I was reading on another forum about how raw foodist try to use more natural cleaning products for our skin absorbs the chemicals of non-natural products. For example most soap have mineral oil in it which is a by product of gasoline. This could not possibly be good for our health. So after reading this I started looking around and trying to find some good natural cleaning products.

Well I was wondering what products (face wash, shampoo, conditioner, hair styling products, soap, laundry detergent, etc...) you all used and what you all thought about this topic

thanks ;-)

I'd love to hear what others are using, as well. If you can include an approximate cost, that would be great! ;-)

I use Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap for my body and Avalon Organic shampoo and conditioner (which is about $7-$8 for a small bottle of each--ugh!). I'd love to find a hair styling gel that is natural, as I miss the product I used to use (my curls responded well to it). I currently just use coconut oil to keep the frizz down, but my hair doesn't look as nice as it used to look. For hair color, I switched to henna years ago and I don't miss the chemicals in the least bit of having it dyed in a salon.

For laundry detergent, we haven't switched over to natural, yet. I get the cheapest non-scented kind we can find. I thought about buying the natural soap balls (I forget what they're called), but we already spend so much on our ogranic groceries that we have to dip into our savings every week to cover the extra expenses. :-/ My husband doesn't like that I buy the expensive shampoo and conditioner, so he buys cheap stuff for himself. For me, I can't put the cheap stuff on my scalp anymore, I feel like even if it's not toxic (but it is), my mind is thinking it is and therefore it will be, solely based on my thinking if nothing else.

I look forward to reading other replies on this.

Love,

Gypsy

This website [www.tropicaltraditions.com] has some nice natural soaps and shampoos made from coconut that I have used and liked.

this has come up a couple times lately

[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

[www.rawfoodsupport.com]

For teeth, I use a fluoride-free Israeli product called 'Tayadent'. My teeth feel so wonderful after going off the traditional fluoride toothpastes. For what it's worth, they appear to be getting whiter and stronger and have lost all sensitivity (unless I eat SAD food).

Hi veganathlete

Bath/shower: dr bronners too (yay!), plus bath salts. For dry skin, I make a mask out of melted tahini.

Hair: On occasion I use vegan shampoo, but these days I rinse with apple cider vinegar

Toothpaste: vegan flouride free, plus I use baking soda

Washing: for clothes without stains, soapnuts and for other clothes, an eco-friendly product

Cleaning: lemon juice where possible

Make-Up: using up the last of my makeup now (it's all vegan anyway). I usually wear lip balm (natural, shea-butter based)

There was a program on TV this week called How Toxic Are You? and they showed how easy it is to dupe the public using the buzz words 'Natural' and 'Simple' (they cited the company 'Simple' and 'Natural Collection'- people they interviewed on the street took it for granted these companies made chemical-free products).

What was funny was how they pointed out how 'Parfum' is listed as one ingredient, but itself can contain a giant list of chemicals- something I always used to overlook when scanning ingredients on things. Also good was that they highlighted how a tube of toothpaste contains enough flouride to potentially kill a child.

that's like lush and the body shop. people think that stuff is natural, couldn't be further from the truth!

articifial fragrance and artificial flavour can mean absolutely anything. i called a company one time and was told that could include a list of literally hundreds of ingredients!

Bath/shower: Water


Hair: Water and coconut oil once a month


Toothpaste: vegan toothpaste-lush, vanilla

Washing: water, ecover products when needed

Cleaning: acv, lemon juice

Make-Up: for shoots, dancing, otherwise bare face, nothing but water..and a good scrub with cheesecloth and nut oils

I switched from mainstream toothpaste to Sea Fresh by JASON and I love it. It contains no sodium laureth sulfate. Getting that stuff out of my teeth and hair products has made them both look much better.

They put sodium laureth sulfate in shampoos and toothpaste but it's too harsh and generally does more harm than good.

aloe vera (from the plant) is supposed to be as good as hair gel ..never tried it though

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

to RawDancerUK-- What is cheesecloth? and what nut oils do you use (to wash?) your face? (and where to get them?) I am looking for an alternative to facewash and was wondering about this...

Thanks!

jodi, i've tried aloe but it gets flakey.

vegcase, check the two links i posted. one of them has info on washing your face with oil.

that's interesting about the cheesecloth, why that and not just a washcloth rawdancer?

Coconut oil mostly.. but sometimes almond or macademia

cheesecloth.. I went to a market and they sold a solid bar of shea butter for the face with it.. been using it every since, works wonderful!!

also shea butter..very good!

I made a tooth powder last week from very burnt toast, dried sage and peppermint oil (mentha piperita). It smells nice, like regular toothpaste (I put a few more drops of oil than the recipe recommended). It was scary the first time I used it because my teeth started to become black while I was brushing (from the black powder) but after I rinsed they were all white again. Very nice.

Don't forget to ditch those toxic deodorants and anti-antiperspirant. My training partners have told me that I have almost no body odor at all anymore so I've quit using these products on a regular basis. I do apply a hemp oil and plant based deodorant before I go to the gym out of courtesy to others. Although I doubt I even smell half as bad as most of the people sweating out those toxic substances they ingest.

I and my son who was living with me for a few months, only use my hand-made soap for hair and bathing. I only use things like coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, cocoa butter, shea butters, and the other oils like almond, avocado, sunflower etc..along with only real essential oils like Lavender, Rose, Orange, etc..

We will rinse sometimes with raw organic apple cider vinegar mixed with water, and I bath in water with 2 C of apple cider vinegar also.

I don't use any deodorants..just natural scent..me. I used to use hydrogen peroxide on a cotton ball for deodorant but I don't need it anymore. I love the essential oils for perfume and I mix a few drops into any oil I want, like the almond or avo and use it for body and face oil.

It feels luxgurious, decadent and sexy! And it's less expensive than all those store bought things, and it would seem by the ads, you need a different product for each line, each crevice, every body part one has!

Love,
Prism

For hair, I use Weleda rosemary shampoo. Once a week, I use also hair oil from Weleda. My hair shines and is more beautiful than ever! I only wash my hair once every day so that my body can produce natural oil to protect hair.

For body, I wash it only with warm water. Once in a while I use soap free shower gel but I feel pretty clean only with water too.

For face, I use lavera cleansing cream [www.lavera-usa.com] to clean my face at night. I don't wear make up much but if I do, I always use their product. One time I used a normal mascara and it hurt my eyes so much that I couldn't stop crying. But lavera's mascara so far has been very gentle to me.

I make my own face lotion with water, gｌyceline and urea. You can buy both products at pharmacy (at least in Japan I could). I have been using this lotion for three years and my face doesn't need any cream for extra moisture.

Soap, btw, is a surfactant:

"In the cleaning process, surface tension must be reduced so water can spread and wet surfaces. Chemicals that are able to do this effectively are called surface active agents, or surfactants. They are said to make water "wetter."

Surfactants perform other important functions in cleaning, such as loosening, emulsifying (dispersing in water) and holding soil in suspension until it can be rinsed away. Surfactants can also provide alkalinity, which is useful in removing acidic soils."

So, one holistic doctor taught us that we didn't need to use soap to bath. Just get one of those scrubby things or loofah and wash away your dirt that way. But if you happened to be a mechanic and you needed to wash away stubborn oil, then he did admit that a natural soap might be needed.

I used to do just the loofah in the shower for about a year, but now I am lazy and use a natural soap because it is quicker.

thanks for the replies everyone - I am definately going to start trying some of these natural ways of cleaning...i've started to just use water for my face (i hope it works)