Non-Toxic Product Reviews

Why this matters

Let me start out by saying you don’t have to make all of these changes at once. I decided we would switch over one product at a time. Basically, when I run out of whatever product I was using I just switch over to a cleaner and more natural product. I don’t want to waste old product if I don’t have to. I’m not hard core enough to do that. And it’s completely overwhelm to me to think I have to change everything I use at one time. Slow and steady.

Over the past year or so my eyes have been opened to the types or products that I use in my home. My family are surrounded by man-made products everyday and I want to make the best choices I can. If you’ve never heard of terms like PFAs or “forever chemicals” you may want to do your own research to see how prevalent they are in our American products. Basically, these chemicals can remain in your body…you guessed it…forever. They can cause cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, and a number of other immune issues.

Other problems with our products include hormone disruptors which are in many of our everyday items. These includes chemicals like:

• Bisphenol A (BPA)
• Phthalates
• Dioxin
• Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
• Atrazine
• Flame retardants
• Parabens 

Why I think this issue is particularly important is because we are seeing girls beginning their periods sooner than ever before and we have so many women who struggle with fertility issues. I know I can’t protect my children from everything but I also want to do what I can to give them the best chance. My husband and I struggled with infertility and I hope my daughters never have to experience that when they are ready to have children.

Anyways…I know that’s a bomb of information, especially if you didn’t know any of that.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that we could free of forever chemicals in our lifetime but reducing your exposure to these chemicals can change your health and hopefully the lives of your children and generations to come.

This can all feel overwhelming but to me it seems worth it to at least do what I can to make a difference in my families lives.

So, I have made a few switches (and I intend to make more) and I wanted to share with you the some of my favorite non-toxic product reviews! I am planning to add to this list as I try new products as well. And if you have products that you are using and you love please pass them along to me!

Cleaning Items

Laundry

I have tried a couple of laundry detergent sheets (Molly’s Suds and Tru Earth) and I didn’t care for them. They often get stuck to the sides of the washing machine and I never felt like my clothes were super clean. I also like my clothes to have a nice smell out of the dryer and my clothes had zero smell to them with sheets.

My pick – Truly Free

Truly Free Eco-Friendly Natural Laundry detergent is free from all the chemicals you don’t want, smells great AND comes with a reusable bottle to limit waste.

As someone with eczema I also love that it does not bother my skin at all!

This truly smells amazing and I love the quality of my clothes when they come out of the dryer. They have several other products which I have right now but have not tried that came in a HUGE starter pack.

Household Cleaning Items

We switched to ATHOS Plant Based Cleaners. I use their multi-purpose spray, window and glass spray and the bathroom cleaner. I also got a starter pack from them which came with reusable bottles, refills, and some reusable cleaning goodies.

I LOVE the smell of the multi-purpose spray and the bathroom cleaner. My whole house smells amazing when I clean with this stuff.

I will say I find the bathroom cleaner is definitely not strong enough to clean mildew. I still am using bleach products to get rid of the black in my shower when I see it. BUT I am also TERRIBLE at spraying down my shower regularly with the bathroom cleaner to prevent the mildew from happening in the first place.

I have not tried any other natural cleaning products so far but I have really enjoy the ATHOS brand so I’m not sure that I will switch.

Dishwasher Detergent

One day I realized the stuff I clean my dishes with could get into our food! I don’t know why that never hit me before but when it did I knew I wanted a more natural option.

We use Molly’s Suds Citrus Dishwasher Pods. I think it smells AMAZING and it doesn’t smell like chemicals. My dishes are also SUPER clean when I use this product. AND the pod is made of water-soluable film.

Toilet Bowl cleaner

This KRAZY KLEAN toilet cleaner is crazy. They have a 10-year warranty and all you have to do is place their little contraption in the toilet and leave it. No ring. No scrubbing. I have been using it for a couple of months now and usually I have a ring in my toilet within 2-4 weeks and there is NO RING in any of my toilets. AMAZING.

Beauty Products

Shampoo & Conditioner

I have tried a couple of different bar shampoos. One of the reasons I like a bar as opposed to a bottled shampoo and conditioner is because it’s better for the planet. You aren’t wasting huge bottles of empty shampoo (which most don’t get recycled anyways).

I didn’t like HiBar. I used both the shampoo and conditioner and it left my hair feeling straw-like and gross. I have very healthy hair and I don’t dye it or do anything else to it. My hair felt stiff and uncomfortable with HiBar.

I have really loved Kitsch Nourishing Castor Oil Shampoo Bar. I also tried the conditioner but felt like it made my hair too greasy. So, I just use the shampoo bar now every couple of days. I love this product because my hair looks and feels amazing AND I don’t have to wash my hair everyday for it to look great.

Soap

I love a good goat milk soap bar you can buy at a farmer’s market or a local farm. You can find many of these in grocery stores now too.

If you prefer to not go the goat milk route I have also used Kitsch Shea Butter Exfoliating Body Wash Bar. Note that is does have some exfoliating beads in it and can feel a little rough on very sensitive skin.

I have also used Jukebox Soap in a couple of different scents and have really liked the softness of my skin and the scents they have.

Makeup

During this time I realized I don’t want to wear makeup anymore. The cost of non-toxic makeup is a little high for my taste and I just don’t wear it that often to begin with. So, I decided to ditch in and just go with my natural skin…BUT I do love the way my eyelashes look with darker lashes.

Honest Mascara

I have LOVED using Honest Mascara. My lashes are lighter so I like the darkness this brings and it adds just a little extra length for me. It can get a little clumpy at times but it’s easy to pull off the clumps with your fingers if need be.

Skin Care

I have eczema and I used to suffer from serious acne when I was a teenager and early in my 20’s. I used so many harsh products to try to kill that dang acne off my face.

Then one day I was reading something and it said that OIL is needed to cancel out OIL. I always thought my face was oily but in actuality my face was pretty dry and my body was producing EXTRA OIL to try to combat the dry skin.

I have been using Grapeseed Oil on my face and entire body for YEARS now. You can buy this in most grocery stores in the oil sections. It may seem like a lot of money for oil but I use it for months before I need to restock. I have been keeping the oil in an oil dispenser bottle like you do for cooking. A little goes a LONG WAY.

I also use this on my kids.

Toilet Paper

Did you know that regular toilet paper is filled with forever chemicals and we put that on our PRIVATE PARTS. Imagine what that may be doing to our crevices!

Anyways, we switched to Amazon Brand Bamboo Toilet Paper. We haven’t been using it for long but so far I like it. It’s soft and it doesn’t seem to fall apart like some other toilet papers do. Here are some specs: FSC Certified(FSC-C041262), made with materials from well-managed forests, recycled materials, and/or other controlled wood sources, and USDA BioPreferred. 

I love that this toilet paper is better for the environment AND better for my butt 🙂

Those are all the changes we’ve made so far! Next on my list is dish soap and hand soap. I am going to try Mrs. Meyer’s out first.

If you have any products you love PLEASE share them with me! Maybe I’ll even try them out and add them to my list!