Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety

Last night I went to an aromatherapeutics seminar at my yoga studio. My yogi lives a holistic lifestyle and practices aromatherapy. She explained that learning about what you put ON your body is just as important as what you put IN your body and what you DO with your body. It’s the next step in living a healthy, yogic lifestyle. While she may be at the extreme end of the scale I think its so important to educate ourselves and understand what toxins we're putting on our skin because it absorbs about sixty percent of what we put on it! Bodies are literally taking longer to decompose becuse of the amount of perservatives we are living with in our skin! Yuck!

Over the past year I’ve become very conscientious about what I put into my body. If you’ve read any of my posts (the Breakfast Smoothie, for example) you’ll know that I like to eat local, organic whole foods. I also like to feed my dog in a healthy and sustainable way (Dog Treats part 1 & part 2). What I didn’t realize is that I need to be just as careful about the cosmetics and beauty products I use. Without being very educated about the subject I already use aluminium free deodorant, cruelty free shampoo and conditioner and paraben free body wash but I never really considered the implications of all of the other products I use; makeup, face wash, toner and moisturizer.  

I love makeup. I always have. I have a vast array of products and enjoy shopping for them. This isn’t going to change but the choices I make are. My “knowledge” on the subject is very new to me and I don’t pretend to be an expert. I’d love to chat with an expert on the subject though, so if you are one and you’re reading this email us: writersthriftersanddrifters[at]gmail[dot]com.

Your Skin: The Basics

What you see on the surface is dead cells and your actual living skin is underneath. I think most of us already know this. So, putting creams and moisturizers on the skin’s surface has limited benefits. Drinking water, consuming healthy fats (flax oil, fish oil) and eating a well-balanced diet are what will truly give you supple and healthy skin. Let’s start by drinking enough water. How much is enough? My yogi said 2-3 litres/day depending on the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume. For comparison's sake the Livestrong website says eight 8-ounce cups/day which is a little less than 2 litres.

 Cosmetics

I'm not going to "out" any products here (mainly so we don't get sued haha) but I will say that I buy higher end makeup and skincare products. My yogi analyzed my foundation as actually being “okay” because its paraben free but I could tell she doesn’t exactly condone wearing foundation on a daily basis.  My bronzer on the other hand I am to throw out because it contains aluminium which causes Alzheimer’s. Great. After arriving home I realized that the second ingredient in my face wash is on the “bad” list. Another great because I have about a year supply and it’s not cheap.

So how do you know? Here is the list of things to avoid:

• Parabens 
• Aluminum 
• SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) also sometimes SLES
• Petroleum Distillates
• Phalates

Great Canadian (and American) Companies To Check Out

Some great companies to look into include Green Beaver (Canadian company out of Hawkesbury, Ontario), Kiss My Face (a natural, effective and cruelty free company out of New York state), Toms of Maine  (a well-established natural, sustainable company from Maine), SeventhGeneration  (a Canadian company working to eliminate toxins and consider the implications seven generations from now) and Rae Dunphy Aromatics (a Canadian wholesale company from out West which can be purchased at select retailers). It’s amazing how these natural companies don’t stop at using natural products but often incorporate certified organic products and are usually cruelty free; I love supporting a company that has a conscience and considers the bigger picture!

The problem is, of course, that these natural, healthy, organic, sustainable products come at a price tag. A high one. What can you do? I'd suggest making the products that you put on and leave on your skin a priority first (moisturizer, makeup) and things that are only on your skin briefly (shampoo, toothpaste) at the lower end of your scale. Create a balance that works for you.

Find Out What You’re Using

If you want to check out your products read the ingredients for the “red flag” ingredients. Then, go to Environmental Working Group (EWG) and enter your products into their cosmetics database of over 74,000 items. They even have an app so you can do a quick search while you’re in the drug store! EWG’s cosmetics database outlines the ingredients, level of concern and level of toxicity. (For example, my Eos  and Burts Bees aren't too bad! Yay! ). They also make it easy to find safe products and where to buy them.

Okay , Now That I’ve Thrown EVERYTHING OUT What Do I Do?

It’s unrealistic to purge every item in your medicine cabinet. You spent your hard earned pay cheque on this stuff! Start by getting rid of the really bad stuff (ie. the stuff that has the red flag ingredients or that comes up in RED on EWG) and work from there. Start to read the ingredients and peruse the health food aisle at Loblaw’s. Why not check out your local health food store next time you're in the area?

Moisturizer: I am going to invest in some jojoba oil for après shower moisturizing and virgin coconut oil (which smells divine if you love coconut but if you don’t try the non-virgin variety).  Alba (which you can buy at Loblaws!) has a lovely mango papaya moisturizer too. If you like to use petroleum based products (you know the one that starts with a V…) as a moisturizer try Burts Bees Baby Butt Cream instead. Don’t forget to drink water and try using a humidifier in the winter to eliminate dry skin.

Toner: Hydrosol toners that contain witch hazel distillate are supposed to be great! 

Makeup: Go to EWG and do some searching!

I hope this has been helpful and informative. Check out EWG and let me know what you think @jemcolborne. 

Gotta book it,

JEM