Natural Body and Beauty Products for Better Health

Natural body care: Desert Essence Deodorant, Weleda Skin Food, Collective Wellbeing moisturizer, Indu lotion, Kiss My Face shower gel, Dr. Hauschka toner, Tom's of Maine toohpaste

Our own physical body possesses a wisdom which we who inhabit the body lack. We give it orders which make no sense. ~Henry Miller

Skin on skin. Soft caresses. Touch.

Did you feel those six words as you read them? If you did, it's not surprising - we experience the environment through skin. It is your largest organ, and it's the boundary between you and everything else. Native Americans used to greet the winter with just a layer of bear fat over bare skin for the entire season - no shirts, sweaters or coats. The fat kept the body warm, and (I assume) it also provided a naturally moisturizing layer.

In today's world we spend a lot of time cleaning ourselves, which often requires frequent moisturizing. You absorb more through your skin than you do orally. In fact, many medications are delivered through skin - nicotine patches, contraceptives, and hormones.

So given the importance of your skin and its absorptive qualities, have you thought about what you put on yourself? The average woman uses twelve personal care products a day, exposing herself to a total of 168 chemicals. (Environmental Working Group) Toothpaste, deodorant, soap, shampoo, sunscreen, moisturizer, makeup. Just as you are being mindful of what you are putting in your body, you should be mindful of what you're putting on your body. Fortunately, there is a whole army of natural products out there (unlike when it only used to be Burt's Bees, Tom's of Maine and Dr. Hauschka), and the list continues to grow.

I started eating whole foods first, and didn't go natural in personal products until at least a year later. Once I did, I started feeling less spacey and more healthy. Could it be psychosomatic? Maybe, but I don't see any reason to go back. I get enough chemicals in my life through day to day living, I don't see any reason to smother myself in them. 

Like all processed foods, you should look at the ingredients list of your personal products. The ingredients are listed in order from highest concentration to lowest. Things to be mindful of:

• Aluminum: especially in antiperspirant. It has been linked (but not proven) to breast cancer and Alzheimer's. There are aluminum-free deodorants and a deodorant crystal you may want to try.
• Parabens: this preservative in one form or other (e.g. methylparaben) is universal. There are suspicions it may be a carcinogenic. This is one of the first ingredients you should check for and try to eliminate.
• Fragrance: this category can be a huge catch-all of chemicals. Avoid this unless they are essential oils. 
• Sulfates: a foaming agent used in everything from dish liquid to shampoo, this can be quite harsh.
• Organic. Like food, these ingredients are grown without synthetic materials. 

If there is anything particularly chemically sounding in the ingredients, look it up. It probably is. This list from Jurlique lists common natural ingredients and their functions. One thing to keep in mind is that many products will have a preservative to keep it from going bad. If it doesn't, use if quickly.  Avoid paraben as the preservative.

What to do - Use "Natural/Green" Personal Products

1. Commit to "going natural" with your products.
2. Look at the ingredients list of your personal products. If there are chemicals you don't like (see above for guidance), get rid of the product.
3. Replace it with natural products. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of lines to choose from in several price ranges. Moderate price lines include Burt's Bees, Weleda, Tom's of Maine, Collective Wellbeing, Jason, Kiss My Face, Hugo's Naturals. Higher end lines include Pangea, Korres, John Masters, Jurlique and the venerable Dr. Hauschka. You can find them anywhere - Whole Foods, fancy drug stores, natural food stores, Sephora, the Body Shop, online. I evaluate products by how absorbable they are (I don't like products that leave a greasy film), how far they need to be shipped (the more local the better to avoid excess carbon tolls) and if they are packaged in plastic. That being said, I really like Collective Wellbeing body moisturizer even though it's in plastic, and Weleda smells heavenly and has a nice small ingredients list, though it takes a while to absorb. Ingredients have been around for so long, I don't think they need to be tested on animals anymore so I avoid that as well.
4. Don't forget to recycle the bottle!

One product I find to be particularly goofy is nail polish. It is usually fairly toxic and has ingredients like formaldehyde (used to preserve dead things) in it. Salon workers often develop rashes and sensitivities from excessive exposure to nail polish and remover. Future civilizations are going to look back at us and wonder why women grew out and painted their nails. Long nails aren't practical anyway. How can you play? (instruments or tree-climbing) If you really want to paint your nails, please look for chemical free versions. Acquarella is acetone and formaldehyde free.

This Whole Foods article on personal products is very informative.

Do you have a review of a product? Please share it with us in the comments! 

What I ate: 16 oz. green juice, 1 latte, 2 cups coffee, 2 oz. macadamia nuts, 1 c. quinoa, steamed tofu + broccoli, 2 Whole Foods chocolate chip cookies and 2 two-bite brownies (thanks Laura!), 3 squares dark chocolate, 2 oz. pumpkin seeds, 1 apple, 6 pieces vegan spelt sushi, 1 orange, cheese, 2 cups Good Earth tea, 50 oz. water

Exercise: Ran 4 miles - first run in a week!