Natural Living: Rethinking Beauty Standards and the Products You Think You Need to Achieve It
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With social media giving us more access to information and intimate looks into other people’s lives, many of us are waking up to the fact that the way we’ve normalized living — in chemically sterilized boxes, sheltered from sunlight, glued to artificial screen light, served ultra-processed food-like substances on a plastic platter straight to our door… is not healthy.
Older generations were so excited about modern conveniences and trained to be so trusting of our systems that without consciously choosing this, we found ourselves so far removed from our natural state.
When signs of disharmony within the body show up as skin blemishes, weight gain, and brittle nails, we are all encouraged to throw money at products that promise to cover it up. These chemically manufactured alternatives leave us on a hamster wheel of stress, feeling like we never have enough to keep up with the new beauty trends or to stop new problems from arising.
This way of living is missing the point, never getting to the root of our inherent beauty. I’ll argue that it’s impossible to feel beautiful and vibrant deep within yourself while living disconnected from nature.
The way to look and feel most beautiful during all seasons of life is when you’re aligned with nature’s frequency so that your natural beauty radiates from within.
It takes a wide open mind to welcome these changes and experience the true difference it makes in the way you feel and show up in the world.
I’m not here to try to convince anyone who is not open. If 21-year-old me heard current me going off on this subject, she would’ve rolled her eyes and tuned out.
So, I get it.
But if you are in a place where you feel called to reconnect with nature and experience the true beauty of living in deep relationship with who you truly are, you are in the right place.
Part of living naturally is allowing space to hear your body communicate with you about what it likes and dislikes.
So take or leave these recommendations at your own pace. No rush. No stress. Just giving you the resources so that you know what to do when you gradually feel pulled to choose a healthier, natural approach to beauty.
If You Can’t Eat It, Don’t Wear It
I recently saw an ad for a natural sunscreen that showed a woman squeezing a glob onto her arm, eating it, then squeezing another glob to rub in topically.
My first reaction was… “What?!”
But then I thought… “Wait, obviously yes!”
Your skin is your largest organ and it soaks the products you apply straight into your bloodstream. So if it’s toxic to eat… it is toxic to consume in every way.
If there's a warning on your product that stresses, “Keep out of reach of children,” can it be healthy for adults? Probably not.
No matter your age, we all have natural bodies that do not mix well with man-made chemical substances. The only difference is that usually by the time we grow into adults, our bodies have been exposed to these chemicals that are swarming our environment for long enough that our symptoms are not immediate or don’t appear to have a direct link.
Maybe you apply chemical sunscreen and notice a little burn, but you don’t think anything of it. After years of constant use, you might not notice the burn anymore because you got used to it, but now you have chronic migraines.
These slight “annoyances” like migraines, fatigue, weight gain, acne, IBS, and brain fog are not inevitable human problems that we need to cover up with lifelong chemical medication. These are all signs of imbalance and disconnection from nature. These initial imbalances are the first sign that your body is trying to detox something that it doesn’t align with. When these symptoms are covered up with Western medicine approaches, the body will find another, usually more uncomfortable, way to express its dis-ease.
Choosing to wear products that are poisonous to eat is giving your body a lot more work as it tries to detox its overloaded system, making it more difficult to stay healthy and look your best.
The Magic of Coconut Oil
A natural swap for many of your common chemical products is coconut oil.
Yes, you can eat it and it’s a great cooking oil that stands up to high temperatures. AND it’s a natural beauty product.
First, check the ingredients on your daily body lotion. All those chemicals you don’t recognize, likely are not natural and will become just another substance your body will need to go to work detoxing immediately.
So ask yourself, why do you need that daily lotion?
I found that all the fancy, expensive body care products were not necessary once I stopped using them. I felt just as moisturized and glowy when applying coconut oil instead.
Using coconut oil as a daily body moisturizer saves money, saves time restocking different products, and supports health and vitality.
Nature truly has our back and has created everything we need. Coconut oil has natural SPF to protect your skin if you plan to be outside for long periods.
Its moisturizing properties are also perfect for a weekly hair conditioning mask. Every 1-2 weeks I will apply coconut oil to my hair and let it sit overnight before washing off and enjoying silkier, healthier hair.
Lastly, coconut oil naturally removes bacteria when you swish it around in your mouth like mouthwash. This is a far better alternative to traditional mouthwash which chemically burns and kills all bacteria, including the good bacteria in your mouth that is crucial for optimal gut health.
Practice oil pulling about once a week by swishing 1 tbsp of coconut oil in your mouth for at least 2 minutes. This will draw out toxins, remove bacteria that causes bad breath, yellow teeth, and tooth decay, while supporting a healthy mouth, teeth, and gums.
So let’s recap all the products you can ditch and replace with coconut oil:
Cooking oil & nonstick spray for baking
Body lotion / body oil for moisturizing
Sunscreen
Hair oil / deep conditioning treatment
Mouthwash and whitening treatments for oral care
Look for regeneratively grown, organic, cold-pressed coconut oil like this one! Your glowing, healthy body and your wallet will thank me.
Natural Hair, Skin, & Nails: Here’s What Happened When I Ditched the Salons
External beauty is a clear sign of internal well-being. When your body is healthy and aligned with nature, you will see the proof in your hair, skin, and nails.
After clearing out chemical products in my home and choosing to eat only organic, whole foods, I first felt the difference in energy and mental clarity. Soon after came the beauty benefits.
My skin cleared and was naturally more hydrated than ever before. This allowed me to wear less makeup and apply less skincare products. Even when using nontoxic products, by introducing less to your system, it makes it easier for your body’s systems to maintain optimal health.
When I started detoxing chemicals from my home, I gradually got many nails done less and less because it just was not as relaxing once I was aware of how harmful the products were that they use. That artificial fragrance from their lotion, bath balms, and nail color was overwhelmingly strong.
By not going to the nail salon as often, I noticed my natural nails strengthen and grow.
I used to break nails easily and I even was someone who said confidently that a girl should NEVER wear open-toed shoes without having her toes painted.
But seeing how beautiful natural, healthy nails are, and also looking back at photos of nails I had in the past and cringing at how out of style they are, made me realize that natural beauty never goes out of style.
I love it so much and genuinely think it looks better that even for my wedding day, I did not get a manicure or pedicure. I felt completely confident and beautiful with my strong, plain, natural nails.
The next beauty practice I had never thought to give up was going to the hair salon. At the beginning of my detoxing journey, I was still rocking bright platinum blonde hair, despite being a natural, dark brunette.
I loved the energy of being a blonde and it took a lot of work to get to that point, so I knew I had to fully commit to this lifestyle change if I wanted to avoid the chemical hair dye.
I can’t even describe the ease and freedom that comes from feeling confident without wasting hours and hundreds of dollars every few months at a hair salon. Now I maybe get my hair cut once a year which is so inexpensive and my hair looks better than ever.
I’m not saying all of this to brag or shame anyone who still wants to do some of these beauty practices. I’m sharing because even I’m surprised by how quickly I went from feeling like I needed those practices to now, loving the way I look and feel without them.
You don’t have to jump on board, but simply ask yourself, what truly brings you joy and makes you feel amazing?
Although it was normalized to go to the nail salon every 3 weeks, hair salon every 4 months, and to drop hundreds of dollars regularly at Sephora, I never enjoyed sitting through any of those errands. I thought I had to do it to be a girl who met all the beauty standards.
This process has taught me that that is not the case. Natural beauty never goes out of style and is always there for you if you ever get tired of trying to keep up with all the trends.
Natural Beauty Alternatives to Surgery & Injections
If you turn on your TV today, you likely won’t see a single person that does not have some artificial beauty work done in the form of plastic surgery, botox, or filler. If you have the money sitting around and it will truly make you feel joyful to get these procedures, it is absolutely not my intention to place shame for doing so.
However, in the majority of cases, people are forking out money that they don’t have in a desperate attempt to live up to a certain image. Many of the procedures put the body under immense stress, inject or implant foreign objects, and do not end up giving the person the joy and confidence they were hoping for.
It’s become so normalized that people turn to it as a first step rather than going the natural route.
Personally, I’m not interested in disrupting my natural body with toxic substances. Instead, I commit to a daily facial massage ritual to keep my face lifted and aligned.
It feels like an incredible meditative moment and the benefits are sustainable. You can use your hands and do this 10 minute lifting facial massage with your favorite nontoxic, natural moisturizer or facial oil like this one.
You can also use a gua sha to work deeply into the facial muscles to release stress and toxins while promoting youthful skin elasticity.
It’s so much more enjoyable to gift yourself a few minutes of self-care than the alternative of taking hours and sometimes days out of your schedule to drive to a doctor and go through a painful, drastic change.
Maintain a beautiful body by dry brushing or doing a lymphatic drainage massage right before you step into the shower. These practices support your body’s natural detoxing system to eliminate inflammation and dead skin cells for a light, glowy appearance.
With consistent care, you can keep your body feeling beautiful, naturally.
The Greatest Beauty Hack of All Time
The greatest beauty hack is nervous system regulation. And the best way to achieve a calm nervous system? Spend time in nature.
When I bought into the stressful culture that convinced me to run a million miles a minute, I felt like I didn’t have time to connect with nature. I didn’t have time to research natural products. I couldn’t think logically about my health so I needed to listen to random self-proclaimed ‘experts’ and do exactly what they preached.
Once I shut it all down, learned how to breathe deeply, and stopped running from myself, I had the space to hear what my body was asking for.
I had time to go on walks, meditate, and stand outside with my feet in the grass while staring at the trees.
When my nervous system calmed and I learned how to operate more in a parasympathetic state, I lost all excess weight and inflammation, my skin cleared, I got my period back, I sleep easily and well every night, I am more productive, and I experience so much more joy. Also, I no longer struggle with cravings or desires for unhealthy food, products, or habits.
It’s not about being perfect. It’s about aligning your energy with nature to feel genuinely well. Not just “fine” or “not bad”. But ALIVE and vibrant.
Once I detoxed my home and stopped buying chemical food and products, I figured that was good enough and I’d probably continue to dye my hair and paint my nails. But as I lived healthier and felt more connected with myself, I didn’t feel the pull to do those things anymore. I feel prettier without it which is something I never thought I’d experience.
You don’t need to feel the same way as me.
Choose the practices and way of living that feels best for you.
But next time you’re on the checkout page on Amazon, ask yourself, are any of these products straight from the Earth and in their natural state? Do I honestly need them?
Go a few weeks without them and notice the complete shift in the energy you carry.
If you need direction on what personal care and home products to buy instead of your usual, download my ebook, 6 Pillars of Holistic Well-Being.
I give multiple pages of natural product swaps and links for where to buy them. PLUS the book has whole food recipes to help you eat from nature, deliciously.
I’ll send it to you when you drop your email below 👇
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