We know that many of you are in the process (or have fully) made the switch to clean skin care, but you keep telling us it's actually quite hard to know exactly what ingredients to avoid and why. So, today we're bringing you all the information to begin (or complete) the transition to clean personal care products, pronto.
1. Go item-by-item.
There's no need to throw out your entire makeup cabinet right away. The stress (and waste) of that prospect may even do your skin more harm than the toxins you're eliminating! Just replace items as they run out (which also helps to alleviate any budgeting worries).
2. Start with the products that stay on your skin the longest.
Face moisturiser is the number one place to start as it immediately gets absorbed into your skin and you (should) use it twice daily. Next up is foundation, unless it's not something you use frequently. Take into account how close each product is to your skin's surface (what order you apply products in is important), and how long it sits on skin (conditioner you rinse out after a minute can wait for round two or three).
3. Check on EWG for red flags.
If you're really worried about some brands, do a quick cross-reference on the Environmental Working Group's website, Skin Deep. If the product is a level 1 or 2, it's probably not worth throwing away immediately. But a code red? Toss it in the trash and never look back. You might find yourself blown away by the levels of certain toxins in some of your beauty mainstays.
4. Forget the front of the package.
Natural (sadly) doesn't always mean natural. This is all part of a strategy called "greenwashing" used by big beauty. Even labels like "cruelty-free" and "organic" are beginning to lose some of their meaning. Plus, like small farms, not every bootstrapping beauty brand can afford these labels, even if they're made from the cleanest ingredients.
5. Read ingredient labels.
Begin by scanning for the biggest offenders; and because we're rather passionate about this, you can learn more about it here and here and here. You're wanting to look out for ingredients such as fragrance, parabens, sulphates, phthalates and avoid those, because our skin is a permeable membrane, meaning we absorb what we put on it.
6. Find brands you trust / know / like.
Just like getting to know the farmer's at your local market or the designer behind your favourite artwork, learning more about the mission and people behind your personal care products is the best way to navigate the landscape. Chances are, if you believe in the mission behind a company, you'll trust and believe in their products as well.
PS: we love getting to know our customers (YOU!) so always feel welcome to drop us a line to say g'day or ask any questions.
Remember: Please be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack and not get too stressed out about the ingredients. The only thing worse for your skin is STRESS!