You might not love the thought of smearing a cream full of carcinogens on your face every night, but without reading the ingredients list, you could be doing just that. There’s a lot of arguments for switching to organic makeup; maybe you like the thought of products with less irritants in them, or you’ve gone vegan and want to make your beauty routine a little more conscientious too, or simply because the list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients on the back of your shampoo scares you. If you’re thinking about or ready to make the switch to organic makeup, here’s what you should know.
- Research
Going au naturel is going to require some serious researching skills that might take you back to your university days (hey—a little nostalgia is good for the soul!). You’re going to have to get comfortable with a whole lot of big words, like parabens, carcinogens, phthalates (no, we don’t know how to pronounce that one either) and more. Practice reading the ingredient lists on all your products, and look up what they actually mean; there are even apps designed to help you figure out how safe—or not—a product is.
- Commit, or Don’t
Making the switch to organic makeup isn’t something you should do on a whim, or because you read a scary article. You have to find a reason to connect to the process, or you won’t last. It’ll involve a complete overhaul of your entire list of products, from shampoo to lip balm, to eyeliner, and everything in between. If you’re not serious about it, you’ll end up wasting a heck of a lot of money and time.
- Find New Brands
Overhauling your product base will be difficult, and more than a little heartbreaking. You might have been using some of your products since high school or earlier, and so finding new products you love might take some time. Start out by asking for samples, recommendations, and tips from well-known organic companies. Don’t be shy to ask for colour recommendations or products that address a specific concern; most of the time, these companies will be so stoked you’re crossing over to the bright side, they’ll more friendly and helpful than you’re used to.
- Replace Slowly
Once you’ve found winners, start out by replacing one product every 1-2 weeks. This will give you time to adjust to each product and settle into a new routine gently. It’ll also help prevent you from blowing all your rent money on a new skincare line—that’ll be a tough one to explain to the parents/SO. Throughout the process, always remember that companies can be sneaky, and never take the product at face value. Just because they throw around words like “natural” and “organic”, doesn’t mean there aren’t other ingredients in there, and it’s up to you to do the research.
- Re-evaluate Where You Shop
Going organic might mean shopping in a new way; gone are the days of picking up a shiny new eyeshadow palette for $4 from your nearest drugstore. You might have to get crafty and shop online, but know that you’re making the healthiest choice for your hair, skin, and nails, and that’s worth every cent!
