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B
Y NOW
, I bet you’re ready to start swapping out at least a few items in your bathroom cabinet. But maybe you’re super sensitive, like me, and worried that testing a bunch of new products will mean freaking your skin out for weeks while it adjusts to a new routine. Or maybe you used to break out all the time and your skin is finally behaving itself (this is one of my favorite things about being over 30), so you’re hyperventilating at the thought of parting with your current skin care regimen. Or it just seems wasteful to ditch everything and buy a bunch of new stuff just because it might be better for your health.

But listen, nobody is suggesting that you should grab a garbage bag and throw out everything in your bathroom cabinets at once. If you’re going to adopt that mentality, you might as well also start unplugging from the grid and inflating your new bubble home, because the sad truth is we’re exposed to most of these chemicals every day in all kinds of ways—the problems with our chemical industry run way deeper than toxic soap. But unlike, say, air pollution, which you can’t avoid because you pretty much have to breathe, polluted personal care products are an exposure source that we
can
control, since we’re the ones slathering up our faces and bodies every day.

To be clear: This doesn’t mean you
must
control every last possible source of exposure. Because—I promised—no lectures! Also, I can’t always do this completely myself—and I’ll be letting you know it anytime you see one of those “Keeping It Real” boxes. Whether or not your shampoo contains a potential carcinogen is not going to be the sole deciding factor in whether you (or your kids) get cancer someday. It just doesn’t work that way—and even if it did, it’s not practical or reasonable to make the absolute safest and healthiest choice every single time. Sometimes, you just need the shampoo that makes your hair shiny. Or the wrinkle cream that ensures you still get carded every time you order a cocktail. Or whatever.

But when there’s a safer option that also works and costs about the same? Well, why wouldn’t you use that? No good reason. I’m not just obsessed with avoiding allergic reactions and toxic chemicals—I’m also a beauty product junkie. So I’ve road-tested hundreds of products on my friends, my husband, my kids, and myself in order to find the very best. There are certain things I cannot resist splurging on (like eye cream and tinted moisturizer) and others where I go pretty basic (anything bubbly—cleanser, body wash, bubble bath—because I know I can doctor it up with my own blend of essential oils). But regardless of the price point, I need them to work
and
be clean and healthy.

What follows are a few pointers and product suggestions for taking the very best care of your skin.

Don’t fall for all of those “tear-free” baby products. They contain a special mix of toxic chemicals that work by numbing your baby’s eyes so she can’t feel all the other harsh chemicals stinging!

I
’M
very
PICKY
about what goes on my face. After all, there’s so much pressure in our society today to look as young as possible, and it can mess with your head. Plus, like any working mom, I’m never getting enough sleep, and nothing shows up on your skin faster than exhaustion. To deal, I get facials monthly (or whenever I can) with my amazing aesthetician, Shani Darden (
shanidarden.com
). The rest of the time, I focus on drinking plenty of water and taking excellent care of my skin. It’s working!

Here’s my cardinal rule of skin care: Always, always wash your face before bed—you have to remove the grime of the day, and I’m not just talking dirt. Your skin absorbs a ton of pollutants, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can damage the skin’s epidermis layer and exacerbate eczema. A good cleanser won’t wash away every trace of toxin, but it’s your first line of defense. I also wash my face when I wake up, but if your skin is very dry, you might want to skip this—it’s not like it gets crazy dirty while you’re sleeping!

In terms of what type of cleanser to use, I look for hydrating formulas designed for dry skin—Suki Moisture Rich Cleansing Lotion is the bomb. But I do notice that I break out a lot more whenever I’m working on a movie. We’re logging incredibly long hours, wearing tons of makeup, short-changing on sleep . . .  all of these things can really take their toll. When that happens, I’ll step up from my usual gentle cleanser to the Burt’s Bees Natural Acne Solutions line—it’s intense, but it works! Sometimes I also like to use a cleansing brush (100% Pure makes a nice one), which cleanses and exfoliates in one go.

Shani Darden suggests using masks at home weekly or biweekly. If you’re prone to dryness, a mask can help you hydrate; look for cream-based masks if you’re super dry or a gel-based product if you have combination skin. They can also do wonders for preventing and clearing up breakouts, so if you’re oily, get yourself a good clay mask (John Masters Organics and Dr. Hauschka make lovely ones). It will absorb all that excess oil and clear out your pores like nobody’s business. And they can help with anti-aging concerns. (Tata Harper’s Resurfacing Mask is really nice for that.)

I like to follow my cleanser with a toner, but they aren’t for everyone. Be careful of overstripping your skin if you’re oily, because too many astringent ingredients will make your skin produce even more oil in response. Hydrating mists are nice if you’re dry or need to reapply makeup during the day but don’t want to wash your whole face off. I find my skin can withstand the long days on film sets much better if I wash my face midway through the day and reapply my makeup—but sometimes it’s just too much work to take off everything. So I’ll leave my eyes done but take off my foundation, concealer, and such, then use a hydrating mist before I reapply.

One of the biggest skin care misconceptions is that you don’t need to moisturize if you have oily skin. False! Dermatologists say that your skin might actually be producing
too much
oil because you’re overdrying it with lots of harsh, astringent products in your quest to de-grime and shine. At the very least, moisturize with a light, water-based formula before bed. It will help bring things back into balance.

If your skin is dry like mine, you really can’t skimp on the moisturizer. Make sure you put it on in the morning (your makeup will adhere so much better—no flakiness!) and use a rich night cream before bed, too. I also like an eye cream to prevent those dark circles—no one needs to know how little sleep I got! And bedtime is usually the best time to layer on any serums you like. Don’t freak if they are über-pricey—a few drops of an antioxidant serum or eye serum will go a long way when added to your night cream.

I pretty much die if I don’t have a lip balm handy in my purse. But this is a tricky category because so many are made with petrochemicals, which will just dry out your lips even more in the long run (see
box, below
). My go-to these days is Honest Organic Lip Balm—or, if I’m really chapped, Honest Healing Balm—they’re petroleum free and so hydrating. (Yes, that’s the same stuff I use to diaper Haven—busy moms need products that multitask!) But I also like something tinted like Korres Lip Butters when I want a bit more color.

Last thing, before I start my makeup, I always put a thin layer of sunscreen all over my face and neck. Everyone hates wearing sunscreen—but these days, you just have to: It prevents skin cancer and it’s anti-aging. The key is to find one that actually feels good on your skin—and this is finally possible with new formulations. Shani suggests looking for an oil-free formula if your skin is oily or a hydrating moisturizing one if you have normal or dry skin (layer it on top of your regular moisturizer if you’re super dry). I love CellCeuticals PhotoDefense Anti-PhotoAging Daily Skin Protector because it doubles as my tinted moisturizer on super-sunny days. You also can’t go wrong with a dab of our basic Honest Sunscreen with a dime-size squirt of your foundation—it’s completely nongreasy and absorbs easily so you can wear it on your face without looking like a lifeguard.

The average personal care product contains around 126 ingredients. The government doesn’t require pre-market safety testing on any of them.

Most regular toothpastes are packed with—irony alert!—artificial sweeteners, plus preservatives, dyes and artificial flavors that you just don’t want in your mouth. And while we do need fluoride every day to help fight cavities, we don’t need a lot of it. There is also some concern about the long-term health effects of fluoride, so if you know your community fluoridates your drinking water (like ours does), you may want to choose a fluoride-free toothpaste—Honest now makes one—to avoid overload, which can lead to white spots on your teeth. Otherwise, fluoride toothpaste is a good bet because we all need some for cavity prevention