Oils 101

Oils are really only thing I put on my skin. I use them to cleanse my skin as well as to moisturize my skin. I know you are probably thinking that i'm nuts to use oil. Who wants their face to be a greasy mess? Not me! Well what you might not know is that one of the most basic principals of chemistry is that 'like dissolves like.' The best way to dissolve a non-polar solvent like oil, is by using another non-solvent similar in composition: other oils. By using the right oils, you can cleanse and moisturize naturally with oils extracted from natural botanicals, vegetables and fruit.

Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet almond oil is extracted from the edible portion of the almond and has a slight nutty smell. It's a mild hypoallergenic oil that protects from UV rays and softens the skin. It has high vitamin A and vitamin E content which prevents blackheads and acne. It also provides the amino acids required for the formation of collagen.

Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil is exactly what it sounds like, it is the oil extracted from the seeds of grapes. It's packed full of antioxidants, including skin brightening vitamin C. It treats acne, tightens skin, relieves dark circles under the eyes, moisturizes, and fights aging. It's a very light oil that quickly absorbs into the skin.

Apricot Oil
Apricot seed oil has a high level of B17 in the kernels, which is known to kill cancer cells and has been used as a holistic treatment in cancer patients. Apricot seed oil has also been used in ancient medicine to treat inflammatory skin disorders. The oil is made from cold pressing dried seeds. It's packed with fatty acids, vitamins A, C, and E, and a ton of antioxidants. It's also a very light oil and smells great!

Jojoba Oil
Jojoba oil is structurally and chemically very similar to the human sebum. It's actually the closest naturally occurring substance to sebum. Sebum is the oil your skin naturally produces. Despite its name, jojoba oil isn't actually an oil, its more of a liquid wax. It's non-toxic, non-comedogenic, non-allergenic, and antibacterial. I think this is the lightest of all oils and I use this in the morning as my skin absorbs this oil the fastest.

Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal. It's protein rich, softens the skin, and contains a lot of vitamin E. Coconut oil has been praised for its anti-aging properties. It makes an excellent makeup remover or moisturizer. Just make sure you get one that's pure, unrefined, cold pressed, and 100% organic.

Castor Oil 
Castor oil is extracted by pressing the seeds of the castor plant. It's famous for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Castor oil reduces pigmentation, fades blemishes, and reduces acne. The fatty acids in castor oil help stimulate the production of collagen and elastin. It aids in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and works especially well for crows feet.

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Olive oil is loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. It is a brilliant moisturizer, helping to heal and nourish the skin. It also helps stimulate cell repair for firmer and smoother skin. It penetrates deep into the skin providing a long-lasting shield of moisture. It is best applied to damp skin, the dampness helps absorb it quicker.

Why I love turmeric

Turmeric is a spice that comes from the turmeric plant. It's been around for centuries and widely known for its healing properties. It contains a yellow colored chemical called curcumin. Curcumin is the key to turmeric's healing power and used to color food and cosmetics. Turmeric is common in Asian food, the main ingredient in curry, and gives mustard it's bright yellow color. It's anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and rich in antioxidants.

When applied to the skin, turmeric can help treat acne, eczema, rosacea, and aids in skin rejuvenation. Regular use of turmeric can soften the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Turmeric has an amazing ability to reduce acne and scarring. It helps correct uneven skin tone, reduces the appearance of dark circles, and provides great relief to aging skin. It helps stimulate new cell growth and keeps the skin's elasticity intact.

Since I mentioned above it's used as a dye, it can temporarily stain your skin. Don't let this scare you. I have been using turmeric for a year and it's never stained my skin. I do, however, have a friend that experienced some some staining on her face and hands after using turmeric. It all depends on your skin tone. If you have lighter skin, you may notice slight staining. If you have a darker skin tone, like me, you may not notice anything but a radiant glow! If you do notice staining, simply wipe it off with a toner. Preferably an all natural toner like witch hazel. If you are still scared, just use turmeric at night before you go to bed.

Below are my favorite ways to use turmeric:

Turmeric Face Mask
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp raw organic honey
1 tsp milk
Pour the turmeric in a bowl. Add the honey and then the milk. Mix ingredients together until you get a paste like consistency. You may need to add more or less milk to achieve the paste. Turmeric stains EVERYTHING so make sure the paste is thick and not going to drip off your face. Apply the paste and leave on until it dries, about 20 minutes. Wash off with water.  Turmeric and honey both contain lots of antioxidants as well as antibacterial properties. Milk contains lactic acid, which is a form of alpha hydroxy acid, the same ingredient in most chemical exfoliants. The lactic acid in milk brightens and exfoliates the skin. It also treats breakouts. Don't forget that turmeric stains! Make sure you are very cautious of your clothes and whatever else you come in contact with while using turmeric.

Botanique Neem and Turmeric Face Wash 
The Vitamin Shoppe carries this Neem and Turmeric Face Wash. Neem is a plant found throughout India. It's great for anti-aging as neem oil contains vitamin C. It's also has antiseptic properties to help those who suffer from acne. The neem and turmeric together make a great face wash.

Stay Gold Hydrating Face Mask 
Perfectly Posh sells an amazing face mask called Stay Gold. Skin brightening turmeric will give your face the Midas touch while shea, milk, and honey calms, soothes, and hydrates.

Whiten Teeth with Turmeric
Wet your toothbrush and dip it in the turmeric powder. Brush your teeth as normal but instead if rinsing, allow the turmeric to sit on your teeth for 5 minutes. Rinse and brush again with your regular toothpaste. Your toothbrush will be stained yellow. If that does not bother you, use your normal toothbrush. If it does bother you, keep a separate toothbrush when you use turmeric. I noticed a significant differnece the first time I tried this.

My obsession with activated charcoal

Activated charcoal is my new best friend. About a year ago, I bought some activated charcoal capsules at the Vitamin Shoppe. I bought them because I was looking for a natural teeth whitener and activated charcoal was one. I took a capsule, opened it up, and poured the black powder in a dish. I wet my toothbrush and brushed my teeth with the powder. I left it on my teeth for about 10 minutes swishing it around. The results were instant. I was shocked to see my teeth noticeably whiter.

Activated charcoal has been around for years. Its a fine black powder that is orderless, tasteless, and non-toxic. It's used in hospital emergency rooms for patients who overdose on drug and alcohol. It removes toxins from the body. The charcoal is "activated" because it is produced to have a very fine particle size. One 50-gram dose of activated charcoal has the surface area of 10 football fields. Activated charcoal traps chemicals and toxins to prevent absorption. It helps reduce the instances of acne and other skin impurities and works wonders for completely removing makeup.

My favorite activated charcoal products:

Charcoal Cleansing Bar by Beautycounter - Charcoal Cleansing Bar
Currently I'm washing my face with the charcoal cleansing bar. This bar detoxifies and absorbs impurities in your skin without drying it out.

Gender Bender Bar by Perfectly Posh - Gender Bender Bar
This was my first experience with activated charcoal. I received a sample of this bar was I was hooked after the first time I used it. This can be used on the face and body.

Whole Lava Love Exfoliator by Perfectly Posh - Whole Lava Love
This is a mix of charcoal powder, sugar beads, and volcanic ash. This exfoliator leaves your skin feeling amazing. Exhilarating natural tea tree and mint fragrance make this ash as good as it gets!

Boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponge from Sephora - Boscia Konjac Cleansing Sponge
This pillow-soft sponge is infused with bamboo charcoal. It cleanses and exfoliates to detoxify the pores. The sponge should be replaced every two to three months.

Activated Charcoal Capsules from the Vitamin Shoppe - Activated Charcoal Capsules
As I said above, you can whiten your teeth with these capsules. You can also add the powder to your existing face wash. Either way, just BE CAREFUL. This powder form of charcoal gets everywhere!

How do you covert to chemical free?

Converting to chemical free might seem overwhelming at first. For some of you, it's not something you can change overnight. You might want to start out slow and change one product at a time. For others, you might want to immediately ditch your current products and start over fresh. It's really a matter of  personal preference and as I said, every little bit helps.

Products you should change first: shampoo, deodorant, body soap, toothpaste, face wash, moisturizer, makeup

Products to change in the near future: hand soap, mouthwash, hair products (hairspray, gel, mousse, etc.), exfoliating scrubs, nail polish, hand sanitizer, and even laundry detergent (the chemicals you wash your clothes with seep into your skin every time you get dressed, yikes!)

I created tabs at the top of this blog. Each tab references a different cosmetic. If you click on the tab, it brings you to a page where I go in detail about each one. I also give recommendations for chemical free versions of each cosmetic.

Below is the shoppers guide to safe cosmetics. You can save the image to your phone so you can revert to it when you are at the store.

Why should you go chemical free?

You are probably thinking "She isn't a scientist. She isn't a chemist. She isn't even a doctor. Why should I listen to her?" You are correct, I'm not a scientist, I'm not a chemist, and I'm not a doctor. I am however, highly educated on the chemicals in cosmetics. If my eyelashes didn't fall out, I wouldn't be sitting here blogging about the dangers of chemicals. I would still be washing my hair with Pantene, slathering Dove all over my body, and applying Diorshow mascara while wearing Crest Whitestrips. It's almost a blessing in disguise that my eyelashes did fall out because it was a huge eye opener for me. I had no clue how dangerous these chemicals are and I never thought twice about what I put on my skin.

You don't have to be perfect when it comes to chemical free skincare. Every little bit helps. Every little change helps. You can start out slow by changing one product at a time.

We, as the consumer, are in control. If we stop buying chemical ridden products, the manufacturers will stop making them. It's up to us to make the change.

What you put on your body is just as significant as what you put in your body

Putting chemicals on the skin may be worse than eating them. When you eat something, the enzymes  in the saliva and stomach help to break it down and flush it out of your body. However, when you put these chemicals on your skin, they can be absorbed straight into your bloodstream.

We know that our skin is our biggest organ. The skin is grouped into several layers, the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. These layers act as barriers to the blood vessels located under the hypodermis layer. The skin does a good job in protecting what makes it to the blood vessels, but chemicals still get in.

Penetration rates of chemicals into the skin are affected by the body part they are applied to. The skin on the soles of our feet is very thick, whereas the skin on our eyelids is very thin. Absorption rates on our face and scalp are 5-10 times higher than on other parts of the body. Absorption also depends on molecule size, chemical solubility, the means in which its transported (cosmetic), and whether or not the chemical reacts with the enzymes in your skin.

Enzymes in the skin can activate and inactivate many drugs and foreign compounds. This means our skin protects us from exposure to certain chemicals while actually intensifying the effects of others. There are actually enzymes that activate chemcials and make them more toxic!

You have likely heard the saying, you are what you eat. And the same theory holds true for your skin. This is why it's so important to read labels and become educated about what ingredients to avoid when selecting cosmetics.

"Organic" and "Natural" Defined

We discussed what ingredients to look for in labels, now let's dig deeper into terms like synthetic vs. natural. As you already know from my Ingredients To Avoid post, there are lots of synthetic ingredients in cosmetics. What you might not know is that terms like "natural", "organic", and even "herbal" have no legal definition on cosmetic labels. This means manufacturers can put anything they want in in the bottle and stamp an "all natural" or "organic" label on it.

It's hard to tell what ingredients are actually "organic" or "natural"  because truth-in-marketing rules for food do not apply to cosmetics. The only exception to this are products bearing the USDA Organic Seal. These products contain ingredients that come from plants grown without fertilizers and artificial pesticides.

Though the FDA has the authority to reprimand cosmetic makers whose labels make false claims, they never imposed standard definitions for these terms. The term "organic" has not been defined by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act or the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act.

Cosmetics can contain as little as a trace of a natural ingredient, while the rest completely synthetic, and can legally label it "all natural".

You must be thinking, "Aren't cosmetics labeled "organic" or "all natural" at least safer?" The answer is no. An ingredients source does not determine its safety. For example, many plants, whether they are organically grown or not, contain substances that may be toxic or allergic.

This is why it's so important to read the ingredients on every product you buy. Manufacturers are smart, they know what catches your eye, and they label products accordingly. These labels can have no bearing on what's actually in the bottle.

The Story of Cosmetics

The below link brings you to a short 8 minute video, The Story of Cosmetics. The video examines the pervasive use of toxic chemicals in our everyday personal care products. It explains, in a simple way, the process of "toxins in, toxins out"


The Story of Cosmetics


Since its -2 today, stay inside and watch the video ❄️

How to read labels

In my last post i talked about what ingredients to stay away from. When you look at labels, i'm sure you are overwhelmed. The list of ingredients is usually very long, the print is usually very tiny, and you usually can't pronounce at least half of them. I swear they do this on purpose so we cant read them!

I found this website, Environmental Working Group (EWG) Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. EWG Skin Deep is an online safety guide for cosmetics and personal care items. Skin Deep launched in 2004 to help people find safer products with fewer ingredients that are hazardous or that haven't been fully tested.

Skin Deep assesses over 70,000 personal care products using the most reputable science sources. They assign each product a score from 0-10 (10 is most toxic). The rating system offers three categories, low hazard ingredients, moderate hazard ingredients, and high hazard ingredients. Low hazard ingredients range from 0-2 on the scale and show up in green. Moderate hazard ingredients range from 3-6 on the scale and show up in orange. High hazard ingredients range from 7-10 on the scale and show up in red.

Not every single product is in the database. EWG expands Skin Deep with thousands of new products every year, but they can't evaluate every product on the market. It's still a great website and excellent resource.

You can manually type in the product to find it's rating right on their website www.ewg.org/skindeep

You can also download the free app http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/app. The app allows you to use a bar code scanner and actually scan products in the store before you purchase.

I will never forget the day I was in Sephora scanning away at some face cream in the back. I saw one of the girls that worked there watching me. At first I panicked. Is she going to say something to me for scanning products? Is that not allowed? Come on, you can try on every product in the store, buy it, then return it after it's half gone. How can they not allow me to scan a few products? She finally came over asked if I had any questions. My response "no thanks, I have an app that answers all my questions for me. " Yes, I know that was bitchy. I think she was surprised by my comment but more intrigued by the app to worry about it. She asked all about the app, grabbed her phone, and downloaded it right then.

Skin Deep is a great tool to utilize since it might be difficult to memorize all the ingredients I mentioned in my last post. Scan your products!! If it's moderate to high hazard (orange or red), don't buy it. There are so many products on the market surely you can find some that are low hazard (green).

EWG is currently running a promotion. If you donate a minimum of $5 to their research, they will send you a Quick Tips for Safer Cosmetics guide. This is a wallet size card full of tips on how to read labels. This could come in handy for anyone who still has a flip phone, like my mom....