The Why: First of all, moisturizers are having sex in my linen closet. It is the only possible explanation for why I own 11 different moisturizers. Either that or people who don't know what to give me for Christmas or my birthday pretty much always give me moisturizers and lotions. Maybe I look dry?
But seriously, there are a lot of weird ingredients in the products we are marketed and sold for the sake of beauty. Go ahead and type some of the ingredients in any ordinary shampoo into the Skin Deep database and you'll see what I mean.
Maybe it's because I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to consumer and marketing issues, or because I don't own a television and haven't seen a cosmetics commercial since 2006, but I really think that it is kind of strange that we rub products that contain dubious chemicals all over our bodies in the name of beauty.
I would like to opt out of a consumer culture that is constantly trying to sell me (and my daughters!) the right products to make us all look like supermodels. In fact, I know this is a little counter-cultural, but I want to embrace the idea of growing old with grey hairs and laugh lines.
Well, I do most of the time, anyways.
The How: Since this project started we've been reassessing our products as they run out. When a bottle of a certain product became empty we would ask ourselves if it was really necessary, and if so, what is the safest product we can find to do that job. We've been using GoodGuide.com to choose items that we feel are safe enough for our family.
Today I went through and disposed of products we won't be using (such as the absurd amount of yummy smelling moisturizers). This is what we are left with:
This is every bath and beauty product we own!
- Shampoo. We chose Aubrey Organics Blue Chamomile Shampoo because it is currently the second highest rated shampoo on GoodGuide.com. It's mostly just for the kids (since hubby and I have dreadlocks and wash our hair with soap).
- Soap. We use Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap in Almond as a body wash. Luke and I use it (diluted) to wash our dreads, and I've been using it to wash my face too ever since I ran out of face wash, and I am very pleased with the results.
- Deodorants. Because of the available selection at our local stores, Luke and I settled for deodorants that were safer than many other options but still have some questionable ingredients. In the future, we may order a safer product online or consider making our own, but for now these are a step in the right direction.
- Razors and Shave gel. I've always been too cheap for shave gel, so I've been shaving my legs with just soap for at least 10 years. I'm pretty sure Luke just buys whatever shave Gel is on sale. We've both chosen razors with reusable handles because it seems awfully wasteful to throw away a perfectly good handle when all we really need is a new blade.
- Moisturizers and lotions and creams. We kept three. It's interesting to note that the regular grown-up lotions that we happened to have scored much better on both GoodGuide.com and The Skin Deep Database than either of the two "gentle" baby lotions we had! We also kept a Bee Silk bar and some Sweet Almond Oil.
- Toothpaste. We've been using Tom's of Maine Fluoride-Free Toothpaste for ages now and love it. My favourite flavour is Fennel! (My kids don't like the fennel flavour that much, but our bathroom isn't a democracy so I buy the fennel anyways!)
- Lip Balm. We are using a Peppermint Lip Balm by Made On Skin Care. It contains only 4 ingredients: coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax and peppermint essential oil.
- We also have plain ol' hand soap in our soap pumps. I wasn't sure if that counted as a bath and beauty product, so it's not in the photo.
Things we are happily doing without:
- Specialty dandruff products. We've discovered that an apple cider vinegar rinse can help with dandruff. Put about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a 250ml mason jar, fill the jar with water, and slowly pour the mixture over your head. Let it sit for a minute or two, and then rinse it out. Although your hair will smell like vinegar when it's wet, I find the smell goes away once the hair dries.
- Specialty kids' products. I have found that kids products such as baby soaps and lotions and kids toothpaste almost always score worse for the safety of their ingredients than the grown up counterparts!
The Verdict: The other day I had to go to the drug store for some razor refills and I was pleased to see how little I needed in that store. It felt good to take my one little item up to the cashier and be in and out in minutes.
And I really don't think that our larger selection of bath and beauty products was really ever doing anything to make us cleaner or better looking. Between you and me, I think it's all just a scam....
We are doing one small thing (almost) every day for a year to create a simpler, quieter, more intentional life. Take a moment to read all About Us, check out The Rules of our year long project and sign up for our RSS feed or "like" us on facebook so that you can follow our journey to radical simplicity!
We ran out of lotion a few weeks ago and we've started using coconut oil after showers and baths. The kids like the way it smells and don't complain about "burning" like they did with baby lotion. I just ran out of face moisturizer and plan to use the coconut oil on my face. I'm normally very dry so I don't think I'll have problems with breakouts.
ReplyDeleteCoconut oil! That's a great idea. I've heard of using it as a conditioner as well.
DeleteOnce a week my daughter (3 years old) and I sleep with coconut oil in our hair. In the morning we wash our hair as normal. Her hair has a tendency to be a little wild and this keeps it soft and clam.
DeleteRegular coconut oil that you find in the baking section? Or is there a special coconut oil? I'm going to have to try that!
DeleteI'm not sure if it matters for your hair but I always buy organic and make sure the label says cold pressed to get the most amount of nutrients out of it. Kind of like olive oil, if you want the full benefits you don't wanna buy the cheapest kind.
DeleteI believe you also want unrefined organic coconut oil. ;)
DeleteMy hubby and I share the same reusable handle razor. We figured "why have 2???". It has worked well for more than 9 years!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have been trying and TRYING to find a good lip balm (since we aren't buying Burt's Bees anymore-arrgh, Monsanto!) so I am really excited to try your Made On SkinCare brand one! Thanks for the suggestion!
That's a good point about the Razors, Becky!
DeleteI tried to look up a connection between Burt's bees and Monsanto, but couldn't find what you're talking about. I just now learned that Burt's bees is owned by Clorox (which i find very disappointing!) But what does Monsanto have to do with it? Enlighten me! :)
I use no other body moisturizer than coconut oil! I keep a tub of coconut oil in the shower, rub some on all over and then do a quick final rinse before I get out of the shower. My skin absorbs the oil during the few minutes between the time I'm out of the shower and the time I get dressed and it's the best moisturizer, hands down, that I've ever used. My skin looks and feels lovely - even my husband commented. Besides that, it's just pure coconut oil. I have a friend who rubs the coconut oil on her dry skin - never tried it, but I'm sure it would work.
ReplyDeleteRecently I went through our bathroom cabinet and was both amazed and slightly embarrassed by the amount of bath products I was throwing away. I received many of them as gifts as well, I kind of feel like it is almost a fall-back kind of gift - people don't know what to buy me so they hit up the local Bath & Body Works. I appreciate that they took the time to pick out and purchase the product however I rather they didn't.
ReplyDeleteI came across this recipe for homemade deodorant a while back and haven't gotten a chance to try it yet (am anxiously awaiting my current one to run out) but wanted to share it with you in case you wanted to try making your own. The recipe definitely seems easy enough.
http://cdemp11.hubpages.com/hub/Basic-Homemade-Deodorant
That recipe looks great and I have all the ingredients. And I love that it goes in an old deodorant container, so it's easy to apply! Now I'm excited to run out of deodorant so I can try making me own! Thanks for the link, Kimberly :)
DeleteI've been reading several recipes for homemade deodorant since I saw the idea on Crunchy Betty's blog. The main issues I've seen come up are that coconut oil has a tendency to stain clothing and corn starch can irritate sensitive skin. I've seen a lot of people recommend arrow root powder instead of corn starch and substitute or mix oils to fix the staining. Lately I've just been using a couple drops of essential oil applied with a cotton ball and then I carry a little container of witch hazel with a couple drops of essential oil when I need to freshen up. Hope this helps!
DeleteBrittny
Bsnovelwritingblog.blogspot.com
I am going to try the homeade deodorant you suggested as well! Thanks Kimberly! I never really considered making my own. I head there is some kind of natural salt that can be used instead. =)
DeleteI'm glad I thought to share the link. ;)
DeleteThanks for the tips Brittny - especially about the staining, that wouldn't be a fun thing to discover.
I'm a new reader of both of your blogs (love them!!) and just wanted to say that milk of magnesia is the best deodorant I have ever used. I read about it on The People's Pharmacy. I buy a bottle at Dollar Tree and apply it with a cloth. Cheap, safe, effective!!
Deletehttp://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2011/08/28/milk-of-magnesia-fights-odor/
Its so easy to pick up a product off the shelf but I think once you read the ingredients and see what you are putting in your hair, on your skinm in your mouth etc you then realise how many chemicals you are actually coming into contact with. We use SLS free shampoo, Paraben free skincare and coconut oil, shea butter and make our own moisturiser, its cheaper and better for you.
ReplyDeleteIt has never ceased to amaze me since last October when I did this how much money I have saved! I literally buy the occasional bar of Dr. Bronners which gets turned into liquid for our bath gel and hand soap, deodorant, toothpaste and shaving cream for hubby. It's a very freeing feeling! Keep it up, love reading!
ReplyDeleteI've been following along since the beginning and love reading about each step! We have done some but you have given me motivation to do many more. This is one I have done and it felt so awesome to clean out the bath products. Ahh...
ReplyDeleteIf you are looking for other ideas too, I use the oil-cleansing method for my face (olive oil and castor oil, in each amounts for normal skin, more castor for oily, more olive for dry) and coconut oil for a moisturizer and it has been awesome. Sugar and olive oil is a great facial scrub too, if needed. Also, hand soap - I decided to get away from triclosan (not sure if I'm spelling that right) and so we use a foaming hand pump, fill the soap container about 2/3 with water, and add a squirt of Bronner's soap. Works great!
And good point about the razors - will have to think about that!
That is hilarious! I've been eliminating bathroom products as well! Trying to find the best method of haircare still but I have a huge box of products to leave my medicine cabinet and bathroom that keeps getting added to on a semi daily basis as I slowly weed out the garbage. . The biggest hard thing for us is bath bubbles my one year old loves the bubbles and I have yet to find s natural alternative that doesn't have sls, any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteYou can make homemade bubble bath with 1/2 c. Shampoo, 3/4 c. Water and 1/4 tsp. salt (to soften water) I used it for my son tonight and it is very bubbly:)
DeleteYou can make homemade bubble bath with 1/2 c. Shampoo, 3/4 c. Water and 1/4 tsp. salt (to soften water) I used it for my son tonight and it is very bubbly:)
DeleteFor deodorant I just switched to baking soda. I was very, very skeptical, but it worked much better than Toms. And it is dirt cheap and safe, one ingredient. I put it in a Parmesan cheese shaker. Try it!!
ReplyDeleteI concur. Works better than a lot of deoderants.
DeleteI'm allergic to a large array of commercial lotions, soaps, etc. (Even those that are supposed to be extremely hypo-allergenic.) Those that are scented especially seem to set me off the worst. With the birth of our son, I felt it better to limit his exposure to harsh chemicals. I'm still looking for shampoo and deodorant replacements, but as for soap, we use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild for face/body and Method for hands. When lotion is needed, I use a Plain Jane Lo-Lo Body Bar from Bar-Maids. Lip moisture is either Burt's Bees or Chapstick.
ReplyDeleteGood post! Thanks. Now I'll be checking everything.
ReplyDeleteNext step - get rid of the shaving products and save time and money! Women's shaving products are a North American marketing ploy to make more money. And it works.
ReplyDeletehehehe Anonymous, I am inclined to agree with you. I'm not sure my husband feels the same way!
DeleteI actually love the feel of my legs when they're freshly shaved (shaven?)! I also find that I sweat tonnes more when I let my underarms get hairy. Am I alone here?
DeleteWhat are you doing with your old bath products? Just throw them out or is their somewhere special to send them for disposal? I recently purged my bathroom and have all the products in a box awaiting their final destination, wherever that may be.
ReplyDeleteBecause they were all half empty, I just threw them away. I suppose if you have unopened products you could find a home for them somewhere....
DeleteTry FreeCycle. Somebody will probably use them!
DeleteI use straight coconut oil as my deodorant. It's antibacterial, after all! I just rub a small amount, like a fingertip covered, into each pit. For normal days, it works just fine. If I know I'll be doing yardwork, or spending all day outside, I use a big puff and dust a bit of baking soda over the oil. I've been using this for about 4 months now. In Georgia. In the summer. NObody has noticed anything!
ReplyDeleteI use the OCM to cleanse my face, but with coconut and apricot oil together. My skin is soft and smooth, never dry, but never oily either.
I also use nothing but water to shave...I go a bit slower,make sure I'm very wet and voila! No shaving cream or lotion needed.
Also use baking soda and vinegar for my hair, instead of shampoo, and I was using coconut oil and baking soda to clean my teeth, but just started the remineralization process on Dr. Ellie's site.
Coconut oil is awesome stuff!
I'm totally digging this blog! I am working on "destuffing" and simplifying my life, and you are an inspiration.
Love your blog. Your suggestion to "eat your pantry" inspired me to consume my toiletries. I have lots of half used, sample and revel sized soaps etc.
ReplyDeleteI am guessing you don't have a gray hair.... What happens when they come and it I harder to embrace them then you expected. Other than expensive salon or home treatments high in chemicals, does anyone know of a natural way to cover or blend grays with a dark head of hair? I "splurge" and have highlights put in my hair once a year
Before my husband and I were married i told him that I thought grey hair was beautiful and that when I started to go grey I wasn't going to hide it. Then,when I was 22 I got my first grey hairs and suggested we go to the store to get some hair dye! He said "I thought you like grey hair!?" and I said "Yeah, when I'm forty!" lol.
DeleteBut I think I'm over that now.
That said, I think colouring your hair is a lot of fun, and that since it's only done a few times a year at most,the overall safety of the process matters less than it does with the products we use every single day. So maybe I will colour my hair from time to time in the future....I'm undecided. I just don't want it to be because a magazine ad told me I have to cover my grey, you know?
I have seen natural hair dye in health product stores often and I think they might be worth a look if you are so inclined. I also agree that going Greg and getting wrinkles are a badge of honor, but I don't have grey hair yet (just turned 28) and I might feel different when that first one appears lol.
DeleteHenna is a great way to dye your hair without chemicals. This site has tons of tips and ways to make it different colors. http://www.hennaforhair.com/
Delete"Our bathroom is not a democracy" cracked me up! Thank you for all the inspiring posts!
ReplyDeleteI also use oil cleansing method with half castor oil, half sweet almond oil. I love it - I can cut out on face cleanser and moisturizer!
ReplyDeleteCan I ask why you choose flouride-free toothpaste......I thought flouride was supposed to be good for your teeth? Have I missed something somewhere?!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a controversial subject, and I want to avoid a fluoride debate here. All I can say for sure is that since making the switch my usual pregnancy-induced gingivitis is completely gone and my receding gums are actually improving!
DeleteI'm also not a fan of fluoride, my dentist keeps pressuring me to switch ti a fluoride rinse and I keep saying no. I recently switched to Tom's mouth rinse and I love the fresh feeling it gives me waaaaaay more then the Listerine type, and it doesn't burn! I also like the Tom's Fennel I suggest avoiding the Apricot, not so good LOL. As to fluoride being good for you, all I know is before my province got rid of adding fluoride to our tap water (to supposedly help our teeth) I couldn't drink it as I would almost immediately get a tummy ache from a glass of water (or a bottle of water that has it in it too).
DeleteThank you so much for sharing this information to us. Keep posting...
ReplyDeleteLuke might consider switching from disposable multi-bladed (I assume) cartridge razors to a safety razor or even a straight razor. I haven't got on with the straight razor, although I enjoy the ritual, but I'll never go back to multi-bladed razors from a simple Parker safety razor, with shaving soap and a brush.
ReplyDeleteThe safety razor gives me a better shave than even the most expensive multi-bladed razors I've used, and the blades work out at pence each. The soap, while expensive up front, lasts /ages/ and I feel better using it as it's got very few, more natural ingredients.
Brushing up a lather takes very little time and is a nice, centring, mindful ritual.
Check out badgerandblade.com for more information than you can shake a stick at.
I only hesitate to recommend it to you, because I have no idea whether it would work so well on the parts you shave. (shaving my armpits has worked, but it's not shaped quite so well for the task, and I don't know about legs or...anything else)
On recommendation from my sister-in-law I switched from regular deodorant to Crystal Stick Deodorant. I thought she was crazy at the time - rubbing a rock under your armpits sounded like the epitome of "hippy". But low and behold, it works! I've been using the same stick for over a year now and it hardly looks used at all. Her first stick lasted 5 years. 5 YEARS! And at only about $5.50 a piece, I image that's probably cheaper (and easier) than homemade. They make sprays and roll-ons, but the plain 'ol rock works just great. Moisten under the faucet, apply and you're done! Plus, no residue, no staining of clothes. The only time I notice it doesn't really work is when I'm working pretty hard or emotionally sweating (which I hear smells more than sweat just from working).
ReplyDeleteFor lotion, I use a cold cream made from olive oil, distilled water and a pinch of borax. My skin has been amazing ever since! In a pinch I'll use straight oil. My cleanser is made with water, honey and a teaspoon of Dr. Bronner's. I highly recommend "Natural Beauty at Home" by Janice Cox. It's where I've gotten tons of recipes, and they're all awesome and so cheap!
I know this is long, but my favorite scrub right now has been FINELY ground coffee, a little brown sugar, teaspoon of vanilla and oil of choice. Smells SUPER yummy!
I've always had a problem with excessive sweating, and deoderants and antiperspirants have never worked for me. About 3 yrs ago I discovered deoderant stones and have been using the same one ever since. It works great, even for heavier sweating. Found mine at a local Bulk and Natural food store in a relatively small town in Nova Scotia.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! I just stumbled across it a few days ago and can't get enough of your journey. I've extended the life of my razors by using the dry and jeans technique described here (http://www.wisebread.com/save-money-on-shaving-with-these-razor-tricks). . . you might want to give it a try. Saves money, less waste, fewer trips to get refills.
ReplyDeleteI've been making our own body wash for a bit now. Just as an FYI if you take one of the old Bath & Body type foaming soap dispensers and fill it with 1/4 Dr. Bronner's and 3/4 water it makes an awesome foaming hand soap. I use the lavender and we love it. It also allows my 2 yo to easily dose herself some to wash herself (we keep one in the tub).
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying this blog, and feeling inspired in so many ways. We've been working on simplifying our kitchen stuff lately. Anyway, I read this post and all the comments about growing old gracefully made me think of one of my mom's songs from her new album. http://www.broadjam.com/artists/songs.php?artistID=24409&mediaID=572597
ReplyDelete("There's nothing I can do about the wrinkles...") I think you and my mom are kindred spirits... She used to always say, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without." I can't tell you how many padded envelopes have been mailed and re-mailed between USA and Ecuador (where I live.) Her website is mrskate.com
For the deo problem, I gave up antiperspirant and went with deodorant rock. It alters the pH of your underarms to prevent bacterial growth, no bacteria no smell. Works a charm and no nasties.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you:
ReplyDeleteI am totally down to switch/transition to more all natural products, but Husb is a stickler with money and likes to save, save, save...even if it means cheap, bad-for-you-and-the-environment-products. Any ideas on a legitimate reason why we should buy these more expensive, "all natural" products (to convince my husband)? I understand it is better for us, long-term, as well as our environment, but he thinks it's a big ploy to get more of our money....
Sometimes I agree.
I guess we just need some cold hard facts and some convincing to get us to "loosen our purse strings" a bit.
Hey jessica!
DeleteI can totally relate to your husbands concern. A lot of the items advertised as natural and safe really aren't..they ARE just a scam to get more money out of us! So you do have to do your research. I think a big way to make a difference without spending a cent is to buy less products in general. Really evaluate which products you need and phase out the ones you don't. Then, spending more on the things we really do need, like deodorant and soap and toothpaste doesn't seem so bad because you will already be saving in other areas.
Also, we switched out all of the kids stuff first. While we were still comfortably buying cheap products of uncertain safety for ourselves, it was easy to convince ourselves to spend a little more on safer options for the kids.
Do some google research on some of the ingredients listed on the back of an ordinary shampoo bottle. That can be pretty motivating!
Thanks Kelly, I think you are right - if it is to protect his little princess, my husband may be more willing to budge on some stuff :) I will def. do some research and work on convincing.
DeleteAnd I think he will also be more apt to switch if I am making more of an effort to get rid of stuff we don't need and stop buying excess like you said.
Thanks so much :)