I love sharing my favorite things – especially if they promote the use of less chemicals. If you get the chance, I highly recommending finding the movie “Chemerical” – as of 10/22/2017, it’s included on Amazon Prime video.

1. Make your own all-surface cleaner for pennies! 1/2 c. white vinegar, 1/2 c. rubbing alcohol (I prefer 91%), 2 c. water. That’s it! Blank spray bottles can be found in most aisles near cleaning supplies – not cosmetics. Those little colored spray bottles are terrible.

2. Make your own floor cleaner for pennies! 1/2 c. white vinegar, 1/2 c. alcohol, 2 c. water, 5 drops dish soap. That’s it! If it’s not enough volume, double it.

3. Deodorant/Antiperspirant: I was afraid that I wouldn’t find something natural that wouldn’t work for me, because I have HS and other issues and am very self-conscious. However, I took the leap and tried something from Etsy. Wow! I specifically went for the clay option to go for as much protection as possible. Sometimes I have to go in with my fingertips and make sure it’s spread evenly, but c’mon, people, it’s just skin! And it works! And I don’t break out in terrible hives, and the smell isn’t overwhelming! Aluminum-free antiperspirant ByJenJen

4. Cosmetics: I don’t buy many commercial cosmetics anymore. Do you know why you have to throw them out every 6 months? Because you put your makeup brush in your eye, and then you put your makeup brush in the makeup, then you put your makeup brush in your eye, then you put your makeup brush in the makeup…and you make bacteria soup. So with Aromaleigh cosmetics, everything comes in a little sifter jar. I just tap out what I want to use in the lid. Now that I’m getting (gasp!) old, I can also get matte colors instead of pearle – matte doesn’t show the creases as much. They also do a lot of face shades in warm, neutral and cool. And you can BUY SAMPLES of pretty much everything. I mean seriously, you can have a lot of fun. (Backup go-to: Meow Cosmetics. Same concept.)

5. Perfume: For the love of all that is holy, stop spraying that shit on. Stop it. It’s full of neurotoxins and stuff that makes men grow boobs and women grow chin hairs and stop being able to have babies altogether. You are the reason why girls are getting their periods at age 8. Perfume is in dish soap, laundry soap, hair spray, lip gloss, lotion, under eye cream, antiperspirant, and then you want to spray extra chemicals on your “pulse points.” You’re lucky you still have a pulse! Instead, go to Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and do some serious shopping. It’s a little overwhelming at first, because they like to include poetry with their flavors. Just skip to the bottom and read which flavors are included. I also strongly suggest going to the directory and specifically looking for scents that you are familiar with or want to try, and they will list which products include those scents. I am allergic to patchouli and lavender, so I have to make sure I avoid anything that has either of those in a list. REMEMBER: ANYONE CAN BE ALLERGIC TO ANY OR ALL SCENTS, “NATURAL” OR SYNTHETIC.

6. Laundry Booster: Biokleen “Bleach” Oxygen Plus – It’s not really a bleach. It works like OxyClean but it’s got enzymes and grapefruit seed extract.

7. Laundry Powder: I tried to make my own – you can do 2 c. Borax, 2 c. washing soda and 1 c. grated Fels Naptha soap, but the fumes from the grated soap created problems for me, even with a mask on. So I started purchasing Biokleen products. I recommend either the powders or the liquids, they end up being very reasonably priced.

8. Dryer sheets: Guess what? Vinegar saves the day again! Moisten a washcloth with vinegar and pop it in the dryer with the load. You will not smell funky, don’t stress about that.

9. Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Yes, it’s Biokleen again. The Soy Toilet Cleaner is worth its weight in gold. I also use it to scrub my sink and tub if I don’t want to use vinegar and baking soda, or Borax. (Side note: Vinegar is anti-fungal – just think about how long you can keep that jar of pickles without mold growing.)

10. Oily skincare: I’m 43 and I still have the skin of a 13-year-old. It’s specifically about inflammation with me. My favorite products include Desert Essence Thoroughly Clean Face Wash (seriously cheap too!), Herbivore Blue Clay Mask and Herbivore Bamboo Charcoal Deep Cleanse Detoxifying Soap Bar (I got these as gifts – I love my friends!).

11. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion: I have bottles of this scattered around my tiny apartment and carry a travel size in my purse. It’s a great commercial brand that has low toxicity according to the Skin Deep Environmental Working Group Database. Are you familiar? You should be! It should be your bible! Here’s the Aveeno Lotion page.

And my favorite things wouldn’t be complete without my favorite actual things, as in the things I have reviewed, and yes, STILL use!

12. I still hang with my Oska Pulse. I stopped getting injections in my shoulder in May of 2017 after a full year, so I rely solely on my Oska Pulse to get me through the tough spots. I highly encourage anyone who has any type of pain to check it out and use it heavily. I swear it won’t cause you to grow an extra limb anywhere.

13. I use my Neo 185 Luxe Bidet every single day. Every. Single. Day.

14. Mo’s Dream Cream for pain – yes, Virginia, it still smells like hot chocolate and sledding parties wrapped up in your burrito dreams. I still use it on the regular and it has a permanent place on my bedside table.