Every year, there’s a moment when summer officially starts in our house.

Not the calendar start. The real start.

• The paddleboards get blown up and taken down to the lakeshore.
• The giant water bottles come back out.
• The flip-flops take over the back deck.
• My daughter suddenly lives in swimsuits.
• Popsicles become a food group.
• I start spending half my life outside paddling and chasing sunrises with my Axel swimming alongside me.

And honestly? It’s the best season there is.

Summer is the season when I become the most myself.

• Barefoot outside.
• Natural red light in the mornings.
• Piles of sunscreen and natural bug repellents everywhere.
• Forest bathing every day and fireflies dancing around at night.
• Lazy afternoons after work.
• Not washing my hair for days while sun-worn highlights frame my face.
• Reading fantasy novels way too late at night on the patio hammock.

You get the picture.

And if you’ve ever messaged me asking for “your favorite clean sunscreen,” or “the shampoo that actually works in hard water,” or “what natural deodorant actually works in humidity,” this post is basically my giant summer group text to all of you.

These are the things I genuinely use. The toxin-free products for summer that survived my ingredient standards and my real-life standards.

Because if a product is “clean” but performs terribly? I’m not interested.

And if something works amazingly but contains ingredients I personally wouldn’t want in my home every day? Also not interested.

We’re aiming for the sweet spot: better ingredients, better performance, less overwhelm.

Education over obsession. Always.

Heads up: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you shop through them — at no extra cost to you. I only share products I genuinely use, recommend, or would buy myself again.

The Toxin-Free(ish) Summer Essentials

Summertime is when families everywhere buy products they don’t realize are full of toxins. My toxin-free(ish) summer essentials flip the script and make a non-toxic summer not only realistic, but easy.

Here’s what I’m using on repeat.

Mineral Sunscreen That Doesn’t Make Me Miserable

Listen. I have tested what feels like half the sunscreen market at this point.

The biggest thing I’ve learned? Most people don’t hate mineral sunscreen. They hate bad mineral sunscreen.

I personally avoid aerosol sunscreens and chemical UV filters where I can, especially for daily, repeated exposure.

And while “SPF” has become a marketing category, a lot of sunscreens now contain ingredients like butyloctyl salicylate that function similarly to UV filters without technically being classified as active sunscreen ingredients.

So for our family, I prioritize:

• Non-nano zinc oxide
• Fragrance-free when possible
• Non-aerosolized
• Formulas we will actually wear consistently that work

Now, I don’t lather up all day. I spend my mornings SPF-free, letting my skin soak in the natural red light from the early-morning sunrise, then lather up once it heats up.

My current mineral sunscreen favorites:

• Sunny Sailor (new to me this year!)
• Blissoma Photonic (my daily facial sunscreen)
• RMS Tinted (foundation doesn’t touch my face in the summer!)
• Young Living for long boating days
• ATTITUDE Living SPF 50 Spray for my super lazy teens (code WENDY15 for 15% off)

And honestly? The best sunscreen product I own is still a giant hat.

The Summer Deodorant Switch

Summer is when a lot of people decide “natural deodorant doesn’t work.”

But most of the time, it’s not that simple.

Sweat is normal. Odor is bacteria-related.

And a lot of cleaner deodorants fail because they rely entirely on baking soda or powders that clump up in the heat or essential oils that mask scent without actually helping manage moisture or bacteria effectively.

My top 2 summer must-have deodorant swaps:

• KOSAS Sport Roll On (perfect for humid summers)
• Blissoma Spray (doesn’t cause breakouts)

Toxin-free products for summer can still work, even in the intense humidity and heat.

The Haircare Reality Check Nobody Talks About

If you think all clean shampoo sucks… there’s a decent chance your water is the actual problem.

I am the girl who had to wash my hair daily, and now I can go 2-3 days without it, and the humidity doesn’t bring on the greasy roots like it used to.

Hard water can completely wreck the performance of haircare products, as soap-based or sulfate-free formulas often struggle against mineral buildup.

Which is why I care just as much about:

• Shower filters
• Water softeners
• Clarifying
• Chelators…

As I do the shampoo itself.

Right now, I would highly recommend:

• JSHealth (best hard water option)
• Bur Bur (my holy grail!) Use code WENDY15 for 15% off.
• Reverie (best soft water option)
• Yarok (for the curly hair girls) Use code WENDYKATHRYN10 for 10% off.
• ATTITUDE (for the kiddos)

And yes, I still think a good shower filter is one of the most underrated beauty products on the market.

The Non-Toxic Clothing Shift I Didn’t Expect to Care About

A few years ago, I still had a lot of plastic and polyester clothing in my closet, but I had made the transition to organic cotton bras and underwear.

Now? I reach for natural fibers constantly. Especially in summer.

I still believe progress matters more than perfection, but I’ve noticed a huge difference personally by prioritizing:

• Organic cotton
• Linen
• Wool
• And even loving hemp!

And yes, sweating in natural fibers takes an adjustment. The “perfectly dry polyester activewear” standard we’ve normalized is honestly kind of bizarre when you think about it.

My favorites:

• Mate the Label (my favorite activewear line!)
• Jungmaven (missing a GOTS certification, but everything is cut and sewn in CA)
• Pact (90% GOTS cotton & 10% elastane)
• Groceries Apparel (made with organic cotton & hemp)

I don’t have young kids, but if I did, Lauren Conrad’s organic cotton collection at Kohl’s is so dang cute!

My “Bug Season” Must-Haves

Living on a lake in the woods is such a dream come true, but that dream can turn into a nightmare fast, given how many ticks, mosquitoes, and spiders live here, too.

Don’t get me wrong. I know I live in their world. I just don’t want them to bite me, ya know?

And if they do, I want to be prepared.

But also, I am not interested in using options like DEET or other active pesticides. The natural options still work great if you know what you need.

Bugs & Bites lifesavers:

• Young Living Insect Repellent (The sesame oil makes this last long & they come in convenient individual wipe pouches for long hike days.) Use code SHAREYL for 10% off.
• Wondercide pet tick treatment & Cedarcide tick spray (for my fur baby, Axel)
• Murphy’s Lemon Oil of Eucalyptus (for an in-store option)
• Drawing Salve & a Tick Key just in case (found in my Amazon Shop)

Bugs are a serious downside to where I live, but with a little extra effort, it’s not something I stress about.

My Essential Oils Summer Staples

I know the internet has become weirdly anti-essential oils lately, but I still use them constantly in our home. (And no, lavender is not a hormone disruptor. That has been fully debunked.)

Not because they’re magical cure-alls.

Not because “natural means safe.”

But because when used properly, they’re one of my favorite ways to support our home environment naturally, and nothing beats the feeling of swapping my fall/winter diffuser scents with summery Pink Champagne, Seaside & my current fave: Grapefruit Sorbet!

Who needs toxic candles when you’ve got essential oil dupes!

Summer favorites:

• Lavender for sun-stressed skin.
• Peppermint in the diffuser during hot afternoons.
• Citronella blends outside to keep bugs away.
• Frankincense in skincare.

My battery-operated wanderful diffuser is pumping out whatever essential oil blend sparks my summery fancy!

And yes, I’m still extremely picky about sourcing and testing. Young Living grows their botanicals on certified organic farms and farms regeneratively. (You can visit the farms to learn about regenerative agriculture, and it’s such a cool experience!).

What I’ve STOPPED Buying

Honestly, this might be my favorite section.

Because part of building a toxin-free(ish) life is realizing you do not need to buy every wellness trend on Instagram.

Things I’ve personally stopped caring about:

• 14-step skincare routines
• Expensive trendy supplements
• Obsessively replacing every single thing overnight
• “Clean” products that perform terribly
• Fear-based marketing
• Perfection

The older I get, the more convinced I am that:

• Sleep matters more than most skincare.
• Stress reduction matters more than perfect ingredient lists.
• Going outside matters more than wellness stacks.
• Consistency beats optimization.

And honestly? The most toxin-free(ish) thing you can probably do this summer is get off your phone a little more.

The Summer Rule I’m Carrying Into This Season

I don’t want a summer I perfectly documented.

I want a summer I actually lived.

• More walks.
• More sunshine.
• More dinners outside.
• More reading.
• More swimming.
• More slow mornings.
• More “good enough.”

That’s the energy over here this year.

And if you’re trying to build a cleaner lifestyle without spiraling into overwhelm, that’s exactly what I hope this space will always help you do, too.

• Better toxin-free products for summer.
• More education.
• Less fear.
• More life.

That’s the whole point.

Have a great non-toxic summer (or as the kids used to say, HAGS!)

Save the link to my Toxin-Free Shopping Guide for all your summer essentials.