About
I believe you can heal your body by making simple changes in the products you use. I should know because I have been healed from Hashimoto’s. And I am in the process of recovering from Addison’s, another chronic autoimmune condition. Because my own father died of metastatic cancer at the age of 57, I am acutely aware of the dangers that are lurking in the products that most of us use without even thinking.
But I am not a fearmonger. You won’t see me hopping on the latest bandwagon of people claiming that one specific ingredient is at the root of all problems. My recommendations are rooted in science, balance, and sound judgment.
And you won’t see me promising a cure for everything to everybody either. Again, I understand that we are all different and that we are in different places in our journeys toward health. What works for some, might not work for others.
That’s why I have made it my mission to research and understand all the ingredients and even contaminants of the products we use. Now I want to share with you over a decade’s worth of research and teach you how to make informed and practical decisions. You can learn about my research methods here.
Here’s what I bet is true about you…
You don’t have to feel this way.
Do you need a better way to create a toxic-free home for your family?
Actually, that was how I started my whole journey into product research when I had my own baby. Motherhood changes you, and this is how it changed me.
While I have recovered from Hashimoto’s and am recovering from Addison’s disease, I live a fully normal life. I used to throw up every morning, be nauseous during the day, and barely have the energy to walk from the bedroom to the kitchen.
But here I am in my late forties, and I can outrun my son!
Really, my husband and I feel the minimal impact of our new lifestyle. We did not have to drop out of society to live and practice healthy living. So welcome!
I am so happy you are here!
In 2012, I left my financial analyst career to pursue my passion. Today, it brings me joy to say that my efforts have not gone unnoticed.
Thousands of people follow me on social media.
I am a sought-after speaker on topics near and dear to my heart and have been interviewed as an expert for various media. For example:
Furthermore, I advise companies on the safety of ingredients they are considering for their products.
I have been successfully guiding a group of Savvy Consumer Circle members to make meaningful, healthy changes without feeling overwhelmed.
We can also discuss your challenge one-on-one to identify solutions that will work for your budget, health condition, and appetite for change.
In addition, I consult retailers and product manufacturers to help them choose or make products consistent with their missions.
I wholeheartedly believe that you can also be empowered with the knowledge you are gaining. And you can be kind to yourself about things you can’t change just yet. I am here to help.
What others are saying
“There is no doubt that Irina offers unique service. There are so many products I never knew even existed. Most importantly, she provides a solution to the problem. I highly appreciate her hard work and completely trust her recommendations for my family. This kind of research is not easy to do as every brand is trying to sell its products, and it is easy to mask all information about toxins in their products.”
-Mehnaz
“I’ve been reading your blog for the past year or so – you have really helped me to stay on the road to health and wellness. You have certainly educated me to live in a toxin-free world and slowly but surely toxins have been significantly reduced in the personal products I use and in the products I use for my home! Your blog is my go-to now. I thank God for you every day for doing the research for all of us! I appreciate the time, effort and passion you put into this.”
-Confidential
“I have to add my voice to the chorus of praise for all the meticulous research you are conducting on ways in which we can decrease the amounts of toxins in our home.”
-Dawn
How to start
Download The Free Guide!
5 Powerful Steps To A Non-Toxic Home
Join our informed consumer community and get our free guide the “5 Powerful Steps To A Non-Toxic Home”.
I’d love to hear from you
If you have a question about a product not listed on the website (use the website menu and search engine in the top right corner to locate products), please consider booking a consultation or joining the Savvy Consumer Circle.
Our Team
I am grateful to my husband for his emotional and financial support. He is also a legal counselor and editor for I Read Labels For You. I am also grateful for my friend and assistant Maria, who is with me on this mission. Read about her and my husband next.
I am Irina’s husband, our son’s father, and an attorney dedicated to helping small businesses and individuals navigate an increasingly complex (and dangerous) society.
History will be the judge as to who had the idea for this blog first. When we were expecting our son’s birth, I remember Irina was really concerned about finding the best products for him after he was born. As an analyst, she attacked the problems of finding the right products with the best tool for uncovering the truth: she asked the right questions, and when she didn’t get the right answers, she kept asking. Believe me, as an attorney, I know when I have been cross-examined well, and Irina is among the best.
After a while, she amassed such a quantity of information on non-toxic baby products that I encouraged her to start a blog and share her newfound expertise with the world. I thought this would just be a hobby, but I have watched it become a passion, and have witnessed the birth not only of our son but also of this blog. As I read it, I’m not sure which makes me prouder: watching Irina care for our little boy, or watching her separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to truly safe consumer products.
But this is supposed to be about me. I grew up an all-American kid in the Midwest, playing sports in the summers and after school, baling hay and de-tassling corn as summer jobs, and eventually ended up at Notre Dame, where I graduated with a dual degree in English and Government and International Relations. I then attended Notre Dame’s Law School and graduated in 1991. I have been licensed in Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, and California.
I practiced law in Indiana for many years, and then migrated West, with a stop in Denver before settling in San Francisco. I started my own practice where we help businesses and individuals cope with legal issues in a broad range of areas. You can visit my website here.
I hope you enjoy the information my wife works long hours to bring you. She has found her calling and her passion in researching, and bringing to light, the many dangerous chemicals and ingredients in products we all use. Since she began her research, our lives have changed, but for the better. I have more energy and feel much healthier for the relatively small changes we have made to our lifestyle. Enjoy exploring these pages.
Hi! My name is Maria Simmons.
In the middle of the 1990’s, as soon-to-be university graduates, we’d often get together to daydream about the great future awaiting us. Yes, that’s how long Irina and I have known each other. Our ways parted geographically, as Irina went to the US, and I went to Asia, but relationally we kept in touch and even visited with each other.
After moving from Asia to the US with my American husband, I had to go through a period of adjustment. While my friends and family were far away, Irina was always there for me. Eventually, she tactfully asked me to help her out with her blog. So, in 2018, I joined I Read Labels For You.
At that time, what Irina was writing about was new to me. I purchased products based on their functionality, looks, and price rather than on their ingredients. It had never even occurred to me to read ingredients. Besides, I had a belief that if a product was out there for sale, it was fine. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been allowed to reach the store shelves. Now I know better, and I’m grateful for that.
However, my life didn’t change overnight. My husband and I are taking small steps towards improving our home environment, gradually moving from one level to the next, letting the newly acquired knowledge transform our minds first.
Looking back, it’s hard not to notice the hand of God guiding Irina and me to this mutual path. Clearly, as we walk through life, we can’t stay in touch with all the people we have ever met. But for some reason, God chose to keep our relationship alive all these years and, ultimately, re-unite us both physically and spiritually. It is this awareness that we are a part of a Bigger Plan is what keeps us going. After all, what He opens, no one can close; and what He closes, no one can open.