Since I was a young girl, I've always had a passion for skin care and makeup. I have spent countless dollars on products over the years, lugging them across the country twice, when I moved from New Jersey to California then from California to Pennsylvania. I've tried hundreds of brands and formulas. I've even purchased products based solely on the packaging. I'm a designer by nature and a sucker for great packaging! I’m sure I’m not the only one who has done this.

Over the last 6 years my routine has morphed into strictly clean beauty, including household cleaning products. In 2015, I suffered with a case of eczema on my eyelids. It was painful, red and itchy. I discovered the culprit was Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, a cleansing surfactant found in most detergents, cleansers and shampoo, even in toothpaste. Environmental Working Group (EWG) has classified SLS as a “denaturant, surfactant cleansing agent” and rates it as a hazard. Their research studies on SLS have shown links to skin irritation, irritation of the eyes, organ toxicity, Endocrine disruption, Developmental and reproductive toxicity and Neurotoxicity. I immediately removed all products from my routine that contained SLS and sought out safer alternatives. The eczema healed over the course of 2 weeks and never returned. I became an avid label reader and focused on replacing my products with ones that contained cleaner ingredients.

This process can take quite some time, be overwhelming and costly, so it's best to just start with one item you use daily, such as a facial cleanser. My goal is to point you to products that are safer for your health and that work too!