Switching to Natural Beauty Products: What Actually Changes in Your Routine
Switching to natural beauty products seems as easy as changing what’s in your bathroom. But for those who’ve made the switch, you know that that’s not the case. It’s more about a shift in how your skin and routine approach products moving forward from the transition and how much extra time you’ll spend analyzing labels in the stores.
Ultimately, not all changes are immediate and some catch people by surprise. By understanding what’s expected, it can become more of a lifestyle change instead of a setback that makes you return to the chemicals.
What No One Tells You About Adjusting
First of all, it gets worse before it gets better. This isn’t because natural products are inferior, but because your skin and body become detoxed from the ingredients it’s grown to depend upon over years of application.
Items like silicones serve as skin protectants to create an almost immediately soft feel on application. When removed, skin must learn to live without this barrier protectant and during this transition phase, people breakout or develop dry patches or additional oiliness.
This adjustment can last anywhere from two weeks to six weeks. It’s based on how long you’ve been using conventional products for and what little toxins your skin has developed dependency upon. It’s frustrating, but it ultimately passes.
You Take Longer To Get Ready In The Morning (At First)
Not every natural beauty product is like-for-like with a conventional one – which is great – and that means changing how you apply over time, practicality-wise. For example, many oils and serums need a bit more time to sink in before makeup can be applied over them (you can no longer smother them on in succession).
That means the texture of certain products feel a bit heavier and they may not work as quickly as you want them to – but that’s not a bad thing, either; it’s just different.
Conventional products use lightweight silicones and fillers to condition but fool the user into thinking the product is sinking in – as such is often not the case. No one who uses bio-available ingredients expects that you’ve got globs of oil on your skin; instead, they’re happy for their skin to feel nourished in ways that conventional products cannot even begin to claim.
Some people find success with clean formulations that happen to use unfamiliar textures yet allow for softer application and absorption; Naturally Linda has some options available for those unsure where the line between natural and product user experience happens.
Eventually, you’ll find what layers well and how much time you need in between each step; your routine will soon become second-nature again – you just need to give it a few weeks.
You Learn How To Read Ingredient Lists
Most people never read the back of their moisturizer anyway; switching to natural puts you on the path of an inexperienced investigator who needs to find out more either about what you’re putting on your skin or continuing to apply without full understanding.
You become more familiar with plant extracts, essential oils, natural preservatives and fillers but then need to navigate why "natural" isn’t legally acceptable for marketing; instead, companies latch onto generic terms without verifying in a court of law what they’re including or excluding.
It’s all part of the learning process. Whether this translates into other aspects of your life when you’re more aware of what goes into what – purchasing items beyond skincare – is aside from the point; it makes shopping take about three times longer at first until you’ve got your investigative skills down pat.
The Smell Changes Everything
Natural beauty products smell differently than conventional ones. They sometimes smell good (fresh herbs, real citrus, botanicals out the wazoo), smell neutral or at times smell earthy or almost weird if you’re used to scents developed in a laboratory.
No artificial fragrance exists. This is truly the biggest transition for people used to smell-delivered goods from commercial products every time. Natural products can sometimes vary from batch to batch because real plants don’t smell the same across seasons’ harvests.
Some people love that authenticity; others hate it and wish they could inhale nothing but memories instead of unknowns from this point forward. There’s no right or wrong situation; it’s personal. The important component is that while you prepare yourself for change – don’t be surprised when your new face cream doesn’t smell like summer oasis – but it’s probably even better (or not).
Your Skin Feels Different
Finally, your skin feels different. After the adjustment period–beyond because it hopefully clears up–your skin becomes adjusted back to its natural self but feels different without synthetic-softness.
Natural products tend to feel "on" less since they’re nourishing but not creating cosmetic cover; over time, however, this becomes second nature as you realize what’s happening beneath – and how you don’t have an airbrushed filter feeling on top of everything – is even better for longterm effects.
It’s like revealing your true self after having struggled for so long with thinking you had to achieve perfection using these tools that aren’t ideal for every day use. Give yourself time to adjust – but know that even if you feel soft but not silky-smooth – this is better than having an artificial filter on all the time.
Costs Don’t Always Add Up
On top of everything else, natural beauty products tend to cost more up-front which is frustrating when you’re switching over everything you own but the kitchen sink (literally). Quality costs and when these are small batch endeavors without economies of scale, it’s understandable why this is frustrating with initial financial output rates.
But then there’s this huge caveat – many natural products require less to get more; what’s $40 for a face oil might last six months versus a $15 face cream running out in six weeks because it’s so watered down or requires so much use to ever see results.
And then there are those multifunctional products available in natural formulas – which conventional ones hardly ever extend – so a great oil can serve as a serum/moisturizer/primer while a mediocre cream needs three different products at best which increases time and money in stores looking for those missing links.
What Improves Long Term
Ultimately, after the adjustment period ends, most people experience improvements in skin tone and texture. Breakouts reduce in frequency and severity; skin tone evens out; texture improves over time; although none of these happen suddenly, it’s easy to appreciate their emergence rather than feeling disappointed it’s not operating under previous expectations utilizing magic formulas.
More importantly, with quality support over time, skin improves response rate to stressors such as diet mishaps or extreme weather since they’re no longer tempered by unrealistic expectations powered by unnatural ingredients.
This doesn’t mean that natural beauty products are miracle workers; they won’t eliminate wrinkles or sun spots but help support natural functions that otherwise would have been overridden – but many people appreciate aging naturally better than feeling artificial any day especially once you’ve invested so much effort in maintaining years of beauty as opposed to always correcting failings due to convenience shortcuts.
Switching over to natural beauty products is not only something those boasting products implement; it’s a chance for mind and body transformation through literacy acquisition which empowers the self far beyond what’s just found on your bathroom shelves. Some changes happen immediately with discomfort; others occur gradually which make it all worthwhile down the line post adjustment period.