We are mid-February now and two weeks into establishing better practices for more ME TIME. We’ve chosen to eat clean and learned from top fitness pros about how to incorporate more activity. This week we wanted to check in with ourselves to think about our beauty routine - Are we nurturing our skin and body or hurting ourselves with chemicals and synthetic ingredients? One of our favorite ingredients in the bathroom (and kitchen!) cabinet is coconut oil. Coconut oil is a natural skin moisturizer and makeup remover. But did you also know it can be used as a sunscreen, insect repellent, lip balm, and hair conditioner?! It is incredibly versatile and our number-one, go-to for self-care.
But we wanted to know more! So we sat down with our friends and beauty experts over at Flynn&King to learn about what we should consider when buying beauty products, details on their five-minute morning routine, and which products they can’t live without.
There are TONS of beauty products out there that call themselves "natural". What words should we look for on packaging to help us know what to get and what to avoid?
Green-washing is such an issue on the natural beauty market nowadays. Words like "natural", "green", and so forth seems to lose their meaning since FDA regulation on these words are pretty much nonexistent. The only way to test a product for truly natural is to look at the ingredient list. Most ingredients will have their scientific classification that's known around the world, or INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients). For example: lavender oil will be listed as Lavandula Angustifolia (lavender) oil.
A few ingredients to avoid, especially if they are in the top 5 ingredients listed:
1. Parabens - top 3 parabens used in cosmetic are methylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben. Though parabens inhibit growth of bacteria and mold, this ingredient also contain estrogen-mimicking properties that are associated with some types of cancer.
2. SLS / SLES - Sodium Laurel Sulfate or Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Unfortunately, this ingredient is everywhere. From baby shampoos to acne treatments, SLS/SLES helps products have that foaming effect, but the negative effects of this ingredient can cause kidney and lung damage, skin and eye irritations, and if poorly formulated with other ingredients, can form carcinogens.
3. Fragrance - This is the most tricky one! The ingredient solely listed as "fragrance" can sometimes contain over 100 ingredients that are protected as a company's trade secret. While this is great for companies to protect special formulations, it could also mean a company is hiding skin irritant ingredients that can cause rashes, dermatitis, redness, peeling, cracking of skin. At Flynn&King, we are hyper aware of this situation and disclose all ingredients on our labels. How else would you know if you're allergic to an ingredient if you can't pinpoint what that ingredient might be?
These are just a few ingredients we avoid, but if you would like to learn more no-no ingredients, here is a fun and informative (and very scary) list of ingredients that are banned in Europe, but is still widely used in America today.
So many of us are rushed for time, especially in the morning! Can you recommend a 5-minute beauty routine to get us out the door fast?
I live by the bare-minimum, no-makeup makeup routine! First and foremost, I always wash and moisturize my face! I don't need much, just a mild cleanser to clean and prime my face and a good hydrating moisturizer or oil will protect my skin from free-radicals. If you live in the city, this is the most important step because smog and pollution can get absorbed into your skin. Nobody wants that. And to finish the look, a bit of bronzer under the cheekbones, a few strokes of eyebrow pencil, and a couple swipes of Recover Balm on your lips (and sometimes a couple swipes under the eyes for extra hydration) makes all the difference. Done and in less than 5 minutes!
What is the one product you can't live without?
Though all Flynn&King products are fantastic, our Recover Balm is the most used. I have one in every coat pocket, purse, and room of the house. I use this balm religiously. It's great for lips, dry hands, under the eyes, soothes bug bites, cracked knuckles and cuticles on a cold bicycling day, as a makeshift perfume stick, and makes kissing even more fun. Our Lunar 13 serum, made with 13 anti-oxidizing botanical oils comes in close, because preventative aging (especially for those that are in the 20-30s range) is one of the most important skin care steps to take!
About Flynn&King
Flynn&King is a small company based in Brooklyn, NY committed to creating an all-natural, organic, and multifunctional skin care and lifestyle collection for gender-neutral use. We are conscious of everything we do, from the sourcing and quality of our ingredients to the packaging of our products. We are an ever-evolving brand that not only respects and values our earth and the inhabitants in it, but is driven by and designed for our modern lifestyles. Growing with our Do Good Collaborations, our perpetual journey of goodwill through a variety of projects, we work with organizations to find ways to give back to our community.