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Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Shopping List for iHerb: Kitchen Essentials, Natural Medicines, and Skincare Products to Buy

I'm really happy that iHerb ships internationally to Singapore. They sell so many varieties of organic food, health supplements, skincare and natural products at a comparatively low price compared to Singapore. And their shipping fee is incredibly low! There are things that I need that are either unavailable or expensive here. If you are curious or don't know what are the things worth buying on iHerb, here is a list of things that I compile to help you start your journey of healthy and natural living. Hope you find this list useful. If you're first time customers, you can use my affiliate code RKF401 to get $5 off $20 purchase or $10 off $40 purchase.



Kitchen Essentials

Coconut Oil: A healthy oil that is good for cooking, stable for deep frying, helps you to lose weight, and keeps our skin and hair healthy.

Real Salt: Unprocessed and raw sea salt that is rich in minerals and taste good!

Sucanat: A less-processed natural sweetener that I use for cooking, baking, and making water kefir.

Organic Coconut Sugar: Another natural sugar low in GI that I use in cooking or making desserts such as palm sugar jelly.

Stevia Powder: A zero-calorie natural sweetener that is 200x sweeter than table sugar. I tried munching on fresh stevia leaves while in Desaru Fruit Farm and it is indeed sweet!

Pure Vanilla Extract: Organic Madagascar pure vanilla extract that I use for baking or flavor soaked oatmeal.

Raw Honey: Used for cooking, baking, making herbal tea, almond milk and facial.

Arrowroot Starch: It's a natural replacement for corn starch that I use for cooking.

Coconut Flour: Gluten-free flour for baking.

Quinoa: Gluten-free grain.

Steel Cut Oats: Our daily breakfast staple - soaked oatmeal.

Rye Flakes: I add this to my soaked oatmeal to reduce the anti-nutrients in the oats.

Apple Cider Vinegar: I add this to make bone broth as it draws out the nutrients from the bones, add to oatmeal, and is also good as a hair rinse.

Chia Seeds: Gluten free, high in fiber and omega-3, complete protein to boost energy, and high in antioxidants. I mix it with my homemade wheatgrass juice or coconut water.

Organic Almonds: For snacks and to make almond milk.

Organic Dates: To sweeten baked goods, almond milk, or to eat as snack. It is rich in iron. My daughter loves dates!

Cereals and Trail Mixes: Kashi is my favorite brand.

Go Raw Cookies: Great snacks for children and adults! 100% organic and made only using unsulphured coconut, sprouted seeds, and sweetened with dates. Seeds that have been sprouted are healthier and easier to digest.

Kombu Seaweed: High in iodine (good for our thyroid!) and a natural MSG to flavor soups.

Spaghetti and Pasta: This is my favorite brand of whole wheat and gluten-free pasta.

I also love Eden Foods for their organic tomato products, beans, dried fruits, and grains.

Natural Remedies and Supplements

Manuka Honey: A true superfood to boost immunity and sooth cough, sore throat, and overcome common cold.

Liquid Chlorophyll: Taking chlorophyll detoxifies our body, treats bad breath, and heals skin scars from the inside out. I take this when fresh wheatgrass is not available. 

Probiotics: Probiotics are important for our gut health. See my post here to learn more.

Dried Elderberries or Elderberry Syrup: Elderberries are high in antioxidants and an immunity booster. We take this when we're down with cough or flu. You can make you own elderberries syrup or buy ready made ones.

Echinacea: This is a potent herb that is used mostly for colds and flu due to its ability to destroy bacteria. We take this at first sign of sickness.

Colloidal SilverA natural antibiotic and an immune booster that I have on hand in case someone in the house gets infected with bacteria.

Oil of OreganoThis concentrated oil fights off viruses quickly. We take this at first sign of illness.

Activated Charcoal: We use this to treat diarrhea and can also be used to make poultice to draw out toxins from skin infections or insect bites.

Vitamin C: We drink this at first sign of illness and when we are traveling.

Iron: Iron is very important for making red blood cells. Red meat and dark green vegetables are good sources of iron, but if you are low in iron or in seasons where you need a lot more iron, e.g. during pregnancy and breastfeeding, I recommend this liquid iron. It doesn't cause nausea or constipation.

Calcium/Magnesium: Calcium and magnesium are important for developing strong bones and muscles, and magnesium has an added benefit of regulating blood sugar levels. A lack of magnesium in the body reduce vitamin D absorption, while we need vitamin D to absorb calcium well. So these are two minerals we need to ensure we get enough of.

Slippery Elm Lozenges: Lozenges to sooth sore throats.

Hyland's Kids Kit: Homeopathic remedy to treat fevers, colds, coughs, sleeplessness, and more.

Hyland's Teething Tablets: A natural remedy for teething pains in babies.

Hyland's Nighttime Cold and Cough Syrup: Children's cold and cough syrup for night time.

Natra Bio Homeophatic Cough Syrup: Children's cough syrup.


Natra Bio Homeophatic Cold and Flu Syrup: Children's cold syrup.



Essential Oils

Eucalyptus: To relieve congestion. I use it to make homemade vapor rub.

Peppermint: To relieve headaches, stomach upset, help reduce fever, and more.

Lavender: I use it to promote sleep, sooth eczema, treat insect bites, and more.

Rosemary: For healthy hair and scalp.

Tea Tree: It's anti-fungal, anti-bacterial properties are great for cleaning the house. I use it in my homemade all-purpose cleaner.

Lemon and Sweet Orange: I add either ones to my homemade cleaning solutions as deodorizers and for its refreshing scent.

Lemongrass: A relaxing oil for aromatheraphy.

Citronella: To make homemade insect repellent.

Skin and Body Care

Castile Soap: A non-toxic vegetable oil based soap that I use as shampoo, facial/body soap and for making homemade foaming hand soap and floor cleaner. The baby mild castile soap is suitable for bathing babies.

Witch Hazel: A natural astringent/toner for face.

Jojoba Oil: A nourishing oil that I use for face and body moisturizer and eczema flare up.

Baobab oil: It's exceptionally moisturizing properties are designed to sooth dry skin and hair.

Sweet Almond Oil: I use this as a carrier oil for applying essential oils.

Castor Oil: To cleanse face using the oil cleansing method.

Argan Oil: I use this in combination with rosemary essential oil to massage the hair. It's one of the world's most potent beauty serums, is rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids, which offers better protection for skin than most oils.

Aloe Vera Gel: Calming and soothing for burnt skin, and nourishing to use as face or hair mask as it helps to regenerate new skin cells.


Bentonite Clay: I use this to make a facial mask. Bentonite clay is like a vacuum cleaner that draws out toxins from our body and skin, leaving our skin tighter and younger.

Earthpaste: The best non-fluoridated toothpaste I found that is safe to swallow and contains minerals from the bentonite clay. 


Hand Sanitizer: Easy to use, alcohol-free hand sanitizer in a spray bottle.

Sunscreen: The sun is the best source of vitamin D. You do not have to use sunscreen if you only have a limited time in the sun, but if you are out the whole day under the sun, this brand one of the safest natural sunscreen that is well-rated by the EWG website.

For babies and pregnancies: the humble coconut oil in itself is already effective in soothing itch from stretching skin, preventing stretch marks, and treating diaper rash. But if you find it too messy and would rather have something ready-made that is easy to bring and apply, I recommend Earth Mama Angel Baby products, including:

Stretch Oil




Earth Mama Angel Baby Gift Set: This makes a nice useful gift for newborn babies.

Innate Response Formula Prenatal Vitamins: These vitamins are taken from whole food sources, not synthetics, which make them more digestible and absorbable than most prenatal vitamins, and do not contain any preservatives or fillers. It is highly recommended by naturopaths.

Household Products

If you find it too troublesome to make your own homemade cleaners, try this natural household cleaners by Ecover

What other products do you love to buy on iHerb?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.


1 comment:

  1. I was gonna do my shopping and thought I drop by here for some idea. I found out the list are so long, need more time then haha Thanks Vicky, you're awesome! =)

    ReplyDelete