Bathroom and Shower Recommendations

We wholeheartedly recommend the products we list on this page. We have purchased these products ourselves and use them on a daily, if not weekly, basis!

*See disclosures here.

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Our skin is our largest organ, so we should endeavor to be aware of the products we use on our skin. It is also important to consider the cumulative effects that ingredients in bathroom and shower products (like shampoo and toothpaste) have on our bodies. We use each of the items below on a daily or weekly basis and highly recommend them. Each product has passed our standards for safety, effectiveness and ease of use.

• Tooth care – OraWellness. These are the oral care products Erica uses and recommends. They also have junior toothbrush options that are a great size for young children to use. If you are not necessarily interested in the oral care products, at least check out the educational information OraWellness has on their blog. It is free and very enlightening on how to best steward your teeth, gums, and oral microbiome. Click here to check out this shop. To read about Erica’s non-toxic and effective oral care routine, click here!

• Hair products –Carina Organics. This brand has THE cleanest ingredient list we have found for any hair care products. We use their shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, hair spray, leave-in conditioner, lotion, and bubble bath. They have lots of lovely scents, and they even have a dandruff shampoo that has great reviews. Their products are formulated fresh and with organic ingredients, contain no synthetic preservatives, and can be purchased in bulk to reduce cost, as well as plastic and shipping waste. Click here to check out this shop.
  • Note: For dry shampoo, we mix up this recipe and keep it on hand to use as needed. This recipe can also double as a light-coverage powder foundation, if you prefer homemade to store-bought.
  • If you want to check out shampoo bars (as opposed to liquid versions), we really like the products formulated by Chagrin Valley Soap (many products with organic certification and/or organic certified ingredients) and J.R. Liggett’s (not organic but worked well for Erica’s hair for a few months).

• Hair brush – Ambassador Hairbrush with Pure Natural Bristles (We ordered ours through Azure Standard).

• Deodorant – Kokomo Cream Natural Deodorant by Crunchy Betty (linked here) or Natural Extra-Strength Deodorant by Toups and Co Organics (linked here). There are a lot of options when it comes to more natural deodorants. Bottom line, however, is that deodorant is a product you want to WORK. It is not helpful to find a natural brand with great ingredients if it does not work for your body. These brands are Erica’s favorite deodorants that works for her. A little goes a long way, so don’t let the price tags fool you. (E.g. one jar of Kokomo has lasted Erica over a year!) If you decide to try another brand, the main thing to remember is that we do not want to use antiperspirants (God designed our bodies to sweat), just deodorants. It is also best to avoid aluminum. If you want to try the DIY route, here is a recipe that produces a deodorant similar to the aforementioned options.

• Razor – Edwin Jagger. Have you ever heard of a safety razor? The main idea behind it is that you use one main handle and switch out the thin, metal blade as needed. The benefits? A closer shave, less waste, no plastic or synthetic “lotion” strips used, and a much reduced cost per use. Erica purchased her safety razor back in 2017 and has never looked back! Once you make up the cost of the razor itself, blades can be as low as $0.05 each and can last a month even with daily use – talk about savings! Why this particular brand? 1: Comfortability. The handle is sleek, yet easy to handle and maneuver. 2: Durability. These razors stand the test of time. If you should need replacement parts, you can buy the parts through Edwin Jagger‘s website. This is the exact razor Erica has. This article we wrote has some excellent information all about safety razors.

• Lotion – Carina Organics. See information under “Hair Products” for more details on why we love this company! Carina’s lotion absorbs quickly and provides light relief for dry skin. If you are looking for a heavier duty lotion, check out Earthy Browns‘ moisturizers and beeswax balms.

• Retainer cleaner – *Branch Basics OR hydrogen peroxide. After rinsing her retainer each morning, Erica soaks it in a pint size mason jar with one pump of Branch Basics foaming wash and enough water to cover the retainer. Zero build up! If you prefer a soaking solution with disinfecting properties, try the same process except with a squirt of hydrogen peroxide in place of the Branch Basics foaming wash. For more information, check out the details included in this post.

• Hand and body soap – *Branch Basics, Earthy Browns and Carina Organics. You will see that keep coming back to these three brands. And for good reason!
  • For hand soap in the guest bathroom and bar sink, we use Branch Basics. They sell a foaming wash bottle with the dilution ratios right on the bottle for easy filling. Use our link to get $10 off for new customers. If you prefer lightly scented hand soap, you can add 5-8 drops of pure essential oils right to your foaming wash bottle and give it a good shake.
  • For hand soap in our personal bathroom and kitchen sink, we use Earthy Browns‘ liquid castile soap. Their liquid castile soap is olive oil based, so it is a bit more moisturizing compared to BB‘s foaming wash. While this is super helpful for dry, winter hands, the soap does tend to build up at the tip of the spout of the soap pump. Because of this, we keep it out of guest spaces to avoid someone accidentally squirting the soap at an awkward angle and onto their clothes or into their eyes. (If you are aware that castile soap does this, you can prevent it from happening by simply covering the spout with your finger when you pump out the soap.)
  • For body soap, Erica prefers to use Earthy Browns’ bar soap (specifically their hand-milled soap rounds), while Zack prefers Carina Organics liquid body wash (and sometimes shampoo+body wash combo). Both brands are reliable, effective, and non-toxic!
    • Two tips for bar soap: 1) Invest in something to keep your bar soap off wet surfaces. We bought one of these back in 2017 and another in 2018 and keep them in our shower. Erica has even been known to pack them up for vacations! 2) When your bar soap gets so small the pieces are hard to manage, slip the small pieces into a bag like this or this to prevent wasting the pieces and to keep them from slipping down the drain and clogging it.