Are you Green with your skincare? In keeping with the true spirit of St. Patrick’s day mySkin.com profiles a blogger whose passion and commitment to green skincare is commendable and note worthy.
This tete’-a-tete’ with Toxic Beauty blog has been a true learning experience and its given me a deeper insight into organic skincare.
mySkin: Why go Organic / Green with your skincare product choices?
Toxic Beauty blog: The skin is the largest organ of the body and many people don’t know this. Whatever is placed on it is absorbed directly into the blood stream. Most makeup is littered with chemicals linked to nervous system disorders, hormonal disruptions, and various cancers. Organic cosmetics provide a safer alternative to commercial ones as the ingredients are more complimentary with the body’s natural chemistry.
mySkin: I’ve heard that green products are pricey and have a lower shelf life- Can you comment on this?
Toxic Beauty blog: It really depends on how you look at it. You can elect to spend less money for a harmful product or more for a safer one. Which would you choose? Organic cosmetics cost more because they use quality ingredients which cost the company more to produce. As for shelf life, commercial cosmetics have a longer life span because they are composed of preservatives. Preservatives are the main culprit as most are toxic and disrupt the body’s natural processes. Organic cosmetics contain natural preservatives which extend shelf life as well but not nearly as long as their toxic counterparts.
mySkin: Could you share with our readers a DIY moisturizer recipe for the summers?
Toxic Beauty blog: A very simple and easy way to moisturize the skin as well as protect it from the sun’s harmful rays is to use pure Shea butter. Shea butter has a high vitamin E content, making it a natural sunscreen. It’s perfect for summer since it provides protection as well as moisture for the face and entire body. Shea butter improves skin tone, relieves dry skin and helps to reduce wrinkles because it contains a rich amount of fatty acids. Fatty acids are crucial for rejuvenation and moisturization of the skin. By the way, if you do get a sun burn and start to peel, Shea butter can help heal your skin faster. It’s an all around therapeutic skin conditioner.
mySkin: How can we make the site, mySkin.com a great place for organic/ green skincare users?
Toxic Beauty blog: mySkin.com can become a bit friendlier for organic consumers by including more organic products in your data base. It was wonderful to see some of my favorite brands, such as 100% Pure and Aubrey Organics in your search results, however there are many more lesser known brands available which use safe ingredients. If you were to include such brands on the site, it would give people more choices in organic brands and help smaller businesses who truly care about the consumer. I would also like to see the site feature more pure organic brands instead of those disguising themselves as organic or natural when their ingredients clearly aren’t.
mySkin: How do I know that a skincare product is ‘truly organic’. What are the easy ways to find out?
Toxic Beauty blog: If you can’t pronounce most of the ingredients, chances are it’s not organic. Be aware though, that even in some organic products, the scientific name for the natural ingredient is used such as “Lavandula angustifolia” which is lavender. However, if the ingredient is a long chemical name, you probably want to stay away from it. Another rule of thumb is “If you can’t eat it, don’t put it on your skin.” A great way to determine if your product is organic is to look for an organic seal, such as the USDA organic seal, ACO (Australian Certified Organic) or IFOAM (the European standard.) These seals are only applied to products which meet strict standards for organic cosmetics. Additionally, consumers can use a wonderful resource available online called the Cosmetics Safety Database (http://cosmeticsdatabase.com.) If they have a particular product or ingredient in question, they simply type it in to get a complete profile and rating of the ingredient or product’s safety. Of course, they can also e-mail me (robina@toxicbeautyblog.com) with any questions they may have.
mySkin: How long do you test a green skin care product to know it is effective?
Toxic Beauty blog: When I receive a product to review, I use it for a minimum of 14-30 days. During this period, I use the product exclusively without mixing it with anything else. I look for skin interactions, i.e. if there is any skin irritation or discoloration and if the product delivers on what it promises. I also take into account the “user experience.” For example, if it’s a body lotion, is the scent strong, does it absorb quickly, or feel thick?
mySkin: What do you do with the free product that’s been reviewed?
Toxic Beauty blog: I use a free product for review until the end of my review period. At this point, I do the review and always give my honest opinion. (By the way, it is just an opinion….just because I liked it doesn’t mean the next person will. I encourage readers to try products out for themselves to see if it works for them. If it’s a product I really liked, I finish the product until it’s gone. I don’t waste anything!
Its been lovely talking to you, Robin. Your ‘green take’ at skincare via your writings is daring and awesome!
Wishing you All A Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Ciao!
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Robin Adler is the creator of http://www.toxicbeautyblog.com and is currently working on a Toxic Beauty ebook detailing the toxic ingredients in cosmetics and how we can avoid them. You can subscribe to her free newsletter on her blog and receive instant access to her special report, Beautify Naturally: 10 Nontoxic Ways to a More Beautiful You. She also operates two other beauty blogs: http://naturalbeautyra.info, a site devoted to Aubrey Organics and http://myorganicacne.com, a site for holistic acne solutions.
mySkin.com helps women and men across age groups, ethnicities and skin concerns to find the right skincare product from almost all brands. We are the world’s first and only unbiased and scientific source – we don’t take advertising from skincare product manufacturers, or push products. There is a vibrant community that shares their skincare experiences. The site is created by a world renowned bio-physicist, a leading plastic surgeon, two Harvard Business School classmates. It is supported by Harold Stolzenberg, CEO of La Prairie for 20 years; Geraldine Laybourne, who started Oxygen Media with Oprah Winfrey, stumbled across mySkin, used the recommended products out of curiosity and saw a visible difference in 2 weeks, amongst other leading figures.
We are all definitely aware that there are various skin care products available in the market nowadays, they can either be synthetic natural or organic
Unfortunately I definitely have to confess that I’m not green with my skincare. No matter that I know that it would be the best I could give to my skin, probably price is what discourage me of using mainly natural products of skincare.
From the other side there are a lot of natural ingredients that we could use and let our skin look better, but again as always there is some reason why I’m not doing that. And that probably is lack of time that does not let me to get deeply in all this stuff.
There are many natural products like fruits and vegetables that we can use to make our skin better. We should not worry about the budget because it is so affordable.
Cleansing your skin or face is necessary to avoid pimples or ACNE & increase your face glow. You can make a homemade guava cleanser if you love the smell and feel of the guava fruit. Mix a 50 g of pure honey with 5 ml guava vinegar, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, and 1 tsp guava powder. Massage the natural cleanser to your face. Please note that this needs a moist skin during application. You can do this after taking your shower. Rinse with water. Apply the cleanser at least twice a day. The job of toning is to take your skin to its original level. Facial toners complete the cleansing process by removing traces of cleansers or oil that could be left behind. After the toner evaporates, the skin starts glowing & shines to make your face look shining & beautiful. Source: http://www.cliniquebonus-time.com Toners also help to tighten pores. You should use toners that have high alcohol for oily skins & avoid alcohol containing toners for dry skins as your skin will really burn when applying the toners.
I like the discussions presented on your post. I would like to practice using cosmetics made from organic materials. They may cost much compared to those synthetic counterpart but that won’t matter as long as I am sure that there are no harmful chemicals included. The numbers of organic products on cosmetics are increasing, this will show that people are more aware on the effects of synthetic substances.
Very good information about the organic skin care as well as skin care toxic. I want to know more about the organic cosmetics as well as processes.
Loving the organic skin care / green features!
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It is very helpful to cleanse your skin daily using face washes like Garnier or other such popular skin care products. I’ve been looking for beauty secrets and you surely have a great resource available on this site – the navigation and everything is simply awesome!
Thanks for the appreciation:) Keep visiting for beauty n’ skincare!
This is so shocking. I was recently able to locate the only product in the entire world that is honest to God “Chemical Free” I am repulsed that I have been poisioning myself, and my babies and was blind to the truth and fooled by marketing execs who can basically use gasoline in skin cream without ever having to tell me the consumer they are doing it. I am using I am using Made from Earth Organic Aloe Therapy and Vitamin Enhanced Face Firming Serum.
I am proud of today !And my skin looks and feels amazing !