One time, long long ago, in the terrible, horrible wasteland called High School, a girl named Sonni boarded a school bus, giddy with the anticipation of arriving home after a long day in the classroom.

I distinctly remember the arrival of spring up North, not so much for the look or even feel of the changed weather, but because of the smell of it…a mix of fresh grass and baseball infield dirt and the explosion of six–no, nine–months’-worth of kids’ pent-up craziness.

In my quest for healthier living, I’ve made some changes to my health and wellness routines at home that I’d love to share. These three simple swaps will rid your routine of unnecessary toxins, all while keeping your health and hygiene intact!

If you’ve been lurking around this site for a while–first, thank you! (and HELLO!)–you know that I generally trend toward “safer” beauty products when it comes to what I use and recommend.

Do anyone else’s “getting ready” sessions go something like this?

I exhibit Gollum-like tendencies (THE RING! THE RIIIIING!!!) when it comes to the way I treat my beauty products…

Even though I’ve been off the market for a while when it comes to guys (hi, honey), I have been hitting the streets hard trying to find a natural deodorant that actually works. And you know what? I am here to tell you that the Promised Land exists, because sister friend, I HAVE FOUND IT.

In that way, exfoliating your skin is like cracking an egg. (Except, you know, without the whole mess all over your kitchen and those tiny shards of shell that insist on lodging themselves into your pancake batter no matter how long you fish after them with your spoon.)

It’s the trend that’s been sweeping all the natural health corners of the web for years now, and guess who’s now on board in a big way with oil pulling?

In the world of haircare, there are products you love, and products you looooove. The girls know what I’m talking about.