Spring Detox Your Beauty
February 28, 2012 by Jolene
Filed under *Featured*, Natural Beauty Products
*Congratulations to Jess Dixon, winner of the organic bath and body set from Moksa!*
The first day of spring is still a few weeks away (three to be exact- I’m counting), so I’m channeling my energy into preparation and organization as I await the new season. Spring is the ideal season for detox, and over the next three weeks I’ll be bringing you tips on detoxing your beauty, your body, and your home, along with detox-friendly product giveaways from fabulous online natural beauty boutique O & N Collective. Each week will feature a new giveaway, so you’ll have three chances to win great stuff!
This week we’re talking all about detoxing your beauty routine, from your morning makeup to your evening skin care. For an introduction to chemicals in personal care products, I recommend taking a look at this powerful video, The Story of Cosmetics. Women apply an average of 12 personal care products daily (and the tally quickly surpasses that), which can mean exposure to 500+ different chemicals when your day is said and done. What’s more, your skin is no barrier: 60% of what you apply to your skin absorbs into your body.
Detoxing your beauty routine helps reduce the toxic burden that your body deals with every day. Every product counts toward your overall wellness! Of course, when you first start to be your own advocate in the beauty world, it can be incredibly confusing to figure out where to start. I recommend going natural with these three products first:
- Lipstick: we consume several pounds of lipstick over a lifetime, and brands containing lead and petrochemicals pose serious risks. I recently posted an update about lead in lipsticks (it’s still in there, strong as ever) with a list of my favorite natural lipstick alternatives that don’t skimp on the glamour.
- Body lotion/oil: you cover almost the entire surface area of your body with lotion or oil, and you probably do it every time you shower. Here’s where small amounts of parabens and phthalates accumulate into larger doses. For an organic body lotion and oil to swap into your routine, check out the giveaway below!
- Perfume: one synthetic fragrance contains hundreds of different chemicals, many of which are hormone disruptors and pose a health risk when inhaled (which we do, every time we spritz). Skip the toxic cloud and move on to a more natural option. Here’s one I absolutely love. (For an interesting read on hidden chemicals in perfume, download the Environmental Working Group’s report, called Not So Sexy, right here)
When you go shopping for personal care:
- Ignore claims on the label. Go straight for the ingredient panel on the back of the product and look at the ingredients before you believe claims on packaging. Many companies ‘greenwash’ their products, making them seem more natural than they really are.
- Find a retailer you trust. Whether it’s an online beauty boutique, a natural food store or a local retailer who knows naturals, use these outlets as sources of info and products you trust.
- Don’t go for the cheapest product. When it comes to naturals, you often pay for quality ingredients, that are better for your health in the long run.
- Look for ingredients you recognize. If you aren’t sure about an ingredient (especially if you cant pronounce the name), check its background and rating on the Cosmetics Safety Database.
And now for the fun stuff:
This week’s giveaway will help you detox your beauty routine with three amazing natural body products from O & N Collective, by Moksa (a $45.50 value):
- The Amazon Lemon Exfoliating Body Bar (one of O & N’s best sellers!) is made with a blend of certified organic ingredients, including ground lemon peel, rosemary extract and poppy seeds.
- The Organic Grapefruit + Ylang Ylang Body Oil combines organic jojoba and sweet almond oils with a blend of essential oils and rosemary extract.
- The Organic Grapefruit + Ylang Ylang Body Butter is a personal favorite of Michelle Witherby, the founder of O & Collective. It’s a rich organic shea butter with jojoba and sweet almond oil, scented with notes of grapefruit, ylang ylang, jasmine and neroli- a gorgeous scent of the tropics to awaken you from your winter hibernation.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me one way you’re detoxing your beauty this spring by the end of the day (Midnight EST) next Monday, March 5th. The winner will be contacted Tuesday, March 6th. One entry per person.
A huge thanks to O&N Collective for the natural product giveaways!
O & N Collective is an online beauty boutique all about beauty with a conscience. The boutique brings you safe, nontoxic, organic & natural skin care, personal care and lifestyle products. It carries some of my favorite natural beauty brands!
I have been using only natural beauty/skincare products for a while now, but I’m always looking for new products to try, and fall in love with. These sound amazing!
I would definitely benefit from a spring beauty detox, as I recently realized that as I’m growing older, I’m becoming more in tune with my body. As I look around my bathroom, it’s littered with all sorts of lotions and potions…some organic and some not. I often wonder if what I’m using is affecting my mood and overall health; however, I don’t know where to begin! By starting fresh and using all natural and organic products and winning your giveaway, I may be able to not feel so bad about throwing away some of the toxic beauty products in my home. Cheers to a fresh start !
I switched a lot of my products to green products about five years ago, however, I didn’t switch my makeup until this year and I am always looking for the best green products for my dry skin. I have read wonderful things about Moska!
This spring I’m going to detox by getting rid of my fragrances. It will not be an easy task! My perfume is one of the last remaining “dirty” parts of my beauty routine since the major overhaul during the past year…but I’ve read way too much about their hazards to keep holding on!
I converted to green and safe products for about 6 months now. My cant live without product is RMS living luminizer and also my quiet mind mist from Lotus Wei! The only natural product I have to find an as effective replacement for is deodorant. I keep trying new ones and always fall back on my regular one because the others leave me not so fresh by noontime. Id be open to any suggestions
I’m making my own lotion, shampoo, and conditioner.
Drinking more water and purging through all of the old non-organic beauty products I have as I pack for my move next week!
@danielle: I highly recommend Soapwalla Kitchen Deodorant Cream. I started using it in August and I haven’t yet finished the jar. The ingredient list is spotless, it has a pleasant herbal sort of scent, and although it may not keep you 100% dry on very hot days (that’s where the chemicals in anti-perspirants come in), it always keeps me smelling fresh! However, body chemistry varies person to person, so your experience might be different from mine. You can buy it at Spirit Beauty Lounge or at the Soapwalla Etsy store. Also, I recently read a great review of Pit Potion, a new product from The Nature of Beauty. Good luck!
I started Detoxing with green smoothies yesterday. Since I’m new to natural I didn’t go for a whole raw food diet yet. Just watching what I put into my body!
As of 2 weeks ago I decided to take on this new direction of organic/natural! I’m really excited but at the same time a bit overwhelmed! I know this will not happen over night but I am first aiming to convert all of my current skincare, hair care and nail care products over to all organic. I recently bought Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Raw Honey and Vitamin E. I plan to pick up a few more items at Whole Foods once I am able to have extra spending money! I also know that working on only the outside will not be enough, so I have been trying to eat much healthier and took a trip to Trader Joes! Slowly but surely :] I truly am thankful for resourceful sites like yours! Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to win organic products, good luck to EVERYONE and best wishes!* ♥
I am definitely on the lookout this spring for a healthy, organic foundation. I have pretty decent skin, but need a little something to even out skintone. I have not been happy with the mineral makeups I have tried. Oh, and I’m discovering all the wonderful benefits of coconut oil.
I am forcing myself to drink at least eight 8-ounces of water every day. I tried to eat more organic and healthier food. And i always drink my green smoothies in the morning.
I already use organic shampoo, conditioner, bar soap and make up. My difficulty is to finda a good deodorant. I tried soapwalla, but I got allergic with that…
What a lovely giveaway! I have been replacing my not so clean skincare, haircare and makeup products with more natural and organic products as I can. These Moksa products would help me accomplish this goal. Thanks for the opportunity.
I’m switching to handmade soap from natural ingredients. It’s more expensive, but it’s worth it.
Colleen,
For something light and sheer to even skintone, you might like the oil-free liquid foundation from Zuzu Luxe or the tinted moisturizer from 100% Pure. For a little more coverage, I like Josie Maran’s foundation or tinted moisturizer, as well as the soft focus foundation by Vapour Organic Beauty. Hope this helps, and good luck in the giveaway!
Melissa,
No better time to clean out and start fresh with something natural! Good luck with the move- and in the giveaway!
Danielle,
I second Danya’s reply- Soapwalla deodorant is a favorite of many, many people! It’s definitely worth a shot if you have yet to find a natural deodorant you love. One of my favorites is Pit Putty, by Bubble & Bee, and I also love a homemade version that I made (a mix of baking soda, corn starch, coconut oil and essential oil) that works surprisingly well. Let me know how your deodorant hunt goes, and good luck in the giveaway!
Dayna,
Perfume was one of the hardest for me too! I was/am obsessed with scent. Both Honore Des Pres and Strange Invisible Perfumes make natural fragrances that you should check out! I also love the essential oil blends from Tata Harper, which make unique roll-on scents. Let me know if you find a new favorite!
Heglaé,
A personal favorite of mine is Pit Putty, by Bubble & Bee, or you could try a DIY recipe. I like mixing equal parts baking soda and corn starch with a few tablespoons of coconut oil and the essential oils of your choice. That is pretty basic, but it might prevent an allergy, as long as you are careful not to choose an essential oil that could cause a rash. Let me know if you find a formula that you love!
To detox, I am trying to switch to only sulfate free shampoos and silicone free conditioners. Both are hard to find in stores, but the conditioner without silicones is especially hard to find.
chrisdeglen(at)gmail(dot)com
I already use all natural products, but I’ve been trying to slim my morning routine a bit and use fewer products…especially in terms of makeup
I’m detoxing by looking for products free of chemical nasties — I just replaced my normal body lotion.
It’s been a year since I’m using only all-natural beauty products (except perfume..), and some things I want to do this spring to detox my beauty would be:
*using ayurvedic food supplements that improve the skin condition
*eating less meat and more vegetables
*exercising! It makes a difference for my overall health, and my skin.
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
Love what you guys are offering in this giveaway! I’ve been guzzling more water (with lime) and have been switching to essential oils for my face rather than creams. I’ve also started using coconut oil for just about everything: food, face, hair, skin, etc…
I’m going to try and use my natural perfume more than my other ones. Also, I’m going to work on removing my hair products that have silicone in them.
I’ve been trying to use natural hair products, and I’ve been using oils and pure shea butter to moisturize my skin. I use pure black soap to cleanse my face. I didn’t think too much about the toxicity of fragrances/ perfumes, but I’ll be on the look-out for natural, fragrant body mists.
Thanks for the fragrance suggestions, Jolene. My budget won’t allow it at the moment, but I look forward to when I can try one of them out! Have you tried anything from Tsi-La or Rebel & Mercury?
Ah, I understand that fragrances are very pricey. I love Tsi-La, but haven’t tried Rebel Mercury yet- will have to look into it! For a more affordable natural perfume, you might try Pacifica.