Good morning, friends! I’m excited to resume some of my normal content this week (although the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is fun to cover, I’m sure you guys are a little tired of hearing about it haha). A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post on everything my husband and I did to help us get pregnant, and ever since then you guys have wanted to know which products we use now that we have ditched the “toxic” self-care products. To be honest, it has taken a LOT of trial and error to find products that actually work that are also paraben-, sulfate- and phthalate-free. I think I tried a dozen different deodorants before I landed on one that I liked… and don’t even get me started on sunscreen. I have ended up looking like a ghost on the beach MANY times after trying out a new “clean” sunscreen, LOL!
Anyway, today I am rounding up all the products I’m currently using that I truly love and work just as well as their counterparts. I am on a continuous journey to find the best and safest products, so if you have any other recommendations, I am all ears! I do feel 100% confident recommending the products on this list, as they have worked great for me (and Chris, too!).
Face Sunscreen
I’ve been using this Colorscience tinted sunscreen all summer long to protect the skin on my face. It’s a mineral sunscreen (yay!) and applies almost like a foundation – in fact, I use this instead of foundation most days. It blurs imperfections and blocks out redness, leaving the appearance of flawless skin, all while protecting from UV rays. Before I do ANYTHING in the morning, even take Winnie out, I apply this. If you go to my Instagram and find the “July 4th” highlight, I filmed a few instastories of me using the product and you can see how well it works!
Body Sunscreen
I’ve learned (the hard way) that all mineral sunscreens leave behind a white hue, but this one by Beautycounter is the absolute best I’ve found. It does come out of the bottle looking stark white… but it spreads smoothly and leaves a luminescent sheen rather than a grey-white cast. The leftover film is *almost* unnoticeable. I also feel good using it knowing that the ingredients are not being absorbed into my bloodstream, unlike the active ingredients in chemical sunscreens. The only downside is that it can take some extra scrubbing in the shower to get off!
Body Wash
If you can find this in stock, snag it!! I stock up on this fragrance-free body wash whenever I can catch it in stock. This body wash is rich in vitamins A, B3, C and E, along with Omegas 6 and 9 and antioxidants, and makes my skin feel nice and moisturized. It turns into a nice, rich foam in the shower and the best part is that it’s free of sulfates, phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, mineral oil, silicone and talc.
Body Lotion
The perfect counterpart to the above body wash, Necessaire’s body lotion is the best of the best. I have several, one in my nightstand and one in my bathroom cabinet… and a really small version for my handbag as well. It is also unscented (like the body wash), and is SUPER moisturizing. I use it first thing when I get out of the shower. Same thing as the body wash… if you can find it in stock, go for it.
Deodorant
I tried SO MANY deodorants and (many) smelly months later finally landed on this Kopari Coconut Oil deodorant. It’s the only natural deodorant I’ve found that actually keeps me smelling fresh (even in the summer, after sweating and after an intense workout). It has a really nice, coconut smell that is not too overpowering, and it’s free of aluminum and baking soda as well as sulfates, phthalates, parabens, petrochemicals, mineral oil, silicone and talc.
Shampoo & Conditioner
The best “clean” line of shampoo and conditioner I’ve found so far is definitely Dae. I own the shampoo, conditioner and deep conditioner and swear by all three – they are truly amazing products that leave my hair feeling clean, soft and moisturized. The deep conditioner is the BEST and sometimes I’ll even sleep with it on my hair overnight. All of the products are formulated without sulfates (SLS and SLES), parabens, phthalates, and more.
Lip Balm
Obsessed would be an understatement. Erbaviva’s Lip & Cheek Balm is technically made for babies… but it smells and feels like honey on your lips, so what adult wouldn’t want to use it? It’s made with rich shea butter and organic essential oils like lavender and chamomile to calm and soothe. Plus, it just feels amazing on your lips. I keep this on my nightstand and slather up before bed.
Mascara
I don’t have many beauty products on here because clean beauty products that work well are so hard to find! I do love the Volume Mascara from DIME Beauty, though – it is super black and makes your eyelashes POP – and is easy to take off at night. It doesn’t flake off throughout the day, and it’s made of good ingredients. (This is not sponsored but DIME gave me a discount code – CC20 – for 20% off at checkout).
Facial Serum
Yes, this serum is very expensive (it really hurts when you finish that first bottle and have to buy a second one, lol) but it is worth every penny, and there’s a reason it has a cult-following. It’s strategically formulated with 22 nutrient-rich botanicals and essential oils and SMELLS LIKE HEAVEN. It’s also completely non-toxic, and you will wake up glowing.
Toothpaste
I was surprised to find that all sorts of nasty ingredients can be hiding in your innocent-looking tube of toothpaste. After doing a ton of research, I found Dr. Bronner’s cinnamon toothpaste and never looked back – I’ve since gone through several tubes of it. Dr. Bronner’s toothpaste doesn’t contain synthetic foaming agents and is made of natural cleansers like baking soda and organic coconut oil. Initially, I missed the minty taste of toothpaste, but now I’ve gotten to really like the cinnamon flavor.
Floss
I’ve been using this Tea Tree Oil Dental Floss every night to floss with (especially now that I’m pregnant… taking care of your teeth/gums is even more important). This floss is naturally waxed with beeswax and is saturated with pure, naturally antiseptic Tea Tree Oil. It’s made without alcohol, artificial detergents, color or synthetic perfumes and a much better alternative to the floss you would find at the drugstore!
I will continue to update you guys as I find/use new products, and I’d love if you shared with me your favorites as well!
As someone who uses all of the mineral based sunscreen it’s honestly just easiest to use the same as your little so blue lizard, babo, think baby, baby bum, etc. Farmacy, green clean gets it all off and I think it checks all the boxes for cleanliness.
The serum link isn’t working! I just started using Babo Botanicals Baby Skin Mineral Non-aerosol Sunscreen and I love it!! It sprays on super white but feels good and not greasy once you rub it in! I’ve only used this on my body so far though! and I’m glad dae works for you, it made my hair feel super dry sadly!
That body wash is on my wish list – I’m waiting for a gift card so I don’t feel so guilty about spending that much on it!
Great post!! Given the need to scrub off your sunscreen, how do you maintain your self tan? My constant struggle.;) So happy for you guys, by the way, can’t wait to follow your becoming parents!😘
I definitely have to apply more self-tanner when I am constantly wearing the sunscreen – this only really happens on a beach vacation though… and I feel like the sun and sand is also really tough on self tanners! I usually apply 2 or 3 times during a beach trip.
thank you for sharing all of these with us! definitely planning to try out the shampoo and conditioner. love the Beautycounter sunscreen!
xo Laura Leigh
https://louellareese.com
I love that these are non toxic products! I about to go order the Kopari deodorant… I have been wanting to try it for a while. The price point is good too!
Love this post, thank you for sharing! Could you also possibly do a round up of your non-toxic home cleaning products that you have converted to?
Yes!! That post is coming in a few weeks!
This is awesome! Thank you so much for rounding them all up! I too, would love the house hold and cleaning products so I can’t wait for that post too! Love reading your blogs!
Dr. Bronner’s and Beautycounter are two of my favorite clean/non-toxic brands! I loved learning about more clean beauty brands and products I hadn’t discovered yet. Thanks for sharing!
xx
Key
https://storiesbysuddreth.com/
I agree on the kiddo sunscreen! Our whole family uses thinkbaby after I found it when our daughter was a baby. I really like Attitude Living (https://attitudeliving.com/ ) lotion, body wash, and hand soap. A lot of their products are EWG verified too.
I love that you are on a clean eating + product journey! We’re the same age, and for the years (6-7ish) I’ve been reading your blog, the topics have grown and changed along with me 🙂 so THANKS for mixing it up beyond fashion and outfit posts.
Have you tried any of the Attitude shampoo+conditioners? The Dae really dried my hair out but still want to find a clean ingredient product!
hey girl! are you still using the same self tanner that you used before you got pregnant?
Yes I am!
It might just be me, but the link to the serum doesn’t work.
sorry about that! here is the correct one: https://rstyle.me/+DH47Wmpwj7G7WHgvBi9U1Q
Thank you so much for the coconut deodorant recommendation! I’ve been trying to many natural deodorants that left me smelling stinky but this one is awesome!!! Thank you SO much!
I have been loving all the hair products by R+Co! They not only carry washing products but styling as well which was something I was finding difficult. If you haven’t already tried them, I highly recommend you check them out!
Thanks so much for posting all of this! I bought the lip balm and I love it! I was also pleasantly surprised at how large it is – I wasn’t expecting it 😂. What kind of moisturizer and face cleanser do you use?
I’ve really been wanting to try Beauty Counter! Thanks so much for sharing all of these! I can’t wait to try them out!
Do you think Dae shampoo is better than Alterna shampoo? Or do you just use Dae Shampoo now for the pregnancy? Thank you!!
I think they’re equal, my hair does best if I switch off between the two! I do think that Dae is made with “cleaner” ingredients!
Check out Nuud deoderant! I’m in love with it. It literally prevents odor by neutralizing bacteria via micro silver particles. It’s free of aluminium, fragrances, parabens, alcohols, petrochemicals and other yuckies, as well is 100% vegan and cruelty free. Plus it’s effective for a couple days before you even need to reapply!! Btw, prepare for EXTREMELY stinky pits for the following 3-4 months postpartum. Apparently it’s a normal postpartum thing that NO ONE talks about, which does women a huge disservice as the odor is downright offensive lol. I didn’t start using Nuud until about 5 months postpartum, at which point the odor was already gone so I can’t speak to how effective it is at cutting through the postpartum stinky pit odor, but perhaps Nuud will help you brave the stinky stage and beyond. 🙂
Thank you SO much for this post and the post about what you did to conceive! I was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve immediately after I got married. Ironically, somehow I conceived my first (and only) child almost immediately. However, we’ve had many struggles trying for number 2 and just had a complete failure of an IVF cycle last month (they could only get one mature egg). So now I’m a “poor IVF responder” in addition to having diminished ovarian reserve. I remembered you posted some stuff about trying to conceive a while back and have now been referencing. It has been SO useful. Your posts in addition to It Starts with the Egg have given me hope I can do things to improve my fertility. I had no idea how I was going to find toxin free body products…and then there was your post. I got so excited and bought almost everything you recommended! Thank you!
Hey! Thank you so much for doing this. Do you have any recommendations that your husband tried and liked? We are having trouble finding products that he likes .. such as deodorant and shaving products. Thanks so much!
Hi there, I was actually wondering the same thing! Trying to get the hubs on the journey as well 🙃 also have you found any other hair products- like hairspray- that are clean? Thanks for sharing your products, it’s so helpful!