Hello fellow Hive minimalists!🤩 I'm so happy this community has begun!💞 So I chose question number three behind door number three as this question resonates in my heart and soul.
This voyage down minimalistic lane started little by little in my adopted country of France. Inspired by the movement of Slow Cosmétique started by Julien Kaibeck, a Belgian aromapath disgusted with greenwashing and bad and potentially dangerous cosmetic ingredients (greenwashing is where companies make you believe that there are tons of natural ingredients in a product when they're at the end of the INCI or International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients). This is the list of ingredients listed on each cosmetic product. In his second book Slow Cosmétique le Guide Visuel (Slow Cosmetics a Visual Guide), he states that the first five ingredients make up 70% of the formula, so the end of the list should normally be preservatives...not the so-called natural ingredients😅 Julien is a wonderful guy that I had the pleasure of meeting during one of the forums they had in Marseille France summer of 2018.
What does this have to do with minimalism you might ask? Absolutely everything🙏
It goes into DIY cosmetics, artisanal, locally, and ecologically made cosmetics. It teaches us that we don't need tons of products and can use things we find in our own kitchen for hair conditioners, dry shampoos as well as using these simple ingredients as well for healing (disclamer: I am not a doctor and am not giving medical advice and any health problem you should consult your Doctor, Naturopath, Osteopath, or Chiropracter). But knowing that if you get a superficial cut after disinfecting you can dip your cut finger into organic or locally made honey then bandage and two days later the cut is healed, well that same honey you can use in your food or drinks as well as a hair conditioner...and that is being minimalistic, smart, and healthy to boot!😍
Here are the books I have full of guidance and recipes that I bought in France👏
The first one really teaches you the principals of slow cosmetics, how to read an INCI, which oils are good for which skin type. And yes I did say oils😲 Creams are full of water componants and don't penetrate into the superficial skin barriers or the epiderm as well as oils. Most of the hydration must come from the inside so water, teas, etc that you drink. Then you nourish with oils or an oleogel (mixture of organic cold pressed oils and aloe vera gel plus flower waters).
The second book called Better with Flower Waters by Magali Louis takes us through every different flower waters and their uses whether it be theraputic (taken internally or diffused) or cosmetic.
The third by Julien is Better with Essential Oils and same as the other book it takes you through their theraputic as well as cosmetic uses. You must understand that in France, the French have been healing themselves naturally for 6000 years and have only been using allopathic medications for the last 50 years or so. Many like to use both and will start naturally then add allopathic when in need. An aromapath while he doesn't have the right to give medical advice, he can write a book about it🤫🤭🤭
The last book is my favorite In Good Health Naturally by Julien Kaibeck😍😍😍
It is my health and cosmetic Bible😇 Everything about the uses of sodium bicarbonate, apple cider vinaigre, clays, cold pressed oils, flower waters, which ingredients are dirivatives of petrolchemicals, endocrinian disrupters, possiple cancer influencers, what you can do with yoghurt, how to shop for the best quality, cosmetic problems from A to Z with tons of simple DIY recipes! I tell you, I love this book!!💖
As you can tell, I'm pretty passionate about this movement and would love for it to go worldwide🙏
Now for my collection of solid shampoos, balm and solid deos, solid and powder toothpastes, oils, flower waters, essential oils, my own hand made foot and hand balm, my eco reusable baggies that are always in my purse along with reusable shopping bags, reusable cotton puffs for taking off make up, washing faces, and simple day and night routines.
My whole collection
First my reusable baggies for fruits, veggies, nuts, dried fruit, and other weighed items like pasta, cereals, rice, chick peas, lentils, cookies, chocolates etc😋😋
Next my washable reusable cottons with their own wash baggy
Now my oils and essential oils as well as mixtures for various purposes such as stress relief, hand sanitizers, as well as my own hand made foot and hand balm💖
My solid shampoos and conditioners
My different fluoride free toothpastes
My deodorants from solids to balms
Another minimalistic deo from the Netherlands and a hand sanitizer I made myself!
My leftover soap bits and pieces that can be reheated and reformed into a bar of soap!👏👏
Some Arnica oil for bruises, calophyl oil for good circulation, and silk proteins for my hair
Of course, shea butter which works wonders for your skin, wrinkles, cellulite, hair, lips🤩
And my favorite aloe vera gel that I use on my face and hair (this one's not drinkable)😉
And now to question number three, what does minimalism mean to me and what made me decide to apply it to my life?
Minimalism, without going into the extreme, is everything to me! It's ecological, economical, makes you appreciate simple great quality products, makes you realize just how brainwashed we've become by the cosmetic industry. I've also been following the tiny house and alternative movement and I see how much happier people are when they downsize. They learn to appreciate their families and have less cleaning so more time spent in nature with their loved ones💟 But what made me start down this path was the same reason I started eating organic and/or locally. I started hearing about my family and friends dropping like flies at early ages in the U.S.😳 And I started gaining too much weight and was so tired. In France most people live to be 85 to 95 years old, not 49 to 60! How could anyone think that that is normal?😕 This made me rethink my way of life, and little by little starting with food, I changed. And I just downsized to a quarter of my stuff when I left France for Mexico, and I feel great about it!😎
I'd like to link a few of my favorite French sites in case anyone is interested. I get no commission whatsoever but am passionate about this and would love to start this movement in Mexico. Slow Cosmétique is also an association that congratulates local artisans with their label after carefully scrutinizing their ingredients and ethics. Anyone can order the books on their site, but you must be able to read French lol😅
https://www.slow-cosmetique.org/
https://www.slow-cosmetique.com/
https://bioflore.be/fr/
https://www.onatera.com/
I would also like to thank @hive-194848 for this awesome contest!🤗
And lastly, I would like to invite @cahlen and @edprivat to come, check out, and possibly participate in this minimalistic contest💞
All pics taken by myself with my Huawei Nova phone and my banner made with Canva and my banner made with Canva