Top natural cleaners and body care products for the practical wellness seeker

Happy Spring from New York City!

This is one of my favorite times in the city. Central Park is in full bloom. And going for a run along the Hudson is no longer a fight to the death with the wind. (If you’ve ever run or biked on the west side of Manhattan in the winter, you know what I mean. 😉

It was around this time of year about 10 years ago, that I started experimenting with cleaner eating.

NYC’s first Whole Foods Market was just around the corner from my apartment in Chelsea; and, in addition to loads of organic and natural foods, they also carried “natural” house cleaning and body care products.

I’d been reading lots of articles about the scary chemicals in our environment and was pretty grossed out…especially when I came across this lovely term: body burden.

Body burden refers to the amount of chemicals accumulated in our blood and tissue, the “burden” created by consistent exposure to industrial chemicals in cleaning products, cosmetics, body care products, and a bunch of other random things in our homes and in our general environment.

While there’s no definitive research on which, if any, of these chemicals cause health problems, I just like the idea of “getting back to nature” when I can.

But if you’ve been reading my stuff for a while, you know that I’m a pretty practical gal. Going to extremes just isn’t my thing. I like balance.

While I’m willing to make some sacrifices to feel and be healthier, everything I use has to pass my “I still need my house to be clean, my body to smell good, and my skin to look fabulous” test. 😉

So if you’ve toyed with the idea of “going natural” with your house cleaning and/or body care products, check out my short list of non-toxic product swaps to get you started.

Replace…

• Shower gel and hand soap with Castille soap. Castille soap is the most underrated body cleaning product ever. Not only is it a plant-based, non-chemical cleaner, but just a few drops will clean your entire body, making it easy on the wallet too. My favorite comes from Oregon Soap Company in “flavors” like Ginger Grapefruit and Pacific Northwest Lavender. I use it in my shower sponge in place of soap every day and diluted in a hand soap pump in both my bathroom and kitchen for washing hands.
• Antiperspirant with deodorant. Yeah, yeah, I know. This one makes me sound like a serious hippie (not that there’s anything wrong with that ;); and it’s not a swap I would have made in my 20s when my hormones, well, made me sweat a lot. (Is that too much information?) A couple of decades later though, I kind of love that I don’t need to clog my pores with aluminum to smell good all day. Turns out that research from a few years ago showing a connection between aluminum antiperspirant usage and things like breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease was largely unfounded; but my skin likes plain old natural deodorant better than harsher antiperspirants. I opt for Tom’s of Maine Long Lasting Deodorant Stick most days, and use something more powerful only when the situation calls for it (my Flywheel buddies appreciate that during our 45 minute rides, I’m sure). 😉
• Harsh chemical house cleaners with natural cleaners. I can hear you asking “But do they really work, Lara?”. Yes. And I’ve tried everything over the years, so I promise the ones I recommend actually do clean stuff. It may take your nose a little while to stop equating Pine Sol scent and chlorine bleach fumes with clean, but I can’t even express how lovely it is to walk into your home and smell an honest clean. Technically, you could get by cleaning your house with only baking soda (for scrubbing) and a white vinegar/water mix (for wiping down counters and cleaning glass); but I like these three products too:
  • Murphy’s Oil Soap. An oldie but a goodie, and still 100% natural vegetable soap. I use it mostly to clean my wood floors, but it also doubles as an all-purpose cleaner when diluted with water.
  • Method Bathroom Wipes. Great for wiping down counters in between cleanings.
  • Seventh Generation or Method All-Purpose Cleaning Sprays. My current favorite is Seventh Generation’s Botanical Disinfectant spray.

• Scented moisturizer with Boomsilk. Boomsilk is a 100% natural, all-over body moisturizer created by Ford model Cindy Joseph. I met Cindy a couple of years ago through a mutual friend and have been using her Boomstick Color – for adding natural-looking color to both cheeks and lips – ever since. Boomsilk is her newest product, a luxurious but not-too-expensive concoction of olive oil, beeswax, chamomile, honey, and other straight-from-nature ingredients sourced in Hawaii (while I don’t recommend it, I think you could probably eat Boomsilk and be just fine) intended to moisturize your whole body. I’m completely obsessed with it!

What about you? Have you made any natural product swaps recently? Tell me about them in the comments.

Naturally yours, 😉