May 2, 2017
The more comfortable I’ve gotten with my clean eating lifestyle, the more I’ve started to incorporate other natural products into my daily routines. For me, food is my anchor. Eating clean is the foundation that puts me in a positive mental state and it’s that state of mind that started the process of wondering what other improvements I could make on a daily basis, outside of food alone.
The products we put on our bodies can be just as harmful as anything we put in them so over the last 6 months I’ve been on a mission to replace my household and beauty products with The More natural solutions. Let me tell ya, reading labels on beauty and cleaning products can be eye-opening. My food label ‘checklist’ is typically the following: 1. Less than 10 ingredients; 2. Nothing I can’t pronounce; and 3. No “code red” words like sugar, glucose, corn syrup etc. Household and beauty products aren’t as easy, and I’m certainly still in the learning process, but I want to share some of my favorites with you so we can help each other make better decisions!
Note: if you’re interested in checking these out, I’ve hyperlinked each product’s title to its Amazon page.
Pacifica Super Kale Juiced Up Shampoo & Conditioner.
The salon I go to here in Colorado uses organic, all natural hair products. The first time I went I bought a shampoo and conditioner free of all the “bad” things. Of course, when you buy from a salon, product tacks on an additional $75.00 to the bill and I was completely disappointed in this particular brand. One thing to know about more natural shampoos is that most of them don’t produce much lather; this weirded me out at first and may explain some of my initial disappointment, as I felt like much more product was required to get the job done. I ended up buying this Pacifica Shampoo/Conditioner from Ulta for a lot less money than our salon brand and I loved it. I wash my hair 2-3 times a week and this gets produces just the right amount of suds, smells amazing and leaves my hair feeling extra clean. It is free of Parabens, BHA, Fragrance and SLS which are a few of those “Red Flag” words when it comes to haircare products.
David’s Premium Natural Toothpaste
The mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body, you can’t just be putting ANYTHING in there. In the last year I learned that you aren’t supposed to eat or drink for 30 minutes after brushing (WHO KNEW?), so I became very paranoid about swallowing any toothpaste or mouth wash (probably more paranoid than I needed to be). Recently, I got tipped off to this product from another blogger and it did not disappoint. It’s completely natural, made in America and is a noticeable step up from your common store-bought brands. Living with a toothpaste snob (it’s a thing, surprisingly) I can’t tell you the last time we had a tube of Crest or Colgate on our counters, but even he gave this the seal of approval. Definitely the newest staple in our household.
Nellie’s All Natural Laundry Soda
Skin is the body’s largest organ and I am starting to care more and more about everything I use on it – including laundry detergent! Growing up I had an allergic reaction to a particular type of detergent, and ever since I have been pretty careful about the brands I purchase. Recently I took it a step further and started buying all natural. This detergent is comparable to any leading brand for stain removal, it’s fragrance free and a single tin could probably last you a year!
I recently watched a documentary about Warren Buffet, and in it he repeatedly contributes his success to his passion to read. “I had access to the same information as everyone else, I just chose to utilize it,” he says. That quote alone got me thinking that I spend way too much time scrolling aimlessly through Instagram when there is unlimited knowledge to be learned. As of January, I have dedicated 30 minutes a day to a book or podcast. One of my favorites this year is You are A Badass. No matter what stage you are in life, or what you are trying to achieve personally or professionally, this book is going to help you get there. It opened my mind and left me with a positive energy that I am still feeding off of. Remember: exercising your mind is every bit as important as exercising your body!
Trying out new products is expensive, and with new brands constantly coming out of the woodwork it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I try to keep my cool by only focusing on products I’m in need of replacing and use on a regular basis. Keep an eye out for my May Must Haves in a few weeks. In the meantime, if any of you have suggestions on how to find clean products or have a product you love, please share via email!
