Green Loves: Bath & Body

my own time by quadratiges

For this week, the second installment of Green Loves, I've compiled a short list of eco-friendly(ish) bath & body products I use on a daily basis and highly recommend.
For me, the shift from using the standard commercial products I grew up with (Colgate toothpaste, Pantene shampoo, etc.) happened when I moved to Japan. When I came back to the states, I found that my nose had grown so accustomed to the gentler, milder scents used there, that the strong American fragrances completely bowled me over.
Around the same time, I discovered Etsy, and a world of handcrafted, artisan soaps and body products opened up for me. Through the vendors there, I learned to pay attention to the ingredients in my soap; for example, someone with crazy-sensitive and dry skin like me should use an olive oil-based soap, and avoid those heavy on coconut oil.
I also found, upon my return stateside, that a chain of stores called Whole Foods had sprung up in my absence, and lo, the organic/natural products* were plentiful and varied.
There are a lot of great reasons to make the switch to greener body care -- it seems strange to me now that in an effort to maintain good hygiene I was dumping seriously icky chemicals all over myself and down the drain -- but frankly I like my new choices for the simple fact that they smell/taste nicer and feel better on my skin.
I still have a ways to go before I can claim that everything I use on my body is completely green, but after a lot of trial and error, these are the products that are now a permanent fixture in my bathroom.

• Toothpaste: Weleda, in Calendula (the Ratanhia is also nice, but turns your toothbrush bristles purple)
  
• Deodorant: FlameWorks, vegan, aluminum-free, comes in dozens of great scents (I like Apothecary Vanilla)
  
• Body Wash: Dr. Bronner's, natural and fair trade liquid soap in Almond, I also use it as a make-up remover and shampoo (in a pinch)
• Bar Soap: Savor, handmade soaps in the yummiest scents (my favorite so far is Snow Cat)
• Cotton Rounds: 365 Organic, made with organic cotton (available at Whole Foods)

What are your favorites?

*not everything that claims to be 'organic' or 'natural' genuinely lives up to the name -- always check the ingredients.