Do you know how many chemicals are lurking in your face products? Have you every counted the amount of toiletries that you own and use regularly? Did you know that the majority of drug store skincare have ingredients in them that hurt your health? Most people are catching onto these harsh facts and changing the way they take care of their skin. Below I share my own clean beauty routine and what products I’m currently loving.

Being in the performing industry for years, I was required to put many different products on my face. Every night, I would pack on the foundation and highlighter and mascara, plus wear fake eye lashes at least 3x week. This went on for 10 months out of the year for 9 years. Woof.

After a few contracts of doing shows, I started to dive deeper into clean beauty. My naturally youthful face was being compromised with lots of ugly chemicals, and I wanted to find healthier alternatives. I started to research online brands that were paving the way in organic, minimal ingredient makeup. It was a period of trial and error, but I eventually found some great products that I still use today.

When it came to clean skincare, I didn’t start researching this until I was enrolled in Health Coaching school at IIN (Institute for Integrative Nutrition). I started following other Health professionals and going down rabbit holes online to discover that I could use essential oils and things in my kitchen to supplement my skincare routine. This got me excited for trying new clean brands, shying away from just Sephora skincare shopping. I even experimented with making my own.

Ugly Facts

Most skincare products have Endocrine Disruptors in them, which “is any chemical that can interfere with normal hormone functions in humans or animals. While there are naturally occurring types found in plants, such as soy (known as phytoestrogens), most endocrine-disrupting compounds come from synthetic chemicals and can be avoided.” (Reference) We should be avoiding these estrogen-like chemicals as much as possible because they “can imitate hormones and destroy others while creating internal signaling issues which causes premature cell death. Endocrine disruptors have also been proven to accumulate in hormone-producing organs, resulting in organ malfunctions and irreversible damage.” 

Aren’t our beauty products supposed to be improving the quality of our skin, not killing our cells and messing with our hormones? This is why choosing products from trusted companies that avoid these EDC’s is vital for your overall health. The top 4 Endocrine Disruptor chemicals to avoid are…

Parabens: 

• Methylparaben
• Butylparaben
• Propylparaben
• Ethylparaben
• Isobutylparaben
• Benzylparaben

Plastics

• BPA (mostly in the packaging themselves) 

Phthalates

• Synthetic fragrances
• Recycle #3 (PVC) packaging

Pesticides

• Choosing organic ingredients 

My Clean Routine 

Step #1 – Makeup Remover

I have been purchasing this product for years. This product lasts me a lot longer now because I do not wear makeup as often as I used to. The Earth Science brand is currently at Whole Foods, but you can also find it online. This makeup remover has chamomile and green tea in it creating a gentle cleanse while removing difficult products like mascara. It is paraben free, vegan, fragrance free, and is not tested on animals. 

I squirt a little on my finger tips and use my favorite hemp organic cotton reusable rounds to remove all of the leftover makeup. When I’m done with the round, I just pop it in the laundry room. I do not use those disposable cotton rounds being that I’m trying to cut back on my waste. Once all the makeup is gone, I rinse my face with some warm water. 

Step #2 – Cleanser

The Mad Hippie brand is one that I’ve discovered recently while following certain zero-waste advocates. I cannot say enough great things about it. Their Cream Cleanser is a great gentle cleanser that gives me that luxurious feeling that doesn’t leave my skin stripped of it’s natural oils. This product has green tea in it as well. This is perfect for my sensitive and sometimes red skin. Mad Hippie is made in the USA, is vegan, non-gmo, and has ingredients found in nature that I can actually pronounce. The algae extract and Vitamin E make this a great cleanser for anyone looking to heal acne scars or smooth away imperfections. 

With my cream cleanser, I use my Vanity Planet Facial Cleansing Brush. The brush comes with a bristle brush or a silicone one. Right now I’m using the silicone brush, which is made for sensitive skin and is much easier to clean. This helps my skin feel nice and fresh after a good scrub on this little device. It is also completely waterproof, which makes it perfect for the shower. 

Step #3 – Toner

I tend to just spray on my toner instead of blotting it on with my fingers or on one of my reusable rounds. I find it’s more refreshing this way. The one I’ve been loving lately is Thayers Witch Hazel Toner with Aloe Vera and Lavender (alcohol-free). Lavender and aloe vera have amazing healing properties. I also love the fact that it’s alcohol-free, not leaving my skin feeling tight and stripped of oils. Toners with alcohol in them can change the acidity on your face and can cause your pores to create more oil trying to rebalance your pH level. This toner calms any inflammation in the skin. 

Step #4 – Serums

In any skin routine, I believe that serums are a necessary step. There are so many different kinds to achieve different results. There are one’s for acne, wrinkles, spots, dullness, scarring, brightening, and also exfoliators. My favorites lately have been Mad Hippie’s Vitamin C and Vitamin A Serums. I tend to use the Vitamin C serum in the morning because it’s a lighter product that brightens the skin and eliminates hyperpigmentation. The Vitamin A serum is more beneficial during an evening routine because of the strength of the ingredients. The HPR in the product serves as a natural exfoliant that limits wrinkles and age spots. Hyaluronic acid in the serum allows for rehydrating the skin. Make sure to pat on your serums, so that the liquid can have maximum absorption. 

Step #5 – Moisturizer

My final daily step would be some type of moisturizer to seal in all of those beautiful ingredients I’ve just put on my face. During my morning routine, I use Mad Hippie’s Face Cream. This moisturizer has acaí, argan oil, and reservatol in it, perfect for reducing redness and improving the quality of your skin.

As my evening moisturizer, I’m currently using Lush’s Naked Face Oil (Argan). This is a zero waste product that simply melts into the skin. The Argan bar is made up of Fair Trade cocoa butter, argan oil, and rose oil to soothe and calm the face. 

Extras

Sometimes if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll put on my CC cream with SPF from Supergoop. This creates a smooth surface and evens out my skintone. It also provides some sun protection (35-40 SPF).

When I’m sturggling with some hormonal acne, I slather on some Burt’s Bees Spot treatment. This product is mostly salicylic acid and I only need a few drops to be affective. 

Twice a week, I use a face mask during my evening routine. Once I’ve washed my face, I will layer on my Mask of Magnaminty. This mask has koalin clay for deep pore cleansing, honey for scar healing, and peppermint for a cooling sensation. I tend to use Lush masks becasue they are filled with fresh ingredients. 

There are several tools that I tend to use on occasion. My quartz roller is fabulous for calming puffiness and improving lymphatic drainage. It’s naturally cold and feels soothing on the skin when done after apply serums.

Another tool I use is a a dermaroller. The roller has tiny micro-needles that lightly puncture the skin, stimulating collagen production. The dermaroller also exfoliates the skin sloughing off dead skin cells. After applying serums it can also help to absorb product.

The last tool I have in my medicine cabinet is a mini electric shaver. Sounds weird right, but it’s also a form of exfoliation. This one is completely painless and takes away any peach fuzz on the face. I only use it once every couple of months to help product go on smoother.

The last thing I use in my skincare routine is castor oil. After wearing fake eye lashes for years in the theater, my lashes and brows stopped growing. I had patches in my brows and my lashes were very weak, so I started applying castor oil to them at night. Castor oil helps stimulate hair growth and nourishes the folicle. Make sure to always get organic, cold-pressed like the one I’ve linked here. 

Conscious Buyer 

Not only do we have to watch out for harmful ingredients in our skincare products, but also in our packaging. When a gel or liquid like substance sits in a humid environment (like your bathroom), the chemicals from the packaging start to seep into the product. Most skincare products are put into plastic containers. This puts a deep concern on whether our health is being compromised even when we buy good ingredients in bad packaging. I try my best to opt for glass containers whenever possible. I also use this method in my kitchen. Glass will not release any chemicals into your skincare and can heat up as well as cool down without harming what’s inside it.

What’s even more conscious, is buying things for your skin that don’t require packaging. Lush was one of the first larger companies that offered low or no packaging for their soaps, bars, and bath bombs, You can also recycle their plastic pots by bringing them to any Lush store. Bulk sections of grocery stores are also great because sometimes they provide these no-packaging options for your skincare.

Another service that I’ve been loving lately is recycling services. Terracycle is a brand making an enormous impact in the recycling industry. Here’s a question I never used to ask myself: where do you recycle floss? At Terracycle. They literally can recycle anything. They are a company that offers a send in service for all of your hard-to-recycle products and does it for you. They also partner with specific brands to make it even easier. One brand that I’m using that they partner with is Mad Hippie. All I had to do was find the brand on Terracycle’s website and request a mail-in bag. Simple as that. Now as I use my skincare products, I put them in the bag. When it’s full, I will send it away all in one go. So simple.

How are you improving the way you do skincare? Are you focused on reading labels and limiting harmful ingredients? What clean beauty brands are you loving?

Comment below with any questions you may have on this topic. Using celan products in my routine is a passion of mine and I would love to hear what you’re doing to have more of a healthy skincare routine.