Eco-Beauty Care: Eight environmentally-friendly products

Beauty

Lookbooks

By Vicki Karigiannis for www.divine.ca

We all want to do our part and help the environment: we use public transport, plant flowers, recycle, etc. But did you ever think to change your beauty routines? Keep reading to find out how to help our planet and look great doing it!

How can you go green?

Read the labels. Find out what the main ingredients in your beauty products are. Opt for vegetable-based and natural mineral-based products and steer away from those that have a lot of chemicals (such as aluminum, petroleum, parabens, and sodium lauryl sulphate) on the label.

Do your research. Go online and find out which companies are eco-friendly. Purchase from companies that support community trade, don’t test on animals, recycle their containers, and whose products are certified organic and natural. There are more out there than you think!

Finish your products. Many of us have a tendency to toss out shampoos, soaps and makeup that are not quite finished. Be sure you’re completely done with your products before ridding yourself of them; you’ll save money and consume less plastic.

Our favourite “green” products :

All LUSH bars are made of natural ingredients and most are free of sodium lauryl sulphate, a chemical foamer found in most shampoos and soaps. (LUSH uses an alternative derived from pure coconut oil.) You can also store your bar in a reusable tin.
Green Shampoo Bar and Tin
$7.95 (55 g) and $4.95 at LUSH
http://ca.lush.com
This lipstick is truly an innovation: the tube is made of corn, a renewable resource, to help in the fight against global warming! The lipstick is made of natural ingredients like jojoba and shea butter—not petroleum like most lipsticks—and you can take the box it came in, plant it (the box is embedded with seeds) and watch wildflowers grow!
PlantLove Botanical Lipstick by Cargo
$20
www.cargocosmetics.com
L’Occitane en Provence always uses natural ingredients. Made with actual Mediterranean Sea salts, this body scrub also contains essential oils and lemon and orange extracts to exfoliate and remove dry skin. It sure will leave your skin feeling silky smooth!
Verbena Harvest Body Salt Scrub
$50 (400 g) at L’Occitane en Provence
www.loccitane.ca
This compact for both eye shadow and blush is definitely eco-friendly: it is made of paper! The compact comes empty, and all you need to do is purchase the colours of your choice and refill. Reuse it and be sure to recycle when you’re done with it!
Paperback Duo Compact by Ecco Bella
$11.28
www.multisupplements.com
A supporter of community trade, The Body Shop is 100% vegetarian, with their slew of vegetable-based products! Like this facial wash: made with seaweed and menthol, this soap-free and oil-free cleansing gel opens your pores and leaves your skin feeling refreshed!
Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash
$12 (100 ml) at The Body Shop
www.thebodyshop.ca
This certified organic toothpaste is cruelty-free and 100% vegan! There are no artificial ingredients, as well as no sugar, sulphate and fluoride. There is also an abundance of bamboo silica, which naturally whitens your teeth and keeps your gums healthy!
Certified Organic Banana Toothpaste
$9.95 (120 ml)
www.druide.ca
Many deodorants are made with aluminium, a neurotoxin that tends to clog your underarm pores and irritate the sensitive skin. Opt for a natural, aluminum-free deodorant, such as LUSH’s bars that are made of natural ingredients and essential oils, working with your body to prevent body odour.
T’EO Deodorant Bar
$7.95 (90 g) at LUSH
http://ca.lush.com