UnDiplomatic Wife

AMAZON.DE PICKS

Since I order many things on Amazon.de, I decided to share my favorite buys with you guys. As an Amazon affiliate, I may earn a commission from your purchase that does not change the price of the items.

You guys know that I do a lot of research before buying anything, I try to find the best value for money items that are also #buymeonce type of purchases when possible.

For personal care products, because my husband has had cancer twice, I strive to buy items that are free from nasty ingredients so it’s better for our families.

ALL-NATURAL LAUNDRY

It’s important to try to choose 100% natural fabrics when we are buying clothes because each time we wash, micro-plastics like polyester is released into the water system. It’s also important to choose detergents that are 100% natural, including the scent, because many detergents are actually extremely harmful to aquatic life. I constantly look for products that have NO animal by-products, dyes, phosphonates and optical brighteners. I look for pure vegetable surfactants, no petrochemical ingredients, no fragrances (or only from natural scents), no dyes, no complexing agents, no preservatives, no enzymes, no genetic engineering. Must be 100% biodegradable.

  • MARIUS FABRE black soap 5L – dissolve 2 tbsp in warm water & place in the detergent dispenser. Good for all types of laundry including for babies. Can also be used to clean the house, pets, terrace, hair & skin. Can also be used as an organic pesticide. Super money saving & creates a safe home free of harmful VOCs & chemicals.

Another great brand for natural, nasty free laundry is SONETT:

Another nasty product that leaves a coat of chemicals around your laundry are laundry softeners, so no longer use them. Now we use:

  • 100% natural & organic WOOL DRYER BALLS. They make our towels super fluffy without leaving chemicals that can trap bacteria in the towels & make them stinky over time. For 7-8kg drums use 6pcs. We have an extra large dryer so we use 12 balls.

HOME CLEANING GADGETS

Having good gadgets reduced the need for cleaning products which have so many nasty ingredients.

Many of you asked about my white vacuum that has a long battery life especially at the eco setting. It’s an older model – the XIAOMI G10 – so allow me to give you 3 of the newer options. I will never again buy a Dyson vacuum because this is so good at a fraction of the price!

HOME CLEANING SUPPLIES

It’s important to me that our cleaning products do not contribute to the VOCs in our home. The soap we use for our dishes is the same one that we use for washing our skin so you know that it’s gentle yet effective.

SUMMER PROOFING

DEHUMIDIFIERS

Dehumidifiers are important whether you are in scorching summer or winter. They remove humidity, bad odors and prevent molds from forming on your walls, furniture and even clothing, bag or shoes. Avoid dehumidifiers with parfum or fake scents that will pollute your indoor air.

For those based in the USA you can try THIS, THIS or THIS. The important thing is to choose fragrance-free. Beware of fragrance that is not 100% natural, because studies show they can be linked to “cancer, hormone disruption, reproductive harm, respiratory issues, and allergies.”

DRILL-FREE HANGING

KITCHEN

  • We love our XIAOMI Airfryer and it’s even better now with the window
  • ZWILLING Gourmet Self-Sharpening Knife Block in White This is the only brand I trust for knives and silverware. If used properly it’s a #BuyMeOnce type of item. I recommend this white block because the cheaper bamboo block tends to get molds in humid conditions.
  • ZWILLING Steak Cutlery for steak lovers who want to enjoy in style
  • WMF Profi Resist Serving Pan 28 cm the only pan we use that doesn’t shed toxic teflin & we can use stainless steel utensils for cooking. We stopped cooking plastic with our food. 2 handles saves space while cooking, and can also go from the stove top to the table. It also comes in a smaller 24 cm pan which is great for 1-2 people households.
  • SODA STREAM Duo in White comes with 2 glass bottles, 2 plastic bottles and 1 cylinder. This is the only model that maked sparkling water in glass AND plastic bottles. We mostly use the glass to reduce ingestion of microplastics, but when plastic is convenient for picnics, etc.

TOILETRIES

For personal care products, because my husband has had cancer twice, I strive to buy items that are free from nasty ingredients so it’s better for our families. Aside from looking for natural ingredients that work hard, I also look for products that can be used for different things to simplify our lives.

I’m also showing the rating on YUKA at the end of each product.

DEODORANT

These are the ALUMINUM FREE deodorants that we’ve tested and even TD is happy with. He used to use AXE and I became allergic to faux fragrances. When he got cancer we also stopped deodorants with aluminum salts.

I personally don’t need super strong deo in the cold months so these sprays do it for me. But during the summer months I need the ones above. Then I also use the sprays below to refresh if I need it later in the day.

HAND & FEET

MAKE UP REMOVERS

It took me a long time to find products that really remove my make up and don’t irritate the skin. I’m happy to share them with you and I feel like even though they aren’t the perfect solution for the environment, they are still better than the usual make up removal routines.

  • First I wet these GARNIER Reusable Make-up pads with water and wipe off my make up. Since I use more natural makeup (rarely waterproof because they contain PLASTIC) it easily comes off with just water! These pads have been life-changing. I’ve been using mine for a YEAR!
  • Organic cotton pads is another option to clean make up with only water
  • SINUTAN® Konjac Face Sponge 100% Natural & comes with a mirror hook for easy storage. This has been the best for keeping my skin smooth & removing makeup and dead skin while washing my face. 100% natural Konjac sponges usually rate EXCELLENT 100/100
  • Then I use organic miscellar water toner with pad to remove any traces that are left.

Another alternative ae these Korean cleansers:

MAKE-UP

It’s very hard to find make up products without TITANIUM DIOXIDE. ​​The IARC has classified it as a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). It’s literally on everything, but I’ve tried my best to find lip products that do not have it, so we don’t ingest it. It’s been banned in food in the EU, but I feel like it’s so irresponsible to keep it in lip products and eyeliners coz of its proximity to membranes. 

EYES

LIPS

I like that the fragrance, Limonene, LinalooL, Geraniol, Citral are from natural essential oils. For most cosmetics these are all man-made, with a host of harmful effects to our health.

  • LAVERA Juicy Lips Oil get that baby lips look minus the nasty ingredients, natural scent, no titanium dioxide, Natrue certified, climate pledge friendly GOOD
  • LAVERA Cooling Lip Booster super shiny! cooling effect is nice for the summer GOOD
  • ALVERDA Lip Oil in Watermelon or Mango EXCELLENT

Alternatives if you can shop in Rossman:

  • ALTERRA Sensitive Liquid Eyeliner 01 Black from Rossmann
  • ALTERRA Eyebrow Styler in BLOND or in CLEAR
  • ALTERRA Eyelash Treatment
  • ALTERRA Touch of Colour lipstick – titanium dioxide-free!

SPF

I am super picky about SPF coz of the texture. I don’t like sticky creams that leave a white caste. What I like are the HUILE/EAU DE SOLAIREs (solar oils/waters) which dry matte.

  • LA ROSEE Huile Solaire SPF50 is unfortunately not on Amazon.de. If I buy it in a French pharmacy, it’s usually around €20 and in Swiss Pharmacies it’s CHF30. But this is the gold standard for me. Can be used on face, body & hair. REEF SAFE. My husband and son love it too. 100/100 EXCELLENT
  • VICHY Tanning Intensifying Sun Spray SPF 50 is for those who want a tan but want high protection. The texture is unbelievable. EXCELLENT 76/100 coz it is NOT REEF SAFE (may be harmful to aquatic life) & contains ingredients that can cause contact & photo allergies.

JEWELRY CLEANERS

I’m a firm believer in taking care of things to last several lifetimes. This is better for our wallets and the environment. Cleaning jewelry can be tedious & sometimes we think we are cleaning, but we are actually scrubbing off the gold-plating. But I found the easiest & most effective cleaners from HAGERTY and want to share them with you so your jewelry can sparkle with less elbow grease on your end.

HAGERTY SCRUB-FREE JEWELRY CLEANING SUPPLIES USA

PERIOD

I’ve long shifted to single-use plasti-free period products. When my period was heavy lasting 10-20 days, I used the menstrual cups below. I knew it wasn’t normal and found an OB that would advocate for me. I had a Hysteroscopy (instead of the hysterectomy that my previous gas-lighting OB wanted) and she cauterized my endometrium. Now I have super light periods and can manage with Natracare plastic free pads. They aren’t as strong as plastic pads but I feel the difference. No chemical scents, fossil-buel based ingredients, dyes, phthalates, parabens, BPA, PFAS,  lead/arsenic, bleaches or toxins!

You might also want to check out this brand called ORGANYC for organic cotton pads, but I’m still checking if it’s 100% plastic-free

TECH

  • AIRPODS Pro 2 Case with Carabiner super heavy duty & drop tested! The carabiner is so convenient to attach to the plane/hook when I’m traveling
  • POPSOCKETS for MagSafe after testing so many this really is the best protection for my phone. I used to drop my phone a lot but after getting the PopSocket case & PopGrips, there’s not a scratch!
  • POPWALLET for MagSafe with popsocket handle is the best coz I can leave the house with my ID, insurance card and credit card. Mine is in yellow while TD’s is moss green
  • For a safe and legal way to use Google Maps in the car I use POPMOUNT. It’s removable and doesn’t damage the car surface. The Mercedes doesn’t have regular AC vents, which is why I can’t use the POPSOCKET Car Vent Mount. I’m purchasing one for TD’s BMW because it has a regular AC vent.
  • POPMOUNT Flex conveniently holds up my phone so I’m not holding it all the time, reducing the radiation my hands are subjected to.
  • Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Pump it’s hard to put air in the car tires in the gasoline station here so we bought this so we can do it at home. It’s also perfect for bikes, balls and floaties!

TRAVEL

SLEEP

BABY ESSENTIALS

DIPLO-BABY FAVES

GIFT IDEAS FOR BOYS

FOOTBALL PARTY

FIRST AID KIT

LICE

We’ve tried strong chemical removers and they are not pleasant at all. Good thing I found 100% natural PURESSENTIEL NATURAL ANTI-LICE RANGE!

I’ll be updating this page as I go along, so you know where to find it on my blog!

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