Conscious Beauty was the topic of discussion Thursday night at Kind Lab.
Thanks to Mary Taylor, holistic esthetician , who shared her wealth of knowledge on everything from why she prefers the term “conscious” over “clean” or “non-toxic”, how to start your transition to conscious skin & body care, what to look for in CBD skincare, her top picks for conscious beauty on Amazon, the right way to use facial rollers, and more.
Did you miss the talk? Don’t worry – read below for some of the highlights.
Conscious Beauty: What’s in a Name?
“Conscious beauty” is a term Mary is working to socialize. She prefer this over “clean” because those words imply that all other skincare/beauty is “dirty,” and creates shame associated with not knowing or behaving in some way, and shame never does anyone any good.
How to Get Started on Your Conscious Beauty Journey
To get going on your venture into conscious beauty, Mary recommends that as you run out of your current product, you start replacing with more conscious options. If you’re looking for help on how to prioritize what you replace, consider the body surface area the product covers, as well as frequency of use. “Take advantage of free samples in stores, and talk to employees – they have the experience and knowledge to help guide you. And please utilize me! I’ve experienced the ups and downs of finding what works and can help make suggestions for swapping similar products.”
Toothpaste & deodorant are also good places to start, as former is ingested and latter (when it includes aluminum) has demonstrated to cause health issues in women. For toothpastes, Mary suggests you have a look at Dr Bronners or Himalya.
For deodorant, try Schmidt’s or Vapour. Remember that everyone is different from their taste buds to the composition of their sweat, so you may need some trial & error to find the product that works best for you.
Pro Tip: Cleansing with Oil
Oil cleansing is a great way to gently cleanse skin: it removes makeup, doesn’t strip the skin, and is more gentle around the sensitive eye area. Plus, oil does not collect bacteria like water-based ingredients can, so generally she finds this to be a safer way to cleanse.
Mary uses a dime sized amount of almond oil, which she gently massages into skin. She then places a warm, wet towel over her face for a minute, and gently wipes the oil off and voila – clean skin! If you were wearing makeup that day she recommends doing a double cleanse, and using a gentle cleanser after that to really get any remaining residue off.
Spotlight On: Calendula
Calendula was the herb of the evening, and Mary recommends you look for it in your skincare ingredients (like in our Rest Balm). But calendula is also great to ingest, as we were treated to with her tea. To create a calendula infusion in water, Mary pours hot water into a mason jar over a handful of dried calendula flower, and let’s steep anywhere from 15 minutes to overnight depending on how she intends to use it. Her trick of the trade: a french press to more easily strain out the flower from the infused water.
Facial Rolling for Beginners
Facial rolling is an activity Mary recommends everyone add to their regimen, and can be done morning & night. We’ll be adding videos Mary created to refresh us on how to use rollers soon!
Anti-Oxidants & Free Radicals Demystified
Another topic we covered over the evening was what antioxidants and free radicals were really doing in our bodies. “Free radicals are chemically unstable and very reactive, they’re known to cause genetic damage, collagen degradation, etc. But they’re a normal end product of any chemical reaction.
We have them in our body constantly we just make enough antioxidants to keep the levels stable. When we’re taking in toxins that would damage or slow down our liver from diet or lifestyle, that ratio becomes unstable.
That’s why herbal and nutrition support, like antioxidant rich calendula can be so powerful, and the first place it shows is on our skin.
Conscious Beauty is Accessible
Top 5 Beauty Products Available on Amazon:
- Suntegrity 5 in 1 Moisturizing Sunscreen
- Dr. Singhas Mustard Bath
- RMS Beauty Un Cover Up
- Kosas Lipsticks
- Wedderspoon Raw Manuka Honey
These are also all available in stores like Cambridge Naturals, Credo, Detox Market, Follain, etc. and, of course, Kind Lab!
Mary’s Closing Advice
Remember to have fun and stay curious. You’re getting to know yourself and your skin through the process of transitioning to conscious beauty, for maybe the first time. Be patient and stick with it, and your skin thank you.