Bathroom Products Archives - Reactual

A Curated List Of Healthy Home Products

Justin Thomas — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 01:01:00 +0000

This my curated list of home products worthy of consideration:

Weddell Duo Shower Filter:
Unlike many shower filters, this Weddell filter is actually documented to work on removing many contaminants in your shower filter. It will make your skin and hair healthier.

Jaspr Air Filter:
The Jaspr filters the air in your home significantly better than most air filters. The filter designers figured out how to moves a lot of air through without making much noise. It also monitors air quality in real-time, and removes the air contaminants as soon as they are detected.

Venta Air Washer Humidifier:
This device combines good humidification and mild air purification for cleaner indoor air. Good if you have dry air in winter.

AquaTru Countertop Water Purifier or AquaTru Carafe Alkaline Mineral Boost Countertop Water Purifier:
These water purifiers use advanced multi-stage filtration to deliver pure water while the Alkaline Mineral Boost adds essential minerals.

Luxe Bidet Neo 185:
This bidet attachment stands out with a self-cleaning nozzle and easy installation for enhanced hygiene.

Our Place Titanium Always Pan Pro:
This frying pan stands out with a titanium nonstick surface that you don’t have worry about scratching.

Waterpik Cordless 2.0 Water Flosser:
This water flosser is clinically proven to remove up to 99.9% of plaque.

Philips Sonicare 9900 Electric Toothbrush:
This toothbrush stands out with AI-powered SenseIQ technology that adapts to your brushing style. Good for protecting your enamel.

Miele Classic C1 Bagged Canister Vacuum:
Renowned for its powerful suction and durability. Made in Germany.

Panda 3200 rpm Portable Spin Dryer:
This spin dryer offers efficient, gentle drying at high speeds. Spin drying is much more energy efficient than electric tumble drying. Spinning is also faster — it takes two to three minutes to get clothes to a “barely damp” state.

Sylvania LED TruWave Natural Series BR40 Light Bulb, Twilight Bulb, Koze Bulb, Hooga Red Sleep Light Bulb:
These bulbs are designed for health and wellness, offering natural light spectrums or sleep-enhancing red wavelengths.

ASUS HDR Monitor 4K:
This monitor stands out with 4K resolution and eye-protection technology for comfortable viewing.

Sttoke Leakproof Lid Shatterproof Tumbler:
These drink tumblers offer leakproof lids and shatterproof construction.

State Cashmere Throw Blanket:
This blanket is crafted from premium cashmere for luxurious softness and warmth.

Safavieh Natura Collection & nuLOOM Flat Weave Solid Tassel Area Rug:
These wool rugs stand out for their softness, durability, and eco-friendly, natural materials.

Naturepedic Organic Adjustable Latex Pillow:
This pillow offers adjustable latex fill and organic cotton cover for customizable, non-toxic comfort.

Shepherd’s Dream comforter:
Made from pure wool and organic cotton, this comforter stands out for its breathability and natural temperature regulation.

Redecker Tampico Fiber Exfoliating Massage Brush:
This brush uses natural tampico fibers for gentle exfoliation and improved circulation.

All Natural Latex Pillow With Organic Cotton Outer Covering:
This pillow stands out for its natural materials and hypoallergenic design, promoting restful sleep.

Yoloha XL Unity Cork Yoga Mat:
This thick, eco-friendly yoga mat is made from cork and latex for superior grip and comfort.

Thrive Bodyshield SPF 50 or Thinksport SPF 50+ Mineral Sunscreen:
These sunscreens use mineral-based ingredients for broad-spectrum protection without harsh chemicals.

The post A Curated List Of Healthy Home Products appeared first on Reactual.

Thrive: A Reef-Safe Sunscreen Made With Plant-Based Ingredients

Justin Thomas — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 19:56:31 +0000

Thrive Bodyshield SPF 50 is an admirable plant-based, non-toxic sunscreen.

Thrive uses non-nano zinc oxide as its primary active ingredient, which is considered gentler on coral reefs compared to chemical sunscreens. The non-nano zinc oxide formulation is not only better for marine ecosystems but also considered beneficial for overall skin health

The sunscreen is formulated without oxybenzone and octinoxate. These chemicals have been banned in some locations like Hawaii and Key West due to their harmful effects on coral reefs.

The sunscreen offers broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection. It applies smoothly and is less oily compared to many other reef-safe alternatives.

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A List Of Plastic-Free Bathroom Products

Justin Thomas — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:00:09 +0000

Here is a list of plastic-free bathroom products available on Amazon:

Plastic-Free Shampoo

Plastic-Free Conditioner

Plastic-Free Toothbrushes

Plastic-Free Toothpaste

Plastic-Free Floss

Plastic-Free Body Lotion

Plastic-Free Shaving Soap/Cream

Plastic-Free Deordorant

Plastic-Free Lip Balms

Plastic-Free Bandages

Plastic-Free Razors

Plastic-Free Bathroom Products Brands

Here are some direct links to non-plastic brands:

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The Softest Organic Towels: Temescal Towels

Justin Thomas — Thu, 06 Apr 2023 19:29:00 +0000

The softest organic towels I’ve found are Temesecal Towels from Coyuchi.

Temescal means “sweathouse” in Central America, and these towels are very light, fluffy and quick drying. They are made with long-staple Turkish cotton which is naturally soft.

The cotton is woven with narrow vertical channels for added drying power.

Temescal Towels are GOTS certified, so they do not contain any bleaches, dyes or other chemicals.

The post The Softest Organic Towels: Temescal Towels appeared first on Reactual.

A List Of Turkish Beach Towels Made With Organic Cotton

Justin Thomas — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 02:40:43 +0000

A Turkish towel is a towel made on traditional looms with long-staple Turkish cotton.

Long staple cotton is derived from the Gossypium barbadense species of cotton, which yields cotton with unusually long, silky fibers.

Over time the long fibers of the Turkish cotton open up allowing more water to absorb into the towel.

Turkish towels were invented in the 17th century in Bursa, Turkey. They also can be called Turkish peshtemal bath towels, foutas and pestemals.

All of the towels listed below are made with organic cotton and are Oeko-Tex certified.

To attain Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification, the fabric has been tested and certified to be free from harmful levels of more than 100 substances known to be harmful to human health.

Smyrna Turkish Beach Towel — 71″ by 31″ — 100% Organic cotton — Oeko-Tex certified — 425 GSM (grams per square meter) — $20
Club Kokomo Turkish Beach & Bath Towel — 69″ by 37″ — 180 GSM (grams per square meter) — $20
DEMMEX Turkish Beach Towel — 71″ by 39″ — 100% Organic cotton — Oeko-Tex certified — 380 GSM (grams per square meter) — $16

Club Kokomo Turkish Beach Towel

The post A List Of Turkish Beach Towels Made With Organic Cotton appeared first on Reactual.

The Best Shower Filter

Justin Thomas — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 16:45:00 +0000

If you only want to remove free chlorine and other impurities from your water, I recommend getting a Sprite Shower Filter. This is one of the few showers filters that will remove most free chlorine from your shower.

If you want to remove both chloramines and chlorine from your shower, I recommend a vitamin-C based shower filter, like the Sonaki In-Line Filter

This combination filter is also available — it incorporates a sediment filter and a Vitamin C filter into one unit.

The Details

Almost all popular shower filters available today only remove 20% – 80% of free chlorine (not total combined chlorine) from your shower. This includes shower filters that are certified by the NSF #177 Standard — unfortunately this standard only indicates that a filter will remove 50% of free chlorine in the water.

Also, many cities now treat water with chloramines instead of chlorine. There are no conventional shower filters that will remove more than a small amount of chloramines from your shower. The only way to remove chloramines is to use a Vitamin-C based shower filter which are only made in Korea and Japan.

Why Filter Your Shower?

Because your skin absorbs substances while showering. Typically, 60% of the chlorine that most people absorb daily comes from showering in chlorinated water. Chlorine damages your hair and skin.

Shower water also contains things like heavy metals and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Ideally, all these things should all be filtered out, but filtering water at the showerhead is problematic, because the water is typically hot and under high pressure, making filtration difficult. Carbon filters, which are normally excellent at remove chlorine, cannot handle the volume and heat of shower water.

Because of these problems, most shower filter makers rely on a metallic medium called KDF. Shower filter vendors typically show impressive charts to demonstrate long-term removal of chlorine. However, if you read the tests carefully, you’ll see that they apply to “free chorine” (chlorine that has not combined with other constituents in water), and the reality is that KDF-filters have little effect on “total chlorine” (combined chlorine). In fact, chlorine is often added at the water plant as a blend with ammonia called “chloramine.” KDF is not effective at removing chloramine or combined chlorine.

Here are the details on my recommended shower filters:

Vitamin C Shower Filters

Vitamin C shower filters are very effective in removing chlorine and chloramines from shower water. Chloramine or NH₂Cl (a combination of chlorine and ammonia) is now commonly being used in place of chlorine for disinfection, but chloramines are not easily removed from water. Carbon filters are virtually useless in showers, because they do not work when the water is warm, and they also get clogged fairly quickly. KDF filters also don’t perform well in hot water, and they don’t remove chloramines. However, Vitamin C filters can remove chloramines effectively from water. To back this up, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission now states on their website that only Vitamin C can be used to remove chlormaines from municipal water. Here is the quote from the Commission:

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has recently been included in AWWA Standard (AWWA, 2005b) as one of the methods for dechlorination of disinfected water mains. SFPUC and other utilities have used Vitamin C for dechlorination prior to environmental discharges of chlorinated and chloraminated water. Since ascorbic acid is weakly acidic, the pH of water may decrease slightly (Tikkanen et al., 2001). Ascorbic acid has been used for a long time as one of the dechlorinating agents for preservation of chlorinated or chloraminated water samples for laboratory analysis.
The full document can be found here.

Vitamin C filters are simple in design — they contain a solid block of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), and water runs through the filter and comes into contact with the Vitamin C. The Vitamin C neutralizes about 99% of the chlorine and chloramines in the water, and their effectiveness does not diminish until the Vitamin C is completely used up.

My recommendation for a Vitamin C showerhead is the Sonaki In-Line Filter

The filters last about 2-4 months before they need replacing, depending on how many showers you take. The filter is transparent, so you can see when the Vitamin C has run out.

Refills for the Sonaki filters are priced at $37 for 5 filters.

Sprite HOB-CM Brass Shower Filter

If you are just interested in removing free chlorine and sediment from your water, my recommendation is to use a Sprite Shower Filter. This filter is NSF Certified to standard #177 for shower filtration. It removes most free chlorine and some combined chlorine, sediment, hydrogen sulfide, iron oxide. Besides the fact that it does not remove chloramines, this is pretty good filter, and it is constructed with brass instead of the usual plastic.

The filter comes with a one year warranty, it is rated to filter 20,000 gallons or last 12 months, which ever comes first. It should be flipped half-way through the year. If the O-ring on the filter breaks, Sprite will replace it for free.

You can get the Sprite Shower Filter on Amazon for around $48.

See also my review of low-flow shower heads — these shower heads can be used in conjunction with these filters.

The post The Best Shower Filter appeared first on Reactual.

The Stealth Toilet: The Quietest and Most Water Efficient Toilet

Justin Thomas — Sat, 28 Sep 2019 01:30:43 +0000

In the U.S., toilets account for 30% of indoor water use. This is mostly due to their inefficient design.

However, there are alternatives for the home. The most water efficient toilet I’ve found is the Stealth Ultra-High-Efficiency Toilet toilet by Niagara.

The Stealth uses only 0.8 gallons per flush (GPF). This is much less than the average toilet that typically uses 2.5 gallons per flush. It’s also 37% less water than a “high-efficiency” toilet (those certified by EPA WaterSense).

The Stealth toilet achieves this low rate due a unique hydraulic design. By harnessing the energy of water filling the tank, Stealth pressurizes the exit pipe of the toilet. This creates a swift, powerful flush using only 0.8 gallons of water.

The manufacturer of the Stealth also claims that is also the quietest toilet available.

I’ve had two of these toilets installed in my house — and they flush better than most toilets I’ve encountered.

The Stealth Ultra-High-Efficiency Toilet is available on Amazon for about $230.

Here’s the Stealth home page.

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Buy It For Life: Grooming Tools For Men

Justin Thomas — Wed, 24 Dec 2014 01:29:03 +0000

In our “Buy It For Life” posts we feature products that are built to last a lifetime. We also give preference to products that are very durable, are warrantied for life, and are made in the U.S.

Groom Mate Nose Hair Trimmer

The Groom Mate Nose Hair Trimmer is made with brushed stainless steel. The trimmer doesn’t require any batteries — instead you twist the bottom with a gentle motion, and the rotary blades cut ear or nose hair without the risk of injury. The trimmer received an average of of 4 out 5 stars from over 530 Amazon buyers. It comes with a lifetime “no questioned asked” guarantee. Priced at $18.88 from Amazon.

Khlip Ultimate Clipper

We reviewed this clipper from Khlip in our last post. The Ultimate Clipper is made with surgical stainless steel in the U.S. It has a unique design that allows for effective nail clipping. It comes with a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects. The Ultimate Clipper is available directly from Khlip for $50.

See also this Seki Edge Toe Nail Clipper from Japan — its a quality clipper, and it sells for $18.

Tongue Sweeper

Bad breath is often caused by an accumulation of bacteria and fungi on the tongue. In fact 80-95% of all cases of bad breath are due to these bacteria accumulating on one’s tongue (see this article for more info).

The Tongue Sweeper featured here is designed to allow easier cleaning of the back of tongue. It comes with a lifetime warranty. There are two models: a titanium version, and a stainless steel version.

Merkur Heavy Duty Double Edge Razor

Merkur Razors are handcrafted in Solingen, Germany. These classic safety razors have been in use for over a hundred years. Compared to using disposable-blade razors, safety razors are much less expensive to use in the long term.

Merkur razors receive high-praised by Michael Ham, author of the Leisureguy’s Guide To Gourmet Shaving. Ham says the a Mercur is “the pre-eminent” razor due their excellent design and weight. The heavy stainless steel construction actually helps with the shaving process, since you don’t have to apply pressure — gravity does work instead.

Merkur Razors are available on Amazon.

Ernest Alexander Dopp Kit

This Dopp Kit is handmade in the U.S. by New York-based designer Ernest Alexander. Alexander says his products are constructed to last a lifetime. His Dopp Kit is made with charcoal wax canvas, brown leather bottom and trimmings, and brass rivets.

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