Lately I'm realizing that I've been lied to.
I used to be an avid beauty product consumer; always curious what brands and products anyone from my friends to celebrities to my grocery store clerk used and loved. I used to wash, blow dry, and curl my hair every day for years, applying multiple products both in and out of the shower, to make it look like I "just woke up like this." I had a strict skin care regime that included lots of expensive products with long lists of ingredients, that I religiously used and re-purchased when I ran out. I never read one label nor did I give it a second thought.
Then I got pregnant, and I got curious about those ingredients and their effects on my growing baby. I started the merge to more natural products, and as I did my eyes were opened to the not-so-pretty truth of the behind the scenes of the beauty industry.
You see, if you don't do your research and just follow the status quo, companies will work against your best interest, and your health, in order to make a buck. It's so sad, but true.
In Europe, over a thousand chemicals are banned from beauty products due to their harmful effects. In the United States, The FDA has banned a total of nine. Those other 991+ products that Europe has deemed harmful enough to cause serious problems are available in our drugstores, in our bathrooms, on our skin, in our bodies and on our babies.
It's one thing to mess with my health. It's entirely a different story to mess with my baby's.
Johnson and Johnson has recently lost their third straight lawsuit, for knowingly using formaldehyde and other chemicals that cause cancer in their baby products. Think about that. They want you to buy their products so they can make money at the risk of your babies developing cancer. I can't even with that one.
I've had enough and I'm making the switch. I've started to research a little in the book No More Dirty Looks (not sponsored, just picked it up at the library) and I'm excited to do more. I also use the app Think Dirty (also not sponsored). It's a rating system for clean products. It doesn't have every product available, but it's a super neat concept in that you can use your phone to scan barcodes, and it will give you a rating of 0-10, from cleanest to most toxic. Some of the scores shocked me from things I used and thought were "natural" beauty products but actually contained high levels of carcinogens.
Some of the cleaner products I'm currently using:
HAIR CARE: This has been the hardest switch for me so far. I tried the "baking soda shampoo" method for a few months before going back to my regular stuff. I currently use a "natural" brand but need to do more research here. I do have a dry shampoo method I love: Cornstarch mixed with coco powder (for a darker color for brunettes). I love this stuff and keep it premixed in a ramekin, and apply it generously with a clean, fluffy makeup brush all over my roots before bed. I only wash my hair twice a week now and use this in between.
BODY & FACE WASH: Dr. Bronner's. Coconut oil based, no strange ingredients, smells fantastic. I like the Rose scent.
BODY & FACE MOISTURIZER: Coconut Oil. I get mine at Trader Joes. If you don't have one near you, this one is on Amazon.
SHAVING CREAM: Coconut Oil
DEODORANT: I've tried many natural versions, but none I loved until my sister in law recommended this and I've never looked back. So much easier to apply than the jars and it truly does work.
ON BABIES:
It's a myth that babies need to be bathed every day (Wall Street Journal article here on how too frequent bathing can increase risk of eczema in babies). I'm throwing out all my baby products labeled as "natural" (which literally means nothing in the beauty industry), especially if they contain "fragrance" which is the least regulated ingredient and protected by trade laws, potentially hiding harmful chemicals. We typically only bathe Trey in water, but I have these also available:
SOAP: Dr. Bronner's. The baby formula has 2x the olive oil as the regular. No added fragrances or dyes and a clean rating of 0 (clean as they come).
LOTION: Coconut Oil. (I get mine at Trader Joe's, link is to the Amazon best seller). I keep this in a smaller mason jar on the changing table and melt it in my hands. I want the products I use on my baby to be safe enough to eat. Their skin is thin, their bodies are sensitive, and they can't handle the chemical and toxin overload that are hidden in many products.
I want to hear what safe products you love. I'm looking for an amazing mousse, shampoo, hair spray, and nail polish specifically. Let me know if you have any recommendations in the comments.
