The Benefits of Natural, Chemical-Free Beauty Products

Being a celebrity makeup artist is an interesting job, to say the least. From models to actors to high-profile executives -- whatever
is going wrong in their world at the moment, you are supposed to fix with concealer and powder so they can beam and glow with confidence on camera. What amazed me through my career was no matter how big a star, or how famous a celebrity...they would ask me what I thought the best makeup was, or the best skin care, as if I alone held the secret.



Well, there is a secret, and when I learned what it was it ended my career as a makeup artist. There are some things a good under-eye
cream and a fresh coat of lipstick just can't cover up. When you don't feel good, it is hard to conceal it. Although I had a great
diet and had what I thought was a healthy lifestyle, I was tired, fatigued, and just felt "off." I went to my doctor, and after a
series of blood tests she gave me a handful of recommendations, one of which was to "eliminate using personal products with chemicals." Sounded easy enough because I didn't use any personal products with chemicals. Or so I thought.



What I discovered leveled me. Much like the big tobacco companies did for so many years, cosmetics, skin care and beauty product
manufacturers products go virtually unchecked. There is a disconnect between why we use a product, and how we use a product. You can buy a nicotine patch, put it on your skin and what is absorbed into your blood stream curbs your craving for a cigarette. You can apply a birth control patch to your skin and the chemical released goes into your blood stream to prevent pregnancy. Yet we don't think that when we put mascara on our eyelashes, the carcinogenic coal tar gets absorbed into our system as well, or that a skin lotion with parabens puts harmful chemistry into our blood stream...but they do. Unfortunately the mega-corporations that put these products into the marketplace don't want their profits to be impacted by this scientific discovery. The industry being unregulated gives a free
pass for these practices to continue.



So when I took a look at the ingredients in my personal care products, I realized that virtually everything in my bathroom and
makeup kit was laden with harmful chemicals. Slowly I began a search to replace these products with natural choices, and finding products that worked as effectively was no easy task. When I did discover them, not only were they as effective as my previous chemically laden products...they were far more amazing. And they made me feel good, because they were good.



So how did this end my career as a makeup artist? After knowing what I now knew, and feeling what I felt, I couldn't perpetuate the cycle anymore, and certainly not on other people. I assembled the "best of the best" of all the products that I found and opened a store,
dedicated to chemical-free, natural, eco-beauty products. My standards were high, coming from the world of high-end beauty
compromising quality and effectiveness was a huge concern of mine, until I realized that I didn't have to compromise at all.



After two years and a life-changing transition, the success of the store has brought me full circle with many of the stars, celebrities
and Hollywood powerhouses that I had as clients. I still get that inevitable question, "what is the best skin care" or "what is the
best makeup", and now I can honestly tell them the real secret. The most important ingredients are about what is not in the bottle,
because whatever is in there, goes in you.



While changing regulations may not be in the immediate future, the options to make a better choice, and an informed choice, are out
there. Someone had to turn the lightbulb on for me, but once they did the impact it had on my health, and how I felt, and how I looked was so transformative -- it truly changed my life...and it is a secret that is not worth keeping.

Comments

[mzrecycle]

I need to clean up my routine. Don't wear make up except for a few times/year after developing an allergic reaction to a brand of mascara. It made me sensitive to ALL brands for a long time. I can use it now, but I'm in my 60's and application is difficult, as I need readers to apply, then remove to touch up, over and over. . .
I will gradually replace all my cosmetics with the natural ones I see at health food stores.
I've know for decades that the best body moisturizer is just oil. after showering, with still wet skin, I use a plastic bottle with cone top (like the old ketchup/mustard bottles) to put a few drops of almond oil and spread it over a lower leg. Continuing with each body segment, I oil my skin.
I use an old hand towel to blot the water and excess oil off. I put on a old pajamas for about 15 min.to absorb any excess., wash with the rags.
Lately, I've discovered shea butter, now my facial moisturizer, as well as my whole body moisturizer. In the summer, its low melting point makes it easy to just run my fingers over top, rub in my hand a few seconds and apply in the manner described above. In winter, I use a small candle to warm the butter to oil. I buy it online. It really has improved the encroaching wrinkles on my face.

[csepwede]

I agree using oils as moisturizer. For those of us who are not going to do the cosmetic surgery route, the thing to remember is that what makes skin appear "youthful" is a moisture or radiance under the skin.

We can age and get wrinkles, but we can also have healthy, glowing skin. We get that through enough sleep, exercise, and eating what works for our bodies. Also, by exfoliating (sea salt or baking soda works fine) and moisturizing with a good oil. I like almond oil, but coconut oil works best on my skin.

[csepwede]

coconut oil is all you need. I had adult onset acne, and it went away once I stopped using soap on my face, and started using only coconut oil as a moisturizer. It makes a great hair conditioner too (has to be washed out)

[17]

Excellent post! This is a topic that more people need to be made aware of. When I first learned that the cosmetic industry is unregulated, I was shocked and amazed. I agree that until these regulations are changed, we must take matters into our own hands by locate the cleanest, greenest personal care products available and spreading the word about the dangers.

I recently posted the following on my blog...Hazardous chemicals, that have been banned by the European Union for years are still very prevalent in cosmetics and other personal care items here in the U.S… Some companies make products that are safe, other companies choose to use known human carcinogens or developmental toxins.

The entire post can be found at www.180day­stolifesty­le.org/in-­the-news

[JustifiablyParanoid]

Thank you for sharing a bit of your story regarding this very important topic. I only recently embraced the organic, natural lifestyle, and I've never felt better....as an Angeleno, I'm definitely going to pay Vert a visit as some of your products sound fabulous!

[classicalgeek]

I make my own mascara from food-grade charcoal and coconut oil; I grow my own shampoo (saponaria officinalis); and I encourage my friends who dye their hair to check out tea, coffee, annatto, lemon juice, chamomile, henna, and other natural dyes. Hair colour and nail polish both contain chemicals associated with a much higher risk of breast cancer, and so I cringe every time I see a toddler with nail polish.