With the growing attention on beauty product ingredients, it seems like everywhere we turn there’s a natural this or an organic that ready to lure us in. From Revlon and Suave to small, hand-made Etsy shops, companies aplenty are hopping on the natural and organic beauty bandwagon. So, how do you know if a product is really good for you? How do you know which products work the best? Here are three simple tips to help you navigate your way through all of the bare-faced beauty talk:
Skip The Toxins
Avoid the most common toxic ingredients in your beauty products by referring to a list such as Ingredients to Avoid. If a product you’re contemplating contains anything on this list (simply read the ingredients on the packaging or website), skip it. It’s not worth the potential health risks. Sure, that deodorant is keep you dry right now, but is it worth the risk of breast cancer down the road? Some of the common ingredients to avoid are: Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES), Propylene Glycol (PG), Butylene Glycol, Aluminum, Mineral Oil, Polyethlene Glycol (PEG), Synthetic Fragrances and TEA (triethanolamine).
Read Reviews
Do a quick review search online for any product that you’re thinking about purchasing. Sites like No More Dirty Looks, Well + Good, Coco Eco Magazine, and Organic Beauty Talk are great resources that will introduce you to some amazing and healthy beauty products. The Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is also a handy resource (although note that on some ingredients like fragrance it won’t differentiate between synthetic and natural, therefore some products might have a higher toxicity rating).
Shop Smart
More and more stores like Target, Walmart, Sephora, Ulta, and even department stores are adding cleaner beauty product options to their aisles. Just make sure your have your “Ingredients to Avoid” list with you or pulled up on your smart phone to weed through the green-washing. Online shops like Vitacost, Spirit Beauty Lounge, Abe’s Market, NuboNau and Love Lula are valuable places to shop natural and organic on any budget.
Organic Beauty Talk recently launched its own Curated Holiday Shop that will run through January 6, 2014 with editor tested and approved hand-crafted, made in the USA beauty favorites to make shopping easy for the holidays. They are graciously offering Darling readers an additional 10% off with promo code Darling10!
Image via Sincerely, Kinsey