Browsing Tag

skincare

Get Glowing with the Best Summer Skincare

Sun, surf, and sand: the things Summer is known for can wreak havoc on your skin. Protect, soothe, and hydrate your skin with my favorite summer skincare for glowing skin. 

I almost never wear makeup, which means I prioritize clear, healthy, radiant skin. Summer is a great time to go “no makeup,” and these favorites of mine will help you feel confident in your own *skin.*

For Clear Skin: Hydrate from the Inside Out

It sounds cliche, but it really is true: for healthy, clear skin, give your body lots of water, eat a balanced diet with an emphasis on colorful fruits and vegetables, and work out! Every system in our bodies is interconnected; nothing exists in isolation. Working out promotes blood flow and release of toxins, contributing to clearer skin with better collagen production. 

In the summer, you’re likely sweating more which is great for toxin removal, but could leave you missing electrolytes if you don’t replenish them! Unfortunately, lots of electrolyte drinks come loaded with sugar at best, and colorings and flavorings at worst. Two better choices for replenishing electrolytes are coconut water and Skratch Hydration. Skratch is made from real fruit, and has the right proportions of electrolytes to match what’s lost from sweating. Skratch’s Sport Drink Mix has been my go-to post-run drink for years. It does have sugar, with a ratio of glucose and fructose to speed fluid absorption in the body. Lemon+ Lime is a classic, but Fruit Punch is another flavor we’re trying out and also loving. All flavors come from real fruit with only functional ingredients. It’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, kosher, and vegan.

Use their Everyday Hydration for a balanced electrolyte drink with zero sugar (and also zero sweeteners). Don’t expect it to be sweet, though; that’s the whole point! I’m currently drinking the Tangerine+Orange flavor. It also blends well into smoothies!

Coconut water is nature’s electrolyte beverage! I prefer the taste and ingredients of Harmless Harvest Coconut Water to VitaCoco, personally. Harmless Harvest contains only one ingredient: Organic Coconut Water! It’s got another, unexpected appeal: it’s pink in color! This is due to varying antioxidant levels that are present when you process the coconut water as naturally as possible.

Each of these also contains sugar (except for the Skratch Everyday Hydration!), so just watch your dosage, and only drink them when you’re thirsty. 

Get Bright, Glowing Summer Skin with Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a powerhouse ingredient for bright, blowing skin, so it’s a staple in my summer skincare routine. My favorite for years has been Farmacy’s 10% Waterless Vitamin C Serum. Whenever I wear it, I get compliments on how healthy my skin looks! Vitamin C can sometimes be irritating, so if you’re trying a new one, keep it away from your eyes and test it out slowly, and definitely not before a big event. 

Another Vitamin C I’ve been trying lately is from innisfree. This Green Tea Enzyme Vitamin C Brightening Serum is fragrance free and has lots of other effective ingredients. It contains antioxidants such as Vitamin E and ferulic acid, green tea enzymes for exfoliation, and tangerine peel and niacinamide for extra radiance (“glowiness”).

Soothe Irritated Skin with Hypochlorous Acid

A surprising ingredient to add to your summer skincare routine is hypochlorous acid. Brought into the “mainstream” by Tower28, hypochlorous acid is essentially a sanitizer for your skin. It helps to kill bacteria and also reduces redness. If you’re about to get a break out, use the Tower28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray after cleansing and before the rest of your skincare routine. It’s even accepted by the National Eczema Association. On days when my skin is irritated, I apply the Tower28 Daily Skin Barrier Redness Recovery Moisturizer after active ingredients like Vitamin C serums, but before sunscreen. It calms, reduces redness, and gives my skin some extra hydration. Don’t let pool days, sunshine, and sweat irritate your skin. Keep it glowing by keeping it calm and hydrated!

Protect Your Skin to Keep it Glowing Without the Sun

You might be tempted to get a bronze “glow” from sun by tanning during the summer, but this is a bad idea. The sun’s rays may give you some temporary color, but in the long-term, they’ll contribute to dark spots, fine links, and wrinkles, and increase your risk of sun cancer. Stay sun safe and keep your skin glowing for decades to come by using a clean, mineral sunscreen. My post on How to Choose a Clean Sunscreen for Summer 2024 has my favorites to wear from workouts to weddings. Some notable standouts are: All Good Mineral Sport Sunscreen, Supergoop! Mineral Sheer Screen, and ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40.

That’s it: 4 simple summer skincare tips for glowing skin, all summer long. Time to get glowing. 

xx

 Disclosure: Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualified purchases. I would never recommend anything I don’t personally use, and the income helps me run my site! 

The Best Clean and Eco-Friendly Natural Deodorants

My Sustainable Swaps Series helps you change one thing to make a meaningful impact on your environmental footprint. A great place to start is reconsidering items you use every single day. Deodorant is a staple of modern hygiene, but its impact on people and planet stinks. These natural, eco-friendly deodorants actually work, and come in recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging. 

why you should switch to an eco-friendly deodorant

Traditional deodorants rely on aluminum to block up sweat glands and stop your sweat from reaching the surface of your skin. They often come with other ingredients like phthalates and parabens, and are packaged in single-use, non-recyclable plastic. 

The deodorant industry produces 15 million pounds of plastic waste each year. While the scientific evidence linking aluminum and parabens to cancer or other health risks is debatable, my personal philosophy is to choose products that have smaller, natural ingredients lists. Since so much of our chemical exposure cannot be controlled, I try to limit my exposure wherever I can. 

Fortunately, there are many alternatives to aluminum-based, plastic-packaged deodorant on the market today, and trying them is easy. I’ve tested quite a few: relaxing at home, dancing at weddings, and completing sweaty workouts. These are the best natural, eco-friendly deodorant options. Freshen up and green your routine with one of these!

Compostable deodorant tubes

These natural deodorants come packaged in compostable tubes, and they’re available on Amazon or at Target, so they’re easy to add to your next order! 

Native: Coconut & Vanilla

This deodorant smells great and goes on sooo smoothly from the coconut oil it contains! This type does contain baking soda, but it doesn’t bother me. Some other brands with baking soda formulations have irritated my skin, but for whatever reason, this one does not! 

Native Plastic-Free Deodorant holds up to hot runs, daily life, and any other time you sweat. The tube is made from paperboard sourced from responsibly managed forests. Plus it’s free from Parabens, Sulfates, Phthalates, and Aluminum. 

 

 

Raw Sugar: Vanilla bean + Charcoal

Another good option? Raw Sugar Vanilla Bean + Charcoal. This deodorant smells yummy and comes in a combination of a biodegradable paper tube with recycled plastic parts. It used to be available in 100% biodegradable packaging; if you see it, get it ! It’s also free of aluminum, baking soda, talc, parabens, and propylene glycol. 

It can take some time to adjust to a new deodorant, so don’t be discouraged! It can take up to two weeks to transition, but most people adjust and are able to use a natural deodorant immediately, with no need for any special detoxing. 

refillable deodorant

Meow Meow Tweet

Quirky name, excellent deodorant. I like the Baking Soda-Free Grapefruit scent. Its light scent is gender neutral, it applies easily, and keeps you smelling fresh. It comes in a small glass jar, so just use a clean finger to scoop out a pea-sized amount for each underarm. It will warm up and melt into your skin. 

With Meow Meow Tweet’s bulk refill program, you can purchase a large glass jar of deodorant and use it to refill the small glass jar that you’ll keep your daily product in. When the large jar is empty, send it back for free to Meow Meow Tweet. They’ll sanitize and reuse it as part of their closed loop, 100% waste free bulk refill program. When your small jar is empty, just clean it out with hot water and mild dish soap, to remove any old product before you refill it with fresh product. Super easy and sustainable. 

Meow Meow Tweet products can be ordered online with a subscription service so you receive new deodorant every few months and never run out. Their product ships in small boxes filled with corn starch packing peanuts–just run them under hot water and watch them melt away! Meow Meow Tweet has an entire range of sustainable and bulk product options that I’d love to try! 

I also love how it’s vegan, made with organic ingredients, and they give back to diverse organizations promoting Earth & Nature, Social Justice, and Animal Justice. Learn more about their values here.

Making the Switch to  eco-friendly deodorant

It can take up to two weeks to adjust to the new deodorant, because that’s how long it can take for your body to purge the aluminum and other chemicals from your last deodorant. I’ve typically noticed a few days of transition, but was able to adjust very quickly to the deodorants on this list. If you have a big event coming up, try to switch more than two weeks in advance, or wait until afterwards to see how your body responds. 

Whether you’re trying a natural deodorant for the first time, or switching to one with more sustainable packaging, congrats! You can feel good about making a Sustainable Swap that’s better for people and planet. 

What’s your favorite natural deodorant?  Drop me a line in the comments below. 

Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This income goes to supporting this website. As always, ideas and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Choose a Safety Razor for a Sustainable Shave

Switching from a traditional razor to a double-edged safety razor is not only sustainable, it’s surprisingly easy. As part of my Sustainable Swaps Series, this post will help you make the Sustainable Swap to a safety razor, changing just one thing to make a big impact on your personal waste footprint. Still not ready to switch to try a safety razor? Read on for a new middle ground razor I’m testing, and for free ways to recycle your single-use razors! 

Check out my Sustainable Swaps Series for more easy, Sustainable Swaps!

*UPDATED MARCH 2024 for how to recycle disposable razors and blades.*

 

but first, recycle your disposable razors and blades–for free!

Whether you switch to a more reusable razor or not, you can make a big impact simply by recycling your disposable razors and blades–for free. If you follow me on Instagram, you probably already know that I love Terracycle. Terracycle takes hard-to-recycle items and breaks them down so that they can be recycled or repurposed. And they have many free programs that make it really easy to participate! The Gillette Recycling Program is a free recycling program through Terracycle that accepts all brands of blades, razors, and plastic packaging. To use this free program, simply create an account with Terracycle, join the program, and start collecting your blades, razors and plastic packaging in an old shipping box. Once full, print your free label and mail it in. That’s it! 
 

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY A SAFETY RAZOR

Summer is here, meaning warmer temps, shorter shorts, and more shaving. Chances are, your current razor is partly or completely disposable. While disposable razors are convenient, the waste they generate really adds up. 

An EPA estimate from 1990 stated that the US produced 2 billion throwaway razors and blades annually. This figure has likely grown, since the US razor market hit $2.7 billion in 2021. 

If you shave regularly, safety razors present a great opportunity to make a small tweak in your routine for a big impact on your waste.

how to use a safety razor

I started using a double edge safety razor about 5 years ago, and have never looked back. The handle is reusable–you just replace the blade as needed– and the blades themselves are recyclable! They’re also cost-effective: a double-edge safety razor will cost you about $20 on Amazon, and last for years. Mine lasted about 5 years until it fell from the bathroom shelf and snapped. A pack of refill blades will cost about $10 for 50 blades, or 20 cents each. 

The safety razor might seem intimidating at first, but just go slowly until you get comfortable, and you will quickly love this razor!

 

 

 

 

Vikings Blade Safety Razor

 

 

safety razor shaving Tips

Starting with a new razor will feel a bit like it’s your first time shaving again, but with practice, you will get the hang of it in no time. 

To make the process as smooth as possible, follow the acronym, LEGS:

  1. Lather and Exfoliate: exfoliate to remove dead skin cells, then lather up with your favorite cream or soap.
  2. Go gently and slowly. The weight of the razor alone is often enough pressure.
  3. Start simply: avoid challenging areas like your ankles or knees until you’ve gotten the hang of using the razor. 

With practice, you’ll soon become a pro– just like you did with a disposable razor.  

 

safety razors and blades

There are many options for safety razors on the market. Here are some suggestions.

Recently I stumbled onto the Leaf razor, and I’m excited to try it! If you want to try a reusable razor but want a more traditional, multi-blade style, this might be for you! It comes in lots of appealing colors, and the many rave reviews make it well worth a try.

My current razor is this Vikings Blade razor.  Also on Amazon, I like how this Bambaw razor comes with its own stand, and it comes in lots of colors, too.

 I use Shark razor blades, but you may like to tray this sampler pack of blades to find your favorite!

To lather and moisturize before shaving, you can use your favorite soap, or a cream like this one from Eos. They have a partnership with Terracycle; you can send in the product for free recycling

Traveling with a safety razor

When traveling with a safety razor, be advised that TSA will not allow the blades in a carryon bag, but they are allowed in checked luggage.

 

recycling your blades 

When you’ve used a blade, it can be recyled (yay!) but not in your curbside bin. If your city doesn’t offer stainless steel recycling services, search for a manufacturer in your area that works with scrap metal; chances are they can take the blades and process them, along with any other scrap metal you may have around the house. 

As you’re collecting used blades to be recycled, store them in a safe, secure location so that children, pets, and other family members can’t be accidentally hurt by them. I keep mine in either old medicine bottles with locking lids, or in an old salt and pepper container, stored out of reach.

 

 

 

smooth sailing

If you’re trying a safety razor for the first time, congrats! You can feel good about making a Sustainable Swap that reduces waste. 

Go slowly, and experiment: if you don’t like a certain blade, try another brand. Find what works for your hair type, thickness, and preferences. 

Have you ever used a safety razor before? Do you have tips you’d like to add? A favorite brand? Drop me a line in the comments below. 

 

 Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.. I would never recommend anything I wouldn’t personally use, and the income helps me run my site!