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5 Natural Swaps for Chemical-Filled Products in Your Daily Routine

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Illinois chapter.

Try these 5 natural beauty product replacements with multiple uses and feel confident about what you are putting on your skin!

1. Coconut Oil 

Coconut oil is not only nutritious to eat and use while cooking, it is also very moisturizing and smells amazing! Coconut oil is a natural and cost-effective replacement to harmful toxins found in many beauty products. Here are a few of my favorite uses for it:

Lotion: You can replace your body and face lotions with coconut oil!

Makeup remover: I don’t know about you guys, but $7 for makeup removing wipes seems a little bit ridiculous. Coconut oil lasts forever and perfectly removes eye/face makeup with a little bit of water and a face towel.

Hair mask: Lather the ends of your hair with coconut oil, wrap it in a towel and sleep with it on overnight. When you shower in the morning, your hair will be smoother than ever! 

2. Vaseline 

Vaseline is such an underrated, yet very useful staple to have in your stash of beauty products. Similar to coconut oil, Vaseline lasts a very long time and has so many awesome uses! Not to mention saves us money with the same effect as expensive products!

Eyebrow gel: Keep you eyebrows in place with a little bit of Vaseline on a spoolie brush.

ChapStick: I know I’m not alone when I say that I literally cannot keep the same ChapStick for more than 2 days without losing it, and cannot afford to spend $2 on a new one every other day. Vaseline is the perfect replacement for ChapStick, especially as the weather gets colder. 

Avoid tan lines: Being tan is fun, having streaks is not. Before applying self tanner, put Vaseline on your knuckles, wrists, elbows and anywhere else that self-tanner usually gathers and creates lines. This will create a nice and even tan!

3. DIY Scrub 

Body washes have so many colors and chemicals in them.  According to The Huffington Post,  “This industry is highly unregulated. There is no pre-product approval before a product hits the market and enters your home. A minuscule approval process exists, but only for color additives and ingredients classified as over-the-counter drugs.” Why not make your own with ingredients you probably already have that will also smell amazing!

Sea salt scrub: Mix olive oil, sea salt and any flavor essential oil such as grapefruit or orange. This mix for a scrub really wakes you up in the morning!

Sugar scrub: Mix coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla extract. This scrub will make your skin feel so smooth. 

4. Coffee 

Coffee is a life-saver in general, but who knew it had so many hidden uses?

Pre-Workout: Instead of using pre-workout, have a cup of coffee and toast with avocado or banana before you go to the gym! This combination will provide you with the energy, carbs and healthy fats you need to fuel your workout.

Coffee Scrub: You can use coffee grounds in any DIY scrub that you make! As a plus, it smells amazing. 

5. Hair Removal

Hair removal products often irritate the skin, however; you don’t have to be subjected products full of chemicals. 

Hair Removing creams and lotions: Waxing is a great alternative to harsh hair removing products that can harm and irritate your skin. According to beautyinfo.in, “These products disturb the natural pH of skin which indirectly disturbs the health of your skin.” 

Source 1, Source 2, Cover Photo, Photo 3  

 

 

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