B00AFU6252 EBOK
Authors: Jessica Alba
This book is dedicated to everyone out there who’s trying to make the world a better place for generations to come.
And to my sweet little angel pies, Honor and Haven. Being your mom has been the greatest gift in life.
Fresh, whole, flavorful—and made with love
Your skin is your largest organ—feed it naturally
Let your natural beauty shine through
Curate your closet and find your signature style
Create a space that’s cozy, clean, and totally you
Prepare for parenthood without losing yourself
Create, play, love, laugh—honestly!
by Christopher Gavigan
Becoming a parent is not only a defining moment in most people’s lives—it can be unexpectedly motivating. When I first met Jessica Alba, she was seven months pregnant with her first daughter, Honor. She came to the launch party for my book,
Healthy Child Healthy
World
—named for the nonprofit where I was then the CEO—and introduced herself. I know most people admire her as an actress, but the person I met that night was a concerned parent who wanted nothing more than to create the healthiest and best possible life for her baby.
There she was, on the verge of this big moment, asking me where she could find the safest crib mattress or worry-free laundry detergents because she had done her research and realized regulations weren’t necessarily in place to keep her baby or home free from questionable chemicals. I’m pretty sure I didn’t give her the answers she wanted to hear—that unfortunately one still had to verify whether eco-products were actually safe—because she kept knocking on my door (i.e., “stalking me”) to brainstorm solutions. As a father, I too felt her frustration. Jessica kept searching the world for the highest quality and purest products, and she kept running into walls. She’d ask, “What diaper is free from nasty chemicals but will hold my baby’s business?” or “Flame-retardants on pajamas—really?!?” I’m glad she kept asking questions, searching for better solutions, and imagining a safer world for her children, because from that initial encounter and many subsequent conversations—ones we are still having to this day—The Honest Company was born.
Since first meeting Jessica, I’ve always been impressed by her thorough knowledge of the health risks of toxic chemicals and her instinctive scrutiny of claims made by supposedly safer or eco-friendly products. But I’m most moved by her passion—for always learning and growing, for striving to make better choices everyday, and for seeking solutions (affordable ones!) that help all families and people everywhere. In reading
The Honest Life,
I hope you’ll get to know Jessica the way I do. You’ll see that she’s a dreamer, but also a doer. She’s inspired by her friends, family, and community, by her childhood and motherhood, and by what’s practical, beautiful, and fairly priced. And she really likes thinking (and cooking) outside of the box.
Once I stopped by her house for a dinner only to find her whipping up a four-course, organic meal (this is a treat for her guests that she pulls off regularly, by the way). Between chatting with friends and sipping her wine, she somehow made an awesome dinner that we all devoured. She’s such a talented cook—more like an amateur chef—that I can promise you’ll enjoy the recipes she’s included in this book. But my point is this: Jessica really does do it all herself.
She knows that busy moms don’t have time to make multiple trips to the store for food and diapers, research which pacifier or paint is safe and which isn’t, or dash away from the bath when the shampoo has run out. Drawing on inspiration from her everyday life and channeling her boundless determination to identify what’s accessible and truly do-able with a parent’s hectic reality, Jessica has become a savvy entrepreneur who speaks for a new generation of women and families who don’t want to make compromises between what’s healthy, what works, and what’s fashionable and fun.
I think most people think of celebrities as normal people living extraordinary lives, but Jessica is an extraordinary person living a normal life—one that is relatable, attainable, and rooted in family. Which is why I know that
The Honest Life
will serve as great guide to help you make healthier choices when it comes to the food you eat, the products you bring into your home, and the purity of what you put on your and your baby’s skin. Ultimately, though, I believe that Jessica’s example can motivate many more of us to transform our family’s health and happiness in ways that suit each of us best.
I’ll be honest:
This is a book about how you can live a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. But at the same time, it’s really not about that at all—because this book is not about why you need to become a vegan, use cloth diapers, or grow all your own food.
I eat (organic) meat.
I don’t have time to wash cloth diapers.
I have a total black thumb—if I had to grow our food, we’d starve.
I
DECIDED TO WRITE
this book because I was sick of being told that “healthy,” “safe,” and “eco” means “boring,” “beige,” and “blah”—not to mention, crazy expensive and hard to find. Which really doesn’t add up, right? So let me explain. Over the past five years (ever since I got pregnant with Honor), I’ve been on a quest to create a healthy environment for my family and myself. But I also want our life to be authentic, stylish, and fun, because that’s who we are. The problem was that whether I was decorating Honor’s nursery, testing out eco-friendly disposable diapers, or shopping for the perfect red lipstick, everything felt like a compromise. Somehow, it was a given that you had to sacrifice performance—and style—to be healthy.
You could either have stuff that looked and worked great but was filled with toxic chemicals, or you could have the not-so-cute, more-expensive eco-alternative that didn’t get the job done . . . not both. I found this very frustrating. I’m a busy person—even more so since I became a mom—and I’m betting you are, too. We don’t have time to waste on products that don’t work.
I knew there had to be a better way—doable, more fun, no compromises—and figuring out how to do this has become my mission. It’s one of the main things I talk about with my friends (both single and with families)—we’re all working to make healthier choices without an extreme lifestyle overhaul, and we share tips and strategies. It’s the reason I created The Honest Company, so we could all have a single, trustworthy destination for nontoxic household essentials that are also extremely effective (and super cute). It’s also the reason I wrote this book. Because with the help of friends, family, and experts, I’ve figured out a few things along the way. I wanted to share
my
version of a healthy, natural lifestyle—I call it Honest Living—with you.
S
O HOW DID
I get so passionate about Honest Living in the first place?
Well, it all started with a load of laundry.
It was the spring of 2008. I was pregnant with Honor—which is to say, I was hot and exhausted, had swollen ankles and an enormous belly, and (of course) was feeling excited, terrified, and a million other emotions all at once. I couldn’t wait to be a mom, but I also was completely overwhelmed by how much we had to learn about being parents and creating a safe and nurturing environment for our child to thrive in.
Like any mom-to-be, I called my mother for advice. A lot.
My mom has raised two kids, and I have a lot of cousins, so she really knows babies. If you want to know what to do about colic or how to make the best lasagna to feed 40, seriously, just call my mom and she’ll tell you. Which is why, when she told me that I had to use a special brand of baby detergent to wash all of the onesies and little outfits I got at my baby shower, I didn’t question it. Sure, this particular brand of baby detergent comes in a super-small box and costs a fortune (frankly, I couldn’t believe my parents had sprung for it when we were little, because we were always on a budget), but my mom insisted it was worth every penny! “Everyone uses this detergent,” she reassured me. “It’s what I used for
your
baby clothes. It costs so much because it’s the best stuff out there.”
So I loaded up the washer with my first round of baby stuff and the recommended dose of that fancy detergent. I noticed the fragrance and thought it was kind of strong. In fact, I started sneezing uncontrollably. I was used to my fragrance-free “eco” detergent, but my mom said this was the bees’ knees of detergents, so I kept it moving.