For the past few years I have been on a continuous vision quest for clean, safe, and effective skin care products.
Over the last 10 years I have been cleaning up my diet, reducing the chemicals I use around the house and recycling like a crazy bag lady. Then, about 3 years ago I realized I didn’t address the most important regime of my life: my beauty products.
So, like any health nut and chiropractor would do, I asked my friends what they used and I did a little research of my own. I discovered that I was using face wash with formaldehyde, lotion with hormone disruptors and almost everything had some kind of plastic in it. Let me add, these were not cheap products. I was buying them from my dermatologist and spa. So not only was I breaking out like a teenager and preserving my body for the afterlife, but I was also spending a fortune. I couldn’t believe it!
I went through the 5 stages of grieving.
1. Denial: denial that I missed the biggest organ in my body, the skin.
2. Anger: angry that I was made to believe my skin care products were safe.
3. Bargaining: I told myself the products I was using must have been better than most.
4. Depression: I had spent 30 years spending thousands of dollars on various products hoping to perfect my routine
5. Acceptance: I needed to start all over and find a new regime. This was the hardest stage.
I dried my eyes, threw bags of product away and got back on the hunt. I went to all the organic food stores and scoured their shelves. I became confused and frustrated. Most of them looked safe, but also had ingredients that I didn’t trust or they didn’t perform the way I was hoping they would. After spending more money, I decided to go rouge.
My first attempt did not go well. I stopped using product all together, my husband was not impressed. My second attempt was better. I used coconut oil for everything. Washed my face with it, used it for body and face lotion and used it for conditioner. I was a hot mess. I couldn’t go anywhere without a line of grease marking my path. My third attempt was even better. I switched to using baking soda for cleaning my face and hair and oil to condition and soften.
Despite the semi greasy hair, oil stained clothes, and the occasional congestion breakout, my routine was going well and I was satisfied that I was no longer absorbing those chemicals through my skin. Several months went by and a friend invited me to a Beautycounter party. I had gone through 3 years of anguish and I had a stigma against most body products. I didn’t want to go but she is my friend and she promised me wine, so off I went. As the party started, I eyed the products like they were somehow going to attack me. I read the ingredient labels and I “googled” the reviews. My skepticism was softening.
The first product I tried was the cleansing balm, similar to my coconut oil it was solid and didn’t suds. The texture was creamy like hardened oil, it smoothed onto my skin, and the smell was fresh and delicious. I was hooked. Since that Beautycounter party, which I like to call it “B” day, I have fully immersed. My skin is clear and glowing, my hair is workable, and my makeup routine makes me feel a new kind of beautiful. I am in love with their Cleansing Balm, Face oils, Dew Skin tinted 20 SPF moisturizer, all of their makeup and their shampoo and conditioner. I still stick with my no deodorant, coconut oil concoctions and the occasion baking soda, but I love the ability to order a clean and safe product with a great mission and complete transparency.
Beautycounter has an array of products, but this blog post is not the place for a full lesson on the safety and effectiveness of their product. If you are like me and have been frustrated with our options for an “organic and clean” skin and beauty care product, take a look at Beautycounter. Their mission is solid, their products are safe and they can’t be beat when it comes to their effectiveness.
If you are interested in chatting about your beauty routine, making your own product, or Beautycounter contact me at crystalneal.dc@gmail.com or check out my Beautycounter page.