fixated -- switching to natural

I don't know when it happened, but one day I turned over my face cleanser bottle and looked at the ingredients.  I've never had perfect skin: red on the cheeks, bigger pores, kinda oily, occasionally blemish-y.  It's definitely not terrible, but it's not ideal.  So I look at my cleanser and look at the ingredients, and I realize  that I have no idea what I'm putting on my skin.  Same with my shampoo (except I know "alcohol," and I sure as hell know that can't be good) and everything else in my shower.


Actually, pretty much every cleaning agent in my house is seemingly comprised of nothing but harsh, unpronounceable chemicals.


This started to worry me.  The idea of coating my body, and the surfaces of my home, in chemicals that may do more harm than good (i.e. covering up problems instead of repairing, spending money on products that  is an alarming thought.  I have heard of the No 'Poo thing, I've read blog posts about washing your face with straight-up oil, and I'm not quite 'there' yet.  However, it did lead me on a search for more natural, less scary ways of cleaning things.


Here are a couple things I'm excitedly trying out:

METHOD

I've heard a lot about Method products before -- mostly from their online marketing and through other bloggers who've worked with them -- but never quite made the leap... until one day I was in a Target and spotted their display.  The colors! The bottles! The smells! And the options!  It's not just hand soap, but dish washing soaps, all-purpose cleaners, kitchen/bath/tile/wood cleaners, you name it, they've probably got it.  I love that they're focused on not just the effectiveness of their product, but sustainability, along with gentle, non-toxic, friendly ingredients... and design!  There's nothing uglier (and, truthfully, more horrifying) than that weird can of Comet that I've always been worried about accidentally inhaling (or my cats!).  Method gets rid of all that garbage and replaces it with something that not only works, but won't kill me and looks pretty.

Jimmy and I went on a cray-cray kitchen cleaning spree with their , and seriously, our fridge, oven, cabinets and countertops with their Antibacterial Kitchen Cleaner in the lemon verbena scent, and our kitchen has never been cleaner.  It practically glows.  And it makes me want to COOK ALL THE THINGS - while not worrying whether my countertop is toxic!

Did I mention it's also incredibly affordable?  Swoon!

LUSH COSMETICS

I can't remember how I stumbled upon LUSH, but I know it had something to do with the internet.  I was immediately intrigued by their products -- fresh, handmade, made of organic fruits/veggies & essential oils, safe synthetics, animal-cruelty-free, all vegetarian/81% vegan, and very little packaging.  You look at all that and you're like, "hey, that's pretty neat," but you don't really get it until you walk into a LUSH store.
I wandered over to their store in Emeryville, CA looking for something to replace my shampoo and conditioner.  I had seen their shampoo bars online and was curious (but not all that optimistic).  First impression: the smells!  I've never been too big on smells, but something about this store -- maybe the fact that it was all natural stuff -- smelled good.  Like, crazy, overwhemingly delicious, suddenly kind of hungry, omg-my-senses-are-awake overload kind of smell.  Probably not for everyone (especially those sensitive to smells!) but I felt like I walked into a candy- and fruit-shop and was immediately engrossed in all kinds of sweet smells.
The store was *jam packed* full of natural, mind-blowing soaps, hair care and skincare products, lotions, bath bombs, make-up, you name it... I actually showed up on the release date of their first ever make-up collection, Emotional Brilliance, which, if I wore makeup, it would probably be this line.  So many colors to choose from!  
The girl who helped me was super nice and not at all pushy.  In fact, she was showing me some moisturizers, and actually recommended applying it while your face was still a little wet to dilute it a bit and make it last longer... my immediate thought was, "Wait, aren't you in SALES?"  It was kind of incredible.  I didn't feel pressured into buying anything, and I was loaded up with samples before I even picked out the products I wanted to try.
They also offered a pretty incredible exchange policy -- even if a product is half-used and you don't have the receipt, and it's just not working for you, you can exchange it no problem.  That is awesome, considering sometimes it takes awhile for you to figure out whether a certain moisturizer or serum is working...

At recommendation from the sales associate for my particular needs, I walked out of there with the Seanik shampoo bar (it's literally a little puck-shaped bar of shampoo! Don't let it fool you, it lathers like you wouldn't believe), Veganese hair conditioner, Honey I Washed The Kids soap, and samples of toner, moisturizer, and body lotions (which are, from what I can tell, fantastic so far).  
A few days in and the products have not disappointed!  I think I may be obsessed... I'm going back today.  :)


So far, my search for more natural products is proving successful!  Do you have any recommendations?  Any products you swear by?


(PS: neither of these companies have paid me or even asked me to write about them, I found them on my own, spent my own money on their products, and am writing this completely on my own accord!  These opinions are unsolicited. )