Hey there! Super excited to share my favorite personal care clean brands with you today!! For the past couple years I’ve been learning more about the importance of carefully choosing the products we use on our bodies and in our homes. Probably like many of y’all reading this, I grew up dousing my lips in watermelon Lip Smackers and washing my hair with L’Oreal tangle-free grape conditioner (lol). Although those were simpler times, now we have access to so much information about the growing number of chemicals in our everyday products and the impact some of those chemicals have on our health (to be clear – all chemical are NOT bad! Read this post to learn about some common ingredients to watch for). So, in the words of the great Maya Angelou, “when you know better, you do better.”

I’ll also preface this list by saying that I am FAR from perfect and the last thing I want to do is make you fearful or overwhelmed. Yes, these are safer alternatives to the everyday products you might have grown up with or would see on most grocery store shelves – with that said, though, this doesn’t mean you need to go into your cabinets and toss everything you own. Not only would that be super expensive, but it’s also wasteful. Instead, I recommend running out of a product and then when it’s time to replenish, replace it with a safer swap. Don’t let perfection be the enemy of good 😉 Just reading this means you’re doing great!!

Ok, now onto the list of my favorite clean brands by category:

Body/Hair Care

Boie USA

• Rather than a washcloth, we’ve been using these incredible body scrubbers for years. Washcloths are laden with bacteria (yuck) and are less sustainable than silicone, which you can use for a year or more and just throw in the top rack of the dishwasher!

Beautycounter

• For everyday use, I can’t recommend anything else but the Daily Shampoo and Daily Conditioner. I swap every other wash between this and Goop, but use the conditioner every wash. Jake and my parents have been using and loving them for years, too.
• The Sugarbush Body Polish is THE BEST. We use it year round – post shaving my legs, after a day at the pool, or anytime my skin feels dry. So luxurious. It makes the perfect gift, too!

Captain Blankenship

• Amazing clean dry shampoo! They just recently launched one for dark locks, too.

Davines

• I’m still learning how to best use this volumizing mousse, but it smells amazing and definitely adds some volume to fine hair.

Goop

• The G. Tox Himilayan Salt Scalp Scrub Shampoo is AMAZING. I use it every other wash. It feels amazing going on and leaves my hair soft + shiny for days.

Necessaire

• Body Wash: I’ve been using this body wash for almost a year and I love the scents as well as the clean ingredients! This is an unfounded claim, but I think the eucalyptus scent gets more sudsy than bergamot.
• Body Exfoliator: This stuff is great for a luxurious post-bath experience to keep your skin soft and hydrated.

Primally Pure

• I’ve heard great things about their dry shampoo (they have one for light and dark locks) and I love everything Primally Pure does, so I plan to test it out next!
• Their charcoal deodorant is amazing for men – Jake has used it on and off for years.

Rahua

• Another great clean dry shampoo option! Been using this most recently and love how it gives great texture. Probably best for lighter locks.

Cleaning/Household Supplies

I’ll be honest – sometimes you just need to Clorox sh*t. However, for general everyday cleaning, it’s both unnecessary and harmful to people, pets, and the planet. Dousing surfaces with chemicals like ammonium chloride and alcohol aren’t the safest, so here are the brands I use in my home to avoid that:

Attitude

• This hand sanitizer is much gentler and less drying than traditional alcohol-based sanitizers and is also a great price! I keep one handy in my car.

Branch Basics

• I’ve been using BB for years. I initially got the Starter Kit which includes all their staples – all purpose, streak free (my personal favorite), laundry detergent, foaming wash, and general bathroom. The magic is in the concentrate, where you add specified amounts to the refillable bottles for each product. When you run out, you can just buy more concentrate! Everything actually works REALLY well without using harsh chemicals so you can feel goof about food, kids, and pets on your countertops 😉

Dr. Bronner’s

• Their castile dish soap is amazing and their ingredients are so much better than Mrs. Meyer’s!

Dropps

• I’ve been using Dropps for our dishwasher pods, laundry detergent pods, and dryer balls for more than a year now and will never go back. All three are top notch and you can get a subscription discount so you never run out. They are the best!
  • Side note: if you’re still using dryer sheets, that’s a quick and easy switch to make! Dryer sheets are kind of the worst because they’re single use and often have artificial fragrance. Dryer sheets can last for 6-12 months and work just as well!

Marley’s Monsters

• Ditch the wasteful single-use paper towels for reusable ones! I definitely still keep paper towels in the house for things like cleaning glass surfaces, because in my experience they leave streaks, but for general everyday cleaning, wiping up spills, etc., these are an amazing alternative. You throw them in the wash and voila!

Makeup

Beautycounter

I absolutely LOVE Beautycounter’s makeup and use it almost exclusively. See my curated cart with all my daily favorites (also listed below).

• Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer: my daily wear. Sheer coverage with SPF and gives a dewy glow. Absolutely nothing better.
• Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation: my go-to foundation when I want to dress up my daily look. Lightweight and hydrating, doesn’t crease/move, and there are 20 shades.
• Skin Twin Creamy Concealer: two words: NO CREASES!! Lasts all day.
• Cheeky Clean Cream Blush: amazingly pigmented, stupid easy to apply, and comes in a refillable compact!
• Illuminating Cream Highlighter: I think they’re phasing this out, so grab it while you can! All of their cream products are incredible.
• Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick: I hate lipstick (chapstick all the way), but this stuff feels like chapstick while providing a litle more color – using clean ingredients.
  • Not-so-fun-fact: most lipsticks on the market contain lead.
• Lid Glow Cream Shadows: cream makeup forever!! I will never go back to powders – and not just because most contain talc, which is a known carcinogen. These are highly pigmented but super blendable and forgiving.

DIME Beauty

• Volume Mascara: this is my favorite clean mascara that I’ve tried to date – and I have tried A LOT. Doesn’t smudge, elongates lashes, and comes off fairly easily.

Ilia

• I returned their Super Serum Skin Tint because it felt super heavy and greasy to me, but some people love it. Their mascara was also super smudgy for me. They have so many products to try, though, and are super clean – definitely worth checking out!

Kosas

• I’ve heard great things about their Revealer Concealer, so I might try that to compare with Beautycounter’s. Ingredient list is great!

Tarte

• Tarte isn’t the cleanest of brands (I wouldn’t recommend their shape tape concealer, even though it works well), but some of their products are good. I’ve been using their Maracuja C-brighter Eye Cream for a few weeks and will let you know what I think soon!

Thrive Causemetics

• If you want a tubing mascara that’s SUPER easy to take off at the end of the day, this is my pick. It is highly pigmented, but not buildable (because it’s tubing).

Tula

• Tula is another clean-ish brand I’ve heard good things about. I’m not a big fan of their roll-on eye balm, but I’ve heard good things about their purifying cleanser and face sunscreen. I plan to test out those products someday and will be sure to report back!

Skincare

Beautycounter

Beautycounter skincare is, without a doubt, the highest quality + cleanest ingredient skincare I’ve found to date. I used to be so embarrassed about my acne-prone + oily skin, and credit Beautycounter with totally changing the game for me. See my curated cart for what’s in my rotation that I most often recommend (also listed below).

• AHA Reflect Effect Mask: THE. BEST. EVER. I use this the night before I have any event where I want to look my best, because it makes a noticeable difference right away. Sloughs off dead skin and reveals a bright, healthy glow. Unreal. I use it 1-2x per week.
• Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel: my #1 favorite in my nightly routine. Amazing for clearing up blemishes and old scars, brightening and evening the skin tone,
• Countertime Antioxidant Soft Cream: Countertime is the anti-aging line that uses plant-based alternatives to retinol (which is not pregnancy/breastfeeding safe). This stuff is incredibly lightweight while also being incredibly hydrating and effective at reducing wrinkles (and preventing them!).
• All-Bright C Serum: an absolute staple. Visibly brightens skin and goes to work on melasma, rosacea, and sun spots, and scars.
• Countertime Mineral Essence: Again, the whole Countertime line is SO effective for combating aging. This is my ultimate favorite, though, because it feels like splashing a spa serum on your face. It’s luxurious, hydrating, and lasts forever.
• All-Bright Brightening Facial Oil: still getting used to this in my morning routine but so far, so good! Even with more oily skin, facial oils are super important to include in your regimen.

DIME Beauty

• Eyelash Boost Serum: still too soon to call if this really works, but I love the concept of growing my lashes with clean + safe ingredients!
• Eyebrow Enhancing Gel: same as above – I’ll have more to report soon!
• TBT Cream: been using this for a few weeks to test it out compared to my tried-and-true Beautycounter Supreme Cream, so I’ll have more to share soon! So far, I like it!

Ilia

• Lip Wrap Overnight Treatment: this stuff is amazing!! Highly recommend – and it makes the perfect gift!

Primally Pure

• I’ve been getting into gua sha recently, and their gua sha stone is the highest quality you can get. Read more information about the history and benefits of gua sha here and learn how to incorporate the practice into your routine here.