Why Everyone’s Switching to Organic Beauty

Similar to the organic food revolution, organic beauty is now sweeping the world. Jessica Alba is slaying with her Honest Beauty company, Gywneth Paltrow with goop and you can now find organic beauty brands in Target and Sephora. Many of us are now choosing to lead healthier, more conscious lifestyles from what we eat to the clothes we wear to the beauty products we use. It’s shocking when you think about the thousands of chemicals lurking inside our everyday skincare and makeup products, many of which are linked to cancer, infertility and birth defects. We’re learning that it’s important to nourish our beauty through our skincare and makeup since the skin absorbs majority of what we put onto it. With more and more people deciding to place their health first when it comes to beauty, the organic beauty market has grown more sophisticated and accessible than ever before with an endless variety of choices.

How I Switched to Organic Beauty

It’s been about a year since I discovered organic beauty and started making the switch and it is still an ongoing process. You can’t go from a toxic lifestyle to nontoxic all in one day. It’s a gradual, personal and largely touch-and-go process that moves at a pace that you’re comfortable with. I didn’t throw out all my chemical-ridden products in one day. Instead I slowly phased them out by using them up while I read about products recommended by organic beauty bloggers via Instagram. As a working professional I didn’t always have a ton of free time to research online which is probably also why it was a slow process for me.

Switching to organic beauty seemed daunting to me at first. In the first 5 months I only switched to about 5 organic products. You ask yourself what organic beauty companies are out there and which ones can I trust? Will the makeup/skincare perform as well as the cult products I’ve been loyal to for years? You quickly become curious (and eventually obsessed) about answering these questions and that is really the first step in switching to organic beauty.

6  T I P S  T O  H E L P  Y O U  S W I T C H 

Prioritize finding organic alternatives for the products you use most
Face moisturizers and serums are products you apply everyday versus your liquid eyeliner which you might use on special nights out. Check the toxicity level of your products through the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep app or Think Dirty app.

Replace each item at the speed you’re comfortable with
You don’t need to immediately start buying a multitude of products. Make the switch as steadily or as quickly as you wish. The most important thing is to remain committed to making the switch to green beauty and sticking to your new routine.

Alternate between organic days and non-organic days
Sometimes the skin can flare up because it’s trying to purge itself of the toxins that it’s so used to receiving. I had some shocking reactions at first which discouraged me, but then I read this is a common detox reaction. If you find yourself breaking out, it isn’t because of the product, but because your skin is trying to detoxify and adjust. Take a break from using the product for a few days or more in between each usage and you’ll find your skin will gradually come to love the amazing nutrients it’s receiving.

Research
One of the best parts about switching to organic beauty is discovering the wonderful brands that exist and learning about the benefits of all their carefully formulated products. Organic beauty is highly personal and what works amazingly for someone may not work for your skin. Research the ingredients, read through reviews, contact the brand and purchase samples. Many companies will include several extra samples with your order. You can check out my Favorites Guide to see an organized list of my favorite products.

Start following organic beauty bloggers on Instagram (hashtag search organic beauty) to discover organic, natural brands and products. Many of them are also on Snapchat, Youtube and of course the web. Browse through online organic beauty boutiques like The Detox Market and Fig & Flower where you’ll find brand information and complete ingredients lists all in one convenient place.

Be prepared for trial-and-error.
Much like how you experimented with makeup as a teen and discovered what you liked and disliked, you’ll find that switching to organic makeup follows an identical process.

Look out for sales
Buying new products costs money and organic tends to (though not always) be priced higher due to high quality and carefully sourced ingredients. Follow brands on Instagram and watch out for sales. As I’m writing this I know at least a dozen brands having sales right now. They usually fall around special holidays and of course Black Friday.

 Without a doubt, switching from toxic to organic beauty will be one of the most interesting and rewarding lifestyle changes you will make and your glowing, radiant self will thank you for it. Personally, it has been the greatest form of self-love and self-appreciation I have shown myself. I hope this helps you in making the switch.

organicbeautylover