How to Switch to Natural Beauty Products
Thinking about swapping your products for natural alternatives? Here’s how to do it in three stages. (Photo: Henry Leutwyler)
The choice to slather your face with foundation every morning may not be as intuitively self-destructive as reaching for your fourth martini at a work happy hour, but over time it might cause more lasting harm to your system.
According to the Environmental Working Group, women use an average of 12 personal care products a day, which means inflicting around 186 unique ingredients on your body on a daily basis. The idea of consuming that many different substances in one meal seems crazy (unless you’re eating at a Guy Fieri restaurant, in which case, you might hit that quota by the main course). So why is it more acceptable to ambush our systems with this onslaught of ingredients, many of which are more toxic than an Almond Joy cocktail with a side of Donkey Sauce?
Unlike with food, the FDA has no authority over cosmetics, so most of these substances have never been tested for safety. Studies show 60 percent of them are known endocrine disruptors that mimic estrogen in the body and can cause a host of reproductive harm.
Since I already have an endocrine-related autoimmune disease, I made it my mission over the last year to start switching some of my products to naturals. “Greenifying” your skincare routine is easier than you think. Saying goodbye to your old facial friends is another story.
It took me the better part of a year to take the plunge, but I finally did it. I kissed my Clinique compact goodbye and ceremoniously threw it in the trash where it was joined by three-dozen other semi-used products that had been sitting in my bathroom for the last five years.
The de-hoarding was definitely harder than I thought. There’s something about having a cabinet full of products that makes me feel abundant, even if I never used them. But now that I’ve unloaded my product pantry, I love opening my bathroom and knowing that most of the things in there are clean and safe (I still couldn’t stand to part with the 6 to 8 shades of vampy lipstick, for Halloween purposes).
If you’re just beginning the transition, here’s a great way to prioritize how to replace your beauty products:
Stage 1. Start with the products you use most frequently, and stay on skin the longest. This includes: Daily face moisturizer, body lotion, deodorant, foundation, and fragrance.
Stage 2. The products you use frequently, but have less absorption through the skin are the next to swap out. This includes: cleanser, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, concealer, face powder, and blush.
Stage 3. Next up are the products you use on special occasions that sit on the skin. This includes: eyeliner, eye shadow, and lipstick (unless you wear it everyday).
Optional. When it comes to mascara, nail polish, and hair color, it’s harder to find green options. These three product areas all have minimal contact with the skin and are often the toughest to find natural alternatives for.
Phoebe Lapine is the author of The Wellness Project, a year-long blog series (and upcoming memoir) about how to find the balance between health and hedonism.
Related:
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