Green skin care products has been an evolution that has progressed exponentially over the past few decades. It started with pioneering farmers that wanted to protect the earth and keep it free of petroleum-based pesticides, thus keeping the environment balanced naturally and able to heal itself.

Today, organic skin care products are mainstream and a way of life for millions of people worldwide, blossoming into big business. Each year the number of organic skin care products grows thus providing a healthier choice for those consumers which do not want a chemically-based and potentially hazardous skin care or personal care products.

Many of us are making the decision to pursue a green lifestyle in whatever small ways we can. This means watching both what we put in our bodies and what we put on them as well. The fact is that organic skin care eliminates the many synthetic chemicals that would otherwise be absorbed by our skin and into our bodies.

Research shows that these synthetic chemicals found in personal care products can be toxic. Furthermore, as your skin and body absorb these potentially harmful ingredients the body defense systems become taxed as the liver, overwhelmed by these many ingredients becomes unable to process them and detoxify your body.

This process breaks down the cells many functions and ultimately, the loss will manifest itself in the skin. Depending on the lifestyle of the individual this can manifest rapidly or slowly but it will manifest. Premature aging or loss of youthful skin will be translated into wrinkles, lost elasticity and firmness of the skin.

All this can be prevented by using organic skin care products that nurture your skin and provide the needed nutrients that will restore life. Radiant skin can be yours and you can start by using organic skin care products!

Since the time of ancient man, clay has been used for a myriad of purposes. Potteries and ancient works of art hold the mystery of ancient lands and have conveyed their history through the many jars, plates and figurines. The use of clay also extended to religious rites and healing ceremonies, as well as a crude type of facial and body adornment for men and women. Ancient Man first observed that wounded animals would roll in clay and water when wounded. The animal would thereby heal and avoid life-threatening infection. The conclusion was simple- clay had healing properties. Eventually, some people created medicinal clay potions that were mixed with foods to heal stomach illnesses. Other clay based potions were used topically to draw out poisons and others still would be used to dress wounds. Let’s take a closer look at the healing properties of clay and unlock this ancient mystery.

Clay is found in nature all over the world and comes in different colors and textures. Different colors occur because of their natural mineral content and can range in texture from coarse to fine. One of the most common clays used in skin care products is the French Green Clay or Sea Clay. This clay is truly a natural marvel. It is a bio-mineral, meaning it contains essential trace minerals, decomposed plant matter, algae, kelp and plant based phyto nutrients. French Green Clay is a powerful purifying agent, absorbing excess oils, toxic substances and impurities from the skin. It tones, stimulates and repairs damaged skin cells and connective tissue thus revitalizing the complexion and tightening the skin. Simply amazing and natural skin care.

Rhassoul Clay is a mineral rich, reddish-brown clay that comes from ancient deposits of the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. This earthly treasure has been used in skin care since the time of ancient Egypt and Rome and continues to be used today. Elite spas all over the world use this amazing clay in skin care because of its many professional applications such as soap, skin conditioner, as well as facial and body wraps. This clay is highly valued for its absorption properties as it eliminates toxins from the skin and has astringent properties.This clay also restores the skin’s elasticity, unclogging pores, removing dead skin and surface oil.

Fullers Clay got its name several hundred years ago from wool textile workers or “Fullers”. They invented a concoction of water, soapwort, and clay in order to remove the dense impurities and oil from sheep’s wool. Today Fullers Clay is used in skin care products because of its ability to remove oil and impurities from the skin. When used over time it has a lightening effect on the epidermis. This type of clay is highly recommended for people with oily skin, acne, blemishes and spots.

Using clay-based skin care products, that have been properly crafted, can have significant benefits to your skin. Clay will detox your skin by drawing out poisons and impurities thus deeply purifying and invigorating your skin. Additionally, clay provides the essential nutrients and minerals that your body requires for a more healthy and younger looking you.

I remember like it was yesterday, finding out that my husband and I were going to be parents. I think all of us feel that it is a life-changing event, this bit of news. No longer was I responsible just for my own health and well-being, I was responsible for both mine and my son’s.

While you are pregnant, a woman must strike a delicate balance between what is right for you and what is right for the baby growing inside of you. I remember being worried about the internal damage and stress that a pregnancy can cause to a woman’s body. And an additional concern, hate to be so shallow, were stretch marks, cellulite and furthermore the skin can become flaccid after the pregnancy, losing its elasticity. So I started purchasing all sorts of creams and oils to be proactive. However, none of these creams were organic, and as you might imagine, potentially harmful.

One skin care cream I remember in particular. It was one of the most popular creams on the market for getting rid of and preventing stretch marks. I opened the bottle and was overcome by a distinct smell- kerosene. I couldn’t put it on my body because it smelled toxic. Immediately I looked at the box it came in to see what the ingredients on this skin care cream were. In really small print, so small I did not see it when I bought it, it said “Not for use during pregnancy or while nursing.”

It scared me that I could have used a cream that had toxic or poisonous ingredients. This could have potentially harmed me and my son, and from that point on, I was a different person. I read the labels of every single skin care products that I owned and threw nearly everyone away. I started to educate myself rapidly and was horrified to find out that so many skin care and personal products have as their ingredients known carcinogens and other potentially harmful ingredients.

This article is dedicated to making the consumer, all of us, more knowledgeable on what exactly is being put into everyday personal care and skin care products and how harmful they really are. It is also a supplication for you to start buying and using organic skin care products. Not only that, but in fact, consume only organic foods and adopt a green-life-style.

We are being sold products with TOXIC ingredients by cosmetic, skin care and personal care companies. That’s right, toxic, poisonous ingredients in our skin and personal products. Many companies are counting on our ignorance so they can continue to sell the cheapest, easiest thing available to them in order to maximize their profit. The problem is not just our own lack of knowledge, but also the assumption that it must be safe if it appears on the shelves of our local markets and specialty stores.

Additionally, we as consumers need to be aware of the fact that just because a company claims to be selling an organic or natural product, it does not mean that the product is chemical free. The industry is not yet regulated and the definitions of such terms as “organic” and “natural” are not standardized.

We still need to read the ingredient list ourselves and know what to look out for as we read. Here is a short list of ingredients that you should look out for in your skin care and personal care products. Interestingly enough, they can also be found in common household cleaning supplies and disinfectants. Its strange to say, but only a handful of ingredients have been banned by our FDA. In Europe, at least one thousand such ingredients have been banned already! Everyone should be savvy and discerning. Educated choices are essential for you and your family!

HERE IS THE LIST:

Alcohol denat, (denatured alcohol): A petrochemical byproduct. Can cause allergic reactions or irritation upon coming in contact with the skin. Used in all commercial perfumes. Also used as a solvent!

Aluminum ingredients: Common skin irritant. Are linked to Alzheimer’s Disease, lung disease.

Ammonium ingredients: Are known carcinogens- extremely toxic!

Aroma/Fragrance: usually a mix of synthetic and natural fragrances. Most of them are highly allergenic. A company can simply list “fragrance” and does not have to say what chemicals are contained within the fragrance! Contains quantities of toxins and chemicals not disclosed.

Fragrance-free: This means that fragrance chemicals have been added to the product to mask the natural aromas of the ingredients!

Benzoates: Known carcinogen. Implicated in a wide variety of health problems including testicular cancer, cell mutation, and other cancers.

Benzyl alcohol: A petrochemical. Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or ABSORBED THROUGH THE SKIN. Severe irritant for eyes, skin and respiratory system.

BHA and BHT: Encourages the breakdown of vitamins such as vitamin D, can cause lipid and cholesterol levels to increase!

Coal tar: A petrochemical. Low-level exposure is linked to cancer.

Colorants: Known carcinogens. Causes skin irritation and acne.

Dimethicone: Has caused tumors and mutation in lab animals.

DEA ingredients: All ingredients with DEA after the first word such as cocamide dea are known carcinogens.

Formaldehyde: A common preservative often hidden in other ingredients. Is banned in Sweden and Japan due to its inability to inhibit the growth of acid producing bacteria and it’s link to cancer.

Glycerin: Is a petrochemical if it is not VEGETABLE GLYCERINE.

Hydroquinone: Highly toxic! Can cause bruising, skin irritation, skin abrasions. Banned in Europe.

Imidazalidol urea: Causes skin irritation. May also contain formaldehyde

Laureth family: Sodium lauryl sulfate, any ingredient with laureth or lauryl in the name is a carcinogen and a skin irritant.

Methylisothiazolinone: Is an antibacterial agent found in some shampoos and hand creams. Prolonged exposure to low levels of methylisothiazolinone (MIT) may have potentially damaging consequences to a developing nervous system, a troubling bit of news if you are pregnant!

Octyl stearate: Known skin irritant. Causes acne, contact dermatitis, allergic reactions.

Parabens: Are petrochemicals. Methyl, propyl, or any ingredient with paraben at the end of the word are of the paraben family and are the source of many health issues. Causes allergic reactions and has been found in the breast tissue of women. Has been found stored in fat cells.

Peg ingredients: Known carcinogens. Causes contact dermatitis and acne.

Petroleum: Is a petrochemical. Petrolatum, mineral oil and vaseline are carcinogenic. Can cause dry skin, acne, dizziness. Also a respiratory toxin.

Phenoxyethanol: Synthetic ether alcohol preservative. Synthetic preservatives are considered by leading dermatological associations to be the number one cause of contact dermatitis.

Phenonip: preservative blend of Phenoxyethanol, Methylparben, Ethylparaben, Butylparaben, Propylparaben, & Isobutylparaben. Please see Parabens above.

Phthalates: Found in common household plastics - squeeze bottles, shower curtains, soft plastics. Known carcinogens, mutation agents, stored in fat cells-they make perfume set and plastics bend. Found in most mainstream cosmetics, glues and nail polishes.

Propylene glycol: easily absorbed solvent that causes contact dermatitis, skin irritations, acne and allergies

Stearics: Are carcinogenic.

Talc: Can actually contain asbestos!! DO NOT use on babies as it is a respiratory toxin.

TEA ingredients: Not tea we drink, but rather ingredients with TEA in front such as Tea lauryl sulfate are severe irritants and can contain ammonium salts. An eye irritant.

Tocopherol acetate: Is synthetic vitamin E. Causes contact dermatitis and is suspected to cause cancer.

The word “organic” is widely used and can refer to almost any product on the market today. Scanning the aisles of the local supermarket, one will see everything from organic macaroni and cheese to organic toothpaste. Originally, the word referred to a specific set of farming standards that committed to not using chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, but also cared for our fragile ecosystem as a living entity.

The pioneers of organic farming sought to change modern day farming as there has been well-documented long-term damage to plants, animals and people due to the secondary consumption of chemicals through our food. As result, a cultural change has occurred.

Organic living has seeped into the mainstream and people actively seek out organic foods, personal care products and even clothing. People have become eco-conscious and are striving for a healthier life and better care of the environment that our children will inherit.

The mystery surrounding the term “organic” was settled when the United States Department of Agriculture, which regulates food labeling, adopted specific standards which defined what “organic” was. It closed a loophole on Federal laws and put strict guidelines on manufactures and what they could called “organic”. An organic label now means the same from company to company.

The interesting thing is, the USDA does not have any guidelines or the authority to regulate labels on personal care products. Therefore the cosmetic and skin care industry have been left to their own interpretations of what constitutes an organic skin care product. This has created plenty of confusion for the consumer seeking an organic product.

Why seek organic skin care or personal care items? Since 1970 research shows that synthetic chemicals, preservatives and drugs can lodge in the fatty tissue of the body and can affect the person in the future. Drug users called this a flashback- having a moment or a flash when the chemical or drug reactivates in the body.

More recent studies made on laboratory mice by a group of researchers at Stanford University showed that they could deliver a vaccine to the mice just as effectively by rubbing it on the skin as by injecting it. What does this mean for the consumer? Skin does absorb things, good and bad.

As a mother when I put lotion on my son’s skin after his bath, I don’t want to be applying anything that contains any chemicals whatsoever. I want to know that what I am applying is organic, free of synthetic or harmful chemicals, in other words, the real thing. Therefore, if I can avoid exposing my son to any products that contain chemicals, why wouldn’t I?

I remember one incident that occurred while I was pregnant that completely changed me forever. I had purchased a very well-publicized and widely used body cream advertised to remove and prevent stretch marks. I was trying to be proactive in preventing any damage to my daily expanding tummy. I was about to apply it when I noticed the intensity of the smell.

My sense of smell during my pregnancy had become very intense, but the smell of this cream was overwhelming. I smelled kerosene. I turned over the tube to read the ingredients, and I saw it contained petrochemicals. Then, at the very bottom of the label, in fine print, was a warning label. “Do not use if pregnant or nursing.” Even the manufacturers of the product knew it was poisonous. I went through all my products and threw away anything that had chemicals at all. This was the beginning of my quest for all organic skin care products and all things green.

These days, the average person has heard by now that there are certain ingredients that should be avoided if possible in all products. Even some supposed “organic” product lines contain these ingredients. How do we as consumers tell the difference between the real organic products and the ones who just chose the name?

Until the industry has a standard set of guidelines, it is up to us, the consumers, to monitor our own purchases. Eliminate parabens, petrochemicals and sodium lauryl sulfate from your products. Read the labels. And only by continuing to demand a higher purity of standard in the organic skin care products that we use can we ensure a safer future for all of us.