“Self care is a divine responsibility.”
Okay, I’ve been slowly trading out all of my old skincare for cleaner products. I feed myself well so it only makes sense that I’d want to do good things for my skin too! I also need my regimen to be simple. I mean, really simple. I can’t state enough how simple I need it to be. Here are some of my favorite items for caring for my skin while keeping things pretty basic!
Skincare by Hans Vivek
Dr. Bronner’s Soap. I use the liquid soap for general use and cleaning and the all-in-one bar soap for more every day bath/shower use. Yes, I use bar soap and yes, I went all the way back to castile soap. Castile soap was traditionally made with olive oil and produced in the Castile region of Spain. Dr. Bronner’s uses organic, fair trade, sustainable vegetable oils (not the icky kind but oils like coconut, hemp, olive, and palm kernel oils). I would love to try a pure olive oil castile soap to compare so if anyone has suggestions, let me know. For now, I really dig Dr. Bronner’s. My most loved varieties are the Baby Unscented and the Rose scented soaps.
Acure Shampoo and Conditioner. I have hair that REQUIRES moisture. Acure delivers much needed hydration without heaviness. Argan Oil + Pumpkin is my favorite. I use a bit of olive or avocado oil after I rinse out the conditioner (again, moisture is critical for me), wrap my hair in a bun and let it air dry, and then style.
Dessert Essence Organics or Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. I use Dessert Essence Organics which works perfectly well, especially in warmer weather when it’s not so dry and your skin isn’t like the Sahara. In the winter, I have to follow this product up with a coat of castor oil. Yep, I did, in fact, say castor oil. I also use Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. I originally started using this lotion when I was pregnant to try to stave off stretch marks but found it’s just a really good lotion. It’s very moisturizing and keeps my skin happy. Aaaaannnnndddd, I did manage to stay stretch mark free (at least on my belly)! I kind of wish they would call it something else so women who aren’t donning a bump might try it. I wish I had discovered it a lot sooner.
Kopari Deodorant. I really like this deodorant. I used Native for some time but even with that product (which is good too), I had to do a mid-day wipe and reapply. I think I get stinky faster than the average person and Kopari is one of the few deodorants that consistently works well for me. Free of aluminum and parabens plus it smells like coconuts!
Himalaya Botanique Whitening Complete Care Toothpaste or Tom’s Spearmint Toothpaste Gel. The most important thing I require of my toothpaste is that it be flouride-free. I obviously want it to do its job and clean my teeth but everything else is really just an accoutrement as far as I’m concerned. To that end, I like both Himalaya Botanique and Tom’s Spearmint Toothpaste Gel (there are other Tom’s varieties but I like this one best, bar none) and use them interchangeably. Both leave my mouth feeling nice and clean sans the garbage and they whiten - a nice little plus.
Beauty Counter Tint Skin Hydrating Foundation. I know there are other foundations out there with great ingredients (heard good things about Vapour, for example) but honestly I haven’t yet tried them because I’m quite in love with this one. I find it very comparable, in terms of performance and price, to products you might find at a department store makeup counter (well, at least I think so…I haven’t been to a department store in like 5 years but I digress). It’s very easy to apply, blends well, and costs about $42. Can’t rave enough about it!
Bonus: Earth Mama Baby Skincare Products. For those that are mothers, I highly recommend Earth Mama skincare products for the little ones in your house. I use the soap, lotion and diaper balm. They even have a little travel kit called “A Little Something for Baby” that has tiny versions of all of their staple products. I also use the soap as my facial wash.
There you have it! What are your go to clean skincare products? I would be very interested to know. More lovely lists to come - everything from most helpful websites and apps to best ways to learn a new language! I’m excited to share and to hear what you know!
Love in all things,
April Eileen