Keep beating the “beauty products can only replace the confidence that beauty standards steal” drum. You’ve also said that the industry will create an issue and then sell you something to “fix” it.
I appreciate the grace you give to those of us realizing we’ve been lied to and slowly working our way out.
I find angry reactions to your work So Fascinating. It's such a projection of guilt and shame and ego, which is why you're so astute to connect beauty standards to whiteness the way you do. That kind of "protection/attack/why are you being mean to me" reeks of white fragility. It's not like you're coming into anyone's house and throwing out their bathroom products! Really interesting overlap and there's a lot of psychological meat there. Thanks for a great read! Gonna go read the ingredients in my moisturizer next :]
The more of your stuff I read, the more it really resonates with me that fully divesting is simply the best option. The idea of checking every product I buy for a long list of petrochemicals, potentially not finding any "clean" products, searching online for "clean" products, wondering if the shipment would cancel out the positive effect... I think quitting the whole skin care thing altogether will frankly be easier! It is incredible, though, the loops people (including myself) will go to to continue performing beauty regimens that don't even actually help. It's that ingrained!
I'd be interested to hear you discuss unnecessary "beauty" being disguised as necessary hygiene in more detail. It makes me think of how female body hair is sometimes seen as unhygienic, or how in psych evaluations, women who don't have done-up hair and a made-up face are considered to not be taking care of themselves (in a personal hygiene sense).
I have a request! Because I just took your petrochemical list into my bathroom and that got me thinking about haircare. Can you talk about, or can you find someone to interview to talk about, haircare and petrochemicals? I try not to use more products on my hair than I do on my face, but THE FRIZZ must be tamed. And even the natural products I've bought have sneaky petrochemicals in them WTH?
Hi! Veteran hairstylist/ingredient nerd/educator here. Like with skin care, much of what we have come to think we really need is mostly fixing an issue caused by the product before it. My main advice (especially if you have curls and have internalized the idea that your hair is too frizzy) is to wash your hair less and stop using silicones (which are not petrochemicals, but are often paired with them in products), which create a barrier and build up on the hair, locking out water (true moisture) and causing dryness and more frizz. Notice a theme here? It's all a vicious cycle designed to sell you more products, and "natural" brands typically don't do any better. Try using a natural bristle brush (before bed or before showering if you're looking to preserve curl definition) to work your natural oils down your hair shaft (it also feels so nice on your scalp and is a really nice non-consumerist bedtime ritual--one well-made, wooden-handled brush will last you a lifetime if you keep it clean and take care of it). Also, I don't know you or your hair or your relationship to it, so you should do whatever makes you feel best about it, but it's worth considering that what many people think of as frizz helps create volume, negative space, and accentuates the shape of a haircut, while perfectly smooth hair is often flat and boring. I am always trying to help people to embrace their frizz, because it's never as "bad" as so many people are convinced it is. Just some food for thought.
OMG, I 100 percent agree on the reframing of embracing the frizz. I Brazilian Keratin treatmented my hair for years (yeah, the kind where people's noses were bleeding UGH those mid-2010s) because I needed the frizz to BE GONE and basically would put toxic chemicals on my hair for hours to do so. This year I finally went to a stylist and said, let's go with what my hair naturally wants to do, instead of fighting it - and turns out, it worked! I now no longer see my hair as frizzy, but as part of what my hair wants to do and the cut is designed to capitalize on that texture, rather than fight it. I'm so glad I found JD when I did. I'm 45 and still learning and disentangling so much. Wishing you the best however you get there :)
Thank you, Cathleen! This is all really great advice. I honestly stopped washing my hair years ago. I only use shampoo once every month or two. I mostly just condition it once or twice a week. If a product contains silicones, will that be how they read in an ingredient list, or do they have other sneaky names?
I will think about the hair brush. I honestly haven't brushed my hair in forever other than finger combing, but before showering could work.
Dimethicone is the most common silicone you find in hair care. If you're using a conditioner with it regularly and not washing often, it could be exacerbating frizz or dryness. It builds up easily and requires a harsh cleanser to remove--so not only is is locking out moisture, but you have to really strip your hair and scalp to get rid of it. I like to look for water-based humectants like honey and aloe, and light plant oils in a conditioner. You could go down some real rabbit holes on ingredients, and a lot that get a green light from safety organizations could still have serious environmental impacts. Which is why the general advice that I (and Jessica, which is why I'm here :) ) tend to give is just to simplify routines and buy less crap as much as possible.
Glad to be of use. I love talking smack on hair care. :)
♥️♥️♥️ Brava! I switched to natural stuff years ago because the petrochemicals felt gross coming off my skin in hot yoga classes. thanks to your work I’m in a place now (feeling Informed as well as more self-confident) where I can buy and use even fewer products... I needed an article to convince my partner to switch to natural products too. This is it. x
Here I was patting myself on the back for showering with a hippie bar of soap with minimal packaging! Did not realize soap was bad/unnecessary 😳 What do you recommend instead? Is just water enough?? I worry about smelling bad, which is its own beauty/skincare issue (please cover scents!)
I definitely recommend reading the book "Beyond Soap" by Dr. Sandy Skotnicki and "Clean" by Dr. James Hamblin. Hand washing is important, water is usually enough for the rest of the body, but for "pits and bits" I like CRUDE's Soapless Body Cleanser. Liquid Castile soap is an affordable/accessible alternative too, no need to use it all over the body though.
Hey, don't worry, you're doing great. Water does just fine for most of the body, and most of us only need soap for pits and ass (and our hands, especially in a pandemic). I second the book Clean by Dr James Hamblin that Jessica mentions if you're interested in learning more!
Every time a celebrity comes out with some product launch, I always imagine a bunch of hyperactive male businessmen around her convincing her she needs to jump on this obnoxious bandwagon. These women are already wealthy, they don’t need the money, and they would probably rather spend more time with their kids! We are all on the same hamster wheel in a way, just on a different scale. stressing about making it, staying relevant, keeping and increasing our “likes” on social. It’s like Jessica said, the celebrities she met were not less insecure than us but significantly more insecure. Can just one stand up and start Jessica’s chant: Stop the celebrities! (Or was it The Celebrities Must Be Stopped?) I could imagine Jennifer Lawrence telling them all to knock it off. (I will die if she launches a beauty product brand. She doesn’t have a brand does she??) Stella McCartney. That news is...deflating 😞
Currently listening to the latest episode of the Vibe Check podcast and had to pause the episode so I could come here to vent because I am fuming! In the episode, they're discussing the crisis currently going on in Pakistan that was brought on by climate change (which, as we know, is exacerbated by overdevelopment and overconsumption in the West). My mouth was agape as I heard them describe how 1/3 of Pakistan is currently underwater, 80% of their livestock is dead, and most people are living in plastic tents on the streets with no access to food. We know that those who are responsible for the overdevelopment and overconsumption that has brought on climate change will never have to face the consequences, but rather, it will be those least responsible who will be the most impacted by the climate catastrophes that will inevitably continue to happen in our future. The hosts astutely pointed out how wealthy Americans will NEVER be displaced from their homes and will never become climate refugees. They specifically cited Kim Kardashian as an example and went on to describe how, in June, Kim used 232,000 MORE gallons than she is permitted to for her estate. 232,000!!! For her ESTATE!!! This immediately made me think of the beauty industry--not only how disgustingly wasteful it is--but how it is inextricably linked to girlboss culture + choice feminism and who ~gets~ to become rich and rise to positions of power at the expense of so many others, including people in the Global South. Let's not forget that celebrities and influencers are literally agents of the State!
All that to say that, Jessica, the work you're doing with The Unpublishable is SO important!! There is still so much more work to be done by all of us, but just know that I wouldn't be making these connections if it weren't for you. So, on the days when you feel helpless or like what you write doesn't matter, please remember that your work IS making an impact and IS changing lives! <3
This is a big one for me. I need lots of Vaseline-enriched moisturizer to treat my scar tissue and have not yet found an alternative that my skin will accept. I follow your reasoning entirely but don't know what an alternative could be, nor did the dermatologists and doctors I've asked about it. Please help...
Depends what you mean by “treat” your scar tissue. What is the Vaseline “treating” and what is the end goal? If it’s an aesthetic goal, I stay away from personally recommending anything because that’s a rabbit hole I don’t want to wander down lol. Aesthetic manipulation is not aligned with my mission! But if it’s a medical/health goal, I think your situation applies to two of my above points: Petrochemicals are sometimes useful in medical settings. And you may have a personal relationship with petrochemicals for a particular reason and that is your personal choice.
It's purely medical. The Vaseline-stuff smells like hospital, on top of everything else. As soon as I find an alternative that does the same protective job, I am outta there.
Keep beating the “beauty products can only replace the confidence that beauty standards steal” drum. You’ve also said that the industry will create an issue and then sell you something to “fix” it.
I appreciate the grace you give to those of us realizing we’ve been lied to and slowly working our way out.
Thank you so much!! That feedback really means a lot <3
I find angry reactions to your work So Fascinating. It's such a projection of guilt and shame and ego, which is why you're so astute to connect beauty standards to whiteness the way you do. That kind of "protection/attack/why are you being mean to me" reeks of white fragility. It's not like you're coming into anyone's house and throwing out their bathroom products! Really interesting overlap and there's a lot of psychological meat there. Thanks for a great read! Gonna go read the ingredients in my moisturizer next :]
That's such a great point!!
The more of your stuff I read, the more it really resonates with me that fully divesting is simply the best option. The idea of checking every product I buy for a long list of petrochemicals, potentially not finding any "clean" products, searching online for "clean" products, wondering if the shipment would cancel out the positive effect... I think quitting the whole skin care thing altogether will frankly be easier! It is incredible, though, the loops people (including myself) will go to to continue performing beauty regimens that don't even actually help. It's that ingrained!
I'd be interested to hear you discuss unnecessary "beauty" being disguised as necessary hygiene in more detail. It makes me think of how female body hair is sometimes seen as unhygienic, or how in psych evaluations, women who don't have done-up hair and a made-up face are considered to not be taking care of themselves (in a personal hygiene sense).
These are such great topic suggestions! This will be a huge focus of my book next year but I'll try to address in the newsletter soon too x
I have a request! Because I just took your petrochemical list into my bathroom and that got me thinking about haircare. Can you talk about, or can you find someone to interview to talk about, haircare and petrochemicals? I try not to use more products on my hair than I do on my face, but THE FRIZZ must be tamed. And even the natural products I've bought have sneaky petrochemicals in them WTH?
Hi! Veteran hairstylist/ingredient nerd/educator here. Like with skin care, much of what we have come to think we really need is mostly fixing an issue caused by the product before it. My main advice (especially if you have curls and have internalized the idea that your hair is too frizzy) is to wash your hair less and stop using silicones (which are not petrochemicals, but are often paired with them in products), which create a barrier and build up on the hair, locking out water (true moisture) and causing dryness and more frizz. Notice a theme here? It's all a vicious cycle designed to sell you more products, and "natural" brands typically don't do any better. Try using a natural bristle brush (before bed or before showering if you're looking to preserve curl definition) to work your natural oils down your hair shaft (it also feels so nice on your scalp and is a really nice non-consumerist bedtime ritual--one well-made, wooden-handled brush will last you a lifetime if you keep it clean and take care of it). Also, I don't know you or your hair or your relationship to it, so you should do whatever makes you feel best about it, but it's worth considering that what many people think of as frizz helps create volume, negative space, and accentuates the shape of a haircut, while perfectly smooth hair is often flat and boring. I am always trying to help people to embrace their frizz, because it's never as "bad" as so many people are convinced it is. Just some food for thought.
OMG, I 100 percent agree on the reframing of embracing the frizz. I Brazilian Keratin treatmented my hair for years (yeah, the kind where people's noses were bleeding UGH those mid-2010s) because I needed the frizz to BE GONE and basically would put toxic chemicals on my hair for hours to do so. This year I finally went to a stylist and said, let's go with what my hair naturally wants to do, instead of fighting it - and turns out, it worked! I now no longer see my hair as frizzy, but as part of what my hair wants to do and the cut is designed to capitalize on that texture, rather than fight it. I'm so glad I found JD when I did. I'm 45 and still learning and disentangling so much. Wishing you the best however you get there :)
Thank you, Cathleen! This is all really great advice. I honestly stopped washing my hair years ago. I only use shampoo once every month or two. I mostly just condition it once or twice a week. If a product contains silicones, will that be how they read in an ingredient list, or do they have other sneaky names?
I will think about the hair brush. I honestly haven't brushed my hair in forever other than finger combing, but before showering could work.
Dimethicone is the most common silicone you find in hair care. If you're using a conditioner with it regularly and not washing often, it could be exacerbating frizz or dryness. It builds up easily and requires a harsh cleanser to remove--so not only is is locking out moisture, but you have to really strip your hair and scalp to get rid of it. I like to look for water-based humectants like honey and aloe, and light plant oils in a conditioner. You could go down some real rabbit holes on ingredients, and a lot that get a green light from safety organizations could still have serious environmental impacts. Which is why the general advice that I (and Jessica, which is why I'm here :) ) tend to give is just to simplify routines and buy less crap as much as possible.
Glad to be of use. I love talking smack on hair care. :)
THANK YOU!!
All of the ingredients listed apply to haircare as well!
My favourite subject line ever written.
Lol thank you!!
🔥🔥🔥 as always.
Thank you!!
♥️♥️♥️ Brava! I switched to natural stuff years ago because the petrochemicals felt gross coming off my skin in hot yoga classes. thanks to your work I’m in a place now (feeling Informed as well as more self-confident) where I can buy and use even fewer products... I needed an article to convince my partner to switch to natural products too. This is it. x
Also: It's not necessarily about switching to 100% natural products, but reducing products overall. This article may help with that :) https://slate.com/technology/2022/01/skincare-science-cleansing-dermatology-truth.html
Ooh, this is great! I took your jojoba oil advice a while back and it’s great! Haven’t tried the Manuka honey yet :)
Definitely going to forward it to my 14 yr old stepkid re skincare, who is very into beauty as confidence & self care. Breaks my heart.
Here I was patting myself on the back for showering with a hippie bar of soap with minimal packaging! Did not realize soap was bad/unnecessary 😳 What do you recommend instead? Is just water enough?? I worry about smelling bad, which is its own beauty/skincare issue (please cover scents!)
I definitely recommend reading the book "Beyond Soap" by Dr. Sandy Skotnicki and "Clean" by Dr. James Hamblin. Hand washing is important, water is usually enough for the rest of the body, but for "pits and bits" I like CRUDE's Soapless Body Cleanser. Liquid Castile soap is an affordable/accessible alternative too, no need to use it all over the body though.
Thank you so much!!!
Hey, don't worry, you're doing great. Water does just fine for most of the body, and most of us only need soap for pits and ass (and our hands, especially in a pandemic). I second the book Clean by Dr James Hamblin that Jessica mentions if you're interested in learning more!
Every time a celebrity comes out with some product launch, I always imagine a bunch of hyperactive male businessmen around her convincing her she needs to jump on this obnoxious bandwagon. These women are already wealthy, they don’t need the money, and they would probably rather spend more time with their kids! We are all on the same hamster wheel in a way, just on a different scale. stressing about making it, staying relevant, keeping and increasing our “likes” on social. It’s like Jessica said, the celebrities she met were not less insecure than us but significantly more insecure. Can just one stand up and start Jessica’s chant: Stop the celebrities! (Or was it The Celebrities Must Be Stopped?) I could imagine Jennifer Lawrence telling them all to knock it off. (I will die if she launches a beauty product brand. She doesn’t have a brand does she??) Stella McCartney. That news is...deflating 😞
Currently listening to the latest episode of the Vibe Check podcast and had to pause the episode so I could come here to vent because I am fuming! In the episode, they're discussing the crisis currently going on in Pakistan that was brought on by climate change (which, as we know, is exacerbated by overdevelopment and overconsumption in the West). My mouth was agape as I heard them describe how 1/3 of Pakistan is currently underwater, 80% of their livestock is dead, and most people are living in plastic tents on the streets with no access to food. We know that those who are responsible for the overdevelopment and overconsumption that has brought on climate change will never have to face the consequences, but rather, it will be those least responsible who will be the most impacted by the climate catastrophes that will inevitably continue to happen in our future. The hosts astutely pointed out how wealthy Americans will NEVER be displaced from their homes and will never become climate refugees. They specifically cited Kim Kardashian as an example and went on to describe how, in June, Kim used 232,000 MORE gallons than she is permitted to for her estate. 232,000!!! For her ESTATE!!! This immediately made me think of the beauty industry--not only how disgustingly wasteful it is--but how it is inextricably linked to girlboss culture + choice feminism and who ~gets~ to become rich and rise to positions of power at the expense of so many others, including people in the Global South. Let's not forget that celebrities and influencers are literally agents of the State!
All that to say that, Jessica, the work you're doing with The Unpublishable is SO important!! There is still so much more work to be done by all of us, but just know that I wouldn't be making these connections if it weren't for you. So, on the days when you feel helpless or like what you write doesn't matter, please remember that your work IS making an impact and IS changing lives! <3
This is a big one for me. I need lots of Vaseline-enriched moisturizer to treat my scar tissue and have not yet found an alternative that my skin will accept. I follow your reasoning entirely but don't know what an alternative could be, nor did the dermatologists and doctors I've asked about it. Please help...
Depends what you mean by “treat” your scar tissue. What is the Vaseline “treating” and what is the end goal? If it’s an aesthetic goal, I stay away from personally recommending anything because that’s a rabbit hole I don’t want to wander down lol. Aesthetic manipulation is not aligned with my mission! But if it’s a medical/health goal, I think your situation applies to two of my above points: Petrochemicals are sometimes useful in medical settings. And you may have a personal relationship with petrochemicals for a particular reason and that is your personal choice.
It's purely medical. The Vaseline-stuff smells like hospital, on top of everything else. As soon as I find an alternative that does the same protective job, I am outta there.