You might be thinking…why is a therapist posting about beauty and household products? What does that have to do with my mental health? I’m coming here for tips on how to cope with anxiety or depression or trauma.
Explain please.
Okay, fair question.
The mind and body are highly interconnected. There’s no isolated system. That means that our mental and physical health are BOTH impacted when we experience either mental or physical symptoms.
Lifestyle changes, like reducing the amount of toxins we put into our body, can have HUGE impact on how we feel mentally and physically. That’s why I, as a therapist who practices holistic and integrative mental health, is talking (writing) about reducing your toxic load.
Explain more please.
Many commonly used beauty, personal care, and household products can have toxins and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (aka messing with your hormones) in them which are causing inflammation in the body.
The result of this can be skin issues (aka acne), autoimmune conditions, brain fog, anxiety, depression, gut issues, cancer, and fertility challenges – and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
(For more on how toxins can disrupt our endocrine system and even impact fertility, check out this podcast episode. If you are thinking about trying to get pregnant or are already trying, you might want to check out this book which further talks about the impact of toxins in our beauty and household products.)
When I mention this topic to clients, I often get asked for personal product recommendations, so I wanted to create this blog to easily be able to share products that I use and love.
So, all of these products are ones that I PERSONALLY use, unless otherwise noted.
You might be wondering: How did I find these products?
EWG.org is a website where you can look up products to learn more about their level of toxicity as well as which systems of the body are being impacted. EWG then rates them accordingly. If you’d like to look up any products you currently use, visit EWG Skin Deep for beauty and skincare and EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning for household products.
How the EWG ratings work: The highest and best rating is “ewg verified” (a designation that’s really hard to get!) then 1, 2, 3 and so on. Cleaning products are rated differently – EWG verified as the best and then A, B, C, and so on. Ideally you want products to be ewg verified or as low of a number or closest to the start of the alphabet as possible.
For each item below, I also list the EWG rating (if available) and link to it so you can check it out.
In addition to the data you can find on EWG, other ingredients to avoid are parabens, pthalates, sulfates, talc, GMOs, synthetic fragrance (pure essential oils are fine), and BPA/S.
Please note: If there is a product that I haven’t included, it’s likely because I’m still testing our various products and haven’t found one yet that I love enough to recommend. I will update this blog as I find new products to recommend and will then share that I’ve updated it in my montly 10 things email that goes out to all of my subscribers. If you’d like to join this list, scroll towards the bottom of this page and simply enter your name and email address!
You may be thinking…
Darcie, I’m interested! But making alll these changes feels really OVERWHELMING!
If this feels overwhelming, that’s because it is! For most people (myself included), when you first start looking at your products, you may feel overwhelmed at how many changes you could make. You can ease the transition by simply swapping out your old product for a new one when you run out. That way, you are only changing one product at a time.
Now that we’ve talked about some of the “whys” behind making changes, let’s dive into the products!
BEAUTY & PERSONAL CARE
Honest Face cleanser (I only wash my face once a day. Read more about how I got rid of my acne in my 30s here.) EWG verified
Everyone Body wash (can also be used as a bubble bath and shampoo but I only use it as a body wash) EWG verified
Honest Body wash and shampoo for baby EWG verified
Honest Tinted Moisturizer: EWG rating = 2
Honest Night cream: EWG verified
Everyone Hand and Body Lotion EWG verified
Everyone Hand and Body Lotion Unscented (I use this one on my toddler son) EWG verified
Biossance Mineral Sunscreen for face (this product has recently been unavailable. I am still linking to it though in case it comes back because it’s sooo good.) EWG verified
Babo Botanicals Mineral Sunscreen for baby (has a slight white cast but rubs in fairly well, better than others I’ve tried) EWG verified
Honest Creme blush: EWG rating = 3
Honest Tinted lip balm EWG verified
Honest Lip Balm (Chapstick) not on EWG
Kosas Lip Gloss: EWG rating = 3
PYT Eyebrow Pencil: EWG rating = 2
Honest Diaper rash cream for baby EWG rating = 1
Native Deoderant EWG rating = 3 no aluminum in it which is what I specifically look for.
Himalaya Botanique Toothpaste: EWG rating = 4 (I use this one despite not having super-low rating because it’s fluoride-free and it actually works. I’ve tried many others without fluroide, but they have not been effective IMO.)
Lux Unfiltered Self-Tanning Lotion (no mitt required): not rated on EWG, but free from parabens, paraffins, sulfates, silicone, and pthalates.
Lux Unfiltered Bronzing Self-Tanning Drop for face (no mitt required): not rated on EWG, but free from parabens, paraffins, sulfates, silicone, and pthalates.
Sundays Nail Polish: Not rated on EWG but free from dibutyl phthalate, toluene, xylene, ethyl tosylamide, camphor, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, parabens, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide
Heroine Nail Polish: Not rated on EWG, but free from formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene, DBP (a pthalate), parabens, triphenyl phosphate, xylene, camphor, and ethyl tosylamide.
Rael Organic Tampons: Not rated on EWG. It’s important to buy organic when it comes to tampons because non-organic cotton is treated with so many chemicals and then those chemicals directly touch the inside of your body. This is especially important when it comes to protecting your fertility. You also want to make sure that the plastic applicator is BPA-free. This brand uses organic cotton and is BPA-free.
Other beauty products I’ve heard good things about but have NOT personally tried:
Primally Pure Deoderant EWG rating = 1
RMS beauty foundation not on EWG
Beauty by Earth Self-Tanner: I personally used this one for a while, but I felt itchy in the sun. I’ve seen this product recommended by several others without this complaint. It also came off for me in the pool. I felt that it worked well, though, and the color was beautiful. Here’s someone who loves this tanner.
HOUSEHOLD
Attitude Laundry detergent: EWG verified
Attitude all-purpose cleaner: EWG verified
Everyone Hand soap: EWG verified
Ceramic pan: free from PTFEs, PFOAs, other PFAS, as well as potentially toxic materials like lead and cadmium (want to avoid non-stick teflon pans)
Other household products I’ve heard good things about but have NOT personally tried:
- Branch basics for cleaning products
- Dishwasher Detergent Packs
- Xtrema Ceramic Pans
- Green Pan Ceramic Pans: free from PFAS, PFOA, lead, and cadmium
- Cast-iron skillet: I have several cast-iron skillets, but am not sure of the brand so I’m linking this set of 3. Love that it also includes silicone handles. (cooking in cast-iron also provides an additional source of iron)
Final tip:
You can also check out this Instagram account for clean beauty recommendations by an RN/holistic skincare expert.
(Darcie Brown Therapy is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.)
