All Natural Beauty Products… what do you use?

As it begins to sleet here and the babies take their morning nap I have a few minutes for another post.

I have been thinking a lot about all-natural beauty products. Having the babies so close to me and physically touching my all of the time has made me super-aware of the chemicals I put not just in my body but also on my body. The babies are literally putting my skin and hair in their mouths. And their tiny little bodies seem so innocent and pure, I can’t stand the thought of them licking my deodorant stick…. so why would I smear it on my skin then nurse them?

I have been using the natural deodorant crystal for many years on and off (if I am going out with friends or traveling I often wear Dove but mod days I use the crystal) and I love it. It works. And it works pretty well. The only issue I have with it is I find it works best if you apply it in the morning and at night. What I do is wet the crystal after my shower (usually at night after the babies go to bed) and rub it under my arms. I then re-apply in the morning and I find I have no issues with body odor at all. If I miss my shower the next day, I re-apply the crystal that night and again the next morning and it works just as well as the first day. The crystal I have I have been using for 3+ years now, I bought it when we lived in California and it doesn’t seem to be getting smaller.  And best of all, it leaves zero stains on your clothes!

I had tried some other products, Tom’s all natural deodorant and Jason’s deodorant and neither worked very well for me. I found they made my arm pits smell different, not like BO but some other strange, chemical smell. Maybe it’s just my chemical makeup that does that…. has anyone had luck with these? Does anyone else use the crystal?

Here’s a picture of my 3-year old crystal:

As far as other beauty products, I’m not 100% crunchy on this one…. I do use Tom’s natural toothpaste and Jason shampoo and I love both. I started using Jason after I read some of the dangerous chemicals in the top-brand shampoos could be harmful to your baby while pregnant. So I immediately switched and even filled up my own travel sized shampoo bottles when I traveled for work (up through my second trimester) They do tend to be expensive but I find I don’t need much so I try to save money by using smaller quantities (of the shampoo anyway).

Other natural products I like:

Vitamin E oil for my skin (especially on my belly where I am trying to get some firmness back in my skin)

CJ’s lip balm (they make the butt butter / diaper cream that is safe to use with cloth diapers… I highly recommend the Monkey Farts scent)

As far as what I haven’t gone to the crunchy side for….

mascara ( I can’t live without my MAC mascara, I am one of those women who put makeup on every day, even if I don’t leave the house)

eye liner

foundation & blush (which I rarely wear thanks to breastfeeding hormones!)

What do you guys use?

Here are my go-to products; Apricot Jason shampoo and conditioner and Tom’s sensitive toothpaste:

Accidentally Crunchy?

I have started this blog to hopefully meet and network with other mamas out there who share in the same beliefs and parenting styles as I do.  I would never have described myself as “crunchy” or a “hippy” but at the age of 31 I realize that that is exactly how my close friends and family would describe me.

Why would I be considered “crunchy”?  Well…

Exclusively Breast Feeding – check!

Cloth Diapering – check!

Paleo/Primal diet – check!

Co-sleeping – check!

Baby-wearing – check!

Making Baby Food – check!

We are a usually cloth-diapering, paleo-ish, gardening family who does our best to make the best decisions for our family, our budget and the earth.  Now that the boys are 6-months we are experimenting with co-sleeping (I’m still on the fence about this one)

I do baby wear on occasions when I have someone to wear the other one (usually my husband).  I feel exceptionally guilty wearing one while the other is in the bouncer/swing.  I know, I know… just switch them out you say.  But the feeling of leaving the other one not-worn is overwhelming to me so I don’t find it as pleasant as I would with only one baby.  But we do wear them out as often as possible and I absolutely love it!

We have found ourselves making most of these decisions based on either gut-feeling (crying it out just doesn’t feel right to me at this age) or purely being frugal… cloth diapers can save you $1500/year per baby!  That’s a lot of money!