Detox Your Personal Care Routine

Why Safer Skincare

One of the last things that I realized that I needed to change to detox and give my body the best opportunity for healing were my personal care, skincare, cosmetic products. I’m not sure why it didn’t occur to me that if I needed to read food labels and eliminate food additives that I would need to do the same thing in other areas of my life. Your skin is the largest organ of your body, and it takes only 26 seconds for your skin to absorb the ingredients of whatever products you choose to put on it.

Finding non-toxic products was very frustrating! I spent so much time with the SkinDeep app checking for safety ratings only to pick something that didn’t work well or smelled awful. I tried making some of my own products. Some were successful and I still use them but I couldn’t make everything! Discovering essential oils helped because they have many of the properties that I was looking for. One product that I still make, love and use is Replenishing Facial Oil (can be purchased in my Etsy shop).

I was slowly replacing my products with something safer and then I discovered Beautycounter! I was so surprised at how well their products performed and was impressed at the company’s commitment not to use more than 1500 toxic chemicals.

This is Beautycounter’s Never List!

Their products also contain essential oils and botanicals proven to accomplish naturally, what other companies do with toxic chemicals. Their ingredient selection and testing process goes above and beyond anyone else in the industry. Having safe products available has made a huge difference in my peace of mind and has helped reduce my overall toxic load.

Why should you make an effort to remove toxic ingredients from your daily life?

Teaching environmental science has given me even more of an awareness of what we are facing with all of the toxins in our environment. I blindly trusted that the products I was using were safe! Have you wondered why there are more people today with autoimmune disorders, hormonal imbalance, infertility, asthma, allergies, developmental issues, and cancer. It is up to us to make more informed decisions about the products we buy and use on our skin. Reducing our toxic load is something we can do to help ourselves and our families live healthier lives.

Here are some facts to consider:

Babies are being born pre-polluted. Studies done with cord blood found that there were over 200 toxic chemicals in the babies cord blood.
Of the over 80,000 chemicals on the market today – only 10% have ever been tested for safety.
According to the Environmental Working Group the average woman applies 168 chemicals from 10-12 skincare products to her skin daily.
1938 is the last year the federal government passed a law regulating cosmetics
Until recently only 11 harmful cosmetics ingredients were banned in the US but with the recent ban of triclosan and other antibacterial ingredients it puts it up to 30. The European Union has banned 1400.
Beauty is one of the least regulated consumer product categories on the market—meaning it’s actually legal to sell skin care and cosmetics that contain harmful chemicals linked to cancer and other serious health impacts.

As a mother and grandmother I am particularly shocked by these statistics. It’s time for CHANGE! I am especially concerned about the endocrine/hormone disruptors which likely played a role in me developing Hashimoto’s. Hormone disruptors are chemicals that increase the production of certain hormones and decrease others, imitate hormones, turn one hormone into another, interfere with hormone signaling, tell cells to die prematurely, compete with and bind to essential nutrients, accumulate in organs that produce hormones.

Undisclosed “fragrances” are also a troubling ingredient that may contain dozens of toxic ingredients of which a company does not have to reveal what they are.

When the skin absorbs toxins, they go to the vascular system and some of these toxins can also store in our fat cells and are difficult to remove. As they continue to accumulate, the oxidation and free radical damage that they cause can lead to metabolic and systemic dysfunctions.

How can you avoid toxins in your products?

1. Use the Never List - more than 1,500 ingredients that Beautycounter has promised never to use, no matter what. Keep it with you when you shop.

2. Download and use the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database to scan and look up your products. It will tell you the safety rating. Aim for a rating of 1 or 2 for safety.

3. Read labels! Just because it says natural or organic doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have other ingredients that aren’t safe. These terms have no legal meaning in the industry.

Where do I start?

As you think about all the products you normally use you are probably thinking “Where do I start?” I recommend starting with lotions and creams (including sunscreen) that you rub into your skin and leave on to soak in. Then move to sprays (mucus membranes), washes, hair products and then makeup. Not many people can just ditch everything out of their bathroom cabinet and start over, so slowly replace one at a time with a safer product.

Click Here to Learn About Green cleaning

Top 3 reasons why I trust Beautycounter for my personal/skincare needs

One of my goals with developing Holistic Gigi was to find safer products that I could recommend to others so after a year of using the Beautycounter products and falling in love with them I couldn’t stop myself from spreading the news!

1. Beautycounter’s Mission is to get safe products into the hands of everyone and I’ve seen them put words into action. They have achieved a B-Corporation certification - a new type of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. They frequent Washington where they are asking for laws to be changed! I believe in their mission. We deserve better! I want to be part of the movement so there are better choices for my children and grandchildren where they won’t have to worry about harmful chemicals in their products.

2. Beautycounter’s mission is EDUCATION first, product second which is also my goal with the creation of Holistic Gigi so I decided to share this information with you to educate you about the skin care industry so that you can make better choices for you and your family.

3. Beautycounter’s Ingredient Selection Process ensures that their products perform to professional standards without the harmful or questionable ingredients typically found in the industry. The ingredients in these products are not only safe but some also heal and regenerate. Beautycounter third party batch tests their products for heavy metals, such as lead, that are very dangerous and can bring about birth defects, impaired brain functioning and other issues.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

Do your research and decide on the products that are right for you. No products or companies are perfect so we must choose the best we can. This is not the only company making safer products but it is the one I trust the most with the best quality products. I also still make some of my own and love some of the products from Primally Pure (Everything Spray and Lip Balm) and Primal Life Organics (C-EX Face Serum and dental products).

My Skin Care Favorites

If you have any questions about the products that would be right for you or would like to become involved with Beautycounter as a consultant just email me and let me know. This is an exciting new company if you are looking for a business opportunity.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SAFER PRODUCTS?