Q: I really liked your post “5 Natural Beauty Secrets I Love.” Do you have any more natural beauty tips you could give us?
I’m so glad you enjoyed 5 Natural Beauty Secrets I Love. I’d be happy to share some more tips with you! When it comes to health and beauty, no product or method works for everyone, but these are worth giving a shot. You never know—you might find a new favorite!
As a quick review: In Backwards Beauty: How to Feel Ugly in 10 Simple Steps, I talk about the “costs” of beauty—expenses like time, money, energy, toxicity, and even our dignity. Over the past few years, I’ve worked hard to cut down on the costs of my own beauty routine. Ideally a product/method: 1) works, 2) is cheaper than a mainstream product, and 3) is better for my health (no toxic chemicals, dyes, perfumes, etc.).
With that in mind, here are five more of my personal favorite beauty secrets:
#1: Blemish Buster
As much as my skin has improved since eating cleanly, I still get the occasional monster zit (especially around a certain special time of the month). I used to use conventional products to dry out said pimples, but now I use tea tree (melaleuca) essential oil. I put a tiny drop on the end of a cotton swab and dab it on that beastie. If the skin gets over dry, I’ll mix it with a little coconut oil. This method might not work for everyone, but for my skin, it works even better than more expensive, salicylic acid-based creams.
#2: Herbivore Sea Salt Spray
I’m a California girl, what can I say? A good beach wave is my pièce de résistance, which is why I’ve made an exception for this beauty secret and included it even though it only fits two of my three criteria: it works, and it’s natural. Sadly, it is not “cheaper than conventional products.” But girl, if I’m going to splurge on something, Herbivore Botanical’s All Natural Sea Mist Hair Spray is high on my list. I love the scent, I love that it has the same salinity as ocean water, and I love the texture it adds to my hair.
#3: Tooth Deep Clean
I already shared about the charcoal paste I use to whiten up my teeth, but for a general, all-around deep clean, I “oil pull.” There’s lots of info on the online about this, some of which sounds incredibly far-fetched (cures insomnia? Really?), but at the very least, it will get your teeth squeaky clean (which does have health benefits). I swish with about a tablespoon of coconut oil plus one drop spearmint essential oil for about ten minutes (while I’m getting ready for bed, or taking a shower). After spitting it out (into a trash can, not the sink), I brush my teeth as usual. The coconut oil dislodges plaque build-up because oil dissolves oil, so brushing becomes more effective. The mint oil has great benefits too, not the least of which is breath I don’t mind smelling!
#4: PiperWai Natural Deodorant
Did you know that a major part of your immune system lies just under your armpits? Neither did I when I was a teen! But it’s true—you have a chain of lymph nodes doing an amazing job of filtering and fighting toxins there. Did you also know that most antiperspirants/deodorants prevent your body from getting rid of toxins by keeping your pores from sweating, or hide the smell with aluminum and other chemicals that easily soak into the skin? Now I’m no MD, but that sounds like a recipe for trouble. (I try to avoid messing with the way God designed my body whenever possible.) That’s why I switched to using natural deodorant over a decade ago. In that time, I’ve tried everything from mineral “crystals” to natural deodorant sticks. Although I’ve had success with several of them, my new all-time favorite is PiperWai. The cream takes some getting used to, but the formula is fantastic for keeping odor and wetness at bay. FWIW, this is another “splurge” item for me. A 2 oz. jar is a bit more than I would like to spend, but it does last 3-4 months. And really, it’s a price I’m willing to pay to be odor-free naturally!
#5: Diva Cup
If that last one didn’t raise your eyebrows, I’m pretty sure this one will! It’s about to get real all up in here, but since we’re just girls (and because this is what big sisters are for), I’m going to tell you about a product that has 1) saved me a ton of money, 2) is about as natural as it gets, and 3) sounds completely weird until you try it. The product, my friend, is the Diva Cup, and it will completely change the way you deal with Aunt Flo. It’s a replacement for tampons or pads, but instead of explaining it all here, I’ll let you browse the internet for details if you’re interested. Keep an open mind though. I mean, tampons probably sounded really weird, disgusting, and intrusive when they first hit the market too, but now they’re totally normal. And I like my cup way better than I ever liked the cotton pops.
So there you have it—another batch of natural beauty secrets to try out for yourself. I hope you’ll find at least one or two that work well for you!
Love,