Natural Skin Care

I've always wondered why there were separate products marketed towards "face care" as opposed to all-over body care.  Shouldn't all products be safe for the face's "sensitive skin?" It's the same concept as separate "baby" products.  Why are we okay using less-than-stellar products on our body, but not on our face or children?

Unfortunately, even some "baby care" products don't seem all that safe to me.  As I stated in a previous post, tear-free shampoos for babies have a chemical in them which numbs the eyes so kids/babies don't feel the sting from the soap and chemicals in the shampoo.  How is that better?  In my opinion, ALL skin care products should be safe for babies, faces, and bodies.

Needless to say, after I started switching out our food products and cleaning products, I naturally turned to the toiletries in our home as the next big step.  Especially when I started looking at ingredients and realizing that artificial food dyes were being added to things like shampoo and feminine wash! What in the world!?!

Here are the current skin care products I use:

The Honest company products on left, face wash in the middle, and homemade skin care in the little jars on the right.

 1. Face Wash: Avalon Organics CoQ12 Repair Facial Cleansing Milk

    -This smells and feels SO GOOD! Even Bryan comments on how nice it is to use.  The last time I checked the EWG's Skin Deep website, this had a rating of 3, but it uses 70% organic ingredients and has been very good for my skin.

*You can find it on Amazon here.

2. Moisturizer: The Honest Company Face and Body Lotion

    - Like I said, skin care products should work on all parts of the body.  This lotion is terrific for my facial moisturizer and as our general body lotion.  Look, Ma! No dragonhands!

3. Sunscreen: The Honest Company Sunscreen

    - Before my diagnosis, I wasn't a stickler for putting on sunscreen, myself.  I was just satisfied if my liquid foundation had some sort of skin protection.  The medication I take, however, makes my skin much more sensitive to the suns rays, so I use this daily between moisturizer and foundation (or mixed with my foundation for a homemade tinted moisturizer)

4. Face Scrub: I made this homemade recipe and use it on my face once a week. The face scrub version is just coconut oil and sugar (I use organic for both)

5. Body Scrub: I made this homemade recipe and use it whenever I feel like pampering myself.  :) It's the same recipe as above, but with essential oils added.

6. Deodorant: This one was quite the transition.  As I stated in an earlier post, I got giant, walnut-sized cysts from antiperspirants, before, but I always just thought I'd have to deal with it since I was such a big sweater.  Turns out, that's not true.  I first bought some Tom's of Maine deodorant, but it was right during my Couch to 5K training and man was I stinky!  I thought "there is no way I can stop wearing normal antiperspirant!" I was sweating a lot and it smelled worse than normal.  I then found a homemade recipe here and made up a batch, using my normal (presumable GMO) corn starch. I found it much more effective at preventing the moisture, but I still could smell sweat more than usual.  I persevered, while using my old deodorant for special occasions where I didn't want people to smell me, although my homemade stuff did make me itch sometimes.  Then one day, a few weeks ago, I was reading through the comments on a blog post about homemade deodorant where people were expressing that once you make the switch off of traditional deodorants to more natural or even homemade deodorants your body (and obviously sweat glands) go through a detox where you sweat and smell worse for a little while until eventually you even out and you actually sweat and smell less than before. And bingo! I realized that I passed through that transition and didn't even realize that I've come out on the other end! I didn't even realize that my body had detoxed from all the crap in antiperspirants and I wasn't sweating that much, anymore.  Once that first batch of homemade deodorant was done, I made a second batch using non-GMO corn starch I found, and magically the itchiness was gone. Coincidence? I think not.  I hate GMOs.  But I love homemade deodorant!

*Again, the recipe is here.*

7. The Honest Company Body Oil and Healing Balm are also used regularly in this house for an added boost of moisture in this desert climate.

8. Body Wash: The Honest Company Shampoo and Body Wash (not pictured). We use this for ourselves and the boys.  I also buy hand-made soap bars from Good Earth to keep in the bath and shower for another body wash option. 

Homemade stuff: deodorant on bottom, body scrub upper left, face scrub upper right.

I have also heard fantastic things about Bella Organics. I REALLY want to try their Dead Sea Mineral Mud Mask but haven't ordered one, yet.  I will let you know what I think about it when I do!

Costco Pantry

Did you know that Costco has a great selection of healthy/organic products?  And I swear every time I go, they have brought in more organic items.  The more we demand it, the more stores will provide it!

Funny story: I called Costco about 2 months ago to ask if a 2-cheese blend (Parmesiano-Rigliano or something like that) that I had purchased (Kirkland brand) was made from cows treated with the growth hormone rBGH or not.  The customer service agent was very helpful, but wasn't sure of the information right away.  He said he knew for a fact that the Kirkland brand milk does not contain that hormone, but he wasn't sure about the shredded-cheese blend. He also mentioned that he thinks all the Kirkland brand products are non-GMO, but he wasn't 100% definitive about that and I haven't double-checked that fact.  ;) He took my info down and said he would get back to me.  Later that evening he called and left a message saying that, indeed, my cheese blend was FREE of rBHG, and that it was imported from Italy.  He was SO helpful and I was pleasantly surprised that he actually took the time to track down the answers to my questions.  I was very impressed with their customer service.

I get a lot of my pantry staples from Costco, as they have terrific prices for a lot of organic products.  Here are the regulars on our shopping list:

1. Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil

2. Kirkland Organic Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - coconut oil and olive oil are the only oils I use

3. Kirkland Organic Tomato Sauce

4. Kirkland Organic Chicken Stock - nice to have when I don't have any homemade stuff in the freezer

5. Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Cane Sugar

6. Annie's Macaroni and Cheese - I like to keep these in our pantry for quick-lunch days.  Most of the boxes in the Costco pack are NOT organic (you can get those at Target), but they are made from healthier ingredients and do not contain artificial food dyes.

7. Kirkland Organic Animal Crackers 

8. Kirkland Organic Tomato Paste

9. Organic Unsweetened Applesauce

10. Organic Chicken Breasts

11. Kirkland Organic Salsa

12. Organic Frozen Veggies - like corn, green beans, or peas
13. Lehi Roller Mills Turkey Brand Flour - not organic, but a high-quality all-purpose flour made right here in Lehi.  It is cheaper to buy the 25-lb bag here than it is in the actual Roller Mills store!
14. Kirkland Organic Strawberry Jam - for when I don't have any homemade jam in the pantry

15. Kirkland Pure Vanilla Extract - not organic, put pure. We don't use imitation vanilla, anymore.

Here are some other healthy products that Costco carries:

1. Nutiva Organic Chia Seeds

2. Organic Eggs (I buy eggs from backyard chickens from a lady in Eagle Mountain, dubbed the "egg lady")

3. Organic Butter (I really need to start buying it here)

4. Bob's Red Mills Whole-Wheat Flour, 25-lb bag - this was removed from our Costco over a year ago and I haven't seen it, since.  :(

5. Annie's Fruit Snacks (or other organic fruit snacks) - We LOVE Annie's fruit snacks, but have never found them at our Costco here in Utah. My sister says she buys them from her Costco in California.

6. Organic frozen berries - I probably should also start buying these at Costco since we go through them so fast,
7. Kirkland Organic 100% Maple Syrup - I just saw this one last time I went, so I will definitely start buying it here instead of at Good Earth.
8. Cheese made from grass-fed cows - I haven't tried any of these, but they are on my list to try.
9. Organic quinoa - we still haven't learned the quinoa love, so I have yet to need a Costco-sized pack
10. Organic rice medley
11. Organic canned beans
12. Organic all-purpose flour
13. Organic canned soups
14. Organic milk - rice, coconut, soy, and even whole cows milk!
15. Organic tortilla chips
16. Organic peanut butter

...and the list goes on and on. I had to stop writing down all the organic options I was finding at Costco. And right now they are having a sale on their organic products! Green tags mean the products are organic.

What other healthy food options have you found at Costco?

The Honest Company

Image the property of The Honest Company

While looking at the recommended reading list for a blog I follow, I saw a book called The Honest Life by Jessica Alba (the actress). The subtitle is "Living Naturally and True to You." Intrigued, I got on the waiting list for that book from my local library, and was very excited when it arrived!  Jessica Alba talks about her own conversion to living more of a "hippie" life; she shares her insights into many categories, such as food, cosmetics and toiletries, household cleaners, materials in your home (paint, fabrics, furniture,etc...), etc... She talks about developing a personal style, decorating your home, and even has a section on maternity and raising children. She also introduces her new company, The Honest Company, which strives to make clean, healthy products that are safe for you and your family.  It was a very fun book to read, and I loved her "honest" discussion about everything: she tells how her family has changed to using better things, but admits that sometimes she still uses the unhealthy things, too. That is one of the biggest lessons I have learned in this past year - not everything has to be so black and white.  I do the best I can, and forgive myself for the things that I can't (or don't) do.

Naturally, I went online and started looking at the products offered through The Honest Company.  We have tried many of their products. Here are the ones we have currently in our house:

1. Honest diapers: As many of you know, I have been using cloth diapers for about a year and a half now.  However, I was having some problems with cloth diaper use overnight, so I was still using a disposable at nighttime.  I didn't like having to use regular disposables for the 12 hours at night, but I heard a lot of bad things about some of the other "natural" disposable diapers (like a lot of leakage problems).  When I discovered the Honest Diapers, I decided to give them a try, and now they are the only ones I buy! They are free of "chlorine processing, latex, lotions, fragrances, common allergens, phthalates, optical brighteners, PVC, heavy metals, organotins (MBT, DBT, TBT) & harsh petrochemical additives." I can totally justify paying $14 for a single pack of diapers each month, since my cloth diapers paid for themselves over a year ago and I spend nothing else for diapering.  They also come in a lot of cute designs!

2. Honest Wipes: I use cloth wipes with my cloth diapers, but it is always nice to have disposable wipes to go with disposable diapers. Plus, baby wipes always come in handy for messy faces and fingers. Most baby wipes are soaked in tons of nasty chemicals, so I had started buying Burts Bees baby wipes. Unfortunately, those wipes were super thin and not as efficient.  The Honest Wipes, however, are nice and thick and free of "alcohol, chlorine, phthalates, formaldehyde, parabens, phenols, quaternary ammonium compounds, SLS & SLES, lanolin & unnecessary additives." 

3. Honest Shampoo & Body Wash/Honest Conditioner: I tried to do the whole "no-poo" solution to hair care (washing with a baking soda paste and rinsing with apple cider vinegar). Two weeks later I had super greasy hair and there was no end in sight. Plus, even once your hair is trained and doing well using only baking soda and vinegar, if you use normal shampoo even once you have to start the training all over again. That's just not something I was willing to do, so I started researching healthier, store-bought options.  I have been using the Honest Shampoo and Conditioner for months, now, and my hair is doing great! I have a homemade shampoo I want to try making in the near future, but until then this is the only product I will use.

4. Honest Sunscreen: Commercial sunscreens are pretty terrible...even sunscreens marketed as safe for children.  The old sunscreen I had was a Coppertone Kids Sunscreen Lotion...rated a 7 with the Skin Deep website I shared a few days ago! I am trying to be better at using sunscreen on the boys, and myself now that I am taking medication that makes my skin more sensitive to the sun. The Honest Sunscreen is rated 1 with the Skin Deep website - so much better!

5. Honest Face & Body Lotion: Commercial lotions can be pretty terrible, too, and with eczema in this house we have to be careful with the products we use.  We started using this lotion from the trial pack I did when I first discovered this company, and now it's all we buy. I even use it as my facial moisturizer, too! 

6. Honest Body Oil: I never really understood the use of body oil, but I'm discovering that it's just an extra something to moisturize your skin. You can also mix it in with the lotion for an extra moisture boost.

7. Honest Healing Balm: This is kind of a "does everything" product. I use it on my hands to keep them soft and smooth, but I also put it on cuts and scrapes like Neosporin, or on other dry skin (even lips!) like Vaseline.  This is the first winter in at least a decade that I don't have "dragon hands."  This stuff really works! A lot of people use this as a diaper cream, as well.  

8. Honest Toothpaste and Honest Kids Toothpaste: I have tried Burts Bees toothpaste and Toms of Maine toothpaste, but the Honest toothpaste is my favorite of the three. And don't get me started on companies adding food dyes and artificial sweeteners to children's toothpastes.  These 2 products have the highest Skin Deep rating of any of these listed (they are rated a 3), but I still feel better knowing that we are using safer products.  

9. Honest Toilet Cleaner: I was so happy to discover that they made a toilet bowl cleaner, since that is something I am kind of anal about when it comes to cleaning bathrooms. The toilet bowl must be scrubbed clean! I'm sure I could find a homemade solution, too, but sometimes it's nice to just have one on hand when you need it.  So far it has worked great.

10. Honest Bathroom Cleaner: I had made homemade cleaning solutions already, but I had to use 2 different cleaners for bathrooms, my all-purpose cleaner and a separate disinfectant.  Those homemade cleaners are perfectly fine for everyday use, but I decided to order this bathroom cleaner for a more hard-core solution for tub and tile.  I haven't used it much, but so far it seems like it does the trick.

Other products I have tried:

1. Honest Laundry Detergent: I have tried making my own detergent, exploring liquid and powder options. But the clothes never got as clean and the detergent was leaving stains on my clothes. It was a very frustrating period of time.  I finally ordered some of this detergent to use, but it still wasn't quite what we were looking for.  I have been using Molly's Suds for awhile, and this is definitely the winner for us! It works so well and is still very clean.

2. Honest Hand Soap: I got a sample of this in the trial kit, but I just buy Earth Friendly Products hand soaps at a local health store, so this wasn't a necessity for us.

3. Honest Bubble Bath: I liked having this for my boys, but we recently ran out and I just haven't ordered another one, yet.  Did you know that baby products that claim 'tear-free' actually just add an extra chemical to numb their eyes so they don't feel the sting?  It's disgusting.  Just another reason for me to use better products on my kids.  

4. Honest 4-in-1 Laundry Pods: I got a free sample of these with one of my orders. They seemed to clean really well (better than the regular detergent), but I think cost-wise it is more expensive per load.  They do claim they can be used to clean cloth diapers, but I never attempted it.  

So there you have it, my introduction to the Honest Company!  There are still many products I would like to try, so I will probably blog about those products as they come.  The bundles are good deals if you are only ordering from one category, but you also get free shipping if you spend $50 in one order.   And the customer service has been fantastic the few times I called in to ask questions or get help with orders.  Please feel free to comment below if you have tried any of their products - I'd love to hear other reviews!

*I am not affiliated in any way with The Honest Company. I am simply a satisfied customer. :)*