Maybe it’s getting older or becoming a parent, but in the past few years I’ve embraced a cleaner lifestyle. I am not an expert by any means, but I do believe there are more environmental factors we’re exposed to on a daily basis than earlier generations. It seems I know more and more people diagnosed with cancer and other diseases at a younger and younger age. I also believe in a modern world, I’m not going to eliminate all toxins. Instead I focus on reducing toxins and living a clean (or at least cleaner) lifestyle in four areas: home, food, beauty and kids.
HOME
At home I use as many natural cleaning products as possible. Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds cleaner is great for cleaning the kitchen, bathroom and floors. I use it for basically everything while occasionally using these Seventh Generation disinfecting wipes. I rely on Seventh Generation for both laundry detergent and dish soap (you can also use Dr. Bronner’s, but it doesn’t have many bubbles and I need suds).
Scorpions are a reality of living in Arizona and unfortunately roaches are a part of apartment life in LA. Rather than spray a bunch of chemicals inside our home, we’ve used Cedarcide natural insecticide for years. The cedar scent can be a little overwhelming but I’ll gladly take it over chemicals.
FOOD
If I had to put a number on it, I’d say we eat healthy 80% of the time. I try to buy organic meat and follow the EWG’s dirty dozen and clean 15 guide for produce. We don’t eat much dairy, but when we do I try to buy organic there too. We have room to reduce the amount of gluten (way too much bread around here) and increase the number of vegetables we consume. Have you tried cauliflower rice? I have in the past couple of weeks and found it’s a good way to increase our veggies. Bonus points because Sybil loves it!
BEAUTY
It’s no surprise this has been my favorite area to make the switch to cleaner, more natural products. It’s actually been a long process as I didn’t want to throw out all of my skincare and makeup. I’ve slowly been replacing items with cleaner versions as I’ve run out. I’m currently following this natural skincare regimen while experimenting with different face masks. As for makeup, my favorite brands include Beautycounter, Lily Lolo, and ILIA. At first I was worried safer, cleaner products wouldn’t work as well. I’ve been pleasantly surprised how well my skin looks and feels. And I can’t say I’ve even noticed a difference in makeup products!
KIDS
Next to the food we eat, this is the area I feel most strongly about choosing safer products. As a parent, I would do anything to protect my kids. For me, this includes the chemicals and toxins they are exposed to. We’ve found Tubby Todd products work really well for Lawson and Sybil (the all over ointment is a lifesaver for chapped skin and bad diaper rash). I’ve tried a bunch of different sunscreens and Beautycounter is the best. It protects without leaving a white residue. I’ve raved about it before, but the stick sunscreen is awesome for on the go applications. For the all important diaper cream, I swear by Boudereaux’s Butt Paste.
Is living a cleaner lifestyle on your list of resolutions for the new year? What are your go to products?