Routine household cleaning and wiping down of surfaces has certainly gone up a notch in recent months. But as you remove items from shelves to achieve a deeper clean, now is the perfect opportunity to consider which products you want to put back, which toxic products no longer have a place, and which new, plant-based alternatives you’d like to introduce.
Your medicine cabinet is a great place to start your cleanse given that 80% of the chemicals in personal care products have never been tested for safety. And with women using, on average, 12 personal care products each day from shampoo to deodorant, hand wash, toothpaste, and body lotion—it’s understandable if the task has seemed overwhelming to date.
We recommend starting slow and choosing one of the above product categories (that contain toxic ingredients like hormone disruptors) each week and replacing with clean products that support your wellbeing—instead of compromise it:
1. Hand Soap
Since this one is getting a workout at the moment with all the extra handwashing—simply be aware that artificial fragrances, toxic surfactants, sodium lauryl sulfates, and preservatives run rampant in hand soap.
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How to choose a plant-based alternative: According to the Center for Disease Control, you can stop the spread of germs simply by washing your hands with clean soap and water. Look for soap bars or liquid soap containing no petrochemicals, synthetic substances or artificial fragrances and colors.
2. Deodorant
Deodorant is a product that inhibits your body’s natural secretion of toxins by clogging your skin follicles so that you’re not able to sweat as much as your body requires. Avoid deodorants that contain aluminum compounds, parabens, triclosan, phthalates, and fragrance.
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How to choose a plant-based alternative: Shop for a fragrance-free natural deodorant and look for labels that say it’s paraben-free, fragrance-free, and aluminum-free.
3. Moisturizers, Serums & Oils
Many types of moisturizers, serums, and oils contain dangerous chemical phthalates which, when used over a long period of time, are absorbed into the skin and may increase the risk of a number of health-related conditions.
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How to choose a plant-based alternative: Avoid Retinyl palmitate, retinyl acetate, retinoic acid, and retinol in daytime products. Choose thoughtfully sourced and extracted natural ingredients like Vitamin C, Peptides, and Hylauronic Acid, all found in our new Rewind & Renew CBD Skincare collection.
4. Toothpaste
Triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), artificial sweeteners, fluoride, and diethanolamine (DEA) are examples of toothpaste ingredients that may be toxic. Since your mouth is highly absorbent, these chemicals get fast-tracked into your bloodstream.
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How to choose a plant-based alternative: Make your own natural toothpaste at home or look for a toothpaste that is free from triclosan and Sodium Laureth Sulfate.
5. Body Lotions and Creams
Body lotions absorb quickly into the skin—but there can be dozens of toxic ingredients inside them ranging from questionable to hazardous. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), DMDM Hydantoin, fragrance, Parabens, Retinyl Palmitate, and Triethanolamine—some are known endocrine disruptors.
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How to choose a plant-based alternative: Watch out for the above toxic ingredients when scanning body lotion labels. And if you spot one or more on the bottle, don’t buy it. Instead, look for products infused with honest, botanical ingredients like lavender oil and chamomile oil—both found in our Calm & Centered CBD Cream.
6. Shampoo
We’ve been conditioned (sorry for the pun) to think that suds = clean, when in fact the ingredient, cocamide diethanolamine (or cocamide DEA), is a chemically modified form of coconut oil used as a foaming and thickening agent.
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How to choose a plant-based alternative: Make sure that shampoos you buy do not say “cocamide,” “cocamide DEA,” or “cocamide diethanolamine” on the side of the bottle.
You don't need to compromise on the quality of your bathroom products to be done with toxic chemicals. It’s truly humbling to see what mother nature can achieve when formulated mindfully with the ability to protect, nourish, refresh, and smooth.
As you work to continue to protect yourself and your loved ones as you dutifully clean your home, upgrade your medicine cabinet while you’re at it to include natural products that come with the added benefit of peace of mind.
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