Hi Friends, Happy Hump Day and Happy Halloween!
Today, I wanted to share the recent safer beauty swaps I’ve made since I’ve been pregnant. But I think this topic is relevant for everyone!
To be honest, previously I wasn’t all that into clean beauty. I try to live a healthy lifestyle and eat healthy, so I assumed I was doing enough. I also figured pretty much all beauty products on the market were safe – there are supposed to be regulations, and if the products are made to be put on your skin, they’d be fine, right? If I went to Sephora, I would try to veer towards brands that were labeled “natural,” or sulfate and paraben free. That means they’re safe, right?
WRONG.
Cosmetic and beauty companies are SELF-regulated in the US, and the last federal act to pass was in 1938! (And it was mostly to stop misbranding/false packaging. In 1938, people were smoking and drinking while they were pregnant!) Over 1,000 chemicals that we currently use in our beauty/skincare products have been banned in Europe – that’s how behind we are. Booooo.
After I found out I was expecting, I started researching the Environment Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, and I was in for a shock. There are SO many chemicals in our products! And these chemicals can contribute to so many health issues, and are found in babies’ umbilical cords when they’re born. I researched a bunch of my “clean” products to find that they weren’t so clean after all. A lot of bloggers rave about Beautycounter, but not ALL of their products are THAT clean. Just some of them. You really have to research each individual product.
So I panicked. I threw out a lot of products. Some of my products were pretty clean, but contained ingredients that pregnant women should avoid, like salicylic acid (did you know that??) or herbal ingredients (sweet almond oil) that might increase chances of uterine contractions/pre-term labor. I gave those away. I still get sent a lot of free products to try (benefit of having a blog) but I’m saving a lot of them for after Small Bean (baby’s nickname) is born. Or sometimes I’ll just save those for a blog shoot and only wear them for an hour (like lipstick) and wipe it off.
Now that I know what I know, I probably won’t ever go back to my old ways. However, I do expect to relax a little bit after the baby is born/when I finish nursing. Here is my current, super strict routine. I checked every single of these products on the EWG database, and investigated all the ingredients. For the most part, these are the “cleanest” products available!
Hair
- Color – Even though I love my balayage, I’m holding off on all hair color.
- Shampoo – Attitude
- Conditioner – Attitude
- Dry shampoo – I’m using arrowroot powder (some people use tapioca starch) on my roots, and it absorbs pretty well despite having dark hair!
My hair tends to be pretty oily/greasy, so I don’t use any other hair products. If you have dry hair, you can use argan oil in it!
Skin/Body
- Body wash – Everyone
- Hand soap – Everyone
- Moisturizer – Attitude (this is a body lotion that I’m using for my body and face)
- Sunscreen – Attitude
- DIY organic belly butter – I made this using this recipe with organic shea butter, mango butter, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, rosehip seed oil, and arrowroot powder. It’s like a creamy body butter and it’s great for dry skin, even if you’re not preggers.
- Makeup remover – Coconut oil
- Face wash – C’est Moi
- Deodorant – Baking soda (yup, it’s super effective…even Chris has been using this).
- Toothpaste – Jason (I also use the fluoride version). Did you know that Crest and Colgate use Sodium Lauryl Sulfate in their toothpaste???? You’re supposed to use sulfate free shampoos and soaps, but most of us are putting it in our mouths!
Makeup
- Blush – Beautycounter
- Eyeliner – C’est Moi
- Eyebrow pencil – Beautycounter
- Lip balm – isoi (tinted) and Whamisa (non-tinted)
- Lipstick – BeautyCounter
- Nail polish – Acquarella (It doesn’t smell like anything and lasts pretty long!)
And that’s it! Do you think I need to ease up?
Are you into safe beauty? What are your favorite products?
