Build a beauty pantry - Orli for Training for Chocolate

The foundation of beauty is health and the key health is to maximize nourishment and reduce toxins.

Our bodies benefit from food that’s fresh, unprocessed, preservative and chemical free. Similarly, skin also ‘eats’ by absorbing a significant amount of what’s applied on it. It’s equally important to nourish it with natural ingredients, free-from synthetic chemicals and harsh preservatives. You should not put on your skin what you wouldn’t put in your mouth. Both are doorways to your internal body system.

With this in mind, a beauty cupboard should be treated very much like a food pantry - a source of great nourishment and free from toxins.

Here are some basic guidelines on how to build a nourishing beauty cupboard.

• Detox. All health journeys begin with a proper clean up. Read labels and eliminate products containing SLS, Parabens, artifical fragrances, BHT, polyethylene glycol, Diazolidinyl urea and Quarternium compounds. For more details on these ingredients, head to the blog feed on the Toxic Hall of Shame

• Reduce. If you use good quality products, you only need the basics; one of each - soap, shampoo, conditioner, cleanser, serum, toner, face moisturizer and body moisturizer. You don’t need a cluttered cupboard.

• Nourishment is king. Your beauty products should feed your skin. Choose personal care products that are nutrient dense and plant based. Avoid ingredients with cheap fillers, harsh alcohols and preservatives.

• Make up. You don’t need that much. Enhance your natural beauty, not disguise it. Prioritize nourishment and healthy skin over make-up. The focus should be on feeding and healing skin as opposed to ‘covering up’. If you were preparing a meal, the ingredients and preparation of the dish is always more important that the garnishing or the dressing up of it.

• Beauty should never come at a cost to our environment and other forms of life.   Choose brands that don’t condone animal testing practices. Harsh surfectants and plastic microbeads in some personal care products are responsible for polluting our waterways and marine life. Dioxane and ethylene oxide are health and environmental toxins released in the processing of some common personal care ingredients. These chemicals impact your health and the overall health of our planet 

• Your beauty cupboard doesn’t have to cost the earth. There are many sustainability-focused local brands, passionate about using organic and natural ingredients. Their products are gentle on your wallet and gentle on the environment. Big name retail beauty counters are extremely alluring but pause for a second and think about what you are paying for. How much are you paying for the glossy fit out, the celebrity ambassador, prime retail space, sassy packaging and the persuasive sales reps? You want your dollar value going INTO the bottle not around it.

• Like food, your beauty cupboard should bring you joy. The smell and the touch of your personal care products is really a little act of self-love at the start and end of every day. Think about how your body feels after gobbling a packet of chips as opposed to eating a wholesome healthy meal. There is great pleasure in nourishing your skin naturally and organically. Choose products that keep you connected to nature. Build a meaningful beauty cupboard that brings out your very OWN best unique and natural beauty.

    xo

    jo