A good conditioner for my usually-past-my-shoulders hair is one item I have yet to find a good, yet not too pricey "green" replacement for. Often they just don't do the detangling job I need them to do. Oh, and most "green" bar soaps make me itchy, so I've been sticking with dove. It doesn't seem to be worth the experimentation. BUT, I am a preserve toothbrush and tom's of maine toothpaste convert :)

I've tried a lot of green healthcare products, but few of them work well with my dry skin type. The only shampoo that actually works is All Soft by Redken and either their or Kerastase's rich conditioner. And I've tried more brands than I can keep count of.

Once I tried a green tooth paste, but goodness, never again; its taste was absolutely appalling!

I use many The Body Shop products nowadays, even if someone might say it's not green enough since L'Oréal is the owner.

It's not that I don't want to use green alternatives, but unless they do the trick as well as products I from experience know will do, I won't change my choices. I'm ready to try a lot of new stuff out though, but not if I'm to pay for it; can't afford using a product a few times, then just passing it on to someone else, so heavy testing comes with a higher salary. They often say that being green is a luxury and in my case I often find it to be true.

I switched to all natural bath/grooming products after doing some reading about all the horrible ingredients in regular ones and how detrimental they are to the health. Luckily, these products are also very environmentally friendly. So it's not just about improving the health of the earth, it is also improving your personal health and making sure that you're not putting unnecessary toxins onto your skin, directly into your blood stream via your gums (mouthwash and toothpaste), or massaging them into your scalp.

The line Aubrey Organics is completely natural, as in you could eat it and you can certainly pronounce everything in it. If you can't eat it, don't put it on your skin or in your mouth. They make great shampoo/conditioner, facewash, lotion, toner, etc. And I'm picky about shampoo. I used to buy fancy expensive shampoos, but this is much better.

Oh, and by the way, Tom's of Maine is not all natural. It still has sodium laurel sulfates and things. Use baking soda or find an ACTUALLY all natural one. This really involves doing some research and label-reading. (Same goes for Seventh Generation products. If it has sodium laurel sulfates or parabens, it is not green and not good for you!!)

From Tom's website, in re: sodium laurel sulfates: "SLS is not the only foaming or dispersal agent available, but we believe it is the best choice due to its long history of safe use, its lack of odor or taste, and its low level of concentration in our products. For those of our consumers who prefer to use a toothpaste without SLS, we also offer a line of SLS-free toothpastes which use glycyrrhizin, derived from licorice root, to foam and disperse ingredients: * Natural Clean & Gentle Care SLS-Free Anticavity plus Whitening Fluoride Toothpaste * Natural Clean & Gentle Care SLS-Free Antiplaque plus Whitening Fluoride-Free Toothpaste"

I forgot to add that I find all the labels very confusing. There's the EU flower, then the Swan that is used in the Nordic countries only, then local "eco" labels, then info regarding companies that haven't even applied for those labels, then the aspect of animal testing (there are some great sources on .co.uk pages for that!), then the zillion ones re Fair Trade.

What troubles me the most is the consideration, or lack of it, of the whole life span of a product - which apparently the Swan label has covered. It's a jungle and the only thing that is clear to me is I don't want to use products that have been tested on animals, but I also don't want to use products that have been made by workers under horrible conditions. And I don't want the chemicals. But on the other hand I don't want an irritated scalp or a skin that's never really not dry. All in one.

I don't have the funds to be green everywhere, so right now I've decided that I'll try to add some organic things into my food basket once in a while, my washing powders are Swan labelled as is my toilet paper, I don't use paper towels but cotton tea towels (next upgrade is organic cotton), and so on. Is there organic linen by the way?

As a conclusion I can say that I appreciate informative comments, not preaching ones.

I use regular toothpaste but I actually want fluoride in my toothpaste; I just don't want it in my water.

Mostly I just minimize use of personal products. I don't wear make up or styling gel for example.

I do use shampoo and conditioner but have been experimenting with replacing them with baking soda and vinegar, respectively. I've been shocked that my hair is no worse than before and no harder to brush through, but I'm still working out how to store and use these products in the shower.

I've switched to bar soap for both hand washing and showering (and leg shaving). For the latter two, rubbing it onto a shower puff works as well as liquid soap except I have to do it 2 or three times.

I use fragrance-free sunblock.

To all you that are having a hard time with natural toothpaste, try JASON products. They taste good and have a great consistency unlike a lot of the natural alternatives out there

I find that the easiest way to understand and know what you're getting is to check the ratings for products on two websites: www.goodguide.com and www.ewg.org/skindeep/. They do the scientific research for you and tell you the safety level of many products.
For the person looking for a good conditioner, I tried and liked Whole Foods, 365 Everyday Value Fragrance Free conditioner. Plus it's cheap! Another great resource is the book:
No More Dirty Looks: The Truth about Your Beauty Products--and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics.