Let's Talk Personal Care

I have always loved self care & hygiene practices. When I first started my teenage years especially, I was obsessed with all the fun little products you could use to make yourself feel good. As I have gotten older, I have learned that not every product or practice is what meets the eye. I realized what you put on your body is also going into your body. Our society markets a lot of products that you really don't need in your routine and that actually contain more harmful ingredients than beneficial ones. Let's talk personal care, ingredients, and everything in between.

Starting off strong... skin care. Elaborate skin care routines have had a chokehold on me since I was 12 years old. I remember seeing influencers on social media with great skin talking about all of these serums and toners and different things they were using, usually followed by a promo code. As a young mind, I ate it up. I was like "I need that". It is important to consider that people promote products because they get paid to do so. My skin has gone through many different phases throughout my teenage years, especially in the last 6 months. I broke out like I never have before, my entire faced covered in acne. My knee-jerk reaction to this was to put a bunch of stuff on my face. Every blemish cream, serum, face wash, moisturizer, in the book I was using. To my surprise, it made it worse. I was thinking to myself "Well all of this stuff says its going to clear my skin, why isn't it working?" I honed in on my routine, started using natural products and paying close attention to the ingredients and it got better. However, it wasn't until my power went out for 5 days, and I couldn't wash my face twice a day everyday, that my skin started to get really clear. I took this and ran with it, and now I have been washing my face only 2 times a week with a gentle cleanser, and my skin is thriving. Less is definitely more when it comes to skin care. Now I only moisturize when I feel my skin needs it. That is the key here: Notice what your skin feels like it needs, don't may too much attention to what it looks like.

Showering: we all know and love our everything shower. I call it my "deluxe" shower, where I use every shower product I own. I have always had a good sugar scrub in my line up and I thought it was doing a really good job of getting dead skin cells off. I just discovered dry brushing, and the skin on my body has never been softer. The first time I did it I literally watched dead skin cells come off of my body, I know, gross, but hear me out. You use a bristle brush before your shower over your entire body. It makes my everyday shower feel like a deluxe shower, I get that I am so clean and soft and comfy feeling. It has actual health benefits aside from removing dead skin. Its great for circulation and provides lymphatic support. I do it everyday. On the subject of showering, you should absolutely not be using the same soap you use all over your body, down there. I love a good body wash with a fragrance, coconut is my all time favorite. That being said, you should not be putting fragranced soaps down there. I love the Natracare feminine cleansing bar, its gentle and supports healthy PH with no harmful fragrances. Another soap to be mindful of is your shampoo, and specifically how you use it. I avoid shampoos with sulfates and chemical fillers like the plague. It isn't going to help you maintain healthy hair, it actually causes build up and dryness. I feel like people often pay attention to the ends of their hair, when your hair grows from your scalp. Obviously it is important to take care of your ends, but scalp health is often over looked. I use an apple cider vinegar and water mixture to rinse my hair with twice a month. I massage it into my scalp and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing out with water. I actually notice my hair looking cleaner after I do this, plus it is good for scalp health. Your hair has its own natural oils, and I know we all hate having greasy hair, but these oils are there for a reason. They naturally hydrate your hair, but if you are washing your hair everyday they don't have time to do their job, and in turn you are stripping your hair. Try and stretch out your hair wash days! To take care of the ends of my hair, I put a little bit of jojoba or castor oil on them daily and I trim my hair every 3 months. I always thought oiling my ends so often would make my hair greasy faster, but my hair soaks the oils up so quickly that I need to do it everyday.

Chemicals: while I carefully pay attention to all of the ingredients in the products I put on my face, hair, and body; there are two personal care products that I am extra cautious about. #1 tampons. I know, its cotton right? WRONG! Every single tampon brand that you see at the grocery store or the pharmacy contains harmful chemicals. Even the ones labeled organic cotton! I was so shocked to find this out. You have to be careful with what you use down there, same thing with the soap, that area has a faster connection to your bloodstream. What I am saying is, the chemicals in your tampons are going right into your bloodstream. Scary right? The only brand of period products that I am aware of that don't contain these chemicals is Natracare. You can usually only find this brand online or at some health stores. The other area that is an even more direct line to your bloodstream is your armpits. Most deodorants contain aluminum, which is obviously not something you want going into your blood. Thats like little pieces of tin foil going through your arteries, not to be graphic. A lot of people say that natural deodorants don't work, and I will give it to them some of the ones out there really aren't great, but there are ones that really work. I use Native.

Bacteria: its time for some bathroom talk. Another disgustingly scary thing that my chemistry teacher in high school actually brought to my attention: When you flush the toilet thousands of bacteria particles scatter through your entire bathroom and remain there for hours. Lovely. Here is how to combat this gross little piece of science. Before you flush the toilet, close the lid. That helps to contain these particles. This one is something you already do but, wash your towels frequently!! Not just because of your waste bacteria but also because bacteria can form just by your towel drying after you use it. Because towels can house so much bacteria, I do not ever dry my face with one. I let it air dry. Your face and the pores on it are much more sensitive then the rest of the skin on your body, so treat your face with care!

Now that you have some insight, and may be a little grossed out, sorry for that by the way, you can level up your routine. You can still have a routine that makes you feel your best without all the harsh chemicals. Your body will thank you for it. These are some things I wish I had known earlier, but there is no time like the present. Remember that not everything that works for me will work for you, everyone is different. Other than washing your towels, please do that. In all seriousness, here's to feeling beautiful, clean, and healthy.