I have shared some of the reasons that I decided to add Beautycounter to my already long list of titles & responsibilities through social, but I wanted to lay it out here as one resource.
I have a lot on my plate. I work full-time, I have a 15-month old son, my husband has an extremely long commute and travels a lot for work, we recently moved into a home in need of updating and renovating, we have two dogs, we are in the season of "sick" with recently starting daycare and we also have amazing family & friends that we try to show up for. So, why add another "thing" to my already overwhelming schedule? Because "When you know better, you do better" - Maya Angelou.
When I was pregnant with Drake I started to hear rumblings about what products you should use, what was safe during pregnancy, what wasn't and what products (like dish soap) you should use on baby items. To be honest, I sort of listened. I swapped out a few items and bought special dish soap and laundry detergent and thought I was doing pretty well. It wasn't until after Drake was born and he had a bad eczema flare up that I came across Beautycounter. Our pediatrician, who I love, prescribed a steroid cream and an over the counter moisturizer. It worked and we saw no negative reactions. Then I ran across this blog post from an old friend, Haley Jackson. Haley and I cheered together in high school. We hadn't really stayed in touch, but I followed her on social media. Haley is now a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and clean living advocate. In this post I learned about "green washing," the Environmental Working Group, the long-term side effects that prolonged steroid use can have, and that eczema is a chronic condition that needs ongoing & consistent care. I learned that products that are marketed as "safe" might not actually be safe and that there is little to no regulation in the personal care industry.
I was shocked. No one had ever provided information like this to me before and I was determined to learn more and do better for my family. I reached out to Haley on Instagram and started to learn more about Beautycounter and other clean brands. I started by purchasing the Baby Daily Protective Balm and began using it on Drake. I loved it and I felt good about what I was putting on my son's skin. I now own every baby product that Beautycounter makes and use them every single day.
I did A LOT of research on Beautycounter before I even bought a single product. I wanted to be sure that their whole "clean beauty" mission was for real and that they weren't participating in any other shady practices like animal testing, or irresponsible sourcing practices. Not only was I impressed with their products, but I began to understand that their mission was so much bigger than beauty.
Beautycounter's mission is to get safer products in to the hands of everyone. They do this through creating amazing, clean products, advocating for stricter laws in the personal care industry and educating the public about what really goes on in this industry. Can you name another business who is fighting for MORE regulation in their industry? No? Didn't think so.
After feeling great about what I was using on Drake I started slowly swapping out my products. I took advice straight from Beautycounter CEO, Gregg Renfrew, who suggested that you start your clean swap journey with body lotion. Why? Volume. Think about how much of that product you are covering your entire body with on a daily basis. So I did. I bought the Countermatch Adaptive Body Moisturizer and never looked back.
So why go from customer to consultant? Why join "one of those" organizations?
How could I not? I refuse to keep this information to myself. I refuse to know better and do better for myself, but not encourage others to do the same. The thought of swapping out alllll your products can be overwhelming, but it's so important. There are ingredients in your everyday products that have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, allergies, asthma, organ toxicity, etc. and it's perfectly legal! Companies can market their product as "natural" or "green" and still use these toxic ingredients. It makes me sad, but most of all it makes me pissed.
So, I decided to do something about it. I decided to shout it from the rooftops. I decided to interrupt my usual baby + dog filled Instagram feed with makeup, sometimes scary information and sales. And you know what? I'm not sorry. This is important. This impacts everyone (whether you think it does or not) and this is now a part of the regularly scheduled programming around here. Don't like it? You are welcome to change the channel, BUT before you go, do some research. Take a few minutes to look up your favorite products on EWG's Skin Deep database. Ask questions. Become informed, and then decide if your future and your health is worth the investment into safer products.
Want to dig in?
I would love to answer any questions you might have. Please reach out to me at haleystolbert@gmail.com, or find me on Instagram @haleystolbert.
Take a step. Do some research. Let me know if I can help you.
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