Green Beauty

Lead In Lipstick and Other Unhealthy Cosmetics

Cosmetics are intended to enhance your appearance, but there are some dangerous chemicals that may be lurking in your make-up.  Here are some of the more common toxic chemicals and the cosmetics where they can be found. 1. Lead Once thought to be an urban legend, a recent study confirmed the presence of lead in some lipsticks.  However, the amount of lead present is very small - FDA regulations restrict the amount of lead in a particular red dye, for instance, to twenty parts per million.  Nonetheless, the lead is present, and cumulative effects from the daily use of lipstick should not be ruled out.  The health risks of lead exposure are fairly well known, and include neurological and reproductive disorders. 2. Antibacterial Substances If you use antibacterial soap or hand sanitizer, you have already put antibacterial substances on your skin.  But foundation, eye make-up, and concealers can contain these antibacterial additives as well.  While they are intended to prevent the growth of bacteria in make-up, antibacterial additives have some potential health risks.  For example, triclosan, an antibacterial and also a pesticide, is found in hand soaps and is now under investigation by the FDA as a possible endocrine disruptor. Antibacterials don't discriminate between beneficial ...

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Natural Skin Care for Acne

If you’ve been trying to treat your acne for a long time, you’ve probably already felt the pain in your wallet.   Acne can make you feel awful and can put a real dent in yourself esteem.  This is made even worse when you’re let down over and over again by yet another “miracle” product. You don’t need to spend a fortune to treat your acne.  In fact, many mainstream acne treatments make the problem worse and can even be harmful to your overall health. Instead try some natural options to help alleviate and even get rid of your acne once and for all. Here are our top tips: Healthy Diet: A healthy diet is the very best thing you can do for your acne.  Sugar is deadly for acne sufferers.  It has been proven to cause an inflammatory reaction in the skin which makes acne worse (or even helps it develop in the first instance).  Reduce or better yet remove all sugar from your diet and you will see a difference in your skin. In addition to getting rid of sugar, eat a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Opt for an array of colors so that you can get the most antioxidant power in ...

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Natural Baby Skin Care

If you’re a parent, you’re probably already aware of how sensitive a baby’s skin can be.  While many baby products say they’re better for baby’s skin, they can still contain chemicals that can irritate your child making them uncomfortable and irritable. Natural skin care products contain fewer harsh chemicals and are more soothing for gentle cleansing and moisturizing. Natural skin care products have gotten a lot of attention in the past few years.  We are finally realizing that slathering ourselves in chemicals might not be the best idea.  And if those chemicals are harmful to adult skin imagine how harmful they may be for baby’s skin. With a little research you may be able to find some natural skin care product brands that are completely natural and appropriate for your baby.  However, if you don’t trust your baby’s sensitive skin to even natural store-bought products, then you can make your own skin care items. Here are a few quick tips and recipes to get you started put you can find plenty more on natural parenting websites. For a great dry skin remedy, use your food processor to grind up plain oatmeal into a fine powder.   Dissolve in a warm bath to moisturize your child’s skin ...

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Homemade Bath Salts Recipes

Why spend all that money on bath salts when you can make them simply and easily at home.  Plus, if you make them yourself, you can be sure to use ingredients that won’t harm or irritate your skin. The first ingredient in bath salts is of course, salt!  The most common kind used is Epsom Salt.  This is the same kind of salt recommended by doctors to disinfect and treat skin issues.  Many people swear by Epsom salt to remove toxic chemicals from the skin.  You can also try using sea salts as well, or mix the two together.  Avoid using table salt because it can dry your skin out. Essential oils are the next “essential” ingredient for homemade bath salts.  They not only provide moisture for your skin, their scents can provide aromatherapy to relax you, revive you, or help ease you to sleep.  The type of oil you use depends on what kind of mood you’d like to create.  Lavender, vanilla, and eucalyptus are great for a relaxing bath.  While citrus oils will re-energize and refresh you. If the essential oils you use turn out to be too strong for your skin, try diluting them in vegetable oil before adding to ...

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How to tell if your Beauty Product is Biodegradable

Most people have heard the phrase "Green Living" but many find themselves confused as just what it means to live green.  The basic principle behind green living is reducing a person's use of the earth's resources.  Your lifestyle certainly has a direct impact on the entire earth's natural resources.  By living green, you help maintain the earth's resources.  There are many ways you can participate in green living, and it is essential to note that going green does not mean you are going without. Beauty Products Most people, women in particular use beauty products, such as creams, moisturizers, cleansers, and face masks.  Many of the beauty products are biodegradable, which simply means that what is inside the jar or bottle will break down over a certain amount of time into nature.  It does not hang around the landfills for thousands of years like certain kinds of plastic can. The problem with the term "biodegradable" is that the government does not place a specified number of days or years a product must break down.  To put it simply, if the government does not regulate it, so companies can place the label "biodegradable" even if the product takes 300 years to break down.  This information ...

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