Design Your Well Life

Healthy Home Essentials: My Top Non-Toxic Product Picks

• Natalie Ellis • Season 1

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Welcome back to this week's Healthy Home Highlight. Today's episode is a little different and a lot of fun because I'm doing something that I've been wanting to share for a while. I've had so many people ask me. What products do you actually use? So I thought it was the perfect time to share a few of my personal favorites, my most loved, tried and true, clean products that have made the switch from toxin filled to wellness centered, a whole lot easier. Now, let's be honest. It takes a long time to find products that you actually love, especially when you're trying to replace things that have been a part of your routine for years with cleaner and safer options. Over the last two years, I've done the research. Tested the swaps and experimented until I found items that really work and that feel like upgrades and not sacrifices. So without further ado, here are my favorite clean swaps and everything I mention will be linked in the show notes. Let's start with something simple, but essential Hand soap. I actually have three favorites and I use them all in different ways. The one that I use the most. Is one I make myself with my mom. We use goat milk base that's free from chemicals and additives, and then add some of my favorite doTERRA essential oil scents. It's truly become a family tradition and something I love doing. We've made a creamy honey goat milk soap that has an amazing lather. A warm cinnamon spice, a fresh lemon, lavender, and I'm currently experimenting with a mint basil blend for the summer. These bars are multipurpose and I cut them into smaller pieces and use them for travel, face wash, hand soap at the sink, and even in the shower. If you prefer liquid soap, I have two go-tos, doTERRA's, citrus bloom, foaming hand wash, I keep this one in the kitchen. And doTERRA's on guard, foaming hand wash, a favorite for the bathrooms. They're gentle, they smell amazing, and of course, come with all the wellness benefits of essential oils. Another one, I love, the yellow bird co mint liquid hand soap. It smells so fresh and so clean. Okay, now I've mentioned this in a past episode, but I'm bringing it up again because it's that good. My absolute favorite shampoo and conditioner for both men and women is Dr. Squash. The summer citrus shampoo paired with cool citrus conditioner is such a refreshing combo, and if you crave something beachy, their coconut castaway, shampoo and conditioner is another top pick. Now I have long hair, so I am picky about what I use. And yes, your scalp might take some time to adjust, but once it does, my hair is so healthy, shiny, and smooth. I can go three to four days between washes, which is a huge win. And my hair had been falling out by the handfuls previously. So to have it be very healthy, to have no split ends and to have the strength that I need throughout my hair makes it perfect. Now on to oral care, which I just talked about in my episode with Dr. Michelle Jorgensen. From Living Well with Dr. Michelle, she has created an amazing line of clean oral health products. Here's my routine. In the morning, I do tongue scraping with a stainless steel or a copper tongue scraper. I prefer these over plastic because they clean better and are easier to sterilize. Toothpaste, I love her cool mint remineralizing tooth powder, which uses Hydroxyapatite to help rebuild and strengthen the enamel of your teeth while you brush. She also has a new bamboo charcoal floss that I love. It's smooth, it's strong, and super clean. Now when I want a paste instead of a powder, I alternate between Toms of Maine Botanically Bright Toothpaste, and Dr. Bronner's Peppermint, all one toothpaste. That one's actually my husband's favorite. Both are clean, easy to find and give that super fresh feeling. Now onto makeup. Makeup is so personal. Skin types, preferences and coverage needs vary a lot, but I'll share the products that work beautifully for me. For foundation, my absolute favorite is Ilia Beauty's True Skin's Serum Foundation. It's lightweight, but it's buildable, and it has great color options for all skin tones. It keeps my skin looking smooth and hydrated all day long. It doesn't get cakey. For brows and mascara, I also turn to Ilia. Their Micro Tip Brow Pencil is smooth and natural looking, and their Limitless Lash Mascara is incredible. It builds and it lengthens and volumizes, but washes off really easily. Okay. For blush and bronzer, I love Bare Minerals. The Gen Nude powder blush in Pink Me Up gives a really soft buildable color, and for summer, I am really loving their blonzer. It's a blush, bronzer hybrid that gives your skin a really healthy sunkissed glow. Okay, now finally, for Eyes. I use Honest Beauty for their eyeshadow palettes, great pigment, clean ingredients, and really beautiful shades. Now, a reminder, not every product from a clean brand is fully non-toxic, so always double check ingredients. And remember, your bare skin is beautiful too. I've actually taken a four month break from makeup to give my face a really fresh start, and it's been so refreshing. Okay, let's talk Deodorant. Wow. This one was a journey. I have tried so many deodorants and if you've ever transitioned away from a conventional deodorant, you know the struggle. In my detox episode, I shared how I use Aztec clay and apple cider vinegar to detox my underarms and clean out all that aluminum buildup. This is so important because antiperspirant block your sweat glands and your underarms are where your lymphatic system needs to eliminate toxins, so no aluminum, no blocking, just support your armpits. My favorite clean deodorant after trying everything under the sun is Salt and Stone. I especially love the neorli and basil scent, but they have several amazing options. Now for body lotion, I turn back to the Honest Company. I really love the Sweet Curves, body lotion as a daily option, but in the winter I switch to their thicker body butter, especially for dry hands. And while we're on the topic of skin, let's talk about something a little more nuanced. Sunscreen. I personally choose not to wear sunscreen, and I know that's a hot topic. There is a lot of research both supporting and questioning sunscreen use, and I encourage you personally to look into it and decide what is best for you. But for me, instead of using sunscreen, I use the D Minder app. It's an app on your phone that helps track sun exposure and vitamin D. I set a timer so I cover up or I find shade before I burn. And as I've done this, my skin has naturally built up a really great tolerance and it takes a lot for me to really burn anymore. Now perfume. Perfume can be tricky, especially if you have autoimmune conditions or chemical sensitivities. The word fragrance is a loophole that lets companies hide dozens of chemical ingredients, but I found one that I truly love. It's a company called Henry Rose. They're EWG certified. Cradle to cradle certified and create genderless fragrances that smell amazing and are free from harsh chemicals. I started with their sampler pack and tried all of them to see what worked best with my skin. And my personal favorite is Jake's house. It is clean, soft, and perfect for special occasions. So while we're talking about scents, let's talk about home scents, candles, and plugins. Those are actually terrible for air quality. There are so many chemicals and toxins that are hidden in these candles and plugins. So instead, I use a cool mist diffuser from doTERRA Essential Oils, A few drops of oil with some distilled water, and your whole space smells fresh without synthetic chemicals. My favorites are their supermint scent in the summer, and a cinnamon or clove in the winter. Now for cleaning around the house. I keep it simple. A vinegar and water solution does the trick for most surfaces, and I also use doTERRA's abode multipurpose cleaner. It took a bit for me to get used to the scent, but it's now actually a part of my daily routine. To check the safety of your cleaning products I recommend using the app called Switch Natural. You can scan the ingredients and find out exactly what's in each of your products and whether it's clean or not. Now, last but not least, let's talk laundry. For laundry, I use a combination of three things. It's a little trickier, but I have found a lot of chemicals in laundry detergents that I'm really trying to stay away from because it's those clothes that are constantly touching my skin and absorbing into my skin when they're wet or when I sweat. So I use doTERRA laundry pods and I also add a scoop of baking soda. Into the wash when I start the laundry. Now, when my laundry goes into the rinse cycle, I then add a cup of vinegar into the rinse cycle to give it that extra freshness. Now don't worry, your clothes don't come out smelling like vinegar. It rinses out, especially if you do a double rinse and you just have really clean clothes. Now, recently I was at a conference that I also heard that adding hydrogenated water to your laundry can really supercharge your results and get them extra clean. So they told me to add one cup of hydrogenated water to your wash cycle. And it will help the cleanliness of your clothes. I have not personally tried this yet, but I am intrigued and I'm gonna give it a shot. So final thoughts. I hope this episode helps you discover something new and maybe gives you that extra push to a clean swap that you've been on the fence about. And remember, you don't have to do this all at once. It takes time. And one of the things that made it easy for me is I would finish using up my current cleaning products, and as I ran out, instead of ordering more of the same, I would just get the new clean brand and slowly start switching to more clean things in my home. Now, if there's a product that I didn't mention or that you're looking for a cleaner version of, let me know. There's a message link in the show notes, and I'd love to help. However, I can Now, as you know, and I've mentioned in other episodes, I'm not affiliated with any of these brands. None of them sponsor me. These are just actual products that I've used, that I've tried over the last couple of years and that I've really come to love. Thanks for tuning in, and until next time, take care of yourself. Take care of your body, and your beautiful home. Thanks for joining me on another Healthy Home Highlights. I.