Green Your Beauty Routine

Photo: SteffanyF!

I will be the first to admit that Greening My Beauty Routine has been the hardest for me. There are two reasons for this.

First, there are A LOT of great deals on drugstore beauty products out there, and it is hard for me to pass up a .25 bottle of shampoo! (I try to keep it honest here)

Second, I find it incredibly difficult to navigate all the labels and ingredients – even in the so called “natural” products.

For example, can anyone tell me what triethanolamine is? Or what potassium myristate is? Can anyone tell me which one is in the “natural” shave cream and which one is in the “drug store” shave cream?

Confusing, right?

But there are a lot of great reasons to avoid what is out there too! Did you know that the FDA doesn’t regulate any of those chemicals that are being used in what is going on our bodies? And that a lot of these chemicals are actually absorbed through our skin – the largest organ on our body!!!!

So here are a few ways to Green Your Beauty Routine. I’ve tried all of these with great success, so you may want to try them too:

Olive Oil – When we were living in Jordan, the Arab women I met always raved about olive oil as a moisturizer. I’ve been using it, and I swear by it! You’ll want to slather it on at night and consider sleeping in a pair of PJ pants to save your sheets. And add a few drops of essential oils, such as lavender, if you want to avoid smelling like a pizza!

Tea Bags – Used black tea bags soothe the puffiness around eyes. Just lightly dampen and let rest over your eyes for about 5 minutes. Puffiness gone! The secret is the tannins. This works better than the cucumber slices you may have tried in the past.

Oatmeal – Oatmeal is known for soothing red, irritated skin. Make a facial mask by combining equal parts honey and lemon juice. Add enough oatmeal to make a spreadable paste. Apply to your face and let sit until it starts to feel tight. Wash off, enjoy your beautiful skin.

Cornstarch – Cornstarch is super absorbent and can be used in the same manner baby powder is used. To make it delightfully fragrant, try putting cornstarch and a dried herb in the food processor and pulsing. Good herbs to try include lavender, rosemary or lemon thyme.