Want to know what products I use in my own home? Here are some of my favorite things.
(Please note that many of these are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to purchase something I will receive a small commission. Your cost doesn’t change at all, but the commission helps support Whole Natural Life, which I greatly appreciate. Rest assured that I will never recommend any products that I myself don’t use and love.)
FOOD
Virgin coconut oil: I currently buy the Kirkland brand of virgin coconut oil at Costco, but for many years I bought this virgin coconut oil through either Costco or Amazon.
Expeller-pressed coconut oil: We use this expeller-pressed coconut oil for most of our cooking. Be sure to shop around on price, though. I usually get mine through Azure Standard.
Shredded coconut: I buy this brand of shredded coconut. I use it for making coconut butter, brownies, cookies, and other baked goods.
Coconut milk and coconut cream: I buy this brand of coconut milk and coconut cream. You can get it online, but in my experience the most affordable place to buy it is your local Asian market. Read this post for more info.
Cacao powder: Lately I’ve been buying this brand of cacao powder; in the past I’ve also been pleased with this brand.
Cacao butter: I buy this cacao butter to make homemade chocolate chips and dairy-free fudge.
Sprouted flour: I try to eat mostly soaked or sprouted grains, so lately I’ve been doing my baking with sprouted gluten-free flours. I buy this sprouted millet flour and this sprouted sorghum flour. I also buy sprouted brown rice flour through Azure Standard. If you’re not an Azure member, I would consider this brand of sprouted brown rice flour.
Honey: Honey is my favorite sweetener. I currently buy this brand at Costco, but any raw, unfiltered honey would be a good choice.
Stevia: Honestly I am not sure what I think about the whole sugar is good/sugar is bad thing…so for now I am splitting the difference by using both honey and stevia in my kitchen. This the the brand of stevia that I like.
STARTERS
Milk kefir grains: Milk kefir grains will allow you to make your own milk kefir at home. The easiest option is to get them from a friend who already makes kefir and has extra grains, but if that’s not an option you can also buy grains online. I’ve had excellent experiences with this brand of kefir grains.
Water kefir grains: You’ll need water kefir grains if you want to make your own water kefir at home. Like milk kefir grains, the easiest option is to get them from a friend with extra grains, but if that doesn’t work out you can also buy them online. I recommend this brand of water kefir grains.
Kombucha SCOBY: A kombucha SCOBY will allow you to make your own kombucha at home. Kombucha homebrewers often have extra SCOBYs around, definitely try to find one locally if you can. This is the way I’ve gotten all of my SOCBYs, so I don’t have any personal experience with ordering one online, but if I ever did have to order one I would pick this brand.
PERSONAL CARE
Deodorant: I’ve been using milk of magnesia for deodorant for the last several years. It’s easy, inexpensive, and effective. When I lived in Colorado, I bought the generic brand at King Soopers for a great price. Now that I live in California, I order this one online.
Face Wash: I use raw honey to wash my face. I currently buy this brand at Costco, but any raw, unfiltered honey would be a good choice.
Moisturizer: I use this jojoba oil to moisturize my face.
Menstrual products: Instead of traditional disposable pads and tampons, I use these reusable cloth pads and this menstrual cup. Read this post for info on why I prefer reusable menstrual products.
Hand soap: I like this natural liquid soap for handsoap. It’s very concentrated, so I only fill my soap dispensers about a third full with soap and then fill the rest with water. Right now I buy it at Costco, but in the past I’ve ordered it from Azure Standard.
KITCHEN TOOLS
Countertop convection oven: We don’t use a microwave, so I reheat a lot of my food in our countertop convection oven. We got it back in 2008, so they don’t actually sell that model anymore, but it’s similar to this model.
Blender: I have this blender, which I’ve been very pleased with. We mainly use it for mixing up chocolates and ice creams, but it’s also great for smoothies and pretty much anything else you’d want to blend.
Lunch crock: Since Jesse doesn’t use the microwave at work, he uses this lunch crock to heat up his lunches at work. We actually have two of them (long story), and they’re both been getting frequent use since 2013.
Dehydrator: I’ve been very happy with this dehydrator. I use it to make yogurt and to dehydrate extra produce in the summer and fall.
Ice cream maker: I use and love this ice cream maker.
Dutch oven: I love love love this Dutch oven. I mostly use it for making soups (we make a lot of them here!); it’s also great for roasts, or anything you need to transfer from stovetop to oven.
BABY PRODUCTS
Cloth Diapers: We used these pocket diapers for our daughter. I loved how easy they are to use. I also like that they are one-size, which meant that I didn’t have to store any larger or smaller diapers (a big plus when you don’t have much storage space). The only drawback for me was that I periodically ran into some washing issues, but that con didn’t outweigh the benefits for me. Our diapers are still in good enough shape to be used for another baby, but if I did have to replace them I would buy these again.
Baby Carrier: I loved this baby carrier once my daughter was big enough to fit into it, around 3 months or so. They’ve since released an updated version, which I’d love to own for a future baby, but I haven’t had the chance to try it out.
Swaddle blankets: I loved these swaddles. After a couple of months we started pairing one of these with a regular receiving blanket to do a double swaddle, which Keira never managed to break out of (and we swaddled her until 8 months!).
Baby Swing: This is NOT a green/natural baby item, but I’m including it here anyway, because the swing was such a lifesaver for us when Keira was a baby. She slept in it full-time until 7 months or so, and then napped in it for a few months after that. We have an older version of this swing, but I believe all the newer models are being released with an auto shut off that kicks in after 4 hours (NOT what you want), so if I have to buy another one I will either get a used one or purchase this model.