So excited to have my good friend and green skincare enthusiast Sarina Elaine on the blog today to talk about how to switch to clean beauty!
I met Sarina a few years ago, on a women’s mastermind call. After lots of story swaps of business up’s and down’s, personal challenges, and all the wellness stuff in between, we’ve become close friends. One of the things that I love most about Sarina is how warm, kind, and supportive she is. It just radiates from her every time we talk.
I’m so pumped to have her on the blog today to talk all about how to switch to clean beauty. I started doing a massive toxic beauty product purge last week and have been IG Storying the whole process. After a bunch of convos started popping up in my Instagram DM inbox, I knew it was something I wanted to keep talking about and sharing. Clean beauty has been around for a while, but as a semi-newbie to this world, it feels like there is a lot to learn!
I’m so psyched that Sarina is coming on the blog and doing an Instagram Live with me today on the topic (which you can check out on my IGTV). We’ll be talking about clean beauty tips and tricks, favorite products, and how to make the switch toward a cleaner, greener lifestyle.
So, without further ado, here’s Sarina!
Welcome Sarina! Introduce yourself! Tell us your story and what you do. 🙂
Hi! I’m Sarina, a Functional Nutritionist & Wellness Coach based in the Bay Area. My mission is to serve individuals with autoimmune conditions, specifically gut-related conditions such as IBD, and support them to live an optimal quality of life with nutrition (food as medicine) and coaching.
When and how did you get interested in Clean Beauty?
About 6 years ago when I was initially diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. My food choices was the first change and then I started to dive into what I was putting on my skin, realizing that my skin absorbs everything since your skin is your biggest organ. I always loved makeup and skincare but I knew I had to find a clean way to still enjoy spa days, getting dressed up, etc.
How did you convert to Clean Beauty? Was it all at once or gradual?
I did make the mistake by doing it all at once. I say it’s a mistake because it took me lots of trial and error to find what works for me and my lifestyle. I immediately threw out all of my products because I was so scared of the damage it may have been doing on my body by putting more toxins into it! I would say to start gradual and start by researching products! Start by deciding what your skin and makeup must-haves and goals are and then try to find the equivalent of those products in the clean beauty world. There are TONS!!
How did you find the clean beauty products that work best for you?
Since it was 6 years ago, it was extremely hard to find clean products in stores. At first, I would make my own from recipes I found online and also experimented with making my own recipes, but the upkeep to make them took a toll on my health. After that, to find the products that I would be interested in, I did research on the smell, ingredients, shelf-life, and price of products and then I would go from there! It does take time but ultimately you are paying more attention to how your body feels with these products and then you’ll know if they work for you.
Can you share some resources that you use to learn about clean beauty?
I started following wellness bloggers like Wellness Mama to understand ingredients. After that, I started to research on PubMed, and other peer-reviewed articles along with the Environmental Working Group Think Dirty App. I began to read the ingredient labels of beauty products just as I would nutrition labels!
“Ultimately, if a product has ingredients in it that I cannot pronounce or look suspicious, I wouldn’t purchase it.”
What are some places to shop for clean beauty?
I like:
- The Detox Market
- Credo Beauty
- Target
- Thrive Market
- Whole Foods
Any creators on Instagram, YouTube, or anywhere that you learn about clean beauty from?
I love: The Organic Bunny on Instagram, The Green Bunny on YouTube, and the Wellness Mama/MyWellnesse on Instagram.
What are you top 5 holy grail, can’t-live-without clean beauty products?
My top picks are:
- W3LL People Bio Tint Multi-Action Moisturizer
- Coola Daydream Mineral Primer
- Cocokind Chia Face Oil
- W3LL People Bio Base Baked Brightener in Universal Glow
- Cocokind Mai-Light Highlighter
Hope you loved this interview and got some good clean beauty tips and tricks! Sarina also wrote a blog post over on her site about what to eat for awesome skin health.
And if you’d like to check out the IG Live, hop on over to my IGTV.
xo, Lauren
*If you buy something through the product links above, I may earn an affiliate commission.
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