_'Festival season beauty tips' might be the most overused phrase on the internet during the March-June time periods of the past, oh, five years. But “festival beauty tips' from an actual festival performer kind of makes sense, right? Our pal Alexis Krauss (of Sleigh Bells) has played practically every open-air stage and desert venue there is—so BonnaXchellapalooza ticket-holders, take note. She's written us with her newest skincare discovery, prompted by some crappy news about her former tour essential: scrubs with microbeads.

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I'll be leaving for tour next week, which means the dusty grime of Coachella mosh pits will soon be making its way deep into my pores. I've previously relied on my favorite exfoliating cleanser for this type of thing, but I recently found out that the essential scrubby ingredient—microbeads—are actually just tiny pieces of plastic. And these microplastics have been going down our drains and into our streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they're causing extensive environmental damage. (More on that here.)

Thus began my search for a replacement trusty exfoliating cleanser to pack with me on tour—something all-natural this time. A friend suggested I check out a small Brooklyn-based sustainable skincare company called SW Basics. Made of only three ingredients (organic oat flour, organic almond flour, and sea salt), the SW Basics Exfoliant is by the far the most simple and eco-friendly of all the ones I've tried. I was actually surprised at how nourishing and effective this stuff is, especially given the uncomplicated formula. I guess sometimes it takes a scandal (microbeads!) to make you realize how easy it is to make the switch to eco-friendly beauty alternatives—or to open your eyes to a product that's just better, in general. Hey, the more you know!

x Alexis

Follow Sleigh Bells here.