Disclosure: This post has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SeventhGenerationFemCare #CollectiveBias
Within the past year I’ve become really aware of ingredients that are in my beauty and grooming products. I was motivated to start switching them from my beauty and grooming routine. This was a more daunting task than I realized, as I found almost every single product I used included many unfamiliar ingredients. I knew I had to make easy and simple changes so that I wouldn’t be so overwhelmed by the process and give up. Simplifying my beauty and grooming routine is probably the most important way I take care of myself and the self-care habit I am most consistent with. Here are my tips for easy ways to simplify your beauty and grooming routine.
Easy Ways to Simplify Your Beauty and Grooming Routine
1 . Start small with the changes you make
When I first started overhauling my makeup bag and medicine cabinet to simplify my beauty routine, I learned I needed to switch out every single one of my products and that totally freaked me out. I decided to start small so that I could be successful with my goal. I treated it as journey, rather than an overnight transformation. First, I started with my products that were almost finished and I needed to replace. I found alternative options for these products instead of repurchasing my usual. Then I started looking to the products in my routine that I didn’t really care about. If the product was more than halfway done, I just threw it out. If it was relatively new, I returned it. Switching out the products I didn’t care that much about was painless and made it easy for me to make the changes I wanted to make.
What was hardest was switching out the products I had used for years and loved. We all have those holy grail items we can’t live without and those were the hardest for me to get rid of. Those were the very last products that I switched out which made it a lot easier. By this point, I had found new brands that I loved and looked forward to trying their version of my former holy grail items. I’m really glad I waited until the end to replace my favorite products, because I think if I had started with them first I wouldn’t have been successful with this journey. I’ll be honest through, I’m still working on this. I have yet to find an alternative to the chemical hair straightening process I do, the hand soaps I love so much, and the nail polishes I use.
2. Know which ingredients to look for
It’s important to know exactly which ingredients to look for when purchasing new skin care and grooming products. I try to read the ingredient list whenever possible. I’ve prioritized a few ingredients that are most important to me to avoid and so I always look for those. I highly recommend doing some research on ingredients to avoid in beauty and grooming products and selecting a few that you can commit to always avoiding.
3. Don’t forget about your vagina!
Yes, I’m going there! Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but it’s really an important topic. Looking at the ingredients used in my feminine sanitary products is a really new one for me and I’m not sure what took me so long. I’ve spent so much time and energy finding alternative products for my beauty routine, I realized I needed to give the same love and care to my vaginal skin which is thin and sensitive. Once I realized this, I went in search of alternative feminine care products and was happy to find Seventh Generation™ feminine care products at Target. They are all hypoallergenic and free of chlorine processing. The Free & Clear products do not have dyes and any sort of fragrance, natural or artificial. Even though it’s not required by law, all Seventh Generation products have all the ingredients listed right on the package for transparency. They are also working to fight to make this required by law, which is something I have advocated for in the past. Here are the feminine care products they offer. All of them can be found at Target in the feminine care aisle- not like any of us need another excuse to go to Target! They can also be purchased online: click here!
Find them in the Target feminine care aisle!
- Seventh Generation Comfort Applicator Tampons: This one is a new product and made up of 95% plant based materials. They have 0% added fragrance so your sensitive and thin vaginal skin isn’t exposed to unnecessary chemicals. This is one of the only plant based plastic applicators on the market!
- Free & Clear fragrance-free Ultra-Thin Pads with Wings: Leak free protection without dyes, fragrances, or chlorine.
- Free & Clear Pantiliners: No slip adhesive and keeps you dry without dyes, fragrances, or chlorine.
My biggest concern when I started simplifying my beauty routine, and I know this is a concern for others as well, is do these alternative products actually work. I’ve worked really hard to find alternative products to incorporate into my routine and I can assure you, they DO work.
Shop the products
This is unrelated to beauty products, but we have also been using Seventh Generation laundry detergent pods and dryer sheets for awhile now and have been really happy with the products.
If you travel a lot, you might also want to consider a menstrual cup.
4. Shop your kitchen for beauty and grooming products
My mom was always a big advocate of going into the kitchen for beauty and grooming products. I always resisted because I felt like store bought products were more fun (and let’s be honest, I’m lazy), but I’m starting to learn, she really is always right. Here are some of my favorite “products” to shop my kitchen for:
- Oil instead of body lotion. I put it on right when I come out of the shower and my skin is super moisturized. My favorite is grapeseed oil for the high amount of vitamin E and linoleic acid, but you can use any oil you have!
- Hair masks made out of mashed up avocado (great way to use overripe ones!) or coconut oil.
- Face masks. Here are some of my favorite concoctions my mom taught me:
- Mashed up strawberries + full fat yogurt + finely ground oatmeal {exfoliating, tightening, anti-aging, anti-acne, and moisturizing}
- Grated cucumber + full fat yogurt + finely ground oatmeal {Very similar to above, but more calming. Leave out the oatmeal if you don’t want very much exfoliation, the lactic acid in the yogurt will still provide some}
- Just honey. This one can get my sensitive skin red, so I don’t leave it on super long. {anti-acne and moisturizing}
- Just watermelon. This one smells good enough to eat! {Anti-acne, natural toner, rejuvenating}
These are just a few easy and simple ways to simplify your beauty and grooming routine. I hope these suggestions help make your journey with alternative products a little simpler! Don’t forget to check out Seventh Generation’s line of feminine products at Target. Click here to shop the entire line.
Thanks for sharing! Most of the beauty products are so damaging for us… when I don’t have too much time to do research I always use their products because i know i can trust that company. They also have great baby products !
That’s such a good tip to go with a brand you already know has safe products! Seventh Generation is definitely a go to choice for me. Thank you for sharing, Marya!