Healing Inflammation with Non-Toxic Personal Care
Hey, there! If you’ve come here from my What is Inflammation and Why Are We Fighting It? post, welcome back! If you haven’t read that yet, I highly recommend doing so.
So, today we’re going to talk about how your personal care products may be causing unwanted inflammation. But before we do, I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself in case you’re new here. I’m Nicole, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist who specializes in teaching others how to live anti-inflammatory, immunity-boosting, low-toxin lifestyles. If this is your goal, you’re in the right place.
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What do I mean by personal care? I’m talking about any items you use on your body daily as part of a hygienic routine. The reason that personal care products can be such a big driver of inflammation is because the skin is the largest organ and it’s absorbing everything it comes in contact with. Personal care products are typically used on a daily basis, sometimes several times per day, and so our bodies are getting a high level of exposure to all of the ingredients in these products. As you may recall, inflammation is the body’s natural (and healthy) immune system response to a threat. When that threat is constantly occurring, the immune system is forced to continue working, and the inflammation that should disappear once the threat is gone has now become chronic because the threat isn’t going away.
If you’re experiencing chronic inflammation and you suspect that it may be the personal care products you’re using, here is my advice for three immediate swaps I recommend starting with.
Toothpaste
Fun fact: your oral health is linked to more than just cavities. Your oral health is linked to overall health including the occurrence of chronic health conditions. If you’re using a toothpaste with harsh chemicals, this is the first item I recommend swapping because you’re (hopefully) using it at least twice daily. The harsh chemicals found in most toothpastes can not only cause an immune system response to the chemicals themselves, but they also kill off the good bacteria living in your mouth, and the absence of this bacteria has been linked to conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Here are the toothpastes I’d recommend trying:
Dr. Bronner’s – This is a great brand, all around. Their toothpastes are fluoride-free and they are certified organic, vegan, not tested on animals, and non-GMO. They’re also EWG certified! Dr. Bronner’s has several toothpaste flavors to choose from and the cost of a full tube is just over $6. Not only do they sell clean, organic products, but they pride themselves on their values. You can check them out here to learn more about this and other awesome products they sell.
David’s Natural Toothpaste – David’s Natural Toothpaste is fluoride-free, cruelty-free, vegan, and made in the USA. They never use artificial flavors, sweeteners, artificial preservatives, artificial colors, or other synthetic ingredients. They pride themselves on using naturally sourced and naturally derived ingredients you can feel good about. They have a wide varity of toothpastes you can shop with full size tubes costing around $9.95 and travel size costing around $4.95. You can step up your oral care game with some of their other products too, like their bamboo toothbrush and tongue scraper.
Tom’s of Maine – This brand offers a wide range of toothpaste options, both with and without fluoride. Personally, I recommend always going with the fluoride-free option. Their products are not tested on animals, and they never use artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. All their ingredients are natural sourced and naturally derived. They pride themselves on their transparency and so you can read, in depth, about every single ingredient they use on their website. Again, they have a huge variety of toothpastes to choose from, based on your specific needs or goals, and a full-size tube will cost anywhere from about $6 - $7.
Deodorant
Deodorant is another item that most of us are using daily, or almost daily. The reason it’s so important to use a safe deodorant is because the armpit is part of the lymphatic system. This is the system that drains toxins from the body and the sweat released from your armpits is one of the body’s ways of releasing toxins. So, when it comes to choosing a deodorant, we want something that is going to allow the body to continue to release toxins and we want a deodorant that is free from harsh chemicals and toxins so we’re not loading our detox pathways with more toxins. Therefore, I recommend avoiding aluminum and fragrance in your deodorant. Here are my top picks for clean deodorants:
Tom’s of Maine Unscented – Tom’s offers a variety of deodorants and antiperspirants, both scented and unscented. My recommendation is their unscented deodorant. It’s aluminum-free, vegan, not tested on animals, and contains no artificial fragrances or preservatives. This is a deodorant and antiperspirant, so it will neutralize odor and prevent sweat. This deodorant costs $5.99 per stick.
Native – Native offers a wide variety of clean personal care products worth browsing. As far as their deodorant goes, Native uses naturally derived ingredients that are vegan and cruelty-free. Their deodorant is free from aluminum salts, talc, and phthalates. The ingredients they do use are simple and effective. Native offers tons of different scents, including holiday and limited edition, but if you’re like me and prefer unscented, they’ve got you covered, too. A stick of Native’s deodorant will cost you $13 or you can subscribe and pay just $11.
Primally Pure – Primally Pure is a non-toxic skincare brand that makes deodorants with organic ingredients that are 100% natural and safe. Their deodorant is free from ingredients like aluminum, parabens, fragrance, talc, propylene glycol and more! And they never use artificial ingredients. They have several to choose from and they’ll cost you between $14 and $16 for a 1.7oz stick.
Body Moisturizer
This is a big one because most of us are moisturizing our bodies daily – potentially more than once if you’re in a colder climate – and we moisturize from head to toe. As I’ve mentioned, the skin absorbs everything so when we hydrate, we want to make sure that what the skin is absorbing is safe. At the same time, the skin is a huge detox organ. It pushes toxins out through our pores, and, for this reason, we want to make sure that the skin is always able to breathe and release those toxins. Therefore, I recommend oils rather than lotions. Oils can be easily absorbed by the skin and hydrate the top layer and the layers beneath it. Lotion sits on top of the skin and can clog pores, so even if you’re using a lotion with clean ingredients, you can still be hindering your body’s ability to thoroughly detox. This can make it difficult to reduce inflammation. So, here are my top picks for clean body oils:
Honest – The Honest Company offers a selection of body oils, but the one I recommend is their Organic Body Oil for sensitive skin. This oil is made from organic ingredients like avocado oil, coconut oil, and jojoba seed oil. It’s free from fragrances, silicones, PEGs, mineral oil, dyes, and parabens. It’s hypoallergenic and approved for eczema. A 4oz bottle of this oil will cost you $10.99
Burt’s Bees – Burt’s Bees also makes several oils, but my favorite is the Lemon and Vitamin E Oil. It’s made from natural ingredients and is cruelty-free. As a company, Burt’s Bees prides themselves on creating effective products from real ingredients found in nature. I, personally, use a bunch of their products and can attest to the quality. A 5oz bottle of this 100% natural oil will cost you $9.99.
Osea – Osea’s Undaria Algea Body Oil is a fast absorbing, hydrating oil for all skin types. It’s certified vegan and cruelty-free, and free from questionable ingredients, such as benzene, PEGs, parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances to name a few. Seaweed is a key ingredient in all of their products, making this oil rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for your skin to absorb. A 5oz bottle will cost you $52, but you can try out a 1oz bottle first for only $20 (or $16 when on sale!)
Let’s recap: the skin is the largest organ. It’s responsible for helping the body detox by releasing toxins through the pores. It’s also going to absorb whatever it comes in contact with. For this reason, we want to be mindful of how we moisturize and deodorize. The mouth is connected to our overall health. We want to avoid harsh chemicals, especially because they can destroy good bacteria in the mouth, which is linked to chronic health conditions. Our favorite brands today are Dr. Bronners, David’s Natural Toothpaste, Tom’s of Maine, Honest, Burt’s Bees, Primally Pure, Osea, and Native.
I hope you found this post helpful! If you haven’t already, check out my posts on healing inflammation with food and healing inflammation with your environment for more tips on reducing inflammation through daily habits.
Best of luck on your anti-inflammatory journey. Until next time…
- Nicole