All the latest natural skin care, anti-aging and healthy lifestyle tips from Marie Veronique Organics.
10 Simple, Natural Skin Care Rules
Given that our bodies absorb at least 60% of what we put on our skin, we can think of topical applications as another form of food. Here are some simple skin care rules to follow when you are confronted with the overwhelming array of skin care products and wondering where to start.
1. Here is the major rule from which all else follows:
Look at the ingredients, not the claims. There’s very little that can’t be said about a product, but the ingredients are its fingerprint.
2. If you have allergies:
Fragrance aka “parfum” is the number one cause of allergic dermatitis. Be aware that “unscented” can be translated as “this product contains a masking fragrance.” Look for "fragrance-free," particularly if you have sensitivities.
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Natural + Newsworthy: Best Natural BB Cream for Travel, Bare Lashes on the Catwalk, Matcha Smoothie Goodness, and 3 Foods to Ruin Your Complexion
Image: Green Beauty Team
Bare Lashes: Fashion Week Trend
We loved New York Fashion Week’s attention-grabbing beauty trends like burgundy lips and messy halo braids. But in the midst of all the big, bold looks for this fall, there was one beauty product that was conspicuously absent on many of the runways: mascara. DKNY, Lacoste, 3.1 Phillip Lim, and several other shows featured models with clean lashes that drew attention away from the eyes and instead focused it on features like flawless skin or pouty lips.
Bare Lashes Fashion Trend
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Hydrate and Protect Your Skin During the Winter Months and Beyond
Keep Your Skin's Environmental Barrier Intact
The stratum corneum, the top layer of skin, keeps moisture in and protects against all sorts of environmental assault, whether cold, wind, glare or UV rays. This lipid barrier requires almost constant replenishment as wind, cold, sun exposure and too much indoor heating leads to lipid loss which compromises its integrity.How to Select and Care for Skin Care Products
Avoiding and preventing food from spoiling has become second nature to all of us. We all automatically take precautions. Given that contaminated personal care products also present a health risk, that same thoughtfulness and care should be directed towards choosing and caring for our personal care items. Here are some tips for guarding against contaminants entering and spoiling your skin care products.
Oil-based products
- While essential oils do show some ability to preserve oils, rosemary oleoresin and Vitamin E are your best bets for protecting against oxidation and extending shelf life. Look for one or the other, and preferably both, in your oil-based products.
- If you have an oil-based product you have not opened because you intend to use it later put it in the refrigerator. Keep products that you are currently using in a cool, dark place.
- Look for products packaged in dark glass, with dispenser tops that limit exposure of the products to air.
Water-based products
Perhaps no other issue is more controversial than natural preservation of water-based products. Many preservative suppliers point out that the obstacles to so-called natural preservation are almost insurmountable. "A single natural preservative just isn't practical," insists Mary.Chervenak of Dow Biocides. "Although some organic oils and other natural products have antimicrobial activity, their biocidal capabilities are limited and they usually cannot withstand the continuous reinoculation that most personal care products must endure.The bactericidal and mold inhibitor good guys
Cosmocil CQ is paraben-free bactericide that has so far been given a clean bill of health. Geogard, composed of gluconolactone and sodium benzoate, is accepted as a preservative for use in organic products. Leucidal, derived from a lactic acid bacteria, is new and potentially of great utility, however both Geogard and Leucidal may be skin irritating (see sodium benzoate below). Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, derived from glycine, is a broad-spectrum preservative effective against bacteria, yeast and mold. Showing promise, manufacturers are still working with it to determine whether it is effective enough for general use.Controversial preservatives
Phenoxyethanol is often described as a safe, paraben-free alternative. While it is an improvement over propylparaben the jury is still out, with the Green Beauty Guide citing some evidence before giving it a definite “no” vote. While phenoxyethanol does not release formaldehyde it is known to work best when used with with diazoldinyl urea, which does. I would be a tad suspicious of phenoxyethanol listed alone.Our Solution
In addition to using very stable oils like meadowfoam seed oil we use Rosemary oleoresin and mixed tocopherols (Vitamin E) to stabilize our oil blends. Our choice for our water-based formulations is Polyaminopropyl biguanide (Cosmocil CQ) a paraben-free and fast-acting and broad spectrum antimicrobial, providing activity against a wide range of bacteria (including MRSA, Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli) and viruses. Consistent with our thinking, the EWG places Polyaminopropyl biguanide in their low risk category.Natural, Organic Skin Care versus “Fast Food” Skin Care
While many are flocking to organic food to avoid the perils of processed fast food, organic skin care is often overlooked, despite being more beneficial than "fast food" skin care. In the first part of this series, 7 reasons organic skincare is better, we outlined how the same line of reasoning about the benefits of organic foods also applies to what you put on your skin. This is because your body works hard every day to keep you healthy, but it can only work with what you put in it and on it. Unprocessed, natural food is better for you and tastes better. With natural skin food, you’ll not only feel better, you’ll LOOK better too.
Below is a table that lists food and skin food equivalents, and how they work to build and maintain a healthy AND beautiful you.
| Fast Food Ingredients | Organic Food | Fast Skin Food Ingredients | Organic Skin Food Ingredients |
|
Hydrogenated fats/trans fats, leads to Heart disease and aging. |
Omega 6 and omega 3 rich oils, leads to healthy vascular system |
Waxes, stearic acid, hydrogenated oils and trans fats, leads to Clogged pores/ loss of natural lubrication/bacterial buildup. |
EFA rich lipids, leads to hydrated skin, refined pores and no breakouts. |
|
Sugar and high fructose corn syrup, leads to inflammation, glycation, wrinkles, and aging. |
Anti-oxidants and polysaccharides from fruits and vegetables, boosts immune system and prevents premature aging. |
Propylene and Butylene glycols, leads to a disruption of natural hydration process via oil production. |
Polysaccharides (complex sugars) attract water and retain moisture, leads to hydrated and dewy skin. |
|
Antibiotics fed to animals, has led to arise in number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and higher risk of infection. |
Grass fed beef high in EFAs, leads to healthy protein source provides the essential building block of life. |
Topical anti-biotics, eg triclosan, leads to chronic inflammation and break outs, diminished natural protection due to bacterial imbalance. |
Anti-microbial oils, leads to healthy, blemish-free skin |
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