Skincare or Skincareless?
Skincare or Skincareless?
Let’s talk about skincare. Go grab your lotion, deodorant, face
moisturizer, sunscreen, vaporub, massage oil, make-up, etc etc and
look at the ingredients. Do you know what they all are? If so you may
not need to read any further 🙂 If not, read on.
I know for me, I have been so concerned for years about what I put
INTO my body, gradually making the shift to organic, local, and
non-processed foods. Now grassfed, pasture-raised, sugar-free (yes,
sugar-free bacon!). But even though my yoga teacher told us millions
of times to be mindful of what we put on our skin, I wasn’t. I was
careful about what went on my children, but not always myself. Then a
yogi friend of mine started emailing me recipes for skincare and
telling me about her experiments and it reminded me to come back to
that. To be mindful of my skin, to consider the body as a whole, not
just parts. And to be conscious of what I’m using and where it comes
from. Just like food.
The skin is the largest organ of the body, we all know that. And that
means that it carries nutrients as well. Nutrients that are absorbed
into the bloodstream. So what happens when you use skincare products
that contain a thousand chemicals? They get into your body and can
cause endocrine dysfunction and therefore hinder bodily functions.
These chemicals can stay in the body for months, even years. Isn’t
that wild?
Buying more natural products is definitely one good step. Be wary
though, as many “natural” ingredients have undergone chemical
processing which reduces their beneficial
properties. Â Look for short, simple ingredient lists, and ingredients
that you recognize. Even better, ingredients that you would eat!
Another option is to make your own. It’s not as daunting as it sounds.
Actually it’s pretty simple, and can be fun! It’s an awesome thing to
do with and talk about with your kids, and the perfect gift for people
that you care about. Did you know you can make a make-up foundation
using just a tablespoon each of arrowroot powder and cocoa? If you
love body butter/facial moisturizer, here is a recipe for body butter
that we LOVE. Japheth calls it miracle butter.
http://wellnessmama.com/6544/
I’ve also made vaporub for the kids, sunscreen, lip balm, and
deodorant (still working on perfecting that recipe!). Give something a
try and let me know how it goes!
-Suzanne