My wellness/beauty cabinet is brimming with goodness. This is neither a candid confession nor egoist admission. It’s more of an ethical dilemma, that any woman or man can grapple with at some point in their lives.
When I say “goodness” I am not alluding to the latest hair gadget that promises to tame unruly hair despite all weather climates (don’t you wish!). I’m referring to the type of goodness that exists in natural, sustainable wellness/beauty products. The intentional purchases that we make on a regular (even daily) basis, for the purposes of self-care, that communicate, if not only to ourselves, but the world at large, that they carry with them a positive social impact that we were able to contribute to. You could say it is a somewhat fair exchange.
A fair exchange in conscious consumer terms may constitute quality goods that carry enough transparency on their supplier chain ethics and the environmental preserving measures/outcomes. Labelling alone can be representative of a minimalistic outlook and thus, can be incredibly alluring to those of us just starting out on the minimalist journey.
Sometimes, just recognizing a fair exchange when we see it, can be enough of a reason to want to buy ‘all the goodness’ so that we can sleep well at night with a clear conscience and create decent karma for ourselves in the process.
But how far is too far? Have we gotten so caught up in the “Buy this! Save the rainforest!” mentality that we have lost sight of our positive intentions for living a more simplistic lifestyle? There is no judgement in this, simply a gentle observation that perhaps we can indeed have too much of a good thing.
If this is sounding familiar to you, then in terms of self-reflection, be realistic about your original intentions for a life of minimalism. Ask yourself, “Have my intentions shifted? And, if so, how?”
But before you go ahead and decide to curate your wellness/beauty cabinet, I invite you to explore these grass root questions to try and find your ‘bliss point’ in minimalist self-care:
- How often are you using the products in your current possession?
- Was there anything bought purely because of the social impact marketing influence? If so, what other ways can you reach out to the social causes that matter most to you?
- Have you explored any cost-effective ways to promote the causes you are passionate about that have a double whammy impact? For example, raising environmental awareness can be done through creating e-petitions and thus, saving paper.
- Is there potential to easily and cost-effectively make your own products?
Don’t be afraid to take a complete inventory of your cabinet, and subsequently, your purse strings. Until we explore the things we have hidden, we can’t bring them to the surface for awareness and understanding. This can go far beyond our quest for outer beauty.
Perhaps this is also a deeper metaphor for life in general.