Cleansing,toning and moisturizing -- this is the basic beauty regimen we follow in the process of achieving that flawless and glowing skin we always wanted. Some of us beauty obsessors add some extra layers to this regimen like pre-cleanse, re-cleanse,essence,ampoule and face masks while some of us busy bees just stick to the basic regimen of cleaning,tonic and moisturizing. Whatever regimen we choose to stick to,everyone's goal is to achieve and maintain that healthy looking,radiant and glowing skin. In this process, we cover ourselves in various products every day and night. I am sure everyone of us has read the long list of ingredients written on the shampoos,conditioners and body washes while relaxing in a hot water tub on a weekend spa day..haven't you?? But have you ever thought and researched about these complex and tongue twisting ingredients that sound like greek and latin to us? Have you ever wondered what ingredients are going into the products that you are using on a daily basis?

Our skin absorbs 60-70% of any topical product we use on it and the chemicals present in these products get mixed with the blood stream.Lets take a moment and think whether we need beauty at the cost of our health or we need beauty that adds to our health..Its our choice.I have chosen the latter and hey, if that's your choice too,this post is for ya!!Now I know that some of you might be thinking - "Toxin free,natural,organic makeup and skincare?? Oh my god! my skimpy budget doesn't allow me to purchase that even if i desperately wanted to :( " Let me tell ya - this is what I thought at first.But hell NO!! You can purchase non-toxic natural beauty products and still be in your budget :)
Here are some tips that I have researched and experimented in order to detox my beauty regimen within my budget. Step into 2015 by making this life changing decision.No more dirty looks!!
TIP 1: I am not telling you to ditch all your makeup,skin care items you currently own and buy a whole new set of non toxic beauty products.Lets say you ran out of your regular mascara, then head to a local health food store or whole foods market and get a toxin free mascara. Thus, you will be replacing each and every beauty product you use with a non-toxic green beauty product within a few months or a year. For online shoppers, websites like vitacost.com and iherb.com offer a wide range of natural beauty products to choose from and girl, they are budget-friendly too!!!
TIP 2: Read the ingredient list before you purchase any product. Any if you find any complex spelled tongue twisters on the ingredient list, just take a moment to google them. I know this may consume some time at first, but after a few months, you will have adequate knowledge on these ingredients, which ones to avoid and which ones are good, and life becomes easier.
TIP 3: Here are some of the important problematic chemical ingredients that you need to avoid in your beauty products -- parabens, phthalates, triclosan and fragrance(also known as parfum).
TIP 4: Shop during the sales in order to save a whole lot on the non - toxic products. Even stores like walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid carry budget friendly green beauty product brands like Physician Formula and these products some times go on sale for up to 75% off. Don't miss out on such offers and clip coupons to save even more. Check the store flyers and weekly ads of the health food stores to know what deals are going on. On vitacost, you can get a $10 off your first order if you sign up through a referral link and later you can refer your friends to earn 10$ when they purchase for the first time on orders above 30$.Iherb offers $10 off your first order on purchase of $40 or more and $5 off on smaller purchases.Sign up for the emails of the concern companies in order to get discounts in mail and also to know about their sales.
Now that i have given some tips on how to do a budget friendly green beauty shopping, I would also like to recommend one budget friendly product each for each category of your beauty regimen.These are the products I tried and liked. If you have any suggestions on other beauty products, I am happy to take them :)
CLEANSER:
Neutrogena naturals fresh cleansing + Makeup remover $6.50
Yes to tomatoes clear skin clarifying cleanser $10 (This one has fragrance included. A bit turned off because of this one thing)
Dessert essence Thoroughly Clean face Wash $10
TONER:
Thayers Alcohol free rose petal Witch Hazel with Alovera 8$
SERUM:
Avalon organics Vitamn C vitality facial serum $13
MOISTURIZER:
Neutrogena Naturals Multi vitamin nourishing moisturizer $14 (contains fragrance)
Burts bees moisturizing day cream $15 (contains fragrance)
MASCARA:
Physicians Formula Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara $10
EYE LINER:
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Eye gel liners $11
Physicians Formula Eye boosting liner $11
DEODRANT:
Primal Pit Paste $11
LIP BALM:
EOS lipbalm $2.98
Burts bees $3.50
Yes to Carrots $2.99
FACIAL MASK:
Aztec secrect Indian Healing Clay deep pore cleansing $10.64 for 1 pound
BODY SCRUB:
Burts Bees Honey and Shea sugar body scrub $13.00
FACE SCRUB:
Burts Bees Citrus facial scrub $8.00
FOUNDATION:
Physicians Formula Mineral wear talc free mineral liquid foundation spf 15 $11.47
SUNSCREEN:
Alba Botanica, natural very emollient sunscreen,fragrance free spf 30 $9.19
SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER:
Dessert essence coconut shampoo and conditioner $6 each (contains par-fum)
J R liggets shampoo bar coconut and argan oil $4.50