Whole Foods Chemical Free Finds

Our journey to a chemical free home really started when I was reading the Young House Love blog and read her post on downsizing and in the process getting rid of chemicals around the house. I really don't know what finally inspired me to go into high gear, but it just finally clicked for me that I didn't want all these harmful chemicals around me or my family so I started on this journey to rid my house of chemicals. It has taken months and I have slowly gotten rid of almost every harmful chemical in the house. At first I thought this was just my cleaners but as I did some research, talked to friends, read blogs (my friend really inspired me, her blog is called Frugal Faye) I realized it was more than just cleaners, I needed to worry about, it was my makeup, cleansers, moisturizers, sunscreens, toothpaste, over the counter medicines, you name it and I needed to look into it. I am not new to all of this for the most part, I have been aware of alternative cleaners, eco friendly products, but I never thought it was necessary to switch until I found out what manufactures are putting into our everyday products. There are so many carcinogens (cancer causing ingredients) in so many everyday products, I was shocked. For example, in toothpaste and shampoos their is an ingredient called sodium lauryl sulfate, it is a foaming agent that makes your toothpaste and shampoos, and detergents sudsy. This is known to be a carcinogen. I also recently found out that Dove soaps (I have used Dove body wash for years) uses formaldehyde as an ingredient, and be mindful these ingredients aren't just easy to spot, they usually are listed under their chemical name, not a well known name like formaldehyde. I was shocked, I immediately decided to find a new body wash, but it was not easy. I even started looking at Norah's stuff and was shocked at the harmful ingredients in her brand name and non brand name baby lotions, soaps, etc. All those got switched too. But be mindful not every "natural" product in the natural aisle at your local Target or grocery store has every harmful chemical out of their products, I have found that some of Trader Joe's natural line of body washes, shampoos, etc. have harmful ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate and others such as parabens. Also Toms of Maine toothpaste has sodium lauryl sulfate in it. I also got rid of both me and Casey's deodorants, all brand name deodorants contain harmful aluminum, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease. After a few failed attempts with some natural ones, me and Casey found one we absolutely love and it works so well for a natural deodorant, the brand is Jason, we like the aloe vera one, you can find it at any natural food store or Whole Foods.

Some people have told me "well you can't be to paranoid about all these products, they say everything causes cancer these days." But after doing my own research and reading and watching documentaries about this stuff, its scary and you can't just trust what manufactures are putting into your products that go in your mouth, pours, etc. And many argue that its too expensive to change to the natural products. And surprisingly since we have switched I am buying less of cleaners because I don't have all these cleaning products that I thought I needed. I have saved so much money not having to buy Clorax wipes, Swiffer refills, 5 different cleaners for the bathroom, etc. I use only 2 cleaners in the bathroom, and I make my own laundry detergent, so that has saved us a great deal of money, and much more. 

I was introduced to Whole Foods a little over a year ago. I was immediately obsessed and was so sad that the closest one was over 45 minutes away. And then a few months ago I heard that one was opening in a nearby town only about 15 minutes away, I was so excited! Since our transition to organics and a chemical free home in the Spring I have been searching out the best places to find what I am looking for, well Whole Foods is like all of it wrapped into one! We were able to go today after Norah's 18 month well baby visit and I was so excited to get a salad for lunch from their amazing salad bar and then enjoy browsing the aisles. Luckily I had my amazing husband to distract Norah while I stood in the cleaning and beauty aisles for a half hour just looking, reading labels, trying to remember what I needed, etc. Casey knew I wanted to take my time so he was so kind to walk Norah around.

The best part is the Whole Foods worker said I can save my reciept and return anything I don't like after trying it! So long story short I wanted to share with you a few products I found today at Whole Foods that are chemical free and are great alternatives to some everyday products I use that were full of harmful ingredients. 

365 Stain Remover & Prewash

Whole Foods has their own brand called 365 and I found that this store brand was cheaper. I was glad to have found a stain remover for only $4.99 in their 365 brand and it is a huge bottle. I pay right now I think three something for my Oxi-Clean stain remover so I thought this was worth a try!

Bon Ami Powder Cleanser

I love AJax, I can't seem to find a chemical free cleaner that cleans like AJax in the sink and tub, but I read about this one that has been around forever and is so low on the toxicity level and super cheap, only $1.99. I can't wait to see if this works, I would be so happy to get AJax out the door.

365 Oxygen Whitening Powder
I use Oxi-Clean for almost anything stain removing related, it works great on my rugs and as an extra cleaning boost in the wash, but I did some research and found it contains harmful chemicals and so I was happy to find this safe Oxi-Clean alternative today!

Ecos Earth Friendly Products Dishwasher Gel

I tried making my own dishwasher detergent, but found my dishes were not getting as clean as I wanted and so I ditched it and went back to my old stuff, but still wanted to find a safe alternative without paying a lot and today I found this large bottle for only $4.99, all the dishwasher detergents I find that are safe cost at least $8 and come in small containers so I was happy to have found this one and see if it cleans well.

Aussan Natural Nursery Odor Eliminator
I have been wanting to find a safe odor eliminator in replacement of my Febreeze that I use on my rugs and upholstery and I was so glad to have found this today for only $4.99 and it smells great. It says nursery odor eliminator but on the back it says it can be used around the house and so I decided to give it a shot.

I also found a few beauty products that I have been looking for as safe replacements for my current ones.  

Acure Dry Shampoo

I was ecstatic when I found this today at Whole Foods, I can't live without dry shampoo. I wash my hair every 2 to 3 days and need a boost in between and I have been sticking with my chemically filled Suave Dry Shampoo until I found one I liked that was chemical free. The lady at Whole Foods says this dry shampoo is amazing and smells great, I was so happy to hear that and grabbed one as fast as I could! This ran me $10.99 so I will have to have to see how long it lasts for the price. 

365 Body Lotion
I finally found a body lotion that is not filled with harmful ingredients that doesn't feel sticky!!! Every chemical free lotion I have tested over the last few months comes in small bottles, is sticky feeling after you rub it in, which I hate!, and smells gross. Today I was so happy to find this glorious bottle that has no yucky smell and wasn't sticky!

Hope you found this post informative, thanks for reading!