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From environmental factors to health concerns, there are plenty of reasons to go organic these days, and it’s getting easier and easier to prioritize natural, earth-friendly products in your skin care regimen, too.
First things first: What does “organic” mean anyway? The truth is, there are still a lot of gray areas in this arena. For a cosmetic product to receive the USDA’s official “organic” seal, the ingredients in the product must follow the same rules for organic labeling as food - that is, the product must contain at least 95% organic ingredients.
Beyond that seal, though, there are very few regulations at play, leaving cosmetic companies free to use words like “organic,” “natural,” and “botanical” fairly liberally. This may soon change, as there are proposals for specific labeling of organic skin care products in the works. But for now, just remember that not all products are created equal - keep doing your research and reading those labels!
Health and beauty go hand in hand. If you want your true beauty to shine through, being healthy from the inside out is a key ingredient.
The question is, how do you reach that level of health when your skin and body are constantly bombarded with negative environmental factors that are beyond your control? Not to mention the products you place on your skin every day which contain toxic ingredients.
Did you know: Scientific studies have shown that 60% of what you put on your skin will end up inside of you? And that only 11% of the ingredients in conventional skin care products have been tested for safety?
If you want to look and feel healthy and beautiful, all while protecting and nourishing your skin, an organic or natural skin care regimen is definitely the way to go.
And don’t worry, you won’t be alone when you switch. The natural/organic market is expected to reach $6 Billion in sales this year. Why?
Because people want to know what they’re putting on their skin, plain and simple! Read On!
While not all of these products are “officially” organic, I think they achieve the most effective and responsible balance between prioritizing natural ingredients and offering real benefits for the skin:
Cleanser
Wash with Malin+Goetz Grapefruit Face Cleanser. The amino acids in grapefruit extract rinse away without residue, and the fragrance is all-natural and delicious!
If you have sensitive skin, though, you actually need to be more careful when dealing with organic and all-natural products – just because something occurs in nature doesn’t mean it won’t irritate delicate skin! I have very sensitive skin, and I love the Aveeno Ultra-Calming Cleanser with feverfew, a highly effective anti-inflammatory ingredient.
Daytime Moisturizer
Stella McCartney’s 5 Benefits Moisturising Cream is a wonderful option for very dry skin – it’s packed with rich moisturizing agents like grape seed oil and linseed oil as well as powerful antioxidants like green tea and vitamin E. If your skin is normal to oily, though, Jurlique’s Clarifying Day Care Lotion has a lighter consistency.
Sunscreen
It’s hard to find a 100% organic sunscreen – and this is not an element of your regimen that you want to take any chances on. Korres Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 30 contains moisture-rich shea butter and watermelon extract to keep skin soft and radiant while fighting UVA/UVB rays. DDF Daily Organic Sunscreen SPF 15 is another one of my favorites – it’s not a high enough SPF for prolonged sun exposure, but it’s an excellent option for daily protection.
Evening Moisturizer
At night, I still recommend that all my patients use a retinoid – and while retinoids and retinol are derived from vitamin A, they are not considered organic. There are no good substitutes yet, and this ingredient is too effective at improving skin’s texture, fighting acne, and minimizing lines and wrinkles to discontinue using it in favor of an organic night cream. Topix Replenix Retinol Plus Smoothing Serum 10X is a good option for most skin types.
Wishing you great skin!
Which Products Are Right For You?
#1- Just Natural Organic Skin Care
Website: Justnaturalskincare.com
How much better would you feel about yourself if your skin was beautiful AND healthy?
Feel better? You’d feel unstoppable!
Just Natural Skin Care offers a wide range of unique, natural skin care products. It doesn’t matter what type of skin or hair you have. This company has gone to great lengths to make sure they have a natural product line that will meet your needs.
If you’re ready to give your skin the luxury it deserves, then this is the place to start. And you can do it risk free. Just Natural Skin Care offers an unconditional money back guarantee on everything they sell. If you don’t like it, return it within 14 days, no questions asked.
#2- Natures Paradise Organics – USDA Certified
Website: Naturesparadiseorganics.com
If you’re looking for a natural skin care product that you can be confident is completely organic, then this is the company for you! All of their products are USDA Certified Organic.
Natural Paradise does not offer as wide a variety of products as our number one choice, but you can be completely assured that you are getting natural ingredients that are good for your skin and body.
If you plan to order products from this company, we recommend that you order some of the sampler packs that they offer first. Natural Paradise does not offer any kind of guarantee, and they will not give you a refund if you are not satisfied.
#3- Organic Health And Beauty – Whole Body Health
Although this company ranked number three in our review, they are still a fair option for organic skin care products. They offer most of the essentials you would want in a skin care line, and they do so with organic ingredients.
The only downside is that skin care is not this company’s only focus. They offer a wide variety of healthcare products other than skin or hair care. But if you’re not satisfied with anything you order, they do offer a 30 day return policy.
Organic Skin Care Tips
1. Cleanse Your Skin. While you are sleeping at night, oil, dust, and dead skin cells are busy collecting in your pores. Cleanse the skin on your face and neck first thing in the morning and before you go to bed at night. This will prepare your skin for additional care products.
Find The Best Cleanser For Your Skin Here
2. Exfoliate. It is a good idea to exfoliate the surface of your skin 3-4 times per week. This process removes dead skin cells, increases your skins natural luster, smooths the skins surface, and invigorates you. Did I forget to mention that it also reduces the appearance of wrinkles?
3. Tone your skin. Using a toner on your skin is absolutely essential. It will remove anything your soap or cleanser left behind and it will also help to close your pores. These results are important for two reasons:
1.You want your skin to be squeaky clean before you put anything else on it to avoid clogged pores and breakouts.
2.By reducing the size of your pores, essentially you are minimizing the ability of environmental pollutants to enter your skin.
4. Moisturize your skin. There are various types of moisturizers available, and each one is designed for a particular skin type or condition. You’ll want to chose the one that best suits your needs, but moisturizing is an important step in keeping your skin looking young and healthy.
Moisturize With Natural Ingredients
5. Protect your skin. The skin is the largest organ of the human body. It also makes the biggest impression. Protect it!
Overexposure to the sun will make you look older, faster than most other factors combined. Sunscreens made with natural ingredients are a girls best friend. Use them. If you’re looking to save a little time and effort, just use a moisturizer that contains sunblock with an SPF rating of 15 or higher.
Organic Stuff
The Veggie Lady – Organic Gardening Advice Workshops and other resources to help you easily grow great tasting, healthy, organic food in your own backyard. The website contains free advice on what to do in the garden, a planting guide, organic pest and disease control, featured plants and more each month
Blessed Earth Organic Cotton – Australian based suppliers of organic cotton including clothes, bedding and more
Heirloom Tomatoes – over 80 varieties of organically grown tomatoes! Growing tips and more
Diamond Organics– premier source for farm fresh organic food, with overnight delivery of organic food and organic produce to every address in America.
Biome Organic & Natural Gifts for Home, Skin & Body Care – biome is an australian based site for organic, natural and earth friendly products
Organic Down Under – tips on organic gardening and more from Australia
Directories
Organic Kitchen – a gateway to a world of information on organic foods
Organic Living UK – the UK directory for organic food, wine & lifestyle
Eco Business Links – a large listing of environment based links
Don’t Panic it’s Organic – wow… so much news & information this site is almost intimidating. Great for anyone who wants to delve more deeply into everything organic.
Whispy Web Directory – hand-picked, human edited Cultural Creative Web Directory of sites and resources.
Health & Nutrition
Organic Health – A wellness and non toxic blog associated with this site.
Living Food Farm – Specialists in producing barley grass powder this family business provides free samples. Also has a range of other nutritional and health based products… worth a look.
Personal Care Ingredients
Get Smart About Organic Labels
Lanolin and pesticide chemicals
Recent Reports on Chemicals in Cosmetics
Test Results For 1,4 Dioxane in Leading “Natural” and “Organic” Brands
