Choose Cleaner Personal Care Products
It can be tough to switch personal care products. Everyone has their favorite shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and moisturizers. Giving up your favorites is hard.
For the green witch, living green is a way of life, and we’re always looking for ways to create less impact on Mother Earth and be kinder to the environment.
If your personal care products are filled with toxic chemicals, then there’s a good reason to switch that’s a little closer to home, so to speak: your well-being.
Moving to cleaner options doesn’t have to be overwhelming or painful.
In this post, we’ll use cleaner to mean being free of all or most potentially harmful ingredients.
My own healing journey includes environmental and food allergies and autoimmune thyroid disease.
These things, along with being a green witch, sparked my own interest in cleaner food, personal care, and household products.
For 10 years now, I have been reading, researching, and learning all I can to improve my food, life, and spirit.
This blog has developed from everything I have learned along the way.
It’s a blend of old and new wisdom. Kind of like the wisdom of our grandmothers re-imagined for modern life.
In this post, I am sharing with you three simple steps that will move you toward easily choosing cleaner personal care products that are safer for you and your family.
Choose Cleaner Personal Care Products Step 1: Take a look at what you currently use.
Take a look at what you are currently using.
Read the labels. Really read the labels.
According to a study done by the Environmental Working Group, most women use about a dozen products daily. These contain 150 different chemicals! Yikes!
The number of products used by teens increases to 17. Men usually use fewer products, but they too, need to look at what is in their favorites.
If you’d like to know more about the EWG and how they can help you choose cleaner products, you can find them here: Environmental Working Group
If there are ingredients you don’t recognize, look them up online. This might take a bit of time, but it’s definitely worth it to know what is in your personal care products. You might be shocked by what you find lurking in your favorite body washes, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and moisturizer.
Choose Cleaner Personal Care Products Step 2: Research cleaner options.
Do some research.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that companies or products are cleaner than they are. Some of the brands that used to be cleaner options have been purchased by other corporations who quietly go about changing product ingredients. So read the label to be sure you are getting what you think you are getting.
Tip: Periodically check your labels to be sure that your product formula hasn’t been changed.
Again, the Environmental Working Group is a great resource for learning about the ingredients you want to avoid. There’s even a product database available there to guide you in choosing safe products.
You might also consider simplifying your routine by giving up certain products altogether. Maybe one item can do the job of two or three in your routine.
Making your own products might also be an option. There are lots of possibilities for this with just a few simple ingredients and a willingness to experiment. (Stay tuned, there will be posts about this in the future!)
Choose Cleaner Personal Care Products Step 3: Try new products.
Choose the cleanest, best quality (as determined by clean ingredients) product(s) you can afford. Remember that price doesn’t indicate quality.
It may take some trial and error to find just what you are looking for, but don’t be discouraged. ( I had to try 3 different deodorants and two different kinds of toothpaste until I found something that I really like.)
These 3 steps are going to take a bit of time to research ingredients, find cleaner options, experiment with what works for you and then make the switch. Think of it as an investment in your own well-being.
Tip: Look for multi-tasking products. Some products are suitable for multiple purposes. You may be able to find one product that can be used as a face, body and hair wash as well as a shaving soap. Or one product that you can use to moisturize face, body and hair. (They do exist!)
The Wrap Up – Choose Cleaner Personal Care Products
These tips should get you on your way to replacing any chemical- laden personal care product you might be using with a cleaner option.
Remember, it’s about progress, not perfection.
Here are some of my favorites:
Mountain Rose Herbs – for making your own
Blessed Be.
If you have a medical condition, you should consult with your doctor to be sure that any changes you make are safe for you.
You might like these posts too:
Easy, Natural Ways to Clean Your Home
Eat a Cleaner Diet to Reduce Chemicals in Your Food
Karen
