Here at Chiot’s Run we’ve been traveling down the road to REAL clean for quite a while. Along the way we’ve tried all sorts of products trying to find what’s just right for us. Along with searching for non-toxic products I also search for products in glass containers or products with packaging that can be composted in my own garden. Today I figured I’d share some of our favorite personal care products, some of you may find that you like them as well. Shaving is a tough area to detox as well, I’ll cover that in a dedicated post later this month. As for my REAL clean housekeeping products, I’ll talk more about those next week. Here are some of the things we have found that work well for us and why we like them:
Disposable paper products can be a HUGE area where you spend lots of money and produce a lot of waste. Most products come in plastic and are not cheap to keep in stock in your pantry. One of the easiest ways to get off the disposable paper bandwagon is to purchase or make some rags. We have some Terry Rags we got a long time ago (Target sells them in large packs in the car washing area for a decent price). We’ve been using mostly rags in our home for cleaning for many years. We go through maybe one or two rolls of paper towels per year (usually used to clean up cat puke or something we don’t want to wash out of a rag). You can also make your own rags from old towel, simply cut into squares the size you want. We do use tissues, a box a month or so. I’ve been wanting to make some handkerchiefs so we can quit buying them as well, looks like it will have to wait until this coming winter. We put any paper product we produce (besides toilet paper) in the compost bin, tissues, paper towels, etc. It makes me feel a little better knowing they’re not going into the land fill.
Toilet paper is probably the most used disposable paper product. I’ve read of people to use rags and wash them, but that’s not really something I’m going to do unless it’s the end of the world and I have to. I think my friends/family would have me committed if I tried it anyways. 5-6 years ago we started purchasing Seventh Generation Bathroom Tissue in cases of 48. I purchase them from Amazon and have it set up so that every 6 months they deliver a box to my house, which is nice. The toilet paper is not as soft as most, but of good quality and strength. We’re not plush TP people so we actually prefer it to something super soft like Charmin. One of the reasons I really like it is that it comes in a big box and each roll is wrapped individually in paper. I use these paper wrappers as a liners in my compost bin, which then keeps my compost bin cleaner, makes it easier to empty and it’s a great use for these wrappers.
Our search for the perfect face wash and lotion was the hardest. I tried all different kinds of products and none of them worked quite right. I have really dry sensitive skin that flares up with the slightest irritation. I tried Burt’s Bees, Kiss My Face, and a whole host of other products. Some of them were OK, some of them were a HUGE disaster. Besides the skin irritation, the product packaging was of huge concern for me, even with “organic, non-toxic” products. They all seem to come in my tiny plastic containers that don’t last very long. Many of these natural products still contain ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce and wasn’t sure I wanted to be slathering in my face!
Then I found Mountain Rose Herbs. I tried a few of their products and finally settled on their Cleansing Grains and Wild Rose Facial Oil. At first it was a bit weird because the face wash contains no soap, but now soap feels weird and drying on my skin. Mr Chiots noticed how nice my skin was and actually asked if he could start using the Cleansing Grains as well, now he loved them as well. The ingredients are: french Green Clay, organic ground Almonds, organic Oat Bran and a blend of skin toning essential oils. I can pronounce everything and most of it I would actually eat.
After using the Cleansing Grains we use a little of the Wild Rose Facial Oil for moisturizing. It may seem a little weird at first to use oil on your face, but after using it for a while you won’t be able to use regular face lotion because it will feel waxy and heavy. The ingredients in the Facial Oil are: Organic Calendula oil, organic Wild Rosehip Seed oil, organic Jojoba oil, Vitamin E oil and essential oils of organic Lavender, Carrot seed and Helichrysum. I haven’t tried any of their facial washes because I liked the clay based cleaner so much. I’m guessing however they’re as great as every product I’ve received from them. I also love that the face oil comes in glass bottles (with a pump, I add the glass dropper myself). I also love their Hair Oil, I put a few drops in my hair when my hair is still wet when I get out of the shower.
As far as toothpaste goes, we’ve been making our own for a while and love it. I generally make a dry powder of baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Sometimes I make different flavors like this Vanilla Meyer Lemon Toothpowder I made in February. Recently I’ve been experimenting with using activated charcoal and so far I’m very happy with it, my teeth have never felt cleaner and my sensitivity to cold seems to be lessening. I simply keep a small bowl of it by the sink and dip my wet toothbrush in it. It’s kind of scary to do for the first time because it turns you teeth black while you’re brushing (any of you that have seen Lord of the Rings it’s just like Grima Wormtongue). It rinses away clean, you can swish with water and swallow the charcoal as it’s good to help you detox internally as well.
Have you found any great products you like you’d like to share?
I can also be found at Chiot’s Run where I blog daily about gardening, cooking, local eating, maple sugaring, and all kinds of stuff. You can also find me at Ethel Gloves, Simple, Green, Frugal, Co-op, and you can follow me on Twitter.
First, where do you get charcoal?
Second, the biggest impediment I’m finding to DIYing my cleaning products (especially personal cleaning products) is that it’s just *one more thing to do.* I know that this is really no excuse, and sometimes, like switching to real food, it’s just a matter of rethinking and rearranging your life a little bit, but some days I find it daunting just to keep this all in my mind.
And then, literally NO one else I know IRL does this– they all *think* I’m just great. They brag about me like I’m some sort of adorable pet (look at Xan– she makes her own toothpaste! Isn’t that cute?) but they won’t take the step themselves.
Ugh, just feeling the pain this morning, ignore me.
Wow, I was thinking some of the same things: charcoal is a great idea; where do you get it?
I’ve been working part-time for the last couple of years, and have had the time to learn how to begin a garden and start one; learn how to can and can over 250 jars last summer alone; switch many of our cleaning products to Real cleaning things, etc. I’m taking a full-time job (AND keeping my part-time one) in the fall, and my husband is expecting that I’ll just drop all of those things, or let some of them go because–as you said, it’s “just one more thing to do.”
Right now I’m convinced that things will stay the way they are, but we’ll see when the time comes, and I’m away from home, working 50 or more hours a week….
In any case, this blog has been and will be an inspiration for me to keep it up.
Thanks for reminding me, I’ll put the link to the charcoal in the post above. Although you can find charcoal in many places I purchased this food grade kind for toothbrushing and for consuming. I also purchased a few other kinds of them for use around the house – odor control, detoxing and soil improvement in the garden, etc.
Xan – people do the same thing to me – they think it’s AMAZING that I do so much for myself. As far as the time to make stuff, I only mix up a few things several times a years, so it doesn’t take much time. I’ll write a blog post about what I do later this month.
Kat – I think you’ll find time. I have 2 almost full-time jobs and a part-time job and still manage to do it all. Although I don’t watch TV and I work from home for all my jobs so I don’t spend time driving to work and can take 10 minute lunch breaks.
We’re the same way with paper products, though I’m not a fan of scratchy TP..and it’s one of the things I’ve had a problem letting go. I’d totally go to the rag wipes solution, and may just for me..it’ll still help us cut down on waste since I probably use more than the boys combined.
We’ve also switched over to homemade deodorant..and love it. It works better than any of the natural/organic commercial cleaners (the mineral rocks make me break out badly) and I just reuse the one dispenser per person over and over again).
I use a facewash of castor/olive oil in equal parts..still testing it to see how well it does. I’m not sure if it’s the wash or hormones, so I have to keep it up awhile longer before I give it a final yay or nay.
We use rags for cleaning, but do go through about a roll of paper towels every 3 months. Hubby is just too prissy and won’t use cloth napkins to eat with, but I have gotten him to cut his towels in smaller bits for meals.
Most health food stores will carry this kind of TP in a single roll so you can try it before you order a 48 roll pack.
I understand the squeamishness behind not wanting to use cloth wipes, but my husband, our 2 year old and myself have been using them exclusively (except for tp for guests) for over 2 and a half years. It was really east to get started, and easy to keep doing it, since I already use so many cloth things already. I wash the wipes twice in hot water along with my dish rags or other gross towels. Also, as we’ve pared down our paper consumption, I decided to try my hand at making and using cloth feminine pads. There’s no going back for me! I read stories about women having less cramps and bleeding using natural products, but I thought there was no way for it to be true. I don’t know how, but it is! There is such a noticeable difference in my cycles.
I know that thinking about changing these things can make someone uncomfortable, but if we’re open to new ideas, we might find some that are much better than what we were doing before.
I have been using a combination of Olive oil and coconut oil on my face for quite some time and am very happy with it. My deodorant I make myself from bicarb, corn flour, cinnamon and essentila oil. The only paper towel we use is for reoiling the cast iron frying pan, and have been using recycled TP forever.
I tried all kinds of products on my face and none of them worked for me so I just started washing my face with plain water and it works better than anything else. My face is very sensitive. This is the cheapest and easiest solution there could be.
I find that milk works as well for a quick & gentle cleanser.
I have switched to using baking soda as a hair and face scrub. My skin and hair are super oily and this seems to work well, soaking up the oil and gently exfoliating my face.
I have pretty severe allergies and I’ve found that using a 100% cotton handkerchief is much softer on my nose than tissues.
Thanks for the tips on the tooth powder and the face products! Now I have some great ideas for improving my baking soda scrub
The only thing that worries me for daily face treatments/moisturizers is that it’s a really good idea to put some sort of sun protection/SPF on your face everyday, especially during sunny months.
Is there a clean way around this? Protecting one’s skin from the sun’s harmful rays is kind of important. Maybe even more important than plastic bottles
Actually I’ve noticed that since I started using the Wild Rose face oil I haven’t gotten sunburnt. It has a lot of vitamin C in it and helps protect the skin. Mt Rose Herbs does have an herbal sunscreen as well without all the crazy chemicals, although it does come in a plastic tube. I believe that the book The Green Beauty Guide: Your Essential Resource to Organic and Natural Skin Care, Hair Care, Makeup, and Fragrances does have a recipe to make your own herbal sunscreen oil. You can also use a mineral sunblock which does work beautifully, although it’s questionable still because of the tiny mineral particles, I use Colorescience Pro Sunforgettable Mineral Powder Brush SPF 50 0.21 oz. when I’m going to the beach, or to an area south of where I live where I’m not used to the intensity of the sun.
The more and more I read about the chemicals in skin cancer the more I believe they’re responsible for most skin cancer rather than the sun.
I try to make sure I wear a hat and I don’t really worry much about the sun anymore.
I was actually looking for what to do for my Husband’s shaving cream – it is really the last thing we haven’t been able to solve. But I wanted to share – I don’t ‘make’ toothpaste, all of them seemed to be too harsh (actually removes enamel like some mainstream nasty whitening toothpastes that are known to cause sensitivity) (and yes, I tried using just water and then baking soda just once a week and it was still to much for me
— I now keep a stash of sea salt (white! like from Australia found at TJMax so that I’m not remineralizing with colored salt ). I just take a pinch and disolve it in my mouth (crunch it usually) and then brush – super clean and my gums love it, as do I!
You my newest addition to my blog roll – Have a great day!
Shaving cream can be a tough one. Mr Chiots is enjoying the stuff I got from a local place.
As for toothpaste – very true. I actually now just use powdered activated charcoal as I found even baking soda to be a little too rough for me. My teeth are no longer sensitive like they used to be. I also make a tea rinse with Dr Christopher’s Bone and Tissue soak and rinse with it a few times a day when I can remember.