Monday 16 February 2009

Natural Skincare where do you stop?

When you’re worrying about the ingredients in your organic skincare it can be confusing when you don’t where to stop. How far do you go with cutting out stuff in natural skincare that might be bad for you?

That’s exactly the question that many people get confused about when they’re trying to figure out what is safe and what isn’t.

And although you will be well versed in reading the backs of bottles and pots, you may wonder who to trust and who to believe. I remember when I was pregnant and first started buying organic and natural skin care products. I was checking the ingredients of everything to the point that I became paranoid about using anything. It was very stressful and scary. I had what felt like pre-exam nerves every time I went shopping! I was ordering stuff from across the ocean in USA just because the natural skincare products here didn’t seem pure enough. It was killing my bank balance and my confidence.

An interesting conversation I had with a supplier at this time is something I’d like to share with you. I was buying something to stock on my site and wasn’t sure if the ingredients were pure enough. The answer I got back was like a gush of cool air on a hot day!! He said

“The fact that you are checking the ingredients and are avoiding the nastiest chemicals is good enough. If you cut out the major nasty groups such as Parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals and fragrances then you’ll be doing yourself and your customers a huge favour. Some preservatives for instance just can’t be avoided, but most of your customers will know that you are doing the best you can for them.”

Looking into things further I have found that its near impossible to avoid everything, even in natural skincare, because everyone is allergic to different things; any substance - natural or chemical can trigger a reaction. In addition, you will read about some substances within natural skincare products that are claimed to be unsafe or carcinogenic. There is nothing more carcinogenic than the cocktail of chemicals that currently grace high street skincare. A step towards natural skincare that lessens this burden is a step in the right direction. The main thing to watch out for is a complex array of chemicals gracing your natural skincare products that don’t look like they should belong there. That’s what I make sure I avoid when I’m picking products for the site. I’ve seen some other natural skincare sites that aren’t as scrupulous which is worrying.

You may not agree with me and I’d understand entirely, but my advice is not to get too hung up on every ingredient having to be purely organic and every ingredient having to be clear of all known allergenic reactions (unless you are allergic to that particular ingredient of course) otherwise you may find it very tough indeed to find anything to use in the bathroom everyday. You’ll find the majority of natural skincare products (even the ones we stock) to be as safe as can possibly be. Although it is the ideal standard that every ingredient should be certified organic, it is not always practical. If you demand a organic hair care product with no preservative you may be disappointed. Preservatives are necessary to stop the growth of dangerous bacteria that could make you ill, most natural skincare companies try and find preservatives that are as natural as possible.

I love natural skincare that has very little in it, just a few necessary ingredients that you can read in one sentence. That’s why Earthbound organic skincare tops high on my list of favourite natural skincare It may not have an organic seal of approval, but I just can’t see how a pot of cream made of four really simple things is going to harm me. I know Jo gets her beeswax from her local farm, it’s not certified organic, but I believe her when she says that it’s pure. She’s even started keeping her own bees and mashes the carrots for the carrot cream in her kitchen…..so my advice is to let common sense prevail and live a natural life, but not an obsessive one. Moderation is best.

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