New To Clean Beauty? 5 Products to Swap Now!
Are you new to cleaner living and possibly feeling overwhelmed? Don’t worry I’ve got you! I found myself at the starting line of my own clean beauty journey just three short years ago and I was feeling a lot of the same things you might be - frustrated, overwhelmed, hopeful, excited, etc. I was frustrated that I had allowed myself to use toxic chemicals for so long and overwhelmed thinking about the products that needed to be replaced in my routine, like yesterday. Quite frankly, I didn’t really know where to start. I only knew that I wanted to make a conscious change and that there must be a better way. I wished that I had access to someone like me now to tell me exactly what products in my routine to take a look at first, because after scanning everything in my cabinet with the Think Dirty app and scoring more in the red, than in the green, I was frantic and ready to start completely over. However, I was also on a budget and couldn’t reasonably afford to trash and replace everything in my routine all at once. Overall, my general philosophy is to start with items in your routine that you use frequently and that cover a large part of your skin! So, today, I’m here to give you a short and sweet list of the 5 products I would start by replacing for any overall greener personal care routine! I help break down a general “why” for you start with these particular items and my experiences making the swap.
Before we get started, let me set one thing straight, you do not have to start here! You do not have to ascribe to any order of swapping products out - you can start with anything you want, but I just find that these suggested swaps below are non-intimidating for someone who is brand new. You have all the power, so do what feels right for you! Okay? Okay!
1. Deodorant
The first product I would swap? Deodorant! There has never been a better time to switch! There are cleaner options becoming available and more mainstream every. single. day. and now you can find cleaner options for deodorant in spots like Target, Walmart, and TJMaxx (. One of the biggest reasons I recommend swapping this out first is because it will likely take you the longest amount of time to find a clean alternative you love. Natural deodorants get a bad rap for being ineffective, irritating, and pricey than their more conventional counterparts and trust me, I get it.
I’m 3 years into my journey and I still don’t think I have found the ultimate holy grail of clean deodorants Don’t let that discourage you though! I have found really some good ones and I have more on my never-ending list that I’d like to try. Deodorant and the way interacts with your body is so incredibly personal and it’s probably going to take a lot of trial and error to find a deodorant that performs well, smells great, doesn’t irritate, and meets your personal preferences.
Also, your body will naturally go through a detox / transition process as you swap from conventional deodorant to a cleaner alternative. For some people, this process is seamless and for others it takes awhile. I was able transition fairly quickly with little side effects, but my husband on the other hand had a lot longer process.
Why make the switch? Conventional deodorants are filled with unfriendly chemicals such as aluminum, talc, PEGs, and fragrance. Your armpits contain sweat glands, which are part of your lymphatic system (aka lymph nodes). You want to make sure you are able to sweat (perspiring is totally normal and necessary!) so that you are able to rid your body of toxins! Conventional deodorants diminish perspiration, which means your body just can’t do it’s thing.
2. Moisturizer
Moisturizer is, in my opinion, one of the most crucial, basic, and needed steps for a solid skincare routine. I think everyone should have a moisturizer - yes, everyone! There are sooo many different ways to moisturize - oils, lotions, balms, etc - so every skin type, whether they are oily, dry, or combo, has something they can benefit from. A good moisturizer balances your skin and keeps skin feeling hydrated and nourished throughout the day. It sits under makeup during the day and goes to work at night while you sleep. Moisturizer goes directly onto your bare skin and face and can act as base for which all other things sit on top! Since it is directly sinking into your skin, you want to make sure that what you’re applying has ingredients will go to work for you, not against you! What good is soft skin, if you have to compromise your health in order to achieve it? Thank you, next!
3. SPF / Sunscreen
Believe it or not there are toxic chemicals hiding in conventional sunscreen. I know - I hate to be the one to break it to you, but what kind of bff would I be if I shied away from the hard stuff? Traditional SPFs are filled with a little something called Oxybenzone. Oxybenzone is a chemical that is meant to absorb UV rays so that you don’t burn while hanging out by the pool or the beach. That sounds awesome right? So, what’s the big deal? First off, besides causing potential harm to our body, it damages our reefs in a major way and pollutes our oceans! It is so harmful to our reefs that places like Hawaii have banned sunscreens with it (cite link) on the ingredient list.
It’s a photoallergenic toxicant and a possible immune system toxicant. The EWG (Oxybenzone rates an 8/10 on the EWG Think Dirty App!) classifies it as moderate endocrine disruptor and a possible skin irritant. It accumulates in the body and has the ability to cause biochemical and cellular level changes in the body.
SPF is one of those things that everyone should be wearing on the daily because sun damage and skin cancer are major concerns, but I understand this is so much easier said than done! That being said, I’m not here to guilt you or judge you (#nojudgementzone)! You’re a grown woman and have the ability to make decisions for yourself. I just want you to find something that’s good for you, the environment, and the ocean/marine life!
4. Lipsticks / Glosses / Chapsticks
One of the big reasons I recommend swapping out your lip products first and foremost is because, like it or not, we end up ingesting small amounts of these products as we wear them. It’s especially important if you are wearing and reapplying lip product multiple times a day! You may not wear lipstick daily, but chapstick and balms are often reapplied on a more frequent basis and pose just as much a problem. Repeatedly ingesting small amounts over a long period of time can really add up! Lipsticks, glosses, and chapsticks often contain a variety of ingredients you would rather avoid than consume. Common offenders include fragrance, dyes, petrolatum, and parabens.
Another reason I suggest starting with lip products first (over other makeup options) is because there are truly SO many good clean options out there at a variety of price points. I find that clean lip products were some of the first that truly showed me green beauty could compete or outperform my old conventional favorites. Also, lip products, to me, feel a lot more universal and accessible than other makeup products! Women (or men) of varying skin tone, color preference, skin type, etc can usually find a lip product that is affordable, clean, and beautiful in a multitude of brands! For example, some of my all time favorite clean liquid lippies can be found in the aisles of Target! It’s a small swap with major impact and it’s an easy way to score a clean beauty win! If you’re looking for the ultimate list of clean beauty lipstick dupes, look no further than this blog post by The Organic Bunny!
5. Body Lotion / Body Wash
Raise your hand if you have a secret little collection of body washes collecting in the ledge of your shower! Whew. Glad, it’s not just me. I am so guilty of collecting body lotions, butters, washes like they’re going out of style, especially before I was committed to living a cleaner lifestyle. It’s so hard to walk the aisles of Target or Bath and Body Works without stopping to smell all the amazing scents - I totally get it! However, it’s important to swap your conventional lotions/washes out with a cleaner alternative for several reasons.
First and foremost, it goes over a large portion of your skin! Remember how we talked about this a little earlier? Our skin is our largest organ can absorb whatever we put onto it (the most common stat is 60% of what we put on our skin goes into our bloodstream). My favorite article that I’ve come across in awhile for breaking down how toxins enter the skin is by Ursa Major and can be found here!
Secondly, traditional lotions and washes can be filled with fragrance (aka a secret chemical cocktail) and things like parabens. I’ll never forget the day that I checked my favorite (and expensive) body butter in the Think Dirty app and found that I was overpaying for parabens to be slathered onto my skin day in and day out! Can we all just say, yikes?!
Okay, babe! How does that feel - not so scary, right? Good! I’m never going to be the girl who will tell you to ditch your entire cosmetics bag or shame you because you’re not doing “enough” or doing this whole clean beauty thing “right.” The only wrong way to do this is to not try at all! Clean beauty is a journey (and a fun one!) and I am so proud that you are now set-up to take some of your first steps on that very journey. One little change can yield major impact.