🌱💋 4 Small Steps to Living That Clean and Green Beauty Life
You’re about to feel the best you’ve ever felt And I promise you, you won’t regret it!
Hi everyone, nice to meet you! If you’re here, it means you’re interested in a healthier and greener lifestyle. WELCOME!
The natural/organic landscape is blowing up (for good reason) which is amazing because lots of options means NO compromises but it also can be pretty overwhelming. Today, I’m going to give you my best tips for how to get your feet wet.
But first, I’ll be honest I feel a bit strange jumping straight into giving you advice before letting you know about my own personal journey. Back in 2015, I made some big life changes. I finished grad school, quit my job, took a few months off to travel with my mom, and moved from Pittsburgh to Hoboken. I’ve never had clear skin by any means but my skin at 27 rivaled my worst pubescent skin. Girl was pissed and letting me know it. My derm was at a loss, he had me on antibiotics, all kinds of creams, ointments, and even a foam for my back (yes, don’t judge, I even had bacne). After all that, my skin still wasn’t improving. In fact, it was the most irritated and inflamed it had ever been. So I did what any desperate woman does, I turned to google. And that’s when I uncovered the world of clean beauty.
I was shocked to hear how few chemicals the FDA bans in the US (a mere 11) whereas the EU bans over 1300. Yes, read that again. It’s true. I’m not into fear-mongering and I’m no scientist so I won’t lecture you on specific ingredients and their impact. What I will say is that based on all the research I’ve done I personally feel strongly about avoiding certain ingredients.
Using natural products to me feels like I’m stacking the cards in my favor. And who doesn’t want to do that? Plus, it’s not just about ingredients. Brands who focus on natural and organic ingredients also care a great deal about ethically sourcing those ingredients and supporting independent farmers. Plus, they take a very thoughtful approach to environmentally friendly packaging. Triple win? Yessir!
Let me also say that this is a JOURNEY. Personally, I tend to follow the 80/20 rule. Meaning, if I have a treasured product that doesn’t have the cleanest ingredients but I simply can’t find an equal or better swap, I keep using it. Easy! This is meant to make you feel better, not stress you out. Five years into this and I still have some products (mostly household cleaning, tbh) that I’m not proud of. Give yourself some grace, OK!?! Which leads to my tips…
Swap out your products as they empty. When your eyes have been opened to what exactly is in the products you’re using everyday it’s natural to want to throw it all out immediately and start over. But let’s be real, you’ve been using them for years so a few extra days won’t hurt. This gives you time to research what products you’re most interested in trying next and will space out your investment. And who knows maybe you’ll catch a sale.
Use retailers or other apps to be your ‘bouncer’. Bouncer, watchdog, filter.. Whatever you want to call it. Memorizing all the ingredients you need to avoid (not to mention why you’re avoiding them) and reviewing every single label is straight up exhausting. Instead, do your research on the retailers and/or apps who share your same standards and let them be your filter. Once you find your spots they can be a great way to discover other brands!
Join as many subscription boxes as you can. This is the lowest stakes way to try a lot of healthier/greener products while you ‘interview’ for your staples. And come across products you didn’t know you needed in your life. Once you’re feeling confident in your routine, you can pare back to only your fave subscriptions.
Research your community's recycling rules (and participate, of course). You may balk at this one but honestly they can be drastically different between communities and if you’re getting it wrong you could be contaminating a whole truckload! Don’t be that person. Plus, beauty products (especially pumps, caps, etc) aren’t as easily accessible but a lot of brands/retailers have their own partnerships to make recycling easier.
Leah Fleegle Kulik is a writer from New York City. She is a leading business woman in the global beauty industry. Her journey to skin health gives readers tips and tricks to healthy, affordable green living and beauty.