Lately, I have been talking a lot about how important it is to me to be use cleaning, household, beauty, and skincare products that are formulated using cleaner ingredients.
What really kicked off this desire to overhaul my everyday products was when my husband and I started trying to conceive last year (something I have talked openly about).
If we are planning to bring a baby into our home, I want our space to be as free from toxic chemicals as possible. I also want to make sure that the beauty and personal care products I use each day aren’t doing more harm than good to my body (a body that hopefully will grow a child someday soon).
I started this journey by overhauling the cleaning products I use in my home.
Grove Collaborative made swapping out my cleaners so easy because everything on their website is non-toxic, cruelty-free, and made from plant-based formulas. Things that are important to me in this season of life.
It’s nice that when I’m shopping on Grove I don’t have to think about the ingredients in the products I’m buying or wonder if something is cruelty-free. I can trust that whatever they sell aligns with my values.
Plus, Grove sells more than household cleaners. They have a great selection of skincare and grooming products, paper towels, toilet paper, food storage containers, and more to make this goal for a greener home more easily attainable.
I recently purchased several inexpensive refillable glass amber soap dispensers to reduce the amount of plastic soap dispensers I buy. Instead of buying small hand soaps for each of the three sinks in our home, I bought one large bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap from Grove. I use the large bottle of soap to refill my glass dispensers and cut back on plastic use.
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During this beginning stage I also stopped burning candles and using scented plug-ins in our home, and I started diffusing essential oils instead. I bought a starter kit from Young Living for the good smells of the oils, but the more I’ve learned about EOs, the more I’ve used them to help support my mental and physical health.
Next, I replaced my deodorant with an aluminum-free product (you can read about that here).
This year, though, I have several goals when it comes to broadening the scope of adopting a more eco-friendly and natural lifestyle.
I want to continue educating myself on potentially harmful and toxic chemicals in my everyday products and reduce those when possible. This is going to take a lot of time and research of various ingredients, but I am excited to become a more informed consumer.
I also am making a point to be mindful of the amount of waste my household produces, and I am taking steps to reduce that as much as possible.
We will never be zero waste, but small steps every day make a huge impact over time.
To stop myself from using plastic straws, I ordered this 12-pack of stainless steel straws on Amazon for $9. I carry two or three with me in my purse to have when I eat out or get an iced coffee to-go. I also leave some at home and some in my office. This particular set also came with two tiny brushes for cleaning the inside of the straws, which I really appreciate.
Specific ways I am adopting a more eco-friendly and natural lifestyle this year:
Reduce single-use plastic
Looking around my house and seeing the areas where there is unnecessary plastic has been eye opening.
I mentioned the stainless steel straws above, but I also ordered these reusable snack bags from Grove, to help reduce our consumption of single-use plastic.
These particular bags are snack size, but Grove also carries larger sandwich and storage bags.
I already don’t buy plastic water bottles (I know that’s often a big one for folks who want to reduce their single-use plastic), but plastic grocery and produce bags are a major concern for our household.
I have reusable grocery bags, I simply need to do better at using them. For produce bags, though, Amazon carries these reusable bags that I’m interested in trying.
Buy cleaner, ethically-made beauty products
I have already spoken to this a lot, but this year I will continue to identify products in my beauty routine that no longer meet the standards I have set for myself.
I am currently looking to replace my moisturizer, daily soap, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and dry shampoo with brands that are Leaping Bunny certified, non-GMO, formulated without parabens or phthalates, USDA Organic, and devoted to ingredient transparency.
Utilize my essential oils more
I mentioned earlier that I initially purchased essential oils to replace my beloved scented candles, but I never truly explored all of the benefits of oils.
I am making a point to educate myself on different oils this year, though, and utilize them in my home for natural healing, cleaning, and personal care when it makes sense.
Recycle
I am embarrassed to admit that we currently do not recycle in our home.
However, that is changing starting now. No excuses.
If you have any tips for living a more eco-friendly and natural or organic lifestyle, please let me know! I am a sponge soaking up all the information I can!
So glad you’re recycling now!
We’re currently on the same path as you-trying to be a more natural household. I think it’s especially important to pass that on to the next generation too (all of my fingers and toes crossed for you bringing a lovely nature baby into the world!). I’ve had some huge disasters but lots of fun learning too!
Thank you so much ❤️ I, too, have had some disasters but I enjoy learning more each day! Keep up the good work!!