Tips to Start Your Transition to Clean Beauty

The thought of re-discovering products that actually work for you, while not breaking the bank, is daunting. It’s time intensive and you really, really like your routine, so why change? Because the personal care industry hasn’t, not since 1938 – the last time the federal government passed any legislation monitoring personal care ingredients. Companies have been largely up to their own discretion, and we are paying the price by using chemicals known to be toxic, even in small quantities.

To put it in perspective, the European Union has banned over 1,300 ingredients in the personal care industry, and the United States has only banned 11. I will write future posts on what products are harmful and why, but for now, let’s commit to a slow transition with three simple steps.

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Step 1: Buy When You Need

You don’t have to throw out your entire makeup and skincare routine and start from zero. Instead, make swaps when you run out of something. This will ease the burden of spending on new products and let you find brands and products you love over time.

Step 2: The 80/20 Rule

Just like the diet, I suggest you aim for about 80% of your products to be clean (over the course of however many months you think is possible). There are some products that are too hard to let go of because they just work so well for you (looking at you, Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer), but trying to get majority clean is, in my opinion, a great way to start. Remember that small changes add up, and everyone has to start somewhere!

Step 3: Learn!

You will be more likely to switch, and keep up with it, if you learn why traditional beauty products can be harmful. I’ll be working on new posts for you guys to help you understand the very real impacts toxic personal care items have on you, and encourage you to learn on your own.

Shown below is the Goop Clean Beauty book, if you are interested in beauty from the inside out, I highly recommend this read (it also makes a great coffee table book or gift!). The easy read will walk through how sleep, nutrition, exercise, and finally our products all play a role in how we look & feel.