Sustainable Skincare: PART 1

Because exams are over, we want to pamper ourselves by giving our skin a treat! 

Since beauty products, just like clothing, are part of our everyday essentials, we also want to start consuming them with sustainability in mind. This means we are going to make ourselves aware of the realities within the beauty industry, looking at its social and environmental effects, just like what we did on the fashion industry last week. 

As we delve further into this topic, we discovered that the beauty industry is very similar to the fast fashion industry—both industries mass produce goods in a way that lack commitment to ethical standards. Additionally, the government doesn't regulate ingredients that make up our skincare, hair care, body care and makeup products. Meaning, companies are left to choose ingredients on their own. As a result, the majority of cosmetics in the market contain added toxic chemicals and preservatives that leave harmful residue in the environment as soon as they're disposed. Their disposal pollutes our soil and the water streams, compromising our ecosystem. But, even before that, these chemicals have also been tested on animals in labs. Animal subjects have to endure traumatic eye and skin irritation tests, among others, for the sake of cosmetics. Truth be told, animal testing is unnecessary if only companies adapt cruelty-free methods and only use 100% natural and organic ingredients in making these beauty products. 

Why should we care more? Simply because we're all exposed to these products daily. We apply and slather them all over our skin day and night. Our skin, being the largest organ of our body, can absorb the questionable ingredients through our pores and instantly carry them into our bloodstream, affecting defenseless organs in our body. These chemical and toxic ingredients bring about serious long term health consequences for us; most if not all of them cause cancer cells to grow in our body. Some would disrupt hormones, others would affect pregnancy and cause development of allergies. What's worse is that companies would usually hide these harmful chemicals under vague terms "fragrance" or "trace contaminants." Watch for these terms on your products' ingredients list!

Unfortunately, what's legal isn't necessarily ethical. And, what's unethical isn't always illegal. And so, many companies find loopholes within the law for the sake of maximizing profit, leaving behind other equally important factors like health, rights, and environmental impact.

So, what are some of the alternatives that we have?

One would be DIY. Make your own all-natural beauty products. Another is supporting companies that go beyond the minimum standards for compliance; those that operate responsibly and sustainably, and only source ingredients from suppliers that value and practice the same. In this post, we will share our DIY skincare products, and for next week's post, we will discuss how to differentiate brands that you can trust from those brands that mislead consumers into thinking they are sustainable companies by the use of different marketing tactics.

We were pretty excited about this post because it gave us a reason to get crafty and pamper ourselves with some great skincare that smells amazing! Making your own skincare items is kind of like cooking for yourself—you know exactly which ingredients you're using in your products, so you know exactly what you're feeding your skin and what's going into your body. Not only that, but it's totally customizable! You can tweak things so that you end up with just the right product for you. 

One thing neither of us had ever tried making was a moisturizer. The one we chose is super hydrating for your skin, and it's more like a body butter than a cream. If your skin tends to be on the combo and dull side, this is great for you. We found a few recipes online and adjusted a few things, resulting in the following recipe:

Shea Butter Moisturizer Recipe

• 1 oz or 30 mL shea butter. We got ours at a local store, but you can also find some here.

• ½ tablespoon nourishing oil—we used argan oil because it's quick absorbing and great for hydrating and softening the skin without leaving your skin feeling greasy! But you can use anything you have in your house. Any hydrating oil like sweet almond, jojoba, grapeseed, coconut, or olive will do.

• 3 drops essential oils for scent (optional)—we used Lavandin because of its calming, soothing, and destressing properties which can also help in preventing breakouts. You can use any that you like! Just be sure that it is safe to use on your skin.

• Vitamin E oil for added nourishment (optional)—either 8-10 drops of vitamin E oil or use the vitamin E oil from about 4-6 capsules. This super easy but super beneficial natural product has lots of anti-aging benefits, but it also really helps to minimize scarring and pigmentation. You can buy a bottle of the oil or the capsules, either works fine, and use it as a spot treatment for any problem areas overnight.

• Carrot seed oil or anything that contains high Vitamin A (optional)—add around 8-10 drops. Vitamin A will be especially important for the summer heat because it helps repair sun damage. It is not a sun screen, so you still need to put on sun block. But when you get things like sun spots, it will help your skin heal faster.

First, double boil the shea butter so that it's melted. Stir in the nourishing oil, and put the mixture in the fridge to let it cool for about 10-15 minutes, or until it's a little thicker, but not fully solidified. Next, add the drops of essential oils and vitamin E. You can adjust how much essential oil you add to adjust how strong the scent is, just make sure you're not adding too much, as some essential oils may be too strong! Mix it all together, and pour into any container of your choosing, and let cool.

There are also several other natural recipes and remedies that we have used for years, and they target various issues.

By now, you've probably heard wonders about the antibacterial and refreshing properties of tea tree oil. It's really great as a spot treatment for acne, and it's super easy to make your own tea tree oil solution: you'll need tea tree essential oil and a carrier oil (usually a vegetable oil) such as sweet almond oil. For a 2oz (60mL) bottle, use about 5-7 drops of tea tree oil, and fill the rest of the bottle with the carrier oil. Mix it up, and you're set! Use as part of your night routine and apply before bed. Make sure to use it only as a spot treatment, meaning apply it only on areas with acne, or else it can cause other areas of your face to become really dry.

Another issue that seems to come up as the weather shifts from winter to spring is dry and chapped lips. You can combat this by making your own lip scrub! All you need is a carrier oil (coconut or olive work great!) and brown sugar: in a container of your choosing, mix equal parts oil and sugar until a grainy paste is formed. For some extra sweetness, you can also add a drop or two of vanilla extract and a little bit of honey! You can also use this scrub on your face and body for a deep exfoliation. It's especially great to use before shaving your legs for a super smooth finish.

If you're in search of a gentle, refreshing toner that works great with sensitive skin, try rosewater!

You can find it in most pharmacy or vitamin aisles. Simply put the rosewater in a spray bottle, and you're all set! You can incorporate it into your morning and night routines, and use the mist after washing your face. Toners are important because they help bring back natural acids on your face that combat bacteria. Bonus: it smells so so good!

As a weekly thing, you can also have an at-home spa treatment by putting on a detoxifying mask on your face. For this mask, we mixed activated charcoal powder, raw honey, and peppermint, eucalyptus, and tea tree essential oils. Activated charcoal is really great for drawing out dirt and toxins from your skin, making your pores appear smaller and your skin looking clean and clear. Honey naturally opens your pores, making it easy for the activated charcoal to unclog them. Additionally, honey is antibacterial so it also helps prevent acne and breakouts. It effectively soothes your skin as well giving it that natural glow!