Deodorants

This was a tough one. I tried tons of natural versions before finding two that I really like and that actually work. I found a few that are marketed as natural that worked ok, but then I read the ingredients… no thanks!

One note about natural deodorants – they will not stop you from sweating. Your body is supposed to sweat, and the most harmful ingredient in regular deodorant/antiperspirants is the one that stops you from sweating: aluminum. Some research has linked it to breast cancer and Alzheimer’s. Usually, the warnings on these products tell you not to use it if you have kidney problems and not to apply them to broken skin. That’s worrisome enough for me.

Now, the good news: Natural deodorants that work (and as a bonus don’t leave a white residue):

Weleda Sage Deodorant
A spray deodorant with alcohol, water, sage, tea tree, and a few other things. It dries superfast, works great and I think it smells like gin (only when you’re spraying it on though, you don’t walk around smelling like a drink all day). They do come in other scents, but I find the others too overpowering. Note: Do NOT use this one after shaving. It is very painful! (More on Weleda).

Dr. Hauschka
These come in fresh or floral scent and I like both. Floral smells a bit new-agey and Fresh, well it smells fresh. They’re liquid roll-ons and perfect for use after shaving. They do take a bit longer to dry than the Weleda deo, but they work great, and are not sticky. The only downside of these is the price – they’re pretty expensive.

Toothpaste & Mouthwash

Toothpaste
Another tough one. I tried pretty much every natural toothpaste I could find before settling on Jason whitening PowerSmile. It’s a gel, and the peppermint flavor is my absolute favorite, it’s so fresh and super-minty (unlike so many other natural toothpastes). And among the natural brands, it’s the best whitening toothpaste I have tried. We use the one with flouride because my teeth are not the strongest.

Mouthwash
Again, Jason Powersmile in peppermint. It says on the bottle to dilute it, but I don’t. I love that strong peppermint flavor.

Shaving Cream

Once I started paying attention to all the toxins in everything, I realized that shaving cream/foam is a product where it is particularly important to go natural. I don’t know about you, but I cut myself pretty much every time I shave my legs, and if I’m using something with toxic ingredients, it goes straight into my blood stream. Yuck!

Luckily, there is a great natural option: Weleda again. They only make one kind of shaving cream; it works great and smells really fresh.

Acne Remedy

Not the ideal choice, but one that works really well is Nelsons Homeopathic Acne Gel. It has arnica, calendula, tea tree oil, sulfur and a few other non-toxic ingredients, but the bad news is that it also contains Methylparaben. I wonder why they can’t make it without that?

Hair Products

Shampoo
Here’s a category where I’m still looking. Keys Soap does make an organic shampoo, but it’s not great for my hair. I have baby-fine, flyaway, easily-frizzed Scandinavian hair and I need stuff that volumizes and makes it stay in place. I’ve tried John Masters Organics, but that wasn’t good on me either. I have been using Aveda’s shampoos for several years, and I like them, but they’re not all natural. (On an interesting side note, the founder of Aveda, Horst Rechelbacher sold Aveda and recently launched a new company, Intelligent Nutrients, where all products use 100% food-based and organic certified ingredients).

Conditioner
Same situation as shampoo. Keys Soap makes one, but it’s not rich enough for my hair. Same with the John Masters conditioners. Again, I use Aveda.

Hair Styling
Finally, something natural that works! John Masters Organics’ Sweet Orange and Silk styling gel works great and smells so fresh and orangey.

Hair Spray
Still looking. I have to confess that I mostly use a well-known super-toxic spray in an aerosol bottle which works absolutely great. I know it’s not good for me, but I can’t always look like I just got out of bed. I keep my eyes shut and hold my breath while spraying (over the tub) and then run into another room to breathe. I don’t know if that does any good, but it feels like it does.

I do have one from Intelligent Nutrients, the Perfect Hold spray, and I have to say it smells fantastic. Very heavy on the cardamom, which reminds me of my parents’ kitchen when my Mom was baking cardamom buns (they’re like your cinnamon buns here in US, but with cardamom – delicious!). It works ok too; it’s just not great on my type of hair. It takes so long to dry that it totally flattens it and it gets very frizzy. And, one of my main gripes when it comes to natural hair spray, it only comes in a pump bottle, which I hate. It’s so much easier to get a fine mist and just a tiny bit of spray out of an aerosol bottle. I always end up with globs of stuff out of pump bottles.

Anyway, if you have good hair, I’m sure this is a great product. I have been meaning to try the other products from this company as well, but they are on the pricey side… Oh, and the shampoo has apple juice in it, and I’m really allergic to apples (still).

Sunscreen

Keys Soap Solar Rx Sunblock SPF 30. Finding a non-toxic organic sunscreen was a another challenge (especially since the experts always disagree on what is good and not in sunblocks), but I love this one. It’s a little greasy, but it sinks in eventually and works great. (More on Keys Soap).

Santaverde’s Aloe Vera sunscreen (SPF 18) is a little bit lighter, and I like to use it on my face. It sinks in almost immediately, smells great and works. The only downside to this one is that it can be hard to find in the US and is on the pricey side.

Not a sunscreen, but great after spending the day on the beach is Santaverde’s After Sun Emulsion and if you overdid it, their pure Aloe Vera gel. It’s pretty much just aloe vera, and is sooo soothing.

If you take a look at most aloe gels you find in your local drugstore, they’re loaded with bad chemicals. My husband bought one (without consulting me first!) last summer and it lists TEA, Tetrasodium EDTA, DMDM hydantoin and Diazolidinyl Urea among other things.

One disturbing thing I discovered when I started reading labels on everything closely is that many brands that portray themselves as natural or organic still can contain many “bad” ingredients. Be especially wary of products containing DEA and TEA – in combination with preservatives they can form nitrosamines, which have been linked to cancer in numerous studies (according to the Environmental Working Group, one in every 10 products contains ingredients that can combine with others to form nitrosamines.). Lesson learned: it’s not necessarily a non-toxic product just because they’re selling it at Whole Foods.

Here’s a good example. It is from a liquid soap that I think most people think of as natural and good for you.

Compare those ingredients to my list of Toxic Personal Care Ingredients. Not a product I want to use, that’s for sure.

But I was (and am) determined to find non-toxic products that worked for me, and I have! These are my favorite natural soaps and moisturizers:

Soap

I absolutely love the products from Keys Soap, a small company started by a husband and wife after she was diagnosed with skin cancer and the treatments left her with super sensitive skin. When they were not able to find products her body could handle, they invented their own. All their products are so mild you can use them on babies and pets. They are completely free of chemicals, gluten free, vegan and not tested on animals.

Keys’ Island RX Foaming Facial Cleanser. For years, I used to use a soap I could only find in Sweden (and had to stock up whenever I was there) for my face, and thought it worked great. Then I read the ingredients and realized it was full of chemicals. I switched to this and noticed a difference overnight. My skin is so much softer, smoother, and I don’t have nearly as many breakouts as I used to. It also smells great – a refreshing light orangey smell. And look at the ingredients: Purified water, saponified natural coconut and olive oil, avocado oil, blood orange EO, clary sage EO. That’s it! Compare that to the label above…

We also use their Galleyon Spearmint soap as a shower gel. It’s minty, naturally antibacterial and comes in a self-foaming bottle.

In the kitchen, I like to use South of France’s Lemon-Mint liquid soap. It’s unfortunately not organic, but it has all natural ingredients, a fresh, very subtle smell, and they don’t test on animals.

Moisturizers

Keys Soap Eye Butter. We both use this, and love it. It’s really rich but not so greasy that it melts into your eyes; however, I only use it at night, because it does make my makeup run a little bit. But it works great, makes your skin so soft.

Keys Luminous Moisturizer. This one is intended for use on the face and neck; I use it on my neck and as a body lotion and hand cream. It makes my face break out, it’s too rich for me, but it’s fantastic as a body lotion.

Santaverde is another great company with lots of fantastic products. They are based in Germany and use their own, organically grown (in Spain), aloe vera as the base for all their products, (unlike most other moisturizers which are water-based) so even though they feel very light, they really moisturize and calm the skin. They all smell wonderful as well, very subtle, but so fresh and good. And they don’t test on animals.

Santaverde Aloe Vera Body Lotion. This one is wonderful, not as heavy as the Luminous so it’s perfect for the warmer months. It’s on the pricey side though, so I only buy it occasionally as a special treat.

Santaverde Aloe Vera Crème (rich and medium) for the face. Wonderful facial moisturizers, light (but still gets the job done) with a nice, almost candy-like smell. The medium one is a great anti wrinkle cream as well.

Santaverde Aloe Vera Eye Crème. Another great product, it’s very, very light, so for me with my super dry skin, it’s not so good in winter, but in the warmer months, it’s perfect.

Swiss company Weleda is another of my favorite skin care companies and they take things a step further by using not just organic, but biodynamically grown ingredients from their own gardens in Germany, Switzerland, France, UK, the Netherlands, Argentina, Brazil and New Zealand.

In biodynamic growing, you do not use any pesticides or chemicals whatsoever, as opposed to organic, which still uses some, but fewer and less toxic than in conventional growing. Biodynamic farming has its roots in the anthroposophy movement, which began with philosopher Dr. Rudolf Steiner in the 1920s. Read more about biodynamic growing. Weleda do not test on animals either.

Weleda’s Skin Food. This super-rich cream is perfect for dry feet. It sinks in fast, makes your feet baby soft and it has a really soft, refreshing smell. I can’t really pinpoint what that smell is, but the cream has violet, chamomille and calendula so it must be one (or all) of those.

Weleda’s Almond Intensive Facial Cream. Another favorite for face and neck. Not too heavy, not too light, works great any time of year. It doesn’t smell much of anything, maybe vaguely of almonds.

Weleda’s Body Oils in Wild Rose and Citrus. At first, I was a bit hesitant to put oil on my body – wouldn’t I be greasy all day long? Turns out they sink in really fast and wow do they make your skin soft! Neither scent is so strong it’s overpowering, just a faint hint of it lingers on your skin, and you can’t even smell it after a few hours. I love the Wild Rose in winter, I find it very warming and soothing, and the Citrus in summer, it’s so refreshing.

Weleda Everon Lip Balm. The best product I’ve ever tried for dry lips. It’s inexpensive, smells great (faintly of vanilla) and can heal chapped lips overnight. I also use it (a separate one!) around my nose overnight when I have a cold and have been blowing my nose until it’s raw, and on my fingers when they get so dry the skin cracks. (I have very dry skin).

Dr. Hauscka’s Lip Care Stick is another favorite. It’s a bit pricey, but works great and looks kind of like a lip gloss. I use it when I’m going out and want to look extra fabulous!

I hope this has been of help when it comes to picking out better alternatives to products we use every day. In my next post, I will talk about more favorite natural body care products such as organic schampoo, acne remedies, sunscreen, deodorants, etc.