six ways our skincare routine is getting greener

I think it’s interesting why people change sometimes. What makes someone stop downing bacon cheeseburgers and chomp spinach and cucumbers instead? Why would someone swap their MAC for Burt’s Bees, and what makes a tired mom drag herself out of bed to do a kickboxing video in the still-dead-of-night-morning? (Hmmm, that one hits close to home 🙂 ) The general answer for most of these is health, the desire for which can make someone do seemingly crazy things.

In plain English, fear of cancer is taking the fun out of darn near everything for me these days. When one can’t enjoy a simple bask in the sun without guilt, what has the world come to?!! 🙂

But I want to be healthy too. So along with dragging myself in the house to apply a thick coat of paraben-free sunscreen (and rinsing my vegetables in vinegar, but that’s another post for another day), I’ve started eyeing up every drop and slather of my skincare routine. In the process I’ve begun to make some changes. Here are my goals for the next few months:

1. Become better acquainted with the EWG’s skin deep cosmetic database. This is an extremely comprehensive site listing the assessed safety of cosmetics. In other words, it tells you how bad your CoverGirl is for you and suggests something else you’ve never heard of. But I am thankful for it. Because of this site, I have so far found better replacements for the following products:
2. facial cleanser – this was important for me because first thing in the morning, it just felt like I wanted to be putting something really healthy on my face.
3. Facial moisturizer – because it goes directly on my skin, again, I felt like it was higher priority.
4. kids’ moisturizer – knowing the dryer winter months are coming, I wanted to invest in a lotion I felt good putting on them.
5. Experiment with healthier mineral makeup. This was easy to do, as Everyday Minerals actually allows you to sample up to seven products for $.01 and shipping! A product review of this brand is coming soon! I don’t expect to love it as much as the more processed items I’ve been using, just as quinoa is just not as delicious as mac and cheese. But if I can wear these everyday, and glam up with the junk only for my special biannual date nights with hubs, then I’m on the right track.
6. Stop wearing deodorant!  Okay, just kidding! The Tom’s of Maine natural deodorants are actually quite pleasant, although a little more pricey. But this also seemed like a good step to take. Someone I spoke with recently noted that parabens are frequently found in tumors near the underarm or breast. The purpose of this post is not to confirm that, but the general consensus seems to be that a safer deodorant is a wise choice.

So there you have it! My first baby steps towards natural beauty! Is there a change you have made in your skin-care routine in the name of health?