Making the Switch to Natural Body Products

Does the idea of making the switch to natural body products feel overwhelming? It sure did when I started. This post will break down the process I used and ingredients to avoid. The goal is to help you transition to a more natural body care routine with the stress and overwhelm of a total rehaul.

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In With the Good

A couple years ago, I started to question the ingredients in everything. It started with body products, then cleaners, and now food. So consider this a warning, once you start you can’t stop.

Ok, now that you’re ready to take a step down this slippery slope let’s talk about my decision to take the first step. It all started with reading the back of the shampoo bottle. I discovered lots of ingredients I couldn’t pronounce. After some Google searches, I found out that most of them were really bad for you. The spark of curiosity caught hold and there was no turning back. I have always been one to question things and research them until I am blue in the face. When I find a problem, I must also find a solution. Pretty soon I was buying essential oils and castile soaps. When I ran out of my normal products, I would replace them with all-natural products that I made myself.

After that, there was no stopping me. I made my husband crazy reading all the labels. I replaced the dish soap, dryer sheets, mouthwash, lotion, and candles. When I bought anything at the store, I would stand there reading the labels for twenty minutes before making a decision. He was patient, but sometimes I thought he wanted to throw something in the cart and move on.

Some of the changes were more difficult than others, but they eventually became the new normal. For example, castile soap makes my skin feel weird. At first it really bothered me, but now I barely notice. Another example was the smell of clean laundry. I love the smell of clean laundry, so I found an essential oil blend to use on the wool dryer balls to replace that smell. I still have a few things left to replace, but over time I’ve slowly learned how to clean without toxic chemicals.

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Why Switch to Natural Body Products?

Our skin is our largest organ. It is constantly exposed to toxins from our environment. Women are exposed to approximately 168 chemicals from their body products alone. Unfortunately those chemicals don’t remain on the skin, they are absorbed. It is the same reason that nicotine patches work. Many of these toxins are associated with health problems. Reducing the toxic load can improve our health and prevent future problems. Go ahead and read the back of your shampoo bottle. That is what started my switch to natural body products!

Sourcing Natural Body Products

Finding real natural body products at the store can be difficult. So many products that claim to be all natural have been clean washed. This is when companies market their products as being more natural and wholesome than they really are. It is like greenwashing to make us believe that products are good for the environment when they really aren’t.

When I go shopping, I look for the exclusion of certain ingredients.

Paraben
Aluminum
Sulfates
Phthalates
Fragrance
Propylene Glycol
Butylene Glycol
Formaldehyde

If I am unsure about a product, I will search EWG’s Skin Deep website for help. Now this isn’t a perfect process, so sometimes I’ll settle for something with a better score than the one I was using before. This allows me to move in the right direction even if I can’t find the perfect product. Any little bit helps.

Making Natural Body Products

This is my favorite way to obtain natural body products. When I make something myself I know exactly what is in it and there’s no need for preservatives. Although I don’t make everything myself all the time, I am slowly trading my store bought for homemade alternatives.

For moisturizer or lotion, I’ve fallen in love with whipped body butter. It works great on my feet and legs after a shower. For my hands, I needed something a bit lighter and less greasy. This led me to lotion bars. They are perfect for your hands. My dad and I love the working hands blend. When applied at night, you wake up with a new set of hands. This stuff is a miracle!

I was very hesitant to switch up my dental routine. For a long time I believed fluoride was standard practice for a reason. Now that I’ve switched to all natural mouthwash my mind has been changed. I’m still using Dr. Bronner’s toothpaste, but it is fluoride free. When a sore spot occurs, I turn to oil pulling with coconut oil and it quickly disappears.

Up next was facial astringent. I have used it since high school to prevent breakouts. Changing this up made me nervous because I didn’t want teenage skin again. This DIY is so simple, I never buy the stuff at the store anymore.

Soap was the last hurdle. I made my own foaming face wash and much to my surprise I liked it more. I started mixing up my own body wash. It left my skin feeling funny at first because it didn’t strip the natural oils from my skin. It’s been two years and now I don’t even notice. I’m still purchasing shampoo and conditioner because I’ve not found one that I liked. I’ve switched to a cleaner version than what I previously used. I’m currently using Alba because I can find it cheaper at TJ Maxx.

Where to Start When Making the Switch to Natural Body Products?

Making the switch to natural body products can seem overwhelming. When you think about everything you use on your skin, from soaps, to makeup, to lotions. It can be a lot to replace all at once. So instead of doing it all at once, I slowly switched out my products. As I ran out of each product, I would replace it with a natural one. Sometimes this was homemade and other times it was purchased at the store. Before running out of a store bought product, I would test out a homemade one. This allowed me the comfort of a backup in case I didn’t like what I made. So take it slow and know that every little bit helps. Eventually, you will have a beauty routine that you can feel good about.