My Personal Care Routine

If you were to look in my bathroom today, these are the products you would find. And before we get any further, Beauty Counter products are in my future. To all you Beauty Counter lovers out there, I hear you and I'm listening! Instead of doing a huge overhaul of my personal care products, I plan to introduce changes one by one.

For those of you ready to make a step in the right direction and looking for some cleaner, safer products to use in your everyday routine, I've listed out the products I've been using and currently like.

And I should also say....the best beauty secret out there is water, water, water. Drink water!! It will only enhance the health of your hair, skin, and nails and the effects of the products mentioned below.

My Personal Care Routine



1. Kai Shampoo & Contioner: My mom and I bought this product from a small shop side-walk sale and we've both been hooked ever since. The shampoo & conditioner combo gives a squeaky clean feel with little residue left. My hair feels lighter, manageable and allows me to only wash my hair once a week.**

2. Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Bar Soap: I use the bar for my face and the body wash (not pictured) for the rest. I'm so confident in this product that I'm willing to say I will never use anything else (especially on my face). The first ingredient is water and the second is organic coconut oil which leaves my skin clean without being stripped of it's natural oils.*

3. Fresh Rose Mask: I mentioned this product in a Favorite Things post a few weeks ago. It had to be included in this post as well as it is a step in my nightly routine. Right after I wash my face, I spread a very thin layer of the rose mask over my face before applying my night-time moisturizer.**

4. Origins Plantscriptions Night Cream: I've been using Origin products on my face for a couple years now. Proven to be one of the cleaner (in terms of unnecessary chemicals) products out there while still being affordable. I use the daytime cream (not pictured) in the morning which has SPF25.**

5. Jasons Deodorant: I feel like I should give full disclosure here...because those of you that know me really well, know that I don't wear deodorant (gasp!!). For the rest of you...ta-da!...I don't wear it. I stopped wearing it when I was nursing Roswelle and decided to let my body adjust and rarely need it anymore. However, on the rare occasions I go out dancing or to a function that I might be particularly nervous about...I throw on the most basic unscented deodorant I can find. This Jason's line seems to do the trick!** ....(I think this W Magazine article is worth a read)

6. Origins Charcoal Detoxifying Mask: This is my secret weapon when my skin needs a little pick me up and I want to look fresh-faced in the morning. I leave on for 10-15 minutes and make sure to add extra moisturizer after.**

7. Sephora Face Masks: One method of extra moisturizer (as mentioned in #6) is a Sephora Face Mask. A great gift for any girlfriend or stocking stuffer, these masks really work. I'm prone to breakouts and have yet to have a reactions to these mask, no matter which one I select. I keep these on hand when I need to look refreshed for special date nights, after a long trip, holiday parties, or when I need to give myself some extra care.

8. Philips Sonicare Toothbrush: I'm the worst at getting to the dentist on a regular basis (unlike Paul who never misses an appt). But this Sonicare toothbrush got me an A+ from my dental hygienist even though it had been 2 years since my last cleaning (yikes!).

9. Shea Butter Lotion: We don't love using lotion in our household, Paul has a theory that it only makes your skin dryer. But in the depths of winter when no amount of water intake keeps my skin hydrated enough, we turn to raw organic shea butter. It feels like putty in my fingers, but once I start to lather on my legs, it coats evenly and absorbs well. And it doesn't stain everything like coconut oil!!*

10. Clarisonic Mia 2: A long-time friend to my skin, I've been using the clarisonic for years. I change the brush every 3 months and only use 2x a week during the winter, as opposed to nightly in the summer when my skin can handle it.

11. Tom's Simply White Toothpaste: I've been a Crest Whitening toothpaste user since high school, but a couple years ago made the switch to Tom's because less is best in our products!*

*I purchase these products from my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's!
**I order these products on Amazon, usually at a discounted price and with free shipping.