How to Get Started with Natural Skin Care
Let’s say you want to cut back on the toxic chemicals you put in your body.
Let’s say you’re already avoiding those Red #4 maraschino cherries, as well as many of the other cancer/Alzheimer’s/ADD-inducing ingredients in common foodstuffs.
What’s next?
Skin care. While you’re probably not eating them, those products are going into your body, too. Your largest organ is absorbing them!
Just like with your food, when it comes to skin care you want to look for items that have as few ingredients as possible. Make sure you know what those ingredients are, and what purpose they serve in the product. If you see one of these 5 ingredients on the list, you might want to put the item back on the shelf!
Although you might want to try your hand at making natural skin care yourself, I would actually recommend that you start out by purchasing natural skin care from a trusted company. Why? Two main reasons:
1. DIY skin care can be a lot to keep up with. If you run out of an item, there’s a danger that you’ll end up reverting to conventional products because you just don’t have motivation to mix up a new batch.
2. Buying natural skin care gives you a standard for your own future DIY projects. I’ve found it immensely helpful to sample natural skin care from a range of companies–I can see what the best consistency of chapstick feels like, or how a well-made product is supposed to work.
Although I recommend buying your first natural skin care items, don’t simply walk into Wal-Mart and grab anything with a flash of green on the package that says “Natural!” Lots of companies have caught on to the trend towards non-toxic and eco-friendly, but their so-called “natural” products are still anything but.
There are a few good brands that you can buy in the regular store, but for the safest bet, purchase from small businesses where the owners are directly involved with the production of their wares.
Although there are lots of great small businesses out there, today I want to highlight one of my favourites–Lexie:Naturals. Lexie:Naturals is based out of Mississippi, and they sell a variety of handmade soaps, lotions, deodorant, diaper cream, and more.
Here are some of the Lexie:Naturals products that I’ve tried:
Lexie:Lip
The lip balm is made with just 4 ingredients–coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, and essential oil. There are eight flavours to choose from (peppermint or vanilla are perfect for Christmas!)
Lexie:Lotion
The lotion comes in a unique bar form inside a little tin. It lasts a long time since it doesn’t take much to coat your skin. You can take the bar out and rub it around in your hands, or do what I do and just pinch off a small amount. This lotion does some serious damage control in the winter! I love citrus scents, so I’m a big fan of this grapefruit one (although there are 7 flavours to choose from!)
Lexie:Lather
Soap is one thing that you especially want to buy rather than make. It’s more labor-intensive than other skin care products. The soaps from Lexie:Naturals come in a chunky size that will last you a while (especially if you use a soap saver dish), and you get a great lather with them! We love the Afternoon Brew, which is made with herbal tea!
Lexie:Deo
The deodorant is my favourite product from Lexie:Naturals! I believe that deodorant is one of the most important skin care items to buy natural, since it goes on such a sensitive area of your body.
I tried several DIY recipes for making my own deodorant, but I was never fully satisfied with the results. Lexie:Deo has the consistency of a conventional deodorant, and a straightforward ingredient list that I feel 100% comfortable putting on my skin. There is no aluminum in the product, and no parabens. I don’t plan on buying or making any other deodorant–this is perfect! The scent is very neutral, so Eric uses this, too.
I also appreciate that Lexie:Deo is not an antiperspirant. It doesn’t block your body’s natural sweat production (which helps you detox), but it does keep you smelling fresh!
If you want to make switching to natural skin care one of your goals for the coming year, Lexie:Naturals is a great place to start! Put some items on your Christmas list, or buy them for others as a stocking stuffer. Click here to see what specials and discounts are going on right now!
Also, one of you has a chance to win a FREE natural deodorant this week! Enter to win via the form below:
Giveaway open to residents of the U.S. only.
This post is sponsored by Lexie:Naturals, a small business that I wholeheartedly recommend!
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Thanks for this post! I’d love to try the deodorant, something I’m not really ready to make.
I prefer using my easy homemade face masks so I can be sure that all ingredients are natural and is therefore safe. It might take time to prepare and may cause inconvenience but I just feel good working on them. It can also save me some money since they won’t cost much. I have nothing against processed skin care products. In fact I think they are there to address special needs of the skin that easy homemade face masks cannot handle.
That’s great that you feel comfortable making your own products! I always think that’s better too as long as a lot of research has gone into it (not everything homemade is good for you). BUT, some people are not comfortable making their own – and some just don’t have the time. 🙂 Also – we do disclose every single item that’s in our products (and all are actually safe to eat – not that I’d recommend that…haha). Thanks again for your comment!