The path towards going Natural and Organic – tips on how to make the switch from synthetic

Ladies and Gents, it’s not easy going organic and natural, I get it.  It took me a while.  And I’ll be honest with you, I’m not fully organic and natural either. 

It’s often a rocky path that goes backwards and forwards and round and round…

Shocker eh?!  How dare I call my business Organically Epic….

It’s impossible to be fully organic and natural not only because of cost but because of availability and ease as well.  Plus not everything can be organic either.  So, I’m definitely 100% natural in all of mine and my families cosmetics (dental, obvs, skincare and haircare) but it’s a continual process.

Every little helps and I am still switching products to a more sustainable alternative all the time.  And I’m 5 years in to my organic epiphany so these things don’t happen overnight.  I struggle with natural cleaning alternatives.  I’m still trying to get it right and will soon be making my own in my annoyance at lack of true alternatives.

It’s quality not quantity peeps, by doing things slowly you’re more likely to make the change permanently.

Right, how to make the switch;

  1. What product do you spend the most on and what do you use the most? Every, single, day.  People usually think skincare (but there’s also dental;).  Skincare products can be expensive so they are the easiest to switch to natural and organic because you’re usually paying a decent amount for them already.
  2. Organic and natural products go further and last longer so you learn to be more economical with them.  For example, less product is needed and they spread further on the skin.  Better for your purse/wallet/bank balance and better for the planet (less wastage all round) not to mention isn’t your skin glowing? it’s glowing right? you can tell you’ve gone natural and organic 🙂
  3. Once you’ve mastered one product, have a look around to see what else you can switch
  4. If you’d prefer to start with the easy small stuff like toothbrushes, floss, tongue cleaners etc – I know a really good brand for that…. shop here! obvs!
  5. Start researching what you’d like to switch next, wait until payday and perhaps start getting a couple at a time.  It’s addictive this new product thing.
  6. Sign up to mailing lists of brands that you covet, erm, much like us yeah? they all do deals for award wins, special dates, birthdays etc so you could be in for a bargain.
  7. Shop around.  Some sites stock all manner of fabulous natural and organic products and not all of them are selling them at the same price.
  8. Buy into a brand that get excited about. Do you like their ‘story’, their packaging, their ingredients?  If you’re excited about the product you’re more than likely to buy into the whole brand and ethos.
  9. Shop small biz.  There are so many of us doing ground breaking amazing things.  You’re supporting us all to make even more fabulous products!
  10. Enjoy it.  If you can’t afford it one month then buy natural and not organic, the price will be slightly cheaper.

What to look out for when buying a natural and organic product;

  1. At the very least, a product or brand without certifications should have the percentage of natural and organic on the back of the bottle.  If it says 100% natural then perfect, away you go!
  2. What’s important to you, that it’s 100% natural or do you need it to be certified organic?
  3. The same goes with other wants and needs from the product, do you need it to be be vegan, cruelty free (I hope so), fair trade and so on.  Does it need to have a scent or do you prefer scent free?
  4. To me, certifications are often important.  If the brand you buy from has an organic or natural certification from the Soil Association or COSMOS you know that they’ve had to jump through hoops and pay a lot of money to have that little logo.  You know they are everything they say they are or they wouldn’t be certified
  5. What’s their packaging like, do you need it to have pretty packaging, minimalist packaging what do you want it too look like on your dresser or bathroom shelf? these things matter to some and not others so take this with a pinch of salt if need be
  6. Is their packaging sustainable? is it in single use plastic, the latest biotech or glass?
  7. What’s in it, do you react to certain ingredients, if so comb through that ingredients list to make sure you’re not going to go blotchy – any product can do this and it’s more likely to be a synthetic that does it than a natural ingredient
  8. What do you want the product to do, does it need to be for anti aging or do you want to have an anti pollution wonder that decreases pigmentation.  There’s so much fabulous organic and natural skincare out there, the sky is the limit!
  9. If the company’s charity work and ethos are important to you, then make sure you’re looking into their about us pages on their website.  I tend to steer clear of anything that sounds too corporate or is vague.  I like to know the people behind the brand, I want to make sure my money is being spent wisely and I’m helping grow a brand with a kind outlook on the world
  10. All of the above effects the price so chose wisely, you don’t need to tick all boxes on your first purchase or at all if that isn’t important to you
  11. As with every single cosmetic product out there.  Some are duds, pure and simple.  Be it synthetic or organic and natural.  Some don’t work on your skin, some smell funny, some have awful packaging.  You may need to go through a few before you find the right one for you but don’t let this put you off, there are literally hundreds of fab natural and organic brands with amazing products that change their customers skin from drab, dull and itchy to glowing, hydrated and soft.  

If you need any targeted skincare or dental care advice please give us a shout, we’d love to make any recommendations that you need.

Jayne and the Organically Epic Team x

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