Laura Love's 6 Steps to Green Your Beauty Routine For those who share my addiction to beauty and glam, the thought of changing your regular beauty products can have you shaking your head so hard your faux lashes come off! However, to become true goddesses we must realize that true beauty goes beyond our faces and reflects in our efforts to take care of our minds, bodies, and our precious planet earth. Many make up, skin, and hair care products are loaded with toxins and harsh chemicals that our bodies absorb every time we use them, not to mention the mass produced products that harm the earth with heavy oil usage, excess waste, and non-recyclable packaging. Fortunately, many mainstream cosmetic companies have got on board with the global “going green” efforts, and new brands of eco-friendly cosmetics are popping up everyday. It feels great that us green girls have some options. After all, shouldn’t our planet be as beautiful as we are? Of course we have to hold our beloved brands responsible for doing their part, but, instead of starting an all too dramatic one woman protest at the MAC counter, try these 6 simple steps you can take NOW to personally green your beauty routine.
1.) Fall for Fair Trade –With an undergrad degree in Women’s Studies I could go on a tangent all day. However, I’ll just state this one simple statistic: Women provide about 90 % of the world’s resources, and receive less than 10 % of the profits. Alas, this sad stat applies to the beauty industry as well. Often times the resources for cosmetics are discovered, made, and packaged by women who are underpaid, underweight, and overworked. Companies and brands that use fair trade and ethical business practices are straight up AWESOME! In fair trade, the products are usually organic and of premium origin, while the angels who put it all together are blessed with fair wages, fair working conditions, and fair treatment of the environment. It’s a WIN -WIN situation. Some popular fair traders are: The Body Shop, Moroccan Oil, and Aveda.
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Spa Polynesian line by The Body Shop. |
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Moroccan Oil Products.  | ||||
Aveda's Enbrightenment line. | ||||
2.) Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls-TLC told the truth and gave some great advice in that song,! The beautiful Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopez (may she rest in peace)was a major advocate for the environment. I know if she was looking down on us now to see how much water we waste a day in our beauty routines, she would not be pleased. Make Up: If you didn’t get the winged eyeliner look quite right the first time there’s no need to wash your face and start all over again. Try oil-free make up removal wipes instead. Hair: Of course you need a good lather & rinse when necessary, but in between salon visits opt for dry shampoo. A lot are made from natural ingredients, and they save energy, water, and money you waste when constantly shower washing your hair. My personal fave is Lush’s Candy Fluff powder, it can be used for both weaves and natural hair, and I can personally testify that it absorbs the excess oil, and leaves your head smelling candy sweet! Although, I have to warn you that it might cause guys to follow you around all day.
Stay sweet with Lush's Candy Fluff dry shampoo! |
Nails: When doing manicures at home, opt for placing your hands under a wet cloth for an extended period of time, instead of soaking them. It gives the same affect of cleansing the nails and softening the hands, without the excess water bowl water down the drain. Relax and Wax: If you like hair barely there, go for waxing instead of shaving. The results last much longer. You run less water by cutting out the shave in the shower routine, and now that your showers are quicker you have more time to try that outfit with different accessories! WIN –WIN.
3.) All-IN-ONES and one for all! You don’t have to be a musketeer to appreciate the value of the 3- in- one deal. An awesome and savvy way to green your beauty routine is to buy make up with multiple uses. There are plenty of make up palettes that can be used for eyes, lips, and cheeks interchangeably. Moisturizers that have sunscreen and tint, double -ended lip liners, concealers with added anti-age vitamins…get my drift? Using products that have more than one function saves money and cuts down on environmental damage-it’s all about taking two birds down with one stone. The brilliant brains at NARS were thinking along these lines when they put out The Multiple – it’s a cheek, lip, and eye color in one tube for $38.00. I couldn’t be a green girl without mentioning Revolution Organics Freedom Glow Beauty Balm, which you can use almost everywhere on your face for $34.00. Now that’s what I call multi-tasking. An added bonus, to buying multi-use products, is having more space in your bathroom vanity and most importantly more space in your purse! Is the WIN-WIN situation becoming a recurring theme here? Hmmm….
Freedom Glow Beauty Balms by Revolution Organics. |
4.) This is the one time its better to Go Synthetic- I’m talking the importance of fur-free make up brushes. Does any body remember what happened to Cruella De’vil at the end of the movie? It wasn’t pretty. Plus, animal cruelty is sooooo not in this year. There are too many high quality synthetic brushes that work beautifully. Taklon fiber brushes are the way to go. If you’re rolling with fur brushes, you could be carrying around goat, squirrel, pony, camel or mink fur in your make up bag and my guess is that they didn’t give it up willingly. Be a caring consumer, and support brands like Urban Decay, and Revlon who absolutely do not test on animals, nor use animal-hair make up brushes.
Earth Friendly Makeup Brushes by EcoTools. |
5.) This next step is a real revolutionary concept so brace yourself--ACTUALLY READ THE LABELS. Check out the labels and ingredients on your cosmetic products to see what you are putting in and on your face and body. If it appears to be full of toxic crap then toss it. I know…with all those words you don’t understand written as small as they could be, it’s hard to know what’s what. You can check out the exact meanings and origins on websites like www.SKINDEEP.com or at www.Ecobella.com , these websites and plenty others out there are great at breaking down those confusing list of words, and informing consumers exactly what those chemicals do, and where they originate.
6.) REDUCE, RE-USE, RECYCLE = REWARD. Recall me mentioning those mainstream cosmetic companies in the intro that are now getting on board? Well some of them definitely provide an incentive for remembering the 3 ‘R’s. Returning empty cosmetic jars to Origins will earn you a sweet 10 % discount. MAC provides a free lipstick with every six empty containers you return, and Aveda will give you a perfect purse-sized hand cream for bringing in your cosmetic caps! Come On…Say it with me…WIN-WIN!
You've got to be seen green! Try tweaking your routine with these 6 simple steps and you'll be just lovely inside and out. Thanks for reading goddess, continue to support your sisters who believe in love and peace, and make sure you stay tuned for more of Laura Love's Adventures in Beautyland! Until next time, Always be bright, Always be bold, and Always be beautiful.