In the past decade, there has been an increased amount of awareness surrounding the food we put in our body. Knowing that hormones are injected into cows motivates us to buy organic sources of meat & dairy. Understanding that our bodies require a decent dose of fat daily to run optimally spurs us towards adding foods like nuts & avocados into our diet. The realisation that gluten could be the root of various stomach issues has created an upsurge of gluten-free products across supermarket shelves. We think twice about consuming foods with dodgy ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup and/or artificial sweeteners. Both subconsciously and consciously, we are all taking better care of the food we choose to put into our bodies.
Although some may consider it neurotic, it’s hardly out of the norm to scan ingredient lists twice before purchasing a product. As a healthy living blogger and Nutrition Specialist, it’s no surprise that I am quite particular about the kinds of food I put INTO my body. In the last year, I’ve started to pay more attention towards the products I put ON my body. It’s scary to imagine that the skin is the largest organ & absorbs 60% of what you put on it. According to the Environmental Working Group, the average woman uses 12 “beauty” products per day, containing about 168 ingredients. That’s a lot of ingredients we put into our body, and if we’re not careful many of those could be toxic (Source). From cancer to skin irritation, break-outs, infertility and so forth, it’s alarming how certain chemicals affect us over time, & how they react in our bodies in combination.
With that knowledge, in the past year I’ve slowly tried to transition into using natural beauty products that are free from chemicals, parabens & synthetic fragrances. While there are still certain beauty products like perfume & toothpaste that I buy conventional, I know that even switching a handful of products can dramatically reduce my exposure to toxic ingredients & the harmful effects that come with them. Like with food, you just gotta pick your battles. Given the variety of natural products currently available, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorites that do not cost an arm & a leg.
- Simple: To avoid lugging around big bottles of liquids for just a few days, I tend to rely on the miniature-travel-size Simple products for short trips. I carried the Simple Face Wash Gel & Simple Hydrating Light Moisturiser when I visited Budapest & Venice earlier this summer and was pleased with the results.
- Forest Essentials: Fortunately India seems to be ahead of the curve when it comes to natural products. When I’m back home in Mumbai, I buy almost all my beauty products from Forest Essentials especially as they rely on Ayurverdic recipes. Their products are solely made from naturally distilled pure essential oils, pure cold pressed, organically grown vegetable oils and plant extracts. Some of my favorites include:
- Pure Aloe Vera Light Moisturising Facial Gel
- Sandalwood & Saffron Night Cream
- Madurai Jasmine & Mogra Light Day Lotion
- Mashobra Wild Honey, Lemon & Rosewater Facial Cleanser
- Moisture Replenishing Bath & Shower Oil Mysore Sandalwood
- Dr. Organic: This is my latest discovery when I was perusing the shelves at Holland & Barrett. They had me at “Paraben free, SLS free, No artificial colors, fragrances or harsh preservative“. As my Forest Essentials stash ran low, I had a field day stocking up on the following Dr Organics products last week:
- Organic Virgin Coconut Oil Skin Lotion
- Organic Rose Otto Day Cream
- Organic Rose Otto Night Cream
- Organic Rose Otto Face Mask
I’ve never really been a face mask person but after trying theirs, I’m hooked! Check out the amazing ingredient list: Rose oil, Rose Extract, Aloe Vera Juice, China Clay, White Clay Mineral, Shea Butter, Coco Butter, Vitamin E, Geranium Oil, Clove Oil, Passiflora Extra, Calendula Extract, Chamomile Extract.
- Sanex Zero% Shower Gel: Although not fully chemical-free, this range contains a reduced number of chemical ingredients and fortunately contains, as taken from the site:
- 0% Parabens
- 0% Phenoxyethanol
- 0% Colourants
- 0% Phthalates
- Salt of the Earth Deodorant: I’ve tried my fair share of natural, fragrance-free deodrants in the past and this is the only one that I’ve found to be effective in terms of preventing any hint of B.O. Both roll-on & spray options are available- I personally prefer the spray, which fortunately is free from alcohol, parabens, aluminum chlorohydrate & propellants.
- Kiehl’s: Although it’s been a while since I used their products, I especially loved their Oil-Free Cleanser which is paraben-free. silicone-free & perfume-free. I would especially recommend this to anyone who is prone to oily skin. Although I’m yet to try, apparently they have a whole body care range too.
Especially in this day and age where there is more awareness of & accessibility to natural beauty products, it’s almost crazy to not consider making the switch…but then again that’s just my $0.02.
Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and I was not asked to write on behalf of any of the companies above- I just really like sharing what I enjoy!
Have you made the switch to any natural beauty products?
If so, what are some of your favourites?
I prefer natural products too but not always easy to do. I must try that deodorant as I get eczema from so many different kinds. I am hopeful a more natural one would work better. Such a helpful post I need to bookmark it!
I’d definitely suggest switching to a natural deodorant for your eczema- I’m sure it would really make a difference 🙂
To say my skin is sensitive is an understatement. I have had *some* luck with Dr Organic, but I can only use it twice a week max or I break out. The only stuff I can put on my skin is completely natural: coconut oil, jojoba oil and black soap. I even have to be careful about what eye make up remover I wear. Stupid skin!
Ooh what is black soap? Need to look into that! I actually thought of you when I saw jojoba oil at Holland & Barrett :)!
It really is scary when you start to look into how many harmful ingredients are in our beauty products. I’ve been making more of an effort to clean mine up over the past few years, and it’s nice to see more companies cleaning up their products as well, because a few of the early things I used were just awful 😆 One thing I really like to do is incorporate essential oils into my routine — those things are miracle workers.
Great idea about adding in essential oils- any you recommend in particular? A friend of mine swears by rosehip oil!
Such an important issue to bring up and hopefully things will start to change as more and more people start looking into what they out on their bodies. I think the main issue is identifying what we should all avoid on labels – a lot of people are fine with reading labels now, they just need to know what too look out for/avoid.
Definitely- that extra caution goes a long way!
this has been a work in progress for me within the last couple of years. i currently make my own house cleaners so m not using all these harmful chemicals. additionally, i made a switch over to natural tooth paste (Tom’s) and experimenting with different natural shampoos. i dont know when skin care will come since i have acne i use foundation and such for coverage.
That’s awesome about making your own house cleaners- it’s these small changes which make all the difference!
Grilled fish is totally my natural beauty product of choice!!
Amen!
Oh yes. I love Kiehl’s!! Meanwhile, we have quite the variety of organic products here in Switzerland, even the big brands switch. I love it!! I still love Argan Oil the most for my skin and hair. Smells so good!
I’ve never heard of/tried Argan Oil- will definitely look into it!
I love discovering better for you beauty products! So happy there’s a huge movement towards this now. I love a brand called Desert Essence. I’ve been using their face wash for years…LOVE IT!
I’m the same with my products – if ain’t broke, don’t fix ’em!
I could definitely do better with my skin products. My acupuncturist has been trying to get me on the natural deodorant for a while… I need to at least change that!
It took me a while to make the shift to natural deodorant because of the BO fear but now I’m SO glad I bit the bullet!
They actually say the skin care stuff is even more important than the food since our body absorbs in so quickly and it goes basically right into our blood supply where food takes longer to get absorbed and a lot of it passes through.
I’m still looking for a good daily all over moisturizer that’s reasonable priced, although I have switched my make up. I get it from a local company who makes it all on site and adds nothing extra. It’s fabulous.
That’s awesome you’ve found a company that is local and sells chemical-free make-up…I’m yet to find any around my area as of now!
I use a toothpaste that would fall into this category, don’t wear deodorant (it’s not as scary as it sounds I promise), use shea butter for lotion, and wash my hair maybe..once a week. HA. My makeup is in between natural and not, but I don’t wear much.
I wash my hair once a week too- luckily the grease seems to stay away :)!