Green Beauty Products That Actually Work
It’s not easy being green, and that goes double for women who love their beauty products but hate the potentially negative impact those products may have on our health and the environment. For decades the words “beauty” and “environmentally friendly” were rarely used in the same sentence, and the thought of green living conjured up images of “earth mothers”: women with faces free of any cosmetics and au natural hairstyles that didn’t require the use of styling products. As we became more conscious of our impact on the environment, beauty products started appearing on the market that, while they may have been eco-friendly, didn’t work even remotely as well as those that were less than beneficial to the environment, forcing women to choose between looking good and feeling good about the choices they were making. Thankfully, you no longer have to choose between being glamorous and being green, at least not with these great beauty products that live up to both their cosmetic claims and their eco-conscious ones.
Skin Care
Burt’s Bees has long been one of the most recognized names in the eco-friendly beauty market, and with good reason: their all-natural products actually work. Burt’s offers a whole line of skin, hair, and personal hygiene products, but if you want a facial moisturizer that’s fit for a queen (bee, that is), you’ll want to check out the Radiance Day Lotion. Containing titanium dioxide and zinc oxide for natural protection from the sun’s damaging rays, the truly luxurious ingredient in this lotion is royal jelly, the stuff upon which queen bees regularly dine. Humanely and responsibly harvested, royal jelly is renowned for its nutrient-packed goodness and texture-improving power.
Cosmetics
While there’s nothing wrong with fresh-faced beauty, sometimes a girl wants to glam it up a bit. That doesn’t necessarily require slathering your face with chemical-laden products that take a toll on both the planet and its population. ZuZu Luxe is a collection of earth and animal-friendly cosmetics that doesn’t sacrifice vibrant color. Check out their 16 saturated shades of shimmering eye shadow or their 24 super-sexy gluten and lead-free lipsticks in colors like Femme Fatale, Chocolate Cherry, and Sin.
Hair Care
Women with naturally perfect hair may be able to work it without the help of hair care products, but for the rest of us, styling assistance doesn’t mean you have to commit an eco-sin. Based on Ayurveda, the Indian healing tradition that focuses on the interconnectedness of all things, products from Aveda have proven their effectiveness by their use in over 7,000 salons and spas worldwide. Check out their Light Elements shaping wax for natural but strong hold that also protects hair from UV damage.
Nails
Nail polishes and removers are some of the worst environmental offenders out there, but companies like G2 Organics are changing all that. Their 95% organic non-toxic nail polish is free of DBP, toluene, and formaldehyde. Plus, it doesn’t require a base or topcoat. The polishes also come with a “sidekick,” a mini-bottle you can carry with you for on-the-go touchups, and since the polish is odorless, you can do it discreetly virtually anywhere. When you’re ready to change colors, use G2 Organics’ non-toxic, organic, and odorless nail polish remover.
Fragrance
Beauty is about more than just looking and feeling good, it’s about smelling good too! Lavanila’s clinical-strength deodorant doesn’t contain parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, petro chemicals, or phthalates, and it comes in mouth-watering scents like Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Coconut, and Vanilla Grapefruit. If you fall in love with the fragrance, pick up the matching perfume!
