How to Switch to All-Natural Skin Care

There are so many beauty products available to us nowadays.

Walk down the aisles of any drugstore—or check out the counters of any major department store—and you’ll see literally hundreds of beauty products crying out for your attention that make all sorts of promises.

Most of these products are filled with all kinds of chemicals. Unfortunately, laws about what ingredients can go into skin care products are pretty lax—much more lax than food safety laws.

Everything we put on our skin is absorbed into our bodies. The problem is ordinary skin care products are filled with all kinds of stuff we would never consider allowing in our bodies if we were eating them.

But we’re really used to all those chemicals. They are normal to us. And before we transition to all-natural products, it can feel like we need them. That’s because a lot of those ingredients seem to work in the short-term. They can clean our skin, stop breakouts, give us a little extra color—even as they’re wreaking havoc on our system (and the planet!) in the long run.

I know when I was first making the switch to using all-natural products, I wondered whether simple ingredients would really do the job. But now that I’ve shifted over to all-natural skin care, I’ll never go back.

Here are a few things I found helpful as I was making the transition...

#1 Give it time.

Any time you radically change up your skin care routine, there’s a bit of an adjustment period.

Your skin is sensitive. It’s a living organism. Making a big shift in your skincare routine is like making a big change in your diet—it takes time to adjust and get used to the new normal.

When you first change over, you might notice differences—maybe your skin is a little oilier than normal. Maybe it’s drier.

The good news: We are adaptable creatures. We got used to using chemicals on our skin, and we can also adapt to natural ingredients.

When we make the switch to simpler, more natural ingredients, sometimes we can react in odd ways as our bodies reconnect with their natural equilibrium. Some women even have a “detox” reaction when they stop using chemicals on their skin.

Instead of taking this as a sign something is wrong or that your skin doesn’t “like” the new products, try giving it a couple of weeks.

Give your body a chance to shift back into its natural balance.

#2 Remember your connection to the planet.

Sometimes when I’m in a bumpy transition or shifting a habit, I find it helpful to reconnect to the “why” of what I’m doing.

Choosing to stop using chemical products has a huge impact—not just on your body—but on our world. It impacts our oceans and waterways, the animals that coexist with us, and the air we all breathe. Shifting to using all-natural ingredients is a gift not only to yourself but to the entire planet.

When I’m in a transition that takes a little extra effort (and all transitions take some extra effort!) I like to remind myself of why that transition is good not only for me but for others as well.

#3 Experiment to find what works.

The first natural products you try may be the perfect fit—or it might take some time to find the ones that really work with your unique constitution.

If the first all-natural products don’t work for you (even after an adjustment period), you may need to experiment with a few before you find what you love.

For example, Boomsilk and Boom Cotton are our two all-natural moisturizers. Each works a little differently. Boomsilk is more luminous and gives your skin a silky finish, while Boom Cotton is formulated to hydrate your skin while giving your skin more of a matte finish.

I experimented with both, along with Boomstick Glo, before I realized that Boomsilk is what my skin likes best. And it may be different for you!

Try experimenting with different natural products until you find the ones you love. Your skin—and the planet—will thank you for it!

Which natural products work great for your skin? How did you make the switch from conventional to natural ingredients? Let us know in the comments!