CLEAN BEAUTY

Aubrey's passion for environmental sustainability + protection and green beauty is undeniable. We asked her to share about living an eco friendly lifestyle as a professional in the beauty industry. How she got started and what simple steps you could do to be a part of the green beauty movement as well. 

“Kicking off my low waste endeavors I honestly anticipated it to be difficult. Researching how to lessen my personal impact on the earth made me painfully aware of how my industry impacts our environment. Existing in an industry laden with “the next big…” you name it 

—trendy products and beauty methods are made to be forgotten for the next one. Subsequently, contributing to the overflow of landfills and the degradation of our oceans. These truths are partly what led me to be an esthetician in the first place and pushed me to find ways I can honor the earth at work as well as at home. I want to represent the small percentage of the beauty industry that thrives on natural, sustainable, trustworthy, and earth conscious ways to do skincare.

Over time and with patience and understanding for myself I’ve come to realize that an intentional, low waste lifestyle can be quite simple. Actually, simple and low waste are parallels: You can’t have one without the other. So with all of that, here are the best ways I’ve learned to make low waste beauty simplistic and allow you to live better for the earth and yourself as a whole.

Learn your skin 

All skin is unique. Learning what your skin needs to thrive is the first step to reducing your environmental impact. Being able to read what your skin needs and why will help you avoid the gauntlet of trial-and-error skincare. Not only will you waste less and improve your skin but you will also save your wallet from endless suffering.

Know your product

Where did your product start? What does it contain? How’re the ingredients impacting the earth? Having the answers to these questions will make choosing products a lot easier. A good rule of thumb: if the skincare company you’re supporting isn’t paying attention to their environmental impact you can be sure they’re not paying attention to their ingredients either. Elegant packaging and a sponsored instagram ad is never going to transform pesticides, preservatives, and harsh surfactants into the fountain of youth.

Believe quality is quantity

A cheap product is a cheap product if you get my drift. And in skincare quality IS quantity. Using a quality product that’s formulated for your skin type will allow you to maximize your dollar and your skin benefits. Often cheap drugstore products are formulated with fillers, binding agents and other unnecessary ingredients. Lending the product to be ultimately useless. High quality products last much longer because they’re formulated with all effective active ingredients allowing you to use less and benefit way more.

Consider the endgame 

Where will it end up? Sustainability is huge when reducing waste. Many products are inevitably bound for the landfill or the ocean. AKA single use/mixed plastics and disposables. Instead, opt for reusable implements and glass or metal packaging. There are multiple benefits to sustainable packaging:  1. It’s more beautiful  2. It’s reusable  3. It’s recyclable. Not only does a glass vial look lovely on your counter but once you’ve used it’s contents you can use it again and again. Make a moisturizer container a bobby pin holder or an eye cream jar an earth friendly tooth floss dispenser. Leftover dinner can go in literally anything. Disposable cotton rounds and swabs can be swapped for reusable/washable options. Other sustainable swaps include: Stainless steel razors, machine washable loofahs, menstrual cups, I could go on for days.

Change your thinking 

Don’t go ditching everything in your vanity for low waste options right this second because that wouldn’t actually below waste. It’s okay to ease in. It’s actually better that you do. Patience and kindness to oneself is needed when going down the sustainability path. So for now, use what you have for what you can. A moisturizer that broke your face out might be fine as a foot cream. A cleanser that’s too drying for your dry skin will be okay as body wash for now. Don’t pressure yourself. Just be conscious and willing to grow- you will always be better for it.”

Here are some of Aubrey’s low waste beauty tips you can incorporate into your home care routine:

• Using the right amount of product will make your product last longer and allow it to absorb more readily. Better for your skin and easier on the wallet.
• Making sustainable swaps can also improve your skin: ditch drying, chemical and preservative filled wipes for machine washable cloths and a gentle toner or a gentle double cleanse routine. Over-abrasion and drying by makeup remover wipes causes inflammation and oil imbalance which can lead to pigmentation and wrinkles. Just stop...NOW.
• Make it multipurpose: apricot body oil is not only a body moisturizer but can also be a massage oil, scalp or split end treatment, and a bath soak. Facial recovery oil is an amazing spot treatment for that untimely random body breakout. Dermabuff is an excellent hand and foot scrub as well as super effective facial exfoliant. Clear skin or Bamboo age corrective masque can be worn as an intensive overnight moisturizer... The list goes on and on!

You can read more about our Green Spa practices and changes you can make in your home here.

We hope this encourages you to go green with your beauty routine.

In skin + spirit,

The Alchemists