Putting your best face forward shouldn’t mean a morning face scrub with chemicals. If you’ve read many of our articles, like the ones on sunscreen and mascara, you know most people are bombarded with chemicals in their everyday products. Did you know there are over 10,000 chemicals in the beauty brands on the store shelves and that the average woman puts 515 synthetic chemicals on her body daily? (1) It’s true! Are those chemicals dangerous? Likely! How do you keep track of which ones to avoid?!!! Often, the daily dousing of chemicals starts with your morning face wash. Using these chemical-laced products can be a huge problem over time. Do you know what’s in your personal care products like face wash? It’s time to make the switch to more natural ingredients for your daily skincare routine.

Chemicals in Skin Care Products

If you’re using the typical, store-bought facial cleanser, it likely contains irritating and harmful chemicals. Some chemicals to watch for are:

1-Phthalates

Phthalates are another endocrine disruptor in many personal care products, including face wash. Animal studies have linked these plasticizing agents to early puberty, messing with the hormone system, interfering with male reproductive development, low testosterone, and low sperm count. (2) Don’t use chemicals that mess with your hormones!

2-Fragrance

This one slips past the average person’s ingredient-checking radar because it sounds lovely. It’s not! The problem is that synthetic fragrances (often listed as parfum) can be a combination of many ingredients. Some of those ingredients are allergens, carcinogens, or endocrine disruptors like phthalates. ☝ Fragrance is not your friend.

3-Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

Also known as SLS, this chemical and its cousin, SLES, can be found in your favorite cleanser to help it “foam up.” Why do people need the foam? Listen, you don’t need suds to be clean. These chemicals can irritate many people’s skin. They can also be carcinogenic when combined with other chemicals. SLES cannot be metabolized by the liver, allowing the effects to be longer-lasting. These chemicals are also often contaminated during manufacturing with the by-product 1,4-Dioxane, a proven carcinogen. (3)

4-Petroleum Products

These are in many personal care products because of their low cost and moisturizing effects. Some of these products aren’t easily metabolized by the liver, which means once they’re in your body, they tend to build up. They can disrupt hormones and potentially cause cancer. It’s not beneficial for your skin as it creates a barrier, keeping moisture out and toxins in.

5-TEA

This one is not to be confused with your cup of organic green tea. TEA is short for triethanolamine. TEA, DEA, and MEA are ammonia-related compounds in many beauty products. These chemicals are linked to inflammation, organ toxicity, and cancer in test animals. That’s not our cup of tea!

Take Care of Your Skin

Watch out for harmful chemicals in your skincare products and look for reputable companies to purchase from. So many disreputable companies will remove recognizable chemicals of concern from their formulations only to replace them with similar chemicals with a different name. In a world with thousands of chemicals on store shelves, consumers must arm themselves with knowledge. You don’t need to go down the beauty products aisle to get a great face wash. There are products you can pull from your pantry that will leave you with a happy, healthy glow. We recommend coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, activated charcoal, and essential oils as excellent ingredients for DIY cleansers. The skin is the body’s largest organ, so you want to treat it right!

What Can You Find on Wellness Way Bathroom Counters?

We asked some of our awesome Wellness Way ladies what they use to keep their skin so awesome without the chemicals. They were happy to share some of their best tips! Here are a few simple ideas for natural skin care.

Face Masks

• Charcoal Mask: Try an activated charcoal mask for natural detoxification.
• Coffee Mask: Check out our recipe for a nice detoxifying coffee mask.

Scrubs & Cleansers

• ACV Cleanser/Toner: Keep it simple with apple cider vinegar It comes highly recommended by Dr. Patrick Flynn.
• Charcoal soap, CBD oil, and essential oils: Try a charcoal bar followed by CBD oil mixed with essential oil for acne breakouts. Cypress and helichrysum essential oils are also great for the skin.
• Coconut oil + Sugar: Need to exfoliate? Mix coconut oil and sugar together for a fantastic exfoliator!
• Coconut Oil + Sunflower Oil: This combination is AWESOME for the skin! Sunflower Oil is more of a deep cleanser than Coconut Oil is, so only use it once or twice a week. You can also add in some Activated Charcoal for good measure.
• Coconut oil with essential oils: Mix some coconut oil with lavender and frankincense essential oils. Rub it in really well and use a warm wet washcloth to remove the oil and makeup. It works great removing eye makeup. You can also follow up by applying a little as a moisturizer.

Moisturizers/Face Oils

No need for lotions and potions that can irritate sensitive skin. Instead, try these nourishing botanicals:

• Organic rose hip oil: Rose hip oil is rich in vitamin C, which helps with collagen production!
• Rose hip, Argan, and Vitamin E: Combine these ingredients: 1 ounce Rose-hip oil, 1 ounce Argan oil, 1 teaspoon Vitamin E, plus a combination of 10 – 30 drops of these essential oils: Helichrysum, Ylang Ylang, Lavender, and Frankincense. Use a small amount before bed because it’s pretty oily. Then wash off the excess oils in the morning.
• Jojoba or Raspberry seed oil with EOs added: Alternate between jojoba oil with lavender essential oil and raspberry seed oil with lavender and/or helichrysum essential oil. Helichrysum EO has incredible anti-aging properties, and so does the raspberry seed oil). The raspberry seed oil doesn’t leave the skin feeling oily or greasy, and the jojoba works as a deeper moisturizer.
• Coconut oil with Elemi oil: Try this combo for normal to dry skin and start slowing the aging process!
• DIY Face Cream: Try this Natural Face Cream, featuring grapeseed oil, beeswax, and shea butter.
• Aloe vera gel: Aloe vera is another fantastic natural way to achieve hydration.

When shopping for natural skincare products, look for organic ingredients (especially USDA organic certified) in products that are appropriate for your skin type. Organic skincare is now widely available, including at your local box stores like Target.

Take Care of Your Health and Your Skin

The foam and empty promises of perfect skin aren’t worth the harmful chemicals! Treat your skin right with natural cleansers. The Wellness Way ladies had some great suggestions for all. Don’t forget to feed your body for healthy skin. Focus on non-inflammatory foods full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, proteins, and good fats. Probiotics are also great for the skin and overall health, so we were sure to include quality probiotics in our line of supplements. Great skin can be natural! Make sure to start your morning right with clean beauty! It’s an easy upgrade and a great way to start somewhere!

Check out this Quick Tip from Dr. Patrick Flynn on Acne:

Resources:

1. https://www.organics.org/women-put-515-synthetic-chemicals-bodies-every-day/
2. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/assets/docs/j_q/phthalates_the_everywhere_chemical_handout_508.pdf
3. https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/natural-consumer-products-found-contaminated-cancer-causing-14-dioxane-groundbreaking-analysis