When we were struggling with infertility three years ago, God led me to a holistic nutritionist that not only opened my eyes to a whole new life of healthy eating, but one of healthy LIVING as well. Through a method called Nutrition Response Testing, the nutritionist found that I had a number of toxic chemicals present in my system. From the food we eat and water we drink, to the technology we use and air we breathe, we are exposed to toxins on a daily basis – and that includes the products we apply to our skin. Unfortunately, all of these chemicals can can knock our hormones out of balance and contribute to infertility. While there were definitely certain factors out of my control, she encouraged me to start making changes to the things I could control – the food I choose to eat and the products I use in my home and on my body.
Since then, I have been on a quest to find products that are healthy for me and my body AND that actually work. This has been a long journey and labor of love to say the least. Growing up a dancer and cheerleader and being exposed to makeup at an early age, I love all the super luxe beauty products just as much as the next girl. But my health is more important. So little by little, I have picked one or two items to “clean up” at a time. I’ve spent a lot of time reading up on the ingredients and combing through online reviews before trying them out for myself. There have been many that were misses, but I’m happy to say I have found many that I truly love and am so excited to share with you!
If you’re thinking about switching to safer products, here are a few things that might be helpful as you get started:
- START SLOW – you’ll get overwhelmed trying to change everything all at once. The first thing I swapped was my body wash and the next month (or the next time I ran out of a certain product) I’d pick another product and look for a healthier alternative.
- READ YOUR LABELS – If the ingredients contain a long list of things you can’t pronounce it’s liking not good for you (same goes for your food!). I like using the EWG website as my primary resource for researching products. This site is packed with important health information about many of the personal care items on the market today. EWG rates products on a 1-10 scale with 1 being the LEAST hazardous to your health. If the product I listed has an EWG score available, I included it in this post.
- YOU ARE NOT A “ONE SIZE FITS ALL” – God created us all individually so what works great for me might not be the best for you. As well, our bodies are ever-changing so what’s working right now might not be what works best in 6 months. Pay attention to your body and begin to learn what works best for YOU!
While I’ve definitely made good progress cleaning up my personal care items over the years, I still have a ways to go. You’ll see below I list some conventional products that are not healthy that I still use on occasion. If you have any good recommendations for those items – I’d love to hear them!
Some websites with great non toxic products are Primally Pure, Follain, The Detox Market, EcoDiva, Beautycounter and I like following Organic Bunny and This Organic Girl on Insta for clean beauty recs.
Without further adieu, here is a list of personal care/makeup products I personally recommend:
FACE
Face wash: First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser (EWG Score: 2), Beautycounter’s Nourishing Cream Cleanser (EWG Score: 2) or One Love Organics Easy Does it Cleanser
Exfoliating Scrub: Acure Organics Brilliantly Brightening Facial Scrub (EWG Score: 1)
Cleansing Oil/Makeup Remover: Primally Pure Cleansing Oil (15% off with code MYCAH15)
Toner: Little Barn Apothecary Aloe + Rosewater Balance Mist (EWG Score: 1) or Thayers Alcohol-Free Unscented Witch Hazel Toner (EWG Score: 1) budget friendly!
Light Moisturizer: Ursa Major Fortifying Face Balm
Heavy Moisturizer: BELIF Moisturizing Bomb (EWG Score:2) or Primally Pure’s Blue Tansy Beauty Cream (15% off with code MYCAH15)
Face Serum/Anti-Aging: Vitner’s Daughter (EWG Score: 1) I apologize in advance for the price tag on this one, but it really is so good. I swear my skin looks so much healthier, less red, plumper and younger after using this. This was a birthday gift last year and I’ve still got a lot left as a little goes a long way.
Lip Moisturizer: Glossier Balm Dotcom Original (EWG Score: 2)
Masks: I’ve never really been a mask girl, mainly because they’re usually expensive and I don’t want to spend the money but I was just talking with my friend Natalie the other day and she mentioned that she really likes this one and this one so I’m going to give these a try at some point.
BODY
Body Wash: Everyone 3-in-1 Soap (EWG Verified) We’ve been using this for years. My husband uses it as his shampoo and body wash (what is with guys wanting one product to do 5 different things?) I get this at Whole Foods, Target or order off of Thrive Market.
Body Lotion: Primally Pure Body Butter – these smell and feel amazing! (15% off with code MYCAH15)
Body Soak: Primally Pure Flower Bath (15% off with code MYCAH15)
DEODERANT
Primally Pure – Hands down best one out there! Click here to read my full review. Use code MYCAH15 to get 15% off your first purchase during the month of March.
Little Seed Farm – This one is great too. The only con is that it’s a cream and has to be applied with your hands. Not a big deal at all, but I prefer the traditional deodorant application that Primally Pure offers.
SUNLESS TANNER
Beauty by Earth (EWG Score: 1 and good price point), Chocolate Sun Self Tanner (smells so good!). Interested in trying this invisible, rapid-drying tanning mousse.
SUNSCREEN
Supergoop (EWG Score: 1) – love the way this smells and feels on my skin. I use this on Lively too.
My holistic nutrionist also recommended ThinkSport and ThinkBaby for Lively but I haven’t tried those yet.
TOOTHPASTE
Tom’s of Maine Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste (EWG Score: 1)
HAIR
Shampoo and Conditioner: Beautycounter Shampoo and Conditioner (EWG Score: 1) The search for a good natural shampoo and conditioner was a lot like my search for a good natural deodorant. A long process with a lot of trial and error and money wasted. So thankful I discovered these gems from Beautycounter. Lathers beautifully, cleans my hair so well, smells good, gives me good volume… love it so much!
Dry Shampoo: Primally Pure Dry Shampoo – love this stuff! I remember when I first ordered this and received a small little canister in the mail and thought to myself “great, this is probably going to last a week.” I wash my hair 3x a week and use dry shampoo on the days in between. I’ve had the small 1 oz. size since November and still haven’t run out. Use code MYCAH15 to get 15% off your first order during the month of March.
Hairspray: I don’t hairspray my hair very often so I’m still using this conventional hairspray. Any recommendations?
Blow Dry Heat Protectant: Still using an Oribe cream I bought two years ago. Once it runs out I plan on trying this.
Dry Texturizing Spray: I still love and will continue to use Oribe’s Dry Texturizing Spray on occasion (for events or photos).
BABY
Baby Wash: EO Baby Wash (EWG Verified)
Baby Lotion: Erbaviva Lotion
Baby Balm: Erbaviva Baby Butter or Primally Pure Baby Balm
Baby Powder: Primally Pure Baby Powder (15% off with code MYCAH15)
Diaper Rash: Beautycouter Diaper Rash Cream (EWG Verified)
NEW MOM
Belly Butter: Zoe Organic Belly Butter
Nipple Balm: Earth Mama Organic Nipple Butter (smells like chocolate!)
Bottom Spray: Herbal Perineal Spray by Earth Mama
MAKEUP
Foundation: Tarte Shape Tape Matte Foundation (EWG Score: 2)
Tinted Moisturizer: Ilia Sheer Vivid Tinted Moisturizer
BB Cream/Primer: Tarte Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer (EWG Score: 2)
Concealer: Tarte Marajuca Creaseless Concealer (EWG Score: 2) or Urban Decay All Nighter Full Coverage Concealer – I use this when I’m doing heavy makeup for an event or photos. It’s awesome, but definitely not natural.
Powder: Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder (EWG Score: 1)
Bronzer: It Cosmetics Bronzer – not clean. Will probably try this bronzer once it’s finished.
Brow Pencil: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer – no EWG score available for this. It’s free of parabens, sulfates and phthalates but it’s still probably not the cleanest. I just really loved the angled pencil. Makes doing my brows so much easier. If you know of a cleaner swap let me know!
Eyeshadow: Tartelette Pallets (EWG Score: 2)
Blush: Beautycounter Satin Powder Blush (EWG Score: 1)
Lipstick: Ilia Lipsticks and Beautycounter Sheer Lipsticks (EWG Score: 1)
Eyeliner/Mascara: I do not have recs for these yet because I’ve been getting lash extensions for the last three years… I know I know. Not “natural” at all but I got hooked and have really enjoyed them. 🙂 I just stopped getting them and am currently in the process of letting my natural lashes grow back out. I bought some Castor Oil to help them grow but TBD on if it will actually work. Let me know if you have a good natural mascara rec. Obviously I love the look of dramatic lashes so something that really provides length and volume!
Nail Polish Remover: Karma Organic Nail Polish Remover (EWG Score: 1)
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS
Will cover these in a separate post!
I love this, Mycah! I use the face mask that Natalie recommended after showers/baths 1-2x a week and love it. It’s truly worth the investment! For bronzer, I enjoy the Bare Minerals Faux Tan, which rated as a 2 on EWG for its old formulation. It doesn’t look like they’ve updated it since, but it seems to have the same composition! Dillon and I also love the Good Soap from Whole Foods. I used to be so against bar soap, but we bought 10 bars for $10 during a sale last winter and they’re still going strong over a year later. This is such a good round-up! 🙂