what you need to know about

Natural Skin and  Body Care

By Kathleen Dills

It’s a cold winter’s morning and your steamy bath or shower takes off the chill along with the dirt. All warm and squeaky-clean, you step into your towel to begin the process of becoming the person you show to the world…

Bring on the products. Not forgetting the shampoo, conditioner and soap you used to get clean, you apply moisturizer, body cream, hair gel and perhaps a touch of spray. You brush your teeth, and apply deodorant. A spritz of fragrance might follow, then, for some, make-up, powder and lipstick. By the time you leave the bathroom, you’ve applied between 9 and 25 different potions, lotions, powders and creams – costing the average Canadian family about $900 annually.

What’s the harm in that?
Looking good is part of feeling good. Problems arise however, when the products we use for our appearance start to cause harm to our health or the environment. According to the Environmental Working Group, the average adult is exposed to 126 chemical ingredients in personal care products daily, and some of them have little or no safety research to support their use. You might be surprised to learn that testing isn’t required. Over the years, many chemicals – including colours and chemical preservatives – have eventually been restricted after their use was linked with serious diseases.

The relaxed attitude about testing the ingredients used in our body care products is left-over from the days when we believed the skin provided an impenetrable shield that wouldn’t allow the bad stuff to get us. Now, of course, we know that much of what we apply to the skin is absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream. Consider the nicotine patch used to help with smoking cessation. It’s applied to the skin to supply a steady stream of nicotine directly into the blood. The chemicals that penetrate our bodies via the skin by-pass the regular safety mechanisms provided by liver metabolism when chemicals are swallowed. Potentially dangerous ingredients in skin products then take on an added threat.

So, what to do? Instead of giving up on your appearance, what about taking a fresh look at products created with natural ingredients? Natural products safely provide the results you require and expect, but also include botanicals and essential oils that can help nourish and heal our bodies.

Back to the shower
When choosing your soap and shampoo, it’s important to remember the fine line between being clean and drying the skin – especially in the winter. Look for products with the simplest ingredient listing ensure there’s minimal chemical preservatives and additives. Colour, for example, is simply not necessary in a shampoo and is easy to avoid. While you may be used to a really good lather, the quality of the lather is really no indication of the cleansing ability of a product. Lather might indicate that SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) or a similar chemical is on the ingredient list. Choose a product containing soapwort, a natural cleansing agent used for centuries or castile soap, an ancient formula containing olive oil and salt.

Moisturize, moisturize
There are two types of moisturizers, and in the winter it’s best to use both.

Emollients remain on the surface of the skin or penetrate into the topmost layers to provide moisture and softness. When it comes to natural products, you can use these ingredients straight from the bottle, or as part of a formulated product.

• Non-clogging jojoba and sweet almond oils are natural, affordable emollient moisturizers
• Aloe vera is great for healing damaged skin
• Apply borage oil directly to small patches of dry skin or eczema
• Calendula helps reduce inflammation of irritated skin
• Chamomile is an emollient antioxidant that promotes skin healing
• Olive oil and coconut oil are perfect for your entire body, and coconut oil provides a small amount of protection from the sun’s rays. Best of all, the subtle aroma of the coconut oil will remind you that warmer, summer days are ahead!

Occlusive moisturizers provide a protective barrier to the harsh, dry weather (of winter and summer). Rather than adding moisture to your skin, these ingredients help to hold onto the moisture you have, great for a day on the slopes or at the ice rink.

• Avoid products containing mineral oil or petroleum oil (petrolatum), these can be contaminated with dangerous by-products
• Natural occlusives include shea butter and cocoa butter
• Occlusives can clog pores; try a few to find the perfect choice for your skin.

Preserving your health
Much of the safety concern about personal care products focuses on the preservatives; parabens are in the spotlight now. Chemicals linked with reproductive cancers are quickly exiting beauty products. Happily, there are many safe and effective preservatives from Mother Nature, including botanicals and plant essential oils that offer healing and preservative properties. Combinations of vitamin C, tea tree oil, oregano and cinnamon make excellent broad-spectrum preservatives.

As of November 15, 2006, personal care products sold in Canada must list ingredients according to the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) system. This was done to eliminate confusion about ingredient names and to avoid potential adverse effects.

It’s easy to be a natural beauty. And, knowing you aren’t putting your health at risk, you can feel good about it, too.

H&L