How to Make the Switch to Clean Beauty

Okay, friends! I'm answering one of the questions I get most often when I post about safe and clean beauty products. As you might know, I switched over to safe skin care products and makeup last year and I haven't looked back since. After a lot of research and realizing that I am (pretty) careful about what I put INTO by body food-wise, I realized I wanted to be doing the same on my skin. Why? Because our skin is our biggest organ and the things we put on it do, in fact, seep in and affect our bodies. 

*The reason I'm sharing this post today is because Beautycounter, the brand the majority of my products are from, is having a 20% off sitewide sale today through the 13th. Use the code LOVE for 20% off! It's a great time to try a few things you've been wanting to, because they never have sales! I love the products so much, I became a consultant last year. All opinions in this post are my own + it's not a sponsored post, I just believe this is important. Throwing that out there before I dive in :) Now before you think I'm going to judge or shame you if you don't use safer beauty products, think again! No way, girl. I'm not about that. I'm just sharing MY journey, thoughts and favorite products with you if you're thinking of making a clean swap. 
So onto the question: How do I make the switch to clean beauty without breaking the bank?!
And it's a great and fair question, because typically clean beauty, free of harmful chemicals, can be a bit more pricey. (For good reason, in my opinion!) Now before I switched my products over, I was already using department store priced skin care and makeup products, so switching over didn't feel like a big jump at all. In fact, I don't think my prices increased at all! But if you're used to drugstore prices, then it might feel a little more substantial to you.
Here's the thing, though. Safe beauty products are typically going to last you a whole lot longer because they're not filled with additives and preservatives that water down the product. They are highly concentrated, which means you can use less at a time, which means they last longer! 

Before we dive in, I need to give you a few things to remember when contemplating the switch: 1. Be careful of the word "natural" and marketing terms that tell you products are "free of ____". 

Something that is "natural" doesn't always mean it's good for you. Take the example of a gluten-free muffin. It might not have gluten, but it's still calories and it still has chocolate and sugar in it. Ha! Companies are very good at making you believe their products are better for you by telling you they are free of this or that, or are natural or plant-based. But the truth is, you don't know until you read the ingredient labels. The term "natural" is a marketing term that can be freely used. There really isn't any restrictions on using this term. There's also no law preventing companies to call a product "organic" even if it contains as little as 0.1% organic content. Crazy, right?! 
2. Read the ingredient labels. Take your health into your hands, friends! Reading labels and researching unknown ingredients is the key to avoiding the harmful ones. Beautycounter has a list of over 1500 ingredients that are NEVER used in their products because they have done extensive screening and found them to be unsafe. Here are a few of the top ones below for your reference:

If you're unsure of an ingredient (like I am a lot of the time! Have you read labels?! I can't pronounce half of them!) then you can use these helpful tools like me. The EWG Skin Deep Database is amazing for looking up ingredients. They rate them from 1 (the least harmful) to 10 (most harmful) so you know exactly what's going on. I downloaded that app on my phone so I can check ingredients easily. You can also check out the Think Dirty App. Here is a list of their verified brands that they deem as safe.
Note: Anytime a label has the words "fragrance" or "parfum", stay away!!! These things are code for chemicals that don't have to be reported because they are considered "Trade Secrets". 3. Not all Safe products are created equal.

You'll need to test out what brands work best for YOU! 
Okay, now that those things are out of the way, let's dig in. 

1. The most cost-effective way to switch to clean and safe beauty products is by switching things out as your current products run out! 
This might be a duh moment, but I think sometimes people feel like they need to switch everything RIGHT THIS SECOND. And while that might be ideal, it's not realistic. So for me, when I'd run out of my current face wash, I'd then purchase a new safer face wash. When my moisturizer ran out, I purchased a safer version. This way, I really wasn't spending any more money than I would be if I wasn't switching things over.
2. Here are the big ones to swap out!
 Maybe you don't intend on switching EVERYTHING over, and that's totally okay & your call! I get lots of questions about the most important things to switch over to safer beauty products and my answer to that is anything that stays on and soaks into your skin. This would be:
Moisturizer and Eye Creams: traditional creams can be made with preservatives that can release formaldehyde and wreck the immune system. 
Foundation: obviously foundation sits on our skin all day. It may not be meant to seep into our pores, but it inevitably does. So it might as well have safe ingredients that are working FOR you instead of clogging your pores or worse, doing not so great things for your overall health. Lots of foundations are filled with parabens, which is one of the number 1 ingredients to steer clear of.
Lipstick / Gloss: Lipstick can include artificial fragrance which can be a blend of chemicals (like phthalates which are endocrine disrupters!) not regulated or reported on the labels. 
Oils and Serums: these sink deep into your pores, which is what the goal of oils and serums is! But when filled with toxins and preservatives, they can do more harm than good.
Masks: typical masks can be made with PEG's which are used as thickeners and can be contaminated with small amounts of dangerous chemicals. 
Lotions: traditional lotions contain mineral oil which is permitted in beauty products, but it's a conditioning agent that may contain toxins and can suffocate the skin. With your skin being your biggest organ and lotion covering most of it, this is a biggie!
Mascara: this doesn't seep into the skin, but it is around our eyes, so I'm including it. Carbon Black is a pigment used in mascaras to give you that desirable black color and it is a known organ toxin as well as a carcinogen. I don't think beautiful lashes are worth that risk, ladies!
Sunscreen: you can read my posts here and here to get ALL that info! 
That's a lot of information, I know! You might be asking, what do I use?! I am sharing my makeup and skincare routine with you below. Hopefully this helps simplify things. These are my favorite products, tested and used by me for almost a year now. 

morning: face wash / day moisturizer / eye cream / body lotion
makeup: foundation in "linen" / blush in "melon" / lipstick in "brunch" + "first date" / lip gloss in "peony" / mascara / concealer (I also love this one and will get it when my current one runs out) / powder foundation in "suntan" for summer (I only do one foundation, sometimes liquid and sometimes powder)
night: face scrub /  face oil / night moisturizer / eye cream 
On a daily basis, I do not do eye shadow or eyeliner. I just don't have time! But sometimes I will for special occasions :)
I think the most important things to remember when switching makeup and products over in general is to read labels, know that there ARE safe products out there work, and just do what works for you. Don't feel like you're not doing everything right if you can't afford to switch over everything right away. Slow and steady :) And you know what? If you don't want to use these types of products, no worries here! Just sharing what works for me and why I find it important. But there is enough shaming these days, I certainly am not going to add to that.
Don't forget to take advantage of the big sale at Beautycounter! Get 20% off your purchase (excluding sets and the resurfacing peel). We never, ever have sales, so this is an amazing time to try some things out! And we have a free return policy. So if after you've tried the products, you don't like them, just return them with the free return label that comes in your box. No risk!
Happy Thursday! xoxo interior design website / services / portfolio