Looking beyond “Sephora Clean”…and finding legit clean beauty products

“Elegance is when the inside is as beautiful as the outside.” ~ Coco Chanel

Malone, Maggie. “25 Coco Chanel Quotes Every Woman Should Live By.” Town and Country Magazine, August 16, 2017, http://www.townandcountrymag.com.

Over the past two years, I have become genuinely obsessed with finding truly clean beauty products. From my shampoo, conditioner, and haircare products all the way down to my toenail polish, I have been on a mission.

It all started when I wanted to learn more about my endocrine system and the regulation of my hormones. I’m in my early forties and I am very sad to say that I learned more about how my body works in the past three years than ever before in my life. When I talk to other women, I find I am not alone in this. What they teach us in sex ed in 5th or 6th grade is literally NOTHING. We had to learn about the nighttime wet dreams of boys but no one thought it would be helpful to explain how to put in a tampon or about the four phases of our cycle. Don’t get me started! Anyway, that is a rabbit hole for another day. For now, suffice to say, the more I read the more I found out that the majority of all products women put on their skin includes endocrine blockers which really mess with our hormones. And there is literally no real regulation of beauty and skincare ingredients in products in the U.S. So, we are leaving it up to the companies making the products to care more about our wellbeing than about money…sure bud. That’s definitely happening.

So down the rabbit hole I went! I’m going to share the clean beauty products I’ve found based on category or use and you can take it from there to find what works best for you. Happy hunting!

My definition of “clean” beauty products

First, let me start with defining what I mean by clean.

For me, to be truly considered as a clean product the ingredients should be few (ideally less than 10-15), come from nature without having been chemically altered beyond recognition, and not contain any endocrine blocker such as butyl, propyl, ethyl, or methyl. I also want to be able to pronounce each ingredient.

In addition, when reviewed against the EWG (Environmental Working Group) the ingredients should have a rating of no more than 2 and the ingredient cannot be on their Restricted list To learn more, visit the EWG website. I’ll be doing an entirely separate post just on clean makeup or this post would be a million times too long.

Clean Shampoo and Conditioner Recs

Just to be completely honest up front, I am a Product Whore with a capital W. I love to try new things and I have literally tried every product you can think of under the sun. I am extremely curious by nature and just cannot stop myself from trying any cool product I learn about. With that being said, I am not joking when I tell you I have tried MANY shampoos and have spent literally hours upon hours scouring Sephora’s app to find a truly clean shampoo and they just do NOT sell one. At least, not by my definition of being truly clean. That being said, do not despair! There are some clean shampoos and conditioners out there.

First on my list, and what I personally use every day, is from the brand Viori. They sell shampoo and conditioner bars which smell amazing, are clean, and have literally given me the healthiest scalp and hair I can ever remember having. One thing I really l love about this brand is how they break down the ingredients in the product to explain its origin and how it is used in the product. I have an oily scalp but dry ends so I use their Citrus Yao Shampoo Hair Bar. Here are the ingredients for that shampoo bar: Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate (a natural cleanser derived from coconut), Behentrimonium Methosulfate (a sulfate-free, vegetable-source derived from the colza plant), Longsheng rice, Cocoa Butter, Cetyl Alcohol (plan-source fatty alcohol), Shea Butter, Stearic Acid (plant-source fatty alcohol), Rice Bran Oil, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Vitamin B8, Vitamin B5, Bamboo Extract, Broccoli Seed Oil, Vegetable Glycerin, Sodium Lactate (derived from the natural fermentation of sugars found in corn and beets), Aloe Vera, Vitamin E Acetate, Jojoba Oil, and Fragrance (fragrance oil is infused with natural essential oils, including grapefruit, orange, lemon, mandarin, peach, and vanilla). I pair it with the Citrus Yao Conditioner Hair Bar. SO CLEAN! And even better is the price: $18 for the shampoo which can last 2-6 months depending on how often you wash your hair. But here’s the thing: I know not everyone likes a shampoo and condition in bar form. So, I have a few other recommendations to make.

If you like your traditional style of liquid shampoo and a creamy conditioner in a bottle, then I recommend checking out the brand Rahua. You will have to look close at all of the ingredients but the ones I have tried and can recommend are the Enchanted Island Shampoo and Enchanted Island Conditioner (which has a very dreamy tropical island vacation smell and vibe) and the Voluminous Shampoo and Voluminous Conditioner. Another bonus is you can buy the bottle once and then purchase refills to reduce plastic going into landfills.

A second traditional liquid shampoo and cream conditioner I’d recommend is from the UK brand, Champo (pronounced ‘shar-pour’) which is the Sanskrit term for shampoo. They offer a hair quiz to find the right fit for your hair needs and it ended up being spot on for me. I had an oily scalp with dry ends which is just the worst combo. They matched me up with Kapha and it really does relieve the oily scalp, allowing me more days in between washes.

Clean Skincare Recs

This is another one I spent hours on at Sephora, just trying to find some clean skincare. One brand with some great clean products was Kora Organics. If you’d like to be able to get smaller sizes, like for travel or trial size, you can get that straight from their website instead of using Sephora. They actually have a new Plant Stem cell Retinol Alternative Serum I plan on trying next but my initial research indicates it is a very clean product that uses plants to replace the harsh chemical retinol used for anti-aging products. At Sephora, I would say Kora Organics is pretty much as good as it gets. They use Certified Organic fruits and vegetables in their products with a philosophy centered around sustainability. They were one of the very first companies to come up with the idea of refillable pods for their skincare products so instead of buying new containers each time, you just buy a refill pod and pop it into the original container. I recommend their Turmeric Glow Moisturizer and Berry Bright Vitamin C Eye Cream.

I know there have to be more brands out there but I have seriously only found one so far that has the cleanest products I have ever seen. That brand is Bambu Earth. This brand is legit clean. Most products have fewer than 5 ingredients that are 100% plant based. I will throw out a quick side note so you aren’t taken aback when you visit the site but the owner and founder appears to be very religious. As in, the products themselves have scriptures quoted on them. But, if you are not religious and don’t want anyone preaching to you, please do not let this discourage from trying this brand. This girl knows her shit.

First, I use their Activated Charcoal Cleansing Oil. The ingredients are organic cold-pressed sunflower oil, organic cold-pressed sesame oil, organic cold-pressed Tamanu oil, activated charcoal, rosemary essential oil, tea tree essential oil, frankincense, essential oil, lavender essential oil, eucalyptus essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Read that list. Every single thing is clean. I mean, it’s unheard of. I use this oil in the morning and night to cleanse my face, replacing any soap-based cleanser. My skin has never been so clear, soft, and beautiful. To be totally upfront, my eyes can be very sensitive during allergy season and if I allow the oil mixed with the eye makeup I’m trying to remove then sometimes it can cause some irritation to my eyes. It’s pretty rare though.

I follow the cleansing oil with the Rosewater Cleanser. I take a cotton round and use this all over my face, neck, and décolletage. And the ingredients are organic rosewater hydrosol, vegetable glycerine, and tea tree essential oil. This is just a nice double-cleanse to remove any leftover residue from the cleansing oil and leaves you feeling refreshed.

Next up, I put on my daytime eye serum which is called the Vitamin C Boost Eyebright Serum and again, 100% completely organic and plant-based ingredients. It helps to reduce under eye circles and puffiness and to “revive” the eyes so to speak. I personally have also noticed a reduction in crows feet. For night, I use their Antioxidant Support Overnight Eye Mask, another game changer. This one uses blackberry and black cumin to help with fine lines and dark spots under the eyes. It’s very intense and a tiny bit goes a long way. This one is a little more pricey at $70 but well worth it for the eye area which is a pain point for me personally.

They have two different moisturizers, the Petitgrain Moisturizer which is an interesting texture and scent but does a great job during the winter at $32 for a 1.5oz jar. And the there’s the Intense Hydration Cactus Concentrate, which I use only at night but year round. It’s pretty pricey at $160 for a 1.3oz jar but it does do as promised and I wake up with glowing skin. I’ve gotten more compliments on my skin since I started using Bambu Earth products than I’ve ever received in my life. I’m just saying, they are LEGIT.

I hope you find something clean and new to try from some of my recs above! And just remember, our skin is the largest organ of our body and what we put on on our bodies is just as important as what we put in our bodies. We all deserve to be happy, healthy, AND have radiant and glowing skin without the use of harsh chemicals. We are dealing with a beauty industry that self-regulates and is based on making the most profits they can off of us. If more of us demand clean beauty by speaking with our wallets, more companies will offer it to us!