Do you try to use more natural skincare products?

[DomesticBlobess]

Saw bit of a discussion on other thread about suncream and how there was a real strong feeling that alot of people hate using too many chemicals on their skin.

In the last two or three years I have stopped using the high street type products crammed full of chemicals and virtually all the products myself and the kids use now are much more natural based - mainly from akamuti, spiezia and handmade naturals all on internet.

I strongly feel that they also perform alot better too - I was a clarins and clinique fan but always had spots but now using oils to cleanse and moisturise my skin is 100% better (even if I say so myself...!)

Plus I save a fortune compared to what I use to spend.

My husband says i'm wasting my time and all this organic and chemical free stuff is just another marketing gimmick, so just wondered what others think - do you consider it worth the effort to find good natural products??

Plus if you use natural products - what are your faves?

I used a range called faith in nature, they were excellent and very cheap - £5 for moisturiser.
I've tried using natural stuff, but then I use aerosol deodorant and other chemical ridden stuff and I think either it's all or nothing really so I'm not committed to it.
I also think that brands that look like they're all natural aren't really, I like Liz Earle, but it has parabens and lauryl sulphate etc in it, so it's talking the talk, but not quite walking the walk iyswim!

Agree that you have to read the back of the label - not just the front - to discover whether the product is as natural as it claims.

I've made quick purchases when in a hurray - the Tescos B Natural range springs to mind - and when I've read the ingredients later I've been shocked with what they can call "natural"!

I've used faith in nature haircare products and they are very good.

I have hayfever. Plants hate me!

Seriously though 'natural' cosmetics is made up marketing nonsense. Where plant extracts, for example, are used it's mostly for marketing purposes - "Now with aubergine extract for extra tightening". Often there is limited proof of efficacy and even where there is some proven effect, you'd need much more of it than you can absorb through 0.1% in a face cream. A lot of the studies used in cosmetics marketing are based on throwing whatever substance at cells in a petri dish rather than any actual action on living human skin. And that's before you get onto the problems of how you stop them going off and degrading.

I have in front of me some Organic, Vegan cleansing milk, made by Lavera Naturkosmetic, bought from the vegan wholefood shop near me. Natural cosmetics don't come more natural than this:

Here are the ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Glycine soya oil, caprylic / capric triglyceride, alcohol, glyceryl stearate citrate, cetearyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, jojoba seed oil, sweet almond oil, witch hazel water, hydrogenated palm glycerides, lysolecithin, tocopherol, xanthan gum, sunflower oil, rapeseed sterols, sodium cetearyl sulphate, ascorbyl palmitate, citronellol, limonene.

Spookily similar to any other cleansing milk, with the added bonus that witch hazel and citronella are both known skin irritants. So this could well be worse for my skin than, say Neutrogena gentle cleanser which cost half the price.

I totally agree that you have to read the ingredients and I no longer buy a product with a list like you found on the Lavera product. Though I'm guessing it is viewed as natural when compared to the ingredients list of the neutrogena product you mention here -

PURIFIED WATER, GLYCERIN, CAPRYLIC/CAPRICTRIGLYCERIDE, CETYL RICINOLEATE, ISOHEXADECANE, TEA-COCOYL GLUTAMATE, METHYL GLUCOSE SESQUISTEARATE, STEARYL ALCOHOL, CETYL ALCOHOL, PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL, PEG-20 METHYL GLUCOSE SESQUISTEARATE, BISABOLOL, CHAMOMILE EXTRACT, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, DIPOTASSIUM GLYCYRRHIZATE, STEARYL GLYCYRRHETINATE, TETRASODIUM EDTA, ACRYLATES/C10-30 ALKYL ACRYLATE CROSSPOLYMER, TRIETHANOLAMINE, BHT, GERANIUM, DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL, PHENOXYETHANOL, PROPYLPARABEN, METHYLPARABEN.
Y

Who on earth can describe that chemical concoction as "gentle"? How do they get away with it?

Then compare that cleansing milk to just using a castor oil and sunflower seed oil mix as in the oil cleansing method, and for example an oil moisturiser by akamuti which comprises

Rosehip Seed Oil (Rosa moschata),
Golden Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia chinensis), Raspberry Seed Oil (Rubus idaeus),
Rose Otto Essential Oil (Rosa damascena), Geranium Essential Oil (Pelargonium graveolons),
Organic Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Cananga odorata)

Isn't it worth seeking these products out to avoid using all the other crap?

What do you think Rosehip seed oil is made of if not chemicals?

My point is, not everything that's natural is good, and not everything that's synthetic is bad.

Geranium Oil and Rose oil are known skin irritants and I wouldn't want them anywhere near my face, even though they smell lovely.

Caprylic Triglyceride is made out of coconut oil. Cetyl Ricinoleate is derived from castor oil.

Just because something has a long technical sounding name, doesn't mean it's bad for you. Just because something sounds like it's been picked off a tree doesn't mean it's any good for you either.

I agree that not everything that's natural is good - anthrax is natural but you wouldn't want it in your food or on your skin!

There is a big difference between ingredients being skin irritants to some people and ingredients that are linked to cancer and organ toxicity.

Little is proven with regard to dangers of individual chemicals and the more that are mixed togehter the higher the risker I think, and I would just rather avoid them as far as possible. Also I think you just don't need the more chemical laden products - the more natural alternatives are genuinely better in my opinion.

Luckily I don't suffer from ezccema or sensitive skin conditions - but I cannot bear the smell of artificially fragranced soaps and shampoos etc - too overpowering and now gives me a headache.

Why do people need Sodium Laurel Sulphate SLS in shower gel and shampoo? It is an industrial strength de-greaser originally used as garage floor cleaner - it strips the skin (and hair) of all oils that body moisturisers and conditioners have to put back artifically. Its in there because it is cheap as chips.

I have been plagued by eczema all my life and when I was training to be a medical herbalist, I discovered natural and botanical skincare creams which were a godsend. Since then, I have been making my own creams, bath & shower products and using African black soaps. If you have sensitive skin and are prone to allergies, it is best to steer clear of plant ingredients but most people with problem skin find natural skincare products much more soothing and compatible. I really like the Centella skincare range (www.centellaskincare.co.uk) and Shea Butter Cottage products especially their body butters (www.sheabuttercottage.co.uk). I used to like Liz Earle products until I found that it had been sold to Avon (their products are distinctly inferior since the sale!). Facial oils by Blue Labelle are good as well as Raw Gaia and Pai Skincare. Ultimately of course, diet and a healthy lifestyle are also important for a great skin & a glowing complexion (which money really can't buy)! Don't believe the criticisms about parabens (it is unfairly branded as a chemical nasty but it is naturally occurring and abundant in many of our fruits and vegetables). It is also needed in skincare products as a all-round preservative to stop them going rancid and making toxic compounds which will be more disastrous for the skin than any perceived 'risk' from parabens!

I'm trying to cut back on so many chemicals in my life.
Have tried several sls-free shampoos but I'm yet to find one that suits my hair.
I use coconut oil as a moisturiser. It smells fab and does a good job - face and body. (I still need an SPF on exposed skin in the day though as I've had skin cancer in the past).
I use raw honey as a cleanser, morning and night. It is the best thing I've ever done for my face - it's glowing. In the past I've used everything from Eve Lom to Simple, and raw honey is the absolute best. You can't get more natural than that! Those in the know call it 'the natural beauty product that the beauty industry don't want you to find out about', and I totally agree - it's amazing, and cheap. Give it a try - if you don't like it, at least you can eat it...!

What queen said. Everything is made of chemicals so it always amuses me when people say they want 'chemical free' products. But each to their own.

I think what most people mean by avoiding 'chemicals' is avoiding 'nasty chemicals'. As in, harsh, damaging chemicals that should have no place in products that we put on our skin, (or even in our mouths if you look at the ingredients in toothpaste).

Hmmm, I think we do actually have a pretty good, science-based regulatory system in this country to protect consumers from 'nasty' chemicals that are actually harmful in beauty as well as other products.

That's not to say some people may find some products don't suit their skins.

Personally I don't like to rely on government regulations to keep my skin/body healthy. I don't believe that something is 100% safe just because it's sold in the shops. I think that's quite a naive view. But hey, what do I know? I'm not a scientist or researcher. It's just my thoughts.

Im actuall ver far from naive! Of course a scientist would be the first person to say that you cant prove a negative and it's impossible to guarantee that anything will bea 100% safe. But if we all all acted on that assumption we would never do anything.

I do think, having worked in these areas,that the UK regulatory system while not perfect - nothing is - is a generally effective one and proceeds in an evidence-based way and cautiously ( on what's called the 'precautionary principle' ) in considering the safety of chemicals. That's all.

But Im not suggesting we must all do what the government says - it's entirely up to individuals to make their own
decisions on what they buy, using any evidence, or

feelings, they choose.