Go au naturel with your beauty routine.
Sophie Uliano is a leading natural beauty expert and the New York Times best-selling author of “Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life,” “Do it Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products,” “The Gorgeously Green Diet” and the forthcoming “Gorgeous for Good.” Uliano’s focus on beauty is about knowing what ingredients you’re putting into your body and finding products that are natural yet effective. I recently interviewed Uliano about her philosophy and how you can make your beauty routine healthier and greener.
Make It Better: For someone that is completely clueless about making “green” changes to their beauty routine, where’s a good place to start?
Sophie Uliano: The skin is the largest organ of your body and it absorbs over 60 percent of what you put on it. First, you want to think about the product you use that covers the largest area of your skin, so for most of us that’s a body lotion. Think, is the body lotion—that I apply every day to a large expanse of my skin—healthy?
I also like to do a sort of medicine-cabinet makeover, meaning that I will start by looking at the ingredients in my products. I look at the expiration date of my products, just as I would if I were going through my pantry or my fridge. The reason why this is important is because products can go rancid very easily. In the case of something like an anti-aging serum, if it’s past its sell-by date, ingredients in that serum, such as Vitamin C, can start to oxidize. This means that it will do more damage than good to your skin. For a serum or a moisturizer, particularly those that contain active ingredients, toss it if it’s more than six months old.
What are your can’t-live-without products and favorite brands?
I like to recommend healthy, natural products that are readily available and affordable. An important switch to make when someone is new to going natural is to look at your oral care products. You want a mouthwash that’s alcohol-free. You also want toothpaste and a mouthwash that are free of synthetic and artificial additives, such as colorants, dyes, flavors and sweeteners. When you’re buying from a company, look at the company as a whole. Go to their website; check them out and look at what they’re doing for the community, for sustainability, and for health.
My favorites products include Toms of Maine for oral care, Shikai for shampoos and body lotions,Mad Hippie for serum and anti-aging products, and Badger Balm for sunscreen and bug repellant. Finally, raw virgin coconut oil is the most incredible after-sun moisturizer.
Can you tell us about your upcoming book, “Gorgeous for Good”?
This book is a 30-day holistic program on how to be and how to stay gorgeous from the inside out. The 30 days is a great boot camp to get you started on a lifestyle change.
