Back to Basics

A trip to the health and beauty aisle these days is revealing more and more “organic” and “all natural” soaps, shampoos, etc, than ever. Everyone is jumping on the “green” bandwagon, and who has time to sort out all the hype they’re throwing at us? (Read here for some encouraging news along that line.) It’s certainly not how I planned on spending my leisure time, but after developing what seemed to be some kind of contact allergy to anything in my skin care routine that contained synthetic chemicals, it became evident that that was exactly what I was going to have to do. I had flaky, dry patches on my face and legs that would not go away despite multiple attempts to find something appropriate for my sensitive skin, my spray gel for my hair was causing weird breakouts all around my hairline, and Vaseline, my old standby for chapped lips, was suddenly making them worse instead of better. In desperation, I bought a vegan, organic lip balm, and hit pay dirt. One application and a few hours later, my lips were almost completely healed. I remained skeptical about a product that still had ingredients on the label that I could not identify, but I got a clue and began a quest to find simple, natural alternatives to my skin care products.

My soap and shampoo (technically detergents) with the ubiquitous sodium lauryl sulfate obviously had to go. Factor in known allergies since infancy, and this was going to be a challenge. I went straight for the simplest, purest products I could find, and got quite an education in the process. Clearly Natural unscented glycerin bar and Dr Bronner’s baby mild liquid castile soap both proved to be a solution. They left my skin clean and fresh without feeling stripped or dried out. Shampoo and conditioner was going to be a little more difficult. I finally turned to this website for an education on ingredients. There are plenty of alternatives for traditional detergent and chemical laden formulas, but hair type and personal preference can be a big deciding factor. I am currently using Burt's Bees pomegranate and soy formula and loving it.

Next up: dry skin. A friend had recommended the old fashioned formula of rosewater and glycerin as a moisturizer, and an internet search turned up several recipes for making it yourself, as well as some ready made products. I remembered hearing jojoba oil was also good for your skin, and added that to my list. My beauty routine was complete. After showering, I finish off by spritzing rosewater and glycerin all over, even in my hair. It leaves my skin feeling soft, fresh, and hydrated without that heavy feeling from typical drugstore moisturizers. The moisture retaining properties of glycerin also made it ideal for curl definition in my hair. Severely flaky, dry or chapped skin gets a few drops of jojoba oil massaged in. This simple routine has virtually eliminated my dry skin issues.

With the help of the products I have culled out of all the possibilities out there, I am well on my way to the healthiest skin and hair I have ever had, not to mention fewer chemicals going down my drain everyday; it’s even more cost effective. The shampoos and conditioners are the only items that cost a little more than the traditional drugstore variety, but even they are significantly less than most salon products. The sampling of products below are my favorites, but are by no means all inclusive. Check out the links provided and find what works for you.