Elena’s Morning Skin and Hair Routine… Exposed!
Happy Friday, everyone! Meet Elena, whose nice-and-simple routine kind of made me feel a little bit calmer just by reading it. She would kick ass at the desert island challenge. Her routine strikes a great balance between using fun, clean products, and still keeping it fairly simple. Awesome!
Name: Elena
Age: 25
Current weather: Currently in Toronto, Canada (cold humid winters, hot humid summers). In the past year lived in Thailand, Haiti, New York – this rocked my world, but my skin was not too pleased.
Hair: Baby fine and pretty greasy
Skin: Really fair, no freckles, burns semi-easily then tans. Lately my skin has become super dry. I actually don’t think this is the fault of the harsh winter, but (gasp) of aging :(
In the shower…
Not much.
I just started my second attempt at going shampoo free. Last summer I cleaned my hair with baking soda for about a month, but then gave up. I am giving this another go because I find that my fine hair gets weighed down by even the cleanest shampoos. This time around, I will be trying to do the baking soda thing at much longer intervals (I used it every three days in the summer), hoping that this will restore the oil balance of my scalp. Fingers crossed. For now, my hair so greasy that my father asked me at the dinner table why I hadn’t blow dried my hair!
Otherwise, a razor and Dr. Bonner’s for basic hygiene. Rarely any shower gel on my body. Ditto for moisturizer, except for my hands in the winter. Right now I am using a hand cream from Japan. I am pretty sure it’s not clean, but it’s Japanese and I love almost everything from that land! (OK, I got to admit that I am transitioning to a green routine so I still use some not clean products. However, I vow to purchase a clean hand salve for next winter. I used to use L’Occitane in the past—I think it’s semi-green?)
Outside the shower…
I don’t wash my face in the morning. Sometimes a splash of water, sometimes not. At night I cleanse my face with an oil. Right now I am using almond oil, but I’ve used avocado in the past. Sometimes I use the oil as a moisturizer for my face as well. My non-clean moisturizer is Avene Hydrance Optimale Riche (5 on EWG scale). I will be tossing it once it is finished. And I have already started exploring green options. I already zeroed in on some Weleda creams. I love Weleda! It reminds me of the European products we had in our bathroom growing up.
I always, always wear sunscreen! This has been the one constant in my skincare routine for 6-8+ years now. Unfortunately, like the rest of my routine, I have only recently realized that La Roche Posay SPF 60 I was using might have been doing more harm than good. I would always break out on my forehead from all of the sunscreens I have ever tried. And let me tell you, I have gone through my fair share of them. I discarded American drugstore ones a long time ago and have stuck with French Lab picks from Vichy, Avene, and the aforementioned La Roche Posay. While I would always start out loving the product, I would inevitably break out on my forehead a few weeks down the road. I started doing my research and realized that this might be a result of all the chemicals in my sunscreen. So I went physical and I love it! Current sunscreen is from DeVita. It’s an SPF 30 (19% zinc oxide) with hyaluronic acid. It is supposed to be quite moisturizing, but the cream’s texture is actually very light and airy. It seeps into my skin like a dream and makes it velvety smooth. I think that it is light enough to use for combination skin as well. It also doesn’t smell at all like a sunscreen, which is a plus for me. Hey, smell is important!
Depending on the season and the current condition of my skin I will use the Lavera Wild Rose moisture mask once/several times a week. I am not a rose person, so I find the scent quite strong, but the mask does a great job at bringing hydration back to my skin.
Finishing touches…
No leave-ins or other styling products for my hair. I usually let it air dry. It’s pretty-low maintenance (except for the greasy-part that seriously gives me the urge to shampoo every night)—no fly aways, no frizz.
Deodorant, currently Green Beaver in Citrus. Green Beaver is great Canadian brand. Their body sunblock is amazing and cheap! This deodorant smells really good, if you are into citrusy smells, that is. I also have the Soapwalla one. While I prefer the latter, when I am in a rush and don’t want to get my fingers dirty I just use the Green Beaver stick.
Makeup-wise, it varies a lot. Most of the days it’s just a slick of lipstick (100% Pure in Seduce is a nice neutral coral color for light-skinned girls). I also like the Josie Maran argan oil multipurpose color stick. I use it on lips, cheeks and lids. Yes, a pinkish hue looks amazing with hazel eyes. I actually got mine in a trial pack a few years ago, but I still have plenty of product left.
I have a non-clean mascara that I swear by: Lancome Hypnose. I haven’t even attempted to find a green version because it took me ages to find a chemically infused one that curled and lengthened while staying on for a full day without being a waterproof formula.
The few times that I do use makeup I turn to very dirty products. I know! And by makeup I mean some eyeliner and dusting of shadow. No powder, no foundation, no bronzer—I like the pale look. Perfume? Well I do use a green tea body spray from a french brand, doubt it’s clean, but it’s running out, so will probably go perfume free when that happens.
Overall, my routine is semi-green but I am committed to going green all the way. The items I look forward to trying next: Ilia lipsticks, green green tea perfume (haha!), and RMS uncover-up!
Three cheers! Thanks, Elena!
Image of Anna Karina via (Jean-Luc Godard’s wife and the star of many of his films)
Awesome! I loved the phase of transitioning to green products! It’s an excuse to try out new ones without feeling too guilty or wasteful! Definitely good you’re looking forward to trying Ilia lipsticks and rms’ uncover up. Those are my favourites.
I never had problems with mascara back when I was using chemical make up. I liked thicker brushes, but I didn’t have to try so hard to get big lashes I liked. But when I switched to green, I tried the Zuzu mascara – ugh. The first mascara I truly hated. It smudged and flaked and didn’t curl my lashes at all! I tried honeybee gardens next and I liked it. I’ve been using it for like 6 months now. It’s layerable and doesn’t flake at all but is easy to get off. I think I might try the thick physicians formula organic wear stuff, because then I can buy it from a store and not ship it across north america.
Also, hey fellow Torontonian!
I’m just like Elena when it comes to makeup products! I’m very particular about the green/cleanness of my skincare products, and I wear makeup infrequently, but when I do, I don’t mind using traditional makeup brands. In my mind, skin-care/hygiene products purport to aid health, aging well, etc., so I expect them to live up to those claims. But everyone knows that the whole beauty-craze isn’t healthy to begin with (Romans used to use nightshade to dilate their pupils, eg, “anime” eyes, and I imagine the emotional/self-esteem issues related to beauty have always been around), so I don’t really have any expectations for beauty companies to live up to . . . I just try to limit the influence that makeup marketing has over me, and save my eyeshadow for my “glamourous” nights out!
@Jen: same here! I also use makeup so very rarely and for so short (only for a few hours in the evenings for those major nights out) that it’s just easier to use my dramatic Make Up Forever eyeliner, or whatever else, than trying to revamp my entire makeup bag. That said, I just ordered some samples of RMS non-coverup and living luminizer, since I’d love to find a more healthy replacement to my By Terry tinted moisturizer. I figure if I have a healthy natural product to even out my skin or cover minor imperfections, I might actually bother to wear it during the day.
Also, thanks so much to Elena for the DeVita recommendation! It’s so reasonably-priced and I love that it’s light and doesn’t leave a white cast! I am currently using 100% Pure Argan Oil sunblock, but it’s more expensive and, strangely, seems to be the only 100% Pure product not carried in the Duane Reades in NYC. I’d much rather order from Amazon and get free two-day delivery than have something shipped from California!
Siobahn and Alexandra—have you made any changes to your skin and hair routine? Maybe we could get an update from you two, I’m assuming you are always trying new products!
For all you DIY-ers out there: I found a recipe for hair powder (submitted by the woman who makes the Lulu hair powders!): http://www.readymade.com/projects/organic_hair_powder
Elena, using a hair powder might help with your hair’s tendency to get oily. My hair also gets oilier that I wish it would (and yet with a dry/irritated scalp – explain that one to me?). So, I’m going to give hair powder a try. [By the way, I, too, tried washing with just baking soda last year, but I think that's what actually upset my scalp. I had never had scalp issues before doing that, and now, it's still not back to normal. I'm starting to think I might have seborrheic dermatitis. Has anyone else had a similar experience?]
This would be a helpful link for all those who were wondering how people go for days without washing their hair, too (I can’t remember whose beauty routine that conversation was in response to).
I think I might try making it without using an essential oil; seems like the process would be simpler.
oops! …oilier *than* not that.
so excited to try the sunscreen. Thanks Elena! As a fellow fair-skinned gal, I should be wearing sunscreen everyday but it’s so hard to find one that doesn’t make me cringe!
100% Pure is such a great line! I love their pineapple enzyme mask and brightening line. Their lipsticks last so long on as they are very highly pigmented.
:)
Nicole
I love DeVita too! And it’s non Nano. Not an overpowering scent either good or bad. Really does slide on amazingly. Best out there I’ve tried…and that’s at least 10 brands!!!
Great great routine!!! May I make a few suggestions for hair & green tea perfume? If you haven’t tried yet, rinsing your hair with diluted Apple Cider Vinegar does WONDERS for oily hair & scalp.. gets rid of all the build ups and clarifies, without any use of shampoo. :)
For green green tea fragrance, I recommend the Green Tea Fragrance Oil from Bramble Berry? I think it might be what you’re looking for!
http://www.brambleberry.com/Green-Tea-Fragrance-Oil-P3892.aspx
I’ve never understood the “natural” fixation with baking soda. Baking soda is not natural. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is chemically created by solvay process. Soda ash (sodium carbonate) is combined with carbonic acid, sodium hydroxide and ammonia. The result is an alkaline substance. It is very strong cleaner that is extremely useful for tough cleaning jobs, but our skins and bodies are naturally acidic and this acidic mantle impedes negative bacteria. Most castille soap based products are extremely alkaline and this is why some people have terrible reactions with them in regards to their hair. I think being more chemically aware is great, but that includes having a concept of ph and how it reacts to our skin and hair.
Ahh, thanks, Biz! I tried to use just castille soap when going green, for body and hair, but I had a terrible reaction to it! It really dried me out and exacerbated my eczema. I guess that’s why.
I was on a baking soda hair wash routine for a couple of months, and loving it! I was also saving a ton of money. Unfortunately it also bleached my hair over time, which I didn’t fully realize until someone told me I had blonde hair (I am naturally brunette). I went back to shampoo. :(
We absolutely love ILIA lipsticks. Their design and colours are simply amazing – and now finally also available in Germany (at Amazingy