With summer just around the corner I am reminded of some of my favorite green products. While I’m attracted to items with good-for-you ingredients, I’m not the type to obsessively check on each and every component of a lotion or soap. What does interest me though, are products that actually deliver. I have used most of these items for over ten years and I can honestly say that their amazing performance has kept me coming back for more.
MOUNTAIN OCEAN SKIN TRIP COCONUT MOISTURIZER
This coconutty moisturizer has been a staple at crunchy health food stores for decades and for good reason. The lightweight formula absorbs super quick without leaving behind a greasy film, leaving skin silky and well hydrated. The only other body lotion I have loved as much was sadly discontinued (RIP Pangea Organics Lemongrass Body Lotion).
PACIFICA PERFUME
I stumbled upon this company on a trip to Wholefoods years ago and was immediately taken by the bright, colorful packaging. This spray perfume is formulated with pure grain alcohol and essential oils and they all smell incredible. While they won’t replace your fancy designer perfume, these are perfect for casual, everyday use. My absolute favorite is Tahitian Gardenia.
LAVANILA THE HEALTHY DEODORANT
Growing up, my father always made it a point to tell me how unhealthy my go-to drugstore deodorants were. He would kindly leave one of the early versions of natural deodorants (of which there were approximately 3 brands) on the sink for me. Of course, these aluminum-free hippie sticks were completely ineffective on me and I had to jump ship. Years later, I discovered this Lavanila brand which carried a deo cleverly named “The Healthy Deodorant”. Unbelievably, the white solid stick actually kept me smelling fresh all day. You will still sweat a bit, because it simply isn’t an antiperspirant, but for a natural deodorant this one is by far the best I have ever tried.
Available in such lush scents as Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Lavender, and Vanilla Coconut, this upscale brand definitely packs a feminine punch in the fragrance department, however they do offer an unscented version if that’s your thing. My favorite though, is the most recent addition to the collection: Sport Luxe. Lavanila markets this product as being a high performance invisible solid that offers all-natural odor protection. It appears to have a slightly different (albeit still healthy) formulation than the other deodorants they offer, and, in my opinion, they hit gold! The stick glides on smoother, leaves no white marks, and keeps me smelling fresh All. Day. Long. The Sport Luxe version smells kind of like fresh laundry and is certainly more of a unisex scent.
HELLO TOOTHPASTE
A newcomer to my arsenal, Hello Toothpaste immediately called out to me from the otherwise bland display in the tooth care aisle of my local grocery store. The bright, happy and clean packaging demanded my attention and it didn’t take long for me to identify the product as something that would fit well into my quasi-green lifestyle. It is free of dyes, artificial sweeteners, and other nasty ingredients, plus it is available in both fluoride and fluoride-free variations. I’ve tried several of their flavors including the Supermint, Extra Whitening Pure Mint, Fluoride Free Natural Sweet Mint and most recently, the super fun Mojito Mint. Hello also offers a Sensitivity Relief formula with coconut oil (in gorgeous rose-gold packaging!) and several kid’s versions.
THE HONEST CO. HAND SANITIZER
The Honest Company Hand Sanitizer was revamped a few years ago and I must say, well done! Available in both spray and gel versions (I usually opt for the spray), the sanitizer comes in three scents: Tangerine Dream (which smells like an orange cream sickle!), Lavender, and Lemongrass. All of them smell amazing and you can tell they are formulated with high-grade essential oils.
WELEDA SKIN FOOD
Another long-time favorite of mine, I’ve had a tube of Weleda Skin Food in my possession pretty much consistently for the last 11 years. For serious dry skin or any garden variety skin irritation, Skin Food’s thick, rich formula can’t be beat. It seems like everyone who has tried Skin Food has a slightly different opinion of what the cream smells like (to me it’s citrus for sure) but there seems to be an overwhelming consensus that this is a luxury product at an insanely affordable price. Not just for dry patches, Skin Food has been celebrated as a skin-transforming facial moisturizer comparable to none other than Crème de la Mer (but you didn’t hear that from me :-X).
JUICE BEAUTY SPORT SUNSCREEN
I was first introduced to Juice Beauty back in college and fell in love with their Blemish Clearing Serum. There’s no doubt about it: this brand is brilliant at making natural skincare products that actually work. So when the brand released their Sport Sunscreen, I knew it would be a winner. The SPF 30 formula protects with the mineral zinc oxide instead of chemicals and it is water-resistant for up to 80 minutes. It blends into skin much easier than other mineral sunblocks I have tried, plus it is ever-so-slightly tinted, alleviating that telltale white cast usually deposited by natural sunscreens. It has a slightly herbal scent to it, which doesn’t bother me, but it might not appeal to everyone.
BURT’S BEES LIP BALM
Always and forever. Do I really need to say more? This lip balm is perfect in every way. It glides on easily, leaves a feather-light coating of balm, and the tingly feeling from the peppermint oil is addictive. I have a tubes stashed all over my house, at the office, and even in my car.
DR. BRONNER’S MAGIC SOAP
Of all the cult classics out there, this might be the culty-est. Seriously, this 18-in-1 Pure Castile Soap has been an indispensable cure-all in the Green Community for decades. Written all over the bright, color-coded labels are dozens of ways to use the magical soap, which essentially consists of a blend of natural oils. Some of the most notable uses for Dr. Bronner’s Soap are as a body wash, shaving cream, shampoo, dish soap, produce wash, all-purpose household cleaner, and laundry soap, the directions for which are all easily located by a quick jaunt on an internet search engine.
Available in a range of scents to please any nose from Rose to Citrus, Peppermint to Almond and even a simple Unscented version, there is no reason why this soap shouldn’t be in every home. While I frequently change up the scent I use, there is always several bottles of this soap in my home at any given time. One of my favorite uses is as a makeup brush and sponge cleaner. It’s gentle, lathers well, and gets the job done.
So there you have it! A rundown of my tried and true, can’t-live-without, all natural body care items. While someone from the Environmental Working Group might take one look at the ingredients of these items and scoff, these natural products meet my personal standards of what constitutes a healthy product. I never put too much stock into the EWG’s product analysis anyway, seeing as how they rate pure aloe vera as posing a moderate health risk. Just saying…
