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In 2019, the time of change has finally come, and more and more people are becoming more mindful of the foods they eat and the products they use on their bodies.
We are exposed to a slew of chemicals every day, and while stating that “chemicals are bad” would be incorrect, there is no doubt that we live in a time where harmful chemicals are all around us.
You can take steps to mitigate their negative effects, though, and starting by detoxing your beauty regime is a great idea. Here is how you can do it.
What Can Stay and What Needs To Go
First of all, you will need to go through all the products you use and determine whether they contain harmful chemicals. Make a decluttering session as soon as possible and toss those products that contain parabens, phthalates, sulfates, formaldehyde and so on.
Once you’ve got this step out of the way, you will have a blank canvas to work with and you’ll be able to make more conscious choices in the future. While at it, you might also want to downsize and cut back on the number of products you use – you don’t really need all that.
In the future, you’ll need to adopt the habit of choosing what you purchase based on its ingredients, not simply its packaging and promises. Thankfully, more and more brands are responding to the new needs of customers and today, it is not difficult at all to find completely organic products and vegan body care lines.
Face Products
Many people have the belief that the more they strip their skin of oils, the cleaner it’ll be. The problem with this is that harsh cleansers that remove our natural oils may cause more harm than good. Your skin may try to compensate for the lost oils and produce even more sebum and eventually break out, not to mention all the irritation.
So, if your skin feels tight after washing your face, you should switch to a milder cleanser. You might be surprised but natural oils do a better job at hydrating your skin and controlling its oil production, too. You can even try a DIY moisturizer and see it for yourself!
[Read: Can you Change your Skin by Changing Your Cleanser]
Shampoo
When it comes to hair products, mostly the same is true as for face products. Shampoos that are too harsh and strip your hair of all its natural oils might give you the gratifying feeling of cleanness at that moment, but your hair may become weak and start overproducing oils.
Instead of these harsh chemicals, you can switch to natural shampoo bars that do the job just as well with no unnecessary additives. In fact, you can even try organic herbal hair rinse recipes to give an extra boost to your strands.
[Read: All-Natural Shampoo Recipes for Every Hair Type]
Deodorants
Deodorants are notorious offenders when it comes to the harmful effects of beauty products. They potentially cause aluminum buildup that can lead to a slew of health conditions. Of course, we are not saying you should just stop using deodorant.
Your best bet is switching to a natural alternative. Yes, these exist, and it is possible to find one that works for you perfectly. Many of the new ones come in pots and look just like creams, so don’t hesitate to try them.
[Read: What are Natural Deodorants and Why you Should use Them]
Perfumes and Fragrances
While a product having a nice fragrance might often tempt us to just get it regardless of whether we actually need it, what you need to know about synthetic fragrances is that they can cause irritation, allergies, skin problems, and even hormone disruption, so it’s best to steer clear of them.
The problem is that oftentimes, many of the used chemicals aren’t even written on the labels when it comes to fragrances. So, what you can do is skip products with artificial fragrances altogether, use perfumes less often or even switch to natural oil-based fragrances.
[Read: 7 Natural Perfumes without Chemicals]
Skip the Antibacterial Soap
We use soap to get rid of bacteria, that is true, however, too much of something is never good. Using antibacterial soap certainly kills most of the harmful bacteria on your hands, but while doing so, it can disrupt your hormone metabolism and there are indications that it can even weaken your immune system.
It is really easy to remedy this issue, though. All you need to do is use a natural soap bar instead.
[Read: Activated Charcoal Soap Benefits + Our Favorite Soap Picks]
Conclusion
If your beauty routine could do with some improvement, the best time to start making changes is now. Chemicals might be ever so present in the products around us, but so are emerging brands that pride themselves in doing things differently.
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