enJOY it

an archived personal and craft blog from Elise Blaha Cripe.

So I mentioned recently that I made some skincare changes. You might have thought the big reveal was going to be some sort of mind-blowing infomercial. But really it's a little bit boring :

Iam

Yep, that's it.

There are lots of arguments for organic skincare products and I cannot even pretend to understand them all and don't think this is the forum to speak on them. Some people think what's in so many of our skin products is no big deal and some people think it's worth sounding the alarm. I probably fall somewhere in the middle. However, I know that the more natural I eat, the better I feel, so why should that not apply to what I put on my skin as well?

And after taking a look at a cheat sheet (scanned in below / click to enlarge) from the book There's Lead in Your Lipstick (and realizing that everything I owned had at least two of the toxins listed), I decided that when I ran out of a current product (face wash, lotion, makeup) I'd replace it with something that was paraben (and all other toxins) free.

Skin

I have been carrying it around in my wallet for the past two months and so far have switched out my face wash, lotion and mascara. My skin has never been softer and smoother. And even better, the awkward white pores that have been visible around my nose for the past few years are no longer a problem.

Products

Some of the products (starred above) I was able to find at Target. I like the YesTo product line, but should note that they have "fragrance" listed on the label which is not considered natural. The Pangea Organics skincare line is really fantastic and I was lucky enough to grab a bunch of stuff at a discounted rate when Swirl ran a sample sale a few weeks ago. I am pleased with everything, but my favorites would be the Avalon Organics face wash and the Pangea Organics face lotion (I apply it every night and morning).

The mascara is the only make-up switch I have made so far. I figured my eyes deserved the least amount of chemicals and I found the Lavera line at Target. It's not the best in terms of BOLD, FULL LASHES, but it works fine and is toxin-free.

IMG_6523

And a word on body soap : I switched from Lever1000 (or whatever it's called) to natural Burt's Bees at the beginning of September. It seems less soapy (i.e. less bubbles and foam) but my skin still gets clean and even better, I have noticed I no longer need to apply body lotion everyday. I think my old soap was stripping my skin of natural oil and leaving me dry and flaky. My current bar is almost gone and I am excited to try the Dr. Bronner's brand next.

I am still looking for a new mineral based face and body sunscreen & some less-toxic nail polish. I would love to hear if you have any suggestions! Also, if you are into shopping online for Pangea Organics products, I recommend The Green Life which was founded by my friend Jessica & her husband.

EDIT : I can't thank you enough for all these suggestions. Natural skincare for the win. Thank you, thank you & keep them coming.

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77 responses to “recent skincare changes.”

  1. Erin Avatar
    Erin

    After using traditional nail polish remover for way too long, and after being constantly unhappy with the way the acetone made my nails and skin feel, I’ve switched to Butter brand polish and remover. I buy mine Ulta.

    Like

  2. Jenn Avatar

    pangea organics is having 25% on their site all of october.they also sell a discovery kit of smaller size samples if you want to try some stuff out before committing. Thanks Elise for posting this and giving your honest opinions. I’ve been reading about this topic more recently especially after some of Kal’s tweets. keep sharing your finds, from the comments above, it looks to be helping more than me!

    Like

  3. Kirsten Juenke Avatar

    We just had this conversation the other day…my 21 yo is in college and studying DNA right now. Scares me! Like they’ve found that smoking affects your DNA. Let alone the flame retardant stuff. And don’t get me started on lotion I cringe when I see sunscreen sprayed on babies. Yikes!!! I’ve just started exploring, but really appreciate this post and am committed!

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  4. Jennifer Orr Avatar
    Jennifer Orr

    I’ve been getting my education little by little from http://nomoredirtylooks.com/ blog. Have yet to read the book, but the blog is awesome! I also tried Spirit Beauty Lounge for online shopping and got lots of great samples!!

    Like

  5. Sy Avatar

    Love your post! I’ve been trying to make these changes too and started swapping out household cleaning supplies as well.
    Nail polish- I use scotch and love that it doesn’t smell. It’s supposed to be safe for pregnant women etc so it’s free of all the toxic stuff supposedly. There’s zoya too which I haven’t tried.
    Great idea to print the list. I should do that too. And oh, I read a book about organic foods some time back and it said that naturaldoesn’t really mean anything, there’s no regulation, unlike for organic, as to what “natural” really means and so it’s become more of a marketing gimmick.

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  6. Heidi jo Avatar

    I use Mychelle makeup and skincare. I absolutely love it. Check it out at Mychelle.com. I’m pretty sure it should fall on the list but now I’m going to check the ingredients again.

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  7. Cherie Avatar

    I use Young Blood cosmetics and they are amazing! My skin is super sensitive and it never makes me break out. Since I started using it I’ve received a ton of compliments on how my skin looks.

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  8. Andrea Avatar

    This is something I’ve been thinking about as well… I’m wondering what the price difference is?

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  9. elise blaha Avatar

    Depends I think. I was not using super cheap stuff before so for me, it is pretty even. 🙂

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  10. victoria | vmac+cheese Avatar

    It’s amazing you’re making this switch! These days, we spend so much time thinking about the foods we eat and making healthful, natural choices there… I wish more women realized that what they put on their bodies everyday can be just as bad! I totally agree with the first commenter — you MUST read No More Dirty Looks! They also have a blog that’s great too, with tons of free info and product recs. Learning to transition to naturals is a lot like learning to read food labels. Once you gather the information on what it all means, it helps you make more informed decisions and set your own boundaries about what is acceptable for YOU.
    This summer I used Josie Maran’s 30+ SPF sunscreen. It uses physical sunblockers (titanium and zinc, I think) versus chemical ones that are so bad for you and the planet. It worked really well! Not greasy at all, sinks in fast. You can get it at Sephora.
    Another great online resource for clean makeup is Spirit Beauty Lounge. They sell lots of the major brands, and TONS of different skincare and makeup products that are all CLEAN.
    Finally, one last natural nailpolish line is Scotch Naturals. Similar to Butter — 3 free and of course, great packaging. 🙂

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  11. Elizabeth M Avatar
    Elizabeth M

    If you want a body wash try Burt’s Bee’s Baby wash! It is my favorite, and leaves skin super soft!

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  12. Denise Avatar
    Denise

    Zoya nail polish is super awesome and always has cool, current colors!!!! Love Aveda for many natural products. And Josie Maran is a wee-costly but awesome!

    Like

  13. Lindsay Avatar
    Lindsay

    Perfect timing. Just what I have been looking for! I, too, have been wanting to make the switch over to natural skin care products but felt so overwhelmed looking through research (and things that appear to be credible)! I hope you’ll be able to update us regarding any additional information you’ve gathered 🙂

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  14. Jen Avatar
    Jen

    Elise, I really love the YesTo Line but was also worried about the Fragrance. They have a good FAQ page on their website which allayed some of my fears:
    Do any of your products contain fragrance? If so, what is it made of?
    Yes To’s fragrance is a mix of essential oils, natural aromatic chemicals and other synthetic ingredients that are approved by the NPA. The synthetic ingredients are used when there are no natural alternatives to create the current scent.
    http://www.yestocarrots.com/faq.html
    I’m a huge fan of Dr. Bronner’s. We do the liquid which can be watered down quite a bit so its good value IMO (when you buy the really large one on sale and then dilute).
    I really like the Physician’s formula mascara. Its the only make-up product I’ve really switched out too but you’ve gotta start somewhere, right? 🙂

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  15. Laura Avatar

    Aren’t the all natural products really expensive though? Did you have trouble with acne previously? I need to find something that is easy. I tried witch hazel, an astrigent, to clean my face instead of toners. But what to fight acne?

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  16. Maggi Bradle Avatar

    I love natural products, but a lot of them have beeswax in the ingredients, so I am limited since we are vegan. i currently use a lot of Alba products and Lush does sell Vegan bars—but I don’t have a storefront close to us.

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  17. elise blaha Avatar

    Depends on what you buy. Some are more, some are less than normal products. And no, I do not have a problem with acne, just dry skin.

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  18. Sherisa D Avatar

    To be labeled natural, they need to be something like 40% natural. I haven’t read through all the comments yet, but you should buy Zoya nail polish. It’s vegan and high quality price that costs exactly the same as OPI and Essie.
    I don’t know how you’ll feel about Dr. Bronner’s. You should know what your skin condition was prior to your switch and since you started the new routine. They are a bit drying on my skin, and I typically have oily skin.

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  19. LeadInLipstick Avatar

    Great to hear you’re enjoying the changes that come with making the switch to non-toxic products. Thanks for sharing your experience. Also glad to see the pocket guide has helped with some of your product choices. There are even more great product and cosmetic reviews, do-it-yourself recipes and tips for eliminating toxins in your everyday life in the book. I hope it helps with lots of new inspiration for cleaner living.
    Cheers,
    ~ Sarah
    Team Gill Deacon
    http://www.gilldeacon.ca
    Twitter/LeadinLipstick
    Facebook/TheresLeadInYourLipstick

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  20. elise blaha Avatar

    hi Sarah, thanks so much. I am going to pick up the book for sure.

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  21. Erin b Avatar
    Erin b

    I’ve been using natural bath and beauty products for about 5 years now. Some of my favorites: Jane iredale makeup, zoya nail polish, zuzu mascara, devita solar protect moisturizer, derma e face wash.

    Like

  22. Varenikje Avatar
    Varenikje

    Okay, I see that quite a bit of time has gone by here and maybe this will seem a little “lunatic fringe” anyway, but I have taken to making my own soap and I have found that it is very nice on my skin. Obviously, making your own means you get to pick what goes in. The soap I am currently using has shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, water and lye (yes, lye is used in making soap, but when you are done, the lye has been chemically changed into soap, a very nice, mild soap). The bars last a long, long time. A lot of the other stuff I don’t use anyway, so I can’t comment.

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  23. bethany Avatar
    bethany

    i’ve been going back to this post over and over but haven’t had the right time to comment (and/or buy things) but now that’ i’m officially out of most of my normal products (or close!) i figured i’d do some research and shopping 🙂
    ended up buying a ton from aubrey organics. i currently use shiseido which is not so bad on the grand scale (according to those who rate products) but am hopeful that aubrey products will work well! they’re actually cheaper than what i currently use, but definitely more expensive than your run of the mill CVS products.
    going to try their honeysucks shampoo/conditioner and sensitive skin care set… plus bought some lotion and trial size products because of the awesome black friday sales! if you get this tonight, just FYI – lots of good sales on lip balm, hair care, trial size, and lotions. (plus, if you don’t already, you can sign up for their email and get 20% off entire purchase)
    thanks for the post and kind of nagging at my conscience. i try to “go natural” in a lot of areas and your post finally convinced me to make the switch for this area of my life. wahoo!

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  24. elise blaha Avatar

    Awesome!
    elise joy blaha cripe
    blog : eliseblaha.typepad.com
    shop : elisejoy.etsy.com
    web : elisejoy.com

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  25. Jim Thomson Avatar

    Really Good Post!!
    Experience a gradual brightening of your skin with an even skin tone as marks and discolorations dissapear leaving your skin looking fresher and younger looking. http://celestialskinproducts.com/

    Like

  26. Margaret Green Avatar

    I am a teacher for two years now. It’s only when I started teaching that I started to use lipstick on. I did not know until now that it can also damage my lips instead of making it more attractive. I learned a lot from this blog! I should have read this before I decided to put lipstick on.

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  27. Tara Avatar

    Thanks for the list, this helps me out as I’ve been trying to transition as well. Consider adding deodorant to your list because the commercial brands are all aluminum! I tried KissMyFace and love it.

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