Pregnancy-Friendly Body Care

Most women try hard to make sure they are eating properly and not exposing themselves to plastics and cans with BPA, or GMOs or heavily sprayed produce when pregnant and nursing (and all the time, right?). What about skin care? I've been asked a few times as to what I use when I'm pregnant and/or breastfeeding.

Recently I've become more strict about what I put on my body. Even "natural" skin creams, toothpastes, etc. may have GMO ingredients or ingredients that border on toxic. So, here are a few things I use and recipes to go along with if I make them myself:

Body Moisturizers

Coconut oil - I buy it in bulk, usually from Tropical Traditions. If I feel the need for a bit of fragrance, I use a drop or two of essential oil. I use it as an all-over body lotion as soon as I get out of the shower. I also use it on my lips. I will often travel with a very small, leak-proof container of it just for hands and lips.

Body Lotion - HoneyBeeHolistics, an Etsy seller, creates fabulous smelling body lotions that smell good enough to eat. Her products are soy (I'm allergic) and GMO-free. I am in love with her organic coconut banana creme pie version. Since coconut oil doesn't stay solid in higher temperatures, I like to take this with me when we travel.

Honestly, I find that coconut oil is all that is necessary. There is no need for any other fancy lotions. I like the one above because I know exactly what it is in and it smells great. Do I need it? No. It's a "luxury" item. I have also made my own before and while that is nice, with three chidlren and one on the way, I don't always have time for that. It's more time consuming than making deodorant (below). 

Toothpaste

I have pinned a few recipes on Pinterest but haven't ventured into making my own yet. Many "natural" toothpastes, such as Jason's, use carrageenan which is now known as a possible carcinogen and also can cause gastrointestinal distress. I'm willing to bet that Jason's will shortly take it out of their products, now that carrageenan is getting such bad press. However, I have found a toothpaste that works great for all of us - even the kids like it:

It's Earthpaste. Lila likes the lemon flavor and Olivia likes the peppermint. I'm using the wintergreen. You can probably find it locally at health food stores. I bought a four pack at Amazon here.

Deodorant

Homemade: For around the home and running quick errands, I use a homemade recipe from Passionate Homemaking and I think it works really well. You can find the recipe here. I put in a few drops each of peppermint, tea tree and lavender essential oils, however, you can experiment to find what works best for you. I put it in a small glass jar and keep in the bathroom. I also put some in an old deodorant container and keep in fridge as it's a little too soft otherwise.

HoneyBeeHolistics:  Passionate Homemaking's recipe holds me over quite nicely while I'm waiting for HoneyBee's to arrive. She makes an excellent deodorant and I hope she never goes out of business. It's better than any store-bought version I have ever tried. You can find it here. Her shipping is not very quick - but her products are wonderful - so be patient.

Hair

Hair is one I'm still working on. I'm not interested in the no-poo versions. Just not my thing - especially with my thick hair. There are some good German organic versions that I use from time to time. However, most, even American "natural" or organic versions,  use some sort of soy as a thickener or preservative. I'm allergic to soy - so I'm still in the process of finding a good, soy-free shampoo. In the mean time, the ones I do use are SLS and paraben free. I don't wash my hair every day. I wash every other day - so I'm not too worried - but if you have tried a soy, SLS, paraben free shampoo, list it in the comments!

Make-Up

I don't wear make-up daily. I only wear it once or twice a week. When I do wear it, I wear:

Lavera: Lavera is a German brand that I get at local organic stores. It works really well for me, however, when I get back to the States, most likely next summer, I'll have to search out some of the products recommended to me and pinned because outside of Germany, Lavera products are expensive. I don't pay nearly as much here as I would ordering from Amazon, for example. Also, I don't think their whole product line is easily found outside of Europe. I'll likely stock up before I leave - so I'll have enough for an entire year before shopping for a good US product.

That's about it - what do you use?