It can be quite easy to declare a desire to live out a more natural lifestyle—but another thing entirely to act that out.
The truth is, living a more natural lifestyle isn’t about making big decisions and swearing vows—it’s about the small changes that add up to a huge impact on your health as time goes by. Making choices and buying products that support a natural lifestyle means committing to a new way of living that has no expiration date.
Think you’re up to the challenge? If so, we’ve got five health products that we think can help you in your pursuit of a better lifestyle.
1. Cruelty-Free Makeup Products: It’s hard to try to switch over to a natural lifestyle while remaining a patron to products that condone or outright endorse business practices that are harmful to our environment. That means that—if you’re going to commit fully—you might need to make some hard decisions and seek out alternatives to products you may not be used to.
Often, this means going through makeup bags and spending a little bit of time on the internet researching what’s inside individual products. While this may initially be a daunting task, there’s a lot to be gained by cutting out the old and making way for the new.
As reported by the National Institutes of Health, using natural products reduces the risk of a myriad of different problems with DNA production, autoimmune diseases, and more. While there’s no magic-bullet natural product to use that can outright eliminate problems, there is a clear and quantifiable value to you when cutting out unnatural and questionable products.
It’s more than skin deep.
2. Black Toothpaste: Moving away from beauty products, other important items in your bathroom cupboard could be improved by natural alternatives. For example, have you considered your toothpaste?
While there’s little wrong with commercial variants, it’s widely reported that using charcoal embedded within toothpaste can lead to whiter teeth and a cleaner gum-line. While there’s still some debate about whether or not using charcoal or activated charcoal is necessarily better for you, it’s clear that this natural alternative is one worth considering.
From black toothpaste to charcoal-activated toothbrushes, there is no shortage of places to start with replacing your hygienic products with safer, cleaner alternatives. Eventually, this transition will just feel like another aspect of your regular, healthier life.
3. Fitbits: Promoting a healthier lifestyle can sometimes mean replacing products you often use to minimize your environmental impact—but it can also mean purchasing products that will keep you accountable for living out a more natural and healthy lifestyle.
This is where a Fitbit or similar device becomes vitally important. These products remind you of your fitness goals and keep you accountable for your health. After all, if you’re going to be living a more natural lifestyle, it’s important to get out of the house and see nature more often.
Fitbits and similar devices can remind you when you’ve been sedentary for too long, track your distances and workouts, and even show you how many calories you’ve burned. With so many reminders to get moving, finding yourself in a local park or deep in a National Park is one of the best ways you can live out a more natural lifestyle.
4. Deodorants: Did you know most deodorants and antiperspirants contain traces of aluminum metal?
While surprising to many, the effective nature of many artificial antiperspirants in particular stems from their need to clog and seal off pores that release natural pheromones and odorous fumes.
These aluminum-based compounds are highly effective at sealing off these pores but at a cost. Generally, your body will absorb these pores and integrate the contents of the deodorant with your body. According to some preliminary research, exposure to these aluminum-based products over time can increase the risk of developing certain cancers.
While the research and clinical trials continue to uncover more about deodorant, why not switch to natural products and avoid unnecessary stress and risk? Natural deodorants have been used for thousands of years and can even leave you smelling better than the stuff you purchase over the counter.
5. Lotions: Finally, maintaining healthy skin and pores can be a real struggle, even when you’re not trying to pay close attention to the ingredient list. Many products with large advertising budgets can make boisterous claims that act as if their lotion or balm makes a world of difference for your skin and health.
While there are of course questionable ingredients within these lotions, the real noteworthy health benefit for switching this product out is the ease of mind of knowing what exactly you’re using on your body.
Lotions, balms, and similar products can be created and mixed in the home and even infused with your favorite herbs for a custom-made beauty product. You won’t need to worry about cruelty-free products as you make your creations from waxes and oils that can be locally sourced.
Anything from baby lotions and muscle relaxants to moisturizers and anti-aging creams can be made at home. And the best part? If you double up on products and use that for other home needs, going natural might even be more cost-efficient!
Final Thoughts: As you can tell, there is not one way to go into a natural lifestyle. At the same time, there’s no use switching to natural beauty and health products—only to continue with a sedentary life eating lots of processed foods and drinks.
Living a more natural lifestyle also means striving for a more healthy, active lifestyle. By choosing to live better and spend more time in nature, you can renew your body as well as your mind. According to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), you can scientifically lower stress and reduce depression symptoms just by going outside.
In either case, being mindful of your health and taking control of your health products can and will result in a more natural lifestyle.