Detox Your Skin Care

Do You Really Know What's In Your Skin Care Products?  When I moved my website, I left behind some of my old blog post.  Recently, I was asked if I would would be posting some of my old blogs.  I thought this would be a good one for the season.  The transition from one season to another often leads us to make changes in our skin care products.  Many of us also do a spring cleaning or spring purge around the house.  While you do your spring cleaning this year, consider ditching any toxic skin care products and replacing them with healthier alternatives.   

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Winter and seasonal transitions are always rough on my skin, and my skin care habits have changed drastically over the years. There is a lot that goes into healthy skin- getting enough sleep, diet/having a healthy gut, exercise, and skin care products. Over time, I came to realize that all skin care products are not equal and that all label claims are not true.  I think that I started really reading cosmetic ingredient labels around the same time that I began reading food ingredient labels.  I was aware that cosmetics contained chemical sounding words but didn’t really take the time to pay attention to those words or what they were or the health concerns that they can contribute to.  I think my first shock was reading my mascara label and seeing shellac in the ingredients.  Shellac!?  Wait a minute.  Isn’t shellac put on wood furniture and hardwood floors?  Why would I want to put that on my eyes?  So that got me thinking about what might be used to take that shellac off of my eyes, and I discovered alcohol in my eye make-up remover along with other big chemical words.  I again thought, why am I putting alcohol near my eyes?  Actually, alcohol is in a lot of skin care and cosmetic products, and surprisingly, alcohol is in many moisturizing products.  I know you are wondering, “Hmmm, I thought alcohol was drying, not moisturizing?”   You are correct, and that is one reason why many moisturizing products can still leave your skin feeling dry after they have absorbed into your skin.  But shellac & alcohol aren’t the worst things that you can find in your skin care products.  Many products contain carcinogens, endocrine disruptors and neurotoxins that get absorbed into your body and can potentially cause imbalance and disease.  I know you are wondering, “How can this be?  Doesn’t the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulate these things?”  The FDA does regulate to a degree, but remember, they may not be as finicky about what goes into your products as you might be.  There are some organizations out there that are as finicky, and maybe even more finicky than you.  They are called the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, www.safecosmetics.org and the Environmental Working Group, www.ewg.org_. There you can look up your products to see if they contain allergens, carcinogens, endocrine disruptors, neurotoxins and dyes.
So now, to end this message on a more positive note, I’ll share one of my skin care tips.  It is pure, unrefined coconut oil.  The same stuff I use in my kitchen for cooking and baking.  I keep a small glass container of it in the bathroom and use it with organic cotton balls to take off my mascara, and I no longer buy the brands that contain shellac and alcohol.  I know you are thinking, “Really, Joan, organic cotton balls?  Isn’t that overkill?  It’s not like you are going to eat those cotton balls.”  Cotton is one of the most chemically treated and genetically modified crops.  Do you want those chemicals lingering around your eyes?  Eyesight is a precious gift, isn’t it?  Not only does coconut oil do a good job taking off my mascara, it also moisturizes and it is anti-microbial, which means that it helps to ward off bacteria, fungus and other micro-organisms.  I find it to be soothing to the skin around my eyes, especially when it gets dry in the winter.  Now, I can’t prove it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it has also been helping me to ward off crow’s feet, those wrinkles that appear at the outer corner of the eyes.  Experiment with some coconut oil when you get a chance, and see how your skin looks and feels.  If you are in the mood to spring clean your body and your products, take advantage of my detox special that is advertised in Natural Awakenings.  You get a 10 day menu, detox recipes and 2 health coaching sessions all for the price of $49.  This offer expires 4/31/16.

Sign up for My $49 spring detox special here