Detoxing My Beauty Routine

I am not what you would call someone who is high maintenance with beauty products.  I like to wear makeup and gets dressed up don’t get me wrong but I don’t have drawers and drawers full of stuff.  I think for the most part it’s because most beauty products aren’t cheap.  It all adds up.  Maybe if I worked for a beauty magazine where I got things for free it would have been different.

The products I used to use were common, names everyone sees on the commercials.  Having fair skin I have been using sunscreen on my face since I was in college.  At some point I was using Aveeno lotion on my face.  It was highly rated by people who wrote articles on these things and there was a leaf on the bottle.  It must be good for me right?

Then my eye lids started peeling.  Yes peeling.  Like I got sunburn on just my lids.  It was weird and gross.  I stopped using the lotion for a few days and it got better.  Just to check I started using it again and the peeling returned.  Now what do I do?  I love research but the beauty market is so vast I was in over my head.  So I went to the health food store.  I told her what was happening and what she might recommend.  She pointed to the Suki line.  When I saw the price I almost choked.  Instead of offering me other things that were cheaper she just told me you get what you pay for and walked away to let me think about it.

At the time I thought she was crazy.  As I stood there trying to rationalize spending so much I used the testers and kind of thought the stuff was great.  So I bought it.  And this began my journey to detox my beauty routine.  I have gotten a lot of questions lately on more eco beauty products so I figured I would share.

I began using the Balancing Day lotion which I use to this day.  It is not cheap.  But it’s worth it and there are often sales online.  Not only do I never have a reaction to it,  I also don’t have that tight or greasy feeling.   It’s light and great under makeup.

Photo courtesy Suki

Since that worked so well I moved onto using many of their other products, the foaming cleanser and the toners are great.  Most last a long time and are well worth the money.  The biggest problem I have with the company is their attitude.  The time they announced on Facebook they weren’t having anymore buy one get one free sales like since they were doing so well they didn’t need us cheap people anymore.  There was a mutiny and the whole things was deleted from Facebook ( and they still have those sales).  Or the time that they pulled out of Whole Foods and then bad mouthed them on social media for weeks.  It’s left a sour taste in my mouth but I love the lotion so I still by it.

The other company I really like is Juice Beauty.  I use their SPF 30 Tinted Moisturizer as my go to daily lotion.  (I use the Suki at night)  It gives a nice amount of color but isn’t heavy.  Every thing I have tried from Juice has been great and hasn’t irritated my skin.  I use their face powder in tan as a bronzer every day in the summer. They have a organic line which I still need to try.  If you order with them they send you samples which is always fun and a cost effective way to try things.

Photo Courtesy Juice Beauty

For a main body lotion I went simple – coconut oil.  I use it as body lotion on both me and Linc out of the bath.  It soaks in and isn’t greasy.  We use it as diaper cream here for when someones tush gets red. I used it as a belly lotion when I was pregnant.  It’s edible (good for when Lincoln puts his hands in his mouth), it can be organic, it’s easy to find and cheap.  It’s also nice to not have to figure out which chemicals are good or bad in something without a PhD.  Here there is one ingredient.  We are big fans around here.

Photo courtesy Dr. Bronner’s

As for soap we use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps.  We mostly use the peppermint or the citrus for us.  Lincoln get the unscented baby mild.  They are gentle on skin, smell great and last a long time. I find the peppermint for $9.99 at Whole Foods while they are about $16 at Target so check around.  A little goes along way on these and they have a ton of uses.  We use the peppermint cut with water for our bathroom hand soap.  I know people that use it to clean their entire house.  Plus reading the label is just mind blowing in its craziness.

Photo courtesy Dr. Bronner’s

These are the basics.  My biggest problem is hair care. I have thin hair that gets oily pretty fast and I haven’t found a shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t make it look droopy and greasy.  I would love to try samples but at $10 a bottle for some of these shampoos it’s a lost of money to try and not like something. Right now I am using Pantene which goes against almost everything I believe in.  It wouldn’t surprise me if not only do they test on animals but they put bunnies in the shampoo.   So if anyone has suggestions on new ones to try, let me know.

So what about your journey?  Do you think I am crazy for worrying about all this?  Are you trying to find more eco options too?  If you have any good suggestions let us know!!