I may be slowly killing myself with sugar, a weekly over indulgence in alcohol and ridiculous amounts of stress but I try so hard to not add to that by piling shed loads of toxins into my bloodstream.
This obsession with natural skin care started about 25 years ago when I developed uticaria a common name for a generic skin rash. I had always used Clarins on my body and loved it but one day I came out of the shower jumping around and in pain, my skin was burning like it was on fire. The symptoms eased after a few hours but returned every time I bathed. Not knowing what to do I scoured the markets for the most simplest of products. Living in London at the time I found that I had greater access to alternative skin and healthcare products.
I tried and trialed many alternatives and did tons of research (I'm like a dog with a bone) to determine what worked for me and what didn't and, along the way I found out that not all companies that touted themselves as natural were actually that. A product only has to have one natural product in it to be able to label itself natural! I also found that there were natural products that also contained carcinogens. If you really wish to avoid products with carcinogens I would avoid; Fragrance, parabens, petrolatum, petroleum, polyethylene glycol, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, ceteareth, triceteareth, retinyl palminate, aluminium, diethanolomine (DEA), cocamide DEA, lauramide DEA, formaldehyde releasers, diazolidinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin, quaternium, synthetic colors and dyes, glycol (labeled as propylene, butylenes), mineral oil, talc, and siloxanes."
All products even natural may contain hormone distruptors so watch out for the following:-
"Fragrance, parabens, triclosan, oxybenzone, octinoxate, petrolatum, and petroleum."
Just as everything you apply to your skin is absorbed into your bloodstream, so everything you throw away or pour down the drain is absorbed by the environment where it can affect the environment in a negative or positive way. Harmful chemicals can wreak havoc and cause pollution of rivers affecting the wildlife that resides there . By choosing organic, you are doing your part towards caring for our precious earth.
No way am I an expert on this stuff but after nearly 25 years I've picked up a ton of information. My son had extremely bad eczema and had to be bandaged on his arms and legs due to the painful weeping condition. I tried to work with the GP's and specialists to cure him but the progress was non existent. We did lots of personal testing with him and through diet and great skincare we managed to cure it. You have to treat the cause and not the symptom!
I made mistakes with both myself and my son along the way and one of the best tips that I ever received was from a functional doctor, she taught me how valuable magnesium and zinc are as supplements for people with eczema. The other big mistake was my over supplementation of coconut oil as it was way too purging. You've gotta find your own way with "natural" as what works for some does not for others. But once you really commit to making the change I doubt if you will ever switch back.
There are some amazing spa's Worldwide that feature wonderful, natural ranges, which is great for me as my skin simply will not tolerate mainstream skincare.
If you or anyone you know is desperate for help drop me a message I would be happy to point you in the right direction.
I've had some amazing brand products at half the price from TK Max recently including Dr Haushka and Jurlique, so pop down there and see what they have...you won't be disappointed.
