Leah's List: The Ultimate 2021 Clean Beauty Product Guide

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THE ONLY LIST OF PRODUCTS YOU NEED FOR A NEW YEAR, NEW YOU in 2021.

Hi hi!  

Happy holidays!  I hope this post finds you happy, healthy and finding creative ways to get in the holiday spirit.  

I’m going to get straight into it this week.  The moment you’ve been waiting for... PRODUCT RECS.  Last post was all about prioritizing what to swap out first so that’s where I’m focusing my first set of recs.  ENJOY and let me know how these work for you in the comments!

Hugs,

Leah

BODY

Deodorant

Listen.  First off, you’re going to sweat.  Let’s get comfortable with that.  Antiperspirants stop you from sweating and the only FDA approved active ingredient considered an antiperspirant is aluminum (see below post for why it’s debated as safe).  Deodorants will allow your body to sweat but SHOULD keep you from getting stinky. 

I’ll be honest, I’m about to give you some recs but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about natural deo... the one your bff swears by may just not work for you.  It’s a bummer, it’s frustrating but it’s a very personal experience so prepare yourself for some trial and error.  Since we can’t be out and about as much as we normally are or want to be, now feels like a good time to test drive some options.  Here’s where to start:

  • Native Lavender & Rose- This brand personally doesn’t work for me but I know MANY people who SWEAR by it.  And I will admit this fragrance smells amazing.  

  • Meow Meow Tweet Grapefruit - I don’t get the brand name but it doesn’t matter.  This has a cult following for good reason.  

  • Kosas - If you don’t mind paying an extra couple bones for bougie, this one’s for you.  It has AHAs and smells GOOD.  It worked only fine for me but has LOTS of glowing reviews.

  • Underarmed Lavender and Eucalyptus- I honestly can’t remember why I stopped using this because it smells awesome and it definitely works.  

  • Weleda Men’s - My personal favorite and also the least expensive on the list.  I use the Men’s because the fragrance is amazing (vetiver, ahhhh!).  They also have spray format (non-aerosol of course) if roll on isn’t your thing.  

Body Lotion/Oil

Like I said in the below post, you’re slathering this ALL OVER yoself so it’s especially important to find one that has great ingredients you feel comfortable using.  So apologies in advance that none of these are drugstore prices.

Do-Everything Balm

This section is for the folks who use Aquaphor for EVERYTHING.  Yes, I’m looking at you.  Those that truly appreciate a multi-tasker. 

  • Maya Chia Waterless balm - I didn’t mean my aquaphor comment literally but this IS the perfect swap for that.  

  • Egyptian Magic -Remember when LC was life?  She’s where I learned about Egyptian Magic and I’ll forever be thankful.  

  • Weleda Skin Food - the QUEEN of do-everything balms.  This stuff is MAGIC for dry skin (helloo hands that have been washed 80 times today), flyaways, face moisturizer for dry skin, overnight mask for all skin types, makeup primer, highlighter, mix it with your foundation for a diy tinted moisturizer.  THE LIST GOES ON.  You’re going to get this and be like ‘WHAT, how do I use this PASTE?!’.  A little goes a LONG way.  Put a tiny dot in your palm, warm it up and go cray.  Before you know it you’ll have put this everywhere.  Celebs and their makeup artists are obsessed with this and you will be too.

FACE

Important to note that I have acne prone skin.  If that’s you, these face recs will be life changing.  If that’s not you then use the brands as the reco and check their page for what’s best for your skin type.  

Moisturizer

  • Kinship Supermello - it’s an amazing gel/cream texture that combination or acne prone skin will LOVE.  It smells delicious too.  

  • Weleda Hydrating Cream - My skin cannot normally tolerate creams so I struggle to deeply moisturize.  But Weleda creams are magically perfect.  Can’t explain it but I am so grateful they exist.  I honestly look forward to applying this every day. They have both a daytime and night version but I use daytime for both and it works great.

  • See Skin Food above.  There is also a Light version that is especially perfect for face if the original one is a little too heavy.

Targeted Serums/Oils

  • Retinol/Bukuchiol

    Retinol is a holy grail for anti-aging.  If you’re over 30 and not using a retinol, what are you waiting for?  Once upon a time the natural community avoided retinol based on a study with mice.  I won’t get into too much detail but the short of it is, that study was problematic and other studies have since proven the safety of retinol as an ingredient.  (if you’re interested in more info, this blog post is FAB).  While we all now agree that Retinol is safe, there are still very real issues with sourcing and contamination.  Best to go with a natural brand but if you have to pick a drugstore option for 1 thing, this may be it.  

  • Straight A - Retinol is the holy grail of anti-aging and THIS is the holy grail of clean retinol.  You will see a difference overnight.  Your wallet will hate me but your face will love me.  

  • Bybi Bakuchiol Booster - Bakuchiol is a plant-based alternative to retinol which offers many of the same benefits with basically no irritation.  Win all around.  And this one is very affordable so it’s a great place to start your anti-aging journey.  

  • Vitamin C Serum

    • Mad Hippie - This one has a cult following for good reason.  

Toners

  • Josh Rosebrook Acid Toner - Life changing for any skin type.  This launched and people went WILD.  Trust me, go buy this stuff. 

  • Indie Lee CoQ10 - if you’re already using acids elsewhere in your routine this one is great too!

LIP

Lip balm - If you’re already a dutiful addict, please see my below recommendations.  If you aren’t these two are sure to get you addicted so keep scrolling.  Seriously, 2 rockstars right here.

  • Lucas Paw Paw - If you’re team vaseline-style lip balms, this one is for you.

  • Weleda Everon Lip Balm - If you’re team Chapstick, this one will fulfill all your hopes and dreams.

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