Spring Clean Your Beauty Routine~Part 2

Welcome to the second part of the 5 part series:

Part 1~Chemicals to Avoid, Where to Shop, Deodorant
Part 2~ Shampoo/Conditioner, Body Wash, Face Wash
Part 3~ Hair Products, Body Butter/Lotion, Face Lotion/Oil/Serum
Part 4~Foundation & Eyes
Part 5~Lips & Nail Polish

Shampoo/conditioner, body wash, and face wash were some of the most challenging products for me to find less toxic alternatives. I’m not endorsing any of the products below – most I have never tried – but they are cleaner options. I personally like to read through a couple of reviews on products and will often google the product name + review. There is a review, or two (or a million), on most of these listed. I love “No More Dirty Looks” for finding new products, they do a lot of reviews and have people share their routines; many of the below I tagged after reading reviews.

I have linked to the company websites, but if you decide to order I recommend you google the item first to see if you can get it from a general retailer and maybe snag free shipping or another discount. Also, look around the sites, I’m not listing every single product each brand carries.

Shampoo & Conditioner

Surprisingly, shampoo and conditioner was hardest for me to find a replacement for and it was the first product I looked to replace. First things first, if you go down the cleaner/greener rabbit hole of the internet you are going to come across the “No Poo” Method, and it sounds magical and great (cheap, green, natural, a new head of hair-what more can a girl ask for). This must be true for some people and I cannot believe there is so much about the wonders of “no-poo” for it all to be a complete lie, but for me it did not work. My hair was not happy and I’m not 100% sure that it will not damage your hair in the long run. If it works for you I’m not judging and it is certainly a nice money saver. One of the challenges with shampoos and conditioners is many say they are natural/organic but if you look closely they still have parabens or other ingredients you may want to avoid; read the ingredient list carefully! This is true for all products and I will not buy anything unless the ingredients are written out. If you have a question about an ingredient just cut and paste into google to find out a little more about it. I like to google xyz ingredient + EWG, and usually the EWG description of the ingredient will pop up first, I find their descriptions easy to read and like they link to studies. Here are some suggestions of shampoos & conditioners I think seem pretty good. Shampoos with few ingredients are a bit hard to find and even some of these have some questionable ingredients.

Rahua ~Is my current shampoo and conditioner and it works great on my hair. It is on the pricey side, but I only need to wash my hair 2-3 times a week, so a bottle lasts me forever. Rated 2 on EWG
Andalou Naturals Healthy Shine~Is a more affordable option and this shampoo is so gentle I don’t even need conditioner after and I always need conditioner. Rated 2 on EWG
Opas Shampoo & Conditioner
100% Pure Shampoo & Conditioners
Miessence Shampoo & Conditioners
Pratima Shampoo
Josh Rosebrook Deep Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner
Yarok Feed Your Volume Shampoo & Conditioner

Under $20
Acure Lemongrass + Argan Shampoo & Conditioner
Beecology Honey Shampoo~this does contain fragrance so it is a bit questionable but I like how they list out their ingredients with definition links…but notice the fragrance listing does not link
Juice Beauty Shampoo & Conditioner
Pristine Beauty Locks of Fame
Akin Shampoos & Conditioners (see here for ingredients)

Find more shampoos and conditioners on the EWG website and see how your current one rates

Body Wash/Bar Soap

I personally prefer bar soap…I know total freak 🙂 but wanted to list both. P prefers body wash, so we have tried a few. I have also experimented with making my own body wash, and it did not turn out terrible but the results were not outstanding either. The DIY body washes I have made tend to be too thin and not very lathering, but seem to clean well without over-drying. However, because it is so thin you go through it very quickly and it is a bit of a pain to try to keep up with making. I have not tried making soap at home but it is on my list of DIY projects to try out…I’m a bit afraid of the lye. I pretty much try a new bar soap every time I run out and buy some of mine at local craft fairs, so I don’t have a go to favorite for bar soaps. Many people seem to opt for straight castile soap but for me it is way too drying.

Fable Naturals Body Wash
Pangea Organics Body Wash (also bars)
100% Pure Body Washes (also bars)
Lavanila Body Wash
Soapwalla Body Wash
Anto Body Wash
Hollybeth Body Wash

Under $10
Honest Co Body Wash & Shampoo~I have even seen this at Costco, this is what P is using currently
Beecology Lavender and Bergamot Body Wash
Nourish Body Wash

Bar Soap

Osmia Organics Soap

Under $10
Honeybee Gardens Soap
Shea Terra Organics African Black Soap (also body wash)
By Valenti Bar Soaps
Meow, Meow, Tweet Soaps
Kiss My Face Olive Oil Bar (check the other bars ingredients as some list fragrance)
Badger Soaps

There are tons of clean bar soaps around. Etsy is a great place to find hand-crafted soaps, just make sure to read the ingredients 🙂
Find more body washes & bar soaps on the EWG website and see how your current one rates

Face Wash

I use the oil cleansing method (I will share my mix one day) plus a standard cleanser for when I’m lazy or pressed for time. I like to switch up my products because I feel like my skin sometimes needs it.

Hana Organics Gentle Cleanser
100% Pure Facial Cleansers
Pangea Organics Facial Cleansers
The Little Alchemist Wild Apple Mint Purifying Gel
Shamanuti Activated Charcoal Cleanser
Kari Gran Cleansing Oil
One Love Organics Vitamin B Enzyme Cleansing Oil and Makeup Remover
One Love Organics Chia Whip Cleanser
Bulgarian Lavender & Mandarin Facial Foaming Cleanser
Beauty Counter Routine Clean Cream Cleanser
Juice Beauty Cleansers-I have tried the exfoliator and found it drying on my skin
Osmia Organics Gentle Foaming Cleansers
Tata Harper Cleansers