You’ll Want To Celebrate Earth Month All Year Long With These Fab Eco-Friendly Finds!

To quote Leo Tolstoy, “One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between man and nature shall not be broken.” As we continue to celebrate Earth Month, let’s strive to keep that link between us and nature strong by taking steps to live in greater harmony with the environment. That means supporting brands that emphasize plant-based and vegan formulas, that ensure their ingredients are ethically sourced, that use sustainable packaging and strive to minimize their carbon footprint, and which give back to reforestation and water conservation organizations. In my latest segment for CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin,” I chatted about some great eco-friendly products that are kind to both humankind and our ecosystem. Click here to watch the segment and continue reading to get familiar with these great eco-friendly finds!

EACH & EVERY NATURAL DEODORANT

You can smell as fresh as a lavender sprig (or perhaps a juicy orange slice!) with one of Each & Every’s amazing Natural Deodorants, all of which are made with simple, clean ingredients that actually work, keeping you odor-free all day long. As someone who works out in pretty grueling conditions (outside, often in the Texas summer heat, with temperatures nearing triple digits and humidity levels in the 95% and above range) and who also sweats an almost uncanny amount (no dainty perspiration here, folks!), I demand a lot from any deodorant I wear. For years, I tried dozens of natural deodorants only to end up frustrated because they didn’t fulfill my needs, failing to absorb any wetness or provide the odor protection I needed. I felt frustrated because I desperately wanted to ditch the chemicals and opt for a healthier deodorant, but I just wasn’t finding one that met the necessary criteria. And then I tried Each & Every, and I finally discovered my natural deodorant match. No matter what my day entailed, how grueling the activity I was tackling, or how hot and muggy it was outside, Each & Every kept me feeling and smelling fresh. I’ve been a die-hard fan ever since!

Each & Every’s, vegan, cruelty-free, and aluminum-free deodorants are designed with sensitive skin in mind, so they contain no baking soda, alcohol or artificial fragrance, all of which can prove irritating for some consumers. Instead, the formulas rely on clean ingredients like Dead Sea minerals to fight odor-causing bacteria, tapioca starch to absorb wetness, and coconut oil to condition skin. Each & Every’s Natural Deodorants have the distinction of being are EWG verified, meaning they meet the Environmental Working Group’s strictest criteria for health, safety and transparency. To meet these standards, Each & Every hand selects every ingredient to ensure maximum efficacy and the lowest possible health and hazard risk. Moreover, since sustainability is embedded into Each & Every’s identity, each deodorant is packaged in a carbon negative sugarcane tube.

Each deodorant, then, is a labor of love — both for the planet and for humanity. True to this mission, Each & Every also prioritizes intentional and ethical sourcing, partnering with suppliers that meet their safety and sustainability standards and whose practices factor in the long term vitality of their local ecology.

There are 10 scents in  the permanent collection, all made using 100% natural essential oils, with options that include: Lavender & Lemon, Citrus & Vetiver,  Cardamom & Ginger, Coconut & Lime, Rose & Vanilla, Cedar & Vanilla, and more.

Each deodorant is $17 at EachandEvery.com ,and you can use the code AUSTIN for 30% off your 1st purchase!

JUICE BEAUTY PREBIOTIX FRESHLY SQUEEZED GLOW 20% VITAMIN C SERUM AND STEM CELLULAR VINIFERA REPLENISHING OIL

For over 15 years, Juice Beauty has been a pioneer in the clean beauty space, offering skincare products formulated with natural and certified organic ingredients while also ensuring that they deliver clinically validated results. Juice Beauty goes well beyond “clean beauty,” prioritizing certified organic ingredients — most of which are grown in Juice Beauty’s very own solar-powered sustainably organic farm in California’s Sonoma Wine Country — and constantly striving to make their manufacturing practices as eco-friendly as possible. To that end, 40% of Juice Beauty products are housed in sustainable glass bottles and tubes, while others are packaged in recycled plastic bottles or sustainable bioresin tubes, and all product boxes are made with 100% FSC paper. And it doesn’t stop there! Juice Beauty’s farmhouse, organic farm, and corporate headquarters are all solar-powered. The brand, then, has set the standard when it comes to eco values and sustainable practices.

If you’re looking to dial up skin’s radiance for spring, you can look to the new Juice Beauty Prebiotix Freshly Squeezed Glow 20% Vitamin C Serum ($65 at JuiceBeauty.com). The antioxidant-rich serum features a 20% concentration of vitamin C to brighten the complexion, correct hyperpigmentation, even skin tone, and protect skin from oxidative damage. The formula also contains prebiotics, plant fibers that help to feed healthy bacteria, thereby promoting a balanced skin microbiome. Other key ingredients include: hyaluronic acid, which hydrates the complexion and, in turn, gives it a plumper look; ferulic acid, an antioxidant that works in tandem with vitamin C to help boost collagen production and defend skin from free radicals; and aloe leaf juice to soothe skin and improve its natural moisture content.

Another great product to help you achieve dewy, luminous skin is the Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Vinifera Replenishing Oil ($72 at JuiceBeauty.com). This lightweight, fast-absorbing facial oil can be applied to clean skin or mixed with your favorite moisturizer. The multi-tasking oil hydrates, smooths, softens, and brightens the skin, plus it helps to create a smooth  canvas for makeup application. The formula contains ingredients like: organic sunflower seed oil and organic jojoba oil to moisturize and soften skin; a lipid complex derived from macadamia, jojoba and olive squalene to  boost and balance skin’s lipid profile, resulting in an improved appearance of the skin’s surface; jojoba esters to smooth and prime skin for makeup application; and  combination of fruit stem cells, vitamin C, and resveratrol-rich grape seed oil (from Vinifera grapes sustainably grown on Juice Beauty’s farm) that work to minimize aging signs and stimulate collagen  production.

PHYSICIANS FORMULA BUTTER EARTH DAY COLLECTION

You may be familiar with Physicians Formula’s skin-loving makeup, which allows you to add some color to your complexion and accentuate your features while also hydrating and softening your skin with nutrient-rich botanicals and minerals.Well, in honor of Earth Month, Physicians Formula unveiled its limited edition Butter Earth Day Collection. Every purchase from the collection supports EarthDay.org’s The Canopy Project, which is dedicated to planting trees across the globe. Through its reforestation efforts, The Canopy Project helps to combat climate change, providing vital habitats for species, protecting and restoring biodiversity to different areas, and helping local communities. In addition to supporting The Canopy Project, the new Butter Earth Day products feature a more eco-friendly design, with recyclable components and reduced packaging.

The collection is comprised of two special-edition versions of the best-selling Murumuru Butter Bronzer (available in 3 shades) and the Murumuru Butter Blush (available in 2 shades). The products are housed in adorable palettes that feature illustrations of lush greenery and a smiling Earth peeking up from the rounded bottom of each case.

Infused with Physicians Formula’s special blend of murumuru, cupuaçu, and tucumu butters, the Murumuru Butter Bronzer features an ultra-luxurious feel so that it feels like it glides and then melts onto skin. The formula incorporates ultra-refined pearl and soft-focus pigments that give the skin a sultry bronze finish that’s sophisticated, multi-dimensional and believable. Plus, the nutrients in the formula help to seal in moisture, providing both immediate and lasting hydration. It’s available in Light Bronzer, Bronzer, and Deep Bronzer.

Similarly, the Murumuru Butter Blush nourishes and softens skin while giving cheeks a just-pinched rosiness and a tropical glow. The blush has a creamy yet soft texture that combines the best aspects of a powder and a cream blush for a superior application. It’s available in two shades: Rosy and Saucy Mauve.

Each product is $13.49 exclusively at Walgreens.

LOVE BEAUTY AND PLANET HYDRATING DREAM WATERS COLLECTION

Not only are the harsh chemicals in traditional haircare products often harmful to your scalp and strands, but they can also wreak havoc on the environment. After all, when you rinse off your shampoo and conditioner, those circumspect chemicals go right down the drain and into bodies of water, where they can harm aquatic life and any wildlife that drink out of these sources. That’s why forward-thinking, sustainability-minded, clean beauty brands like Love Beauty and Planet are changing the way we care for our strands, creating gentle and effective products that are also kind to the planet. In fact, Love Beauty and Planet’s new Hydrating Dream Waters collection is comprised of shampoos and conditioners featuring formulas that are at least 93% naturally derived and 100% biodegradable so that they have a minimal impact on waterways and aquatic systems.

The collection is comprised of  water-to-foam micellar shampoos that gently wash away scalp build-up and impurities, as well as moisturizing water cream conditioners.There are three shampoo and conditioner duos designed for different hair types —from straight to curly to wavy —each one features a unique skincare-inspired ingredient like vitamin B3, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid. The three duos are: Melon Water & Hyaluronic Serum, designed to help deliver volume and vitality to straight strands;  Rose Water & Vitamin B3, designed to preserve wavy hair’s elasticity and protect against frizz; and Camellia Tea Water & Vitamin E, designed to protect curly hair against breakage and give spirals greater definition and bounce.

All the products are vegan and cruelty-free, plus they contain no phthalates, sulfates, parabens, silicones or dyes, and they’re packaged in 100% recycled bottles. Moreover, the Hydrating Dream Waters collection offsets 100% of its carbon footprint  (from sourcing, producing, and shipping product to stores) through the purchase of carbon credits that support planet-loving projects responsible for planting and maintaining trees.

Each shampoo and each conditioner is $6.99 at Target and Target.com

DYPER SUSTAINABLE DIAPERS AND REDYPER PROGRAM

Any discussion of the plastic pollution criss tends to revolve around plastic straws, shopping bags, and water bottles, but there’s another type of product that’s playing a significant role in this environmental problem: traditional diapers. More than 30,000 pounds of dirty diapers enter landfills every year, where they can sit for up to 500 years. Scary figures, right?

Luckily, there’s a better choice for families and the planet: DYPER’s high-performing, plastic-neutral, sustainable diapers, which are over 50% plant-based and use four times less plastic than typical diapers. The ultra-soft but durable diapers are made with viscose fibers from responsibly sourced bamboo — and, unlike most diapers, they’re free of chlorine, latex, alcohol, lotions, TBT and phthalates. They’re also unprinted and unscented.

Not only are the diapers themselves a more eco-friendly alternative, but they can be responsibly composted through the company’s REDYPER service. Subscribers can drop off bags of used diapers at local drop-off bins or they can mail them away through a convenient service that provides them with specialized boxes, compostable waste bags, and detailed instructions. They can also schedule recurrent pick-ups, so that their soiled diapers and wipes can be picked up right from their door on the date of their choice — no trip to the post office necessary.  Thanks to its REDYPER program, DYPER has industrially composted 10.5 million pounds of dirty diapers into nutrient-rich topsoil used for large-scale landscaping projects, roadside plantations, and more.

You can find DYPER products ranging from sustainable diapers to briefs, baby wipes and diaper creams at Whole Foods Market.  Visit DYPER.com for more info!