Green beauty lover or not, by now, you have heard so much about natural and organic skin care that you are probably curious about it. I mean over the last few years, the green natural lifestyle is becoming more and more popular. Now, we see a lot of the big beauty brand names formulating natural skincare lines to meet the needs of their customers. We want less toxins and chemicals in our lives. Is this the latest beauty trend?
As a green beauty blogger, of course I would say No! The natural lifestyle is here to stay because we, at least a lot of us, are on a more conscious path. We want less processed food, no pesticides and antibiotics, and chemical-free skin care products. We want to make sure that what we put in our body but also on our skin will not make us sick in the long term.
Using natural and organic skin care products is also about choosing to treat ourselves in a more authentic and gentler way. Gone is the time and the pressure to look young forever, it is all about aging gracefully, beautifully and loving how we go about it. And natural and organic skin care is here to help!!
Natural and organic products are made by small batch makers who select superior quality ingredients full of vitamins, super charged botanical antioxidants, and minerals that can be easily recognized and absorbed by the skin.
So Yes, natural and organic beauty is here to stay. The idea of switching to a natural skincare routine can feel overwhelming though, but there are ways to smoothly do the switch. So, I wanted to share with you a simple guide to help you in your journey toward a kinder non-toxic beauty routine.
How to Switch to a Natural Skin Care Routine – A Simple Guide!
First, 5 Must-Know
As a green beauty blogger, of course I would say No! The natural lifestyle is here to stay because we, at least a lot of us, are on a more conscious path. We want less processed food, no pesticides and antibiotics, and chemical-free skin care products. We want to make sure that what we put in our body but also on our skin will not make us sick in the long term.
Using natural and organic skin care products is also about choosing to treat ourselves in a more authentic and gentler way. Gone is the time and the pressure to look young forever, it is all about aging gracefully, beautifully and loving how we go about it. And natural and organic skin care is here to help!!
Natural and organic products are made by small batch makers who select superior quality ingredients full of vitamins, super charged botanical antioxidants, and minerals that can be easily recognized and absorbed by the skin.
So Yes, natural and organic beauty is here to stay. The idea of switching to a natural skincare routine can feel overwhelming though, but there are ways to smoothly do the switch. So, I wanted to share with you a simple guide to help you in your journey toward a kinder non-toxic beauty routine.
How to Switch to a Natural Skin Care Routine – A Simple Guide!
First, 5 Must-Know
1. Know the difference - There is a difference between natural and organic. You will often see natural and organic used together, but there is a big difference.
Products with “natural” labels or claims are about 50-70% chemical-free, but the FDA does not regulate the claim “natural”; so, some products can claim to be natural, be formulated with natural ingredients, and still contain some of the worst toxic ingredients. To deal with this, I recommend reading your product labels; I talk more about that later.
On the other hand, products with “Organic” labels are regulated. Two distinction here: “certified organic” means 95% of ingredients are organic while “made with organic ingredients” means at least 70% of ingredients are organic.
Just remember that all brands are required to have a full list of their ingredients on their products. And, most brands will indicate which ingredients are organically sourced and/or certified organic in their formula.
2. Get in the habit of reading your labels. You need to get used to this. There are a lot of green-washing on the market, i.e. brands that claim to have natural products, but, when you look at the list of ingredients closely, it is full of toxic ingredients. Having aloe vera in your products does not make them natural. Read more about green-washing here.
3. Study up to avoid toxic ingredients – That’s what natural and organic beauty is all about. You needed to know the chemicals to avoid. Initially, focus on avoiding parabens; parabens (ingredients ending with-…raben) are a group of ingredients that are used as preservatives in many products and more and more studies show that they harmful.
Other Ingredients to avoid: phthalates, fragrance, triclosan, Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) / Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). Do you need a list of must-avoid ingredientsts? Check my list of 20 ingredients to avoid .
4. Understand the detox period. Over the years, your skin accumulated toxins and needs to release them before benefiting from natural and or organic ingredients. Typically, it takes two to four weeks for your skin to clear some of the toxins. So many people give up on using natural and organic products because they don’t see immediate results. I did it too; don’t give up. Give yourself at least 2 full weeks to use your new natural products before making a decision.
5. Use Available Resources - There are resources to help you find out if products are safe before purchasing them. You probably heard about Think Dirty, EWG-Skin Deep, and Made Safe.
Two database type of resources -
Think Dirty is an “An independent product-comparison app for personal and skincare products.” You just scan a product and the app will rate in terms of clean or dirty. The Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s database Skin Deep is a must-know. It allows you to check ingredients as well as products and brands for toxicity level. Made Safe - I just found out about theMade Safe seal last year. A brand/product with the Made Safe seal means that ingredients used in the products have been screened to ensure that they are free of toxins, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and other toxic ingredients. As of today, there are 1000 Made Safe products.
Second, Start Small and Shop Smart
Products with “natural” labels or claims are about 50-70% chemical-free, but the FDA does not regulate the claim “natural”; so, some products can claim to be natural, be formulated with natural ingredients, and still contain some of the worst toxic ingredients. To deal with this, I recommend reading your product labels; I talk more about that later.
On the other hand, products with “Organic” labels are regulated. Two distinction here: “certified organic” means 95% of ingredients are organic while “made with organic ingredients” means at least 70% of ingredients are organic.
Just remember that all brands are required to have a full list of their ingredients on their products. And, most brands will indicate which ingredients are organically sourced and/or certified organic in their formula.
2. Get in the habit of reading your labels. You need to get used to this. There are a lot of green-washing on the market, i.e. brands that claim to have natural products, but, when you look at the list of ingredients closely, it is full of toxic ingredients. Having aloe vera in your products does not make them natural. Read more about green-washing here.
3. Study up to avoid toxic ingredients – That’s what natural and organic beauty is all about. You needed to know the chemicals to avoid. Initially, focus on avoiding parabens; parabens (ingredients ending with-…raben) are a group of ingredients that are used as preservatives in many products and more and more studies show that they harmful.
Other Ingredients to avoid: phthalates, fragrance, triclosan, Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) / Sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). Do you need a list of must-avoid ingredientsts? Check my list of 20 ingredients to avoid .
4. Understand the detox period. Over the years, your skin accumulated toxins and needs to release them before benefiting from natural and or organic ingredients. Typically, it takes two to four weeks for your skin to clear some of the toxins. So many people give up on using natural and organic products because they don’t see immediate results. I did it too; don’t give up. Give yourself at least 2 full weeks to use your new natural products before making a decision.
5. Use Available Resources - There are resources to help you find out if products are safe before purchasing them. You probably heard about Think Dirty, EWG-Skin Deep, and Made Safe.
Two database type of resources -
Think Dirty is an “An independent product-comparison app for personal and skincare products.” You just scan a product and the app will rate in terms of clean or dirty. The Environmental Working Group (EWG)’s database Skin Deep is a must-know. It allows you to check ingredients as well as products and brands for toxicity level. Made Safe - I just found out about theMade Safe seal last year. A brand/product with the Made Safe seal means that ingredients used in the products have been screened to ensure that they are free of toxins, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, and other toxic ingredients. As of today, there are 1000 Made Safe products.
Second, Start Small and Shop Smart
1. Help Your Skin detox – There is a detox period when transitioning to natural products and you can help this process. Even if you already switched to natural skin care, it is a good idea to do detox your body regularly. You could do a daily steam in your shower or do dry brushing every week to help the process.
2. Change one of your most used skincare products – Cleansers, moisturizers, foundations, soaps, and deodorants are products we use daily. Starting here will reduce your exposure to toxins right away. I started by switching my cleanser. This was great because it allowed me see how my skin reacted to natural products. I loved my skin within the first 6 weeks; then I switched to a natural deodorants; that was a longer process (read all about my tips on how to natural deodorants )
Related posts: Best Natural Deodorants That Works! Clean Fresh Beauty - Natural Beauty
3. Start small: There is no need to jump on the latest green beauty products. It pays to try several samples before making up your mind. Get samples, try them for a little and see how your skin reacts. If you haven't read it yet, here is my list of 25 green beauty brands that will send you samples
4. Don’t ditch all your products yet, especially if you are starting to transition to clean beauty. It takes time to put together a natural skin care routine that will work for you. Switch your natural products one at a time. If you are looking for safe natural alternatives to your products, here are some clean swaps.
5. Subscribe to a green beauty box. This is a no brainer and simple way to try new natural beauty products without breaking the bank. In my 4 favorite beauty boxes blog post, I shared with you my favorite green beauty boxes and what you can expect. One of the boxes I mentioned in my blog post will only cost you $18 per month. I recommend subscribing for at least 6 months. Why? Because, it will allow you to receive enough products to develop a skin care routine that will work for you.
6. Shop smart: At first, shop in natural online stores. They have a bigger selection of natural beauty products. They also have products on sales; you can save big on shipping costs too. My favorite stores are Credo beauty (also has physical locations), Safe and Chic (Save 10% with Code CFB10), and The Detox Market. I like these three clean beauty stores because they are specialized in clean beauty products. You can also shop natural products at Target and Ulta Beauty, but beware of green-washing as some of the brands that claim to be natural use toxic ingredients.
7. Test, Test, and Test – You need to test as many products as you can before settling on one. If you are a beauty lover, you will have so much fun here; there are so many beautiful green beauty products to discover.
2. Change one of your most used skincare products – Cleansers, moisturizers, foundations, soaps, and deodorants are products we use daily. Starting here will reduce your exposure to toxins right away. I started by switching my cleanser. This was great because it allowed me see how my skin reacted to natural products. I loved my skin within the first 6 weeks; then I switched to a natural deodorants; that was a longer process (read all about my tips on how to natural deodorants )
Related posts: Best Natural Deodorants That Works! Clean Fresh Beauty - Natural Beauty
3. Start small: There is no need to jump on the latest green beauty products. It pays to try several samples before making up your mind. Get samples, try them for a little and see how your skin reacts. If you haven't read it yet, here is my list of 25 green beauty brands that will send you samples
4. Don’t ditch all your products yet, especially if you are starting to transition to clean beauty. It takes time to put together a natural skin care routine that will work for you. Switch your natural products one at a time. If you are looking for safe natural alternatives to your products, here are some clean swaps.
5. Subscribe to a green beauty box. This is a no brainer and simple way to try new natural beauty products without breaking the bank. In my 4 favorite beauty boxes blog post, I shared with you my favorite green beauty boxes and what you can expect. One of the boxes I mentioned in my blog post will only cost you $18 per month. I recommend subscribing for at least 6 months. Why? Because, it will allow you to receive enough products to develop a skin care routine that will work for you.
6. Shop smart: At first, shop in natural online stores. They have a bigger selection of natural beauty products. They also have products on sales; you can save big on shipping costs too. My favorite stores are Credo beauty (also has physical locations), Safe and Chic (Save 10% with Code CFB10), and The Detox Market. I like these three clean beauty stores because they are specialized in clean beauty products. You can also shop natural products at Target and Ulta Beauty, but beware of green-washing as some of the brands that claim to be natural use toxic ingredients.
7. Test, Test, and Test – You need to test as many products as you can before settling on one. If you are a beauty lover, you will have so much fun here; there are so many beautiful green beauty products to discover.
Third, Be Realistic
Natural products do not work like commercial products. They don’t stress the skin to produce overnight results; natural skin care products uses potent botanicals to beautifying your skin overtime. Small batch makers of natural products take a lot of care to select potent ingredients that are rich in nutrients for the benefits of the skin. For instant, they will promote skin elasticity and youthfulness by providing natural oils that will support your skin hydration retention. Using natural skin care is more than applying beauty products, it is about self-love!
Do you have tips on creating a natural skin care routine?
What is the first product you switch to when you transitioned?
What is one of your big worry about switching to natural skin care routine? Let me know!
Natural products do not work like commercial products. They don’t stress the skin to produce overnight results; natural skin care products uses potent botanicals to beautifying your skin overtime. Small batch makers of natural products take a lot of care to select potent ingredients that are rich in nutrients for the benefits of the skin. For instant, they will promote skin elasticity and youthfulness by providing natural oils that will support your skin hydration retention. Using natural skin care is more than applying beauty products, it is about self-love!
Do you have tips on creating a natural skin care routine?
What is the first product you switch to when you transitioned?
What is one of your big worry about switching to natural skin care routine? Let me know!
RSS Feed
