You only need to walk into your local pharmacy to see the enormous assortment of personal products available. Numerous companies try to out compete each other through various scents, formulas, colors and features.

Ultimately however, almost every commercial personal product out there today should not be put on our bodies. Naturally, these companies would have you believing otherwise, as their main interest is to sell their products. And thus, millions of dollars get poured into marketing each year to make you somehow feel “inadequate without their product“, trying to solve your “skin issues” from the outside in, and needing the latest and greatest to somehow “fit in“.

For many years, I like most people out there, didn’t know any better and lathered myself with all these products “thinking I needed them“, just like everyone else. Not many of us realize or would even consider that the everyday products that are advertised for us could somehow be “toxic” to us, and yet most of them are. There are chemicals in most everyday personal products that generally fall into one of these three groups: proven dangerous, not tested for their safety, safe on their own but not tested in combination with other chemicals.

Based on this I was stirred to learn as much as I can about the products that I was putting on my skin, hair and into my mouth. My journey lead me to abandon all commercial personal care products and on a search for some top quality natural products.

Many people over the years have found themselves in the same predicament as it becomes more and more common knowledge that what we put on our skin, has a great effect on our overall health. Your skin absorbs so much of what you put on it and than it all goes into your body. This leaves many chemicals circulating in the blood stream,  leaving your liver with some heavy duty work to do, not to mention chemicals that act as hormone or DNA disruptors.

Thus, more and more we see natural product companies springing up each day. Unfortunately, some are not much better than the typical companies, and are only trying to jump on the “natural” bandwagon, not in it really for your health.

This is where my search over the past couple of years has brought me to a company that I would like to share with you in this article called The Green Beaver Company.

Discovering Green Beaver

I first discovered Green Beaver at my local health food store when I was looking for some natural toothpaste. That meant to me at the time, fluoride-free, SLS-free and any other artificial color, flavor, or preservative free. You can read about their toothpastes here or my review of one here.

Amidst the many brands, Green Beaver stood out the best for me for several reasons. I went home and decided to research this new company I found and was really pleased with what I learned.

The company was started by Karen Clark and her husband Alain Ménard through an inspiration from their baby, Joshua. They both had science degrees and started to research the products that they were using on their baby, only to find that most of them were full of chemical dyes, fragrances and preservatives. Thus, they started formulating their own products for their family and this lead to the small company they have today called Green Beaver.

They know that many of the products today have chemicals which have never been tested by themselves, never mind together with other chemicals in synergistic reactions. This is why they have formulated products that are safe for the whole family, including babies. I encourage you to read the following fact sheet they put together on the chemicals in our lives.

Their products do not contain and of the following and are not tested on animals.

- Paraben or hydantoin preservatives
- Sulfate detergents
- Artificial aromas
- Fragrances or dyes
- Phthalates
- Quaternium
- EDTA
- Propylene glycol or petrolatum
- Fluoride
- Artificial flavours or aromas
- Dyes
- Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)
- Chemical whiteners
- Propylene glycol
- Artificial preservatives

I have had experience with Green Beaver products now for about a year and a half, and to date have no complaints about them, and no plans to change to other products.

Just to also let you know, I personally have no stakes or affiliations with Green Beaver.  Since I researched and enjoy their products personally, I also want to share this info to help others as well know that there is a brand out there that they can trust where personal care is concerned.

Why Green Beaver

For me Green Beaver makes sense for a number of reasons:

1. It is a Canadian company and they use almost all Canadian derived ingredients in their products, which are made in Canada. More and more I love supporting the local economy and it not only feels right, but really good to buy their stuff. In fact, I am in Ontario and their company is also situated in Ontario, which works out even better for going local.

2. They use mostly certified organic ingredients in their products. This is a huge bonus as that means that the plant products that they use in their formulas are coming in without the heavy loads of pesticides.

3. Their products are 100% natural, biodegradable, vegan and gluten-free. Hence, I love their foundations and what they stand for. It really resonates with me to use “wholesome, healthy personal care products that are safe and effective for the whole family and our environment.”

4. The products work well. They do what I would expect them to do – nothing less, nothing more.

5. The products are reasonably priced for being a small company, natural and organic.

6. The products are easy to purchase. They can easily be found in health food stores in Canada and several online stores.

7. The products are safe for the whole family. There are only a couple of baby products, only for oil massage purposes, because all the products can be safely used on the whole family. Green Beaver stands for the fact that if you can’t eat it, you shouldn’t be putting it on your body either.

If you also reside in Canada like me, I encourage you to check out Green Beaver and enjoy contributing to your local economy, while you are supporting a small family owned company, that cares about your health and the environment, and has great personal care products.

If you live outside of Canada, you can still take advantage of Green Beaver’s wonderful products, but I would encourage you to look into some small, local companies in your area that are trying to provide a similar level of service, where they genuinely care about your health and the environment.

Green Beaver Line of Products

Green Beaver offers the following products:

1. Hair Care (shampoo, conditioner)

2. Oral Care (toothpaste, toothbrush sanitizer)

3. Facial Care (blemish mousse, moisturizer, cream, eye makeup remover, facial scrub, facial cleanser, exfoliant)

4. Skin Care (light lotions, heavy lotions, body balms)

5. Bath Care (body wash, bath products, soap)

6. Baby Care (massage butter, nursing balms)

7. Lip Care (lip balm, lip shimmer)

8. Deodorants

As you can see the company caters to all the major needs any of us would have. The goal however is in reducing your chemical load and decreasing your dependence on personal care products altogether. Thus it is wise to not only switch from chemical personal care products to more natural ones, but to reduce the amount of products one uses period.

Often we put way more products on ourselves than out bodies need, out of an obsession with cleanliness in our modern society today. When it comes to personal care, we really need to start embracing that less is actually more and understand that good health comes from within. Thus the most should be invested in our diets to build us great hair and skin, and products like these can then be used for general hygiene.

Where To Buy Green Beaver

Green Beaver is available in most health food stores in Ontario and across Canada. See the store locator. Note that not all stores may carry all of their products.

For international customers, many online stores carry their products and ship worldwide. Some even have free shipping to the US. You can see the various online stores that carry their products here.

In terms of online stores, here is the scoop:

1. HealthToYou.com offers Green Beaver products at the best prices, and they offer free shipping in Canada on orders over $89. (This is where I get my Green Beaver products from at this time.  I bought some shampoos, toothpaste and a couple other items in bulk in December last year and have not needed to put another order in all year, until this December again – their products last a really long time!)

2. Well.ca charges a little more for their products but offers free Canada wide shipping on any order.

3. FeelBest.com has prices in between the first two, but offers the best selection of the Green Beaver products and they also have the best international shipping policies. Free shipping in Canada over $40 and in the US over $75. However, their site also seems to be quite slow at times.

More online stores can be found here, but I have found that both, their selections are much lower, and their prices much higher of the Green Beaver Products.

Conclusion

In conclusion, first I am so glad that a company like this exists and I get to take advantage of their fantastic products.

Secondly, know that today we do have a choice what we put on our bodies, when it comes to the products we use because of companies like this one. Are they perfect? Perhaps not, depending on your definition of perfect when it comes to personal care products, health and the environment. Where I am concerned right now, I know that they are the best choice for me at this time.

Finally, throughout the month of November I will be featuring reviews on various Green Beaver products that I have tried to let you know more about some of them specifically.

About the author:
Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.