Can you feel it? The nation's shift towards all things environmentally friendly? It’s hard to miss as the world awakens to the detrimental effect we are having on the planet. Not just with regards to global warming, but with the damage our consumer habits are doing to wildlife. What was previously considered a hippy movement is becoming a mainstream issue. It is now something more people are thinking about and is encouraging people to make changes to their lifestyle and home environment. One of the wonderful things about environmentally friendly lifestyles becoming more mainstream is that the eco-friendly products are becoming more accessible and diverse. What was once a ‘one size fits all’ movement, is now far more varied and it is much easier to find what you are looking for. You want a lavender scented kitchen cleaner rather than a lemon one? No problem. You have acne prone skin that is oily? No problem. The other wonderful side effect of the environmental movement is that to be environmentally friendly no longer means you have to give up on luxury.
Luxury and Eco Friendly
Once upon a time, to remove harsh, unnatural chemicals from our lives would mean being frugal with money or missing out on our favourite products. The only options were to clean our skin with olive or coconut oil and only wash with water! There is, of course, nothing wrong with these approaches! But what if being environmentally friendly is a priority but you still desire luxurious creams for your face and body? Or you like to end your week with a long soak in a hot, bubbly bath? Now you can! Eco friendly no longer means the loss of luxury and that is great news!
Yes, we should all be reducing how much we purchase and consume. If we are still producing huge amounts of waste then it doesn’t matter how many positive changes we make, we still haven’t got it right. However, sometimes it’s important to take care of yourself and enjoy the changes you make. If we aren't able to indulge in a safe and environmentally friendly way, we’ll revert back to our old ways of using harsh chemicals and over consumption.
Treat Yourself
Everyone deserves a treat and just because you are trying to reduce your impact on the environment, it doesn’t mean you should deprive yourself. If anything, you deserve it more!
Everyone has a different way to treat themselves. Mine is body cream. I have always suffered with dry skin so I look for a nourishing body cream. It has to smell nice and when it contains essential oils, there is no extra damage to the skin. Non-organic cream is often made with ‘fragrances’, which are synthetic and man-made. Essential oils, on the other hand, are naturally occurring and can actually add health benefits including antibacterial properties.
Oil, Oil, Oil
You may have noticed that a lot of natural skin care products contain an array of different oils. Avocado oil, olive oil, coconut oil, essential oil. Even shea butter is a type of oil! Well there is an extremely good reason for this. Most products that are synthetic can have a drying effect on your skin - even those that claim to nourish and match the pH of skin. In fact, they do the opposite, so you are left buying more synthetic creams to counteract this! In other words, it’s a downwards spiral.
This is where oils come in. Skin likes oil. And often, oily skin is a result of all the natural oils being stripped away which causes a hyper-production to replace it. Cue acne and dry patches! With natural oils there is nothing synthetic to cause dryness and by adding oil to the skin, rather than stripping it away, you are actually nourishing it. It’s a bit like multivitamins but for the skin. The skin takes what is needs and the rest is washed away. So using a body oil on the skin is a good thing and something we should all be doing.
Jump On Board
If you haven’t already then jump on board the environmentally friendly movement. You don’t have to change everything all at once. Little, manageable steps is key. But it is also important to remember that eco-friendly doesn’t equate to deprivation. Eco friendly can still mean luxury and self-indulgence, but now it comes without any guilt. Your skin will thank you for it and so will future generations!