Personal Care

If you’re just looking what products I recommend, scroll to the bottom to see my top picks or click the button to go directly to the section that you’re interested in:

Hair Care
Skin Care
*Makeup
*Tooth Care
*Deodorant
*Sunscreen
*Menstrual
*Nail Care
*Perfume

Your Skin is Your Largest Organ

The skin is your body’s largest and the first line of defense for our immune system. It does a great job as a physical barrier to keep things out of our skin, but unfortunately many things pass through our skin and enter the bloodstream, especially chemicals found in personal care products– serums and lotions and foundations and lipstick and body wash and deodorant, etc. 

When we eat/drink toxins, they first have to pass through the liver for an initial “break down” before being released into the bloodstream. When it comes to chemicals coming through the skin, they go directly INTO the bloodstream and don’t have that first chance to be broken down, thus they can be more toxic to our bodies than if we had eaten them!

The $$ Cost of Cosmetics

Let’s face it- how many of us don’t want to look better, younger, fresher, etc.? We aren’t the only ones- in 2018, the cosmetic industry made over $507 BILLION dollars and by 2025 it is projected to reach over $758 billion. What does this look like on a personal level? It’s been said that women spend on average $3,756 per year on just cosmetics/appearance alone!

Real talk- how much are you paying to look good on the outside compared to what you pay for INTERNAL health? So many of us pay for acne treatments, botox, and facials to try and fix something on the OUTSIDE that is actually happening due to INTERNAL imbalances.

Yes, creams, fillers and serums may make it artificially look better on the outside but I’d personally recommend spending more money on the inside which ends up showing on the outside.

What’s Actually in Your Products?

Over 10,500 ingredients are used in the creation of products and 89% of those have not been evaluated for safety or toxicity by any major institution or organization.

What’s worse? The FDA allows cosmetic manufacturers to use ANY raw material as an ingredient without their approval. This means any marketing you read about a product being “natural” isn’t being held to any standard. This is sort of like a dating profile claim “loves dogs” but doesn’t actually have one.

Any testing that is done is usually overseen by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel which is funded BY the Cosmetic Industry (not a conflict of interest, right?) and is never looking at what long-term, low-dose or combined exposure with other chemicals can do to a human body. 

Why does this matter? On average women use up to 12 personal care products per day, which is exposure to over 168 chemicals each DAY. We are essentially exposing ourselves to a toxic soup of ingredients that we have no idea in conjunction what they are doing to our bodies.

What Happens in Your Body?

Sometimes chemicals seem daunting, but the real question is what is happening in your body? Here are just some of the known effects of the chemicals/toxins below:

Hormone Disruption

Fertility + Reproductive Issues

Thyroid Disorders

Alergies + Skin Issues

Cancers

Birth Defects

Developmental Disorders (ADD/ADHD)

Autisum Spectrum Disorders

Top Ingredients To Avoid

With over 10,500 ingredients, it would be utterly impossible to know all of those ingredients by name on a label. To make it simple for you, I have listed out below the top items to avoid when shopping for makeup + personal care:

Phthalates

Make fragrances last longer, usually found in SCENTED products

Words to Avoid:

Diethyl phthalate (DEP)

Dimethyl phthalate (DMP)

Di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP)

Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)

Parabens

A class of chemicals used as preservatives that easily go through skin.

Words to Avoid:

Methylparaben

Ethylparaben

Propylparaben

Butylparaben

Isobutylparaben

Sulfate/ Ethoxyl

Used to make things foam in items like shampoos and facial cleansers

Words to Avoid:

Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS)

Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)

PPG or PEG

 Polysorbate

words ending in –xynol, – eth, -oleth

 

Fragrance

Used to  make things smell nice, but there is no regulation on what this term actually means.

Words to Avoid:

Fragrance

Perfume

Parfum

Aroma

Essential oil blend** (can be a safer choice but for sensitivite indivduals best to avoid)

Phenoxyethanol

What companies are now using as a swap for parabens

Words to Avoid:

Phenoxyethanol

2-Phenoxyethanol

Euxyl K® 400

PhE

Ethanolamines

Used to make things foam like shampoos, facial cleansers + bubble baths.

Words to Avoid:

DEA (Diethanolamine)

MEA (Monoethanolamine)

TEA (Triethanolamine)

Cocamide DEA or MEA

Polyacrylamide

Stabilizer, binder and used in anti-static + lubricating materials

Words to Avoid:

Polyacrylamide

Acrylamide

Polyacrylate

Polyquaternium

Acrylate

Retinol/Retinyl

Mostly used in anti-aging products, sunscreens with SPF.

Words to Avoid:

Retinol

Vitamin A

Retinyl acetate

Retinyl palmitate

All-trans retinoic acid

Tretinoin

Hydroquinone

Skin lightener used in anti-aging and anti-spot creams or acne scar creams

Words to Avoid:

Hydroquinone

Benzophenone

Used to protect from UV light.

Words to Avoid:

Benzophenone

BP#

Oxybenzone

Sulisobenzone

Titanium + Zinc

Used in foundations, lighteners + sunscreens

Words to Avoid:

Titanium Dioxide

TiO2

Zinc Oxide

Fullerenes

MIT + CMIT

Found in many liquid-based products

Words to Avoid:

Methylisothiazolinone (MIT)

Methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT)

Butylated

Used as preservatives in a wide variety of products

Words to Avoid:

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)

Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)

Octinoxate

Common in SPF-based moisturizers.

Words to Avoid:

Oxybenzone

Octinoxate

Octisalate

Methoxycinnamate (OMC)

Parsol

Escalol

Nail Products

See below for common toxins found in nail care, fake nails + polishes.

Words to Avoid:

Ethyl acrylate

Ethyl methacrylate

Methyl methacrylatePlystyrene

Sytrenes 

Ehylbenzene

Vinylbenzene

Toulene

Benzophenone

Finding Safer Alternatives 

The great news is many of us have been onto this for a while and have been seeking out cleaner alternatives. I feel like DAILY new brands are coming out and it is a bit hard to keep up.

In general I know the following brands in general to be cleaner/safer options, but always check each individual product for any of the above chemicals/toxins as not all brands are safe across the board.

My Top Picks for Hair

Viori

What I use. I find this to be the most affordable of the the “non-toxic” options. Use MWFITWELL for 10% off.

Under Luna

Another brand I’ve used in the past. Can be pricey if you wash your hair often.

doTerra

Similar to Kosmatology offers refillable options and a few different (clean) scents.

Good to get if you also use a lot of essential oils in the home.

Everyone

Easy to find in most national chain stores or on Amazon.

Handzies wipes

Wipe option when you can’t wash your hands. Can also get on Amazon.

My Top Picks for Skin Care

Primally Pure

Great clean option-also good if you order any of their deodorant, skincare, bodywash, etc. to reduce how many places you order from!

MWFITWELL10 for 10% off

Earthley

Another great choice especially if you order from Earthley- things like their magnesium lotion, all the medicine cabinet tintures, baby products + more.

NEWTOEARTHELY for 10% off first order

COMEBACK10 for 10% off second orders

doTerra

Great to grab if you use other oil or soap options (like the one above).

Everyone

Easy to find in most national chain stores + Amazon.

DIY Hand Sanitizer Recipe

(my mom makes this for us and this is what we use and love!)

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

  • Mix aloe, glycerin and rubbing alcohol in a bowl
  • Add your essential oils and mix well
  • Add 1 TBS of silver or water to thin to desired consistency
  • Use a small funnel to transfer sanitizer into bottles like these or glass ones
  • Use as you would any other type of hand sanitizer