MICHELLE, 34, GA (USA)

Michelle is overwhelmed by the amount of chemicals ahe slathers herself with every day.Â

"Common sense would tell you that's not a great idea for long-term health," she says. " I'd like to be around a long time to enjoy my children and my children's children."

Dear Michelle,

Your beauty routine seems to be well-rounded and reasonably green. You managed to balance eco-consciousness with practicality without going overboard in either way. Here are the changes that may help you take even better care of your skin and hair.

FACE

Your skin seems to enjoy the healthy diet you are eating daily, and you only need a bit of extra pampering to make it really glow with health.

CLEANSING

Your skin can benefit from gentle double-cleansing routine: you can remove the makeup using plain grapeseed or olive oil and follow it up with an exfoliating yet mild cleanser such as Burt's Bees Orange Essence Facial Cleanser or Grandpa's Old Fashioned Oatmeal Soap. When on the run, you can simply cleanse your face with full-fat organic milk.

TONING

After an exercise, spray your face liberally with mineral water with high magnesium content such as Vichy or Volvic. Unfortunately this water is only sold in plastic bottles but you can reduce the environmental impact by decanting the water into spray bottles (ideally made of polypropylene #5 plastic) and recycling the original bottle.

To soothe your skin after a strenuous activity consider making your homemade toners with chamomile or rose flower distillates. They will also hydrate your skin and prepare it for moisturizing.

MOISTURISING (DAY)

Weleda Iris Night Cream may seem like a nighty-night for your skin but itâ??s so lightweight, you can use it as a day cream during the winter. If you need more sun protection, top it with a liquid foundation from Jane Iredale - I use it daily, and my skin really benefits from added antioxidants!

MOISTURISING (NIGHT)

If you feel you need a bit of extra moisture, why not feed your skin with biodynamic yet very affordable Weleda Skin Food? It always makes me glow in the morning, no matter how little sleep I had!

SPECIAL TREATMENTS

To maintain healthy sebum secretion in your skin you can benefit from evening primrose oil supplement. Flax seed oil added to your salad dressings will keep your skin supple and glowing. Once a week make an avocado mask to soothe and nourish your skin: simply mash half an avocado and apply it to your skin, including neck and eye area.

You need to increase the water intake DRAMATICALLY. You are drinking too little water to support the healthy metabolism. My advice is to buy a 1 liter glass bottle of Vichy, San Pellegrino or San Benedetto water, empty it on one day and then fill it daily with filtered water. It will only take three minutes and a few cents. You can also add Echinacea, vitamin C, or even multivitamins to the water, and you will always know how much you have to drink. Ideally, you need to finish this bottle by bedtime. 1 liter is reasonable. 1.5 liter is ideal but involves too much bathroom trips. If that doesnâ??t concern you, please go ahead and buy two 0.75 l bottles, keep one by your desk and one in the kitchen or wherever you spend most of your time. This works for me. I have several bottles planted around the house.

EYE TREATMENT

Vitamin E capsules applied around the eyes will nourish and revitalize the skin - great for us, owl people! Simply poke the hole in an vitamin E gel capsule and apply the contents anywhere you need extra moisture and lift. Jason Natural Cosmetics Pure Beauty Oil, 5,000 IU Vitamin E Oil is a convenient option. Weekly mask of raw potato puree are proven to lighten under-eye circles - again, vital for those who lack sleep.

HAIR

SHAMPOO

If you choose to change just one product in your current beauty routine, make it your shampoo. I don't want to sound too alarmist but Sunsilk shampoos contain some of the most obnoxious chemicals, including waterways-poisoning and skin-dehydrating sodium laureth sulfate, irritating ammonium chloride, phthalate-containing fragrance, petrochemicals dimethiconol and amodimethicone, formaldehyde-releasing DMDM Hydantoin, nitrosamine-releasing (carcinogenic) TEA dodecylbenzene sulfonate, carcinogenic PEG 45M, C11 15 Pareth 7, Laureth 9, Ethoxydiglycol, and potentially endocrine-disrupting iodine-containing methylchloroisothiazolinone.

Dr Bronner's soap can become an excellent shampoo, and they just have launched an amazing line of Fair Trade shampoos and conditioners - worth a try!

CONDITIONER

If you love Aubrey Organics, youâ??ll adore Aubrey Organics Honeysuckle Rose Moisturizing Conditioner. It is vitally important during wintertime! As a special treatment to maintain suppleness and bounciness, make a jojoba hot oil treatment at least once a week: super easy, just pour some jojoba oil on your hair, pop on a shower cap, ideally PVC-free, and leave it to penetrate for 5 minutes. Rinse off and enjoy a week of gorgeous, thick hair! To prevent hair loss, make an onion puree mask once a month.

MAKEUP

FOUNDATION

Of all hardwearing mineral foundations there are two brands that really deliver coverage: Jane Iredale and Nvey Eco. For Jane Iredale, try the liquid topped with pressed foundation. Either way, you are minimizing the inhalation of mineral nanoparticles.

CONCEALER

If you use a conventional concealer on top of an organic and mineral foundation, itâ??s absolutely fine, as long as you like the results. But make sure you address the underlying cause of your spots first!

MASCARA Aveda mascaras have much fewer toxic and plain irritating ingredients than most conventional brands. They do have parabens, but just one kind and itâ??s listed really low down the ingredients list, so I assume the damage is minimized. For special occasions when you'd rather have super-thick lashes than be green, I suggest MAC Mascara. At least MAC Cosmetics supports a good cause, AIDS charities worldwide, that is.

BLUSH

I am absolutely sure you will love Dr. Hauschka blush (Dr.Hauschka Skin Care Rouge Powder Blush Compact #03 Accento) - I know, itâ??s rather expensive but it will last you for about three years with normal use, and you can buy it for much less from eBay.

LIP PRODUCTS

Burt's Bees makes amazing lip tints that can actually plump up your lips thanks to peppermint in them! Aveda have great lipglosses without any awful chemicals in them, and Dr. Hauschka has lovely long-lasting lipcolors that are as trendy as they are natural. Origins, Lavera, NVEY Eco -there are tons of luxurious colors and finishes to choose from. I agree, they are all pricey, but this is where you have to shift your priorities - you can buy tons of synthetic cheap glosses and use them and cringe each time you put them on your lips - OR you can buy one great gloss that suits your coloring, you will use it every day, and you will enjoy every minute you have it on your lips!