My Green Living List: Beauty Products

For me, using as pure ingredients as possible on my skin has always been a priority. However, balancing affordability, performance and quality has not always been an easy task.

Some of my favorite green beauty products have come by trial and error, though I have learned of many more by word of mouth. So I hope that you find something useful in my product list, and in exchange, would love to hear of your favorite green beauty products!

BEAUTY: 

Dr. Hauschka

I have dabbled with Dr. Hauschka products over the years, but recently began using their line exclusively. This is due in part to recommendations of friends, and in part to their availability in my local health food store.

Of their products, I use the cleansing milk, toner and light rose cream. I also use their eye cream. The use of their line has completely transformed my usual beauty regimen, in that Dr. Hauschka believes in moisturizing at the beginning of the day, not at night. The philosophy behind this is that the skin should be able to breathe while at rest.

I love how my skin feels and especially love the toner that I spritz over my face, neck and chest every evening and morning. It's like a mini spa treatment every time.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap

This is my husband's 'beauty' regimen. He uses it from head (hair included) to toe. Literally, he lathers up like a puppy with one bar of soap and rinses squeaky clean. He even uses it to shave. I tease him sometimes about his expensive beauty habit as one bar lasts about a week in our house.

Aubrey 

I use Aubrey shampoo and conditioner for my hair. It has worked very well for me even though it is formulated for dry hair, and I don't really have dry hair. I like the Honeysuckle Rose scent the best. This is another new product that I've started using since moving east almost a year ago now. I think it's my favorite green shampoo and conditioner of those that I have tried, and it's both easily available and affordable.

I also use Aubrey moisturizing lotion, also in a rose scent. I'm not typically a scent person but the rose is very faint. Also, I love the creaminess of this lotion. It soothes dry hands in an instant, which is always something I look for when buying a moisturizing lotion. 

We use Aubrey baby body wash for washing little hands, and have found it to be very gentle on soft delicate skin. We keep a bottle at the kitchen sink and another in the bathroom  They also make a baby shampoo. However, I wasn't that fond of it (as it seemed to leave their hair flat), and that is why we use the following product at bath time. 

Nature's Baby Organics

This shampoo and body wash was recommended to me at our local Co-Op after I had tried several other similar products. What I love about this product, in addition to its pure ingredients, is that it leaves the hair wonderfully soft and luxurious just as it claims on the bottle. Sometimes that is the biggest challenge with finding the right green product - a balance between good ingredients and good performance. This has both. 

NOW

We used an entire tub of shea butter this past winter. It's wonderful for chapped lips, hands and feet. My naturopath doctor also mentioned that it is rarely an allergen so it's especially great to use with children and their sensitive skin.

Weleda

Weleda is another amazing European company. Like Dr. Hauschka, they strive to use the purest ingredients and practices in making and sustaining their products.

I love their chapstick, and am also a longtime user of their Wild Rose Deodorant.

At this point, I'm beginning to wonder if I smell like a rose garden gone wild. All of my beauty products that happen to have a scent are rose-scented. But I think because all of these lines use the purest ingredients, the scent of rose is very subtle. To be sure, I asked my husband Mike:

"Do I smell like roses?" I say with morning hair and sleepy eyes.

Laughing, he said, "Of course," and then inhaled me and went back to work.

But he can't be a reliable one to ask so I'll stick with my original claim - the scent is subtle.

bareMinerials

I use bareMinerals mineral veil, which is a translucent loose powder that has sunblock in it. It's replaced my regular face powder. I am really not a make-up person but nonetheless, don't seem to leave the house without powder to even out my 40 something year-old complexion. Hmmm, and a few other things as well...

Gabriel Cosmetics

For mascara, lip stick and lip liner, I use the Gabriel product line. It was recommended to me years ago by someone out west, and continues to be readily available and recommended here in the east.

CHI Ionic Low EMF Hair Dryer

Years ago, I read about common household products with high levels of EMF (electro-magnetic fields) exposure. Hair dryers were at the top of that list. This product offers a reduction in that exposure.

That about sums up my green list for beauty-related products. Again, I believe that word of mouth is often the best way to learn about a new product so please, let me know your favorite green beauty products!