Let's Talk About Skin, Bab-y... and so much more

Beauty products have long been my obsession-just ask my mama-I believe I was about 7ish (???) when I got a serious skin rash in the mall from allowing EVERY perfume and lotion to be put on my arms!  It's been an uphill road since then;)  I have never had perfect skin, I have never had perfect hair (but, like so many of us tend to believe-everyone else does!).  I've tried every beauty fad and product I can think of-some healthy, some not so much.  But it wasn't until my interest in pure health peaked that I realized-it's not just what we're INGESTING, but what we're putting on our skin that matters too.  A lot of people refuse to believe this-and I don't blame skeptics.  True, we're not eating it, and true, our grandparents did just darn fine.  But, much like the reason we feel good about eating organic foods, the chemicals now found in our products and foods weren't in them until around the mid-60's, and it just got worse from there, hence not affecting the older generation (but ours and our parents? yes, indeed).  I now welcome the awareness and rebellion of sorts us women (and men!) are bringing on-we don't have to see chronic diseases continue to spread!  Ok, that was my rant, now let's talk specifics.

When I recently posted something on my Facebook wall regarding a possibly unsafe additive added to a very large and trusted "natural" baby skin care line causing some major outbreaks, I was floored by your responses-not only were many of you interested, but I received posts and PM's asking about my personal skin care choices for my child and myself.  This excited me for many reasons:  people are believing in my passion about this, people are trusting in me, and people are CARING ABOUT HEALTH!  It doesn't feel good, it feels GREAT, and makes this blog all the more worthwhile.  Thank you AGAIN for even bothering to read-whether you agree with me or not!

I have tried many different lines on my child-all claiming to be natural or mostly organic.  Comforting, but not 100% comforting.  Most seem to be able to step it up a bit and lose a lot of the chemicals and preservatives.  Same goes for every product imaginable I've tried!  Now, having said this, am I perfectly growing some fresh avocados in my backyard to throw on my face? Um, no.  But, I am always in the eternal search for purity, and things that are comfortable on my skin (in my hair, under my arms, etc!).  When we visit family, my son, Kai, and I will get non-organic baths and later up with deliciously smelling smooth soaps and lotions.  An indulgence of sorts, because while sold more cheaply, they also have manmade chemicals that seep through the skin and are in fact absorbed through the skin.  Bottom line, they are toxins, and just like the food we eat, it's best to be toxin-free!  Well, how do we go about finding THAT without costing us an arm and a leg?!  Research, research, research-and beware of "natural" products that do cost a bundle-any product at all that contains water has a preservative included of some sort.  The water, though, cuts down on their ingredients needed, AND gives it a nice thin/smooth texture. Interesting, eh?  One natural, yet effective item I HAVEN'T had luck in finding (ever) is a good deodorant!!  I've tried many, out of the aluminum links to breast cancer concerns, but boy they do the opposite of work:(  Sound off if you've found one!  Same goes for natural nail polishes and removers-anyone??

A huge warning about a product is if you see any parabens included in the ingredient list.  This is one of many chemicals that are harmful, but is getting increasing awareness and bad press-highly linked to cancer among other things as of late.  Check out LIVESTRONG.com's article on the topic.  Also, watch for the popular belief that natural oils are the culprits for breakouts or other skin rashes; more likely than not, while I'm aware that skin allergies do exist, it's the chemicals in many products that are causing outbreaks of any sort.

One of you asked today:  Why on Earth would companies sell things that could potentially harm us or our children?!!!  Sadly, there's a one-word answer for this:  MONEY.  Large companies have little cause for care over our health, and the FDA along with other agencies who approve of food additives and chemicals in products aren't to be trusted in my opinion either.  It's up to US-we have the power!

Thanks to a friend, and my favorite social network (hear that, Mark Z?!), I discovered an amazing website that breaks down the safety of most products out there-not only does it rate the safety level, but it tells you WHY it got that rating-no more guesswork!  If a product has 25 ingredients, most of which you can't pronounce, but still has some essential oil (funny how that's the bold ingredient advertised)-that's a huge red flag that it's bad news.  Click here to check out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database-see how your current products rate, AND use it to pick out your future products-I sure as heck am the next time around-for myself and my baby boy.

I've decided not to use this post for specific recommendations or product names as of yet... I just wanted to introduce my standpoint on the topic at hand and let you think about the info.  More to come on this, well LOTS more, including some exciting news-hopefully sooner than later!  In the meantime, Stay Chic, Stay Healthy;) ... and Happy Shopping!