I have been getting a lot of comments on my skin this past year. I have always battled acne prone skin, with large pores. I tried everything to clear it up and some would help, but it never really got fully clear. Three years ago I stumbled upon the book No More Dirty Looks, The Truth About Your Beauty Products. I had thought I was buying natural beauty products already, but the sad truth is that a lot of companies market themselves natural and that really doesn’t mean anything. They can have a whole load of chemicals and cranberry extract and call it in all-natural product. It is so bogus.
So, I started to check out the brands and home remedies that they recommended in the book and their blog. There was still a lot of trial and error in that, finding what worked for me. I do still enjoy washing my hair with Apple Cider Vinegar when I have scalp build up or when I am traveling to a friends and don’t want to pack my own products or use their unclean brands.
I think it is so funny, how people who care so much about what they put into their body, still load a ton of crap on the outside. They won’t come near chemical based foods, but will slather them on their bodies. Um, hello, our skin is porous, what we put on the outside does effect our insides and total health.
You check the ingredients of your food, right? But, how closely do you look at the ingredients to your beauty products, especially those so-called “natural ones”.
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So here is a rundown un what I am currently using and doing that has gotten my skin comments from long time friends and strangers, too!
My lovely friend Sophie Chiche opened Shape House over a year ago, lucky for me right before I moved to LA. It is incredibly healing for my fibromyalgia aches and pains, relaxing, and detoxing. I have gone pretty much once a week for a year. I noticed a huge difference from going regularly, in my body and in my complexion.
While I fell in love with washing my face with honey, and did this for a few months straight, I have moved on to a few clean products that I love. Like the ACV, I still fall back on honey as a quick fix when I am traveling or just because I feel like mixing it in sometimes.
It took me a long time to finally order this game changer. I had been reading rave reviews everywhere, but the price tag is pretty hefty. It is totally worth it thought! So luxurious in scent, feel, results. I am in love with this Clean Dirt cleanser.
To conserve it, I usually only use it once a day and then for the other daily washing have been using a bar soap with my Clarisonic. I am careful to not over use the Clarisonic though. I don’t even use it daily. Just a few times a week.
I have used and reordered both Soapwalla’s Activated Charcoal Soap and Osmia Organics Black Clay Soap so that is what I use when I am not using the Clean Dirt.
I still use and love Evan Healy’s Immortelle Facial Tonic Hydrosol. I spray it on just after cleansing my skin and then while still damp apply May Lindstrom’s Youth Dew. I also love Olie Biologique’s Argan oil. These days there a ton on the market, but they are not all the same quality. This one is golden. This is another pricey one, but again I am more then in love. I will be ordering it again once it runs out. I also love to keep the Hydrosol on hand to spray my face throughout the day or after makeup application, when sometimes it just looks to heavy or powdered.
I haven’t yet dipped into the super luxurious clean eye creams that are out there. I have re-ordered 100% Pure Coffee Bean Eye Cream many times now and love it’s creaminess and its price point!
I still use W3LL People Makeup. They are truly clean and versatile! I have been so happy to see them gaining more and more attention over the past few years. I am going on three years of proudly using. I use the Narcissist stick and the Altuist powders. The Realist X looks a little suspicious but it really does wonders to set makeup! I am not a big eye makeup or cheek and lip person. But W3LL People is fantastic for these products, as well.
Eco Diva is a great place to find great eye and lip colors as well! They only sell the best and you can often see them testing them out on their instagram feed!
I have tried a few different mascaras, and haven’t found one that I have to have above all others. 100% Pure has a decent one. I still use coconut oil with a cotton swab to remove my eye makeup at night.
For deodorant you will always hear me giving props to Soapwalla’s Deodorant Cream. I have often ordered 6 at a time to make sure I didn’t run out, even though it seems to last forever. So, then I would end up gifting them to all of my friends. It is a must try!
For body I end up applying jojoba oil most of the time and sometimes coconut oil, but my skin is more apt to break out with coconut oil, so I will apply it to my legs and arms but not breakout prone areas like my back and shoulders.
For hair, I do still do the ACV rinse, like I mentioned, but I also use Intelligent Nutrients PureLuxe Shampoo and Conditioner. And then I put a touch of Argan Oil on the ends when still damp. To revive my curls I love to spray in Aubrey Sea Buckthorn Leave In Conditioner spray, which can be found at most health food stores.
I know it can be hard to let go of your favorite beauty products, but please throw that chemical crap away! A great way to do transfer over to clean is to replace your current products one at a time as they run out. That makes it a little less daunting.
Get out there and clean yourself up!
I started cleaning up in 2010 and at first was also duped by mass market “natural” products. It was actually you who helped steer me in the right direction when you posted about your discovery of No More Dirty Looks and early experimentation with ACV and such on Twitter. It’s still a work in progress, but I’ve dumped most all of the old chemical products. In some cases I’m still looking for that one product I love and want to use forever. Most of my current products are 100% Pure, which I like because their price point is good enough that I don’t mind experimenting. I’ve also tried some Juice Beauty products. Some have been “meh” and some are pretty good. I currently use their tinted SPF Moisturizer and plan to try out their Green Apple cleanser here soon. I’ve tried it once or twice, but not for any consistent period of time. I always like to wait until they are offering bonus samples to get new stuff to try for a steal. I’ve checked out W3LL People before, but I don’t wear makeup often so the price tag is a little daunting. I’ll probably break down and try the Narcissist stick one day though. Some of the other products you’ve posted have definitely piqued my interest, so I’ll be checking those out as well.