In 2019 I started to take a good look at what I was putting on my body and what products we use every day in our home. I started questioning the normal/standard store-bought products I had been using and looked at alternative routines that are not only better for our health but have saved us $$ compared to store-bought and do just as good of a job if not better! Over the past year, I have learned a LOT and have made a LOT of switches to the products in our home and that I personally use on myself. Here is a list of my favorite products that we have switched out!
Personal Items
Makeup: Shout out to 2020 for saving my and my skin and wallet from spending $$ on makeup. Last year I learned how to embrace my face without makeup. I used to do the full lineup every day - concealer, foundation, powder, blush, highlighter, mascara, eye shadow - every morning before going to work, now that is such a wild concept for me. Now I only wear mascara and will put on a foundation if we leave the house for dinner/meeting up with friends. When I was wearing makeup daily I became very aware of how the makeup/skincare products I was using was affecting my skin. I was frustrated with the number of breakouts I had and the gross feeling makeup was left on my face by the middle of the day. I have since switched all my makeup products over to Savvy Minerals or Beauty Counter. Two companies that you can trust for better makeup that still does a great job.
Deodorant: Did you know your armpits absorb 100% of what you put on them? Wild right?? Many deodorants are filled with fragrances, aluminum, and parabens that are harmful to our body's natural functions. Last year I made the switch in my deodorant and Nick is currently in the process of doing so as well! My favorite deodorant is Young Living's Valor deodorant, but a 2nd best if Native. Young Living's is free of fragrances, aluminum, and parabens whereas Native deodorant includes fragrances. Pretty sure you can find Native deodorant in any Target or Walmart. P.S. If you are looking to make the switch to a better deodorant message me before doing it so I can walk you through the process/what to expect or you will give up after day two!
Makeup Remover Cloths: Not only are these better for your skin but better for the environment and your wallet as well. No more single-use makeup wipes that make my eyes burn from removing makeup. All you need are these clothes and water! I have found they work just as well as any makeup remover wipes I have used in the past. When done, toss them in the laundry with your other items to wash and use again. I purchased the Erase Your Face 4pck last year and LOVE them! Side Note: Don't expect them to look like new after the first time you wash them. I
am currently looking for a way to give these clothes a good cleaning after using them for a year.
Shave Oil: Shaving cream has been one of those items I never liked to use because of how expensive it was. All throughout college I would use my conditioner in replace of shaving cream for a cheaper alternative, I recently ran out of my last bottle of conditioner and made the switch to making my own shave oil only using two ingredients, olive oil, and lavender essential oils. THIS STUFF IS AMAZING! I have watched some of my friends also use coconut oil to replace shaving cream and love the way it works!
Period Cup: For some, I know this can seem sooooo weird and gross to use but don't knock it until you try it. I am a raving fan of these and sooo many of my girlfriends have also made the switch using a period cup. My favorite is the Diva Cup but I know a lot of people who enjoy the Flex Cup as well. I am going to warn you ahead of time, it is actually going to take you more than one try until you get it "right". I remember girls on the track and cross country team in college talk about period cups and I thought there was no way I would be able to be someone that uses them. But here I am, writing a blog with them in it.....the irony. Not only will these save you from the annoying $ of a box of tampons but many tampons are actually causing some of the pains that you might be feeling during your period.
Unscented Items: "Fragrance" is one of the top toxic items that you can apply to your skin and body on a daily basis. "Fragrance" is not actually one single ingredient/item like water or flower are in a recipe, "fragrance" is actually a combination of items put together to make the scent you are smelling. Companies are not required to list the ingredients that are in that "fragrance" so we have no idea what could be in that shampoo to make it smell like honey/lavender/etc. I started buying items without "fragrance" listed on the ingredient label. I'm sure many of you think this is sooo boring but hear me out, here are the simple items I would buy unscented or fragrance-free; Epsom Salts (then add our own essential oils to add our desired scent), Witch Hazel (great for removing dirt from your face), and lotions.
Home Items
Dryer Sheets: I know that snuggle teddy bear is just too dang cute and makes your laundry smell amazing when it comes out of the dryer but those dryer sheets are SOOOOO bad for you. Many dryer sheets can lead to rash/irritations to your skin or even cause our skin to break out. Try replacing your dryer sheets for wool dryer balls and some essential oils (Young Living's lemongrass is my fav for laundry) for the same effect + amazing health benefits + helps decrease the time needed to dry laundry + saves you $$ over the year + helps the environment. It's basically a win, win, win, win, win, win!
Drain Unclogger: Not sure about you guys but I have never had any long-term success using any of the store-bought drain declogging products. I hate the smell of them and they would only fix the problem for a week (max) then our drain would be slow moving yet again. Not to mention this is one of those items that is weirdly expensive! I came across a recipe on Pinterest that I now SWEAR by and has worked like MAGIC for us every time we have a slow drain. All you need is baking soda, salt, vinegar, and hot water. I can't find that exact Pinterest Pin/RECIPE so here is what you do.
- Pour equal part baking soda and salt down your drain. You could end up using anywhere from a 1/4 cup to a full cup depending on the size of your drain.
- Pour a generous amount of vinegar down the drain to cause a chemical reaction and bubbling to occur. Let it run its course for 10 minutes, come back a pour a little more vinegar, and let sit for 10 more minutes.
- Bring a pot of water (3-4 cups) to a boil while the vinegar, baking soda, and salt are working.
- After the bubbling from the vinegar, baking soda, and salt is done take the boiling water and pour it down the drain to rinse
- That's it! Depending on how clogged your drain is repeating this process two times works best!
Candles: How many people have almost burn down their house because they forgot about a burning candle? Or have had candles shatter?? Yeah been there tooo many times so it was an easy switch for me that I haven't missed at all! With my diffusers and Young Living essential oils, I can recreate any Bath and Body Works candle scent. In case you don't believe me, simply Google "Can burning candles be bad for you?" Going to warn you now, that you are not going to be happy about the results of this. You can find diffusers anywhere just be cautious of the oils you are diffusing if they are store-bought. Unfortunately, when it comes to the oils industry, you get what you pay for. Meaning if you buy cheap oils you are going to get cheap benefits. Many store-bought oils are filled with fillers and you will not get the same great qualities that Young Living's essential oils have.
Laundry Scent Booster: Just like those dryer sheets, your scent booster is just as harmful. As a retired athlete, I was SOOO sad about this one because I LOVED how great it
made my dirty, sweaty clothes smell after workouts. Luckily I found a super easy and cost-effective recipe to replace my last bottle of downy scent booster. All you need is baking soda, unscented Epsom salts, a container of choice, and essential oils of choice. Here is what you do
- Pour equal parts baking soda and Epsom salts into your container.
- Depending on your container add 10-40 drops of essential oils
- Attach the lid of your container and give it a good shake to mix it all together.
- Open your container and smell to see if the scent is what you want. If not continue to add drops of essential oils until you get your desired smell!
- Add a scoop or two (depending on your washer) to each load of laundry.
Molly's Suds: I personally, have never been one to use bleach on any of my laundry but now that we have some white and lighter colored items throughout our home and closets it is a necessity to have something on hand to keep those items looking bright and clean. I learned about Molly's Suds from Brooke of Nesting with Grace, as she used it to replace bleach when washing whites. The first time I tried this I was not super impressed when but the second time using Molly's Suds I threw a scoop into our washer with our clothes and was very impressed with how our whites looked after!
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