This post contains affiliated links.

When I was preparing for conception, I reworked my whole skincare routine! It was overwhelming at first but I came up with some tips and tricks to make it easier. I also have some of my favorite low-toxicity products listed in this blog if you want shopping recommendations!  

I looked to the experts

One of the first things I did was look to Dr. Yvonne Burkart. Her Youtube and Instagram are full of amazing information to get started on living a low-tox lifestyle! She has an amazing course on safe ingredients for moms that I highly recommend. The course was the perfect guided deep dive I needed. I really appreciated the guided instruction as I was removing toxic ingredients from my life. 

I ditched fragrances

One of the first things I eliminated from my skincare was fragrances! No more fragrance, parfum, perfume, or scent for me! Fragrance can trigger migraine and asthma in both adults and children. But even scarier, in laboratory tests of human umbilical cord blood,  common synthetic musks (Galaxolide and/or Tonalide) were found in seven out of ten newborns that were sampled! A common parfum enhancer, diethyl phthalate or DEP is listed as an endocrine disruptor by the European Commision on Endocrine Disruptors. Like I mentioned in last week’s blog, I was preparing for conception after being diagnosed with endometriosis and losing one of my ovaries. I was not going to risk any endocrine disruptors! 

 Instead of fragrances, I look for products that are scented with essential oils, like my favorite Vanilla Lavender Puracy Hand Soap. I love to follow it up with this super moisturizing, Goat Milk Body Lotion. 

My 1-3 Rule

Ditching fragrances meant I started to read all my skincare labels like I read my food labels. And oh boy! Those labels are overwhelming. So I came up with a rule for myself. If there were 1-3 ingredients on the label that I couldn’t pronounce, I might give the product a pass. If there were 10 ingredients I couldn’t pronounce? It’s not the product for me! That made shopping a bit easier and more realistic, while also encouraging me to move to a low-tox lifestyle. 

For instance, I love that I can pronounce every ingredient in my Burt’s Bees Lip Balm. My Alaffia Coconut Body Wash is another product that passes my 1-3 Rule, and has no synthetic fragrances!

Let’s Look at Laundry

It’s not exactly skincare, but our clothes are touching our skin the majority of the day! When making revamping my skincare routine, I looked at my laundry products. Now, to be totally upfront, my usual choice of laundry detergent doesn’t meet my 1-3 rule. But! Tide Free and Gentle is dye and fragrance free, which is important to me. I can also easily find it at the grocery store. Another option that does meet my 1-3 rule is the Molly’s Suds Laundry Detergent. You can always make your own detergent.

I also ditched any laundry enhancers! The Gain, Downy, and Tide scent enhancers and dryer sheets are full of fragrances that linger against your skin and can irritate your whole body. Instead of dryer sheets, I use wool balls to help soften my laundry in the dryer.

It’s a Journey

We live in a world that is full of synthetic ingredients that are not ideal for our bodies. Of course, we would all love to be 100% toxic free. But we need to do what is also best for our own families, budgets, and energy levels. Any steps we can take to reduce toxic ingredients in our lives are positive changes. Remember, that it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Comment below and tell me some of your favorite nontoxic skin care products! 

As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.