Back to School · Intern Edit

Gracie’s Non-Toxic College Essentials

My favourite non-toxic college essentials — small swaps for the dorm, bathroom, kitchen and backpack, one empty bottle at a time.

Words by Gracie Picks by Gracie & Jenn 7 min read

Non-toxic college essentials picked by Gracie, a Baylor senior and ZEBRA intern

Hi! I’m Gracie, a current senior at Baylor University and an intern at ZEBRA, and over the past few years, I’ve become much more intentional about the products I use and the things I surround myself with every day. What started as simply paying closer attention to what I was putting into my body has grown into a bigger interest in creating a more thoughtful environment around me too.

As someone with celiac disease, I’ve always had to be extra mindful about what I put into my body. Reading ingredient labels became second nature to me, and over time, that mindset started to expand beyond just food. Once I started living on my own in college, I began paying closer attention to the products I was using on my skin, the ingredients in my personal care products, and even the materials in everyday items around my home. I realized that there were so many simple swaps I could make in order to clean up my routine.

Through my work at ZEBRA, I’ve learned so much more about the impact of the products we use every day. Being surrounded by people who are so passionate about creating cleaner and more thoughtful products helps encourage me to continue on with a non-toxic lifestyle. I always want to find things that best support my health and make me feel my best.

Whether you’re moving into your freshman dorm or heading back to campus for another year, Jenn and I put together some of our favorite non-toxic college essentials. From dorm room staples and personal care products to easy snacks and classroom must-haves, these are some of the things that have helped make my college experience a little more comfortable and intentional.

Dorm & Living
Personal Care
Kitchen & Food
Classroom

Tab 01 · Home away from home

Dorm & Living

Your dorm room will quickly become your home away from home, so we wanted to start off with some of the everyday items you might not realize have a more thoughtful alternative. A water purifier is something that I use every day. It gives me access to clean, filtered water whenever I need it and helps me avoid relying on plastic water bottles, which can be an easy way to reduce potential exposure to microplastics.

With small spaces and limited ventilation, having an air purifier can also be a simple way to be more mindful about the air that you’re breathing. I loved having one in my room to help keep the space feeling clean, especially after spending so much time doing everything in the same small space.

For laundry and cleaning, I loved having Molly’s Suds products around, like their laundry detergent pods and liquid dish soap! There’s also a bunch of great alternatives to keep on hand for cleaning up your personal spaces, like Branch Basics’ multi-purpose cleaners. Having a few go-to cleaning products makes it much easier to keep your dorm feeling fresh without needing a cabinet full of different products that you don’t really understand what’s in them.

And of course, the most fun part of any dorm: products to make it feel like home! Having a good quality comforter and sheets is one of the most important things you can do for yourself within a dorm — after all, you’re spending every night there. I’m also a big fan of ZEBRA’s The Pillowcase as an easy way to make a small swap in something that you use every night. Little changes like this can make your space feel more comfortable while still also being a thoughtful addition to your everyday routine.

Tab 02 · Read the back of the bottle

Personal Care & Wellness

Personal care is one of the areas where I’ve personally become much more aware of the products I use. Since starting at ZEBRA, I’ve learned so much more about looking beyond the front of a package and actually paying attention to what’s inside. The ingredients in products that I reach for every day are just as important as the ingredients in the food that I eat.

Some of my favorite everyday essentials include ZEBRA’s The Deodorant, The Toothpaste, and The Lip Gloss. All three are easy to incorporate into my daily routine, and I love that they come in different flavors and options so you can find what works best for you.

For skincare and body care, I’m always looking for products that help me feel refreshed and put together, especially during busy weeks. I love ZEBRA’s Eye Cream for when I need a quick touchup, and corrective eye patches for when I have a little more time to slow down and relax. Alongside that, I always make sure I have some form of tinted SPF on hand to help protect my skin and keep it feeling healthy, especially when I’m heading off to class on a sunny day.

College wellness looks different for everyone, but I’ve found that having a few simple essentials on hand makes it much easier to take care of myself during those especially busy weeks. I like to keep throat-soothing cough drops and a spray hand sanitizer bottle in my school bag at all times, just in case. They’re small things, but having them with me means I’m prepared when I need them.

I’ve also included a few supplements that I regularly incorporate into my routine, including THORNE’s Vitamin D, Enzymedica GlutenEase, and a good number of electrolyte packets. As always, everyone’s wellness routine is different, so it’s important to find what works best for you. But these are a few products that I personally love having.

Tab 03 · Snacks & safe cooking

Kitchen & Food

Finding easy gluten-free foods has been one of my top priorities throughout college. Freshman year, I struggled with finding safe places for me to eat, so I often resorted to cooking my own food or finding healthier grocery-store alternatives. Over time I’ve found a few easy staples that make it much simpler to have snacks and meals on hand when I’m busy running between class, studying and everything else that college brings.

Some of my favorite quick snacks are MadeGood’s Granola Bites, MadeGood’s Breakfast Bars, LesserEvil Popcorn and UNREAL Candies. I also love an easy breakfast, so Seven Sundays Sunflower Cereal and Glutino’s English Muffins are two of my favorite go-to options.

Since I’ve had to cook my own food fairly often, I also found it important to be thoughtful about the products I was using in my kitchen. I was lucky enough to have my own kitchen area in my dorm, but even if you’re working with a shared community kitchen, having a personal mini cookware set and safe wooden utensils can go a long way. I’d also recommend getting some glass storage containers and parchment paper for easy baking and meal prep. Keeping a couple of safe kitchen essentials helps make your own meals feel way more manageable.

Tab 04 · Everything in the bag

Classroom Necessities

Finally, we can’t forget about the classroom! A few of my must-haves include UIXJODO Gel Pens and Mr. Pen Aesthetic Highlighters. I also recommend having a good notebook and planner on hand to keep everything organized.

And because college means basically carrying your entire life around on campus, a protective laptop cover and a comfortable tote bag are two practical essentials I wouldn’t leave home without.

Of course, you can always use ZEBRA’s The Pouch to hold your little items. I love having one place for things like pencils, chapstick, chargers, and other small items that somehow always end up floating around the bottom of my bag.

The takeaway

My biggest takeaway from my own non-toxic journey is that you don’t have to overhaul your entire lifestyle to start being more intentional about the products you use. Especially in college, it can feel overwhelming to think about replacing everything you own. Instead, I’ve found that starting small and swapping out products as you run out of them is much more realistic. Working at ZEBRA has helped me understand that non-toxic living is less about perfection and more about being informed and making choices that feel right for you.

So if you’re heading to campus soon, consider this your sign to take a look at what you’re packing and maybe make a few swaps along the way. I hope these swaps make your college experience a little easier and inspire you to find the products that help you feel your best, too.

Blog

Gracie’s Non-Toxic College Essentials

Dorm & Living

Personal Care & Wellness

Kitchen & Food

Classroom Necessities

The takeaway

The full non-toxic college essentials list

Dorm & Living

Personal Care

Kitchen & Food

Wellness

Classroom