Cleaning Up Your Skincare
If you are thinking about pretoxing your life, one of the best places to start is with your skin. Did you know that the average woman applies twelve products to her skin each day? From cleansers to fragrances, haircare to moisturizers, this represents 12+ applications of toxins on our body each day. When I first read this stat a few years ago, I didn’t believe it. Then I counted up my daily routine - and damn, I was using 17 products. Seventeen! I used to fancy myself a pretty low maintenance beauty person, but a little bit of this and that really adds up.
It didn’t take me long to learn that our American beauty industry is, in fact, dirty as hell. In Europe, more than 1400 ingredients are banned by the EU for safety. In Canada, 600 ingredients are banned. In the US, only 11 ingredients are banned from beauty products by the FDA. Whaaaaat? Many of these ingredients are known carcinogens. Why are we putting these on our skin every day?
So, when I decided to clean up my skincare as part of my pretoxing journey, I knew I needed to find the right brands to lean on. It was important to me to find both efficacy AND clean products. My first experiences with some of the clean drugstore brands (like Pacifica, Weleda and others) left my skin feeling dry and I found myself buying up a bunch of stuff and feeling mostly disappointed. I was also wandering around in the wilderness without much of a map - what was I trying to avoid? How would I know if a product was really clean or not? The labels are all so long and the ingredients are like a foreign language.
The Dirty 10 list of ingredients to avoid:
Parabens like Propylparaben and Iosbutylparaben
Fragrance
Chemical UV filters Octinoxate and Oxybenzone (these are also harmful to sealife)
Diethanolamine (DEA)
Triclosan
Phthalates like Dibutyl phthalate
Sodium laureth sulfate (SLS)
Formaldehyde
Polyethylene (PEGs) like PEG-10 laurate
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Honestly, I found reading labels for these words (and related sneaky words) to be pretty daunting. Apps like Think Dirty are helpful, but still very manual. Then I came upon BeautyCounter. They have a “Never List” of 1800 ingredients they never use in their products (including all of the ingredients banned in the EU and Canada and more). I absolutely fell in love with their mission, but the products…wow…they work so well. Within just a few days, I noticed my skin looking brighter and feeling more moisturized and balanced. No more tight dry cheeks. No more greasy t-zone. Blemishes are now super rare for me. And the body products are just as awesome. My personal favorite is their CounterTime line that contains a plant-derived “Retinatural” (nontoxic retinol-like) complex for anti-aging support.
Here are my favorites from BeautyCounter that I use daily:
Step 1: Cleanse
BeautyCounter Countertime Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil: If you haven’t tried a cleansing oil, you are missing out! Whether you have dry, oily or combination skin, cleansing oils protect the moisture barrier of your skin and help regulate your natural oil production. *This cleanser is meant to be used on dry skin, which is not how most of us are used to washing our faces.
Step 2: Tone
BeautyCounter Countertime Mineral Boost Hydrating Essence: This is technically a toner, but is an amazing milky and super hydrating liquid. It is so effective on my skin, I could almost skip the moisturizer.
Step 3: SerumS
(Day) BeautyCounter Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum: After applying your toner is the perfect time to add a serum or any special need products you are adding to your routine. I like this serum and notice it helps greatly with fine lines on my face. It gives my skin a little plumping help during the day.
(Night) BeautyCounter Counter+ Overnight Resurfacing Peel: A couple of evenings each week, I swap the serum for this overnight peel. You don’t need any harsh exfoliators when you have a peel like this in your routine. It keeps my skin feeling fresh and the pores looking their best.
Step 4: Moisturize
(Day) BeautyCounter Countertime Antioxidant Soft Cream: This moisturizer is light, doesn’t feel oily and leaves my skin feeling happy instead of tight and dry on my cheeks. It’s perfect for daily use.
(Night) BeautyCounter Countertime Tetrapeptide Supreme Cream: At night I apply this heavier moisturizer to give my skin an extra boost while I sleep. It really helps with the texture of my skin.
(Body) BeautyCounter Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer: This is the best body lotion I’ve ever used. It goes on without leaving an oily film and leaves my skin so happy without any ash.
(Lips) BeautyCounter Lip Conditioner:
Step 5: Sunscreen
It’s critical to use sunscreen during the day, no matter your skintone or climate. This is good for anti-aging, but also for general oxidation and stress to the skin (which is what leads to skin cancers).
(Face) Countersun Daily Sheer Defense For Face – SPF 25: I absolutely love this sunscreen. It’s the only mineral-based sunscreen that I have found that doesn’t leave a white film on my skin.
(Body) Countersun Mineral Sunscreen Lotion - SPF 30: This sunscreen is super high quality, but does leave more of a film. The tinted mist is a nice alternative and I also love the stick format (especially for my kids’ tiny faces.)
Other favorites:
Jones Road Hippie Stick: Amazing for those dry heels and elbows.
The Vintner’s Daughter Facial Oil: This is like a spa treatment in a bottle! I add it right before my moisturizer day and night and absolutely love it. It smells like heaven.
Full disclosure, I fell so in love with these products that I became a BeautyCounter consultant for the discounts. I don’t really do much selling, but if you are so inclined you can find these products on my page. As with all proceeds from affiliate links on this site, this helps me support my expenses. Thank you!
