Happy beauty products.

Quantity.

The main problem with beauty products is the frequency at which they are being used,often several times a day we spread lotions, soap, shampoos and make up on our skin, the skin is the largest organ of the human body. It is porous and allows exchange between the inside and the outside of our body, noone wants to allow chemichals to enter our body thru our skin. A lot of products contains ingredients that are recognized to be hazardous for us, the reason why they are allowed in our products is because the quantity absorbed in one application is so small that it cannot impact our well being. What is scary is thinking about the quantity of products that is being used over the years, it makes you wonder about the toxicity of those ingredients in high quantity. For this reason it is safer to double check the list of ingredients of everything that comes in contact with our bodies.

Ingredients.

The lists of ingredients seem often to be written in a foreign language because we don't understand or cannot even pronounce the names listed. Simply look for ingredients that you know all type of safe plants, and minerals are the only ingredients you need from your shampoo to your eye make up and body lotion. If you want cocoa butter, buy pure cocoa butter without additive, the same goes for Aloe, almond oil or other commonly used products,

- Preservatives: A lot of chemical additives are used to prolong the shelf life of beauty products, those which do not contain preservative can go stale faster then the other kind. Keeping your product in a dark cool place is a good way to keep them fresh, the refrigerator is a good place to store the products that you don't use regularly.

-_Fragrance: We associate nice smell with cleanliness, some people use the scent as a criteria to choose their beauty products, unfortunately fragrance are often produced in laboratories and contain ingredients like phtalate that can be hazardous for human beings, these ingredients will only appear under the name fragrance without any more details. A safer way to add scent to a beauty product is by using essential oils, they are more expensive than artificial fragrances but they are also a lot safer and they will be listed in the list of ingredients

Price.

Beauty products come in all kind of prices from the cheap ones at the corner drug store to the high end products sold in department stores. Price is not an indication of the wholesomeness of a product, very often the main difference between the low price product and the expensive one is the result of a marketing strategy targeting different kind of consumers with products that are merely the same. Safe and healthy products with wholesome ingredients are also available at all type of pricing. A good example of an inexpensive staple is 100% cocoa butter stick (1 oz) $1.00 that can be used for make up removal, moisturizing healing scars and more. Choosing healthy products takes time, to check the list of ingredients, the prices. Beware of the new products that boasts the use of natural ingredients that are sprouting on the market right now filling in for the new demand in healthy products, they are often manufactured by the same companies which makes the conventional products, they will surely add a couple of natural ingredients in their products but they will keep using chemical preservatives. Often the safest and healthiest beauty products are the one that have been on the market for a long time and always manufactured their product without chemicals.

Vesatility.

Our society is based on consumption and corporations created new needs for people to buy an increasing number of products. The truth is that with a small amount of products one can take care of most of its needs, the same oil or cocoa butter can be used to remove makeup, moisturize the skin and prevent the appearance of wrinkles, a good formula of zink sunscreen ( with oils added for creamier texture) can be used as a face cream, and make up base plus the added bonus of the very important sun protection. The amazing Dr bronner's soap can be used for washing, shaving plus it can be added in your household cleaning products. Witch hazel can be a toner and an after shave,

Beauty recipes.

Face or body scrub.

-1 TSP organic raw honey

-1/2 organic lemon (juiced)

- 1 TSP organic brown sugar

These quantities are fit for a face scrub you will have to double or triple the proportion for a body scrub depending on the area you want to cover. Mix those three ingredients in a small bowl, spread on your face and gently spread forming small circle with your fingers all over your face,

rinse with warm water and a soft sponge.

Facial.

1 TSP green clay powder

1 TSP raw apple cider vinegar

Mix both ingredients immediately before applying, the mix will start fizzing, spread on your face, you will feel a warm sensation as your blood circulation gets activated by the mixture, keep the mask for 3 -5mn, make sure you remove it before it starts drying with a soft sponge and warm water, apply a moisturizer immediately after drying your face.

Happy!

by Minty LaVendy