After many requests through the years, I’m finally sharing this personal favorite products list.
It’s taken me years to find safe, ‘clean’ (toxin-free) products that really work for us, so I hope this helps you in your search. It is not a perfect list, but I consider it very good!
Caveat: some manufacturers will change their ingredient lists, so become a label reader!
For many people, the thought of their favorite products being a source of unwanted immune-suppressing chemicals in their household sounds strange. However, I’m concerned that the toxins emitted from everyday products has encouraged the rapid decline of healthy immune systems in our world.
Check out my last post on WHY man-made fragrances make us sick if this is new or inconceivable to you.
My favorite products are all made without synthetic fragrance, parabens, phthalates, aluminum, dyes, preservatives, sodium lauryl sulfate or petroleum products. I’ve come to understand the less ingredients, the better. Here are my top 25.
Mascara, Powder & Blush
(some of the hardest things to find in safe, effective formulas):
Honest Beauty Mascara + Lash Primer: These are perfectly safe—and they are amazing and easy wearing. See the much safer mascara Ingredients on their site.
100 Percent Pure Mascara (btw, their whole line is 100% PURE)
LUSH Handmade Mascara EWG’s Skin Deep would rate this a #1 (low) in concern, is gentle enough for sensitive eyes, and is clump-free. Uses flexible Japan and carnauba waxes keep lashes feeling light while ensuring a smudge-free finish.
Physicians Formula Black Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Mascara. I wear this mascara on days I’m not going to cry Lol It is very safe, but won’t hold up to the 24 hours they state.
3 Super Choices for Eyeliner
Alima Pure Natural Definition Eye Pencil – Excellent ingredients!!
VERT Beauty Organic Eyeliner Pencil – Again, excellent ingredients!
ILIA Pure Eyeliner by Vert- a sharp precise line to a smudged smokey look. Healing vitamin E and Sesame oil treat your sensitive eye area without budging.
In the photo below, these cosmetics are what I am wearing:
Since I stopped wearing foundation in my 30s my skin has stopped breaking out and having dryness issues. Plus, I think foundation is hard to blend to look natural at the jawline and not like a mask! Now I use Niacinamide Cream Serum (on my whole face) as my first step in the morning, let it absorb 2 minutes, and follow with PF Mineral Wear Talc-free Mineral Face Powder, Translucent. That is all I wear, except a touch of blush on the cheekbones: PF Mineral Wear Blush, Rosy Glow. It is nowhere as vibrant as the Amazon photo indicates and they have different shades. I use just a touch and it’s very natural.
My Favorite Products For Skin Care and Women
My skin tone and texture has improved so much since I started using the 3 products below almost 4 years ago! I am 67 now and have had very kind people tell me I could pass for 50. And, if you have experienced menopause and all its crazy issues (hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swings), you will LOVE the first 2 products! They are complementary and assist each other in addressing them:
ProMeno Women’s Wild Yam Cream is my “herbal alternative to the bio-identical progesterone creams. You can use this anywhere on the body, but for me, it doubles as a face cream at night. It lasts for months!
Ingredients: Wild yam root, Vitex and Comfrey leaf infused organic extra virgin Olive oil, flower hydrosol, Aloe Vera juice, beeswax, Shea butter, natural MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane), Vitamin E oil and a blend of essential oils and flower essences.
Vital “V” Wild Yam Salve. If you need something for female dryness and irritation (due to thinning skin) that is natural with no side effects, this will help in short order!
Niacinamide Cream Serum has visibly tightened my pores and reduced my wrinkles. It boosts collagen and promotes visibly younger skin.
I just started using MATRIXYL 3000 + ARGIRELINE Peptide + Vitamin C Serum (similar in effect to the Niacinamide serum above) and I am loving how it seems to be lessening the effect of wrinkles and fine lines. Update! I LOVE this product and what it does to lessen the look of mature skin! I show pictures here.
I want to remind women that “our periods, birth and menopause are life transitions to be embraced, not sickness needing treated.”
My Favorite Products For Lips
***Dr. Hauschka Sheer Lipsticks Wait till you see the ingredients here! 4.5 star reviews!
Burt’s Bees Lip Balm, Beeswax, 4 Tubes for $8.97 (a favorite value)! Update: Burt’s Bees was sold to Clorox for $970 million and so check out the ingredients as they may have changed!
Ingredients: beeswax, coconut oil, sunflower seed oil, peppermint oil, lanolin, tocopherol, rosemary leaf extract, soybean oil, canola oil, limonene.
Art Naturals® 100% Natural Lip Balm – 6 Pack for $8.75 (another favorite value)!
Ingredients: Beeswax, Sunflower Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Seed Oil, Flavor, Tocopherol, Jojoba Seed Oil, Aloe Vera Leaf Extract.
My favorite Hand & Body Lotion is by Alaffia, and it has only 6 ingredients. Much better than comparable products with 15-30 ingredients -many that are very questionable.
Favorite Natural Deodorants That Are Highly-Rated & Really Work
Green Tidings All Natural Deodorant. Extra strength, all-day protection. Really works – no stink and keeps me dry.
Ingredients: Tapioca Starch, Organic Coconut Oil, Sodium Bicarbonate, Shea Butter, Wildcrafted Candelilla Wax, Magnesium Chloride, Lavender Essential Oil.
Schmidt’s Natural Deodorant, Bergamot + Lime Stick. With its bright citrus scent, a pleasure to wear. All-day odor protection, and plant-based powders protect against wetness without the use of aluminum. Not greasy in the least.
Ingredients: Arrowroot powder, Coconut Oil, Candelilla Wax, Shea butter, Baking soda, Triglyceride (fractionated coconut oil), Jojoba Seed Oil, Bergamot essential oil, Lime essential oil, Vitamin E
Check out my two current favorite: Nutribiotic Deodorant (unscented) and Earth Science (lavender). I’m a bit of a deodorant connoisseur 🙂
Primal Pit Paste Deodorant, paste or stick. Again, another product that works well for me.
Ingredients: Non-Aluminum Baking Soda, Organic Shea Butter, Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Beeswax, Organic Arrowroot Powder, Lavender Essential Oil, Non-GMO Vitamin E derived from 100% Sunflowers
Favorite Fluoride-Free Toothpaste
After having fertility drugs and hormones for many attempts to conceive, I give my teeth the best possible care I can. Aside from oil-pulling with coconut oil almost every day, I use Redmond’s EarthPaste to keep my teeth clean and white. Our kids used fluoride-free Tom’s of Maine.
Himalaya Whitening Toothpaste, Fluoride-Free & SLS-Free is another we like with super clean ingredients!
Our Shampoos
Love, love, love my Alaffia – Virgin Coconut & Shea Butter Enriching Shampoo and Alaffia Coconut Reishi Shampoo with Henna! My husband and kids use Trader Joe’s Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo & Conditioner.
The Truth About Tear-Free Baby Shampoo
When applesauce or banana blobs (or worse) end up in your little one’s soft hair, please use a baby shampoo that doesn’t brag “tear-free” on the label.
“No cry” shampoos typically –though not always– contain formaldehyde-releasing chemicals: quaternium-15 and 1,4-dioxane. (source) So I did some digging.
My FIRST choice for baby shampoo is Alaffia Authentic African Black Soap, Vanilla Almond. Only 6 ultra-safe ingredients. Awesome for washing produce, too!
Ingredients: Neem aqueous extract, Shea butter, Palm kernel oil, coconut derived lauryl glucoside, vanilla bean extract, almond extract.
My 2nd choice: Alaffia Moisturizing Shea Butter Shampoo & Body Wash for Babies & Up. With calming lemon balm, neem leaf and lavender essential oil, this soothing all-in-one product leaves your baby’s hair and skin soft and clean.
Note: Alaffia Coconut Chamomile Hair & Body Lotion For Babies has the BEST ingredients of any baby lotion I can find on the market – unless you make your own blend of pure jojoba oil, shea butter and a drop or 2 of lavender. Many companies still use magnesium ALUMINUM silicate as an ingredient. EWG rates it safe, but I worry about anything with aluminum in it, especially for babies!
Check out Burt’s Bees Baby and women’s products, too! Burt’s Bees “tear-free” shampoo does not contain the formaldehyde-releasing chemicals and would make my ‘clean’ list! Update: Burt’s Bees was sold to Clorox for $970 million and so check out the ingredients as they may have changed!
Fruit & Veggie Wash
Dr. Woods Pure Castile Soaps -Safely removes nasties from your food! The whole line is very comparable to Dr. Bronner’s and costs WAY less)! Also check out Alaffia African Black Soap or Cove Castile Soap.
Ingredients: Water, saponified coconut, hemp & olive oils with retained glycerin, vitamin E oil, bitter almond oil, sea salt, citric acid and rosemary extract.
Favorite Liquid Dish Soap & Laundry Detergent
Eco-Me Natural Sudsing Liquid Dish Soap, Fragrance Free, 16 Ounce
Ingredients: Water, Decyl Glucoside (Coconut-derived Soap), Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate (Food-grade Emulsifier), Caprylyl Capryl Glucoside (Plant-derived Solubilizer), Leuconostoc (Radish Root Antimicrobial), Potassium Sorbate (Food-grade Preservative), Natural Plant Essential Oils.
Mollie’s Suds Laundry Powder: 120 Loads at 18 cents/load! Rated A by EWG. The super-concentrated powder is VERY affordable, with just 1 TBSP required per load. Just as effective as conventional brands and more effective than natural brands, without the use of chemical toxins, dyes, fragrance, fillers, optical brighteners, preservatives or GMO ingredients. Works great in all hot, cold, and hard water, and is septic and HE washer-safe.
Just 5 ingredients: sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sea salt, magnesium sulfate, and peppermint oil.
Nellie’s All Natural Laundry Soda, 50 Loads at 20 cents/load! I often use only 1/2 of the little scoop for a load if it’s only moderately soiled. Perfect detergent for chemically-sensitive people. Removes body odors and environmental odors you may pick up on your clothes. Since “clean” is the absence of smell, this is a product you want.
Ingredients: Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate), Sodium Metasilicate, Sodium Chloride, Citric acid, coconut based (LAURYL) Ethoxylated fatty alcohol.
To Replace Cleansers Ajax, Comet, and Zud
“1886 Original Formula” Bon Ami Cleanser. 2 ingredients: Feldspar and tallow soap. Defogs windows and mirrors. Cleans and polishes glass, windows, mirrors, porcelain, unlacquered metals, chrome, aluminum, stainless steel, ceramic tile, cast iron cookware, whitewall tires, and tools.
Fabric Softener?
Traditional fabric softeners will undoubtedly add to your body’s toxic load (see my last post)! It clings to our bed sheets and clothing; we breathe it night and day.
I have not used a stinky commercial fabric softener for over 25 years and won’t go back! One of my all time favorite products are Wool Dryer Balls. Last for more than 1500 washes. Also at Trader Joe’s.
Reduces your drying time by up to 25% for larger loads and up to 40% for smaller loads, saving one of your biggest utility expenses.
Glass Cleaner
I cannot take credit for this discovery; however I can tell you that it works (I wear gloves bc Dawn is not a ‘clean’ product)! In my opinion, this is the best way for sparkling windows: I use Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid (not the antibacterial). Add 2-3 drops of original Dawn to a 32 oz. sprayer filled with water. Shake the solution. Spritz your windows and wipe just as you would with any window cleaner. No rinsing needed and no streaks!
Also, 1/2 Water and 1/2 vinegar works great. Conventional white vinegar is a GMO corn product, so look for a non-GMO or organic white vinegar.
Popular glass cleaners contain 2-Hexoxyethanol, Sodium C14-17 Sec-Alkyl Sulfonate, and 2-Butoxyethanol a confirmed animal carcinogen.
Would you share some of your ‘clean’, toxin-free favorite products in the comments?
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