Next up in the wellness series: beauty and hygiene products!
Today, I want to give some tips on how to have a more green and healthy beauty regimen.
There’s a lot of information out there these days about the dangers of chemicals that are commonly found in many beauty and hygiene products. What you want to keep in mind while you’re thinking about your beauty regimen is this: Your skin is the largest organ of your body – whatever you put on it is absorbed and enters the bloodstream. So when you’re washing your body with “soap” that is laden with chemicals, your skin absorbs those chemicals and they enter your body. The tips below show ways you can avoid these harmful toxins and chemicals so that you can become the most beautiful, vibrant, and natural you.
Use shower products that are SLS and Paraben free
When choosing shampoos, body washes, and soaps, there are two main ingredients I avoid to the best of my ability – Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Parabens. If you research any of these ingredients, you’ll find study after study showing their dangers. I’m not saying that they’re so harmful I’ll NEVER use products containing them, but these ingredients are ones you should avoid using regularly if you can.
SLS is found in TONS of household and beauty products. It’s a foaming agent, so it’s what gives soaps its suds. It’s been linked to a plethora of health problems including organ toxicity, skin irritations (SLS strips your body of its natural oils and moisture), endocrine disruption, and even cancer.
Parabens are various chemicals that are added to many cosmetics and beauty products to inhibit microbial growth. They have been shown to disrupt hormone function and have been linked to breast cancer and reproductive issues. And, like SLS, they’re in almost everything. When reading your labels, look for anything that ends in -paraben.
It’s pretty easy to find products that don’t have SLS and parabens, so just read the labels! It might be an extra couple dollars to get the more natural brand, but it’s worth it when you think of all the chemicals your body won’t be absorbing.
Wash your face with honey
I’ve been washing my face with honey for the past two years, and I will never go back to a traditional cleanser. It’s a natural antibacterial and probiotic, so it helps clear up acne and blemishes. Honey has significantly improved my complexion. My pores have shrunk, and my face is incredibly soft and smooth. (I’ve noticed that I’ve been breaking out a lot more since I started waiting tables again – I’m bad about constantly touching my face – so I’ve started doing honey masks as well. I’ll put honey on my face and leave it on for about a half hour and then rinse. My face immediately looks brighter and clearer!)
To wash your face with honey, you simply use the honey as you would any other face wash. You want your face to be a little wet, but not too wet or the honey gets too watery. It thins out naturally due to the heat from your skin, and it’s not as sticky as it sounds.
Raw, organic honey is best – you can’t get more natural than that! I get a 12 ounce tub from Trader Joe’s for $7 that lasts me months. A lot of traditional, cheaper honey could actually have added chemicals in it (some people even claim that it’s not really honey), so go for an organic brand if you can. Local honey is great, too!
(Along with honey, I also use the tried-and-true St. Ives Apricot Scrub once or twice a week. This helps exfoliate and brighten your skin, and it’s a must-do for me after a long weekend working at the restaurant.)
Don’t wash your hair everyday
About two years ago when I started washing my face with honey, I also started shampooing my hair less. I went from washing it everyday to every other day, then a couple times a week, and now I only wash it every 7-10 days. (Granted, I have super thick, poofy hair, so I don’t have as much of a problem with it getting too oily or greasy as those with more thin, fine hair do.) Normally, I’ll shampoo and condition (using something natural with no SLS or parabens) one day, and then 3-4 days later I’ll just use conditioner on my hair. I’ve noticed that it helps refresh and psuedo-cleanse it. Then I’ll go another 3-5 days before washing it again.
My hair is healthier, shinier, smoother, and softer than it’s ever been. I can actually let my hair air dry with zero product, and it’s still manageable. And if you know me well, you know how significant this is. My hair has always been a frizzed-out poof ball that I couldn’t control. Hence why I chopped it all off for so many years. Now I realize that my hair was just damaged from over-washing and using too many products. Since going au naturel, I’m falling in love with my hair again.
Try shampoo alternatives
Many people say you shouldn’t use shampoo on your hair at all, even if it is an all natural or organic product. I’ve read about people washing their hair with baking soda or lemons or mayonnaise or eggs. I haven’t tried any of these (yet), so feel free to do some of your own research if you want to give it a try!
Use fluoride-free toothpaste and mouthwash
Everything I said in the post about fluoride-free water is applicable here. Since small amounts of fluoride isn’t that harmful (to some) and can help prevent cavities and tooth decay, this is totally an issue of personal judgement. My suggestion is to avoid it when you can and make sure you’re practicing good dental hygiene so that the extra fluoride isn’t needed.
Use aluminum free deodorant
So newsflash regarding the use of antiperspirants – YOUR BODY NEEDS TO SWEAT! When we sweat, we rid our bodies of toxins. When you use deodorant containing aluminum, you’re blocking those sweat glands and keeping those toxins for exiting your body. It’s no wonder that aluminum deodorants have been linked to breast cancer. Not only are you keeping those toxins in your body, you’re also absorbing aluminum (which is a metal!) into your glands. Aluminum has also been linked with cancer as well as Alzheimer’s. My husband and I switched over to using natural deodorants when we moved to Asheville. I’ll admit that the first month or so was pretty brutal (and it was in the middle of the summer…). We were pretty stinky. But your body adjusts and the stinkiness goes away. Some say that when you quit using aluminum deodorants, that really stinking phase is your body purging itself of the built up toxins and aluminum residue. Makes sense, right? So ignore the negative stigma around body odor, and embrace your stinkiness!
There are no federal regulations in place for certifying whether a beauty or hygiene product is “natural” or “organic”. So companies can say their products are filled with organic ingredients, when really they’re just loaded with chemicals. That’s why it’s so important that you read your labels. Unfortunately, some natural beauty products cost significantly more than those with added chemicals and other unnatural byproducts. (It’s sad that things good for your health have become a privilege only for the wealthy or elite.) But like I said in my post about food, it’s all about figuring out what you’re willing to sacrifice so that you can afford to live healthfully. Yes, that natural, fluoride-free toothpaste might cost triple than that of your normal brand, but that’s still only six bucks as opposed to two. If you can spend that on a latte that you gulp down in fifteen minutes, couldn’t you spend it on a natural, healthy product that could last you a month or more?
To health and happiness!! 🙂