One of the easiest ways to “go green” with your beauty supplies is to adopt a minimalist approach. Less is more. Going minimal in the make-up and beauty products department is a good way to de-clutter your bathroom and daily routines. Saving money is another side effect worth considering too. The best benefits though would be to your body and our planet. Here are some things to consider when perusing the beauty department at the the local store.
Make-up Is Toxic – Make-up and beauty products are loaded with chemical nasties that are bad for your body and bad for our planet. Reading a book like Toxic Beauty or Dying to Look Good can help you sort through the numerous reasons why it may be time to change the way you think about beauty and make-up. Are YOU dying to look good?
Our skin is our largest organ and when we slather it with carcinogens and other harmful chemicals, those compounds are being absorbed into our bloodstream. With that in mind should we really be putting things on our skin that we couldn’t also eat? Probably not. So instead of reaching for that conventional make-up or that tube of designer lipstick try safer products like those from Miessence. They are very natural and safe and are probably the only make-up I would use… if I wore any.
Loving Yourself Is Beautiful – Loving and caring for your body means not polluting it. Instead of spending $50 a month on make-up, start going without and use that money on nice haircuts, massages, or a gym membership. There are others ways to improve yourself without donning a toxic mask. One of the best beauty tricks I have found for the skin is to drink Green Smoothies. It plumps up your skin and makes it look younger and hydrated. It’s better than Botox!
Natural Works Just As Well – Why buy moisturizer when you can use coconut oil? Why buy shampoo when you can use baking soda and apple cider vinegar? Natural products are safe, cheap, and they work. They may not make you smell like a sugar cookie or a tea rose but this is a small price to pay.
Make-up is Clutter – Many women have a tendency to over do it on make-up and beauty products and then not even use them. If you have lotion or lipstick from 10 years ago in your make-up drawer you are probably one of these women. Decide that you will only own the basics (if you must)… good make-up brushes, mascara, blush, powder, lipstick. Select a set number and buy a small make-up bag. You can’t have more than what you can put in your bag. Eventually you will see that you never needed all that extra stuff anyway and your bathroom will be clean! I remember the days when I wore make-up and there was always loose powder or mascara smears on the bathroom counter. I cannot tell you how much I don’t miss the clutter and mess.
Be a Good Example For Your Children – By being that person who cannot leave the house without 20 minutes of beautification and a mask of make-up we are perpetuating the stereotype that beauty comes in a bottle. Our kids will get enough warped messages from ads and media that they are not good enough the way they are. The last thing they need is to receive that message at home too. Set a good example for them.
What is your secret minimalist beauty trick?
Great post! I especially agree with you about what message we’re sending our daughters (and sons, too!) through all of the bottles cluttering our medicine cabinets, waste baskets, and landfills.
My secret minimalist beauty trick is exercise. When I feel great, I look great! Sometimes, when I really want to “jazz it up” I put on a little eyeliner and mascara. That’s it. Hair simple. Clothes simple. Lips, kissable and au naturale.
Beauty comes from within. That’s a cliche, only because we know it’s true! There’s nothing sexier than a mama who feels great, laughs a lot and doesn’t feel the need to gunk up her pores with all that — caca! — for lack of a better word.
Coconut oil is better than any lotion I used before, and most of those were laden with chemicals.
And is it just me, or do women who wear a lot of makeup look like drag queens?
Its not just you. I have gotten so used to not wearing any that on the rare, once in a blue moon, occasion that I do.. I look like a drag queen when I look in the mirror, LOL. Or at least that is my perception. ;)
It’s probably your perception, but I’m laughing because I’ve had that experience too. Add a little extra eye makeup for date night, and then caught my reflection in the restaurant bathroom mirror and thought “Drag queen!!”
As I’ve gotten older I have really gotten away from a lot of make up. I love trying natural stuff. I think its worth it when you think of all the harm you are doing to your body. I always sort through my make up regularly:)
My trick is cleansing my face with a mixture of organic olive oil and castor oil. Very gentle, nondrying and economical. Super relaxing too.
Thanks for this tip! I’ve been paying $25 a bottle for an olive oil based cleanser. Can you tell me how much of each you use like 50/50 or ….? Thank you!
I’d like to have this mixture too :)
To assess the safety of cosmetics, check out the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database – just google it. It is a huge database from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, with a very credible, though not perfect, rating system including ratings of over 60,000 brands. It is an excellent resource to learn about what ingredients to look for in your cosmetics. I support the minimalist approach, also, but just in case….check out the Skin Deep stuff.
Excellent post! My natural beauty secrets include drinking lots of water, using all natural lotions, and Dr. Bronners for a face soap. I avoid wearing a ton of products, and only use mascara, blush, and a little concealer under my eyes, and that’s it!
This is a great post, Tiffany! I used to spend 20 minutes every morning on my makeup before going to work. Now that I no longer have a high profile office job, I only put on makeup 1-2 times a week and it’s a small amount taking only 3-5 minutes. I have noticed that my skin without makeup looks so much better and healthier now that I’ve stopped putting all the gunk on it! Also, I hope I am setting a better example for my 11 year old daughter that natural beauty is the best.
I have given my beauty routine a complete overhaul for 2011! I use a bar of dr. bronner’s peppermint soap as shampoo, coconut oil as makeup remover and a moisturizer (works great on the entire body). I’ve consolidated my cosmetics down to concealer, eyebrow pencil, powdered eyeshadow used as a liner, cream blush and waterproof mascara. I checked all of my favorites on the skin deep data base and kept them if they were rated lower than or equal to “4”. I’m about to switch to a more “natural” toothpaste (probably Burt’s Bees) and have already made my own hairspray! Since I began using cocnut oil on my face, I no longer feel I need a cream foundation and only touch the spots that need it with a dab of concealer. I wash my hair every other day and also use a “MadeOn Hard Lotion Bar” for dry skin, eczema. I use a bar of Dove sensitive skin soap on my children for washing their bodies and hair since discovering the bronner’s to be too harsh for their skin.
I used to have a HUGE tacklebox for my daily makeup routine, but now my entire supply of cosmetics and daily beauty tools (tweezers, eyelash curler, sharpener) fit into a tiny bag. Not only that, my routine takes roughly 5 minutes! Minimalize your beauty stockpile – you won’t regret it!!!
My little boys are prone to troubled skin/pre-eczema skin too and I was okay with the unscented Dr. Bronners – with the baby blue label. It just isn’t tear-free so that’s why I’m not using it right now.
I also think the amount of time and money people spend grooming is crazy! In the Chicago area where I live, even women with low-paying jobs seem to spend hundreds of dollars on fake nails, hairstyles, cake-like makeup, getting rid of every body hair they have and even fake tanning, which I cannot believe people still do in this day and age, but there are at least ten tanning salons in my area. Women I used to work with bragged about spending hours in the morning getting ready like it was a badge of honor. I worry about raising a little girl in this environment!
Great points! I’ve been trying to revamp my collection and been picking out more organic products than I’m used to. I certainly enjoy the perks of its cheapness and effectiveness.
Great perspective. Thanks for sharing on this.
I was never really into make-up much because I didn’t like the Fake look it often portrayed. Now, I’m not into make-up because of minimalism and el natural. I’ve only kept my organic eye-liners and a blush for the odd occasion when I feel better with some help (as a mom of 9 I sometimes have a bad sleep ;) and want to look a bit more perky if I go out!)
I rarely use soaps of any kind on my body but rather do skin brushing or soak in himalayan salts with EO’s. I also don’t use shampoos but prefer just using warm water and scrubbing, or baking soda followed by vinegar as a rinse. As Melisa commented above I also use olive oil or any good organic oil I have in the house like almond or apricot kernel mixed with castor oil on my face as a deep cleansing and moisturizing facial spa. checkout http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ for more info.
When I started using makeup (at 14), I immediately began having acne and SUFFERED from it until I learned all about natural/organic skin products. I switched to Bare Minerals years ago, but discovered that it had chemicals too, it helped my acne a little, but still no wear near being bareable! :-(
I found Miessence online and was skeptical. It just felt like, “oh…another product, more money I have to spend for failure.” Out of desperation, I finally broke down and ordered some samples. I really liked it! The smells were great! Not that toxic smell you get from regular products with “parfum” or “fragances.” After I started using Miessence, my faced cleared up! NO MORE ACNE EVERYDAY! I used to be so embarrassed and self conscious about my face. I just wish I had realized a long time ago, that my skin was suffering from all the chemicals I was putting on it. That is why everytime I would try a new acne product, it would just get worse. They were full of chemicals, and just irritating to my skin.
I’m glad I found Miessence, and I recommend it for anyone who is struggling with acne, rosacea, etc…You will be glad that you did……
Awesome article and awesome thread of comments! Thanks for all your tips.
I usually just use almond oil to moisturize, but I am curious about coconut oil…..do you just use the same kind that you buy for cooking?
Ha, ha! I too go without makeup unless I am going “out”, but does it still count if I am only au natural because I’m not organized enough to make time for looking good? As a mum to two young boys, I feel like I’m starting to give up: I got the super easy short haircut, and I never wear contacts anymore, and now this makeup retreat. I do care about the crap in all these products though, so this thread is looking pretty valuable to me right now. And ladies above, I’m sure you have never looked like a drag queen! You were just too aware/self-conscious about the difference in your appearance. Now, those “Real Housewives” ladies? THEY are some drag-queen-looking-ladies. Not you. :)
I had rosacea (sp?) for years until I was diagnosed w/ an allergy to parabens. I started using all natural products (Dr Bronners, Kiss my Face Olive Oil soap, 100% organic shea butter lotion for my face and my skin looks ALMOST like it did when I was 15! ; )
My biggest issue is my skin–i have chronic acne and sensitive skin. I keep it under control two ways: using a warm, wet washcloth to cleanse, and only once/day. My skin dries out otherwise, and it’s trained my skin to be less oily.. Also, i drink about one teaspoon of raw apple cider vinegar in a glass of water 1-3 times/day.
Great article. I completely agree! It’s amazing just how much junk you can accumulate if you go out and buy everything magazines and television tells you you NEED.
A couple of my minimalist beauty tricks are using olive oil as a shaving gel, coconut oil as a makeup remover and “lotion”, and washing my face using the oil cleansing method.
coconut oil. good for hair, skin, guts. :)
Baking soda for face wash, even my seven year old daughter likes it!