I used to think I was doing pretty well when it came to clean living. I sprung for organic groceries, separated my recycling, and used soap and vinegar instead of heavy-duty cleaning products.
But a few months ago, something just didn’t seem to add up. I felt slow and lethargic getting out of bed in the morning. The crow’s feet on my face were getting worse. My kids, husband, and I seemed to be getting sick every other week!
One day, I cracked open a new tube of toothpaste and got curious…. What was actually in there? I had to dig around their website to find the full ingredients list… and I saw things like:
Stannous fluoride complex… yes, that’s a type of fluoride.
Cetylpyridinium chloride… an antiseptic made from ammonia.
Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) was the last straw. After a bit of googling, I realized it was in everything. Soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, bodywash, detergents, and more. The International Journal of Toxicology recommends that you limit its use… but how can you limit it when it’s in everything?
At that point, I started rolling a garbage bin around the house, throwing all those synthetic personal care products out. And then I went to the cupboards and chucked out the mass-market protein powders, greenwashed snacks, and questionable energy drinks.
For about an hour, I felt born again. But then a sense of panic started to creep up… what can I trust for personal care?
That started a months-long journey of finding, researching, and trying out self-care products that are toxin-free, and work as well or better than the mass-market stuff. And you can skip all that work by checking out the 7 best things I replaced those toxic products with.
Did you know that skincare companies don’t have to disclose every ingredient used to manufacture their products? Surprise, surprise, the ingredients that they don’t disclose aren’t very good for you!
Annmarie Organics actually does disclose all their ingredients, and their ingredients speak for themselves: things like aloe, jojoba oil, cucumber extract, and milk thistle… Absolutely ZERO phthalates, parabens, or other questionable additives. I’m using the Anti-Aging Bundle daily, and I can already feel the difference. My skin is more elastic and “filled-in,” and I couldn’t be happier with it.
Do me a favor the next time you go to the optometrist: ask them what they think about Visine. Usually you’ll get a reaction that borders on outrage… that’s because most eye drops are full of ingredients like tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride… which will make you vomit if you drink it (anyone else remember that scene from Wedding Crashers?)
Eyetamins are a doctor-formulated way to skip the drops — and nourish your eyes with exactly what they need to stop the issue at the source. With the amount of screen time we’re all logging, this might be the best investment I made on this list. If you can’t eat it, why would you put it in your eyes?
The makeup industry might be the only industry that’s more opaque than skincare. I had no idea that common makeups can be made with trace amounts of mercury, aluminum, and even flame retardants… until I saw Krysta Lewis talking about it on YouTube.
Krysta was getting legitimately sick from her makeup, so she founded Aisling Organics to create professional-quality makeup without all the dangerous additives. Many “natural makeup” products separate over time, or don’t sit well with other products. Aisling Organics looks and feels just like the drugstore brands. They have a Full Face Glow Kit that contains everything you need for a full face of makeup. Value for money wise, you simply won't find anything that comes close.
Shampoo and conditioner contribute huge amounts of waste to our landfills every year, and even the most eco-conscious among us barely even think about that when buying another bottle.
But when I’m using Bottle None Shampoo and Conditioner Bars, I’m also not thinking about the landfill. I’m thinking about the way these bars lather just as well as traditional shampoo, and how nourished and silky my hair feels afterward. They’re low-pH, which is important to balance out all the acidic products we use. “Going green” doesn’t mean you have to put up with frizzy “hippie hair.”
When you really think about it, toothpaste might be the most toxic thing you use on a daily basis: It’s in a plastic bottle, made with fluoride and artificial flavors, and might even have microplastics in it. But who wants to use gritty natural toothpaste?
Well, nearly 40,000 people use The Dirt Natural Tooth Powder to whiten and clean their teeth, so I decided to give it a shot… and I was blown away by the way this stuff tastes. I know you might read “Tooth Powder” and think you’ll stick with supermarket paste, but you have to try it to believe it. It’s not gritty, it’s minty fresh, and it’s truly zero-waste.
I never thought I'd again be dealing with acne as an adult. I'm now deep into my 40s, and until recently, breakouts had not really been an issue for me. Maybe it's a hormonal change but I started to get breakouts every month like clockwork. It was embarrassing and a lot of products out there I looked at were designed for teenagers! More often than not I'd try something something from Sephora and they would leave my skin irritated and dry, and the breakouts kept on coming.
Simply put, I had NO idea how many harsh chemicals most adult acne products contain. Fortunately, an old friend of mine mentioned she’d been dealing with breakouts for 20 years, and she had finally found something that worked.
Its a 3-step system from a company called BalmLabs. It doesn't contain any of the chemicals that can be hard on your skin and health like sulfates, parabens, PEGs, artificial dyes or fragrances. I've been using it for 4 months and my confidence is through the roof. My skin is glowing and i've even started getting regular compliments from friends and family.
To complete the hygiene trifecta, I knew I had to find a better deodorant. Not only are most deodorants loaded with parabens, aluminum, and other toxic ingredients… they’re made with this brittle, unrecyclable plastic.
Myro makes body wash and deodorant that are zero-waste. Your first bundle comes with a refillable deodorant case, and refills come in 100% recyclable pods. I’ve been using the “Chill Wave” scent recently, and it’s really getting me into a “beach babe” state of mind. Best of all, I’m not panicked about the ingredients anymore.
The 7 products above are the cream of the crop, and I use every one of them almost daily. In almost all cases, they’re also small businesses run by people who really care about your customers, and all of them have excellent customer service (believe me… I called them.) So it’s really zero risk to try them and support a more ethical kind of capitalism.
Thanks for reading!
