We’re in the depths of winter which means many folks are thinking about giving their household a deep clean. What better place to start than in the bathroom?

Turns out there are sneaky allergens and toxic ingredients lurking everywhere, even in our toothpastes, mouth washes, shampoos and body washes.

Wellness expert and practicing dental surgeon Dr. Flora Stay gives us some tricks on how to decide what stays and what goes when revamping your medicine cabinet. Here are couple helpful tips:

Steer clear of troublesome ingredients. Alcohol, dyes, gluten, parabens, formaldehyde, salicylate plant extracts, essential oils and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are common irritating ingredients. These can lead to everything from an itchy scalp to skin rashes. When used in toothpaste or mouthwash, they may lead to bad breath and cavities!
Learn the difference between ‘dermatologist tested’ and ‘dermatologist recommended’. Having a bad reaction to an ingredient is more common than you may realize. Just because a product is ‘Dermatologist Tested’ does not mean that the dermatologist liked the results.
You don’t need special toothpastes and mouthwashes with a long list of ingredients for gum disease, sensitive teeth, bad breath etc. The right ingredients can balance the environment in your mouth. I recommend looking for three key ingredients: baking soda, xylitol and disodium phosphate.