Dry Brushing

What is dry brushing? It's exactly what it sounds like, brushing the bare skin while it's dry. You exfoliate your skin in the shower right? This is similar but without the water and with more health benefits. Dry brushing is an ancient practice that has been around for centuries to keep the body healthy. It only involves two things, your body and a brush. The benefits include:

     Exfoliation - dry brushing helps slough off dead, dry skin. It's a very simple
     and natural way to exfoliate. Your skin will feel softer after one brush and look
     healthier after a few.
     Reduces Cellulite - dry brushing is known for reducing cellulite. Cellulite is
     basically toxic fat buildup under the skin that results in a wrinkling effect. Dry
     brushing the area can help stimulate the skin and break up the toxic material.
     Stimulates the Lymphatic System - dry brushing stimulates the lymphatic
     system and aides in detoxing. The lymphatic system plays a major part in
     moving toxins out of the body. Dry brushing can help move the waste along
     through the lymph vessels below the skin
     Boosts Circulation - dry brushing is similar to a massage. It increases
     circulation and also feels good.

Use an all-natural bristle brush. I got one with a handle so I can reach my back, but the handheld brushes with the strap are great too. Start out with gentle pressure on the brush and over time you will be able to use more pressure. Don't forget to clean your brush. Wash it once a week with soap and water and let hang dry, preferably in a sunny area.

The best time to dry brush is in the morning. I actually get in the shower, dry brush (so the dead skin falls into the shower and not on my bathroom floor, ewwww) then turn on the water and shower. You should always brush towards the heart. Start at the feet and brush up. Brush several times in each area but always remember to brush towards the heart.

Don't brush too hard or for too long. It's not supposed to hurt or break the skin. Don't brush your skin if you have cuts, burns, or rashes. You might not want to dry brush if you have super sensitive skin. I read a few reviews from women who successfully dry brushed for years, had hormonal changes to their skin, and could no longer dry brush. So listen to your body ladies, dry brushing might not be for everyone.

I personally love dry brushing. I have noticed a huge change in my skin. It's one of the easiest and cheapest ways to get glowing, healthy skin.

Laundry Detergent

What you wash your clothes with is very important. Clothing is in constant contact with the skin. Our skin absorbs what we put on it, especially when we sweat. We all want our clothes to smell fresh and feel soft. In order to obtain this, the manufacturers use chemicals, and lots of them. These chemicals help remove stains from your clothes but they also leave behind toxins that seep into your skin. So is your laundry really clean if it's been saturated with chemicals after it's been washed?

I struggled with making my own laundry detergent. I tried dozens of recipes and didn't love any of them. I finally found one, and it was the easiest to make out of the dozen. It doesn't foam, which took me a while to get used to, but it does clean my clothes and contains only two ingredients.

Homemade Laundry Powder
3 bars of coconut oil soap - Kirk's Castile Soap
6 cups of Washing Soda - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
Grind the bar soap into powder (I cut the bars up and threw them in my Ninja because I don't have a food processor)
Combine the soap powder and washing soda into a large container
Add 2-3 Tbsp to each load

Helpful tips
- when washing in cold water, add the powder first to hot water so it dissolves then switch the water back to cold
- add a few drops of essential oil directly into the water as it fills the machine. Lemon is a great degreaser and lavender's deodorizing capabilities can work wonders on your laundry
- fill your fabric softener compartment or Downey ball with white vinegar. It softens and fluffs naturally

Waxing

Waxing at a salon can get expensive. You also have no idea what they are putting on your skin. When I lived in NYC, a co-worker got an STD in her eye while getting her eyebrows waxed. I will spare you the details, but I'm sure you can imagine how that happened. Yuck! With the cost, the chemicals, and the risk for infection, you should just wax yourself at home.

Parissa Organic Wax which is available on the Parissa website, on Amazon, or at Ulta, is made with USDA certified organic cane sugar. It only contains five ingredients, sucrose, aqua, citric acid, glycerin, and chamomilla recutita flower extract. This washable hair remover is gentle on the skin and the environment. Suitable for medium & fine hair types, it can be used everywhere on the body for smooth skin that lasts for weeks. It only costs $20 for the whole jar which is the same price you would pay to get your eyebrows waxed once at the salon.

I know the idea of waxing at home might seem scary, but it's a lot easier than you think. I have been waxing myself for years. It's convenient, safe, and chemical free! Here are a few tips I learned along the way:
     Never double dip with the stick
     When you run out of sticks, replace them with popsicle sticks from Michaels.
     After waxing, your pores are open so stay away from direct sunlight, swimming
     pools, saunas, jacuzzis, hot tubs, and steam rooms.
     Apply a drop of lavender essential oil after waxing to soothe the skin and
     prevent redness.
     Invest in a wax warmer. Parissa Wax Warmer For $15, it's totally worth it. I got
     this on Amazon but Ulta now carries them.

Give it a try... You will be shocked at how easy it is!

Fragrance

Fragrances are chock-full of toxic ingredients. Fragrance is considered a 'trade secret' so companies legally don't have to list the dozens or even hundreds of synthetic compounds it contains. According to EWG, fragrance secrecy is legal due to a giant loophole in the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973, which requires companies to list cosmetics ingredients on the product labels but explicitly exempts fragrance. By taking advantage of this loophole, the cosmetics industry has kept the public in the dark about the 3,100 ingredients in fragrance, even those that present potential health risks or build up in people's bodies.

It gets worse. Fragrance usually contains some sort of animal urine, whale vomit, or even paste secreted from the anal gland of the civet cat. These are used as the base of the fragrance and act as odor carriers. Some companies stopped using animal ingredients in the 90's, but a lot still use them. 

Fragrance mixes have been associated with allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, and potential side effects on the reproductive system. They are also linked to cancer, birth defects, and nervous system disorders. 

If you can't part with your perfume, spray it on your clothes instead of on your skin. Stay away from roller balls and splash bottles. Stick to spray bottles and spray it on your shirt and never directly on the skin. Many cosmetics labeled "unscented" still contain fragrance so always be sure to read the label.

Happy 1st Year Blog Anniversary!

Exactly one year ago today, I started this blog! My vision was to create a centralized space where I could store all the information I had gathered on chemicals in cosmetics. My friends and co-workers used to constantly ask "what can I use for this?" or "what I can I replace this with?" I thought a blog would be the perfect place. Although I had never blogged before, I thought how hard can it be? Well, it wasn't as easy as I thought. A lot of blood, sweat, and tears went into this blog. A huge thank you to all my followers and everyone who reads my posts. Year two will be just as fabulous! Happy 1st Year Blog Anniversary! xoxo

Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer is used my millions, every day, as a way to wash their hands when soap and water isn't readily available. Hand sanitizers are believed to kill bacteria but they also have a very dark side. 

The active ingredient in most hand sanitizers is alcohol, either ethol alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, or a mixture of both. This is what kills the germs. The problem is that alcohol in the sanitzers are mixed with lots of harmful chemicals. Alcohol enhances the absorption of other ingredients. This means anything mixed with it will move through the skin and into the bloodstream more easily. Let's look at some of the hand sanitizers on the market.

Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Hand Sanitizer
Active Ingredient: Alcohol 68%
Inactive ingredients: Water (Aqua, Eau), Isopropal Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Honey Extract (Mel, Extract de meil), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Extract, Dimethicone, Hydroxyproplcellulose, Dimethiconol, Laureth-23, Laureth-4, Glycerin, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Alumnia, Isopropal Myristate, Aminomethyl Propanol, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Red 33 (CI 17200), Yellow 5 (CI 19140).

Purel Advanced Naturals Hand Sanitizer (this is marketed as a more natural hand sanitizer!!) 
Active ingredient: Ethol alcohol 70%
Inactive ingredients: Alcohol Denatured, Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Butyl Ester of PVM/MA Copolymer, Panthenol, Glycerin, Cyclomethicone, Tocopherol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, PEG-75 Lanolin, Water (Aqua/Eau), Tetrahydroxypropyl Ethylenediamine, Amino-Methyl Propanol, Parfum/Fragrance, Linoleamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate, Hydroxycitronellal, Dimethyl Lauramine, Isostearate, Linalool, Benzyl Salicylate, Sodium PCA, Butylphenyl, Methylpropional, Amyl Cinnamal, Geraniol, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal.

Dr. Bronners Organic Fair Trade Hand Sanitizing Spray
Ingredients: Organic ethanol 68%, water, organic glycerin, organic lavender oil

Which one would you choose? Definitely the Dr. Bronners right? That's what I use. Or I make my own (recipe below). Bottom line is to always wash your hands with soap and water when you can. When you can't, find a chemical free hand sanitizer. The chemical ones raise real concerns, especially in children, when used frequently. 

DIY Hand Sanitizer
2oz of 120 proof vodka (any brand will work. I use vodka over rubbing alcohol because it has natural antiseptic properties from natural resources)
10 drops of lavender essential oil (I use Young Living)
10 drops of vegetable glycerin
Mix ingredients and transfer to a 2oz spray bottle. I keep these bottles in my car, purse, and in my desk at the office. 

Tips for Reading Labels

Ignore the Front

Don't waste your time reading whatever is on the front of the product. The front of a bottle is nothing more than a marketing tactic. Since manufacturers know people like natural ingredients, some are throwing a bit of aloe into the formula, then posting "aloe" all over the front of the product so you think it's all natual. Always turn the product over and read the label on the back.

The Order

The first 4-5 ingredients make up the majority of your formula. Labeling laws require manufacturers to list first the ingredients that constitute the highest percentage of the product. If water is the first ingredient in an expensive skin cream, think twice about buying it. If the most effective ingredient is hanging out at the bottom of the list, that means there is hardly any of it in the product, and you might want to re-evaluate the effectiveness of the product. Focus most of your attention on the first five ingredients and that will give you the basic story on what's in it. 

Natural Oils

Look for ingredients like natural essential oils or natural plant oils. Some great moisturizers include jojoba, coconut, sesame, almond, apricot, soybean, olive, and macadamia seed. Other oils like chamomile and aloe are soothing and healing.

Free

Look for this word on your products. Manufacturers may say “fragrance-free”, “sulfate-free", or "paraben-free." While this is a good start, there may still be a lot of other potentially harmful ingredients. Make sure you read the ingredient label on the back.

Organic

This means the product contains ingredients derived from living matter. A label stating "organic" is a legitimate claim monitored by the USDA. If it says "USDA organic" that means it was made with 95 percent or more organic materials. 

Can you Pronounce it? 

A chemical ingredient list contains mostly things you can’t pronounce. Not all chemicals are potentially harmful, but try to find formulas that contain more natural ingredients, such as aloes, plant oils, honey, shea butter, etc.

Expiration Dates

Ever see the symbol for the floating lid jar with a number and an 'M' on it? It refers to how long the product is good after opening (6 months, 12 months, etc).

Hypoallergenic 
Manufacturers claim that products that bear this claim produce fewer allergic reactions than other products. There are, though, no federal standards or definitions that govern the use of the term or ensure that these products are less irritating to sensitive skin than others.

Dermatologist Recommended
This is the most common marketing claim on cosmetics. It lets the buyer know that the product has received an MD's stamp of approval AND their recommendation. The reality? This means they got someone who calls themselves a dermotologist (they don't even have to be board certified) to recommend their product. What's even worse is usually the "dermotologist" receives some sort of reimbursement for this.

Shave Gel

The most dangerous part of your shaving routine doesn't involve the razor, it's the shave gels and creams you lather on. Like most products, shave gels and creams contain harmful ingredients. These ingredients, glycol, sodium lauryl sulfates, TEA, and mineral oil are toxic. You use hot water when you shave which opens up your pores. This allows the shave gel/cream to penetrate deeper into the skin. You also exfoliate the dead skin while shaving. This leaves you with a fresh new layer of skin that is highly porous and soaks up the gel/cream. Since you shave every day, or every other day, these chemicals can leave your skin irritated, dry, and with red itchy bumps. Yuck!

So what can you do? Make your own. I use the below recipe and I love it. 

Shave Gel
1/2 cup Dr Bronner's liquid Castile soap
1/4 cup hot water
1/2 tsp salt (this acts as a preservative)
2 Tbsp vegetable glycerin
2 Tbsp pure aloe vera gel (make sure you buy one that's 100% pure, like this )
8 drops of essential oil (optional, I left this out because I used a scented Dr Bronner's)
Dissolve the salt in the hot water then add remaining ingredients. Transfer to a pump bottle.

If you don't want to make your own, here are a few good chemical free ones
Shea Moisture Shave Creme - coconut hibiscus shave butter creme
Dr Bronner's Shaving Soaps - shaving soap

New Year.....New Products

Let's start out the new year by swapping out some of your chemical ridden products for some chemical free products. I know change isn't easy. I would still be using my St. Ives Apricot Scrub I used in middle school if I could. Below are some easy products to swap out. I know some of you might not have the time, patience, or interest in making your own products and that's totally okay. There are a lot of things you can swap out with products found at your local grocery store or even from your own kitchen. Every little bit helps. Now let's get swapping...

A.M. Facial Moisturizer - swap it out for jojoba oil

Face wash/cleanser/gel - swap it out for Beautycounter's charcoal cleansing bar

Toner - swap it out for witch hazel

Face Mask - swap it out for baking soda. Make a paste with baking soda and water. Apply to clean skin and let sit for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

P.M. Facial Moisturizer - swap it out for apricot oil, grapeseed oil, or almond oil

Bar Soap - swap it out for Dr Bronner bar soap

Body Wash - swap it out for Dr Bronner liquid soap

Body Scrub - swap it out for Epsom salt. Mix 1/2 cup Epsom salt with 1/4 cup olive oil and scrub skin in the shower

Body Lotion - swap it out with coconut oil

Shampoo and Conditioner - swap it out for some chemical free options like Acure Organics, Shea Moisture, Juice Organics

So cheers to the new year, new products, and less chemicals!

Pop Some Bubbly for the Skin

Champagne contains several ingredients that are amazing for the skin. Resveratrol is potent antioxidant that can act as a shield against skin damage and provides serious anti-aging benefits. Polyphenol helps reduce skin inflammation and skin redness. Tartaric acid helps balance out discoloration and can brighten your skin. 

So what do you do with all that leftover champagne from New Years? You put it on your skin!

Champagne can be used as a toner to help promote clear skin. Put any leftover champagne back in the fridge so the liquid is slightly chilled. Wash your face while it's chilling. Apply the champagne with a cotton ball to your face and neck as you would with your normal toner. Follow with a generous amount of moisturizer.

Champagne contains carbon dioxide which acts as a gentle exfoliator to sooth dry skin. Add a cup of champagne to your hot bath for an exfoliating and fizzy treatment for your skin.

Champagne makes an excellent hair treatment. Mix 1/2 cup champagne with 1/2 cup water and distribute evenly through your hair. Leave on for 10-15 minutes, rinse out, and follow with conditioner. Your hair will feel silky and smooth.

Remember to keep champagne stocked throughout the year. A glass of bubbly contains antioxidants that are 20 to 50 times more powerful than vitamin C and vitamin E. As a result, every sip protects the skin's vital collagen and elastin from environmental free radicals and oxidative stress. Oh and a glass of champagne is only 95 calories...

Drink up ladies and cheers to 2017!