Getting Started

[AwakenedMama]

I'm just visiting this forum for the first time. I feel a need to stop using personal care products with chemicals in them, and have started to buy only natural or organic things when I run out of the old stuff. But I'd love to even go more basic than this.

When I read the posts here, though (and even the recipe sticky), I'm having a hard time understanding things. It seems the people on this thread aren't beginners, and I am!

Can you direct me to some resources on how and why to make the switch? Very simply, what do you use for toothpaste, hair care, face care, etc?

Thanks for reading!

[lovemyfamily6]

We use JR Liggetts shampoo bar, apple cider vinegar rinse instead of conditioner (best detangler I've ever used!), Dr. Bronner's bar soap to wash my body and face, Crystal roll on deodorant, Kiss My Face shave lotion (haven't found a shave cream/lotion more natural that doesn't leave my legs in horrible shape).

[Jojo F.]

How to make the switch- as fast/slow as you need to. It seems a little overwhelming at first but if you change things like you have been, when they run out, it will be easier.

Why? There are many natural skin care product sites that tell you why but then of course they are also pushing thier products but the 'whys' are generally the same.

Here is just one site- http://www.organicmakeup.ca/NaturalS...cCosmetics.htm
Do a quick search 'why switch to natural skin care products' and many sites will come up.

Here's another good one- http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007...sonal_care.php

This site is great too- http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/

Here is alist of 10 ingredients to avoid but of course the list is growing as more studies are done- http://www.aubrey-organics.com/about/treat_10synth.cfm
I do think there is another more extensive list out there.

My natural products are- Oyin's Funk Butter(deoderant)- you can make your own with coconut oil, baking soda, and your choice of EO for fragrance. I didn't really follow a recipe, I just mixed it up until I got the consistency I liked.

For hair right now I am using Desert Essence Organics (grape) because it's gluten free and I tried the no-poo but am too impatient for my hair to get used to it.

For my face I use the Oil Cleanse Method. My oils are- castor oil, jojoba oil, a bit of EV olive oil, rose hip seed, calendula EO, lavender EO, and a bit of lemongrass EO. I also wash my face a couple times a week with Oyin's black soap foaming cleanser. A couple times a week I will do a light steam and then a raw honey mask. Sometimes I will add aspirin to the mask. You can wash your face with plain honey too.

For shaving I use either plain water or coconut oil. The oil leaves your skin soooo soft.

For a lotion I use a mix of coconut oil, jojoba, rose hip seed, and sweet almond. This is applied after the shower before I dry off.

When I buy the oils, I buy from local places(I know the oils aren't local but I'd rather support local business) and buy in bulk- cheaper in the long run and they last longer so I buy less frequently. Mountain Rose Herbs is another good place to find things I can't get from a local business in bulk.

Ususally I don't use a soap on my body, just a bamboo exfoliating mit. And if I have the time or think of it I will do dry body brushing before my shower.

For DS I don't use anything in the winter, just plain water. In the summer I use Weleda Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash. It helps to wash off the sunscreen before bed and he's always covered in dirt

The sunscreen we use right now is Alba Botanica 30+. It's hypo-allergenic and water resistant.

This is getting long but I have one more thing- a great book to have is Jeanne Rose: Herbal Body Book. http://www.amazon.com/Jeanne-Rose-He.../dp/1583940049 There are others out there but this is the one I have.

HTH!!

[Jojo F.]

Oh, just a side not- some green, natural and organic companies aren't really green and organic.

Here is a link to a thread all about it- http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=897767

[EnviroBecca]

toothpaste and deodorant: Tom's of Maine

hair care: I wash my hair with vinegar. My partner and child use Nature's Gate shampoo.

Dr. Bronner's soap for showers and face and hand washing. Once a week or so, I use this facial scrub. Most mornings after washing my face, I coat it with honey and then get into the shower; when the honey gets drippy : I rinse it off. In winter, when my skin is not so oily, honey is my only face wash most days.

Diva Cup!

[tracyhos]

Because I am lazy, I am copying and pasting my reply from another thread...

Here is the thread: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=902696



body wash Burt Bees - something milk body wash, I got it at Target...I'm def. not in love with it though...it's really runny.

face wash I really like Juice Beauty -- both the Cleansing Milk and Cleansing Gel

body lotion California Baby Super Sensitive lotion

face lotion Juice Beauty again. Love the Green Apple moisturizer and they just came out with a tinted moisturizer!

shampoo/conditioner Currently using Aveda.

dish soap I'm not picky on this one...I've used Method, 7th Gen., Planet...whatever I can find at the store.

laundry soap I just bought some Ecover Laundry Wash to try for the first time...I've got just a tiny bit of my All Free and Clear HE to use up...

general household cleansers I love the Shaklee Basic H! It dilutes to make a de-greaser, all purpose cleaner, and windows/glass cleaner. I use Method's tub / tile cleaner for the tubs and showers.

heavy duty cleansers (like for floors) for day to day quick mopping I use Methods O-mop with the re-usable microfiber cloths and their floor cleaner to go with it. For a really good/deep cleaning I use vinegar in a bucket with water and orange EO to cover the vinegar stench.


favorite oils, etc. for freshening rooms or scenting cleansers ie; favorite scents Peppermint is probably my favorite. I add it to baking soda to make my own version of 'Carpet Fresh'. I have a stinky dog.


It was about favorite products. I'm just starting to change over to natural personal care products. I changed over cleaning supplies first. I think (for me anyways) it's easier to change things one at a time, or as you run out of them. Easier on the pocket book and easier to distinguish what's working / not working, i.e. just because things are natural and/or organic doesn't mean you can't have a reaction to them. So I wouldn't change my laundry soap, bath soap and body lotion all at the same time. But that's just me, I'm weird like that.

Anyways, I'm in the middle of my journey of becoming green. This is a fantastic forum for learning. I have learned so much reading here.