Lotions and creams are amongst the Top 3 beauty products that you should go green with due to their common usage on a day to day basis and the fact they are applied to such a large surface area of the body and, therefore, absorbed more than other beauty products.

As the toxic ingredient list for lotions is quite vast, I have tried my best to keep it as short and to the point as possible, but please remember to continue your own research to find out more about a certain ingredient and why it may be considered harmful. Also, please note as some ingredients cross over, some information has been taken from our Greenify Your: Foundation post.

Image via healthrician.com

What ingredients should I be looking to avoid in my foundation?

Triethanolamine – Triethanolamin is a product used to help lotions to be absorbed into the skin. This ingredient is known to irritate skin, eyes and the respiratory system (and can flare up asthma in certain people).

Parabens (Propyl, Butyl, Methyl, Isobutyl, Ethyl etc) - Parabens are used to stop fungus and bacteria from growing in your makeup. There is research done to suggest they may be linked to the cause of breast cancer due to the fact that they mimic estrogen within the body. The jury is still out on whether these man-made chemicals are bad for the body but have a read of both sides of the argument to form your own opinion. To be safe, I would say opt for products that have parabens near the bottom of the ingredient list rather than the top.

Lanolin and Lanolin alcohol – Lanolin is used in products so that they don’t wash off. This product can be natural as it comes from wool but can sometimes be contaminated with whatever the sheep came into contact with such as pesticides. We suggest to avoid this product, organic or not, due to an overwhelming result that is causes an allergic reaction in the skin with prolonged use.

Phthalates – This is a highly toxic ingredient that also helps lotions to be absorbed into the skin quickly. It has been classified as a ‘probable human carcinogen’ by many health services and studies have shown that it can cause severe allergic reactions.

Sodium Hydroxide – This is normally used as a pH balancer in lotions. Note, however, this ingredient is found in drain cleaners and oven cleaners that have a large warning label on the back that say Sodium Hydroxide is dangerous. Sodium Hydroxide has caused lung damage through over exposure and increases the risk of throat cancer. It also causes sensitivity in the skin.

Petroleum based products (Paraffin, mineral oil, petrolatum) - These petroleum products are also found in the majority of skin products and suffocate the skin and clogs the pores causing the same issues as silicone. These products have also been under heavy scrutiny due to the fact they are the cause of many serious health ailments. When tested on rodents, these ingredients resulted in brain and spinal chord damage, anemia and kidney degradation and, in many cases, death. You have been warned!

Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate or Diazolidinyl Urea (Urea, 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1 (or bronopol) DMDM hydantoin) – Both of these ingredients are used as preservatives in many popular lotions on the market despite the International Agency for Research on Cancer classing it into its highest toxic class due to both ingredients releasing formaldehyde (a possible carcinogen) into the body once absorbed. It has already been banned in Europe due to it’s effects in the body including links to depression, joint pain, headaches, dizziness and immune disfunction.

Ethylene – This ingredient is toxic to humans and can cause development and reproductive toxicity.

Fragrance (6-methylcoumarin, parfum) – Fragrance is a hard one because it is the one product that gets a free pass in the ingredients list. The manufacturer is not required to list the actual ingredients in the perfume, rather, they are allowed to simply clump it all into the one ingredient: ‘Parfum’ (or other such word). This means that you have no clue if this is a safe product for your skin which is worrying as some fragrance ingredients are proven to cause photosensitivity but you’d never know what was the causal ingredient! Best to keep an eye out for products that list essential oils as their fragrance or are up front about what goes into their fragrance.

Laureths – Highly toxic and proven carcinogens.

Oxybenzone – An ingredient that blocks UV rays and is found in many skin creams and sunscreens. This ingredient should be avoided at all costs due to its known effect to cause photosensitivity in the skin and is a carcinogen. Studies have also shown this ingredient to attack DNA, also.

Whew! As usual, I could go on. But go check all of your creams and see for yourself how common these frightening ingredients alone are!

So, how do you Greenify?

Phase 1.) Read the ingredients label of your foundations. Any lotions or creams with the aforementioned near the top of the list, pour them out, tear off the label and save the bottle. We want that body to start detoxing from these ingredients as soon as it can.

Phase 2.) For the motivated ones: Avoid using your usual moisturizer for a minimum of a week to let the skin rest and normalize. If you were a daily lotion user, your skin may dry out but never fear, it will fix itself.

For those who can’t live without their lotion: Pick up some virgin, unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil. This is your new body lotion. As for your face, try a small amount of jojoba oil. It combines everything that your wrinkle, eye and face cream did into one.

Please note that coconut oil has an SPF factor of only 4 and jojoba oil does not provide any. Because of this, if you are going out in the sun, our suggestion is to try and get your hands on some organic red raspberry seed oil as this has an SPF factor of 28 to 50 (to be mixed in with your chosen oil) or purchase a sunscreen from a proven organic and natural company.

Phase 3.) If you didn’t enjoy using the coconut and/or jojoba oils, research online for a safe and organic alternative lotion that is free of toxic ingredients. There are many on the market. Personally, we love our friends over at Mukti who offer a wide range of safe lotions.

Afterword

Remember, there is no firmer knowledge than through your own personal experience and broad research so I suggest that you use this as a starting guide and go from there.

For Part 2 of our Greenify Your Life series, I’ll be giving you guidance on how to find yourself a safer foundation. I have listed ingredients found in both powder and liquid foundation so we can kill two birds with one stone.

Alexami's Mineral Foundation Powder

What ingredients should I be looking to avoid in my foundation?

Fragrance (6-methylcoumarin, parfum) – Now, fragrance is a hard one because it is the one product that gets a free pass in the ingredients list. The manufacturer is not required to list the actual ingredients in the perfume, rather, they are allowed to simply clump it all into the one ingredient: ‘Parfum’ (or other such word). This means that you have no clue if this is a safe product for your skin which is worrying as some fragrance ingredients are proven to cause photosensitivity but you’d never know what was the causal ingredient! Best to keep an eye out for products that list essential oils as their fragrance or are up front about what goes into their fragrance.

Silicone Emollients – These are found in approximately 80% of all concealers, primers and foundations. The silicone allows for smoother application but it also creates a layer on top of the skin, causing the skin to be suffocated of oxygen. Over time, this can cause certain skin reactions, breakouts and a duller complexion.

Petroleum based products (Paraffin, mineral oil, petrolatum) - These petroleum products are also found in the majority of skin products and, too, suffocate the skin and clogs the pores causing the same issues as silicone. This goes for your ‘timeless’ Vaseline too (We recommend using paw paw ointment instead!). These products have also been under heavy scrutiny due to the fact they are the cause of many serious health ailments.

Parabens (Propyl, Butyl, Methyl, Isobutyl, Ethyl etc) - Parabens are used to stop fungus and bacteria from growing in your makeup. They are found in almost every beauty product for both males and females. There is research done to suggest they may be linked to the cause of breast cancer due to the fact that they mimic estrogen within the body. The jury is still out on whether these man-made chemicals are bad for the body but have a read of both sides of the argument to form your own opinion. To be safe, I would say opt for products that have parabens near the bottom of the ingredient list rather than the top.

There are a million other ingredients that we could also list here, but we’ll start with these common ingredients for now.

So, how do you Greenify?

Phase 1.) Read the ingredients label of your foundations. Any foundations with the aforementioned near the top of the list, get rid of them ASAP.

Phase 2.) Research online or in stores for highly reviewed foundations that do not contain huge amounts of the above products. They do not have to be from an organic brand, necessarily, just slightly more safe on the skin. Naturally, we would guide you towards Alexami’s Mineral Foundation Powder, which is free of these ingredients.

During this product transition, if you have been using products with heavy amounts of silicone etc, your skin may go through phases of drying or over-oiling. This is a natural occurrence as your skin begins to normalize to your new product.

Phase 3.) Once your new safer product is empty, try your best to convert to a completely natural and/or certified organic product free of all the nasty ingredients. Or better yet, perhaps your skin will heal itself and you’ll be able to go out with barely any foundation at all!

As an afterword, please know that some people get iffy about whether certain ingredients are actual harmful or not. I have gone off personal experience and research but please understand people react differently to different products. For example, I know people who prefer silicone in their foundation routine, and don’t believe there’s any harm in using it. Remember, there is no firmer knowledge than through your own personal experience and broad research so I suggest that you use this as a starting guide and go from there.

Converting to a more natural and organic lifestyle can be quite a hard task especially in this economic climate amidst our busy lives. In response, I’d like to welcome you to this new series called Greenify Your Life. Over the next few weeks, I will present to you some simple steps that you can make in specific parts of your life to make the ‘Green’ conversion a little bit easier on you.

Image via wiseshe.com

In this first post, I present to you Greenify Your: Shampoo.

Firstly, you may ask what’s wrong with the common* shampoos?

Well, if you see in the ingredients list something called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and/or Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) then your hair is in trouble. SLS is a very cheap frothing agent and is the reason that your shampoo and body soap foams at the touch. But don’t be fooled into thinking these bubbles are good for your hair. The SLS/SLES strips the hair shaft of all oil and grease including the natural good oils that your body produces. In turn, this causes more split ends, fading of color and tangling. To compensate for this damage, we end up forking out more money on conditioners, relaxers, frizz serums and the endless other amounts of products that fill our shelves.

Along with the excess and unnecessary damage being caused, these ingredients are also highly toxic and should not be swallowed which makes you wonder why we allow it into our bodies through our skin

So, how do you Greenify?

Phase 1.) Read the ingredients label of your shampoo. If it contains SLS/SLES then throw it away.

Phase 2.) Find a shampoo without SLS/SLES. It does not have to be an organic or natural brand, just make sure it is sulfate free. Use until the bottle is empty.

Your hair may freak out for a little bit when you stop using products with SLS as the scalp will over-compensate with oil production but it will stabilize after a few weeks. Patience with this process is key and will mean better health and vitality in your hair in the future.

Phase 3.) Do some research on organic hair product brands and find one that you think will suit your hair type. If your whole family uses the same bottle, opt for a bottle for a normal hair type.

And that’s all there is to it. Pretty simple, no?

*By common we mean the more common store bought and, generally, cheaper brands of shampoo that contain SLS/SLES.