- Water
I used to drink filtered water from water bottles for years and never knew that the plastic bottles leech micro plastics that can disrupt your hormones and cause so many other issues over time. Did you know when water bottles are transported, often times they are not climate controlled and when the plastic heats up it is leeching those micro plastics straight into the water. Same goes for freezing and thawing. If you are traveling and in need of water, try your best to buy water in a glass bottle to avoid those harmful chemicals. my favorite brand of glass bottled water is Spring Valley as it’s full of minerals and no plastic!
The first thing I invested in when I first started on my non-toxic journey is a ceramic water dispenser and here is why I chose this type of water dispenser over other filtration systems:
1- It’s affordable. The picture above only cost about 50-60 bucks for the porcelain ceramic crock water dispenser. The water gallons you can find at Walmart for around $10. Compared to other water filters that can run you up thousands of dollars! This is a great first purchase if you are looking to drink cleaner water. We usually fill up at the Whole Foods filtered water stations but there are plenty other options out there, just look up filtered water stations near grocery stores/ gas stations and guaranteed you will find one. (if you are wondering where I got mine from, it’s from Brio Water)
2- It’s easy to clean. I only clean mine out like once a month, it stays pretty sanitary and only needs a quick wash every once in a while.
3- don’t have to worry about mechanical issues or replacing a filter. Bonus if you have a strong man in the house that can replace the water jugs when it runs out! 😉
4- Doesn’t take up a lot of space. I have mine sitting on a little entertainment center that also holds my record player and the records and it just fits the aesthetic so nicely.
5-It’s really cute!! You can find so many different colors and patterns that will match your style.
- Cookware
another really important swap for me was cookware. I don’t love cooking but I do love to eat, and yes I have grown to love my own cooking especially knowing that the things I cook with and the foods I make are nourishing to my body.
first things first, if you have any non-stick pans, get rid of it immediately. There are so many articles and studies out there about non-stick pans and how every tiny scratch release thousands of forever chemicals that can stay in the body for years and wreck havoc on your system. So please get rid of them immediately and replace with a cast iron or stainless steel pans. I personally use the lodge brand, it is one of the more reputable and affordable brands out there but you can definitely find cheaper ones on amazon and at Walmart just make sure you are looking up that specific brand’s materials as you wanna try to avoid any harmful metals. If you can’t find anything you like, you can certainly find good quality stainless steel products at Ross, home goods, TJ Maxx or Marshalls. I believe all of the stainless steel pots and pans I have are either from Walmart or Tj Maxx. Also, what better excuse to run to any of these stores!
- Cleaning products
I’m ashamed to admit that For many years, I’ve judged a product on how good it smelled, totally disregarding what ingredients it contained. to be honest if it weren’t for my boyfriend or my struggle with my health at the time, I probably would have kept using the same products.
And not to go too much into a rant about this, but the society we live in (especially the western culture) very much glamorizes your life being revolved around your career and leaves little to no energy for much else. At least that was the case for my life. but that’s not to say you can’t still juggle a busy life and still make those healthier swaps for your home and health. And I know it can be overwhelming, especially when the cleaner options can be so pricy. Well, that’s why I am here! to help you find the best affordable products around you.
My big 3 swaps I’ve made for myself are:
- Laundry Detergent. I use Zum. It cost $18 for 64 OZ and can last you for 64 loads. My boyfriend works in construction so I find myself using a little more for his clothes just depending on the circumstances. But you can’t beat that price especially knowing how good the ingredients are.
- Hand/ body soap. I can’t lie, I still use a nice smelly soap occasionally but for the most part and especially on my private areas I like to use a non-scented bar soap. The one I use is Kirk’s fragrance free, it’s basically just castile soap. Same goes for hand soap. These can coast anywhere between $2- $6.
- dishwasher detergent. I haven’t really done a lot of research on this yet. We use a dishwasher so it’s hard to find detergent that isn’t in a plastic pod but I’ve seen many products out there that are plastic free, such as branch basics and Blueland. Right now we are just using the Sprouts free and clear dishwasher pods. For liquid soap, I am using the Meyers brand but I recently found out that they are owned by SC Johnson who owns other big products that are toxic and harmful, so I will be making a swap for that soon. These are a couple I am considering switching to: Poofy Home and Mama suds dish soap bar. Mama Suds is $13 for 16OZ while Poofy Home is $20 for 16OZ.
- Hygiene products
To be extremely transparent, I always had bad teeth and struggled my whole life to be consistent with my oral health so toothpaste is one swap I have always been extremely hesitant on changing because I always felt like the Flouride really helped keep cavities away and I can’t even tell you how many cavities I’ve had In my lifetime but it was a lot. And because of my huge fear of the dentist, I try to stay as far away as possible from having to go. Buuuut.. I have been doing some research on it and there are products that I am very intrigued to try that contain natural ingredients that can actually remineralize your teeth! so I am very excited to test out this one product from Zebra (yayzebra.com), it is on the pricier side ($14 for a 3.4OZ tube) but it should last 30-45 days and you can save more by subscribing with them. (not sponsored but I wish lol).
So another important hygiene product that I have been very conscious of putting on myself is deodorant. I feel like I have tried more than a dozen “clean” deodorants but every time I’ve bought a new one, I would find out that it had some toxic ingredients.I am currently using the Hello brand but it just doesn’t last long. eventually I am going to just make my own, as I just recently found out it’s super easy to make yourself with ingredients you probably already have at home. I can share that process in another blog!
Lastly, if you are a lady you know period products can contain bleach, formaldehyde, and other toxins that can disrupt our PH balance and our hormones. I used to be a tampon girly but I have since switched out to Organic Pads, I use the brand Rael. Depending on where you find it, it’s between $6.99 – $7.99 for 16 pads which is not bad. To be honest, I am very curious about the period panties and “diapers” that I have seen circling social media. So if I do decide to try those out, I will for sure review that on here as well!
- Skincare/ makeup
I very recently started becoming more aware of the very little products I use on my face and skin. I started with Lotions/ oils. Your skin can carry the products you use on a daily basis into your blood stream, so be very mindful with what you place on your skin. That includes, face wash, moisturizer, serums, foundation, etc. Currently, I am using a baby lotion and coconut oil to moisturize my body.
I by no means have it figured out yet, I am still out here testing products that I’ve done my own research on. The best way to try things for the first time is ordering samples! I never knew I could do this until a couple months ago when I went to check out Araza Beauty’s foundations and they had options for samples of products that only cost me like $2 for each sample and I still have those samples. I don’t use makeup much and when I do, I use very little. I just prefer it that way, I think it’s like a sensory thing. So I highly recommend trying out samples of products when you can before purchasing.
I am still on the hunt for good, clean skincare and makeup products but I will make a whole blog once I have found my favorites. Right now, I am using the Araza Beauty foundation and concealer which I am loving. They are on the pricier side but worth it for the amount. Especially if you are a minimal girly like me, that stuff will last you forever so I think it would be worth the investment. I should mention, the coverage is light-medium so if that’s not what you are looking for, I recommend looking for other products.
For cleanser, I just use non-scented Castile soap or my PanOxyl when I have bad breakouts. and then the honest brand’s every-day moisturizer and the Good Molecules hyaluronic acid serum which I love how they both make my skin feel. Occasionally I will use coconut oil or beef tallow as moisturizer.
Thank you so much for reading! 🙂