My family started a toxic product ditch and switch three years ago. It’s been quite the journey, and while we are not living completely “clean”, we have been able to remove many chemicals from our everyday life. Allow me to share with you 50 swaps we have made to live a low tox life.
Definition of low tox life: living with as few toxins as possible.
Personal Care
Shampoo: Puracy Natural Shampoo
Conditioner: Puracy Natural Conditioner
Body Wash: Puracy Natural Body Wash Citrus and Sea Salt
Face Wash: OSEA Ocean Cleanser
Moisturizer: Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream
Face Mask: OSEA Red Algae Mask
Body Scrub: OSEA Salts of the Earth Body Scrub
Dry Shampoo: Briogeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Biotin Dry Shampoo
Tampons: Cora Organic Cotton Tampons
Miscellaneous: OSEA Sea Minerals Mist and Sea Vitamins Boost
Low Tox Life Makeup
Tinted Moisturizer: ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
Concealer: ILIA True Skin Serum Concealer
Eyeshadow: Lawless The One Talc-Free Eyeshadow Palette
Blush: ILIA Multi-Stick
Highlighter: ILIA DayLite Highlighting Powder
Bronzer: ILIA NightLite Bronzing Powder
Eyebrow Pencil: Honest Beauty (EWG Verified)
Eyeliner: BareMinerals Mineralist Eyeliner or Milk Makeup Long Wear Gel Eyeliner
Mascara: ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara
Lip Gloss: Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm (EWG Verified)
Setting Powder: Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder
Setting Spray: Lilah B. Aglow Face Mist
Primer: Lilah B. Aglow Priming Oil
Make Up Remover: MakeUp Eraser
Cleaning Products
Hand Soap: Everyone Hand Soap (EWG Verified)
Dish Soap: Puracy Natural Dish Soap
Dishwasher Detergent: Rosey Dishwasher Detergent Packs
Bathroom Cleaner: Rosey Tub & Tile Cleaner
Toilet Cleaner: Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Carpet Cleaner: Puracy Natural Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo
Low Tox Laundry Items
Laundry Detergent: Molly’s Suds Original Laundry Powder
Bleach: Molly’s Suds Oxygen Whitener Natural Bleach
Stain Remover: Molly’s Suds Stain Spray (Unscented)
Fabric Softener: Vinegar
Got Rid Of: Dryer sheets
Men’s Personal Care
Shampoo: Blu Atlas or Brickell Strengthening Shampoo
Conditioner: Blu Atlas or Brickell Revitalizing Hair Conditioner
Bar Soap: Dr. Squatch
Face Wash: Brickell Clarifying Gel Face Wash
Moisturizer: Brickell Essential Face Moisturizer
Face Scrub: Brickell Renewing Face Scrub
Ditch And Switch For Kids
Shampoo: Hello Bello Lavender Shampoo & Body Wash (EWG Verified)
Conditioner: Hello Bello Conditioner
Lotion: Hello Bello Lavender Baby Lotion (EWG Verified)
Bubble Bath: Hello Bello Lavender Bubble Bath (EWG Verified)
Wipes: Huggies Natural Care Wipes (Fragrance Free)
Sunscreen: Hello Bello SPF 50 Sunscreen Mineral Lotion
Bug Spray: Hello Bello Organic Bug Spray
Miscellaneous Ditch And Switch Items
Sunscreen: Bare Republic Mineral Sunscreen
Hand Sanitizer: Purell Naturals Hand Sanitizer
Floss: Straw Wheat Floss Picks
Ditch And Switch: Why Is It Important?
Your skin is the body’s largest organ and it absorbs chemicals from the air, water, and anything that comes in contact with it. When chemicals are absorbed through the skin, they go directly into your bloodstream. By using products like hand soap, makeup, laundry detergent, bathroom cleaner, or dish soap that contain toxic chemicals, you are mindlessly putting those toxic chemicals into your body.
Regular exposure to these chemicals is as bad for you as smoking cigarettes. They’ve been known to cause asthma, reproductive issues, neurological problems, and even cancer.
Not So Fun Fact: Your laundry detergent may be the product doing the most harm in your home. You breathe in its chemicals day and night without even noticing it, because you wear clothes, sleep on sheets, and dry off on towels that have all been washed with it.
What Should I Look For?
You don’t want products with parabens, synthetic fragrance/parfum (unregulated–can be any mixture of chemicals and doesn’t have to be disclosed), phthalates, octinoxate, oxybenzone, or sodium laureth sulfate in them.
Be cautious of labels with the following words: botanical, dermatologist recommended, earth-friendly, gentle, plant-based, pure, and raw. Those are marketing buzz words.
Look for EWG verified or USDA Certified Organic products. Along with reading labels, I use the EWG Skin Deep website and Think Dirty app to guide me.
Note: You can always make your own products, but that’s not for me.
Beware Of Greenwashing
Finding products for your ditch and switch is more difficult than it should be due to the common practice of greenwashing.
Labels with words like “green”, “natural”, and “organic” make you think the product is good for you (and for the environment), when in reality it’s just a marketing ploy.
Do I Need To Throw Everything Away Right Now?
No—that would be really expensive. I recommend completing a ditch and switch when you run out of something. That will give you time to budget accordingly (you would need to replace that item anyway) and research a replacement.
What has worked for us may not work for you, but I hope it will at least help you start your ditch and switch journey to live a low tox life.
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