Thirty (but not dirty)

I said I would never do it. I’m here to tell you…I made myself into a liar.

In June, I turned thirty. There was no anxiety about it, no funeral for my twenties. Thanks in part to the phrase “Thirty, Flirty and Thriving”, I was excited for the next chapter (and with a 10 PM bedtime, being in my 20’s never seemed to fit me anyway). I was also carded for buying a lottery ticket in March, and the positive effects of being mistaken for a teenager are still lingering. Thank you, 7-11 man.

I’m not saying I’m immune to thinking about getting older. Case in point: I found my first grey hair right after our wedding, and have pulled out every single rogue one since (You too? Cool.) I know this isn’t scaleable, but it’s working for me right now.

Thirty DID get me thinking about two things that would be important in the coming years: skincare and fertility. After watching multiple friends struggling with infertility, and removing harmful chemicals from their beauty arsenal as a result, I wanted to be intentional about what I decided to add to my own. Up until recently, I put a lot of thought into what I was putting INTO my body (food), but almost no thought into what I put ON my body. In an age where preventative botox, injections and aggressive peels are becoming commonplace, I realized it was important to find something safer from the start.

A couple of months before the big birthday, my good friend (and resident guru on all things health and wellness), Jenn, turned me onto Beautycounter. This was a beauty brand making it their mission to create cleaner options, educate people about product safety, and push for more regulation within the beauty industry. Their products made my skin look and feel great, and I felt good about using them too.

A month and a half later, without prompting from Jenn, I decided to sign up to become a consultant. I know, I KNOW: this is where we get flashbacks to high school acquaintances who message us out of the blue to peddle their wares…hang with me. Making money isn’t my “why”, and I have no interest in awkwardly and aggressively marketing to those around me.

With Beautycounter, I decided to do something I thought I wouldn’t. I changed my mind because I want my friends and family to consider that what goes ON their bodies is worth evaluating just as much as what goes in them; I want other women to realize that they can choose safer (but still effective) products for themselves and their families; and really, I want our country to do a better job of protecting people who are still oblivious – just like I was. I hadn’t heard much about Beautycounter in my own circle, so I brought it in.

So, now you know. I stepped outside my comfort zone, and I came clean about it (no pun intended). Don’t be overwhelmed, better beauty isn’t all or nothing. You can start by swapping out one product at a time as you’re able. There are several brands out there making the move into cleaner products, and you can screen your own products using the EWG’s (Environmental Working Group) Skin Deep database: https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

If you want to learn more along with me, (or even just like to get free stuff) you can follow along on Facebook, here.  If you prefer to browse on your own, check out the Beautycounter website. If there’s anything you’d like to try before you buy – I’ve got a sample with your name on it! If you want me to slide into your DM’s unannounced with an “exciting new opportunity”, sorry to disappoint, but I’m just not the gal for the job.

For those of you still curious about what #betterbeauty is all about, here are a few things that motivated me to make a change to safer products:

• The nasty truth: It is perfectly legal for companies to use harmful ingredients in the products we use on our skin every day. The beauty industry in our country is virtually unregulated, banning or restricting only 30 harmful ingredients.
• Better beauty: Beautycounter has voluntarily banned 1,500 harmful or questionable ingredients and discloses every single ingredient in each of the products they produce.

• Nearly natural: Over 80% of the ingredients in Beautycounter products are natural or plant-derived. The other 20%? Not all synthetic ingredients are harmful (and not every natural ingredient out there is safe, by the same token) – Beautycounter uses only natural and synthetic ingredients that don’t compromise our health or safety, and rigorously tests and screens ingredients to do so.
• Money-back guarantee: Beautycounter stands by their products. If you decide a product is just not for you for any reason, you can return the unused portion for a full refund within 60 days of purchase (that’s right, you can use it for almost 2 months and still return it).
• Earth-friendly: Beautycounter makes every effort to use post consumer recycled content in both paper and plastic materials, and source plastics that are recyclable in most communities (we’re really trying to cut down on single use plastic in our house, so this was huge for me). This year, they’re partnering with How2Recycle to clearly communicate how to best dispose of product containers. Plus, their sunscreens are reef-friendly.
• Doing good: Beautycounter partners with trusted non-profits who focus on environmental health. Partners include: Environmental Working Group, Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, and Healthy Child Healthy World (and if you know me, you know I have a heart for non-profits doing good work).