It’s hard to
conceptualize all the toxic chemicals that are in our skin-care products. When a
product comes in a beautiful tube and is labeled “organic oat honey and lavender
body butter,” it can be easy to think that it’s good for us. The front of the
label is often used to sell us what the brand thinks we want to hear, or what
we’re meant to believe, so we slather away unknowingly. When we look closer and
read the actual ingredients, sadly we can see the all-natural and organic
branding is not the real story. If we were given the same chemicals contained in that lotion in a shot glass, would we drink it?
By taking control of what’s in our products, we can swap out toxic chemicals in
favor of ingredients that are beneficial to our skin and our overall
health.
1. You’ll save money. Walk
into Sephora or Nordstrom, and you’re bound to find “luxury” body scrubs selling
for $30, $50, or even $70. A lot of those scrubs include a lengthy list of toxic
chemicals on their label, which can cause skin damage. On the flipside, the
scrub recipes in this book contain ingredients you might have at home or can
easily buy in the grocery store and use for cooking, too. Pick up some avocado
oil for the Basic Body Oil (here), and I bet you’ll use
it to dress salads as well. Mix a few of these oils to make a versatile body
oil, stir in some used coffee grounds (they’re more effective than unused ones),
and add a little sea salt. You’ll have a powerful cellulite-eliminating scrub
that will save you a lot of money, and not take a lot of time.
2. You control the quality.
Would you rather cook with a fresh, sweet, vine-ripened tomato or a canned one?
How about indulging in store-bought cookies or warm chewy cookies from the oven?
The same is true with skin-care products. A commercial product might tout
certain ingredients on its label, but it’s hard to know
if they used a high-end, organic, and fresh version of the ingredients, or an
old or cheaper version. And without having access to their formula you can’t
know how much of this ingredient is actually contained within the product. When
you’re making your products at home, you’re in charge of everything that goes
into the jar and in what quantities.
3. You’ll know the products are at
their peak. The longer a product sits on the store shelf, the less
effective it will be. When you’re creating your own products, you’ll know
exactly when it was packaged and how long it should ll (g it shast. Ingredients
have an expiration date, and if you use them when they’re fresh, you can use
less and get more out of them.
4. You’ll be helping the
environment. Mass-produced body products contribute to pollution with
chemicals when they’re being manufactured and are then packaged in plastic and,
oftentimes, boxed up in cardboard. A large number of these products will go
unused or wind up down the drain when you wash them off, further adding to their
toxic effect on the environment. I call it the triple threat. First, during
manufacturing, the chemicals pollute the environment, then they pollute our
bodies when we use them, and finally, they pollute the environment again when
they go down the drain.
5. You can make DIY products into
great gifts. When my daughters were school-aged, we loved to make bath
bombs and scrubs for their friends and teachers. It was amazing to me how in
demand our homemade products became around holiday time. Everyone appreciates a
gift made from the heart, and natural beauty products really show the
love.
