How to go all-organic with your beauty products (and why!)
By Krisy K.
What you don’t know won’t hurt you, right? When we’re talking about what’s in your beauty products -- wrong. Beauty and personal care products have an average of 12 chemicals in them and women use an average of 12 of these products a day. When you consider that you’re exposing yourself to these chemicals repeatedly, it’s time to revamp your beauty kit.
You may think you’re safe because you choose products that are labeled “herbal,” “natural” or “organic.” Unfortunately, there are no laws for using these terms, so companies can label a product with cancer-causing chemicals “organic.” Learn about what toxins to look for, do a product audit, and gradually take steps to an all-organic, good-for-you-and-the-environment beauty kit.
Step 1: Know what chemicals to look for
Keep the “dirty dozen” in mind so you know what you don’t want in your products. The following are just a few from that list:
- BHA and BHT – used as a preservative in makeup and moisturizers. May cause cancer and is a suspected endocrine disruptor (interrupts with our endocrine glands, their hormones, and where the hormones act).
- Parfum (fragrance) – a mixture of chemicals, which are often a mystery – they’re not even listed! Can trigger asthma and allergies.
- Petrolatum – in hair and lip products. May have cancer-causing properties.
- Talc – found in dry shampoo, baby powder, lotion, and eye shadow, and may contain asbestos, which can cause cancer.
Step 2: Audit your beauty kit
Choose an organization system – colored labels, three boxes or bags – and lay out all of your beauty products. If you’re using green, yellow, and red labels, for example, begin by reading the ingredients on a product and tag them accordingly:
- Green/Keep: no harmful ingredients (yes!)
- Yellow/Review: 5 or fewer harmful ingredients
- Red/Throw away: 5 or more harmful ingredients
Given that it’s likely some of your products have 12 or more harmful ingredients in them, you can adjust these numbers depending on how hardcore you want to make your audit. Is one of your favorite, must-have, can’t-live-without-it products in the red category? Read on to find out what to do.
Step 3: Shop smart and be patient
The key to going all-organic is patience. You can’t trash all of your products and replace them with all-new-to-you organic products and expect the change to go smoothly. Give yourself time to phase out your chemical-ridden products; don’t throw them all away yet!
- Choose your favorite product - start with your can’t-live-without-it product, like dry shampoo, for example.
- Find an organic brand - research great companies who are truly 100% organic, natural, and don’t use harmful ingredients. Find an organic, natural dry shampoo that is safe for you and the environment.
- Try, try again - give the product a try. Purchase a small size and see if you like it.
For dry shampoo lovers, check out our organic dry shampoo that has six ingredients in total. Green & Gorgeous Organics dry shampoo is a vegan, GMO-free, talc-free, and paraben-free dry shampoo that isn’t in an aerosol can (even our packaging is environmentally-friendly). There are no fillers or hidden ingredients and it’s a perfect on-the-go solution for refreshing your hair and adding volume and texture.
When you know about the chemicals in your products it’s impossible to rationalize continuing to use them. The benefit of switching to organic products is the peace of mind you’ll have. Products that are free from harmful chemicals are products you can apply liberally and with a clear conscience. Good luck taking the leap to all-organic, we promise you won’t regret it!
P.S. If you need some serious Green Beauty tips, make sure to follow our favorite Green Beauty Bloggers!