Learn how to adopt a cleaner personal care routine without the hassle.
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see the Disclosures page.
If we are being honest, our personal care needs most often end up towards the bottom of the list.
We focus our attention on caring for everyone except ourselves and that may explain the three-day-old ponytail and that new almost empty bottle of concealer.
It’s true.
While our children and homes are thriving and clean (most of the time), our personal care routines always suffer. No longer do we spend the time before bed to moisturize, read, or meditate. Most times, we are grateful if we even remember how we landed in the bed after long days with the family.
It’s hard.
Finding time for a personal care routine isn’t always easy but it’s worth the energy.
Today, I’m sharing tips to encourage you to carve out time for a clean-ish personal care routine that is mom-friendly (easy and fast) yet effective.
HOW TO CREATE A CLEAN-ISH PERSONAL CARE ROUTINE
There are research studies that suggest that becoming a mom actually ages us. Go figure. While we can’t control what happens with our DNA, we can take care of our bodies from the inside out.
1. MOISTURIZE NIGHTLY WITH A NON-TOXIC PRODUCT
Back in college, the big no-no was going to bed with makeup on. As a busy mom, this rule still applies; however, it is also important to moisturize your skin.
Make sure you are washing your face with warm water and following with a clean non-toxic facial moisturizer. But don’t stop there, your whole body is covered in skin and therefore, your whole body deserves to be moisturized. Don’t forget in-between the toes. 😉
I’ve ditched most lotions and use oils (almond oil, rosehip oil, coconut oil) and butters (shea butter) are my choices for me and my little one.
If you are transitioning to clean(er) beauty products, you will love Credo Beauty, a marketplace for non-toxic beauty and skincare products.
2. DRINK MORE WATER
Hydration starts from the inside.
Did you know that 60% of our body weight comes from water? That water has many roles that include delivering nutrients throughout the body and flushing toxins.
If you aren’t drinking the recommended amounts of water which varies depending on your current status (pregnant, breastfeeding, etc.), then you are missing out on an easy way to look and feel better.
If plain water isn’t your jam, consider adding a few slices of lemon. You up the antioxidant and citrate punch, you can read more about the benefits here.
3. SWITCH TO A NON-TOXIC DEODORANT
Prior to leaving the workforce, I was a chemist. It was part of my job to be aware of chemicals I came in contact with at work yet I hadn’t put the same energy into learning about the chemicals in products I was using at home.
With just a little bit of research, I was surprised to learn about the high number of harmful chemicals that were in everyday personal care products.
Well, when you know better you do better.
One of the first changes I made on my clean-er living journey was my deodorant. I learned that many deodorants contain lots of chemical nasties that easily get absorbed, when we slather it under our arms every day.
Tip: If you switch to a deodorant that doesn’t work, don’t give up another brand, or make your own. It took me a few tries before landing on this one by Primally Pure that I am loving.
4. USE A NATURAL TOOTHPASTE OR TOOTHPOWDER
Many of the big brand kinds of toothpaste have ingredients you probably don’t want to be putting in your mouth.
Sources like this one list the harmful ingredients in toothpaste and recommends avoiding many ingredients including Triclosan which is used in toothpaste yet classified as a pesticide by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Thankfully, this is an easy switch.
There are several different natural kinds of effective toothpaste and toothpowders to explore that don’t break the bank. Also, if you are trying to ditch the plastic, try this eco-friendly brand of toothbrushes and this brand of natural dental floss.
5. STOP USING HARSH BODY SCRUBS
Be kind to our skin.
Harsh abrasive scrubs aren’t good for the skin. Yes, they may make you feel smooth all over but there may be a cost (micro-tearing and loss of skin integrity). You can read more about it from the pros here.
Instead of using harsh scrubs, find gentle scrubs or skip the scrubs altogether. Instead, consider non-toxic moisturizing washes instead.
6. USE NON-TOXIC FEMININE PRODUCTS
There are chemicals in our feminine products. Can you believe it?
A pad or tampon isn’t as innocent as you’d think. Many brands use chemicals that include: fragrances, chlorine, glyphosate and other chemicals believed to cause hormone disruption and other harms.
To avoid these hazards, consider limiting your feminine product selection to organic cotton and natural fibers.
7. DITCH THE NEED FOR ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS
We were taught that bacteria are yucky and while many bacteria are scary yucky, some are good and beneficial.
Stomping out all bacteria with soaps that are often artificially scented with undisclosed fragrance chemical cocktails that contain Triclosan (a pesticide) isn’t the only way to protect your family from germs.
Instead, consider naturally scented, high-quality bar soaps or liquid castile soaps. As a hand soap it’s isn’t foaming (if that is your preference but this simple DIY soap recipe is all you need.
Tip: Castile soaps have lots of different uses and a little goes a long way. I use this diluted brand as a body wash.
We aren’t going to escape every harmful chemical in our environments but there are small steps we can take to remove toxins from our personal care routine.
No matter who you are, I wrote this post so that you’d know that these seven changes are small and easy adjustments that can make a big difference and support good overall health.
Lot’s of things can be replaced but we only have one body and treating it well is essential. Heck, we have little people that need us to show them how to live well too.
I hope you found this post valuable and helpful. If you have already made some of these changes, feel free to share in the comments. If not, are you thinking about it?
For more clean(er) living and mom content, follow along on Pinterest.
