Swaps I’ve Made to Reduce Toxins in Our Household

I’ve always been conscious of potential toxins in beauty and cleaning products and have tried “clean” products here and there, but have never really committed to it. A few months ago I wrote a blog post about how I’m working to “fix” my hormones. I explained that after working with a functional medicine doctor I was more motivated than ever to clean up the products I use and expose my family to.

The FDA does very little to regulate ingredients companies use in the US and there are very few banned ingredients. Many commonly used products contain potentially harmful ingredients that can include known carcinogens, irritants, and endocrine disruptors. This is why I’ve really kicked it up a notch in my commitment to making cleaner swaps throughout the house.

I’m by no means perfect, if you came to my house you’d still find plenty of questionable items, but I’m doing my best to replace those items with cleaner alternatives as we run out. I’ve been using the apps “Healthy Living” and “Think Dirty” to check my products. I’ve also found some helpful websites like this and this one to check products and find cleaner alternatives.

CLEANING SUPPLIES
The past 5 years or so I started paying more attention to what brands I was buying at the store to clean my dish and counter tops. I would often choose brands that are touted as being “clean” and figured if I was buying it at Whole Foods it had to be good. I scanned many of these brands with my Healthy Living app and was shocked to find out that they aren’t as clean as I thought. Many brands are loaded with fragrances and other irritants.

I recently made the switch to Branch Basics for our dish soap, counter spray, hand soap, laundry detergent, and dryer balls. I have not been using it long, but so far I like the counter spray, hand soap, and dryer balls. I’m not sure the laundry concentrate gets my workout clothes clean enough, so I need to find an alternative (any recs?!). I add a few drops of essential oils to the counter spray and hand soup to naturally add fragrance. The company said this was fine to do!

SKIN CARE
This is a change I’ve tried to make on and off for a while. It can be hard because with my acne issues I’ve always felt like I need more clinical strength ingredients to stay blemish free. There are still a handful of products I can’t part with, but try and make up for it elsewhere.

I’ve made the switch to a lot of Beauty Counter products. RIP Bath & Bodyworks warm vanilla sugar body lotion.

Here are all the Beauty Counter skincare products i’m using and loving:

I also use Dr. Bronner’s unscented body wash (you have to get unscented or there is fragrance added to an otherwise clean product). I also really like the brand Cocokind for clean skincare.

MAKEUP
I’m slowly trying to switch out my makeup for more non toxic products. I don’t wear a lot of makeup, so this has not been too difficult for me. I’ve been using this face sunscreen moisturizer for a while now and love it.

I recently started using these make-up products from Beauty Counter and like as well.

OTHER BEAUTY PRODUCTS
I’ve tried A LOT of natural deodorant brands (many did not work well on me…sorry hubs!) and have found that Native works the best for me. The coconut vanilla is my favorite scent. The key with natural deodorant is to stick with the same deodorant daily for a few weeks to give your body a chance to adapt to it. You can’t rule it out until you give it at least 2 weeks.
For toothpaste I started using Tom’s and I think it works really well! I’ve also broken up with my Crest Whitening strips and plan to try this natural whitening hack. For shampoo, I recently purchased Act + Acre and plan to give this a shot for a cleaner hair care option.

WATER BOTTLES
I made the switch to reusable water bottles a long time ago for environmental reasons, but for a lot of that time I was still using plastic bottles. Even though most are BPA free I prefer using stainless steel bottles like the Hydro Flask. Quinn also uses a kids Hydro Flask and I got these cups for her to drink milk, smoothies, etc. out of at home.

FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS
I tossed most our plastic tupperware (still need a few pieces for Quinn snacks, etc.) and bought this glass set instead. Similar to plastic water bottles, you worry about plastic leeching into your food or drink…hello endocrine disruptors! If possible, glass is ideal for food storage, esp. if you use container to store leftovers and reheat in the container. This article does a good job explaining the concern even if you containers are BPA free.

I would still like to switch out our pots and pans for more non-toxic ones, but we are still researching which ones are best and what we really need. If you have any recommendation let me know!

I’m trying to not go crazy over this and it’s by no means perfect, but I think even these small changes over time make a huge difference in my family’s health.

xx, A