Welcome back to our Safe Swap Challenge where this week we are featuring safe swaps for your bathroom (body). This is part two of our bathroom safe swaps. Last week, we focused on the face and shared resources and products that we love.
This week, we are challenging you to make one safe swap for your body. Our skin is our largest organ and what we put on our skin doesn’t stay there, it’s absorbed. Ladies, we are putting dozens, maybe hundred of chemicals on our bodies every day. It’s time to make a safe swap for your skin. Start small. Pick one thing and start there. You’ve got this!
The top ingredients I try to avoid when buying products are parabens, phthalates, triclosan, PEGs, aluminum, mineral oil, fragrances and more. “Fragrance” as an ingredient, for example, is just a way for companies to hide what they are putting in their products. It is protected because it is considered “proprietary”, but in reality they are just using the word fragrance to hide a toxic combination of any number of chemicals.
If you want to learn more about why we are doing this, head over to our blog Safe Swaps – Why Should I Care? If you want to know where to start, click here. Otherwise, let’s dive in, shall we?
Safe Swaps for your Bathroom (Body)
Soap
Handsoap is something we use maybe the most in the day. My go to is the Seventh Generation “Free & Clear” as I just grab them at Target when I go, but I’m listing another one as well.
Body, Shower & Hair Essentials
Here are some of my favorite hair care and body brands… shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, etc. Innersense is a higher price point, but has amazing products especially for those of you with difficult or curly hair. Otherwise I really like Acure and Carina Organics and both have a great price point. Carina Organics also has a great baby/kid line! The links shared below, link directly to the company page, not the specific products. I am also linking my favorite Dr. Bronners body soap, which I love. I’m all about trying to find products that have less packaging as well!
Dr. Bronners Peppermint Soap
Dr. Bronners Unscented Soap
Dr. Bronners Lavender Soap
Sunscreen
As I mentioned in my first post, there are two kinds of sunscreen. Chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the skin, absorb the sun’s rays, convert them and they are released back out. Mineral sunscreens or sunblock sit on the top of the skin and reflect the rays away. The active ingredients in the chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the body. Here are my favorite mineral sunscreens.
Deodorant
Deodorant is one of those tricky things, but let’s get real for a second. I used to sweat. A lot. Even when I shouldn’t have been sweating, I would sweat. I started using “clinical” deodorant and it still wasn’t doing the trick. So when I start switching over to more natural products, I was really nervous about using a “natural” deodorant. But let me be completely honest with you. It took a few weeks (usually your armpits will go through a detox), but I started to sweat less. A lot less. I have been using Toms for a few years now and I have nothing but amazing things to say. Give these a shot and see how they work for you!
Qet deodorant
Urban Cowboy Deodorant
Native Deodorant
Toms Unscented Deodorant
Toothpaste
There is a lot of talk around whether or not to use fluoride in your toothpaste. I choose not to because of the research that I have done, but you need to make that decision for yourself and your family. Here are the kinds of toothpaste that I like and we use in our family.
Dr. Bronners Peppermint Toothpaste
Burts Bees Berry Toothpaste
Dr. Brite Toothpaste
Tom’s Toothpaste
Feminine Hygiene
Something that most people don’t think about. Most conventional tampons and pads are bleached with chlorine which leads to a toxic byproduct called dioxin, which is linked to endometriosis and cancer, as it’s a known carcinogen. They typically also contain fragrances, which as I mentioned about is code for “a lot of unnamed chemicals”. The inside of our vagina is extremely sensitive and absorbent. So when it comes to feminine hygiene, I try to stick to organic tampons or the diva cup.
Nails
Lastly, I want to share a few safe swaps for your nails. To be completely honest, this is the area where I give a little bit because it isn’t going directly on my skin, but we do breathe in the fumes. Here are a few of my favorite safe swaps for nail polish and remover.
That’s all I’ve got for you, friends. Like I mentioned in my last post, these are not the only options out there. There are so many, but these are some that I love and use! And as the demand for safer products continue to rise, so will the options. We vote for safety with our dollars. Let us know which one safe swap you are making in your bathroom today!
