Clean product swaps

Clean Product Swaps

Living a healthy lifestyle is more than just eating healthy. It can be so overwhelming to think about swapping out your everyday products for clean safe alternative beauty products and cleaning products that actually work. Click here  (needs to be linked) for a list of simple swaps that we have made in our home that have helped us make the change easy.

As a holistic coach, I know that eating clean isn’t the only part of a healthy lifestyle. Our environment and our emotional well-being plays a big role too. While some things we can control and some we cannot. What we put ON our bodies, what we use in our homes or environments, our spirituality, the workspace environment, the relationships we keep, to name a few, are just as important as the food that we put IN our bodies. And of course, it goes without saying, the way we treat ourselves. Self-care is essential and we have to set boundaries within this busy world we live in – it is very much needed and can be extremely challenging at the same time.

We can only do our best to reduce our toxic load, without driving ourselves stir-crazy. Believe me, I know this comes with some challenges. Understand that it will take time and that by doing it slowly as opposed to all at once, is OKAY! We want to eliminate the added stress or overwhelm.

I have been reading labels for years probably 22/23 years of my life already and am still trying to teach the rest of my family to do so. Obviously my goal and good reason is so that we can keep our home as free of toxic chemicals as possible (to the best of our ability and yes, we are definitely not perfect). The way I see it…small steps…BIG impact!!

Here are a few swaps made easy for you:

Have you read the ingredient of your bar of soap? You would be surprised at what lurks in there. Some ingredients found are just BAD…here are just two as an example,
•Fragrances… Most hand soaps contain fragrances. And the problem with fragrance is that because it it a trade-secret, any amount of questionable ingredients can be hidden under just this one ‘ingredient’
•Parabens… the most widely used preservative in makeup and skincare products. The ingredient has been linked to hormonal disruptions, breast cancer, increased skin aging, and DNA damage.
The citrus Mimosa Body Bar we are using is Infused with clean citrus mimosa scent, this luxurious body bar contains organic shea butter and antioxidant-rich organic marula and mongongo oils. The finely milled formula lathers beautifully to gently cleanse, hydrate, and soften skin. And myself skin definitely feels the difference.

Cetaphil Face Wash to Beautycounter Countertime Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil

I was definitely one of those people who believed the label on Cetaphil being non-comadegenic. Little did I know that just about every ingredient is on Beautycounter’s Never  List.
Cetaphil contains the following ingredients: Water, cetyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, stearyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben. Well that’s a big fat no-no. 
So instead I switched over to Beautycounter’s Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil and oh boy, my skin is smoother,  more radiant and definitely more hydrated. Inspired by Asian beauty rituals and informed by Japanese technology, this luxurious, lightweight cleansing oil gently yet effectively removes makeup and impurities without stripping essential lipids from the skin. Rich in vitamin E, fatty acids, and Beautycounter’s plant-derived Retinatural Complex, the formula reinforces the skin’s fragile moisture barrier for a soothed, nourished complexion. 

Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid to Puracy Natural Dish Soap

I know this, that Palmolive has questionable ingredients that are related to allergies, skin irritations and moderate concerns for respiratory effects and cancer. Well obviously that is a NO-brainer for me so we switched over to… Puracy Natural Dish Soap, plant powered and with NO sulfates, triclosan, parabens, phosphates, SLS, SLES, MEA, DEA, TEA, animal by-products, petrochemicals, dyes, or caustics.
Naturally derived, hypoallergenic, non-toxic, gluten-free, vegan, and biodegradable and washes my dishes clean with no marks or streaks. Gets rid of that stuck on dried food quite easily with a little hot water and a 5-minute soak. Now that’s what I am talking about!!!

Conventional Laundry Detergent to MyGreenRefills

When I was pregnant with my first chill, this is one of the first changes I made. While we have tried quite a few, I have a couple of favorites and this is one of them. Most store-bought laundry products contain harmful chemicals that are chemically engineered to leave an artificial film on your clothes. Using these types of products are not only bad for you and your family but also our environment! MyGreenRefills believes that you and your family deserve better products that you can trust that are truly safe for your family, home and the planet yet kick butt on stains! Why yes thank you!! And did I tell you that it actually works?!!

Conventional Make-up to Beautycounter Makeup

Conventional make up as we know it is not regulated. What that means is, they can use whatever ingredients they wish and neglect to tell you AND are not required to tell you what is in there. So, in other words you have no idea if they are using asbestos, lead or any other questionable/ harmful ingredients.
And that is why I have switched the majority of my make up over to Beautycounter. I know that it is safe. I know that they consciously ban 1800 harmful ingredients and they are really high performing.

•Olay Total Effects 7-1 Tone Correcting Moisturizer to Beautycounter Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer with SPF20
•Lancome Star Bronzer to Beautycounter Bronzer in Dune
•Bare minerals veil-setting powder to Beautycounter Mattifying Powder
•Maybelline Mascara to Wellpeople Natural Expressionist Mascara
•Never found a foundation I liked as they were all too thick or cogged my pores until I found Beautycounter Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation
•Revlon eye shadow/Lancome eye shadow to Beautycounter Velvet Eye Shadow Palette
•Bare Minerals/Lancome Blush to Beautycounter Satin Powder Blush in Gauva
•Benefit Cosmetics Give Me Brow to Beautycounter Brilliant Brow Gel
•Mac Lipstick to Beautycounter Sheer Lipstick
•Lancome Eye Make up Remover to Beautycounter Instant Eye Makeup Remover

Random Anti-Aging Regimens to Beautycounter Countertime Collection

Featuring BC’s plant-derived Retinatural Complex, this collection is designed to visibly firm, brighten, and plump the skin. Welcome to the new age of aging well.

Johnson & Johnson Body Lotion to Everyone Lotion – Coconut & Lemon Everyone Lotion

Our skin is our biggest organ, so naturally what we put on it, really matters. For me it boils down to high quality and performing ingredients that are safe for the body. Excludes all the crap AND it’s EWG Verified, cruelty-free, GMO-free, gluten-free

•No parabens, no phthalates, no fake fragrance, no dyes, no mineral oil, no worries, and polysorbate-free

Aquafresh Toothpaste to Hello Flouride Free and Antiplaque Whiteninig Toothpaste

Considering we brush our teeth a minimum of twice a day, I want to know that what’s in my toothpaste. And I know this, that HELLO is a SLS free toothpaste, formulated with epically refreshing farm grown peppermint, tea tree oil to tame bad breath, and coconut oil to moisturize. Keeping your mouth clean and your breath fresh.

Degree Anti-Persperant to Primally Pure Charcoal Deodorant

Anti-persperants have been know to have the ingredient aluminum in them and it has been linked to breast Cancer. Well that’s a BIG heck NO! I want my pits to be clean and smell good just like anybody else. Sweat is a normal and healthy function of your body.

Neutrogena Sunscreen to Beautycounter Mineral Sunscreen

Chemical sunscreens penetrate your skin and offer protection by dissipating UV rays. Mineral sunscreens use minerals as its active ingredients and simply sit on top of your skin and reflect UV rays away from your body. I would rather not have the chemicals absorb into my skin and system. And, did you know that chemical sunscreens actually harm ocean life and have been banned in some states???

Playtex Tampons to Cora Tampons or Cora Menstrual Cup

While conventional tampons are made with non-organic cotton, are scented and have plastic applicators (with the likelihood of BPA), I decided to move away to tampons that are completely organic (no added ingredients) and or the Cup…. as long as it is not dyed, made with premium medical grade silicone and free of BPA and other toxic chemicals.

Conventional Perfumes to Phlur

I am honestly not big on perfumes as I find them overpowering, giving me headaches. But if I were to choose, I would most definitely go with a clean and safe brand like Phlur – MOAB in particular is my favorite. I love the natural fragrances they produce that are not cloying and overwhelming to the senses…or my head!!

Mosquito/Bug sprays to Aunt Fannie’s Mosquito Repellant Spray

Because it’s not filled with crap that is toxic to birds and fish, or could harm our system if not used properly.  Bonus… besides being safe, it doesn’t irritate my kids’ skin and works!

Ziplocks, Cling Wrap etc to Glass Storage Containers

Glass, unlike plastic, does not contain any harmful chemicals such as BPA, phthalates, PVC or polycarbonate. So, nothing can leach into what you’re consuming from a glass container. When glass is recycled it gets turned into more glass, meaning it can be recycled over and over and never lose its integrity. Plastic just lands up landfills or the ocean and creates a negative impact on our environment. Many single-use plastic bottles still contain bisphenol A (BPA), which is believed to be responsible for disruption of natural hormones in the body. 

• Plastic to-go cups to Hydroflask
• Plastic lunch boxes to GreenLunch Bento
•Plastic sandwich bags to Stashers
•Plastic shopping bags to Apolis Shoppers

Traditional Mattresses to PlushBeds

Organic mattresses are manufactured by combining natural and non-toxic materials like organic wool, organic cotton, and organic latex. Organic mattresses do not contain the chemicals that traditional mattresses have.