10 toxic cleaners and hygiene products I swapped out for natural ones following my autoimmune diagnosis
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Hey guys! Some of you might know that I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease back in 2021. While this was scary at first, it ended up being the catalyst which would transform my life and nudge me towards a less toxic lifestyle!
And today we’re specifically going to talk about 10 toxic cleaners and hygiene products that I changed to more natural ones as part of this transformation!
Many of us don’t realize – I certainly didn’t! – how toxic so many of the products are that we use on a daily basis. While we’re used to them and they might seem insignificant, they can often be the drivers of disease and less-than-optimal health.
And I’m the kinda girl that wants optimal health! Especially after realizing what my poor body has been going through for all these years with this autoimmune disease running things behind the scenes!
For a lot of these swaps, you’ll notice that simpler is often better. Though for some products, such as toothpaste, I did opt for a high-tech alternative, but a lot of the others are simple swaps (such as white vinegar)!
So anyway, let’s dive in and I’ll show you guys the 10 toxic cleaners and hygiene products I nixed in favor of more natural ones!
Toothpaste
One of the most important toxic products to address is toothpaste, since we put it in our mouths and it has a direct effect on our body!
Unfortunately, I found out that, while fluoride might be great for my teeth, it is potentially implicated as an endocrine disrupter. As someone with an autoimmune thyroid condition, it is especially important for me to eliminate these since the thyroid is a part of the endocrine system!
However, I was a bit nervous to just stop using re-mineralizing toothpaste. This is why I was so happy to find out about hydroxyapatite toothpaste!
While I do plan on learning to make my own in order to save money, I have for now been using the Boka brand and I’m very happy with it. My dental cleanings and exams show similar results to when I was using fluoride products, so I now feel confident that hydroxyapatite does what it says it does!
Floss
Oh my goodness guys. This one is a long story. So I was actually already using silk floss before my autoimmune diagnosis (for zero-waste reasons), but when I ran out and we had some of that Glide stuff around the house, I figured, why not just use it until we run out? It’s kind of a waste, right? And how bad could it possibly be?
How wrong I was!
It turns out that particular floss (which glides really easily through your teeth) is actually made from Teflon, and it sheds super easily and can actually get into your bloodstream when you floss!
I was really kicking myself at this point for not just sticking to my silk floss!
So, obviously you know what I went back to using – silk floss! This one here can be a good starter, as it comes with a little glass and metal dispenser (which I absolutely love!), and for refills I like to buy these since the price is right.
Isn’t it just so cute in its little container?! And I get to rest easy knowing I’m not using Teflon in my mouth anymore *sigh*.
Shampoo
Thankfully, just like my silk floss above, I was also already using shampoo bars as a result of my zero-waste interests, which happened to have pretty clean ingredients!
Unfortunately, as I talk about here in my post about how I maintain my super long hair, I do like to use sulfates, so this is not a sulfate-free shampoo. However, if you’re interested in sulfate-free shampoo bars, they’re definitely out there!
Specifically, I like this shampoo bar by Naturel because it uses essential oils for fragrance and has few other sketchy ingredients.
If you’re ever in doubt about a product, the Environmental Working Group’s link here can be used to search for products and/or ingredients to see how they’re rated in terms of toxicity. I do take it somewhat with a grain of salt, since they sometimes list natural ingredients, such as peppermint essential oil, as potentially problematic. But their resource is a fantastic place to start understanding what ingredients might be harmful and which are actually just fine!
Conditioner
When it comes to conditioner, as a long-haired girl I used to be a long-time user of Tresemme products, which are pretty conventional, though I do believe there’s at least one conditioner out there without silicones.
I wasn’t super hopeful that a conditioner would be really effective if it didn’t have silicones… but I was proven wrong by this awesome conditioner from Trader Joe’s!
This one contains far fewer chemicals than your standard conditioner and it truly leaves my hair feeling so conditioned! While I love the idea of zero-waste conditioner bars and I did try using them for a while, I unfortunately wasn’t too happy with the results… so, this Trader Joe’s one is my favorite!
Soap
As someone who used to be insanely obsessed with zero-waste and who is still moderately committed to living a zero-waste lifestyle, I never ever use liquid soaps! I consider them one of the biggest sources of unnecessary plastic usage.
However, I did formerly buy just whatever bar soaps I could find that were cheap. Turns out those are loaded with chemicals – even Dove’s unscented! – and they’re not even a true soap!
Real soap is made by combining lye with oils/fats. So, when looking for a natural and true soap, the majority of the ingredients should be oils. You might see “sodium hydroxide” in there, and that’s the lye used to make the soap, but none is left in the final product.
So, I stopped buying those conventional soaps and opted instead for natural ones such as Dr. Bronner’s castile soap and the oatmeal & honey bars at Trader Joe’s.
I also since learned how to make my own soap! It’s super easy and so fun!
Glass cleaner
I initially swapped my conventional glass cleaner for this one with more natural ingredients, until I found out about the White Green Cloth, which has totally eliminated my need for glass cleaners! (For my review of the White Green Cloth, click here!)
White vinegar is also a fantastic glass cleaner!
General cleaning spray
When it comes to cleaning sprays, there are a ton of natural ones out there! When I first needed to swap out my bathroom cleaning sprays, I opted for this one by Seventh Generation.
However, over time I’ve gotten more comfortable simply using white vinegar and baking soda for my cleaning needs. Now I even clean my entire bathroom with baking soda and vinegar! I especially love using baking soda in the toilet bowl, since it really helps the scrub brush get any residue off. Plus, baking soda and vinegar are fantastic for eliminating smells!
If I’m in the kitchen and need to give the counters or oven a good clean, I’ll lather up my dish sponge on my homemade dish soap block and clean them that way.
So, I end up not even needing to buy specialty cleaning sprays! I just fill a spray bottle with white vinegar. You can even add essential oils to the spray for extra scent!
Dishwasher detergent
I used to use just an ordinary, conventional dishwasher detergent, so that was something else that needed a good and natural swap!
That’s why I was happy to spot these tablets at Trader Joe’s! The ingredients are much cleaner than a standard dishwasher detergent.
It even says right on there that it’s made without dyes or fragrances, which is great. I don’t want fragrance in ANY of my products!
If you’re more into the liquid soap, there are companies which sell liquid dishwasher detergents that are non-toxic, too.
It’s great practice to read and research ingredients to see if a given product is one you’re comfortable bringing into your health-conscious home!
Do keep in mind that products won’t always be completely perfect and 100% non-toxic, but less toxic is always still a huge score!
Dish soap
I used to purchase these special dish soap bars from No Tox Life. (This was another remnant from my zero-waste phase!) As their brand-name implies, their bars are definitely non-toxic!
However, I finally got tired of shelling out money for them and learned how to make my own, and from just four simple ingredients! They are completely natural and super cheap to make!
If you’re interested in liquid dish soap, there are tons out there. Again, read those ingredient lists, and make use of the EWG’s searchable database. The more educated you become, the more empowered you’ll feel on this health journey!
Laundry detergent
Laundry detergent is undoubtedly one of the most important swaps to make when you first start your journey towards a less toxic life.
Think about it – the toxic residue from conventional detergent remains on your clothes (hence the smell) and rubs up against your skin all day long!
I initially changed out my incredibly toxic Tide detergent for this one by Ecos. I have to admit, though I loved the results, I’m a lover of simplicity! So I started just using baking soda, washing soda, and vinegar in place of detergent. If I need better stain removal, I will still use the detergent, but the sodas and vinegar refresh the scent of my laundry perfectly!
(Pro tip: If you are ever, for whatever reason, in need of something to remove a mildew smell from any laundry item, simply put it in the washer with baking soda and vinegar and the smell will be gone!)
Conclusion (plus some words of encouragement!)
I hope you guys have found this list of 10 toxic cleaners and hygiene products that I changed out in favor of natural ones useful! I remember how overwhelming it felt to think about changing all the toxic products in my home.
The key is to take gradual steps! A great way to go about it, in many cases, is to simply replace things as you run out of them. Though I would urge you to just throw out your fluoride toothpaste and Teflon floss if you use those, lol, in a lot of cases it doesn’t make a HUGE difference to take a little bit of time.
Especially when you remember that stress is toxic to our lives as well, it’s important to not let the stress of changing everything overwhelm you!
Plus, sometimes we tend to just shut down and not make any changes if we feel overwhelmed (I’m raising my hand on this one!) If this is you, just keep taking those baby steps! In a couple years, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve transformed your living space to be so much healthier!
Heck, there are still swaps I need to make. I have a ton of candles in my house that we’re not lighting because I’m aware of the toxicity they give off when they’re burning, lol! I plan on slowly getting more natural candles, or maybe learning how to make some myself!
This health thing is a journey, so definitely keep your head up. And let’s keep learning from each other!
Please let me know if you have any questions down in the comments below! I’d also love to hear your thoughts or your own brilliant natural swaps for our everyday toxic products. 🙂
Wishing you all best of health and utmost patience in making these changes! ♥
