How I’m Switching to Clean Skincare Without Breaking the Bank

Something that I haven’t shared with you ladies recently is that I’ve been overhauling my skincare routine over the past few months. It’s not an original story. I got pregnant, started watching what I was putting in my body more closely, then started looking at what I put on my body as well. I’d been aware that there was such things as clean skincare and beauty products but I hadn’t really paid any attention before. Why should I? I had the products that I liked and worked for me. I was set to go, right?

Well once I found out I was pregnant, just like the occasional glass of wine and anything unpasteurized, some of my skincare products had to go. Bye-bye retinol and benzoyl peroxide! Time to look for something better and safer.

HOW I’M SWITCHING TO CLEAN SKINCARE WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK

As I started to look into products that are safe to use during pregnancy and that are just better in general, I noticed that clean skincare products are a little pricier than what I was used to paying.

It all makes sense. You’re getting a higher end product that is made with higher quality ingredients so naturally you pay a little more. Kinda like eating organic and utilizing the Dirty Dozen method. You’re doing something better for your health but that means you’ll probably have to pay a little more too. That’s fine.

However, there was no way I could do a complete overhaul without completely breaking my budget. So I started with the basics. I started by first getting rid of everything that wasn’t safe to use during pregnancy.  This was the retinols and peroxides and anything with really harsh chemicals. Those I’m not worrying about replacing at the moment.

Next I looked at my daily skincare routine. These are the products that I use up the fastest and as I run out of things, I’ve been creating a list of clean products that I’ll replace them with when the time comes. This way I’m still switching to safer/clean skincare products, I’m just staggering out my purchases rather than footing a giant bill all at once.

WHERE I’M LOOKING FOR CLEAN SKINCARE PRODUCTS

The hardest part of switching safe and clean skincare products for me was simply knowing which companies I could count on to have safe skincare products that actually work.

My favorite that I’ve found is the Beauty Counter. This is a company that only makes safe beauty and skincare products plus they have incredible reviews all over the web. I really like that they have resources that make understanding safer skincare easy like their Never List, which lists out the ingredients they never use in any of their products. I’ve tried out a couple of their products and so far I’m impressed with the quality and prices.

A couple resources that I’ve used to help me find clean skincare is the Skin Deep database. Here you can enter in a product that you’re using and it will let you know what the ingredients are plus a rating for the product as a whole as well as a rating on each ingredient. The rating is from one through ten and gives you the red, yellow, or green light on each product.

Another great resource that I’ve recently discovered is the Clean at Sephora category. They have gathered all of their clean skincare, makeup, and fragrances into one place and mark those products off with a green checkmark. It makes for easy shopping of all your Sephora favorites.

CLEAN SKINCARE SWAPS I’VE MADE

Some far I have to say I’m quite happy with all the products that I’ve found. Here are some of the swaps from regular to clean skincare that I’ve made so far.

Body Oil

I’ve been using body oil as my post shower moisturizer for a while now. I’ve used BioOil from the neck down for several years but since BioOil contains mineral oils I swapped it out for Palmers Cocoa Butter Skin Therapy Oil which doesn’t contain mineral oil. However, I recently put Palmers into the Skindeep database and it came up as a 5 (yellow, not great) so I’m planning on swapping to the Honest Company Body Oil once I run out of my current bottle.

AM Facial Moisturizer

I swapped out my CeraVe AM lotion for Beauty Counter Adaptive Moisture Lotion. This was the first clean skincare swap that I made and I’ve been very pleased with it. The Adaptive Moisture Lotion keeps my face moisturized all day under my makeup without turning me into a greaseball by noon.

PM Facial Moisturizer

Another CeraVe lotion that I haven’t repurchased is my CeraVe PM lotion. Instead I’ve been using the Tarte Maracuja Oil and the Josie Maran Argan Oil as my nighttime moisturizer. They are both fairly lightweight facial oils that quickly absorb into the skin without feeling overly greasy.

CLEAN SKINCARE SWAPS I’M PLANNING

Night Face Wash

Before I was pregnant I used a combination of Cetaphil and the EradiKate Daily Cleanser Acne Treatment. However I dropped the EradiKate due to my pregnancy and will be swapping in the Beauty Counter Cleansing Milk. This is a face wash that goes onto dry skin and turns into a cleansing milk as water is added and the product emulsifies. It claims to be a gentle facial cleanser that removes all makeup, dirt, and excess oil from your face without stripping your skin dry. I’ve had good luck with similar products in the past and am excited about getting this in the mail.

Body Oil

I already mentioned that I am planning on swapping out my Palmers Body oil for the Honest Company Body Oil since the Palmers, while it doesn’t have mineral oil, is still rated a 5 on Skindeep versus the Honest Company

Sunscreen

Since I’m no longer using CeraVe moisturizer which contains SPF 30, I’m looking for a sunscreen to use in combination to my new moisturizer. I’m interested in testing out the Supergoop City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30. This product is supposed to be very lightweight and  made to function well under foundation.

Baby Products

When the time comes, I want to use clean skincare products on my baby. The Beauty Counter has an entire section of their website devoted to Family products which include products for babies, kids, and men’s products. I’ll be ordering the Baby Bundle Collection which contains a Gentle All Over Wash, Soothing Skin Oil, and Daily Protective Balm all of which are safe for newborns. They also carry a Calming Diaper Rash Cream that I’ll also purchase but that isn’t included in the bundle. 

Do you use clean skincare products? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,
Ana Luiza