the Freq app, it is my heart in the form of an app and it is Sam's heart in the form of an app. It combines frequency and these what I would call mind healing messages that help you channel your thoughts to live a better life, and that, combined with the frequency of the music, creates a reaction in your body and in your mind. So, as I understand it, it makes it go deeper and allows you to hold onto it longer, and the more you use it and the more you listen to these incredible calibrations that we have created, the more they will positively affect your life. All right, so that will be out within the next couple of weeks. When I'm recording this now, it's September 6th, so be on the lookout. Instagram email list all the things.

Jaclyn:

Now let's get into today's message. Why am I talking about clothing on the Freq Show? Well, if you didn't know, this clothing carries frequency Isn't that incredible? And some of the clothing that is very popular in our culture and in fast fashion is made from materials that are not very high frequency. Some of them are even derived from petroleum, and so as I am delving into frequency and the power of frequency and one of our tenants in our business is to have a high frequency lifestyle it makes perfect sense that we are now exploring frequency as far as it relates to the fabrics we wear on a daily basis, because it's all symbiotic, right. So that's why we're talking about clothing and fashion on the Freq Show podcast, because it carries frequency, just like everything carries frequency, and I did some research online and I found this incredible article on a blog called the Pretty Planeteer, and she broke down after looking at a study, what was in the majority of our wardrobes, and so I want to go over this, and it's a little heady. I'm going to try not to get too in the weeds with it, but I think it's really important that we have a fundamental understanding of what we are wearing and where it comes from.

Jaclyn:

So first, fast fashion makes up much of what we purchase here in the United States. The environmental and human rights issues surrounding fast fashion are numerous and eventually I would love to have someone on to talk about these issues, but today I want to skim the surface of fast fashion fabrics and whether or not they could be harming our health. Here are the top 10 most commonly used fast fashion fabrics, and I got this information from a study that took 10 of the newest listed items of clothing from some of listed the 10 most used fabrics in those items. And again, this article that I am referencing and this study that I am referencing is from a site called the Pretty Planeteer. So number one is polyester, and polyester makes up 45.64% of all of the fast fashion clothing.

Jaclyn:

Polyester Then coming in at number two which this doesn't seem as bad, but it does have a couple of caveats is cotton, which comes in at 39.23%. Then we have a combination fabric of elastane, spandex and lycra at 33.33%. Then we have viscose at 14%, nylon at almost 8%, recycled polyester at 4.36%, linen at 4%, pu at 3.59%, rayon at 3.5% and acrylic at 2.82% Acrylic, like acrylic nails. I mean some of these names of these fabrics are just a little bit scary. You know, there are so many sustainable fashion brands and if you're watching this on YouTube, you can see that I'm doing air quotes and what I'm finding is a lot of these sustainable fashion brands that are using recycled fabrics. It doesn't mean that they're non-toxic clothing, because that is what is right, and we should understand how things are being manufactured, the people that are manufacturing, um and and the the work conditions that they're in. But also we need to make sure that even if a line is sustainable, it's non-toxic, because if something is just recycled over and over and it's still toxic, it's still not doing us any good. So I want to delve in now to a few of those top fabrics that make up the majority of fast fashion and a little bit of the history behind them, so you can understand what it is that you are wearing, that I have been wearing, so there's zero judgment here. But this is stuff that I have been wearing too, and again I'll get into my strategy of how I'm going to get rid of it.

Jaclyn:

But the first and the highest used material is polyester. That came in at 45.64% and it was discovered in a DuPont lab in the 1930s. Polyester first emerged in the fashion industry in the 1970s, and today, 45.64% of clothing contains polyester, from essentials to sportswear, from underwear to outerwear, this synthetic plastic-based material. Underwear to outerwear, this synthetic plastic-based material. Plastic-based material is derived from oil and has great tenacity, durability, it's lightweight and wrinkle-resistant, and it's cheap and extremely polluting and fast. Fashion brands absolutely love it. It's derived from plastic and oil.

Jaclyn:

You guys, polyester does not biodegrade, and every single time you wash polyester clothing and the same goes for all the synthetic fibers made from oil more than 700,000 microplastics are released into waterways. Let me just read that again Every single time you wash polyester clothing and the same goes for all the synthetic fibers made from oil more than 700,000 microplastics are released into waterways. From Mount Everest to the ocean's deepest point, every place on this planet is contaminated with microplastics. So it is the human food chain that is being affected, and recently a study found microplastics in human blood too. I also I believe this is from I got this information from Casey Means, who wrote Good Energy. Casey Means, who wrote Good Energy, and she said something like most Americans are swallowing on average, the amount of plastic that's in a credit card per week. This is not good for us. We have got to stop this. So, while polyester may be cheap, it may be elastic, it may be comfortable, it's not good for us, it's not good for the environment and it just shouldn't be this popular right. Based on just those two facts, it should not be this popular.

Jaclyn:

Okay, now let's talk about cotton. According to this same article published by the Pretty Planeteer, cotton is used in 39.23% of clothing. And you would think awesome, cotton is great. However, there's a caveat. It depends on how the cotton is produced, and most cotton is not produced sustainably. So why is it so loved? Because it absorbs odors, it's breathable, it's soft to the touch, it's versatile and it doesn't need to be washed too often. Cotton is used for every type of clothing, including basics and even business wear. On the other side, it's easy to wrinkle and it also shrinks. And the question here, the moral question, is are there more sustainable alternatives that don't compromise conventional cotton quality? And the answer is absolutely yes, and the answer is organic cotton is the solution. And the answer is organic cotton is the solution. It's eco-friendly and it won't make you miss regular cotton at all, because you won't even notice. But unfortunately, at the time this article was written in 2022, so two years ago, only 1.79% of fast fashion items contain organic cotton. I'm sure that's gone up a little bit because awareness has gone up a little bit, but I mean, 1.79% is very, very low.

Jaclyn:

Okay, now let's move on to the third most popular fabric in fast fashion, which is a combination fabric of elastane, spandex and lycra. Have you ever wondered why your yoga pants feel so comfy? Well, it's due to the elasticity of a fiber alternatively called elastane, spandex or lycra, and 33.33% of sportswear, swimwear and underwear contain this fiber. Spandex and elastane are more generic names also used interchangeably to identify this elastic synthetic fiber, while lycra is the brand name. What's its coolest feature? The incredible elasticity. Elastane can stretch up to 500 percent of its length, and it is very resistant to wear, tear and pilling. Yet its breathability is very poor and, just like any other synthetic fiber, it requires a lot of toxic chemicals to produce and does not decompose easily. Even a small percentage of elastane is enough to get the most out of its properties. That's why many sustainable brands also use this fiber and blend it with other materials to give them added elasticity. Does this make their garment still sustainable? Yes, but only if the percentage is low.

Jaclyn:

The Global Organic Textile Standard, gots, which actually guys. I emailed them to see if they would come on the podcast and talk to us about this. I'm waiting for an answer. Podcast and talk to us about this. I'm waiting for an answer. They label garments as organic if they contain a minimum of 95% certified organic fibers, and so clothing with 5% spandex can be labeled as organic, and what I am finding is that most workout clothing, if it is considered to be organic workout clothing, there is often 5% elastane in there, 5% spandex in there to make it stretchy.

Jaclyn:

Lastly, let's chat viscose. Similar to cotton in structure and feel. It's breathable, hypoallergenic and soft. Viscose was originally created in 1883 and is a type of rayon. Its main issue is the tendency to shrink quickly. Viscose is a versatile fabric. It is a vegan fabric and it's a cheap alternative to silk, and 14.36% of clothes blouses, dresses, skirts, jackets and more contain it.

Jaclyn:

Viscose is a plant-based fiber derived from wood cellulose, but is controversial from a sustainability point of view. To be spun into fibers, the cellulose undergoes heavy chemical processes that, especially in the fast fashion world, have a huge polluting impact on the environment. Furthermore, viscose production contributes to forest depletion, and it also endangers lots of animal species and local communities. So, while viscose may not, on its face, be quite as toxic as plastic derived andderived fabrics, it is not sustainable and in order to produce it, so many chemicals are used, and so it is still not a safe material. It is still toxic and is still harmful to the environment.

Jaclyn:

There are other materials that are common in the fast fashion world, but these that I mentioned make up the majority, according to this article, and I'll drop a link to that article in the show notes as well. But here's why I want to share this with you guys. I care about you, and even if you're not here and you're not listening, I care about you, and I want to share information that I feel like is going to elevate your life and give you tools to move forward, for you and your family to be healthier and more well-prepared in a toxic world. It seems pretty obvious to me that plastic and petroleum should not be in the things we wear and sweat in on a daily basis. When we sweat, our pores open to release toxins, but if we're wearing toxic materials, there is a chance that those toxins are able to just go right back in, and so we are not eliminating toxic substances as well as we could be because of the clothing choices that we are making, especially when it comes to workout wear. We go to the gym or workout wherever to sweat, to get in shape, to feel good, to get those endorphins going Sweat also, if you read any kind of studies about saunas, sweat is one of the best ways to detoxify your entire body and give your liver a leg up, and if we are sweating in these toxic materials and allowing toxins to come back into our system, we are doing something wrong. I don't mean that in an accusatory way. I'm not saying that to shame anybody, because I've done it. I still have toxic clothing in my drawer that I am going to get rid of, but we need to have the information to vote with our dollars and buy better and tell companies what we want. If we stop buying these things, companies will stop producing them. If we start buying better, companies will make more of that, so that's why I'm talking about this. So what do we do about switching out our wardrobes Again?

Jaclyn:

Like I said at the beginning of this episode, I don't for me. At this point in my life, I'm not going to throw out everything that I have that isn't a natural fiber. I am strategically going through my wardrobe and I'm I don't have a ton of clothing. I'm not a super minimalist, but I tend to wear the same items over and over and over, and so it's most important for me that my everyday items and the things that I wear the most are natural fibers, and what I'm doing first is switching out my workout wardrobe. I wear a lot of workout clothing. My husband and I go to the gym three to five times a week, and when we're not at the gym, we're often wearing workout clothing at home. We work from home, we remodel houses, we're working on an app, we're working on product lines, and so we're generally in pretty comfortable clothing. But I have been wearing yoga clothes that are stretchy and soft and full of toxic materials, and so I am switching those out.

Jaclyn:

I'll tell you now I ordered I'm not going to get too specific yet because I haven't had them long enough to fully recommend but I have ordered two workout outfits from a company called Mate the Label, and they sell organic cotton clothing and organic cotton workout gear. It is 95% organic, 5% elastane, and so far I absolutely love it. It is a little bit different in that it's not sweat wicking, but materials that are sweat wicking are often those materials that are not good for us to be wearing. So there's a little bit of it's like switching from a conventional deodorant to a more natural deodorant. There's like a little bit of a transition period not the smelly part. There's a little bit of a transition period because it feels different, but it's still extremely comfortable. It fits really well, it's cute, I feel confident going to the gym in it and I also just feel so good knowing I'm sweating in something that isn't releasing toxic materials back into my body's ecosystem Make sense.

Jaclyn:

So the first thing I'm doing is switching out my workout gear. The next thing that I've primarily already done, but still have a couple things to switch out, is intimates. I want all of my bras to be natural fibers, and this is actually be natural fibers, and this has been really hard for me to find good quality bras that are made of natural fibers. And when I talk about natural fibers and switching out my clothing to an all natural fiber closet, what I'm talking about is organic cotton, linen, silk, wool, hemp, cashmere and bamboo. Those are all natural materials and, yes, finding bras has been difficult. I just got two in the mail today. I will test those out. I'm also reporting my findings on Instagram, so if you follow me on Instagram, I'll be sharing what works, what doesn't.

Jaclyn:

I'm ordering from several different brands so I can find the best of the best, but I will tell you this it's really hard to find natural fiber workout wear and natural fiber intimates. Most underwear now is made from these fast fashion materials and, when you think about it, these areas of our bodies are so sensitive and they absorb a lot, and so we need to be aware of what we are wearing down there. Yes, I won't go any further into that aspect, but switching out my workout gear, switching out all of my intimates those are my absolute priority, and then I'll start transitioning everything else socks, pants, shirts, shoes into natural material shoes, and I don't want to be militant about this. I want this to be something that I can enjoy the process of. I want to wear clothing that I feel really good in and I don't want to spend a fortune, but I am giving myself a little leeway, like maybe 5, 10, 15% of my closet. I'm going to allow items that maybe aren't natural fibers to be in there but that are really cute or that I have an emotional connection to. Again, I'm not trying to say live this one way. What I'm trying to say is let's just make better choices when we have the information that we need in order to make better choices. Again, I'm not trying to shame anybody here. That's the last thing I want to do. I just want to give you tools and information to make the healthiest choice for yourself and for your family. Here's my final opinion. Here. It's becoming increasingly clear that in the United States, our toxic load from our food which hopefully we all know we shouldn't be eating highly processed food, but that our toxic load from our food and environment is too high, and I don't want to add to my body's toxic load with what I'm wearing. So transitioning my wardrobe to natural fibers is a very easy choice.

Jaclyn:

Last thing I'll say is the outfit that I am wearing right now. It is a sweatshirt and sweatpants. I'm going to lift my leg up in the YouTube video. This is from Make, the Label. I now have two sets of this that I've been wearing for the last two weeks and I will say this is the most comfortable sweatsuit outfit I have ever had in my life. It also fits me extremely well Um and that can be hard, since I'm five, three and I'm on the petite side. So I highly recommend this. Super comfortable, super versatile. You can ask my husband. I've basically been living in it for the last two weeks this and the other set that I got, so I can confidently say that this sweatsuit from Made the Label is 100% organic cotton. I don't believe there's any elastane in this set and it is just perfection. Highly, highly, highly recommend.

Jaclyn:

Again, I'll be reporting on Instagram and I'll probably come back here and do some follow-up episodes of brands that I've found that have cute clothing, flattering clothing, healthy clothing, as I continue to transition everything out. Again, it's hard to find. I've had to do a lot of research to find brands that make this, so I'll keep you posted. One other brand that comes to mind, if you are interested in doing some research at the end of this podcast, is Quince. Not all of their at the end of this podcast is Quince.

Jaclyn:

Not all of their clothing is organic cotton, but they do have a lot of organic cotton clothing, 100% silk clothing and they have a lot of linen clothing as well, at very, very reasonable prices. So I have ordered some of their items. They fit well, they're comfortable and they're natural fibers and they don't cost a fortune. So I have ordered some of their items. They fit well, they're comfortable and they're natural fibers and they don't cost a fortune. So I have had a lot of good luck with quints. Just be sure you look at what the material is made of. I don't believe they have workout clothing that is 100% organic cotton yet. But again, if we vote with our dollars and we buy things we only buy things from people and businesses that are creating high quality items that are organic or sustainably made or made out of natural fibers then more companies will follow suit. Just like with anything else. You got to follow the dollars, and if we invest our money in things that matter to us, then the market will follow.

Jaclyn:

I'm going to leave you with a question, and it is this how would it feel to make less toxic and more sustainable decisions when it comes to your clothing? Again, the last thing I want to do is shame anyone, but I want to arm you with the facts and give you the tools you need to make the healthiest choices for yourself and for your family. Thank you so much for listening. I hope you have the best day. We will keep you posted on the Freq app. We can't wait for you to hear it and I will see you and talk to you in next week's episode. Okay, bye. Thank you so much for listening to the Freq show with Sam Thurmond and me, Jaclyn Steele Thurmond. We would love to connect with you via our website, beckonlivingcom, and on social media.

Sam:

You can find us on Instagram and TikTok @beckonliving and you can join our email list to receive uplifting messages, podcast and business updates and high frequency products just for our Freqy community. Cheers to high frequency living.