I am changing all the toiletries I use. I’ve always used Dove soap on my body and Simple face wash followed by fragrance-free Moisturel. I switched to Tom’s of Maine deodorant a few years ago after a lecture from my husband about aluminum in antiperspirants (“I don’t like not sweating”, he said). So, I’ve managed to use fairly decent products, but only because I can’t stand the smell of most of them, not because I was trying to be healthier and keep bad guys off my skin and out of my body.

Well, I’ve been reading Food Babe’s blog for a while and I trust her research (she is obsessive about avoiding toxic products to the point that, for example, she won’t use the cleaning products at her gym. I, on the other hand, have spent the vast majority of my days with my hands soaked in bleach ~ such is the life of restaurant/bar workers ~ and I’ve never looked twice (actually not even once) at the ingredients in the cleaning products I use in my home). After reading this post and this one, I looked up some of the products she recommends and, if I buy them online rather than have my husband pick them up at the local drug store, they aren’t really any more expensive than my normal choices. So, what do I have to lose?

Here is what I ordered and I’ll let you know how I like them (sister-in-law, J: I thought you might like some of these) [I just realised I have two sisters-in-law with names starting with J. I was talking to J.K., although maybe J.B. likes these sort of products, too!]:

• Kiss My Face Bar Soap -Pure Olive Oil [update: love it, but these bars are HUGE ~ even my husband’s huge hands have a hard time holding on to them; it slipped from his grip and hit his foot and really hurt it! Also, he’s not a fan of how slimy it is.]
• Kiss My Face Moisture Soap Liquid Fragrance Free [update: love it]
• Kiss My Face Moisture Shave Fragrance Free
• Avalon Organics Hand & Body Lotion – Unscented Aloe [update: love it, although, if you put it on right before bed, you kind of stick to the sheets even though it feels like it has been totally absorbed… Kind of odd]
• Avalon Organic CoQ10 Facial Cleansing Creme [update: GAG! Warning! This is VERY VERY LAVENDER-Y and citrusy! Even if you like lavender (which I don’t), this might be too much for you.]
• Avalon Organics Shampoo-Tea Tree Mint [update: love it, but, like so many “healthy” shampoos, it does not froth up the way typical shampoos do ~ just something you have to get used to.]
• Avalon Organics Conditioner-Tea Tree Mint [update: love it]
• Yerba Prima Natural Skin Brush [update: love it]

I bought them all from vitaminlife.com, which seemed to have some of the cheapest prices (Amazon does, too, but many seem to come in multipacks and I didn’t want to commit to three bottles of shaving cream when I don’t even know whether I like it yet).

To be clear, I don’t think this will have any effect whatsoever on my illness, but, once you start making changes like filtered water, air purifiers, healthier cooking oil, and antibiotic-free/grass-fed/free-range/organic/hormone-free/care-free/well-socialized meat (please watch this Portlandia clip ~ honestly not too far from the truth in this corner of the country!), the clean attitude just seeps into other areas of your life. Except your dogs. Somehow, no matter how many times I demonstrate and lecture, they will not wipe their paws at the door before coming inside.