Tips to make your beauty routine more green and clean

3. DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO AVOID The whole wellness, health beauty concept is appealing on its own, and that may be enough incentive for you to switch. For others it's the purity factor

— the option to delete certain potentially harmful ingredients from their everyday routine, just as they do with food. There are no big conclusive studies or regulations (and let's be

honest, there are millions of nongreen beauty products that are terrific!), but there's enough scientific data and news out there driving the clean and green beauty category. It comes

down to choice. Decide what, if any, your personal deal breakers are, and make sure they aren't on the list of ingredients when you shop. You don't need a degree in chemistry: Just

know the most commonly avoided ingredients are parabens (preservatives), sulfates (moisture strippers) and phthalates (emulsifiers), synthetic dyes and fragrance, silicones, chemical

sunscreens (like oxybenzone), and aluminum salts in deodorant. (Left to right) Aveeno Positively Mineral Sensitive Skin Sunscreen SPF 50; Dove 0% Aluminum Cucumber & Green Tea Deodorant

Stick; Herbal Essences Bio:Renew Honey & Vitamin B Sulfate-Free Moisture Shampoo; Garnier SkinActive Soothing Milk Face Wash with Rose Water; Garnier SkinActive Soothing 3-in-1 Face

Moisturizer with Rose Water Aveeno; Dove; Herbal Essences; Garnier (2) 4. SWAP OUT EVERYDAY BASICS Tossing all your beauty products in a clean sweep isn't necessary or realistic, and it

can get expensive. Keep it simple. A morning/evening moisturizer, face cleanser, sunscreen, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner is what you're after as a regimen, but try skin or hair

and then add more. Stick to affordable brands you're familiar with and that are easily available (so you can buy again if the tryout works). Team up products like cleanser and

moisturizer, shampoo and conditioner to minimize, easily spot and control any product reactions. Jamie Grill/Getty Images 5. WATCH FOR ALLERGIC REACTIONS Here's the bad news: Just

because a skin cream, soap or lipstick is natural doesn't mean it's allergy-free. Poison ivy is organic and natural — and look what that does! Essential oils can be a problem for

some — indeed, yummy-smelling neroli, rose, lavender or jasmine can cause rashes, redness and itchy skin — even if you have never had an issue before. Fragrances are common irritants, so

fragrance-free green products are always going to be your best bet for sensitive skin. Patch test any new clean beauty product with a dab on the inside of your forearm twice a day daily for

a week before really using it. You just might end up better off with a mix of natural and regular products in your regimen. Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer (top left); e.l.f.

Cosmetics Holy Hydration! Face Cream (bottom left); 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream (center); Ole Henriksen C-Rush Brightening Double Crème (top right); Moon Juice Cosmic Cream

Collagen Protecting Moisturizer (bottom right) Drunk Elephant; e.l.f. Cosmetics‎; 100% PURE; Ole Henriksen; Moon Juice 6. SEARCH FOR SUPERPOWER INGREDIENTS We've grown accustomed to

specific problem-solving ingredients like our favorite wrinkle-plumping, freshness-restoring hyaluronic acid, brightening vitamin C and glycolic acid, collagen-boosting peptides and

de-puffing caffeine. Well, there is no reason to give them up. Just look for vegan, organic or natural products that include them (and exclude the potential nasty stuff). You'll still

get the same freshening results, just minus the parabens, sulfates and phthalates — and in some cases without fragrance and other ingredients that are suspected of toxicity. (Left to right)

KVD Vegan Beauty Studded Kiss Crème Lipstick; lilah b. Lovingly Lip Tinted Lip Oil; 100% Pure Cocoa Butter Semi-Matte Lipstick; BITE Beauty Power Move Creamy Matte Lip Crayon KVD Vegan

Beauty; lilah b.; 100% Pure; BITE Beauty 7. TRY NATURAL MAKEUP If you're into gluten-free organic foods and green juice, the jump to cosmetics might make sense. Again, know that clean

makeup formulas don't necessarily mean they are any safer or better for you, and that many are actually a mix of natural and synthetic ingredients. Those who are worried about ingesting

lipstick can try vegan brands like 100% Pure, KVD Vegan Beauty, lilah b. or Bite Beauty for the same intense pigments, color payoff and creamy texture of regular lipstick. Although some

products can help you avoid using controversial ingredients, the big draw here is the ethically sourced, cruelty-free labels. And yes, you might pay a bit more than your usual drugstore

makeup, but the same goes for organic veggies, right? Sometimes it's just worth it.