Live Clean

I have been committed to living a healthy life through nutrition and fitness for over 20 years now.

It took me a lot longer to pay attention to what I was cleaning the house with and what I was putting ON my body as opposed to IN it.

When I got pregnant with Big A I started reading about the toxins in a lot of commercial cleaning products and switched to the all-natural, eco-friendly stuff. When I became pregnant with Little A, I switched to all-natural, eco-friendly personal care products.

I am all for being environmentally friendly for the good of the planet, but to be honest, what really motivates me to make these types of changes is concern for my family's health.

You may remember I mentioned giving up my favorite perfume a while back because it apparently is full of nasty chemicals. I switched to the "Red Tea" scent made my Roots, which is supposed to be somewhat "natural". This was only after a number of trial and errors. I first found a woman in B.C. who makes her own 100% organic, all-natural perfumes. I ordered 4 different scent testers to see which one I might like. The answer: NONE. They ALL smelled like a Christmas tree to me.

This has been my problem with a lot of all-natural personal care products in the past. You pay twice as much but the product doesn't always perform well. The all-natural hairspray I used throughout my pregnancy with Little A was useless. I don't think I had a decent hair day the entire time!

Now I have no problem shelling out the big bucks for my girls. They are still small, after all, and it takes them a lot longer to work their way through a bottle of shampoo. So from the beginning, I have ALWAYS purchased natural care products for them.

But for myself, I often bristle at the idea of spending so much. Cosmetics and hair products are not things I have ever felt comfortable spending a lot on.

Nevertheless, when I had my hair cut last winter at The Curl Embassadors, the woman berated me for all the things I am doing wrong caring for my hair. Washing with shampoo every day, using drug store shampoos with sulphates, etc. was apparently drying out my hair. Still I didn't cave to her pressure to buy their expensive products.

When I mentioned this to my friend Megan, however - who also has curly hair and has been to that salon before, she told me about a line of all-natural products called Live Clean and said that they are reasonably priced.

So I got thinking, if these products are better for me, better for the environment AND better for my hair, maybe it's worth a try. I went out and purchased the Argan Oil shampoo, conditioner and conditioning mask - the whole line is available at most major drugstores and even Walmart, and are often on sale!

Since then I have been ONLY shampooing my hair 3x a week, and just conditioning on the other days. On my condition only days I use the conditioning mask.

I am really pleased with the results! My hair is definitely not as dry as it used to be and has a lot more shine. I've even avoided frizz in this insane heat and humidity.

My only complaint is with the conditioning mask, I am not entirely happy with the texture of my hair after I use it. So when it's finished I am going to try the Fresh Water Intensive leave-in conditioner.

Here is the scoop on these products (Live Clean is a Canadian Company, by the way!!):

Natural, plant based ingredients
Made with up to 98% Plant Ingredients*/Petroleum Free
Live Clean uses plant sourced, renewable, sustainable ingredients and non-petrochemical based ingredients.
Petroleum is a non-renewable, non-sustainable resource.
*Shampoo/Soaps/Stylers and Body Wash 98% plant based. Conditioner 96% plant based.

No harsh, unnecessary chemicals
Live Clean products deliver a luxurious experience while avoiding many of the commonly used chemicals that are damaging to the environment and our well-being.
SLS/Sulfate Free/DEA Free
SLS refers to Sodium Lauryl Sulfate and Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate. These sulfates are high foaming surfactants derived from petro-chemical ingredients used as the primary cleanser in 95% of personal care products. SLS is a primary irritant in personal care products.
DEA = Diethanolamine used in personal care products for rich lather and viscosity building.
DEA is severly irritating and corrosive.
Live Clean products use a palm and coconut derived surfactant that natural and renewable.
Live Clean formulas are mild, safe and gentle, and provide a rich foaming lather.
Paraben/Phthalate/Phosphate Free
Parabens = synthetic, harsh preservatives used for extending product shelf life and have been linked to sensitivity and irritation issues.
Phthalates = synthetic fragrance compounds used to make the scent last longer in personal care products. There are some studies that suggest that phthalates are not considered safe.
Phosphates = additives that contribute to algae bloom in our streams and lakes which negatively impacts aquatic life. Live Clean products do not use any harsh preservatives or unnecessary additives.

Pure Vegan / Cruelty Free
Live Clean products are animal friendly.
Pure Vegan – Live Clean products use no animal ingredients.
Cruelty Free - No animals are directly or indirectly tested or harmed.

Enriched with Certified Organic Botanical Extracts
Certified organic botanicals = extracts from plants that have been grown and processed according to certain guidelines for a sustainable system of agriculture and independently certified by a third party accreditation agency.
Live Clean formulas are enriched with certified organic botanicals such as Rosemary, Chamomile, White Tea, Lavender and Eucalyptus.

Biodegradable Ingredients / Recyclable Package / Local Sourcing
Live Clean works to reduce its ecological footprint wherever possible using the most recyclable materials available, local sourcing and biodegradable ingredients.

**PLEASE NOTE: I am not being paid by the company to endorse their products. However, should the company OR any other company with high quality, ethical products want to pay me to endorse their products, I am totally for sale ;)