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.