Natural Beauty: What's in Your Skin Care?

Have you ever thought about what's in the products you use everyday? I certainly didn't, until about a year ago. If you've read any of the posts in my natural beauty series, you know that I've been trying to make my skin care routine more natural and environmentally friendly. Everything from skin care to shampoo to hand soap to dish soap to laundry detergent is made with chemicals that have been linked to both disrupting the endocrine system and causing cancer. The EU has banned or regulated over 1,300 ingredients used in personal care products. Here in North America, we are much more lenient. The FDA has banned only 11 ingredients, while Health Canada's list of banned ingredients is only slightly longer! (Source) As well, terms such as "green," "eco-friendly" and "pure" are often meaningless as they aren't regulated and are often only used to market products. For example, the majority of Green Works products receive a grade of F on the Environmental Working Group's Guide to Healthy Cleaning, which I was shocked to discover. 

This can be a very controversial subject. For example, sunscreen has been signalled out as being one of the worst products we can put on our skin. It's full of toxic chemicals, but at the same time, it protects us from the harmful effects of the sun. Obviously living in modern society, there's no way to avoid these chemicals completely without taking extremes. I still use sunscreen and buy most of my skin care products at the drugstore. I've done a lot of research on this subject and today I'm sharing the list of ingredients to avoid as well as some of my favourite drugstore skin care products for those of you who are also interested in taking a more natural approach to your skin care routine.

Ingredients To Avoid:

Parabens (Methyl, butyl, ethyl and propyl)
Phthalates
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
Formaldehyde
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Propylene Glycol (PG) 
Butylene Glycol 

My Skincare Picks:

Makeup Remover

Currently, I am using Desert Essence Organic Jojoba Oil to remove my makeup. This brand is readily available at health food stores and I've also seen it at Target. A blog post about jojoba oil will be coming soon. Coconut oil, argan oil and even olive oil also make excellent makeup removers. The easiest method to remove makeup using oil is to apply the oil directly to your face with your fingers. Avoid using a cotton ball or pad as most of the oil will absorb into the cotton. 

Cleanser

My favourite cleanser at the moment is the Live Clean Fresh Face Foaming Daily Cleanser. The entire Fresh Face line doesn't contain any ingredients on the list of ingredients to avoid and is 98% plant derived. In Canada, this line is available at drugstores, grocery stores, Walmart and Target, and online if you live outside of Canada. Other great cleansers are Desert Essence Gentle Nourishing Organic Cleanser, Burt's Bees Sensitive Facial Cleanser and Yes to Carrots Fragrance Free Daily Cream Facial Cleanser. 

Exfoliator

Some great exfoliating scrubs are Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Facial Scrub, Kiss My Face So Refined Jojoba and Mint Facial Scrub and Live Clean Smoothing Facial Scrub. An even better option is using your cleanser with a cleansing brush. You can try the Olay Pro X Advanced Cleansing System for under $30, or invest in a Clarisonic. I've been using the Olay Pro X brush and my review is coming soon. 

Mask

My favourite masks are Yes to Tomatoes Clearing Facial Mask, Live Clean Fresh Face Deep Cleansing Clay Masque and the masks in the Kit line that is available at Rexall drugstores. (Update: I've just noticed that unfortunately some of the Kit masks contain PEG-100, a form of Polyethylene Glycol).

Moisturizer

I am also using Desert Essence Organic Jojoba Oil as a moisturizer. Many women are terrified to put oil on their skin as I was at first. It's actually fantastic for all skin types, especially oily skin. Our skin naturally produces oil and by applying oil as a moisturizer, we trick our skin into thinking that it's produced enough oil. You only need to apply a tiny bit of oil. If it hasn't completely absorbed in 10 minutes, remove the extra with a damp cloth. Coconut oil and argan oil are also great moisturizers, however some people may find coconut oil too heavy and have problems with it clogging pores. If you are interested in using oil as a moisturizer, I recommend that you do some research to see what oil is best for your skin type. If you would rather use a water based moisturizer, I recommend Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Daily Calming Moisturizer and Live Clean Fresh Face Soothing Daily Moisturizer.

Eye Cream
The eye cream that I'm currently using is by Yes to Carrots and it appears to be discontinued. My other picks are Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel and Burt's Bees Sensitive Eye Cream.

Blemish Treatment

Jojoba oil is a very multipurpose product! I also use it as a spot treatment. After I apply it as a moisturizer, I let it absorb into my skin and then dab a little bit extra on any blemishes. It works just as well if not better than any spot treatments I've tried that contain benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid. Other natural blemish treatments include tea tree oil and lavender oil. These can be found at health food stores, spas that carry natural and organic products, or online.