Photo: SteffanyF!
I will be the first to admit that Greening My Beauty Routine has been the hardest for me. There are two reasons for this.
First, there are A LOT of great deals on drugstore beauty products out there, and it is hard for me to pass up a .25 bottle of shampoo! (I try to keep it honest here)
Second, I find it incredibly difficult to navigate all the labels and ingredients – even in the so called “natural” products.
For example, can anyone tell me what triethanolamine is? Or what potassium myristate is? Can anyone tell me which one is in the “natural” shave cream and which one is in the “drug store” shave cream?
Confusing, right?
But there are a lot of great reasons to avoid what is out there too! Did you know that the FDA doesn’t regulate any of those chemicals that are being used in what is going on our bodies? And that a lot of these chemicals are actually absorbed through our skin – the largest organ on our body!!!!
So here are a few ways to Green Your Beauty Routine. I’ve tried all of these with great success, so you may want to try them too:
Olive Oil – When we were living in Jordan, the Arab women I met always raved about olive oil as a moisturizer. I’ve been using it, and I swear by it! You’ll want to slather it on at night and consider sleeping in a pair of PJ pants to save your sheets. And add a few drops of essential oils, such as lavender, if you want to avoid smelling like a pizza!
Tea Bags – Used black tea bags soothe the puffiness around eyes. Just lightly dampen and let rest over your eyes for about 5 minutes. Puffiness gone! The secret is the tannins. This works better than the cucumber slices you may have tried in the past.
Oatmeal – Oatmeal is known for soothing red, irritated skin. Make a facial mask by combining equal parts honey and lemon juice. Add enough oatmeal to make a spreadable paste. Apply to your face and let sit until it starts to feel tight. Wash off, enjoy your beautiful skin.
Cornstarch – Cornstarch is super absorbent and can be used in the same manner baby powder is used. To make it delightfully fragrant, try putting cornstarch and a dried herb in the food processor and pulsing. Good herbs to try include lavender, rosemary or lemon thyme.
This is part of my Resolutionize Your 2011 series. Up next week: Green Your Beauty Routine from the Inside! If you’ve missed any of them, be sure to check out my other Resolutionize posts: Green Your Grocery List Part 1, Green Your Grocery List Part 2, and Green Your Clean.
Also, be sure to check out the rest of the Resolutionize posts from the Better Living Network:
Resolutionize: How to End the Cooking Blues
Resolutionize Your Mom Groove with Meal Planning
Resolutionize: Managing Snack Time
Resolutionize: all things Insurance
Resolutionize: the Mommy-tude
Related posts:
I have found this site extremely helpful for years. Hope it helps! http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/
Andrea-Great post! I’ve never tried Olive Oil. I will have to see if it works. I’m just a little worried about the East Coast humidity.
Megan – Great site! I bookmarked it. Thank you.
I like to use olive oil mixed with sugar or epsom salt as a scrub. I add lavender or peppermint oil to make it smell nice. I should try the straight olive oil on my daughter’s skin. She is so dry!
I never should have left epsom salt off my list! Good stuff epsom salts. Have her try the straight olive oil and let me know what she thinks. It stops all my itching and flaking.
Try the olive oil and let me know what you think! It is highly emollient but sooooo worth it.
Thank you for this. I’ve gotten some really dry, red patches on my checks this winter. I’m trying that oatmeal mask tomorrow!
Great tips and I am totally with you on this. I think if it isn’t edible, don’t put it on your skin. I even got rid of all my petroleum jelly based products recently – see my blog http://ecothriftyliving.blogspot.com/2012/01/what-to-do-with-chapped-or-dry-lips.html.
Thanks Zoe!