5 Personal Care Products to Not Buy

It is super easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of beauty products we think we need. In reality we don’t need a fraction of them. The other fraction probably contain hazardous chemicals we never would have thought of. I am going to discuss why you should choose natural products and shed some light to you on those trusted products you think you have. But if you’re looking to clean up your beauty regimen in general then consider these 5 personal care products to not buy and substitutions to use instead.

Why Should You Choose Natural

1. Hormone Disruptors
   • If you never hear of this then I strongly urge you to do some digging. Hormone Disruptors are chemicals found in products throughout our home. As well as beauty products.
   • They are absorbed by our body and it mistakes them for our natural hormones.
   • Our natural hormones are left sitting around due to these chemicals being bonded instead. The body thinks these are our natural hormones.
   • They create hormone imbalances in our body’s
2. Unknown Chemicals
   • Cosmetics can become contaminated with heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and more.
   • The FDA has little authority to review chemicals in cosmetics, and they don’t have the right to suspend them
   • Over 10,000 chemical are in cosmetics
3. Preservatives
   • All cosmetics and personal care items have some sort of preservative to keep their shelf life.
   • Formaldehyde, Alcohols, Parabens, and more make up preservatives
   • Preservatives can cause hormone disruptions, issues with reproductive health, and damage the kidney and liver.
4. Chemicals Not Mentioned
   • Fragrances do not have to be mention their chemicals on the ingredient list. ( they are exempt from federal labeling requirements)

These are just some examples why you should not buy these personal care products. If that doesn’t sell you consider that your skin is the largest organ on your body. What ever you place on your skin will be absorbed by your blood stream in a matter of minutes and all those chemicals will be absorbed by your body.

Your Skin Is The largest organ

Personal Care Products To Not Buy

1. Hair Care Products
   • Hair masks, oils, leave ins
     • Many hair care products contain alcohols which dry your hair out. Most have some sort of artificial fragrances and even dyes to turn the colors of the substance. Bottles might say “clean” or “no parabens or sulfates” but ingredient lists show chemicals derived from them.
2. Conditioner
   • This may be a hard limit for people but consider this: One day I ran out of conditioner and just rinsed my hair with Apple Cider Vinegar; I was SOLD! It’s been about a year and I no longer have conditioner in my house!
3. Lotions
   • I LOVE Lotion! I use it every day. However there can be hazardous chemicals in them. Although I love a good smelling lotion, I love my health a whole lot more. Not to mention all the plastic bottles being tossed away.
4. Facial Moisturizers and Cleansers
   • I have struggled with my skin especially as a teenager. I was placed on topical medication for acne. I have tried so many topicals and I have been let down by those commercials that would promise “fast acting” or “clearer skin in less than 2 weeks”, what ever. Skin health also comes from in the inside out.
   • I have realized over the years I do best with natural products. I have trialed and errored products and jumped between typical store bought products as well as homemade natural products. I have found personally my body likes the natural products a whole lot more.
5. Perfume
   • Perfume is packed with artificial chemicals that we don’t even know about. The law doesn’t currently require chemicals to be listed if it is pertaining to a fragrance.

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Alternative Natural Products  

1. Hair Masks
   • Easy hair masks can be created right at home with items in your own cabinet!
   • Bananas, eggs, avocados, olive oil are all great things you can make a simple hair mask out of
2. Hair Oils
   • Olive Oil, and Coconut Oil are easy staple items most individuals have in the cabinet.
   • Consider warming some oils up to use for moisture
   • Add essential oils for hair benefits such as Rosemary Oil, Cedar wood oil, lavender, and tea tree to name a few
3. Hair Rinses
   • Try using hair rinses instead of conditioner. This could simply be you diluting some Apple Cider Vinegar with water and letting it soak in your hair 5 minutes prior to getting out of the shower. (Do rinse it out) The results may shock you.
4.  Lotions and Body Oils
   • Try Using raw shea butter or coconut oil
   • Create homemade body butter
   • Make nourishing Body oils from scratch
5.  Facial Moisturizer and Cleansers
   •  Try Oil cleansing in place of a cleanser
   • Moisturize with oils
   • Try using essential oils for skin problems like acne or age spots
6. Perfume
   • Use an essential oil like lavender or vanilla
   • create your own perfume with essential oil blends in a roller bottle

Check out These Posts!

• DIY Healthy Hair Tea; get the post Here
• Best Homemade Body Butter to Unlock Radiant Skin By: Truth and Beauty Co. Get the post here Here
• DIY Radiance Face Cleanser By: ourlittlehouseonthemountain.com. Get the post Here
• Also ourlittlehouseonthemountain.com DIY Face Oil for Your Skin Type, get the post Here

Considerations:

It Takes Time: 

Your body will have an adjustment period. You may notice when switching to natural products for your hair, as an example, your scalp can become itchy or more oily hair. However this isn’t a time to quit! After a few weeks you should notice a difference in your skin and hair. Which brings me to the next point:

Expect a Detox Period

Your body will have a detox period where it goes a little wonky. Maybe your scalp or face might become super oily or very dry. You might notice your hair might do some weird things. Or you feel you have a different body odor! These are all things I have personally went through as well when I stopped using store bought personal care products. It is normal but don’t fear because it won’t last for long.

Set an Intention to Make these Products 

It is easy to get all the items and then loose motivation to create the products. Unlike store bought products these natural alternatives might take you some extra time to create. So it’s not just money but also time you will be spending on some of these items.

Commitment

Really set a date of when you’re planning to stop using your regular products and start using your alternatives. Give yourself a time allowance you will use your alternative products for and set the intention to track the progress of these products. For example; if changing your skin your using body oil instead of lotion track how your skin first responded versus its effects after a few weeks. Consider journaling this process or taking a vlog.

These Products Won’t Act Like Store Bought Products

This was hard for me to get over when I first dabbled with natural products. They do not and will not act like your store bought products. Don’t expect them to. These products lack artificial fragrance, chemicals, and preservatives they might not even last as long. But the power of them is your health, and over time you will notice a change. Trust me.

Don’t be Afraid to Experiment

 Try different recipes. Use different essential oils and blends. The good part about when you purchase these natural oils is; you can use them in tons of different ways. So if you don’t exactly like one recipe try doing a different one!

Starting a more Natural Regimen isn’t an Overnight Process.

I don’t suggest you to go into your bathroom and purge all of your personal care products after reading this. In fact I strongly urge against it. That would be like a crash diet. Choose something more sustaining. Consider swapping just one or two personal care products at first then more after a few months of continuous use. Once your body has adjusted to that then swap out more until you have achieved your desired goal!

Conclusion

Sister I hope I’ve empowered you to want to change your personal care routine. I hope you decide to not buy the personal care products I have discussed in this post. Also I hope you feel empowered to become more intentional with your beauty regimen through the awareness you learned about what’s actually in some store bought products.

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References Used for this Post:

Faber, s. (2020, May 5). The Toxic Twelve Chemicals and Contaminates in Cosmetics. Link: https://www.ewg.org/the-toxic-twelve-chemicals-and-contaminants-in-cosmetics#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20the%20risks,interfere%20with%20the%20hormone%20system.