I don’t change up my beauty routine that often, but I’ve added 5 new-to-me clean products to my regular rotation and wanted to share them all here. I’m very picky about beauty products so the fact that these are all winners says a lot about them!

PS long story but I accidentally permanently deleted my Instagram yesterday!!! Someone at Instagram is working on restoring it for me but for now, it’s down. I will share the whole story (thanks a lot, Mercury in Retrograde!) once we’re back up and running.

Face

Kaike Green Tea Clay Mask: Clay masks that you mix with water are my favorite type of face masks. This one is made from just clay and matcha green tea is detoxifying and draws impurities from the skin while reducing inflammation at the same time. It also retains moisture so your skin doesn’t get dried out. I have been using it twice weekly. I love how soft and clean my skin feels after masking with it.

If you have dry skin but want to support and try this Black-owned business, try their hydrating Marshmallow clay mask, made for moisturizing.

Farmacy Deep Sweep Toner (gifted): I have been using the same daily toner for years, so when Farmacy Beauty sent this over to try, I didn’t expect to make the change. It’s hard to find great products for acne-prone skin that don’t dry me out, but this is one of the good ones.

It’s an alcohol-free 2% BHA toner and I Googled what that meant before I used it. BHA = beta-hydroxy acid (or salicylic acid), found in willow tree bark, wintergreen leaves, and sweet birch bark. BHAs are chemical exfoliators that can get deep into the pores to remove dead skin cells. This toner leaves my skin feeling so clean and has helped prevent breakouts and blackheads all summer. 

It had a slight tingle when I first started using it but it never irritated my skin like other toners have in the past. I use it 3x/week, and I’m officially adding it to my permanent nighttime routine!

Eyes

KNC Beauty Retinol Eye Masks: These eye masks from KNC, a Black female-owned business, were included in my 5 Random Things post this month but they’re worth another mention because they really work for puffy eyes. I’ve been using retinol eye cream for about a year and have seen a major difference in the wrinkles under and around my eyes. But there are still those days when I wake up looking a decade older than I am. These retinol-infused eye masks are magic as far as I’m concerned and get rid of puffiness without parabens, sulfates, artificial dyes, or fragrances.

Hair

Prose Pre-Shampoo Hair Mask: Everyone keeps talking about how great Prose is so I decided to test it out for myself. I filled out the consultation form and got a customized line of products for my hair. I ended up buying the shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask. In searching for a more natural shampoo/conditioner combo, I had never found one that worked until Prose. I’ve been using all three for two months now and really like what they do for my hair.

The mask they customized for me is super nourishing and has helped heal my damaged hair even more. I use it every other week and then Pantene Rescue shots on the off weeks (more on that here).

I’m also using their shampoo and conditioner and still using the Moroccan Oil Clarifying Shampoo once a month too. Apparently I now have a high maintenance hair routine. Figures.

I’ve also heard great things about their hair oil.

Playa Ritual Hair Oil (gifted): Speaking of hair oil, I’ve been using a few drops of this oil in my hair on the days when I let it dry naturally which is most of the time in the summer. It gives my hair a really nice texture and hydrates my hair, but doesn’t make it too oily. I also put it on before beach days because it also protects against UV rays.

Feet

Thena Foot Balm: When I shared my footcare routine, a friend of mine insisted that I try her favorite foot balm. The Amazon product description says antifungal cream but disregard that (although I’m sure it’s also good for a fungal situation). It’s a super hydrating and natural foot balm made with avocado oil, tea tree oil, aloe vera, and beeswax.

It goes on and immediately sinks in which while making my feet feel silky soft. Plus it smells like a beautiful mix of essential oils.

While I love the Burt’s Bees balm I was using before, this one is less oily so I don’t have to wear socks to bed anymore (yay!). I still use the Burt’s Bees one once a week and then this one nightly.

What new-to-you beauty products are you loving these days?

Photo by Julia Dags.