Living Unrefined: What's on the Outside Counts, Too!

Until I was pregnant with Little Bear, I never thought twice about what was in the soaps, cosmetics, lotions, or other body products that I used. The fact that everything that goes on your body eventually ends up in your body was not something that I concerned myself with - at all. I was the biggest fan of yummy-scented Bath and Body Works products, paraben-laden name-brand hair products, and tons of other stuff drenched in the "bad" ingredients that I now steer away from.

Straight from FDA website...

I thought that if the FDA allowed it to be sold, it must be (at least mostly) safe. After tons of research (online, not in a lab - I missed that calling a long time ago) and as a much wiser and more cynical person, I've learned that it's almost always better not to trust your health and well-being to someone else, including the government.

Did you know that the FDA doesn't even regulate the cosmentic industry? In fact, no one does! That's not to say that the government and the consmetic companies have bad intentions or are intentionally harmful, but I'm just not willing to give control of my health over to companies who, as they arguably should be, are out to make a dollar (or a billion). Why wouldn't they use toxic chemicals that make their products cheaper and seem more effective to consumers if it made more money for their shareholders?

I'm also not saying that it's necessary to go 100% natural and give up all of your beauty favs, but it's at least worth thinking about. Rather than undergoing a full beauty overhaul - which can be super expensive since body products and cosmetics are generally NOT cheap - I, for the most part, phased out my products one-by-one as they ran out. I kept a few guilty pleasures (ahem, Got2b Powderful Texturizer), but have switched out most of my beauty regimen for all (or mostly all) natural products. I found my new favorite brands, and haven't missed my old ones one bit! For the most part, there truly is a natural alternative that works just as good if not better than its conventional counterpart.

As a guide, I use the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Database to look up products and check their toxicity rating. EWG is an independent company based out of California that does not receive any funding from any cosmetic or beauty product corporation. Along with great articles about product safety, they've rated thousands of products from 0 to 10 based on the available research (or lack of research) that's been done on the products' ingredients. This is such a great, free resource for learning more about the effects your beauty products could be having on your health.

If you're strapped for time, the EWG has put together a few quick-reference guides:

Some biggie ingredients to avoid are parabens (a common preservative), PEGs, sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate (in most soaps, but it wreaks havoc on your skin), oxybenzone (in sunscreens and other SPF products, but is linked to cancer), and phthalates (linked to male infertility, among others).

I know it seems like a lot, but your health is so worth it!

As a cautionary aside - be careful with labels that claim that a product is "organic" or "natural," because often times the actual list of ingredients only contains some organic or natural ingredients. I've been duped by misleading labels enough times to be very skeptical about products with these claims (especially from brands that also make conventional products). If you're going to try the natural body products, take the time to read the ingredient list before making your purchase!

Some of my favorite brands that I've found to be pretty trustworthy with all-good ingredients are:

Yes to
Burt's Bees
Shea Moisture
La Mellite
Bare Escentuals
Kiss My Face
Mrs. Meyers

Seventh Generation
California Baby
Yes to Baby Carrots
100% Pure

What's on the Outside Counts, Too!

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