Have you ever looked around at your skin care, hair care, and general everyday products and think to yourself, “there has to be a better option out there than this.” Well, you’re not alone! Many people are starting to come to the realization that the products they use in their homes and on their skin and hair play a much bigger role in their health than they first thought. If you have ever lit a new candle from Target or Bath & Body Works and soon after started to get a headache, there is a good chance they are connected. Maybe you got a new bath bomb or soap bar from LUSH and the fragrance oil used in the product made your head spin or your skin broke out in a rash after you got out of the bath. Again, there is a very good chance there is a connection to be made here. There are countless other examples I could make here but you get my point, there are things in our home and every day products that can cause unpleasant and even serious health issues. In this blog we are going to talk about 3 natural and easy product swaps you can make so that no matter where you are at with your health and natural living journey, you can have peace of mind knowing you are using products that are safe for you and your family and better for the planet.
1. Bath Bombs
Let’s begin with a popular one, bath bombs. Ladies (and men), most of us can say there is nothing quite like a warm soak in the bath after a long week. And to make the experience more enjoyable, we can throw a lovely bath bomb in for fun colors and smells. Well, did you know that most bath bombs contain fake colors, fragrances, and other ingredients that are toxic for our bodies? And we’re sitting and soaking our bodies in that… no thank you! Instead, you can swap out your bath bombs from LUSH, Target, and Ulta for Natural Bath Bombs from Apple Valley Natural Soap.
Our luxurious natural bath bombs are crafted from high quality natural ingredients that are gentle and nourishing to the skin. Our ingredients help to moisturize and soothe the skin, leaving it feeling soft and smooth.
Many bath bombs being sold today contain harsh ingredients, chemicals and synthetic fragrances that are toxic to the body. These harsh ingredients can disrupt hormones, cause skin irritation, and other health issues. By choosing our all natural bath bombs you will avoid exposing your skin to these harmful chemicals and enjoy a safer, more relaxing bathing experience.
We have 4 different bath bombs to choose from, plus the option to purchase all 4 in a beautiful gift box at a 15% savings! Give a loved one the perfect gift! Each bath bomb purchase comes wrapped in a waxed paper and sealed with one of our labels. Your purchase will also come with a beautiful card which contains a description and the ingredients for our bath bombs. Try them all and have fun finding your favorites!
Our bath bombs contain a base of Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, Epsom Salts & Shea Butter, plus the essential oils. We have 4 different essential oil scented bath bombs to choose from, Lavender Eucalyptus, Grapefruit Mint, Cedar-wood Lavender, and Fresh Citrus.
2. Liquid Soap & Refills with Reusable Soap Pump
This is one many of you might be familiar with at this point, but let’s explore! Liquid Soap is probably one of the most common items you will find in any household. One in each bathroom and some might even change out their soaps to fit the season. Floral scents for Spring, Citrus for Summer, Pumpkin or Apple Pie for Autumn and Balsam Fir or Spiced scents for Winter. And while this might sound nice, there are a few things we need to consider. First, most of the places you might purchase your hand soap from such as Target, the drug store, or Bath & Body Works, are single use plastics, meaning that once you run out of that soap, you just throw away the bottle and put a new one in its place. This is not sustainable and can be harmful for the wellbeing of our planet. Second, these soaps are full of fake fragrances, colors, and other additives that are made to look like they are more moisturizing or anti-bacterial. These ingredients are toxic for our bodies and if the average person washes their hands 9 times throughout the day, just think about how much of that toxic hand soap you are rubbing into your hands. And what about your kids? Their little bodies don’t need all of that nastiness on their sensitive skin.
So instead, you can opt for a natural liquid soap such as Apple Valley Natural Soap’s Liquid Castile or Liquid African Black Soap. Not only is this soap safe for your whole family, it also comes in eco-friendly bottles made from bamboo and sugarcane pulp, which are not only 100% recyclable, but also 98% landfill biodegradable. Take it a step further by adding a reusable soap pump or foaming soap bottle to your kitchen, bathrooms, and wherever else you keep hand soap. This way you can just refill your hand soap whenever you run out and have peace of mind knowing you are taking care of your skin and the planet.
We specifically created this liquid soap with Organic olive oil as the main star, and then added a few other oils to enhance the soaps versatility. By adding other gentle and moisturizing yet cleansing oils, this liquid soap is perfect for hands, face and body, plus it may even help with household cleaning!
Try our natural Castile soap for a nourishing and effective cleansing experience for your hands, face and body. Add you own essential oils for a custom scented cleanse! Our premium Castile type liquid soap’s main ingredient is organic virgin olive oil, which deeply penetrates the skin, moisturizing and nourishing while cleansing. We’ve also chosen to combine the olive oil with a rich blend of premium oils to create a thick and versatile soap with creamy lather, gently cleansing while moisturizing, leaving skin feeling soft and smooth. We offer 3 different non-toxic scent options, Unscented, Lavender, and Lemon Verbena.
You can also try our African Black Soap, rich in unrefined Shea Butter & beautifully crafted by families in Africa using only ingredients hand gathered in nature.
African Black Soap which contains a high quantity of natural shea butter is said to be one of the healthiest soaps for all skin types due to the purity of the ingredients used during production. Handcrafted in small batches with ingredients hand gathered from nature, this soap is created by families who cook over open fires, and the “potash” used to finish the soap comes from the fire pits. This version has no added essential oils, but has a mild scent form the natural ingredients. We offer both Unscented and Peppermint scent options in our African Black Soap.
For both the Liquid Castile Soap and African Black Soap, use with one of our Soap Pump Tops for ease of convenience right out of the bottle! Or select one our of Foaming Soap Pumps by Full Circle made of recyclable glass and bamboo!
3. Essential Oils
Last but not least, let’s talk essential oils. Now, this one is a bit controversial but we are going to look at this from a healthy living and toxic-free home perspective.
Essential Oils are quite simply the oil that is extracted from plants found in nature. There are a bunch of natural benefits, plus essential oils have naturally occurring scents and they smell divine! They are an amazing option for those who are sensitive to strong fake fragrances that you would typically find in candles, soaps, cleaning products, etc. There are so many uses for essential oils but I will highlight a few of my favorite. First, they are an easy swap if you are sensitive to the artificial fragrances in candles, air fresheners, perfumes, etc. Swap out your Bath & Body Works products for a defuser and lovely smelling essential oils! You can even have fun mixing and matching different oils in your defuser to create new blends. Second, swap out your hand and body soaps that are filled with artificial fragrances for Apple Valley Natural Soap’s amazing soaps that are scented with natural essential oils. Third, swap our your cleaning and home products for those harnessing the power of natural essential oils such as the previously mentioned and very versatile, Liquid Castile Soaps, which are great for household cleaning. Add your own essential oils to the Unscented Liquid Castile soap for a super easy, cost effective way to clean. Have some fun and DIY your own cleaning supplies, laundry soap, etc.
Need some additional help to start? Look no further! At Apple Valley Natural Soap, we have made it our mission to make sure our products are non-toxic and scented with natural essential oils or natural fragrances. Plus, we now offer Organic Essential Oils and Essential Oil Roll-ons.
Our Certified Organic therapeutic essential oils have many benefits for all areas of life, from cleaning and skin care to aromatherapy and speeding illness recovery. Essential oils have been used for thousands of years for medicinal and health purposes, and they continue to gain popularity as a natural and safe way to treat health concerns. Essential oils are also a safe and effective way to assist with daily needs such as cleaning and body care.
Why Organic essential oils vs non-organic? Organic essential oils are of a higher quality, being produced using high-quality, organic plant material and processed using natural, non-toxic methods. By choosing organic essential oils, you are also supporting sustainable agriculture and methods that are better for the environment. This all means that the oils are more potent, effective, and beneficial.
We offer a variety of organic essential oils such as Organic Eucalyptus Blue Mallee, Organic Lavender, Organic Lemongrass, Organic Peppermint Supreme, Organic Tea Tree and MORE!
Essential Oils when blended carefully create a synergy between their individual properties, which can greatly enhance the individual oils. Our blended essential oils are carried in Organic MCT coconut oil for easy application and perfect for when on the go. All our Essential Oils are 100% natural and pure, plus they are packaged in 10mL dark ultraviolet glass bottles which are designed to block all harmful visible light while beneficial UV and infrared rays extend the freshness of what’s held inside.
We offer 4 different essential oil blend options all designed to help specific needs such as Clarity, Immunity, Lavender (Relaxing), and Serenity. You can use these oils to help with specific needs as well as smelling amazing with a great alternative to perfume.
These are just 3 of MANY product swap ideas we could explore but I hope that this helps to give you a good place to start as you begin your product swap journey. There are things in our home and every day products that can cause unpleasant and even serious health issues. From LUSH to AVNS Natural Bath Bombs, Drug Store Hand Soap to AVNS Liquid Castile & African Black soap, and Bath & Body Works to Organic Essential Oils, these easy product swaps make sure that no matter where you are at with your health and natural living journey, you can have peace of mind knowing you are using products that are safe for you and your family and better for the planet.
Have you made some product swaps in your hair care, skin care, or home care? Do you have favorite or ride or die product swap? Tell us what they are and start a conversation in the comments!
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All my love and have a happy week,
Amanda
APPLE VALLEY NATURAL SOAP BLOG 