Non-Toxic Personal Care Product Recs
One of the things that I think most people struggle with on their path to natural health and wellness is figuring out what personal care products might be hindering their health journey. This is especially true for women because we (normally) use way more products on our skin than men. The things we put on our skin are actually absorbed into our body and can wreak havoc on a plethora of systems within us. Basically- you put a toxin on or around your skin --> you get a toxin in your body.
Could you look me in the eye and rattle off the first ingredient in your face wash? I doubt it because I didn't even know that information until I just looked at my own face wash (and I consider myself a complete ingredient psycho). And that's okay. If you're like me, I thought I could trust all of the big companies to not harm me by giving me personal care items that may be a carcinogen or harm my reproductive health. Unfortunately, though, a lot of personal care items are not truly mandated at all.
If you don't know the first place to start with eliminating harmful, toxic personal care products- you're in the right place. I have worked relentlessly to rid my life of toxic junk from my environment and skincare routine and I am here to pass my knowledge on to you!
***Disclaimer: this article contains affiliate links. If you click them and purchase from them, I may make some money at no cost to you!Also, I am not a doctor, so this isn't medical advice.
In a hurry? Get my complete list with clickable product links here and skip all of the wordy text wink wink
How to Tell if Your Personal Care Items Are Toxic
The easiest way to tell if you're using personal care items that have harmful chemicals in it is to check the EWG website. They also make an app called "Healthy Living" that has the icon shown above. It's easy to use- especially the app!
Basically, all you do is enter the product name and description into the app and it will populate whether the data is entered in for that product. For example, searching "Jergens Smoothing Avocado Lotion" will show up pretty easily. However, like I said, not all products are on the site. I had used Clinique's Acne Solutions Foundation since high school (15 years ago). The item isn't on the EWG website but I can "Build Your Own Report" where you enter the ingredients and it'll give them a score. So, I looked up the ingredients on Ulta's website (Clinique didn't have the ingredients listed on their website, which is sus lol) and entered them into my own report and got the results below.
Getting a "6" is not great considering a 10 is the worst. This is also the score of the lotion I mentioned above. I generally don't like to use anything above a "2". So, the fact that people are rubbing that lotion all over the biggest organ we have- the skin, is pretty alarming...
Ingredients I Avoid in personal care products
I've learned a lot over the years about harmful ingredients that I don't want in, near or around my body. One of the BEST books hands down is a book by Dr. Wendie Trubow and Dr. Ed Levitan called "Dirty Girl" (seriously, GET THIS BOOK! So GOOD!). I included it in my list of books that have changed my health. I learned that there's a lot of stuff that we are exposed to that are extremely hard for our bodies to detox from, so here's some that I try not to come into contact with whenever I can:
Parabens (Isobutyl & Isopropyl)
Phthalates (Dibutyl & Diethylhexyl)
Fragrance
Monoethylphthalate (MEP)
Diphenyl phosphate (DPP)
Formaldehyde
Methylene Glycol
PFAS
All of these ingredients/substances are linked to either hormone disruption, cancer, nervous system disruption, cell/DNA damage or ALL of the above. Now think about that soaking into your skin and entering your blood stream! No thanks!
I truly believe this contributes to a lot of the infertility we see going around these days along with other chronic conditions that weren't really prevalent before. Think about it- our grandparents didn't have 90 lotions to put on their faces like we do now.
How to Switch your Personal Care products
Switching personal care products can be expensive as hell, to put it quite frankly. My advice is to do 1 of 2 things: 1) look up your personal care items on the EWG website and get rid of the worst scoring ones first or 2) replace them as you run out.
If you don't love the idea of getting rid of stuff that you paid for and have not used, then use it up and go with option #2. That is honestly what I did. As I ran out of stuff, I just replaced it with a cleaner brand option. It took a while, but it didn't break my bank the way replacing everything all at once would!
toxin free Personal Care products I use
I want you to keep in mind that I am not like the influencers you see online right now that cake on 90 different moisturizers every day. When I watch those videos I am fascinated because A) who has that much time to rub all of that in and B) there's no telling how many toxins they're rubbing all over their face twice a day, but I digress.
Since there's a lot of personal care items out there that are toxin free, I am also going to list an "alternative option" under each category! I have not used most of these options, but have either heard great things about them and/or found them on the EWG website!
FYI: The links below are clickable and will take you to the particular item!
Shampoo + Conditioner
Attitude Brand Shampoo and Conditioner
I recently made the switch to Attitude Brand shampoo and conditioner and I love it! I even use their kid’s shampoo, wash and detangler for my toddler. It’s EWG verified, so clean ingredients! You can get 15% off here!
Lotion
Call me a freak, but I had not used lotion of any kind for about 4 years now. I could never find one that had clean enough ingredients. So, I was just using coconut oil for a while. Then, I got lazy and just stopped moisturizing completely. Then, within the last few months I was introduced to Attitude Brand and started using their lotion. It has great ingredients, is EWG verified and leaves me feeling extremely moisturized and actually smelling good. I am so used to not having a smell that I forget how luxurious it is to have scented personal care items back in my life. Their products do not use any artificial fragrance- another win!
Other alternative: organic coconut oil or Rowe Casa Lotion.
Face Wash
Yet again, Rowe Casa Organics is the way to go when it comes to face wash. I was using a brand that was tallow based, but it never got my makeup off completely. Which, in my opinion, is pretty bad considering I really don't wear a lot of makeup. This face wash completely removes my makeup and it has actually improved the texture of my complexion as well.
Other alternative: Norwex face/body cloth- this is what I used for about 3 years before using this face wash. Toups & Co. Charcoal Facial Cleansing Bar (you can save 10% off Toups & Co. here)
Perfume
Dime Beauty Perfume Sample Pack
Like I said, I have not used scented personal care items in a longgggg time. This includes perfume. Most perfumes are loaded with harmful artificial ingredients- especially artificial fragrance. I had become so used to not wearing it that whenever people that were wearing a ton of perfume walked by me, I would get a headache. Finally, though, I have found a better perfume option. Dime Beauty is EWG verified and I love these little testers because it lets you try all of the fragrances they offer before you buy a big bottle!
Other alternative: Just the Goods Vegan Perfume Oil
Exfoliator
Rowe Casa Organics Microderm Scrub
I hadn't used any type of exfoliation on my face since the days of that Apricot scrub that I literally peeled my face raw using :) Ahhhh- fond memories. Again, Rowe Casa Organics has a face microderm scrub that is seriously one of my favorite things EVER. It leaves my face feeling so smooth and makes my pores appear way smaller. It has a pleasant lemony scent to it, too.
Other alternative: hop on Pinterest and make your own sugar scrub!
Bath Soak
Rowe Casa Organics Detox Bath Soak
One of the ways I love to support my detox pathways is to take a hot bath and soak in this detox bath soak. It has bentonite clay which is really great for pulling out impurities within your body. I will soak in this for about 20 minutes with my face mask on and let me tell ya, it's luxury.
Other alternative: my midwife introduced me to herbal baths and I LOVE them. I also love a good magnesium flake bath (this is the natural form of Epsom salts)
Dry Shampoo
Rowe Casa Organics Dry Shampoo
This is literally the best dry shampoo I have ever used. It's not in an aerosol can, which I really appreciate because that can be loaded with junk that is sprayed into the air you're breathing. A little goes a looooooong way and it soaks up all of the greasy nastiness in my scalp instantly. It made it to where I can push my hair wash days out even longer, which is great for me!
Other alternative: you could make your own. There's recipes on Pinterest. But honestly, what you'd spend making your own would probably cost more than the one I mentioned above.
Wrinkle Reduction
Ya girl is NEVER gonna get botox. However, I am not under the illusion that I will never get wrinkles, let alone don't already have them. I swear having a baby ages you so much in such a short amount of time (this wrinkle brought to you by Libby). Anywho, I like Frownies because it is a safer option than botox. I will say, that having to wear it for the first 30 days in a row is a biggggg commitment to me. However, I noticed a visible difference after just wearing these for ONE NIGHT. So, even if you don't feel up to doing the 30 days in a row- get it anyways. It still makes a difference based on my experience!
Other alternative: never frown or smile or show any emotion. LOL JK. I don't know of another alternative.
Face Balm
Toups & Co Frankincense Face Balm
I love Toups & Co Organics because they make their stuff locally to where I live (lower Alabama, baby) and they use organic ingredients, of course. I really love their face balm because it has Frankincense (very great for skin health) and uses beef tallow which is extremely nourishing. It absorbs into my skin easily and doesn't make my face greasy or anything! I pretty much use this as my face moisturizer/face cream- whatever you want to call it. You can get 10% off your Toups & Co. order here!
Other alternative: I know that Primally Pure has some great face balms as does Rowe Casa Organics.
Deodorant
Rowe Casa Organics Deodorant
I have tried A LOT of natural deodorants over the years. Some work, but most simply don't. And I am not even a sweaty person... A lot of them either make the armpits break out (even after the detox period) or leave a ton of buildup that will clog your razor whenever you go to shave- and razors ain't cheap so that is a no for me, dawg. This is the best deodorant I have found. It works great, goes on smooth and smells wonderful!
Other alternatives: I have heard Primally Pure's deodorant works really well- I just haven't tried it.
Toothpaste
I started using this brand about 6 months ago after my first visit to our local holistic dentist (shoutout Tooth & Co in Fairhope, Alabama!). I don't use fluoride, but they told me a great natural alternative to fluoride that replenishes our teeth without all of the nasty side effects- Nano Hydroxyapatite. This toothpaste is also EWG verified and you can get it from Amazon!
Other alternatives: Boka is a pretty popular brand that has more flavors. However, you get more bang for your buck with David's.
There you have it! All of my personal care product recommendations that are free of harmful chemicals that could be carcinogenic, hormonally disrupting or cause allergic reactions. If I didn't list a personal care item you're curious about- drop a comment. There's some things I simply don't use (like shaving cream), but I would love to help you find a healthier alternative! If you enjoyed this blog post, you'd really like my blog post about My Toxin Free Makeup Recommendations, too!