CLEAN BEAUTY | NATURAL COSMETICS | NON-TOXIC

Here Are the Reasons To Switch To Clean Cosmetic Products

Once you open your eyes to the truth, you’ll never look back

Photo by Courtney Cook on Unsplash

“Nature is beautiful and you are in her bosom. That voice of comfort which speaks in the breezes of the morning, may visit your mind, that the delightful influences which the green leaves, the blue sky, the moonbeams and clouds of the evening diffuse over the universe, may in their powers of soul-healing, visit your day visions, is my desire and hope.” — Humphry Davy

Clean personal care isn’t a passing trend. Everyone in the know wants natural, organic, green cosmetic products.

People have been paying attention and are more thoughtful about the food they eat. However, many haven’t yet made the leap to changing the personal and beauty care items they use.

Perhaps you are one of them. You may want to make the switch to all-natural cosmetics, but you don’t want to stop using your favorite shampoo, or that sunscreen that doesn’t make you break out.

It might take a while to find a clean personal care equivalent, but ditching your drugstore products for natural products is worth it.

Here’s why…

Drug store and department store products are unregulated

• The cosmetic industry is essentially self-regulating, and most large companies don’t do a great job at it. And why should they? According to the Office of Cosmetics and Colors at the federal Food and Drug Administration, “…a cosmetic manufacturer may use almost any raw material as a cosmetic ingredient and market the product without an approval from FDA.” (FDA 2012)
• With the average person, especially women, putting hundreds of different synthetic chemicals on their body every day, it’s no wonder that some of these are carcinogens and allergens when the manufacturers bottom line is producing things as cheaply as possible.
• For an eye-opening and handy list of the toxins and what they can do to you, look here.

Unregulated means anything goes

• Shocked to learn that about toxic ingredients in your makeup and skin care products? Maybe you didn’t know because cosmetics companies aren’t forced to list all the ingredients.
• You’d think products for babies and children would be better regulated, right? Nope. Products created for children such as shampoos, detanglers, sunscreens, and moisturizers are just as harmful as their grown-up equivalents.
• We’re not even safe from sunscreen! Products that have ingredients intended to help absorb it past the epidermis and into the dermal layer are considered the worst.
• One of the most problematic products are perfumes. When products are marked as “unscented,” they’re frequently filled with chemicals that only give the illusion that a product has no scent. In other words, the scent is unscented.
• What’s more, companies don’t have to divulge the ingredients of the fragrances that they include because of “trade secret” copyright laws. It could be an essential oil, or it could be twenty different chemicals.
• As long as law doesn’t ban the ingredient, they can include it in any combination they want, even when those combinations haven’t been tested for possible toxicity.

The fillers could be killers

• No regulation means chemicals that haven’t been properly tested — let alone tested in certain combinations — are being used in place of natural ingredients. Why? They cost less.
• Though that cost sometimes translates to cheaper toothpaste, facial cleansers, or foundations, the cost is really on our bodies. Over time these toxins and carcinogens build-up, resulting in health problems that may not be immediate, but are potentially damaging.

The Benefits of Clean Personal Care

Photo by Supply on Unsplash

Switching to a clean personal care and beauty routine might be tough when you start. I know it was for me.

All-natural makeup and skincare products can be pricier, or your skin might break out when trying new stuff. Don’t panic!

Instead, consider the many benefits of natural skin care products…

Save money

• When you buy cosmetics from companies that don’t mass produce and have an environmental mission, you’re getting a better quality product that isn’t filled with preservatives. This typically means you use less, and it lasts longer.

People and animals

• Companies that care about things like nature and organic ingredients typically care more about the living things in it, namely people and animals. You’re more likely to find employees at smaller, environmentally conscious, healthier companies make a living wage, versus the employees of big brand name ones.
• On top of that, by buying products produced by these eco-conscious natural cosmetic companies, you’re essentially supporting their greater environmental and community efforts. For example — one brand I love, Juice Beauty, is actively involved in manufacturing with solar power, using recycled paper and soy ink, and supporting USDA certified organic farmers.
• You’re also more likely to see labels that read “vegan”, which means it doesn’t contain anything derived from animals.
• Cruelty-free means the final product hasn’t been tested on animals. If you really love animals, make sure you find out if the company promises that they acquire the ingredients from businesses that don’t test on animals, or that they don’t sell their products in countries where animal testing is mandatory.

Delicious, luxurious, gorgeous cosmetics!

• Not only does our skin absorb much of what’s put on it, but we also help out quite a bit by (accidentally) eating some of our makeup (yum! lead lipstick!) Well, if you’re going to end up ingesting the stuff — might as well get the best stuff, right?
• Natural beauty companies that use actual natural products like coconut oil, cocoa, and herbs are making sure that you’re eating things that are actually good for your body — or, at the very least, not bad for it.
• My favorite hair removal product is basically honey and sugar. Sounds a lot better than calcium hydroxide (lime) and sodium hydroxide (lye) that are found in Nair, right?

Great for your skin

• I don’t remember hearing of so many skin conditions when I was growing up. Now it seems like everyone and their dogs have got some sort of skin condition — eczema, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and on and on the list goes.
• Personally, one of the biggest motivators to go clean beauty were little patches of psoriasis that developed around my nose. The last thing I wanted to apply to this red, often-broken skin was a medley of toxins.
• As you already know, many cosmetics and skin care products contain industrial chemicals that are harsh and irritating, especially to skin that’s already sensitive.
• Natural and organic products, on the other hand, are devoid of these allergens and irritants.
• Not to mention, many of them even use filler ingredients that are soothing, nourishing, and good for your skin.

Your health

• Your skin absorbs over 60% of what you put on it. When you replace skincare products containing carcinogens like parabens and phthalates as well as skin disruptors like mineral oil and PEGs with natural products that are full of antioxidants and healthy fats — your skin’s going to be happy about it.
• Not only are you eliminating those ingredients that sap your skin’s natural moisture and make it more susceptible to aging and bacteria, but you’re also supplying it with free radical scavenging antioxidants and deeply nourishing healthy fats that’ll help combat sunspots and keep wrinkles at bay.

It’s easy to make the switch

• In case you need another reason to switch to a clean beauty routine — here’s the last thing I’ll say about it: It’s never been easier to go au naturale.
• Thanks to so many of us finding out about the toxins in our beauty products and demanding better solutions, there has been a boom in organic, natural beauty companies offering clean beauty products.
• It won’t be hard to replace that perfect shade of red lipstick. There are lead-free natural lipsticks in every shade of scarlet. Wondering how you’ll ever find a foundation that conceals everything? There are some full-coverage, all-natural concealers that actually conceal and heal your skin.
• The time to make the switch to natural, clean personal care and beauty products is now. You’ll never look back.
• Read more here and here.

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