While I was pregnant with my second my sweet friend from church passed a pamphlet on to me entitled Rub A Dub Dub: Is There Cancer In Your Tub. After reading I let out an enlightened, "What?! How can this even be legal? Why does our government allow this?" Yeah well, they do. But I guess its not so surprising when you remind yourself that they allow farmers to inject animals with hormones in turn allowing us to ingest hormones. Oh and not to mention the whole 36 chemical-filled required childhood vaccinations bit. Whatever.
So, once again, I learned. Even more importantly I acted upon that knowledge. We made a trip to our local chemical disposal drop and handed all the cleaning junk over. I also, like most everyone else in America, bought popular brand personal care products from the giant one-stop-shop around the corner. That also had to change. Not only were our household cleaning products dangerous to my babies, but so were the shampoos and body washes and lotions I was using on their bodies. Insane!
We were on the hunt. I spent hours researching which products would suit our needs for cleaning our home and our bodies. Over the last year or so we have sampled several different items. I thought I would share a list of my favorites.
Household Cleaning
We love to clean with all things Seventh Generation. No harsh smell or residue...plus I feel so much better bathing my children in a bathtub after it has been cleaned with this stuff rather than bleach.
I never realized how laundry detergent can effect both our skin and the environment. We like Planet because our clothes come out with NO SMELL AT ALL...can't stand that harsh floral soapy smell conventional detergents leave behind.
Check out this article on which household chemicals to avoid.
Personal Care
Both of my kiddos have mild eczema (cow's milk induced). I was constantly searching for something to help my son's skin - this was it! We love to recommend this one as much as possible.
THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR ME! Obviously, I don't want to smell bad. But more than that, I would prefer to skip on the breast cancer thing. We went through several natural (aluminum free) deodorants before finding one that actually works. Tom's of Maine
Can't say enough about Thieves oral care product line. It's taste is invigorating, your mouth feels squeaky clean, AND the mouthwash is so safe you can swallow it. Young Living
Who knew that finding a natural shampoo/conditioner could be so difficult?! I went through almost every shampoo they carry at Whole Foods before I found this. It doesn't weigh my hair down and my split ends have vanished.
Check out this article on which chemicals to avoid in personal care products.
Recently I am attempting to make the switch to natural makeup. I'm looking into products made from minerals.This should be interesting!
PS- This summer I discovered I would need an all natural sunscreen and insect repellent for the kids. It is incredible they even sell the traditional ones they are so harmful! These are the two that I love...they really do work just as well, if not better.
Sunscreen & Repellent
