When people start getting into the field of natural health and wellness and researching their food, I think it’s only natural that after a while you start to also research the other items in your household. Our skin is our largest organ, and therefore what you put on your body and even what you breathe is very important for our overall health and wellness. For a few years, I mainly focused on the food I was eating, but after a while, this started to spill over into what I was putting on my body and what I was utilizing to clean my house.

While I am not 100% perfect in all areas, I try to primarily buy products that are natural/ eco-friendly and I also make sure that these products actually work well. I have tried out a lot of products before I found ones that are both a) non-toxic and b) high performance. This is also especially important to me as I believe the products you are using have an impact on endocrine (hormonal) health and I want to make sure I am not using anything toxic while pregnant with the baby.

If you want to check out the toxicity of the products in your own home, a great resource to use is the Environmental Working Group ewg.org and/or the app “thinkdirty”. It may be overwhelming at first if most of your products don’t score very well, but just move slowly and as you run out of products replace them with safer alternatives. Also, as a side note, I do not sell any of the products below and I don’t get paid to promote them. I just think they’re great and want to share : )

Makeup

Before I researched all of the toxins/ crap in my makeup I only cared about one thing- good quality coverage. I had dark circles under my eyes and acne as a teenager so it was really important to me that I had a good coverage concealer/ foundation. In college, I primarily used Tarte and Makeup Forever and always loved the coverage they provided. However, I didn’t love the chemicals that were used in the products. Beautycounter has been a fantastic way to get the great quality coverage I desire while also delivering on a toxin free product. My favorite things from them are: Tint Skin Foundation, Volumizing Mascara, the nude eye shadow palate, their black eyeliner and their nude lip gloss. They are more expensive than your average drug store products (for good reason in my opinion) but they are comparable to the higher end makeup products that you would find at Sephora.

Deodorant

I have tried SO many natural deodorants over the years trying to get myself to stop using Secret Clinical Strength. I always used it because when I was growing up I felt like I sweat too much and it was the only thing that completely stopped both the smell/ sweat. As I started to research things like the fact that aluminum is in deodorant (https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/why-you-should-use-aluminum-free-deodorant) I knew I wanted a natural alternative. Also, it’s not natural to NOT sweat! Your body sweats as a way to detoxify, and using an “anti-perspirant” can clog your pores as your body is unable to rid itself of toxins. You want to search for a deodorant, rather than an antiperspirant.

For a long time, I tried a bunch of different types and they always made my armpits get a rash (I’m sensitive to baking soda) or they didn’t work. Then I tried Primally Pure deodorant. I get it, this stuff isn’t cheap- but it is SO effective and it does last a long time. It’s my favorite brand by far.

Household Cleaners

Most of our products are Seventh Generation, the Honest Company (I utilize the bundle option and get a new set of items every few months when I run out) and Dr. Bronner’s. I get pretty much everything from them like floor cleaner, glass cleaner, bathroom/ tile cleaner, and multi-purpose cleaner. Once you figure out the products that work well in your home, it becomes a lot easier. Also, this is where ewg.org and the thinkdirty app come in handy. You can also make most products yourself with just white vinegar and essential oils if you are on a budget!

Household Scents (aka “candles”)

I used to really like candles, but I started to notice that I would get a headache when certain ones were burning and I could never walk into a candle store without feeling sick. After a while, I realized that most candles are made with pretty bad ingredients (they aren’t just 100% soy or beeswax) and all of these artificial scents are really not good for us to inhale. So now I primarily use an essential oil diffuser and use lemon for the kitchen and lavender for my bedroom.

So there you go! I use quite a few other natural products so if you are interested in something in particular, let me know and I will try to point you in the right direction!