My Favorite Non-Toxic Self-Care Products
You guys let me know that you were interested in
learning more about choosing non-toxic self-care items.
So, I want to share with you some of the items
I love and use regularly.
I know when switching out my own products, there have been times that I’ve had to try multiple items to find one that works well. So, hopefully by sharing these with you, it’ll make your transition easier. To make these switches, most of the time I used up an item I already had and when it was time to replace it, I’d do the research to find a suitable alternative. One of the ways in which I did this was to consult the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Skin Deep Database. On their site, I always try to look for items that are labeled as top scoring products and up to a score of 2. This is their safest category and represented by the color green.
I want to add a few words of clarity here, though. I’m cautious to use the word non-toxic because there is rarely an opportunity to escape all toxins these days. However, when the EWG Skin Deep Database rates their items, they take into account the information we may or may not have on the safety of an item. When considering the products you choose to use, exercise caution, but don’t let perfection become the enemy of good. Simply begin to expand your knowledge in this area and do the best you can!
The items I am sharing with you in this post are available through some of my favorite online shopping sites: Amazon, Thrive Market, and Young Living. I have linked the products for your convenience when appropriate. I may receive monetary compensation through your use of these links at no additional cost to you. If you find this information beneficial, shopping through these links helps make it possible for me to keep the content coming for you here. And I’m only sharing them with you because we use these sites and products ALL THE TIME because we choose to. We purchase all of the products shared here and these are 100% my own opinions. Also, if you shop through this Thrive Market link, you can receive 20% off your first 3 purchases! I have shared Thrive Market with you on this site several times because of my love for what their mission and offerings. You can find more info about them here, here (if you’re a subscriber), and here .
7 Categories of My Favorite Non-Toxic
Self-Care Products
1. Soap
Soap is first up since we use it all throughout the day! These soaps are junk-free and gentle, and of course they’re free of triclosan, an antibacterial agent linked to antibiotic resistance, cancer, and endorcrine disruption. They are also free of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) which are foaming agents that can cause skin irritation, but worse have been linked to developmental and reproductive toxicity, endocrine disruption, and possibly even cancer. Thankfully, simple soap and hot water do the best kind of work in protecting us from the spread of germs without any of these harmful additives.
Before we go any further, though, you’re going to hear those terms “endocrine disruptors” used several times in the post and you may be wondering what that even means. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences states,
“Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife.”
And the Enviornmental Working Group says,
“There is no end to the tricks that endocrine disruptors can play on our bodies: increasing production of certain hormones; decreasing production of others; imitating hormones; turning one hormone into another; interfering with hormone signaling; telling cells to die prematurely; competing with essential nutrients; binding to essential hormones; accumulating in organs that produce hormones.”
So, yeah…nothing we want to be fooling around with as much as possible, right? You want to know something else staggering? While Europe has banned well over 1,000 detrimental chemicals, the US has banned ONLY 3o! That’s not a typo….only THIRTY! This means, here in the US in particular, we have to really do our own work in sorting out the nasty products from the safer ones!
Now…here are the safe, gentle, and simple soaps we use:
Dr Bronner’s Castile Bar Soap (we use this in our shower)
Dr Bronner’s Castile Liquid Soap (we use this at our sinks- check out how below)
My favorite thing to do with the liquid soap is use a foaming soap dispenser on the sinks in both my bathrooms and my kitchen. It stretches the soap and feels nice too! With this type of dispenser you add just a little soap and fill the rest with water. These are not the exact dispensers I have because I couldn’t find those anymore. I’ve had mine for about 5 years. But I did find these, which are inexpensive and have good ratings and reviews. As a side note, I did look at stainless steel pumps that fit atop mason jars (because I do like that look better and I like to avoid plastics where I can), but they simply didn’t have good ratings and I didn’t want to recommend them.
2. Deodorant
Deodorant is next up because it’s something most of us apply at least once every day. So many deodorants are filled with endocrine disrupting ingredients, including fragrances, and many still have aluminum in them too. Our armpits have lymph nodes which are connected to our immune system. This is not a place you want to be using harmful ingredients!
In my experience, finding a suitable deodorant really does vary by the individual, so I’m sharing a couple options below. I have to say first, however, that when you’re eating a real food diet and are taking good care of your gut health, you are likely to find that you don’t need as much deodorification. {wink, wink}. For real, though.
Also, if switching from a conventional deodorant, expect to experience a short detox and adjustment period. Give it at least 2 weeks! You will likely start to notice improvement in that time, but a full adjustment may take several weeks. Personally, I honestly don’t even always wear deodorant now. You may find you don’t always have to either, over time.
Okay, some good options:
Primal Pit Paste– This one is unscented. I use this one and like it a lot!
Schmidt’sBergamont & Lime Deodorant Jar – I haven’t personally tried this one, but have heard good things about it. The scent comes from essential oils – no perfumes here. Their sticks, however, have “natural fragrance” listed on the ingredients, which I would avoid.
Lastly, you can also simply use baking soda and coconut oil mixed as a paste for deodorant. Sometimes baking soda can be a little irritating for some. It is in both of the deodorants above as well, however, if you’re switching from a conventional product, any of these are likely to be less irritating.
3. Toothpaste
Toothpaste is another product that can conventionally be filled with undesirable ingredients. Did you know flouride, long touted as providing protection against tooth decay (which actually may not be effective anyway), is a neurotoxin and can cause endocrine disruption? Children are especially at high risk due to the amount of toothpaste they may swallow. Fluoride can also be found in the water we drink, if it’s not removed through proper filtration. Ingredients such as triclosan, SLS, and other harmful chemicals and additives linked to cancer and more endocrine disruption are also often found in toothpaste. So, toothpaste is another product I highly recommend you find with clean, safe ingredients.
My absolute favorite toothpastes are from Young Living as you’ll see below. You can order Young Living products from me here. If you have any questions, please email me.
A few of my favorites are:
Thieves Dentarome Ultra from Young Living
Thieves Aromabright from Young Living
KidScents Slique from Young Living
Use this chart to compare the various toothpastes
DIY Toothpaste-
Thoroughly combine:
– 3/4 cup organic coconut oil
– 3-4 TBS baking soda
– about 10 drops trace mineral drops {optional- provides minerals for the teeth}
– powdered pure stevia and/or xylitol to desired taste, start out with a very small amount and increase slowly. This xylitol & stevia blend would be perfect so you don’t have to buy both. {optional – stevia adds sweetness and may help break up biofilms, while xylitol also adds sweetness and can be helpful at fighting bacteria in the mouth. If using xylitol or the blend, powder it by running it through a high speed blender before adding it to your toothpaste mixture for a smooth texture.}
– 15-20 drops high quality essential oil(s) of your choice {great choices include: citrus essential oils, Thieves, peppermint, etc.- also available through Young Living at my link here}
Store in a glass jar and apply to your toothbrush with a small scoop or knife.
4. Tension Tamer.
Whenever I have a tension headache or muscle aches, my go-to combo is easy and non-toxic. It’s easy on the liver (unlike NSAIDs) and doesn’t have negative effects on the gut (like NSAIDs do). I swear this is effective almost (if not) every time!
Magnesium Spray and Lavender Essential Oil (ensure high quality, pure lavender)
Simply apply a few sprays of the magnesium oil to the affected area. Apply a drop or two of lavender to your hand and blend with the oil into the affected area. I LOVE the effect this has on neck and shoulder tension especially!
5. Mascara.
I don’t use many cosmetics, but mascara is pretty much a daily-use item for me. I love how just this one product can make your eyes pop! Now– this item isn’t as clean as I’d like. It does score a 3 on the EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. I personally just have not found one that I like better. This one has never irritated my eyes and it performs well. It’s also gluten free, which may be important to you since it’s being applied so close to the sensitive tissues and mucous membranes of the eyes. I have tried others with lower ratings that actually bothered my eyes and just didn’t perform as well as this one. I still consider it progress over so many other choices out there.
Tarte Gifted Amazonian Clay Mascara – Black
6. Face Cleansing
In this previous post, I shared ALL about my favorite, luxurious, non-toxic face cleansing method.
WARNING {wink, wink}: If you’re a man reading and don’t care to read about the female items in number 7, you can skip out now, but I’d encourage sticking around so you can share this information with the women in your life.
7. Feminine Hygiene Products
Feminine hygiene products can be loaded with toxic products and can be incredibly irritating to the body. I won’t get into too many details here, however, as women, our cycles are a beautiful sign of health and fertility. I don’t think we want to be using hygiene products that can cause endocrine disruption and more. Neither do we want the (additional) discomfort from skin irritating materials and ingredients. I have found the combo that works most comfortably for me and only wish I’d had these options YEARS ago!
Menstrual Cup– much less toxic than most tampons, reusable, and reliable.
Natracare Pads– I use these as added protection on heavier flow days. Otherwise, the cup is enough.
Those are my tips for you today!
If you want more information about our non-toxic hair care, let me know in the comments below and I will share that with you in a separate post. If you want to know more about other areas of non/low-toxic living, please also specify that below.
