Save your Skin
Switch to natural, green warriors that are gentle on the skin
Shift to chemical-free beauty products, and let your skin breathe
As a woman in my early twenties, I’ve done it all; plastered my face with make-up, coloured my hair a ridiculous number of times, ate inconsistent and unhealthy meals, and did not care for my skin much. I had nothing to complain about until the quality of my skin started deteriorating, my hair falling off of my head and acne becoming a common occurrence. We don’t always attribute these things to what goes into our gut and ignore the fact that our skin is a living, breathing organ that absorbs everything we put on it. It so happened that my curiosity on the subject led me to stumble upon some harsh facts about the beauty industry that has, until now, been masked with celebrity endorsements and glorious branding. It’s hard to look past all of it and question the credibility of consumer products today, but like me, there is a growing community of women who are becoming conscious about the way they consume and the impact it has on the environment. Here is a list of my five go-to brands and products that can be your first step towards clean and responsible beauty.
1 Shield your skin
A must-have that everyone should have in their beauty bag is ultraviolet (UV) protection. I will recommend brands such as Kama Ayurveda and Forest Essentials as they use natural UV protection ingredients such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide in non-nano particles. Look for products devoid of oxybenzone and avobenzone.
2 Go for face mists
To give dull and sleepy skin an instant hydrating boost, keep rosewater or jasmine water mist with you at all times. These sprays made with plant-based ingredients are a perfect jolt of refreshment for a mid-day pick-me-up or a post-workout glow. The mists can also be used as a primer and setting spray for your make-up. Brands such as Ancient Living and Fabindia stock these.
3 Gorge on antioxidants
Women who are constantly on the run don’t get proper nutrition needed for the skin and hair to thrive. For them, I will recommend Nutrova’s Collagen + Antioxidants sachets, which are a glass full of collagen peptides and natural antioxidants to repair skin from the core.
4 Introduce lip scrubs
Just like face, your lips also need to be exfoliated on a regular basis to shed away dead skin. Use a natural exfoliator made at home from organic brown sugar and honey. You can also try coffee lip scrubs from Neemli Naturals, as they are completely handmade and natural.
5 Smell good, without all the fuss
I recently came across the concept of ‘solid perfumes’ that are mixtures of various oils and natural ingredients, to be rubbed on different pressure points. Free of alcohol and water, these perfumes come in a cream form. Fresh handmade cosmetics brand Lush sells the best ones, and they’re very effective.