My favorite product right now...made from live, raw foods, and stored in the fridge so every morning is like getting a facial!
As I move into my 30th year this Friday...eek!...I have become more aware and educated about what I put in my body, but even more so...what I put ON my body. The task of eliminating chemicals and toxins from your diet alone can be quite the task, but cleaning up the everyday products that you put on your body can be absolutely overwhelming.
Our skin has absorptive properties, so technically you shouldn't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth, as the skin is just another way for toxins and carcinogens to enter your body, creating cancer-growing cells.
When I first started tossing my toxic products and making room for the new products, I would stand in the store aisle, eyes glazed over, not knowing where to begin! So what can you do...besides memorize all the wordy ingredients you want to avoid, like...diethanolamine or isopropylparaben. No thank you!! The process doesn't have to be daunting, and I have to say I feel more empowered and in control as I move into a new decade!
So here are a few things that I've done over the past 6 months to change the products that I use and educate myself around the toxins that hide in many of our everyday beauty products...
1. Save the following link on your phone, or print it out and keep it in your handbag...Be Naturally You.
A great friend, who's mother is a natural skin care chemist, gave me this handy list of ingredients to watch out for when you're shopping for new products or making sure your existing products make the cut. The list can be a bit overwhelming, but the more you use it, the easier it will be to remember the ingredients you need to watch out for!
2. Start simple...
Change out each product as you run out of it. This can help your wallet and your sanity. When you're getting low on say face wash or mascara, start looking into which brands you can switch to instead of completely dumping your cabinet of products.
3. Shop Health Food Stores...
Local health food stores, as well as Whole Foods and Sprouts, have great natural beauty products, and they usually have knowledgeable associates available that can help walk you through their favorite natural products.
4. Trial and error...
I probably tried 4 different deodorants before I found one that actually worked well, so don't be afraid to find out that some of your more natural products don't perform quite the same as the chemical-filled products you're used to. Friends that are on the same journey are helpful in finding great products too!
5. Get Back to Basics...
Coconut and essential oils were my best friends when first starting to switch over my products. You can find great uses for coconut oil here, I use it for lotion, eye makeup remover, lip balm, night cream, ETC! Stay tuned for a homemade dry skin remedy you can whip up yourself, and have confidence in the ingredients.
Just a warning: The more you know, the more you're going to check every single product in your home...haha! Just last night I was doing dishes and reading the ingredients of my supposedly "natural" dishwash soap, and looks like I need to find a new one...totally worth it though!
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