Sometimes it seems difficult to go the organic and natural route with your beauty and cosmetics products. They are seemingly not as readily available as more common brands and are more expensive. When you run out of shampoo or conditioner, facial soap or moisturizer, many people run out to the drug or discount store to grab a “toxic” replacement. Until recently, many stores were not carrying natural brands at all. You were pretty much stuck with the chemical, commercial lines. A great option to this is purchasing your beauty products online. I am always aware of which products I am running low on and I make sure I order it in advance. Some of my favorite online retailers of organic and natural cosmetics and personal care products are Pure Complexions, Aubrey Organics, and Lucky Vitamin (great prices!)

But what if you forgot to check that you were almost out of soap and now you’re stuck? It doesn’t mean you have to go grunge! More and more discount stores are carrying organic and natural brands and that’s great news for us greenies! I was recently shopping at one of my favorite stores, Target, and was so pleased to see the natural selection of beauty and personal care products they are starting to carry and at pretty good prices.

Need soap? Target sells a line of bar soaps called Shea Moisture, consisting of 100% natural ingredients and no chemicals. It’s available in these varieties:  African Black Soap, Lemograss Tea Tree, and Raw Shea Butter. Check out my pic…I took it right in Target so you could actually see the offerings! The prices are pretty good too, as you can see in the picture.

Shea Moisture natural soaps at Target.

Shea Moisture also makes body lotions and hair products, but I did not have a chance to investigate these. I did read a few of the reviews of the hair products online, and many people love them, so I may just be checking them out very soon!

Another superb soap alternative is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, which Target now also carries. I have been using this soap for years now and my skin has never looked better. It is based on castile soap and coconut oil, so it leaves your skin incredibly soft and cleansed and doesn’t dry your skin out like other soaps do. I love the natural scents and my current fave is  almond. It also comes in peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, and unscented baby mild. I have heard that people even use this to wash their clothes and other things in their home! It is very gentle, mild liquid soap with pure ingredients.

Target has been carrying Burt’s Bees products for a while now. Burt’s Bees provides a great alternative to the toxic beauty products on the other aisles. I have used their body powder, body lotion, face wash, lip balm, lip glosses, and shampoo/conditioners and have always liked the results. Anyway, in a pinch, Burt’s Bees is a good choice. Last time during my Target trip, they had Burt’s Bees lip glosses on clearance! I got this lovely fruity pink color for a little over $3! I love deals! Burt’s Bees also makes other cosmetics, a babies line and products for men. Keep an eye on Target’s clearance section for even better sales.

A note of caution, however…be careful when shopping for organic personal care products when you’re in a discount store. Many brands claim to be organic, yet contain harmful chemicals and preservatives which have no business in a product labeled as “organic” or “natural.” Just because it has the word “organic” or “natural” on the label doesn’t mean it’s good. Always read the ingredients and if you see something questionable, either write it down or just put it down. You can always look the ingredient up on the Skin Deep site, which is a great tool for ingredient research. You can see all of the risks associated with the ingredient and see the ingredients safety score.

So next time you’re in Target or any other discount store, take a “nature walk” through the aisles to see if you can spot any natural and organic cosmetics and personal care products. You might just be pleasantly surprised by what you find…and by the great prices too!

*** I’d like to say thanks to Dr. Renee Lea-Currie for the inspiration for the blog post. Check out her great tips on how to go organic and still save green at her blog, The Take Back Tour.

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!