Category: Beauty

Much like my nightly routine, I find my morning routine to be next to sacred and non-negotiable.

I usually start my day with some stretching, self care, meditation, and of course, COFFEE! While getting my mind right is incredibly important, I find using clean ingredients just as important to set me up for a successful day.

Throughout my health journey as I realized my toxin exposure was out of control and hindering me from healing, I tried many different safer options. After being extremely pleased with Beautycounter’s high performance and lasting products time and time again, I slowly switched over all of my products to Beautycounter. You can read more about that here if you are interested in knowing why I choose safer beauty and believe it is important.

I’d thought I would share with you ways that I incorporate safer skincare and beauty products into my life each and every morning. This is also helpful for those who are interested in my makeup routine!

First things first; shower:
I love to dry brush every morning before I get in the shower. It helps remove the top layer of skin, which is especially great during the winter months, but also keep blood flowing and circulating. It is particularly helpful if you are healing from any sort of leaky gut/candida overgrowth, or needing a detox as it helps the blood flow and drain your lymphatic system.
Dry Brush – (here is the one I use and a helpful article on how to best do it)

Below is what I use once in the shower:
Daily Shampoo and Daily Conditioner
Citrus Mimosa Body Wash
Charcoal Cleansing Bar
Rejuvenating Facial Cleanser – love this smooth feeling in the morning. (Usually I prefer to use an exfoliator at night)

Personal Care:
Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer or Hydrating Body Lotion in Citrus Mimosa
Primally Pure Charcoal deodorant – by far my favorite natural deodorant
Toms toothpaste/floss – I order mine off Thrive market but you can find it in most grocery stores
Vitamin C Brightening Oil – instantly awakens and brightens my skin. Love the fresh, citrus smell as well
Countermatch Adaptive Moisturizing Lotion – great for moisturizing and doubles as a primer for me

Makeup:
Hydrating Tint Foundation – I switch between Honey and Sand depending on my tan
Touchup Skin Concealer Pen – LOVE this to put under my eyes and look alive
Mattifying Powder – sets my foundation and concealer in for the day
Radiant All Over Bronzer – in Dune
Eyeshadow Palettes – currently loving the Romantic and Classic
Precision Liquid Eyeliner
Volumizing Mascara
Lip Gloss – currently loving Bellini for a neutral shade

That’s it for my morning routine. For some, it may feel like a lot but I bet if you wrote down how many products you used in the morning as well you would be surprised. On average, most women use 16 to 18 products just in the morning! THIS is why it’s so important for me to switch to safer products to help decrease my toxin exposure where I can.

Whole Hannah

Through my whole journey of weight loss, maintenance, healing, and just life in general I have learned so much about what we put in and on our bodies. I lost about 90 lbs in a year by extreme dieting and working out, where I became obsessed with that I was putting in my body. My rapid weight loss unfortunately led to severe side effects of adrenal fatigue, dizziness, and brain fog. You can read more about that in “My Journey to Healing” post if you are interested.

Trying to heal from all the damage I did to my body has tested my patience for sure. I was doing everything I was told from consuming more calories of whole foods to taking months off of exercise and still only seeing some results. It made me realize that what goes ON our bodies is just as important as what goes IN. Eating organic, whole foods can only get so far if you are still exposed to toxins in the products you use every day.

I’ve become very passionate about learning and finding out what is going on our bodies through the products we use. Unfortunately there are things you can’t unlearn. The beauty industry, much like the food industry, is very behind on relevant legislature. The US only bans about 30 ingredients, whereas Canada is around 600 and the EU around 1400(!). We are exposed to so many products that are unfortunately sometimes filled with toxins known to have negative long term effects on us.

This knowledge, much like the knowledge of learning about the food industry, shocked me. I put so much faith in trust that companies are doing the right thing and have their customers best interest in mind. I never even questioned it! Unfortunately that is far from the truth.

“But what can I do to make a difference?”

I am a firm believer in voting with your dollars. We vote with our dollars in the grocery store and I can see the changes being made everyday. Huge companies are making strides in making healthier options. I believe we are on the brink of seeing these same changes for the beauty industry. The more we demand better for us by choosing to spend our money on safer products, the more other companies will make the appropriate changes.

I have been using Beautycounter for almost 3 years now. I only recently became a consultant after realizing it was a company I can really get behind. These are products I was recommending to my family and friends already so it was a no brainer for me.

I know it is hard to make a switch and I never want to make anyone feel less adequate because they aren’t in a place where this makes sense for their lifestyle. Knowledge is power though, and I just hope to provide some information to allow you to make the best decision for you in your life!

You can learn more about it on their website here. If you ever have any questions please reach out and ask. I’d love to hear from you!