Liz Thompson
We all know that too much fat, sugar and salt are not good for us. Staying up late and being sedentary are also counterproductive to our wellbeing. As long as you are getting a good night’s sleep, sticking to a healthy diet and exercise program and using nontoxic skincare and cosmetic products you are doing what is right. Right?
Believe it or not you can get too much of a good thing and we may be overdoing it without even realizing it. Most of us use too many beauty products. Not only that, but we tend to use too much of each product at one time.
Only a handful of safe and effective items are really needed in our beauty arsenal to keep our skin happy and healthy. A nontoxic cleanser, a toner for those with oily or acne prone skin, one good moisturizer for the season, an eye cream you can use in the morning and at night, a treatment and a product for exfoliating your skin. Pair these items up with mineral makeup and blush, nontoxic mascara and your favorite lip color and you are good to go most days.
Once you have pared down on the number of items you are using, think about how often you really need to use them. Cleansing your face, especially in colder months, probably does not need to be done as often as you think. Unless you have very oily skin or are working out each morning you should be able to get by with cleansing only at night. By simply splashing with warm water in the morning your skin retains its natural oils.
Shampoo is another product we tend to over use. Most hair types actually look and feel better if shampooed every two or three days. So, unless your hair is actually dirty, try just using conditioner every other day or skip it completely and wear hair up.
Easy and Inexpensive Beauty Tips
- Rosehip oil can be used as a treatment for diminishing lines and breakouts, fading sun spots and keeping skin soft. Pat around eye area at night in place of your eye cream.
- Organic sugar and milk mixed together can be used very effectively in place of a store bought exfoliant.
- Try mixing a bit of your mineral blush with a bit of your favorite lip gloss and forgo purchasing lip color.
Using fewer products less often will ensure product freshness, save your dollars and help you shave precious minutes off of your beauty routine.
Image credit: jurek d at Flickr.com, licensed under Creative Commons.
