12 Non‑Toxic Personal Care Products I Regret Buying & Why
After beating cancer, keeping my self-care routine free from toxins, endocrine disruptors, formaldehyde releasers, and other contaminants isn’t optional. It’s essential. I keep things clean, simple, and easy. But finding products that actually work has been a much bigger challenge than I expected.
So I’ve been on a journey: testing, researching, returning, finishing bottles out of stubbornness, and learning as I go. Here are the 12 things I did not love, plus the exact reasons they didn’t make the cut (performance, texture, irritation, or packaging problems).
Here’s the complete list of things I did not love, so you can skip a few of the missteps and learn from what I’ve tried.
Non-Toxic Hair Care: Products I Tried and Didn’t Love
Native Shampoo & Conditioner (Vanilla Cream + Pumpkin)
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
I wanted to love these. Pumpkin anything feels cozy in the fall and Native usually nails their scents. The scent was fine. The performance was fine. It just wasn’t good enough for me to repurchase.
Honest “Mama’s Gotta Glow” AHA Face & Body Wash
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
The formula is lovely with gentle exfoliation, and I appreciated the clean ingredient list. But the packaging was a disaster. The cap didn’t close properly and because the product is thin, it leaked everywhere. Maybe I got a defective bottle but I’m not willing to gamble on another.
Attitude Body Wash (Patchouli & Black Pepper)
Rating: ⭐ (1/5)
The scent is overwhelmingly black pepper with very little pachouli, and it doesn’t foam so instead of feeling refreshing, the shower experience felt heavy. I finished it, but I knew immediately I had made a mistake with this one.
Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
I love Dr. Bronner’s scents, and peppermint is genuinely a lifesaver when I have a migraine. As an everyday body wash, though, it’s too thin and runny. You end up using way more than you should because it comes out fast. I like it, but not enough to use exclusively.
Aluminum-Free Deodorant: The Natural Options That Fell Short
Crystal Mineral Deodorant
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
I love the idea of a one-ingredient clean deodorant, but the “apply while wet” routine is a commitment I’m notwilling to make. It worked okay, I suppose. I didn’t finish it and won’t repurchase.
Purelygreat Lavender Natural Deodorant
Rating: ⭐ (1/5)
Even though I bought this because it’s EWG Verified, the texture was a major problem. It drags on the skin rather than gliding and it feels like applying wet sand. I will not be repurchasing.
Attitude Plastic-Free Deodorant
Rating: ⭐ (1/5)
This one had the same sticky, draggy texture as Purelygreat, and the cardboard tube made it hard to push more product up. I finished it only out of stubbornness, not because I loved it.
Dove Whole Body pH Balancing Deodorant Cream (Unscented)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
Not your typical “clean” pick, but by this point I was desperate for something that worked. It lands in the fine category. It was comfortable, easy to apply, and it lasts longer than most aluminum-free options I’ve tried. The catch: you need a lot of product, so the tube disappears quickly. I bought this one a couple of times before deciding I had to move on.
Secret Whole Body Aluminum-Free Spray (Lilac & Waterlily)
Rating: ⭐ (1/5)
I wanted to love a spray since the textures of the other ones didn’t work for me. But they claim of 72 hours of freshness, I was getting more like 7. I had to apply deodorant twice a day and still never felt fresh. No thanks.
Sensitive-Skin Clean-ish Moisturizer: What Didn’t Make the Cut
Vanicream Moisturizer
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
I know Vanicream isn’t ideologically “clean,” but the ingredient list is incredibly short and it’s rated well on EWG. I was hopeful it would calm a rosacea flare. Instead, it stung every time I applied it. I found myself dreading using it.
Fluoride-Free Toothpaste: Clean Options I Tried and Didn’t Love
Attitude Fluoride-Free Mint Toothpaste
Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/5)
The toothpaste itself was fine, but the packaging drove me nuts. It’s so thin and runny that it leaks into the lid andout of the tube no matter how careful you are. I propped it upright in my medicine cabinet just to finish it.
David’s Fluoride-Free Toothpaste (Orange Vanilla)
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ (3/5)
I wanted this to be the one. The orange vanilla flavor is such a nice break from mint, and I repurchased it a few times purely for that reason. But the formula is very thin, so you end up squeezing out more than you need. Even after I learned to store it upright, it still presses out extra toothpaste after you fold the metal tube.
I like it, but not enough to commit. I’ll be looking for something else soon.
Final Thoughts on Non-Toxic Beauty and Clean Living
Non-toxic living isn’t about perfection. It’s about experimenting, learning, and finding what actually works for your body and your life. Some products are wins. Some are “absolutely not.” And most land somewhere in the middle.
Sharing the misses matters just as much as sharing the favorites, because real life isn’t curated. It’s trial and error (and sometimes funny in hindsight).
If you’re sensitive to stinging, skip the moisturizer I tried. If you hate sticky deodorant textures or need packaging that won’t leak, learn from my experience and start somewhere else.
And honestly? That’s the heart of Ashes & Wildflowers. The beauty in the imperfect, the honest, the everyday.