As a family, we like to ensure that we are eating healthy and exercising consistently but we also have been shifting to safer products for things like cleaners, soaps, lotions, etc. After having babies, I switched to safer laundry detergent, dishwasher soap, and cleaning supplies because I read that babies have sensitive skin so it was best to have natural products that were scent free.
I always thought that babies needed scent free because they were sensitive to smells but I came to realize it was more likely because “fragrance” was an ingredient that is unregulated by the beauty industry and companies don’t have to disclose what chemicals are in their “fragrance.” And those chemicals are probably what babies are actually sensitive to, not the fragrance itself. Who knew?!
Over the years I’ve tried several different safer brands but here are some of my favorite that I found:
- Seventh Generation for dish washing soap, laundry detergent and dish soap
- Native for deodorant
- Babyganics for baby wash and lotion
- Toms for toothpaste
- Beautycounter for skincare, make-up, shampoo/conditioner, and sunscreen
If you want to start somewhere yourself but are too overwhelmed by everything out there, I would suggest downloading the EWG app. You can look up some of the products you use everyday and see how they rate for safety. That way you can start with some of the higher offenders out there like lipstick and face lotions.
I am slowly switching to safer products because it is expensive and overwhelming to shift everything at once! One of the last areas I shifted over was my own make-up and skincare products. I was so worried about having safer lotions and soaps for my kids that I forgot about myself! Then I became educated on some scary facts from the skincare industry:
- There hasn’t been a law passed in the beauty industry since 1938
- 85% of ingredients in beauty products have never been tested
- The US only partially bans 30 chemicals whereas Europe bans 1,400
These stats were enough for me to take the leap on switching to safer products. I made my switch to safer skincare products with Beautycounter who bans over 1,500 ingredients in their products that they deem unsafe through their rigorous screening. They also advocate for more regulation against the beauty industry to congress. AND they are a B Corp which means they put the environment before profits. They are really a movement and not just another company, which is why I actually joined them as a consultant as well 🙂
If you want to learn more about Beautycounter and their mission and products, comment below or email me: lindsay@myhealthyfamilylife.com You can read more about their products and their mission here: www.beautycounter.com/lindsayegan
What are your favorite safer products and brands you use?
