I have been using L’Oreal Voluminous mascara for years.  Any other diehard fan out there?!  It’s just the only mascara that gave my lashes enough shape without clumping them together.  Other mascaras even make them look THINNER than they regularly are.  

I figured mascara would be one of those things I could never find a clean swap for.  I was willing to give up and just use the toxic stuff.  After all, by then I had a pretty clean lineup for the rest of the products on my counter.  Well that was all until I found TARTE’s Gifted Amazonian Clay mascara.  

It’s considered a reparative AND volumizing mascara that’s infused with Amazonian clay. It’s said to deliver a 406 percent increase in lash volume, which I can’t deny.  And it helps to repair and rebuild the lashes for the long term.  Amazonian clay apparently is known for intuitively restoring hydration and the skin’s texture, and it works to hydrate and replenish dry and brittle lashes to prevent fallout.

Seriously, it’s good. It gives me the same effect as when I use that beloved grey Voluminous mascara with gold top. This one, however doesn’t have parabens, sulfates or phthalates. It’s also vegan and never contains mineral oil, sodium lauryl or gluten. 

Use this mascara instead of L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara. 

I’ve tried a lot of clean, organic shampoos.  Man, I thought it would be an easy switch.  A lot of them, I’ve found, leave my hair feeling brittle, definitely a lot dryer, and just blah.  I have a lot of hair too; it’s thick, with a bit of wave and definitely lots of volume.  So finding a good shampoo that made my hair smell good, feel soft, and that wasn’t super toxic was a BIG challenge for me.  

Enter Bumble & Bumbler’s Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil line.  Typically most Bumble & Bumble products rate pretttttty toxic, not horrible but not good, because of their fragrances. But this one includes six natural oils that are super hydrating and can help dry, coarse, frizzy hair. 

This shampoo rates a 4 out of 10 in toxicity on the Think Dirty app (download NOW if you haven’t already). That’s a really good number for me when I take in all the factors of the good results compared to other alternatives.  No parabens, sulfates, phthalates or alcohol that dries out hair. 

Use this shampoo instead of Nexxus Therappe Luxurious Moisturizing Shampoo. 

Oh my gosh, have I tried enough natural deodorants to give up!  I mean I’ve literally gone back to Secret deodorant several times after being so frustrated that I can’t seem to find a deodorant that doesn’t make me smell funky. 

I want to scream it from the rooftops now that I found Primally Pure, and the sensitive version to be exact, that has finally given me the protection I need during my day. 

One thing to note, however, is that it is NOT an anti-perspirant.  We’re supposed to sweat, and we’re hurting our bodies when we try to block that important daily process. That being said, once you use natural deodorant for a few weeks or months, you’ll find that you really aren’t sweating as much as you were before, because you most likely are on the road to detoxing your body from those funky chemicals that were making you stink in the first place!  
I know you might not believe me, but I’ve seen a huge difference in the past few weeks. You just need to be patient.  I can’t recommend this deodorant enough!  I have the Sensitive in Lavender because I get pretty bad razor burn there, but I know the other scents and variations are probably just as effective. 

Primally Pure’s ingredients include tallow from grass-fed cows and organic and fair trade coconut oil.  I also love that the product is packaged in BPA-free plastic twist tubes.  

Use this deodorant instead of Secret Shower Fresh pH Balance Deodorant.

It’s incredibly important to thoroughly wash ALL of your makeup off your face and neck every night in order to keep your face looking and feeling fresh, and to remove any lingering chemicals or added substances from your skin.  

My absolute favorite makeup remover is by One Love Organics.  In fact, I think the entire WOM team is obsessed with this very product.  It basically made me start to enjoy washing my face; it’s a luxurious, non-stripping oil that smells absolutely incredibly and it effortlessly lifts away all impurities and makeup.  

It also plays double-duty and restores your natural moisture barrier of the skin and pH balance.  I’ve found that a lot of cleansers, even organic ones, can leave the skin feeling really dry.  This oil has the absolute opposite effect. I’m OBSESSED.

Use this makeup remover instead of Clinique Rinse-Off Eye Makeup Solvent.

Nail polish cannot be good for you with all those fumes, right?!  Yes.  Back in 2015, the EWG reported that most popular polishes contain a suspected endocrine disruptor called triphenyl phopshte, or TPHP.

I’ve tried several organic, all natural brands of nail polish and keep coming back to the only one that really works as well as my favorite OPI and Essie polishes…Smith & Cult.  But this brand is free from formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl, and it gives me peace of mind when I have it on my fingers 24/7, while also saving me a boatload of money by avoiding the nail salon. 

Use this nail polish instead of OPI Mod About You. 

Ah, dry shampoo.  Many of us use this stuff A LOT.  So it should be a bit alarming that it usually comes with a long ingredients list. 

I’ve been using OLO’s dry shampoo for awhile now; it smells amazing but never overpowering, and it blends really easily in my brown hair.  It includes good ingredients too; think a unique blend of highly absorbent Georgia Kaolin Clay, hyularonic acid, and silica rich bamboo extract.  It successfully works to soften, strengthen and nourish your hair in between shampoos and whenever you need a little va-va-voom. If you’re putting it on your scalp every day, don’t you want it to be working double-duty for healthy locks, too?! 

Use this dry shampoo instead of Suave Professionals Keratin Dy Shampoo. 

Body wash is a super easy switch, in my opinion.  Dr. Bronner’s is an age-old, super clean and simple solution that comes in several different scents.  I personally love this unscented, mild version as well as the Peppermint and also the Almond. All of the formulas  are made from natural ingredients, and it’s very gentle on soft skin.  Added bonus? You can use it for about 20234928304 purposes too.  Five generations and 150 years of soapmaking have proven the safest way to stay clean.  Read about the amazing Dr. Bronner’s story here. 

Use this body wash instead of Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash. 

Use this face sunscreen instead of Neutrogena Clear Face SPF 30. 

Another really simple clean swap is with laundry detergent!  Even the seemingly safe option at Target or Walmart is probably laden with chemicals and fragrance that will disrupt your body’s vibes.  Think about how much time you spend in your bed sheets, wrapped in your towels and wearing your clothes!

This laundry powder is incredibly clean, and just as easy to use as all powder laundry detergents. Now that I’ve gone all natural with this step, I literally never consider going back.

Use this laundry detergent instead of Tide Mountain Spring Turbo Powder Laundry Detergent. 

“Certified Organic” Items
In order for a product to earn the official USDA seal, it has to have 95% or greater organic ingredients.  And the remaining 5% has to include ingredients that aren’t banned from the National Organic Program. 

But a good thing to know: “certified organic” and “organic” are not the same thing.  A label touting that it’s “made of organic ingredients” only has to hit 70% of its contents as organic, though it is still part of the National Organic Program. goop by Juice Beauty products, on average, range in the 80’s for percentage of organic ingredients. 

Kjaer Weis is my personal favorite when it comes to certified organic makeup.  Ever product I’ve purchased has made my skin look and feel amazing. 

“All Natural Beauty”
The term “natural” in beauty means the complete formula is 100% synthetic free. But unfortunately, there isn’t a regulating body for all “natural” products.  Be sure to see if your product in question passes the standards by Ecocert, an organization that works to specifically certify ingredients as natural. 

Some brands like Drunk Elephant not only take into account the zero-synthetic quality of ingredients, they also judge based on sustainability and bio-availability. See more below. 

“Sustainable/Eco-Friendly” Products
Sustainability in the beauty industry is a popular subject due to environmental awareness, new global standards, its profitability and consumer demand.  Best practices include reduction of energy and waste usage, recycle-able and low-waste packaging, community and social outreach involvement, green building design and more. 

Like Drunk Elephant, RMS Beauty is a brand to watch in regards to sustainability (among everything else!).  I absolutely adore all of RMS Beauty’s products.  They’re formulated with raw and food grade ingredients in their natural state, which means they’re free from harmful chemicals, synthetics preservatives and vitamins. 

“Vegan/Cruelty-Free” Brands
These terms are widely used when brands do not test their products on animals, and when the products do not include animal-derived ingredients. 

However, this term has a lot of grey areas.  There is no “official” or government-sanctioned cruelty-free label, and a simple line as “not tested on animals” can refer to the ingredients, as opposed to the final product.  And the testing may even have taken place in a foreign country where standards and laws are less strict than here in the U.S.

It is also important to note any parent companies for smaller cosmetic brands when looking for completely cruelty-free products.  For example, TARTE is 100% cruelty-free, but it is owned by Kose, which is not.  It will be your personal decision on where to stand on instances like these…and it’s worth the research if you’re making this conscientious choice when buying your products. 

Brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Glossier, Josie Maran, PUR Cosmetics, Sonia Kashuk, W3LL People and Vapour are completely cruelty-free. 

Read more on cruelty-free labeling here.

“Superfood Skincare”
It’s not really a surprise that our obsession with superfoods now extends to skincare.  These ingredients are apparently are working double-time; look for algae, chia seeds, black tea, green tea, kale, raw cacao and spirulina in trending skincare products now.

Brands to watch: Youth to the People, Elemis, One Love Organics and Fresh Skincare. 

“Clean Beauty”
Like natural beauty products, for “clean” products, there is no official body by the government to regulate what’s what. “Clean” should mean safe and non-toxic.  It’s definitely on the more vague side of terminology use for products.  

I think of it mostly as the products’ effect on people and the world that’s affected by it.  I use the free ThinkDirty app to see how products range on the “dirty scale” to see if they’re considered “clean”.  That’s how I found the brand Vita Liberata for a cleaner alternative for sunless tanning products.